A Few Breeders - Opinions/Experiences?

[magicgenie]

Borderkelpie, I just want the dogs happy, healthy and loved while they're here.
I retire them young from my breeding program and do my best to ensure they go from here to life as beloved pets. Are the associated risks too high a price to preserve the breed for future generations to enjoy? I love my Yorkies more than anything. Animal Rights people think my Yorkies are suffering.

[gemy]

I had to look up Kelpie, as this is a breed not familiar to me. Interesting looking dog, and one, I have not knowingly seen in person.


Do you breed for show or working? The separation reminds me of Border Collies and some other breeds as well. And somewhat the divide seems to be similar in terms of at least coat color n texture, and of course mayhap more subtle things I would not know of.

And your *large dogs* are not so large in my mind, although compared to Yorkies well they are, in fact anything other than another toy breed would be.

I do breed a large rare breed, full grown females 85-100lbs, males 110-130lbs or so.

And we do have show and performance breeders with our breed too, although we have not created different registries for this. The issue is almost always the same, if you don't breed for performance, then you lose over time the stellar performance qualities of the breed. And the other hand would say, we need to keep structure, type, coat, and other qualities true to the breed. It is a question without a definitive answer in my mind. But I have my own personal answer, and I am like some very few breeders who breed for both. Wrong temperament, no working drive, are as important to me, as coat type, structure and health. As a breeder you must if you want to do the above, test out your breeding stock, and do working titles on your dogs. As well as all the health screenings et al. That is a huge commitment of time and energy.

Anyhoo I have enjoyed reading your posts, and am looking forward to learning about this Kelpie breed of yours :-)

[BorderKelpie]

Thank you, gemy. We breed for working. I would love to show a dog again someday, but I don't like what happens when folks start breeding for the ring vs performance. Just for grins and giggles, not only do we go for herding but we are expanding into tracking (because I love tracking lol).

I am tinkering with the idea of showing a dog again, and am researching Yorkies and another breed for just that someday (soon, I hope), but I have a bad feeling I will take a gorgeous Yorkie and ruin his/her coat going to Barn hunts. lol I am a little too active for a show dog's coat.

magicgenie, watching your videao, it's obvious to me that your dogs seem happy, healthy and from some of the posts I've read in this forum, well adjusted and cared for/much loved.

Animal rights people can kiss my, uh, Yorkie - that's it, that is exactly what I meant to say.

[gemy]

[QUOTE=BorderKelpie;4520579]Thank you, gemy. We breed for working. I would love to show a dog again someday, but I don't like what happens when folks start breeding for the ring vs performance. Just for grins and giggles, not only do we go for herding but we are expanding into tracking (because I love tracking lol).

I am tinkering with the idea of showing a dog again, and am researching Yorkies and another breed for just that someday (soon, I hope), but I have a bad feeling I will take a gorgeous Yorkie and ruin his/her coat going to Barn hunts. lol I am a little too active for a show dog's coat.

magicgenie, watching your videao, it's obvious to me that your dogs seem happy, healthy and from some of the posts I've read in this forum, well adjusted and cared for/much loved.


Well you should see my GCH video of Razzle. I will link it here. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/my-...ospective.html


You can see here that my show Yorkie did dock diving but he also did agility and hiked everywhere with us.



I am not sure what Barn Hunts are and how they would compare...

[BorderKelpie]

https://www.youtube.com/user/BarnHuntVideos

Razzle is wonderful! What a fun little guy! Magic is stunning, too. Lovely dog!

Maybe Barn Hunts would be ok, I just figured the hay could damage a Yorkie's coat because it can sure be a nightmare when my poodles get into it. lol (My poodles are in modified Continental clips, so the hay really gets tangled in it).

I have some wonderful hiking trails locally, too. Can't wait until the weather picks up a bit again.

[AlecM]

Susan,

As you know I'm a big fan of your videos - particularly because I get to see our Shelby's lovely mother Lacy, dad Ray, and her new siblings!!!!

Alec

Wow - it's been a while since I posted!

[magicgenie]

Originally Posted by AlecM

Susan,

As you know I'm a big fan of your videos - particularly because I get to see our Shelby's lovely mother Lacy, dad Ray, and her new siblings!!!!

Alec

Wow - it's been a while since I posted!

Alec, How nice to run into you here! I check in once in a while to see what's happening outside of my own little Yorkie world.
For those who don't know, Alec and Stephen came to my home about a year ago to pick out a little Yorkie of their own. She's now a very spoiled adult Yorkie named Shelby and Alec has been wonderful about keeping me up to date on her development into an adult.
I think it's very important to choose a breeder who wants a relationship with you after the puppy goes home. This can be helpful to you when you need expert advice about something, and provide invaluable information to a breeder who wants to know how their puppy is maturing.

[ironmike86]

My breeder has ha puppy cam set up. I can watch her anytime of the day

[magicgenie]

Originally Posted by ironmike86

My breeder has ha puppy cam set up. I can watch her anytime of the day

excellent idea!

[ironmike86]

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...psdf1abbce.png

Is nice. All live feed. I can look on my Phone ect.. Bad pic. Sometimes the web cam isn't put back right but nice to see when they look like gerbils till they move ect..

[magicgenie]

Originally Posted by ironmike86

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...psdf1abbce.png

Is nice. All live feed. I can look on my Phone ect.. Bad pic. Sometimes the web cam isn't put back right but nice to see when they look like gerbils till they move ect..

That's a nice setup! I think I have cameras that would be suitable for this, now to figure out the technical aspects...

[Shaelo]

Just a question for everyone, & magicgenie especially. When you first call a breeder, what did you ask your breeders/ what questions are breeders expected to be asked ?

A call to a breeder did not go too well; my questions were kind of laughed at and they just weren't receptive which caught me off guard, so when they asked questions I was sort of frazzled. I kind of feel like all my research on "buying your breeder" and asking them questions, and not just coming right off the bat saying you want a puppy and when can you get one was pointless. Maybe I took it too seriously....?

[magicgenie]

Originally Posted by Shaelo

Just a question for everyone, & magicgenie especially. When you first call a breeder, what did you ask your breeders/ what questions are breeders expected to be asked ?

A call to a breeder did not go too well; my questions were kind of laughed at and they just weren't receptive which caught me off guard, so when they asked questions I was sort of frazzled. I kind of feel like all my research on "buying your breeder" and asking them questions, and not just coming right off the bat saying you want a puppy and when can you get one was pointless. Maybe I took it too seriously....?

Goodness, I can't imagine what you asked that someone would think is laughable. I think it's essential to develop some kind of rapport with a breeder before either of you commits to uprooting a puppy. I expect any good breeder to be happy to exchange information. Please PM or email me about this, especially if it was someone I recommended.

[gemy]

I look at the initial conversation, as somewhat like a dance. If I were the purchaser, I would introduce myself, and early on in the convo, find some true compliment to say to the breeder. I would then explain why I love breed xyz and what I hope to find in a puppy.


Then I would ask about their breeding program, what they hope/desire to accomplish with it.


Just like dancing sometimes the first few steps can be awkward. As much as you want to find out about the breeder, so too the breeder wants to find out about you.


And I agree with Magic Genie I never would laugh at a potential purchaser for any question they asked.

[smartpuppiepets]

Since the OP asked about us, here we are stopping by to say hi and to make our selves available to any questions. We admit that we do not come here so often so it takes us a while to see conversations, but we are always available through a direct email or call. Anyway, we wish everyone a great summer , days in New England are delightful this time of the year.
To all the wonderful breeders, dog owners and future dog families,
May the happiness, and cheerful joy of sharing our daily lives with these amazing creatures be with all of us 😍.
And to the OP, Shaelo, welcome !
Xoxo