This afternoon, Millie gave birth to 5 boys and 1 girl. All are healthy, nursing, cooing and generally chubby, happy newborns. Millie is a fantastic mother.
Millie with her newborn whelps
Further Education Comes My Way
As a breeder, there really is only one way to learn the ropes; breed your dogs. We don't have a course of study after which we are deemed "qualified". I think this is part of the problem as to why there are such things as puppy mills. In breeding, many of us apprentice under established breeders to learn how to do it. Thanks to the help of books, websites, YouTube videos and a few select colleagues who have and continue to mentor me in dog breeding, I have been guided along in my chosen field. Actually breeding my bitches and actually having success and failure has been instrumental in delivering me to where I am today: pretty experienced but craving more knowledge and deeper understanding.
Being able to make the best decisions, practically, medically, scientifically and for optimal breeding with the least amount of stress, discomfort, and effort for the dogs is my goal. Having easy, healthy whelpings not requiring medical intervention or surgery and not involving death or injury to my dams or whelps is just basically not negotiable. I want the best breeding program I can create. These little lives matter to me on a level I sometimes find hard to express.
For example, this year, Daintree is looking at using a stud dog so far away that it makes more sense to collect and ship his semen (fresh, chilled thank you very much) and have it implanted into the female, rather than do a natural mating. Up until now, we have only ever done natural matings. Almost 8 years of dog sex with the male and female both telling me when they're in "the mood" and then me supervising as that happens. After getting the male and female together, my involvement has been mainly putting the other dogs away and clearing the lovebirds a safe space to get it on. Choosing a mate for a bitch involves a whole lot of alchemy; a combination of size, shape, colour, temperament, temperament, health test results, availability, willingness of the owner to work with the bitch's owner, distance, and other factors. To get what we are going for, we gotta do it differently this time. Well, we don't gotta, but we wanna. He's the one, and he's clear across the country. We're having test tube babies.
This type of breeding involves hormonal testing and trips to larger cities for bigger vet clinics to lend their expertise. As you may be wondering, yes the cost increases as more people and professionals are involved, and so does the risk of poor timing, bad implantation, and a whole host of other issues I don't even know about yet.
So along comes this amazingly timed seminar on the science behind breeding great dogs. A fellow breeder shared the information about this workshop where I quickly saw it, raced to the signup page and laid down my money. Confirmed a spot in the Saturday/Sunday at 10:45 combination. I'm stoked!
Not only will this educate me on the medical side of breeding better than I have understood to date, but it will also introduce me to other breeders, give me an excuse to visit the city and keep those brain cells active. I love to learn; it turns out I just need to be passionate about the subject matter and then I turn into a living knowledge sponge. I'm looking very forward to this opportunity.
Some of the Daintree dogs after an outing.
Guest Blogger Jennifer raymond on adding a baby to a pet-centric household
Our home was always full of animals. Our pets are part of our family. We have two cats and two Duck Tollers named Cadi and Linden.
We expanded our family in August 2013. While I was still in the hospital, my husband would bring home one of the blankets that our son had been snuggled up in. I don’t think the dogs really knew what was going to come but this would at least give them a chance to become familiar with the newest member of the Raymond household.
Toddler James Raymond with one of his family's dogs, Cadi who they got from Daintree's Space and Heavens litter.
A few days later, we brought our son James home from the hospital. We sent one of our dogs outside while the other one would stay inside. This would allow each dog a chance to smell the car seat and get used what was in the car seat itself. They examined every little spot on the car seat as well as James. What was this little squirmy thing? Does it bark like us? What exactly does it do?
Over the next year as James begins to develop and become more mobile, our dogs adapted right along. It was crucial for us to teach James to be gentle with any dog. With that being said, we were also cognizant of how we acted with our dogs because children copy actions they see from others.
We have learned over the last year that providing a patient, calm and positive environment between the child(ren) and dog(s) helps enormously for both parties. Adult supervision along with some basic understanding of dog behaviour goes a long way. I’ve found that kids don’t always understand the concept of personal space so when introducing them to dogs, it’s a good idea to approach slowly.
If the dog appears to show signs such as:
- are the dog’s eyes wide (the whites may often be visible),
- is the dog trying to avoid the child or how is its posture?
- Is it stiff? It’s often a sign that the dog needs a little space. In my experience, I have found that if this is the case, it sometimes works if you try again another day.
Perhaps the dog has been agitated by something else? We all have bad days so it’s not that the dog doesn’t like children but that it’s sometimes best to give it a little space and try again later. If the dog feels cornered, the outcome won’t be positive.
When approaching a dog (with a child) and its behaviour appears to be friendly, its posture is relaxed / happy and appears to lean forward to sniff, those are all great signs. Allow the child to put their hand out so that the dog can sniff it. If the dog is comfortable in doing so, allow it to approach you (and not the other way around) and let it sniff you and/or the child.
In general, be patient and don’t force the child to bond with the dog (or vice versa). It will happen. If you treat dogs with respect, they will most often return the favour.
Jennifer Raymond is a graphic designer, mom, and lover of all animals. Eager to use her creative talents, Jennifer founded a pet photography business, where her passion for photography and animals were united. She was able to use both interests to help the Brooks Animal Protection Society, Pincher Creek Humane Society (SPCA), HeARTs Speak, and Prairie Pit Bull Rescue. She donated her photo services to these establishments by photographing animals ready for adoption, which were uploaded on social media. The experience created many happy memories, but Jennifer closed her business in 2013 when she gave birth to her son, James.
Jennifer’s passion for animals eventually led her to enroll in a Veterinary Assistant program in June 2014, which will be completed by end of 2015. When she isn’t playing with her son, two Duck Tollers, and two adopted cats, Jennifer can be found photographing the environment around her or happily typing away at her computer.
Introducing our next guest blogger- Jennifer Raymond
Jennifer Raymond is a graphic designer, mom, and lover of all animals. Eager to use her creative talents, Jennifer founded a pet photography business, where her passion for photography and animals were united. She was able to use both interests to help the Brooks Animal Protection Society, Pincher Creek Humane Society (SPCA), HeARTs Speak, and Prairie Pit Bull Rescue. She donated her photo services to these establishments by photographing animals ready for adoption, which were uploaded on social media. The experience created many happy memories, but Jennifer closed her business in 2013 when she gave birth to her son, James.
Jennifer’s passion for animals eventually led her to enroll in a Veterinary Assistant program in June 2014, which will be completed by end of 2015. When she isn’t playing with her son, two Duck Tollers, and two adopted cats, Jennifer can be found photographing the environment around her or happily typing away at her computer.
Guest Blogger Brigitte Mah on Multiple Dog Ownership
Brigitte's Daintree dogs Finnegan, Millie and Cricket.
I have a reputation in my town. I don't know what it is but I know it exists because when I walk my dogs, people will frequently make comments like "Oh, you're the lady with three Tollers" or "Ah yes. I've heard of Cricket".
I imagine my reputation is something akin to Crazy Dog Lady. After all, people have a tendency to be intimidated by things en masse. One little ladybug is cute, but a hundred? Get out the bug spray. So goes the reaction to multiple dogs, especially of the same breed. Last year we had four of Daintree's dogs and suddenly we weren't walking three Tollers; we had seven. The looks. The whispers. The straight up comments: "Are you guys insane?"
No.
If you’re thinking of adding another dog to your home, you aren’t crazy. It’s normal to want to give your dog a buddy, especially if you’re away for long stretches of time. But before you rush out and get that extra dog bed, consider a few things:
Be honest. How much do you actually walk your first dog? If he’s a senior and sleeps 23.5 hours of the day, you’ll have to find more time in your schedule for the new pup.
Be realistic. How old is your first dog? Does he get along better with girls or boys? Has he ever met another pup? All dogs get fed up of manic puppy energy but if your dog has no tolerance for a pup you should consider a mature dog instead.
Be patient. You’ll be introducing another personality to your home so stow the frustration if the dogs aren’t besties right away. You’ll have to guide them through the process of sharing, especially around food and toys.
Most importantly, be faithful. Your first dog was your first so never let him feel second. Jealousy brings out the worst in everyone.
Now ignore the comments about your sanity. Laugh at the raised eyebrows. Be confident you've got this.
Brigitte with her first Daintree dog, Cricket as a pup.
Because you do.
Brigitte Mah is a dog collector, recovering vegetarian, and a confessed cheese addict. She has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, both local and national. When she's not correcting everyone's grammar on Facebook, she is tossing her dogs in the car and heading out to the nearest crag.