Japanese Spitz Canada

Part 2 of Charis puppies

Charis puppies were born September 12 in the late evening. She popped them all out in 1 hour and 30 minutes. WHAT A PRO! ALL puppies are sold. Heres some pics to enjoy!

Purebred does not always equal well bred. So then, what makes a dog well bred? It is a question that will get you varied answers depending on who you ask, what ...breed you’re asking about, and likely even what country you are located in, but there are a few unifying themes among every answer. First and foremost, being well bred means that they dog came from a reputable breeder. This in short means that the dog came from a well titled pedigree with a family tree of all applicable health clearances for the breed in question. (There is so much more that goes into being a reputable breeder. See a previous post on the subject). A titled pedigree shows that the breeder is doing things with their dogs to prove they’re worthy of being bred to an unbiased third party, whether in conformation, sport, or work ability. A family tree of health clearances shows that the breeder is working to breed away from the most common heritable illnesses that plague the breed, which in turn creates a healthier next generation. Coming from a reputable breeder also means that meticulous care went into examining both the sire and dam and their pedigrees before deciding to breed them, so that the chosen breeding pair complimented each other nicely with the ultimate goal of producing more structurally and temperamentally sound and to standard puppies. This leads to the next unifying theme: fitting the standard. Each breed has a standard that describes the conformation and temperament expected by each dog of that breed that tend to relate to their original purpose. It is part of what makes getting a well bred, purebred dog such a great and easy decision because they are predictable so you know which breeds will fit your lifestyle. Take my breed, the Siberian husky, for example. I know to expect a friendly and outgoing dog who would make a terrible protector based on their standard. Someone producing aggressive Siberians would not be breeding to the standard. Breed standards also outline the ideal structure of a dog. Looking at Siberians again, you would expect a medium sized dog of balanced proportions with a dense double coat of medium length, so if you were to find overly large Siberians with long and shaggy coats they would not fit the standard and likely would not be well bred as these features are not in line with their purpose. Another component of a well bred dog is how well it is able to do the job they were originally bred for. Of course, not every dog in every litter will make a good working dog, but ideally you would see consistent results of at least some puppies from each litter that go on to be able to do what they were meant to. As far as work ability, a breeder should be able to produce Siberians able to be trained in harness to pull, even if only recreationally, they should be able to produce Aussies with herding instinct, and they should be able to produce Labradors that make good game retrieval dogs. If the breeder is producing dogs for sport, then they should consistently be producing dogs that excel at rally, agility, lure coursing, flyball, etc. If it is a breed whose main purpose is companionship, then it is still vitally important that they are of a stable temperament appropriate for a pet home, showcasing traits such as friendliness and trainability. In summary, a dog is well bred if it: - Is one that has been bred with the utmost care in order to better the breed through extensive knowledge of pedigrees. -Comes from a line of health tested breeding pairs to prevent common diseases and disorders in the breed from being passed on. -Fits the standard of what is structurally and temperamentally expected of the breed. -Has work ability related to its original purpose, or at least the purpose it is currently being bred for. As I mentioned before, there are likely additional things to be considered depending on what your breed is and where you are located, but of all the people polled, these themes were unanimous among them. The more you learn about a breed and the more well bred examples of each that you see, the easier if becomes to quickly differentiate from those that are structurally correct and to standard from those that are not. I will provide a few examples comparing well bred versions of various breeds compared to their backyard bred counterparts in order to demonstrate why correct structure is important as it often can make all the difference between developing horrible joint disorders and injuries and not.

I have recently seen a few discussions on the cost of different purebred puppies. A common theme amongst these discussions is people being surprised at the cost... of a well bred purebred dog. There are typically two kinds of responses to hearing these higher costs: 1. They are astounded by the price and think it is a scam or ridiculous. 2. They think you are insulting their $300 purebred by saying it is not worth as much. No one is saying that your dog is worth less as a companion based on what you paid, but well bred dogs cost what they cost for very good reasons. A well bred dog can be thought of as an investment, you pay more up front to ensure a higher likelihood of paying less over the dog’s lifetime for health and behavioral issues. The cost of a well bred dog varies heavily amongst breed and more slightly across different regions, but the averages for each breed can be roughly estimated. For example, a well bred golden retriever is likely to cost you between $2,000-3,000 for just limited registration pretty much anywhere in the US. So, if I see someone selling a golden for $1,000 or less that tells me that massive corners are being cut in regard to health testing, veterinary care, or titling. Reputable breeders so rarely even break even, so they certainly could not afford to take a hit like that, so this would tell me that most likely those puppies are not well bred. To demonstrate why well bred dogs cost what they do, let’s dive into the details of what all goes into producing the litter. To make it simpler, we’ll continue our example using the golden retriever and I will be giving averages based on estimates from clinics in my area and from breeders I have spoken to regarding this. Individual costs for each breeder will obviously be different based on location and how long it takes to title the dog. : $3,000 : $10,000-$15,000 This includes entry fees, travel costs such as gas, hotels, meals, etc, grooming supplies. Breeders often have to travel very far out of state for shows, so these costs will vary. This cost can also be significantly higher if a professional handler is used, and goldens are a hard breed to finish so they often are. (, , ): $5,000-$10,000 per sport This includes entry fees and travel costs. These are important steps because they prove through an unbiased third party that the dog has proven itself worthy of being bred. Conformation is meant to serve as judgement of breeding stock, which means that the judges are comparing the dog to its breed standard to see how well it represents it. Titling in sports proves the dog has the drive and trainability to excel in these activities that will hopefully be passed on. Health testing is one of the most important parts of breeding responsibly. The goal is to produce an overall healthier next generation, so doing all breed appropriate health tests and only breeding those who will pass on better genes is of the utmost importance. For goldens to receive a CHIC number, which is a certification given when the dog has been screened for every disease recommended by the parent club for that breed and those results are publicly made available, there are four required tests: > : Radiographs: $100-200 Sedation if necessary: $100 OFA submission: $35 > : Radiographs: $100-200 Sedation if necessary: $100 OFA submission: $35 : Exam: $55 OFA submission: $12 new, $8 resubmission thereafter > : Exam: $100 Echo: $300-500 OFA submission: $15 In addition to these tests required by the CHIC program, many breeders will often do DNA testing to screen for common heritable issues in their breed. For example, PRA and Ichthyosis are commonly screened for in goldens. : $200 through Embark or $80 per test through other companies. Costs associated with breeding or a pregnant bitch: : $1,000-3,000 There could also be extra costs associated with shipping the stud or costs associated with artificial insemination. : $50 : $100/each /: $150/each , , : $200 This is assuming the bitch has an easy pregnancy and birth as an emergency C-section could easily cost $5,000. : $250 ( , , , ): $300 : $300-500 : $50/week : $100/puppy : $50-100/puppy Taking all of the low end estimates and assuming immediate conception and a flawlessly simple pregnancy and delivery of an average sized litter already breaks $20,000, and none of these figures factor in the time and expertise of the breeder which cannot be quantified. They often take days off work to travel for shows and sport trials or during the first week or so after the puppies have been born. They spend years studying the breed, studying pedigrees, and carefully choosing their pairings. They spend at minimum 8 weeks with the litter once born following puppy raising protocols that ensure the puppies will be as socialized as possible by the time they get to you. They examine the puppies closely looking at structure and personality to decide which puppy is the best fit for you and your lifestyle. After all of this, they also provide a lifetime of support to you and your new dog. I know that I too was a little shell shocked the first time I learned what a well bred dog costs, but the more that you learn about all that is involved and how important each of those steps are, the more you understand how incredibly worth the investment a well bred dog is. Photos are of Berry and Carter, two golden retriever show dogs provided by Anna Vosko

So my inbox now is not alerting me when I have messages- with the new facebook layout. Sorry about that. If it takes a few days/week to get back to you. I will though :) if I missed ya, just call me! 780-907-2828 Chat soon :) Samantha

Is CoVid19 over yet?!