Brian’s breeder visit went really well! He got to visit with swissies of all different sizes, ages and temperament. I think in my last post I was lamenting that I was the one who didn’t get to go? Well, in the end I think it was a good thing. Since Brian will be primary caretaker he needed to be around all the different personalities and see the differences. I already gave him the 3rd degree, but I’m sure after he decompresses there will be more to tell. We are considering two different breeders at the moment. We need to talk some more about what we want in a breeder… so for now I will stay mum on who and where and when. But our goal is to settle with a person we most gel with and feel like we can trust, and then we will wait on the best match of pup based on the parents. We are trying not to rush this, but things could move very fast if we decide on a breeder and they decide on us.

In the meantime, here’s some more puppy love.

Right now I am sitting at work waiting for a text or a phone call my lovely husband. He’s out-of-state with the kids.. and because he was going to be in the vicinity, we set up a meeting with a breeder to visit her house and meet her dogs. This is a difficult thing to do when you live in a state that doesn’t have many breeders or the breeders that you do have only breed their dogs once a year.

But you see, HE’S the one who is visiting. I’m stuck at work 400 miles away. I’m the one who knows what to ask.. he has been leaving this part up to me. So of course, i had to write up a whole questionnaire so he knows what to do and what to ask.

He asked me for a list of questions and I obliged. Here’s what I wrote up:

1) What kind of health guarantee does she provide?
2) How does she socialize her pups before she sends them to her new owners?
3) What is her view about socialization vs parvo? What does she recommend?
4) Does she start any crate training? Any other training? What kind of training method does she feel works best for Swissies?
5)What does she feed her dogs? What’s her views on what to feed the puppies when they go to their new home?
6) What vaccinations does she give and what is her view on the kind of vaccination schedule the puppies should have?

xxoo
-m

Ok. Seriously? Breeders are CRAZY.

The ultrasound hasn’t even been done yet and I’ve talked to this one 4 times. Sweet wonderful guy.. but he talked to my husband and asked to have me call him back today. I do.. and its like crickets on the other end. It’s painfully obvious the guy didn’t have anything to say and wasn’t really serious when he told brian to have me call him back.

And what is terrible about this conversation is that it feels obvious that we don’t really have anything to say to each other beyond what has been already said. So it’s just chit chat, which makes me feel terribly fake and insincere. The guy wants me to bring all the questions and honestly.. if he’d bother to read my application and my blog, he’d see that I’m incredibly researched and really don’t have any questions beyond what i’ve asked him already. He did have to reiterate that there are 39 applicants for this breeding.. but then he reassured me that there are a few that are 20-somethings who live in an appartment with 3 room mates and maybe they should be considering a toy poodle or something.

Another thing that is kind of funny? He really has no interest in me beyond if I’m appropriate for his dogs. I could be a trash collector or an axe murder for all he knows. I tried showing him all the films I’ve worked on just so it might strike up some conversation and he didn’t have a single question or reaction. As far as I can tell, the only thing he wants to talk about is his dogs and their show record. Which brings up another point: It is absolutely apparent that people who breed dogs? This is their ENTIRE world. Reminds me of geeks who go to star trek conventions and build those crazy one-of-a-kind-costumes just because they can and they LOVE star trek.

Breeders are geeks... in their own way.

All I can say, is this process is driving me crazy. The ultra sound is not for another two weeks. Think i could just get drunk and forget about it all until then?

With the big tsunami and earthquake of Japan and organizations asking left and right to give.. this may seem like a small need in comparison. But our pets mean the world to each and every one of us and I just heard something recently that made me compelled to dig into my pocketbook yet again and help.

I’ve been hanging out on this forum called Love of the Dog and there is a mighty fine lady on it who runs the New York St. Benard Rescue. This is a woman who works tiresomely for these big dogs and saving their lives.. and yet her own dog Stoli went into the hospital yesterday due to BLOAT. For those of you who may not know, bloat kills far too many big dogs a year. He needs surgery to survive, she is unable to pay for this lifesaving emergency surgery and fears she may have to put Stoli down. Brian and I are signing up for a big dog and someday our dog may experience Bloat..so this is something that hits home. Please, if you can…. make a donation; even if it is just 10$. It can make the difference between someone losing their pet or saving its life and I hate to see someone who works so hard for others not be able to do the same for her self.

I can’t use the cool widget on my blog, but if you can donate a few bucks to help out a good lady, GO HERE.

This weekend it was stacking the washer and dryer and building shelves.

But first the plumbing and electrical needed to be moved, which required going into the wall.

So now we have a proper laundry area with more shelving. We can even store *gasp* DOG FOOD here!

At this rate, we might actually get it all done on time…

Image from Matterhorn GSMD website.

No matter where I get this puppy from, he or she will require training and socialization. Laziness and apathy in terms of the dog’s education will create a dog that can’t be trusted in public, and regardless of our lack of experience in dog training.. we cannot let this happen. Swissies are a working dog personality and have a tendency towards climbing hierarchy within their family. They can be stubborn and willful in their adolescence. All dogs have this innately in their nature, some more than others.. but the reason it’s especially troubling in a Swissy is because this dog will likely be 115-135 pounds at full grown. These are incredibly strong dogs that can easily overpower someone if one decides to go after another dog or run across the street after a cat. This is one of the reasons the GSMDCA doesn’t recommend this dog for a newbie. #1 reason these dogs get surrendered to a rescue is because the owner couldn’t deal with the dog and behavioral issues cropped up.

So I am determined to not be a statistic, and trying to figure out ahead of time how we are going to train this dog.

First off: There is Socialization. Week 9-11 of a puppy’s first year is considered to be the Fear Inprint/Impact period. During this time it is incredibly important for a pup to be exposed to children, men, other dogs and all sorts of experiences. They need to be positive experiences because any negative impact that happen during this time will imprint on the pup and could cause issues later down the road. I found THIS ARTICLE that adequately maps out the socialization process of puppies and what one should do in the first 30 days after you bring the puppy home.

Once the pup gets its second round of shots, it should be ready to go to some sort of Puppy Kindergarden. There are all kinds; everything from group classes at big box stores like Petco and Pet Smart and ones at professional dog schools. There’s lots of methods to consider: everything from off leash, to leashed training. Clicker training to food reward system. I am still researching this, but so far all I do know is that I want to work in a Positive Reinforcement system. I’m not too interested in the kind of school that just lets the puppies run around and play the whole time. I’m look for something with a little more structure.

I am told that the best way to go about this is to actually go and check some of these schools out and sit in on them. This is going to be my goal before the puppy gets here. I have found three that seem to have a robust enough program that I could continue my dog’s training into Obedience as he or she grows. Two are in Santa Cruz and One is in Los Gatos. All have weekend classes THANK GOD!!!

Santa Cruz:
Living With Dogs
Bingo Dog Training

Los Gatos:
Sirius Dog Training

I also found one that may not be good at first but sounds kind of fun to do when the dog is older. Its a school taught by a guy who trains K-9 cops. He has a lot of experience with dominant personality breeds and his program also included obedience and therapy dog training. It’s in Corralitas, CA.

The K-9 Clinic

For my own sanity I really need to document this breeder Drama, but I hesitate to make this public for the time being. Mainly because there are too many idenities to protect and since it is happening in real time, I don’t want to offend or color someone in a certain direction.

Breeder #1:
This was the first breeder I contacted and admittedly I was really new in the process. I am sure i came off as a dumb ass many times so the fact that she emailed me back at all is a miracle. That said, she was always very illusive and never fully answered any questions. I was fairly focused on her in the beginning but that was because she is close by. I finally got to meet her in person, and she was just as unfocused as ever and not too interested in talking to me. It turns out, she isn’t going to be breeding for several years, so I wouldn’t be able to get a dog from any way.

Breeder #2: Breeder #1 recommended two breeders back east. I was later to learn that both are “breeder’s breeders.” I went to the second one’s website and saw the person had very particular stipulations on whether someone could have one of his dogs. Curious, I emailed him a letter asking for more information and he wrote back a very combative letter telling me I could go somewhere else. He later apologized but after learning more about him, I decided his views and mine would definitely not gel.

Breeder #3: I got a tip from some new friends about a particular pair up. It sounds perfect and I am really excited about it. But after talking to the breeder, although super friendly… it seems hardly unlikely he will choose me as a possible prospect. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed. He won’t even consider thinking about possible match ups until the dog has an ultra-sound in 3 weeks.

Breeder #4: Brian is going up to Portland next week and because I got discouraged about Breeder #3, I contacted another breeder who we were interested in the start. She responded right away and has invited us to visit. She has two gals breeding to the same male and it sounded like a good prospect.

So a whole of stuff for a whole lot of nothing.

We are officially at the half way mark. GO TEAM!!!

I should add… if you ever wondered what is in the bottom left hand corner? That’s the kids’ list. They made their own and are checking it off accordingly..

I don’t know who you are
But I can see you run
I don’t know where you are
But i hear your Breath
I don’t when you’ll Live
But i feel your Love
Because you are meant to be
With me

Now I’m writing stupid poetry. Will the madness ever end?

just in case

In lew of the earthquake that hit Japan, it got me thinking about preparedness at home. One Father’s Day the kids got Brian a four person emergency kit. You can buy them on line at all different levels: 3 days, 6 days, 3 people, 100 people.. Inside it has a store of food, emergency blanket, medications and all sorts of things one might need in an emergency. They say you should store kits like this in a place that is away from the house that is easy to get to.

What about for your pets? Well, they sell kits for your pets as well. I remember thinking it was kind of silly when I first saw the offers. But now that we are planning to add a dog to the family, I think its a great idea. If you have never thought about creating an emergency pack and plan for your house, this site is fantastic for walking thru every disaster imaginable. And they even talk about how to prepare your pets.

You can’t prepare for everything.. but having some kind of plan might just save a life.

(Doesn’t he looks like he’s ready for the Alien Invasion?)

***later edit****

I’m friends with my local SPCA on my Facebook and they put out this GREAT PAGE for disaster preparation for your pet; whether it’s four-legged or two.