Yesterday evening I dropped a treat and it dissapeared under the dog bed in the utility room of our home and Puddin' disappeared after it. So I got all the rest of the dogs out the way (hence the barking from Pi, as he thought I was giving Puddin' his supper and forgetting about him) and wanted to see if he would do it again, and he did. This is what he has been bred to do, squeeze through the tightest places to flush out game. Although in the field there will be prickles and thorns to also negotiate. That gap is just 4.6 inches high. He has got himself stuck in a few places, but it never stops him trying to see if he can just squeeze through!
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Treacle's three pups got to sample the delights of grass this evening Unfortunately the lovely KC registered Cavalier boy we got back the end of May has an undershot jaw. I missed it when picking him and kicked myself for not checking. So taken by his cranium length and general head shape, I totally forgot to check inside his mouth. At first I noticed it was just a bit undershot, and hope it might improve with his adult teeth, but it has not. The Cavalier King Charles spaniel was only split from the King Charles Spaniel (an intentionally undershot bred breed) in 1942, so in Cavaliers we still tend to get undershot jaws popping up more so than in other breeds. Breeding from an undershot dog is for me a no no. I personally don't agree with breeding dogs deliberately with this problem, even if it is part of their breed standard, and using a dog that has an undershot jaw you are pretty well certain to breed dogs with this problem and potentially worse than Pi has. So Pi will be castrated in due course. Pi is now just over 5 months old and is most probably going to have a long healthy life, and with his adult teeth down, the undershot jaw does not cause him any major issues to eat, pick things up or play. He is a very sweet gentle boy, a true Cavalier in nature. Easy to train, sits on command and downs with a treat. He has been very quick to housetrain and is house clean. We would consider rehoming him to the right home. If interested in Pi phone me (Jane) on 01769 560969 for a no pressure chat. This has not been an easy decision to make, so please only contact me if you really think you can give this very genuine sweet natured dog the wonderful home he deserves. The photos are of him taken today. He is a big Cavalier at nearly 12 kilos, but a very laid back soft natured chap. Ginty from Blottie and Ernest's litter of ten pups born the end of 2017, who is staying with us whilst Andrea and her family take a weeks holiday has a lovely head. Ernest does put lovely heads on his offspring. The bit of Poodle keeps everything nice and tight, especially around the eyes. As Treacle's three pups turn six weeks old and reach maximus cuteness, we have a name now for Frankie, he is now Ezra. So it's Alfie, Saffy and Ezra. First for the name Ezra for one of our pups. The video above of husband, David playing with the pups, watch out for big bro, Alfie face planting his little sis, Saffy in the water bowl. She's okay and soon shook it off. Amazing to think that Treacle's three pups were born 41 days ago, eyes and ears closed, could only wriggle around, now they are up and about. They come to call and can negotiate the little steps in and out on to the patio. They also now want to do all pooping outdoors, and if the door is not open, run to-and-fro in front of it whimpering to go out if they need a poop. Peeing is still a bit haphazard, catching them when they wake up and transporting outdoors straight away. Peeing they happily will just clear their bedding area and go, but pooping they like to do as far away as possible from their living area by six weeks of age if given the option. They are three beautiful pups. Their personalities are blossoming daily with Alfie the most forward of the litter, a bit of a monster, loves interacting with us and will take a bit of roughing up. Frankie and Saffy are more gentle souls, very much in to cuddles and chasing leaves as we start to get the odd stray one on the patio, as we head towards autumn. Tomorrow they reach six weeks old. Time to be wormed again with Panacur paste, and Fromtlined to stop them from getting any unwanted external passengers (fleas), as we start to let them roam further than the patio gate and they encounter grass for the first time. Also time to start them getting out in the car. Very interesting Golden Retriever Lifetime Study Reaches Lucky 7-Year Anniversary With a couple findings potentially relevant to all dog breeders and dog owners.
Some of the pack playing this afternoon. At the moment the males are all a bit sexually charged, as we have three bitches on heat. Blottie is having her first heat since having her litter in March, with Lily and Sasha also on heat. This is the only time any of our dogs are kennelled outside, when they are on heat. So those three are kept well away from the boys. Yesterday evening Teagol's sister, Ginty arrived to stay with us for a week, while Andrea takes a holiday with her family. The video is of Teagol and Ginty playing together, and Ginty seemingly having the upper hand or should that be paw. We weighed Treacle's 3 pups yesterday at 38 days old. Ebony, who is now called, "Saffy" and Alfie were wide awake, so only sat still long enough to weigh them, but Franklin we woke up to be weighed and he decided to go back to sleep during the process. Saffy from a birth weight of 225 grams, now weighs 1.6 kilo. She is now 7 times her birth weight. Alfie from a birth weight of 326 grams, now weighs 2.15 kilos. He is now 6.5 times his birth weight. Frankie from a birth weight of 297 grams, now weighs 1.8 kilo. He is now 6 times his birth weight. Puddin' growing in to a lovely little cocker boy, now nearly 5 months old Everything has come back normal/clear for Puddin's DNA tests. He has been done for the tests recommended for Spaniel (Cocker) DNA screening He has been tested for a thing called "Hiplaxity." Which is in with a bundle I did. I'm unfamiliar with this test, but a bit of digging around. I have written in the past about DNA testing for dogs not be very regulated and being careful how viable the test is, and I found this paper about the Hiplaxity DNA test Prospective evaluation of a patented DNA test for canine hip dysplasia, which is very interesting. Today I finally got Lily and Ernest's MRI scan gradings for CM/SM 3 to 5 years old from the BVA CM/ SM scheme. Ernest has kept his SM 0 status, which is very pleasing result, but Lily is now graded SM 1. SM 1 is Central Canal Dilation. CCD has only in recent years been able to be diagnosed, as MRI imaging has improved. Sometimes the diagnoses of CCD is innocent When Is A Syrinx Not A Syrinx? and is similar to an innocent heart murmur. With dogs diagnosed with Chiari it can be the precursor to developing symptomatic SM and on occasion dogs that have been scanned with SM 1 can be rescanned a while later to be then graded SM 0 again. Lily was SM 0 at 2 years old.
Funnily, though Ernest has the best length of nose and less severity of stop, whilst Lily is far more Cavalier in appearance. I'm not to worried, as she has no symptoms of SM, and with her Mum being SM 0 and over 6 years old, and Dad, Toby although SM 2, only just in to that grade at nearly 8 years old with no symptoms. I feel her long term prognosis is pretty good. CM/SM grading is hard, and it is using the grading and also using your eye to breed away from it. Showing people getting puppies from us grading for CM/SM is never easy, as you are saying, "There is a problem. This is where we are at, and this is where we are trying to get," and then getting them to understand how we are breeding away from the problem. It's one of the reasons why I think not many dog breeders are MRI scanning Cavaliers, because firstly they are going to find out that their Cavaliers have CM, and some will have SM. Best just to deny the problem if asked by someone wanting to buy a pup, and claim you have never had a Cavalier with it, you know you have, you just ignore the subtle symptoms. Ignoring those subtle symptoms and not CM/SM scanning and breeding blind, we will end up with the same mess we have MVD in the breed. Breeders have dragged their feet in the UK, not using the MVD Breeding Protocol and now nearly all Cavaliers have MVD before the age of 10 years old in the UK. They ignored Cavaliers being diagnosed more with MVD at earlier and earlier ages, and we now do the same with CM/SM. Obviously, Treacle and Toby's offspring have a risk of developing symptomatic SM, but I think with the scanning we have done and thus knowing the SM grades on both sides going back to Grandparents and the genetics of the cross with the miniature Poodle, I think the risk is far less than a puppy from a pure Cavalier breeder. We will have these two graded again over 5 years old. I hope that we can keep the same scores on the doors. Treacle's three pups enjoyed the better weather today to get plenty of time running around on the patio.
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“The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you,but he will make a fool of himself, too.”
― Samuel Butler Me (Jane) with Puddin' and Teagol, waiting patiently to flush a patch of kale, December 2019
AuthorHello, I am Jane! Archives
March 2022
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