What factors do you need to consider in choosing a stud dog? You are thinking of having a litter from your beloved girl. How on earth do you find a suitable boy to sire your litter? Choosing a stud dog can be really challenging, like everything else relating to dog breeding. What factors should you consider? Before you look for a stud dog, is your bitch suitable to be bred from? Your dog should be registered on a breed register and have suitable health tests. Any stud dog owner worth their salt will want your dog to be as suitable to be bred from as their beloved boy. There is masses of infor ..read more

Why dog breeding is not a casual hobby, nor a business Dog breeding continues to be such a minefield! It’s so hard to be a responsible breeder and to find one if you want to buy a puppy. “Responsible owners research their breed before choosing a dog that will best fit their lifestyle.” “Responsible breeders know that purpose-bred dogs are predictable which helps owners make the right choice for their family.” getting the right dog for you Everyone should have a dog (or 5!) They simply make life better. Always present whether you need them or not, keeping you company. They demand attention, thr ..read more

Puppies cannot be made to order You may or may not have noticed, but the world and his wife have got a new puppy! How lovely for everyone. People have been forced to spend time at home reviewing their lives and have realised that their life will be better with a dog. Correct. It will be. If you have changed your working pattern and will now be spending time working from home, you will be able to play with your new dog – that’s great. Life is better with a dog Of course there will be plenty of people who have been at home and thought it was the ideal time to get a puppy so they could ‘get it so ..read more

Living with 6 dogs – the challenge and the joy I didn’t plan to have six dogs, but I did plan to keep the puppies I kept, so then I found myself with six dogs, in April 2022. I kept Murmur, from the Punk litter, planning to breed from her in the future. Well why wouldn’t I, she is pretty special. I had found myself keeping Quin the year before, because I have wanted to have my own stud dog and having one live with a friend had not gone according to plan. Normally, you would expect to reduce your number before adding to it, but Luna far outlived my expectations, reaching over 13 years old. She ..read more

Dog Breeders – how do you know who to trust? What should you think about when you decide to get a dog? There is lots of information on this website about Finding a Dog. I’ve given you things to think about before you start, such as what kind of dog you should have and where to get it from. Me and my dogs I’ve written posts several times about puppy farmers and how to spot them. I regularly refer to the links on the Kennel Club website about puppy farmers, or commercial breeders. I think the KC website is a great resource when looking for a dog and it makes me sad that people think of the Kenne ..read more

Why we should support the Kennel Club I am receiving large numbers of enquiries for puppies once again, as people realise that a dog will improve their lives. It is so frustrating not to be able to offer any support to these people, because puppies are not toilet paper and cannot be made to order. I always recommend that people contact the other Kennel Club Assured Breeders and ask to go onto their waiting lists. I’m delighted to have recently had my three-yearly inspection as part of this scheme. However, I am disappointed that there isn’t wider recognition and take-up of this scheme. The his ..read more

URGENT: More breeders are needed! Warning: controversial post! We recently had a massive hoo-ha over a proposed TV programme about people wanting to ‘make money by breeding from their dogs’. I do not want to cause a sensation in writing this, but I feel I must write about this topic. We do not have enough RESPONSIBLE dog breeders in this country. This causes massive heartache to dog owners and wannabe dog owners. It also leads to thousands of unhealthy, poorly-bred dogs. And a huge market for unscrupulous, money-grabbing people who breed commercially. Finally, it drives the existence and pers ..read more

Be the same, but different! Jeremy Vine does a series of pieces entitled ‘What makes us human?‘ on Radio 2 and this is a picture that sums up a viewpoint I have realised over the past few days in relation to this question.  It is similar to a picture I saw on social media with a man in camouflage trousers and a neon top with the caption “do ye wanna be seen o’ no?” (Scottish) Lol.  Here I am, with my camouflage jacket and my bright purple hair. What’s the point I am making?  We want to be the same as everyone else. We are desperate to conform, to fit in, to be seen as ‘normal ..read more

SOLD OUT! Puppies cannot be made to order You may or may not have noticed, but the world and his wife have got a new puppy! How lovely for everyone. People have been forced to spend time at home reviewing their lives and have realised that their life will be better with a dog. Correct. It will be. If you have changed your working pattern and will now be spending time working from home, you will be able to play with your new dog – that’s great. Life is better with a dog Of course there will be plenty of people who have been at home and thought it was the ideal time to get a puppy so they could ..read more

Why dog breeding is not a casual hobby, or a business “Responsible owners research their breed before choosing a dog that will best fit their lifestyle.” “Responsible breeders know that purpose-bred dogs are predictable which helps owners make the right choice for their family.” These are strange times we are living in, indeed. We are all spending our days differently, whether we are furloughed, redundant or just working from home, online and via Zoom. So it is not surprising that we are reflecting on our lives and how we are living. I am not at all surprised that people are realising that NOW ..read more