White and Spotted Dalmatians

11/10/2024

05/29/2024

Miss Buttons was spayed today!

She is doing well, and we are now quite sure why she wasn't getting pregnant when we were trying to breed her. For anyone who doesn't know, ovaries should be smooth, not bumpy, so she had cysts on her ovaries.

Despite doing everything right, showing the dogs, doing the health testing, sometimes there is nothing at all that we can do to control the outcome. All part of breeding, but this is definitely putting a delay on our first litter, as we will need to start over with a new girl.

05/28/2024

Smash did well this weekend and got himself a group 2nd! We are so proud of this happy boy!

02/20/2024

Crate training!

All of my dog sleep and go into crates when we are not home until they are a few years old and have gained their freedom! The first and most common reason is to keep them out of any type of trouble when we aren't around, but there are a number of other reason why I would always crate train my dog.

Traveling, it is safer in the car for dogs to be in a crash tested kennel, but also if you ever need to fly with your dog they will need to be in a kennel.

Vet Clinics, if you ever need to leave your beloved dog at a vet clinic, they will most likely be in a kennel, and crate trained dogs are much more relaxed as they are used to being contained in this way.

Emergency evacuations, a lot of pets can be rounded up during emergency situations and if they need to be put into kennels or crates while thing settle down or owners find them, they again will have one less stress if they are used to crates.

Medical reasons, you may need to crate rest your dog after an injury or surgery, and that is so much easier with a crate. Or if your dog has a medical condition that you may want them in a kennel so they are safe. For an example, a dog with seizers you may want to kennel when you are not around to that if they have one while you are gone when will be less likely to get hurt, like falling down the stairs of off a bed.

My dogs love their crates! Are they happy when they 'graduate' from them? Yes, but while I have them out they also gravitate to them. It is their safe place!

02/09/2024

This week flew by so fast we ALMOST missed Buttons' birthday!
This beautiful lady turned 6 on Feb 6th!

01/10/2024

12/26/2023

We hope that everyone who celebrates Christmas had a lovely holiday!🎄

12/23/2023

Breeding isn't for the faint at heart!

This is a statement you often hear and it is so true. People just see the price of their puppy and the fun adorable pictures that breeders post but do you know about all the potential heart ache that goes with breeding? Especially breeding well!!

A breeder could spend all the money on health testing and showing their dog for a dog to never take when bred. Your holidays could be ruined due to needing to drive a day away to breed your dog, and there isn't wiggle room, when you have to go you got to go! (You only have a couple day window!) Or your breeding plans could fall though due to holidays and your shipment of seman can't arrive on time or the vet isn't open on the proper day. You could have helped beautiful puppies into this world for some to die unexpectedly.

Behind every litter is at least one stressed out breeder dealing with the stress of getting these babies into this world and to their forever homes! Don't take your breeder for granted!

12/20/2023

This handsome man turns 2 years old today! ❤️
Happy Birthday Smash-a-roon!

11/09/2023

Some good education on what a patch is!

10/09/2023

We hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend!

09/19/2023

What is in a name?
Did you know that most kennel names have meaning to the breeder, and I am sure most breeders would love to share with you the meaning or thought behind their name if you were interested.

My first dog was a dalmatian, Pongo (classic I know!). I would call him my white and spotted angel, so when the time came to choose a kennel name it was a very easy choice.

09/05/2023

Smash and I had a great day on Monday at the Halifax Kennel Club, he showed great and earned another group 2, and another group 3!

08/22/2023

Urates!
Dalmatian owners need to be aware of prevention and treatment strategies. These largely involve a proper diet, proper hydration, and regular opportunities to urinate. It is something to always be aware of, but less than 10% of Dalmatians actually form stones.

Dalmatians are uniquely predisposed to urate stone formation because of an equally unique liver and kidney biochemistry. The gene that causes some Dalmatians to form stones seems to also be in other breeds though not nearly to the same extent, as 80% of uric acid bladder stones come from Dalmatians. The other 20% are from other breeds with the same genetic mutation as stone-forming Dalmatians or patients with impaired liver function. This can lead to crystals or stones that can block the urethra and cause a life-threatening emergency – especially in males, as their urethra is longer and more narrow.

Urates are not radiopaque, so that means that they do not show up on X-rays, and can only be seen with an ultrasound. This is a good thing to know incase you do every have an emergency, but encounter a vet not familiar with dalmatians or urates.

08/18/2023

This weekend, rain or shine we are at the New Brunswick Kennel Club. No luck for us yet, but at least Smash doesn't mind the rain!

08/16/2023

Ever wonder what breeders are talking about when they mention the breed standard?
Well it is a detailed description of what makes a breed that breed, down to a dalmatian's spots.

The Illustrated Breed Standard of the Dalmatian CKC Standard IntroductionThe Dalmatian Club Of Canada has published this document for the purpose of aiding judges, breeders and fanciers to increase and enhance their understanding of the Dalmatian.Illustrations and some of the wording used are taken,...

08/09/2023

Dalmatians are amazing, versatile dogs!

This means that you can do a wide range of dog sports or fun activities with your future spotted family member.

They can simply make a great hiking or running partner, or a more competitive sporting dog.

For those that don't know what dog sports are here is brief explanation of some;

Confirmation - Have you ever seen the Westminster? Often jokingly compared to beauty pageants. This is where you complete to see what dog meets its breed standard best. These dogs don't get spayed or neutered, as the purpose is to compare breeding stock (but you can also do it for fun). Although there is a less competitive altered group at some shows. Only specific dogs/puppies are eligible to compete, so this is the one sport you typically need to know you want to do before you get your puppy.

Obedience - A dog and handler demonstrate their teamwork through a series of exercises including heeling, retrieving, recall, and scentwork.

Rally Obedience - An obstacle course of commands made up of 10-20 signs. Each sign displays a skill to perform such as turns or behaviors like sit, down, or stay.

Agility - A fast obstacle course, that includes jumps, tunnels, and larger equipment!

Dock diving - The dogs jump into a pool, off a dock, and you see who jumps the farthest.

Sprinter - A hundred meter dash, chasing a white bag on a lure. Obviously you want the fastest dog! Lol

Chace ability - Chasing the white bag on a lure on a course. Essentially 'hunting' the bag.

This is just some sports, there are even more!