White and Spotted Dalmatians

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!

08/01/2023

Pedigrees! What on earth am I looking at?

Essentially you are looking at a small version of a dogs family tree. You have their parents (sire and dam), grandparents, and great grandparents. Some like this include the titles of the dogs, but it is just from the time it was issued, and some don't as maybe they were made by the breeder.
What you are really looking for in a pedigree is the registered names of all these dogs. And with a good understanding of the breed, you may even know some of these dogs, or for a unexperienced eye, you can at least see what kennels these ancestors are from, as registered names generally include what kennel the dog is from and apart of.

07/24/2023

Today Smash finished another title! He obtained his Chase Ability (CA) tittle.
The video is of his very first time trying chase ability, he's a natural!

07/22/2023

Health Testing! Autoimmune Thyroiditis.

Autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in dogs. The disease tends to clinically manifest itself at 2 to 5 years of age. With Hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is not making enough of a hormone called thyroxine that controls metabolism (the process of turning food into fuel). Hypothyroidism causes a wide variety of symptoms, but is often suspected in dogs that have trouble with weight gain or obesity and suffer from hair loss and skin problems. Dalmatians are more prone to getting Hypothyroidism, so obviously we want to test the dogs for this and not breed dogs who are carriers and would pass this on to future generations.

*Photo borrowed from VCA website article on Hypothyroidism.*

07/22/2023

Yesterday these 2 ran their butts off in the heat and both finished Sprinter Titles!
Buttons finished her Sprinter Title (S) and Smash finished his Novice Sprinter Title (NS).

07/19/2023

Health Testing! ACVO Eye Examination.

Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) is to provide breeders with information regarding canine eye diseases so that they may make informed breeding decisions in an effort to produce healthier dogs. CAER certifications will be performed by board certified (ACVO) veterinary ophthalmologists.

There are some things that are an automatic fail, but then some other things that they can see that are considered breeder opinion, so these ones are not known to he genetic, so breeders can still breed with a dog with them, with a good knowledge of both dogs and their family history.

Pictured is Smash, waiting for his CAER exam the other day.

07/16/2023

Health testing! Hip Dysplasia.

There are 2 accurate ways to test for hip dysplasia. Both include getting X-rays done at the vet.
Sending them to OFA is one picture taken with the dog on their back and the legs held out strait, they are graded from Excellent to Severe, you want to look for Excellent, Good, or Fair. This test can only be done after a dog is 2 years old.
For PennHIP they take the same X-ray and 2 additional ones with the dog on their back still. These ones grade the hip laxity. At 0.3 or less the patient is at minimal risk of hip dysplasia. The breed average for Dalmatians is 0.36. And patents are still only a mild risk till 0.5. So in easy terms, you want to see the lowest number, and definitely do not want to see above 0.5. This test can be done after 4 months of age, and the report should then be sent to OFA for record keeping.

07/13/2023

Health Testing! Congenital Deafness.

BAER testing checks both ears to ensure that the puppy or dog is deaf, or can hear out of one or both ears. This test is preformed by a certified individual and not regular veterinarians, and in Dalmatians it is done by the breeder before the puppies get matched with a home.

Here in Atlantic Canada only Cullen Webb Animal Neurology And Ophthalmology Centre preforms this test.

07/10/2023

Health testing! What should I actually be looking for in a breeder?

Well there are a lot of things that people do that they call 'Health testing', that is actually not sufficient. Or people say they are health tested when they actually have only just seen a regular vet with no additional testing done!
For an example of not sufficient testing is in Dalmatians doing the DNA health testing panel with embark is not enough, and actually mostly useless as only 2 of the health tests actually are accurate for Dalmatians. Additionally, the presence or absence of the SOD1A gene testing in Dalmatians is debatable in terms of actual prediction of disease

What you want to look for is at least what is requited by the breed club as stated on the OFA website. Once the required testing has been completed, the dog will get a CHIC number with OFA, but look on the OFA website to verify the test results, as they can get a CHIC number even if the test have bad results! It just proves that the testing was done.

Lastly if you come across a breeder who says that they don't send the results to OFA as it is too expensive or a waste of money, walk away. It is only an additional $20 to send the results to OFA compared to the hundreds that some of the test cost to get done. Also it is important to put the results on OFA so that you or other breeders can see the health results for generations.

07/07/2023

What is with the side standing photos from breeders?

We call that stance a stack, and the side view that we take photos of is how breeders evaluate the structure of the dog or puppies. Added benefits for dalmatians is that you get to see the spot patern.
Experienced breeders can tell a lot from a good stack, and new breeders like myself get our experienced mentors to help us see. Some of the things that we can see from this stance are the structure of the dog, if the dog is balanced, and the dogs angles. Then breeders compare what they are seeing to the breed standard so that they can pick the best puppies to keep to help have the best quality dogs to breed with.

06/27/2023

Registered names. What are they, and what is the purpose?

Well, all purebred dogs have registered names. It is the name that they are registered with, for us with the Canadian Kennel Club. They allow a maximum of 50 characters for this name, and usually, they go with the 'call name' or every day name (like Buttons) people actually use for the dog. This name is used if you enter any type of CKC event and is used to keep track of the dogs' points and titles. The registered name is also used to look up OFA results, and is on pedigrees.
The name usually includes the kennel name that the dog is from, and if going to another breeder, sometimes their kennel name as well. For example, Onsengeltje White and Buttoned (Buttons). Onsengeltje is the kennel she is from and White and Buttoned is a play on her name and our kennel name. Where Smash was intended to be kept by his breeder, he is Hispot's (his breeder's kennel name) Homerun.

06/15/2023

I'm often asked if dalmatians are good with kids. And the honest answer is that they can be great with them, but it isn't as easy as putting them together!

Kids and the dogs BOTH need to learn how to behave around the other! Dogs need to learn to be calmer around the tiny humans, and kids need to learn that dogs need space and can not be crawled all over.

I have strict rules around the house where I have 2 kids and 3 dalmatians. The dogs have one specific bed the kids are not allowed on, the kids may pet the dogs nicely, but no hitting, hair or ear pulling, pushing, climbing on them. If the dogs start wrestling the kids are either moved out of the way, encouraged to stay on the couch for a few minutes, or the dogs are heavily reminded that they need to keep an eye out for the babies.

And the rules are not the same for other dogs! There is no petting strange dogs without the owners permission, and more personal space needs to be given to even my mother in laws dogs.

06/09/2023

"Why does it matter if my puppy's parents are show quality when I just want a pet?"
What a great question!
The first easy part to this question is simple, not every puppy with champion parents are show quality puppies. There are some very small details that can make even the most beautiful puppy not show quality, like an underbite, a pink nose, or a patch, but absolutely nothing is wrong with these puppies, so they are just beautiful pets.
Most breeders that take the time and money to prove that their dogs are within the breed standard (show them and obtain championships, as that's the point of confirmation shows) have great temperaments on their dogs, as they are used to going to a lot of places, dealing with odd and different experiences, and being around a ton of people. Also they are usually the breeders that are doing the proper health testing or even going above the recommended health testing for the breed. So even before the puppies are thought about, the parents have proven themselves in multiple areas (temperament, structure, and health) giving your future family member the best chances they can have at also being a healthy, stable dog!

06/09/2023

06/09/2023