Glenfell Eurasiers

06/18/2023

Copying this caption from our Instagram post last week, but updated it with fresh off the press 7 week photos!

As of now, we still have one male available from this litter. I would love for him to go to someone interested in showing OR based in Ottawa or Toronto as I think there’s a lot of potential for him but I’d also be happy for him to just go to a loving home anywhere! If you know of anyone interested in a lovely boy, please feel free to reach out.

As a responsible and ethical breeder, my priorities are to focus on temperament, health, and structure, in that order.

Structure is a description of how well the dog is put together from a musculoskeletal perspective and how well it fits into the breed description. There are a few characteristics that are generally ideal amongst most breeds, as a well-structured dog means that they will have a lower chance of injuries as they age.

We evaluate structure by “stacking” the puppies - putting them into a square stance and looking at their direct profile view.

I have been stacking these puppies since they were 3.5 weeks old and comparing them as they develop over the weeks to identify which puppy would be the best candidate to be a conformation/show prospect and potentially being part of the breeding pool, depending if they pass all their health evaluations when they turn two years old. Here’s a glimpse of what they look like right now at 7 weeks!

It must be noted that while week 4-7 stacked photos are helpful in giving you a clue as to which puppies to keep an eye on, it’s generally accepted that week 8 is the *best* age to evaluate them, as they will look most like what they will look like as an adult, from a proportion perspective. Before and after week 8, the puppies go through what we call “puppy uglies”, as different parts of their bodies go through different developmental phases and they look a bit disproportionate.

The pups are still looking a bit leggy in these photos but these are definitely an improvement over last week. I’m also thrilled that they are EXCITED to be stacked! Can you spot the wagging tails?? Can’t wait for the final stacked photos next week!

05/28/2023

Since I neglected this page in favour of posting on Instagram (.au.barka), I’m giving first look at 4-week puppy photos to my Facebook followers!

05/26/2023

The inaugural Glenfell Eurasiers litter - random cellphone snaps through their first 8 weeks 🥰

05/08/2023

In case there are any data nerds out there, here's a chart outlining the puppies' weight gain over the first nine days. You'll see that most of the puppies had a slight dip in their weight during their first 48 hours, which, while stressful for us, is fairly normal, since mom only produces colostrum initially (lower calories), and her milk hadn't come in yet.

As of today, all the puppies except for the two largest at birth (Clyde + Inky) have doubled their weight. Clyde and Inky continue to be two of the largest puppies in the litter so I'm not particularly concerned.

What we're working towards is that each puppy is gaining around 8% day over day and to ensure that the puppies remain relatively equal in size, so I'm focusing on ensuring that the bottom three gets more nursing time or gets the teats that produces the most milk (typically the rear ones).

Sorry Americans, you'll just have to convert from grams to ounces yourselves ;)

05/07/2023

The first week has gone by in a flash, and these Pac-Man puppies have almost doubled their weight! We've settled into more of a routine, mama Victra knows exactly what's expected of her, and we've even begun doing things like Early Neurological Stimulation, Early Scent Introduction, and nail clipping!

Here are their one-week portraits...you can really see some of their features and colouring starting to come out.

05/02/2023

Formal introductions! Here's your first look into one day photos for the puppies! I am hoping to take regular progress photos of these puppies to track how they grow and change through the weeks.

Apologies that these pictures are not the best - it was a rainy day and natural light was non-existent. Victra was displeased with me taking the puppies away from her so I had to work fast. Also, they may look docile and calm in these photos but don't be fooled...these newborn puppies can MOVE! I've since gotten some photography tips and hope that their one-week portraits will be improved!

05/01/2023

We are so excited and happy to announce that Glenfell Eurasiers has welcomed our very first litter into the world. 7 healthy puppies (4f/3m) were born on Saturday April 29. After a slow start for the first puppy, the rest came very quickly afterward…it was an incredible experience and the smoothest and most textbook delivery process that any first-time breeder could have possibly hoped for. Victra was an absolute trooper.

Mom and puppies are all doing well. Formal introductions and the litter theme will be announced in the coming days!

If anyone is emailing me, please allow me a few days to respond as I have my hands pretty full at this time.

03/31/2023

Exciting news!! Victra had an ultrasound yesterday which confirmed that she. is. pregnant!!! She's about halfway through her 63-day gestational period right now with an expected delivery date for the end of April/beginning of May.

At this point, we do not know how many puppies she is carrying - ultrasounds are notoriously unreliable for counting puppies unless you have a very experienced sonographer.

Victra will be getting an x-ray in approximately a week before she is due, and the x-ray should provide more information on the number of puppies she's carrying.

There are still many chances that things could go wrong in a pregnancy, as it is common for dogs to reabsorb or miscarry their litters all the way up until the 6th or 7th week. Even after the 7th week, there are endless possibilities of issues during the delivery process.

For now, our primary focus is to keep her relaxed, stressed-free, and full of yummy food to ensure fat, happy, healthy babies.

Keep your fingers and paws crossed for us for healthy puppies and an easy pregnancy for Victra!

02/28/2023

For those of you who have checked out our website, this news will probably be no surprise to you, but I’d like to introduce the stud I’ve selected for Victra’s first litter!

***GCh Daodejing Odaiko Juusun, also known as "Taiko"***

I’d been aware of Taiko for a few years now, as he was very successful in the conformation ring. He is the only Eurasier to ever win a Group 1 in CKC conformation (Translation: he won 1st place out of the Working Group at a Canadian Kennel Club show; the Working group is extremely competitive, with high-entry breeds like Boxers, Dobermans and Samoyeds), which is an incredible accomplishment.

I reached out to his owner to learn more about his temperament, verify his health tests, and see more pictures of his structure. After a final comb through his pedigree to assess the health and longevity of his ancestors and compare it with Victra’s, it was an easy decision. It also helps that he has successfully sired two litters, so I’ve had a chance to see how his offspring has turned out.

I've just met Taiko in person and I’m extremely pleased with my decision to select him as a stud. He was exactly “the big bundle of love” his owner had described to me. Confident, strongly bonded to his family but very happy to engage with new people. He wasn’t nervous to be left alone with me for a short period of time either, which was quite impressive.

Taiko is also strikingly beautiful. His red coat is thick and luscious and gleams with health, and he has a cheerful smiley face. He’s definitely a Big Boi so it’ll be interesting where the potential puppies will end up in terms of size.

I’m crossing all my fingers and toes for a successful conception and cannot wait to see how these puppies might turn out!

02/27/2023

Have you ever wondered how responsible breeders plan their pairings? In this post, I’ll explain my process for how I selected a male for Victra’s first litter...on my next post, I’ll share more information about the stud I’ve selected.

It’s often recommended that a first litter should be conceived naturally, so for this litter, I was limited to intact male Eurasiers located in North America. Distance wasn’t a key factor; I was prepared to drive or fly to wherever the best male was located (it’s typical for the female to travel to the male for breeding).

While temperament is the most important criteria for any litter I will breed, it’s more of a qualitative factor and harder to gauge virtually, so I first assess the structure of a dog. As I mention on my website, Victra’s rear is quite straight, so any male I select has to have a better rear than hers.

I evaluated every approved stud on the United States Eurasier Club and shortlisted the best option. Unfortunately, the Eurasier Club of Canada doesn’t have a list of approved studs, so I approached individuals to ask them for photos and other health information about their dogs. There were a few dogs that looked nice, however, their health test results were less than ideal so they were eliminated from consideration.

After this initial review, I shortlisted the top three candidates and reached out to their owners to quiz them about the dogs’ personality and temperament. Were they confident in new situations? How do they react to strangers? Are they food-motivated? Do they vocalize a lot? How drivey were they? While none of these were disqualifying questions, there are certain traits that I don't wish to amplify, so it was important to understand how the males stacked up compared to Victra.

I also asked for help from additional sources; the United States Eurasier Club pulled information from international health databases and other experienced Eurasiers breeders shared some of their insights as well.

There are so many factors that go into a breeding decision - for prospective puppy buyers, make sure you ask your potential breeder why they chose the pairing they did and you can use this information to discern how thoughtfully they plan their litters.

Stay tuned to hear who we ended up choosing (if you don't yet already know ;) )

02/06/2023

We are so excited to share that our kennel name has been formally approved by the CKC!

I always love learning the care and thought that goes behind the selection of a name, so I'm happy to share how we settled on Glenfell.

If you've followed .au.barka on Instagram or if you know me personally, you might know that we've been fairly nomadic, bouncing around many cities and states in Canada and the US, and even living full-time in a campervan for a year, with no permanent address.

Last year, we relocated to Ottawa, Ontario for my partner's career. At the time, we were cautiously optimistic about settling down in Ottawa, but hadn't really thought about buying a house yet. A few months after living in Ottawa, we unexpectedly came across a property we fell in love with, and we were in a very fortunate position to be able to purchase it.

This house, our very first home that we can call our own as a family, is nestled in the greenbelt of Ottawa, in an area called Grenfell Glen. Glenfell is an amalgamation of Grenfell Glen (Grenfel was already taken and we wouldn't have wanted it anyway, out of respect for the tragedy that occurred in the UK) and thus, Glenfell Eurasiers was born!

To me, Glenfell will always evoke a feeling of home, of family, of a new start, and a long and happy future...and hopefully, you will feel the same when you bring home a Glenfell Eurasier puppy.

01/27/2023

I’ve been asked why I’m interested in breeding - here’s a long-winded answer to what should have been a relatively simple question.

It first started with showing - I liked the idea of being able to call my dog a champion, so I started taking Victra to conformation classes without any idea of what I was doing. It didn’t seem that hard…all you have to do is just run around in a circle but I didn’t actually get the purpose of it, nor how dogs were judged until I became involved in the sport.

Slowly, I began to understand the rationale behind conformation shows, and the value of having a third-party evaluate your dog, assessing their structure, breed type, and temperament.

Structure determines whether a dog is (or is likely to remain) physically sound. Carolyn McIntyre of McIntyre Canine Rehabilitation wrote a great blog post on why structure is important: http://www.mcrehabilitation.com/blog/evaluating-the-structure-of-the-canine-athlete

A poorly structured dog can be predisposed to injuries that may occur as they run, jump, and play, affecting their quality of life as they age (not to mention the owners’ bank accounts, as surgeries to rectify these issues are very costly).

Type is about how closely the dog has the characteristics representative of its breed, for example, a Corgi’s long and low body, a Dalmatian and its spots. People typically pick a breed specifically for certain breed characteristics, so prospective puppy owners would obviously want the dog to look and act the way that breed is supposed to.

Unfortunately, there are many breeders out there who simply breed for convenience, without thought or care as to what the offspring of a certain pairing will look like, whether they might be preconditioned to certain behavioural traits, and how their bodies will develop and age for the next 10-15 years.

I love the Eurasier breed and want them to continue looking and behaving like Eurasiers are supposed to. I want dogs to have the best quality of life for as long as they can. By breeding, I have the ability and desire to achieve that, and ensure puppies I bring into the world are set up for success, even before they were born, by careful selection of the parents based on their physical structure and characteristics along with a thorough review of health histories from several generations back.

And so, the ultimate answer to the initial question: I want to breed because I want to give prospective Eurasier owners the opportunity to get their dog from a breeder who focuses on preserving the Eurasier breed type, and ensuring the long-term quality of life and health of their dog.

01/12/2023

Hi, welcome to my page! I'm a new Eurasier breeder located in the beautiful greenbelt of Ottawa, Ontario with a focus on producing sound, healthy, and stable Eurasier puppies.

Please check out my website, www.glenfelleurasiers.com to understand more about my breeding philosophy, the health testing that we undertake on our breeding dog, and advice for prospective Eurasier owners.

Currently, I am planning for my first litter, potentially expected around the end of March 2023, with puppies ready to go home eight weeks after birth.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

GLENFELL EURASIERS