Renovatichi Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels

02/09/2024

02/09/2024

Renovatichi Ginger Nut and Renovatichi Biscotti both had their first proper haircut this morning

30/08/2024

29/08/2024

Known as Comet at home.
Comet is Kennel Club registered and PRA hereditary clear and has the following DNA health test results

Degenerative Myelopathy CLEAR
Gangliosidosis CLEAR
Neonatal encephalopathy with seizures CLEAR
Osteochondrodysplasia CLEAR
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-PRCD) CLEAR
Von Willebrand Disease CLEAR

Current BVA Eye Examination CLEAR

Veterinary Examination Certificate stating no evidence of Luxating Patella.

COI 4.5%

Bred here at Renovatichi in 2019, now available for stud to approved KC registered bi***es.

29/08/2024

We are fortunate enough to have a lovely positive dog training club not far from us with a really lovely qualified instructor.
Here are some photos from last night, Comet (Renovatichi Borisov) is working towards his Good Citizen Silver test and Lotti Biscotti (Renovatichi Biscotti) and Biscuit (Renovatichi Ginger Nut) completed the final class of their Puppy Foundation Course and received their certificates and rosettes.
Lottie and Biscuit are looking forward to starting their Good Citizen Bronze classes next week!

25/08/2024

We enjoyed a little trip out for a picnic lunch and a dog walk in our camper van today, here are the Poodles posing for some photos :-)
It was a brilliant social opportunity for the two youngsters as they saw people, other dogs, a pony and trap and bicycles, it was their first camper van experience as well so it was quite a big day for them!

23/08/2024

A few photos from this afternoon, we spent some time in the garden then enjoyed a walk around our meadow :)
Renovatichi Biscotti, Renovatichi Ginger Nut, Renovatichi Borisov, Renovatichi Some Like It Hot were joined by their Chihuahua friends

17/08/2024

Dewclaws! They are IMPORTANT! Many dog breeders routinely, and without much thought, amputate puppies' front dewclaws when the pups are 3-5 days of age. Why? The thought is to prevent potential injuries, such as tears of the digit, later in life. BUT do you realize that the dewclaw is a FUNCTIONAL, IMPORTANT digit? I am thankful that my own dog's breeder did not amputate Dunkin's front dewclaws. Do you also know that with appropriate exercises, the muscles of the dewclaw can be strengthened to help promote and maintain appropriate function and close apposition of the dewclaw to the side of the paw? Below is an article by a friend and colleague, Dr. Chris Zink, that explains the importance, anatomy, and function of the front dewclaw.

"Do the Dew(claws)?
by Chris Zink, DVM PhD DACVSMR

As a veterinary sports medicine specialist, I work extensively with canine athletes, developing rehabilitation programs for injured dogs or dogs that required surgery due to performance-related injuries. I have seen many dogs, especially field trial/hunt test and agility dogs, that have chronic carpal arthritis, frequently so severe that they must be retired or at least carefully managed for the rest of their careers. I noticed that very few of those dogs had dewclaws and began to wonder whether these appendages might, in fact, protect a dog from injuries. What I learned might surprise you.

The Anatomy of Dewclaws
Miller's Guide to the Anatomy of the Dog, a veterinary anatomy text, has an excellent figure depicting the muscular anatomy of the distal forelimb. There are 2 functional muscles, the extensor pollicis longus et indicis proprius and flexor digitorum profundus, which are attached to the front dewclaw by 4 tendons (references in blog). Each of those muscle/tendon units has a different function in movement. That means that if you cut off the dew claws, you are preventing the muscles that were attached to the dewclaws from functioning.

In contrast, rear limb dewclaws do not have muscle/tendon attachments, so their removal might be appropriate, except in the breeds such as Briards and Beauceron in which they should be retained.

Dewclaws Do Have Functions
If there are muscles and tendons attached to the dewclaws, then they most likely have a function. Broadly speaking, dewclaws have at least two different functions:
1. Grasp the ground when the dog is turning to prevent torque on the forelimb. Each time the front foot lands on the ground, particularly when the dog is cantering or galloping (see Figure 2), the dewclaw is in touch with the ground. If the dog then needs to turn, the dewclaw actively digs into the ground to stabilize the lower leg and prevent torque. In Figure 3 you can clearly see the dewclaw of a Corgi herding a sheep extended, ready to grip the ground. And in the image at the top of this article, you can see the dewclaws of a dog extended, ready to grip the water!

Do the Dew(claws)?

If a dog doesn't have dewclaws, the leg will twist on its axis, creating increased pressure on the carpal bones, as well as the elbow, shoulder and toes. A lifetime of this kind of torque and the result can be carpal arthritis or injuries to and subsequent arthritis in other joints of the forelimb, such as the elbow, shoulder, and toes. Remember, the dog is participating in the activity regardless, so there will be concussive pressures on the leg, and if the dewclaw does not help to stabilize the leg, those pressures will be transmitted to other areas of the leg, especially the joints.

2. Grip objects. We have all seen dogs using their dewclaws to grip an object such as a ball or bone (Figure 4). I've even seen many photos of agility dogs gripping the teeter for stability (Figure 5). But did you know that the dewclaws' gripping ability can, in fact, save your dog's life? Check out the video "Dewclaws Do Have a Purpose" for "gripping" views of dogs attempting to get out of water onto ice without the help of those ice picks on the inside of their legs. The video also shows dogs using their dewclaws to grip the ice and escape from a potentially fatal situation. I have known several dogs that drowned after falling through ice in the winter. None of them had dewclaws. If they had, perhaps they would have survived and spared their owners the incredible heartache of watching their dogs die unnecessarily.

Arguments for Removing Dewclaws
1. The dewclaws will get injured. This is the most common reason I hear for removing dewclaws. A friend of mine had such a severe dewclaw injury in one of her dogs that she swore she would remove them on all the dogs she bred subsequently.

But the data indicate that dewclaws are not injured very often. A study published in 2018 showed that the dewclaw was the LEAST likely toe to be injured in agility dogs, in which landing and turning from jumps and other obstacles put the toes at risk for injuries. Thus, it makes no sense to remove the dewclaws because of risk of injury. And, of course, no one would consider removing the 5th digits in the front feet, which are by far the most commonly injured toe.

2. Owners forget to trim the dewclaws. Surely this is a matter of education. Do we really want to remove a functioning digit in all dogs, just because some owners need to be reminded that they must remember to trim the dewclaws?

3. Dewclaws make the forelimb look less straight when viewed from the front in conformation. The AKC states: "The breed standard describes the characteristics of the ideal
dog to perform the function for which it was bred." While we could have long discussions about the veracity of this statement, it is interesting to note that there are VERY few breed standards that require dewclaw removal. I know of only one - the Vizsla breed standard.

A Plea
So, here's a plea to retain dogs' dewclaws. They are a functioning digit. They are the toe least likely to be injured. Isn't this enough to convince us not to do the dewclaws?"

14/08/2024

Biscuit and Biscotti had a groom, bath and blow dry this morning and are now super floofy!

13/08/2024

It’s cooled down enough for a game of squeaky ball rugby 🏉
I’m not too sure of the rules of this game but the Poodles seem to all know what’s going on!

11/08/2024

Renovatichi By Your Side AKA Nina is modelling her post op recovery suit today, she had her spay done a few days ago so is on a lead when outdoors at the moment to ensure a smooth recovery

11/08/2024

TikTok famous dog trainers are taking over, and unfortunately that's not always a good thing. Does having 1 million Instagram followers make you a good dog trainer? Some of the information getting shared on social media is incorrect, ineffective, or downright dangerous. So how do you figure out who's who?

🐶 Look for credentials listed in the trainer bio. Don't see any? It's likely they don't have any. This is not a good thing. "I've had dogs for 20 years" is not a qualification.
🐶 Beware of sneaky marketing. Guarantees of behavior, promises to fix a problem in only a few minutes, or telling you that you "HAVE" to follow these rules are all red flags.
🐶 Impressive before and after videos that show massive behavior change in "only one session"? You may actually be seeing behavior suppression instead of actual behavior modification.
🐶 Pay attention to body language. We share A LOT about body language, and if you have a dog, you likely have some idea of what a relaxed dog looks like. Apply your knowledge to social media videos! Is the dog in the video panting heavily? Are their lips pulled back? Are their ears back? Do they look tense? Those are all signs of stress, anxiety, and fear...

Questions about behavior or training? You know how to reach us! Check out our stories for more info!

10/08/2024

This morning's walk round our meadow :)

10/08/2024

Friday. It's not all in how you raise them. In fact, that phrase is a fundamental misunderstanding of how everything from breed, breeding background, genetics, environment, learning experiences, and physical health influence our companions.

We've worked with clients who've done everything right with puppies and still experienced issues. And we've fostered/trained dogs who've come from the worst situations imaginable and were still incredibly patient and trusting. That phrase is very harmful to the human caregivers that experience issues through no fault of their own.

Breeding has a massive influence on who your dog will be someday, particularly if the mother dog experienced stress, malnutrition, under enrichment, or passed down genetically inherited diseases physically or mentally. Prenatal development is critical, just like it is for humans.

You can read more about puppy development here:

https://www.mindfulmethodstraining.com/puppies

You can read more about securing an ethical breeder here:

https://www.mindfulmethodstraining.com/choosingacompanion

09/08/2024

05/08/2024

Teaching at the super amazing for most of this month ❤️♥️💖💙💗💜💛🖤💚😻 Very grateful to be around so many amazing people and animals. Today is a day off teaching workshops and I get to enjoy relaxing and catching up on some admin with the beautiful W***y!

01/08/2024

She's still looking for her people........

Litter details https://www.champdogs.co.uk/litter/69905

She is now fully vaccinated, has started Puppy Foundation Classes and is progressing beautifully with housetraining. A very affectionate girl with lots of character

27/07/2024

Throughout the day today our Lake Litter have all left us to join their new families, this marks the official retirement of our beautiful girl Nina who has been a fantastic Mum to all her litters over the last few years.

Nina will soon be spayed and will then enjoy long walks, camper van trips, sofa cuddles and lots of treats!

Thank you to all of you who have followed this fantastic litter, I am delighted that so many of you enjoyed the puppies as they progressed and grew, they will now flourish in their new homes and I will be the one looking forward to "puppy updates" from their new families :-)

We have no plans at this stage for any more Cocker Spaniel litters so after four wonderful generations our Cocker plans will take a pause

26/07/2024

July 26th Final photo shoot!

25/07/2024

July 25th Enjoying our last couple of days with this beautiful litter.

24/07/2024

The darker dog is the father of our current Cocker puppies, isn’t he fabulous!

24/07/2024

July 24th preparing the scent blankets proved to be the best fun ever! These blankets are scented with the pup's and Nina's scent and each puppy takes one home with them to help them settle with their new family.

24/07/2024

Our puppy packs contain a bag of the food the puppies have been raised on, some treats, a scent blanket, a document wallet (containing Kennel Club registration documents, sale contract, puppy care sheet, microchip document, insurance cover note, Vet health check certificate, copies of parents health tests and some useful leaflets) and a few other useful items. The puppy packs are catered to each individual puppy so contents will vary. They are all contained in a smart, hardwearing, reuseable tote bag.