CAPRIOARA

We here take great pride in how we raise and nurture our puppies. I have been using the same methods for over 30 years and as the saying goes if it isn't broke don’t fix it . I know I use old fashioned ways but then I am an old girl.

Our pups are weaned roughly around 3 or 4 weeks old depends on how many in the litter, I use whole goats milk for them as this has lots of calcium which is needed. I feed raw as that is the same as in the wild "What not cooked I hear you say, well no as dogs are descended from the wolf and they don’t have cooked food" . I use raw mincemeat, raw tripe, raw chicken wings as well as scrambled eggs and rice pudding. I always add bone meal once a day and I give tinned puppy food with a complete biscuit , plus tins of sardines in oil to add variety so that all new owners have the choice of what to feed them and change whatever they wish.

For treats I use raw carrots ,cheese, cooked sausages and liver cake, sometimes I give store treats for puppies and also raw chicken wings or thighs. I always make sure they have clean fresh water that is a must.

I keep the puppies here longer than some do because I feel it is of the upmost importance that the little ones have a chance to mix and mingle with the adults dog so they can get the idea of how to be around them and used to some dogs snapping at them or pushing them away that is so once there out in the big wide world they speak doggy language.

All the pups are born in our home and stay in doors till there about 4 weeks old then they go outside for a few hrs a day increasing the time out as they get older. They always have access to their mums for as long as mum wants to be around them.

All puppies come from DNA, tested parents and we are now DNA testing the puppies at 3 weeks of age so we will have all result paper when all puppies go to there new home.

When the pups are ready to leave us here, they go with puppy packs

• Booklet (all about how we raise our pups and interesting tips and how to puppy proof gardens and homes etc)
• Leaflets on Bringing your puppy home, how to come with the first night
• Breed standard, to see how close to this we breed as this is the blue print all breeders are to adhere too.
• A leaflet I am a puppy
• Diet sheet including what we use too feed here and tips on a picky eater.
• Worming sheet giving details on what we use here and how often your pup has been wormed.
• Leaflet about fleas and what I use on all my pups and adults.
• A Copy of DNA results of parents and puppy 
• History through the years of the Rough Collie, a guide as too where your puppy’s ancestor’s came from.
• One Breeders contract
• One owners contract
• Health Care Information leaflets which include; Information on Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA) , All about NOBIVAC L4 – AVOID , Fact sheet (for you to keep) All about MDR1 , Letter and information sheet (for your vet too keep)

Also included are;

• Toys
• Blanket with mums smell on.
• Kennel Club pedigree and certificate of ownership (which you have to transfer into your details )
• Free 5 weeks insurance (from Agria which is again from the Kennel club)
• Micro chip paperwork
• Food for a week which will include; Tins, puppy kibble, Rice pudding, pasta, goats milk, sardines in oil, raw mince meat, chicken thighs, chicken wings, raw bone, tuna, 1 packet of tripe and 1 packet of go raw chicken. Couple of carrots.
• Treats ( a variety of treats )
• Last but not least a LIFETIME of advice and help if needed

We also keep updated with all the new owners and contact them to see how the pups are doing, over the years many owners have become family to us, many of which are in the Caprioara Connection section on this web site , or in previous puppies you can see the puppy photos,

THE BREEDERS PRAYER

I knew from day one not every puppy could stay, preparing them for life took many hours of each day.
I love every minute watching them develop and thrive, helping them discover the world fills me with pride.
The weeks are numbered, never enough time, I worry , even though I know the puppies will be fine.
I trust YOU with this puppy and hope you understand, I handpicked you, and expect you to follow the plan.
Continue to provide new experiences each day, never stop training your puppy, and always include play.
I will never forget my puppies and will always be here, please provide them with the best, for the rest of there years.
No matter how long ago your baby was here , NOT staying in touch is my biggest fear.

A SILENT BREED KILLER written by cynolog and judge Mr. Hans Hilverda.


A SILENT BREED KILLER

Did you ever notice how easily judges, exhibitors and breeders get used to changes within a breed? In many cases it even goes so far that these changes are gradually lifted to the level of required characteristics. It is mostly dogs of well-known breeders / exhibitors that start a certain change (read: set a trend) within a breed.

There is for instance the somewhat bigger Miniature Schnauzer with the terrier "look "; the some what leveller, elegant looking Shih Tzu with its long neck; the Weimaraner who becomes bigger and bigger and more impressive; the "American" English Springer Spaniel, to name a few breeds.

As soon as a dog with of a slightly "deviating" –type starts winning, the ball start rolling. The dog goes to the ring of honour, the one judge bends over to his neighbour and says; "have you seen that beautiful dog?" Breeders and exhibitors notice that judges like that particular dog and start trying to breed or to buy that type of dog. At such a moment the original Breed Standard does not seem to be of importance to some exhibitors, winning in the show ring is all that matters to them.

When after some time you are sitting at the show ring looking at that breed again, it could happen that you see in a class e.g. 5 dogs of which 4 are "deviating" (deviations) from the standard next to a correct "standard" type of dog. At most shows the (correct) (complying to the) "standard" dog will be considered to be the "odd one" and the true "deviating ones" will be placed behind the boards 1 through 4. For those breeders that adhere to the Standard this is a very frustrating experience.

The temptation is of course very big. Many of the deviating dogs are often very flashy looking ones, and often show a gait, exterior and motion that looks more spectacular than the movement of the "standard" dog. One has to be very strong and come from a good breed conscience background to resist the temptations and keep on preaching the true belief and keep breeding in compliance with the standard.

Often the appearance of difference in type in a breed leads to polarization between judges and breeders alike. One of the hallmarks of this polarization is that certain characteristics of the dogs are even more exaggerated to make it stand out and be recognizable.
So one can observe that and conclude that the non-adherence to the standard of many breeders / exhibitors and judges poses a direct danger to the existence of our breed population.

Except for getting used to trends within a breed, the getting used and the acceptance of inherited faults is a problem of the same kind or even worse.

When judges repeatedly reward dogs with these faults with an "excellent" and also give them their championship tickets, breeders will not be challenged to improve the breed: they are already winning! In such cases only the die-hards and true idealists remain faithful to the breed and try to improve on it, but how many of those people do we have within one breed?
Accepting without any objection of changes that please the eye but are against the standard is an open invitation to the "silent breed killer" to do his job and carry out his devastating work within the breed.

Seen from the perspective that breeding is nothing more then passing on genetic material to the next generation, allowing this to happen means that one wilfully accepts and helps spreading of genetically deviating material in an irresponsible way that will pollute the gene pool (hereditary material).

Would it not be good if breeders and judges would, at least once a month take the standard at hand of the breeds they are entrusted, and what would it be valuable to organize regular meetings with breeders and judges to discuss certain trends and "faults" that creep up in a breed. Never forget that the only guideline during judging and breeding should be the FCI-approved breed standard.
So, behave and act as true disciples and spread the gospel according to the original breed standard.

Author: Mr. Hans Hilverda