[BlueDaisy]

Labrador retrievers are yellow, golden retrievers are golden.

Aren't the kennel club funny! I don't think I've seen a 'yellow' dog!!

[doganjo]

Yup, I agree.  But it's not always the KC's fault.  They act as mediators between Country of Origin and UK Breeders.  My breed have orange and white, liver and white, black and white, liver tricolours and black tricolours.  Never seen an orange dog either - and the orange and whites range from a very very pale colour (similar to lemon beltons in English Setters) to a very dark rich red (like Irish setters) The livers can look washed out or vibrant and shiny. All are acceptable.  What isn't accepted in France (and by default here in the UK) is what I personally think are the most beautiful of colours - sables.  The French seem to think they come from an input from another breed in the 80s - what they forget is that the Brittany or Epagneul Breton (along with all the other breeds) started off as a cross, and it is more than likely the sable came in at that time.  However, when France sneezes in our breed some people think we in the UK should immediately run with the box of tissues  )

Am I ranting, do you think? 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I have to say, altho not a special fan of the breed ( I have a Doberman and a Border Terrier!), I was blown away by the Boxer, I thought he was stunning. So he's my top tip!

[BlueDaisy]

I was reading a book about deerhounds recently. The advice given there if you had a large litter was to cull some to get down to an acceptable number for the bitch to handle. First cull the weakest of the puppies, then cull the ones with too much white on them And it was only written in 1996, so not that long ago!

[doganjo]

Well at least the KC come down hard on that one these days!

[robert waddell]

the bit about culling the deerhounds
would that not be practised to keep the prices up and the availibility low
lillian met a guy that had irishwoolfhounds(17) selling at over £1000 each sure beats collie pups??

[knightquest]

Well at least the KC come down hard on that one these days!

Only after the BBC 1 documantary tho'.

Ian

[doganjo]

Actually they did have ruling, before that, that pups should only be culled for health reasons, but I did think it was a bit vague.  It could have been got round.

[BlueDaisy]

the bit about culling the deerhounds
would that not be practised to keep the prices up and the availibility low

I don't think so, the demand for deerhounds and wolfhounds is low anyway, not many people want a giant hairy dog in their house

Actually they did have ruling, before that, that pups should only be culled for health reasons, but I did think it was a bit vague.  It could have been got round.

How would they ever know if pups had been culled, for whatever reason?
When we got our last dog, the breeder was very tardy about getting them registered. We were convinced it was so she could wait for the results of the liver shunt test, and not register any that tested positive (to save a few pennies). But even if they had been registered and then culled/euthanased, the kennel club would never know if they were dead or alive. There is no register of deaths for dogs, is there? I think it would be a good idea to have a death register, then you would know what health issues there were in any line of pedigree dogs.

[doganjo]

I think it would be a good idea to have a death register, then you would know what health issues there were in any line of pedigree dogs.

You can notify the KC of your dog dies and they put it on their database, but it isn't compulsory.  I agree, it should be.  IMHO There are a lot of things the KC should be doing instead of keeping those huge expensive offices and Club for Members.

[knightquest]

I think that the welfare of dogs and producing healthy dogs with good temperaments is only just rising up the priority list with the Kennel Club. It may make the top ten soon  

Glad the flat coat won by the way 

Ian

[doganjo]

Yup, Jet is a super dog - 64 CCs I think, it was the oldest and the youngest - the peebe jeevy(PBGV) is Scottish owned too.

[Sandy]

Some one here breeds deer hounds, I did a double take when I saw them, Gartlove kennels!!! I love our labs how they are, robust and normal!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BlueDaisy]

Gartlove are the most successful scottish wolfhound kennel at the present time, I think.

[doganjo]

They are indeed, just up the road from me.