Dogs Archives - Pedigree Dogs Ireland

Showing Dogs – Where did it all go wrong ?

There are hundreds of thousands of dogs in Ireland, yet only approx 1500 of these attend at any individual dog show affiliated by the IKC. In the year 2010/11 there were over 29,000 dogs registered with The Irish Kennel Club which included over 5,000 litters. Let's guestimate that 1000 of these litters were from show kennels, that's 4000 litters registered by people not involved in the show dog scene. So the question might be what are show dog people and the governing bodies doing in relation to assisting and educating all the other dog owning / loving people out there ? Now some show dogs have it and others just don't - It's true that some dogs really come alive when in the show ring, and it looks like this is their true vocation, but time spent in the actual show ring for most dogs accounts for approx 5 minutes out of the whole dog show day. The rest can be spent crated in the back of a van, car or trailer for periods from 10 minutes to 10 hours, not to mention th…

Your Dog and the pursuit of happiness

Ok we're back......I hope some of you noticed that we hadn't been what you'd call very active on the run up to and through the Christmas Holiday. TBH it was a most welcome break, and a time where we could reflect on the year just passed, and plan for the year ahead. I've decided on a personal theme for myself this year, which can be summed up in one word - Happiness - My thinking is that if you try and make yourself happy then everything else in life must be good, or should eventually fall into place. Happiness comes in all shapes and forms but mid last year we posted a blog stating that happiness is Canis Lupus or Dog to you and me I'm sure everybody reading this blog right now or maybe years in the future, will have experienced the happiness that a dog can bring into your life. But let's flip that card, and look at it from a dogs perspective. What really makes your dog happy ? Is your dog happy sitting with you on the sofa after a good long walk and balan…

Budget 2013 – Michael Noonan, Pure Bred Dog or Cross Breed ?

Weather forecast not good for Dogs in Ireland It well and truly looks like the country is preparing to brace itself on two counts. Firstly it looks like the weather has taken a turn with temperatures heading due south,and secondly December 5th is rapidly approaching, the day we all find out just how much poorer we will all be next year when details of the Budget are released. Something tells me that Michael Noonan, won't be getting as many Christmas cards this year as he is used to. Noonan being the countries Minister for finance (for the meantime anyhow) is given the task of looking after the countries finances. The rest of us get to look after whatever little we have left after Mr Noonan decides on what we should pay in relation to keeping the government jet and ministerial cars fueled, as well as funding the health service etc, etc. You could say that we are all Ministers of Finance. Isn't it a pity then that some people in Irish society when getting a p…

A Dog Is For Life Not Just For Christmas

This is the message that ALL reputable breeders send out at this time of the year. I got thinking recently about another phrase we hear from time to time, "Do as I say not as I do" Can some Show Kennels be accused of this...What do we do if the promising pup we kept back from a litter gets a fright in the Show Ring, and decides it doesn't like this showing lark or just isn't making the grade ? What happens when we discover the breed that we start out in is just too competitive, or "Sewn up" so we look around for a rare breed, or one with less numbers in...what happens to the dogs we have from our first breed ? OK we can always say there are always people out there looking for a mature dog, no puppy training to do, with all the hard work done, but these are the minority. I'm sure we all know of people in our respective breeds that move on an older dog / champion - the only reason being to make way for the new kid on the block. Maybe after 30 years the messa…

Leopard for sale on Gumtree !

We posted a blog not so long ago titled Is your local Puppy Farmer playing by the rules ? Now I'm not in anyway trying to trivialise the whole practice of puppy farming, but they only exist because there are van loads (excuse the pun) of un educated people out there only to willing to shell out hard earned money to buy one of these poorly bred & raised pups. Some of these pups end up in the Pet Shops that continue to be involved in this cruel and unjust practice. Puppy Farmers Can Advertise for Free Others end up on the general online classified web sites, some of which offer the puppy farmer a free opportunity to reach their potential customers. Recently one of the largest Free online classified web sites announced a drastic overhaul of it's policies in relation to the advertising of dogs. All of a sudden they will no longer allow ads from puppy farmers or commercial breeders. No stud dogs will be allowed No animals under the age of eight weeks Only …

Buying a dog for Christmas ?

Is Christmas a good time to Introduce a Puppy to your House ? I was asked recently to give an opinion on whether Christmas is a good or bad time to introduce a dog to the family. It's a question that raises it's head about this time every year. Rather than just give my own views on the matter, I asked followers of the pedigree dogs Facebook page to give their views on it. We got a great response, and answers covered the full spectrum, from "never,never,never" to "I got my first dog as a Christmas present & it was the best one I ever received" A Puppy to the right home After reading all the comment's I posted the following - "Would it be safe to say that a puppy to the right home at Christmas is far better than a puppy to the wrong home any other time of the year ?" which met with a general acceptance. As the picture above proves, different dogs are suited to different lifestyles / households, so whatever time of the year you are introducing a new puppy or d…

All you need is love (Part II)

Last year I penned a blog called All you need is Love If you are interested go ahead and read it, if not this blog wont mean much to you. Anyhow, the pups that are mentioned in the above blog turned a year old on the 09-05-12, and as the cake in the top left hand corner suggests, there was a reunion, and party held in their honour. Unfortunately, our Danno couldn't make it, as we had a communion to attend, but he is already making plans to go and see Ruby, his first and only, and his offspring in July this year. We think that the friendship and many other spin off's which has come as a result of two dog mad families getting together to breed a responsible litter of Dachshunds, is fantastic, and wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood come knocking on our doors to make a feature length film about us... I can just see it now "Ruby and I, the tale of two Dachshunds, a Black & Tan and a Shaded Red, defying all that is thrown at them, so that they can be together an…

Labour saving devices & our dogs

With the good weather nearly upon us (wishful thinking me thinks !) we get the added bonus of being able to spend more and more time outside with our dogs. It's scientifically proven that dog owners are more healthy than, what is it you call those other people....oh yes, non dog owners (strange breed) We've posted these scientific results HERE before for us wise ones who are already in the know, in the hope that the non dog owners may wake up from the zombie like state they have been living in and realise that life without a dog in it, is like having jelly without ice cream, peaches without cream, Tom without Jerry, and so on. Sorry to go on there, but these non dog owners aren't the most intelligent breed of Homo Sapiens Now one of the downsides of spending so much enjoyable quality time with your dog in the great outdoors is that household chores kind of start sliding, and trust me, it's a slippery slope Isn't it great then that as we evolved, we have invented and…

One man’s meat is another man’s poison

That is to say that what I like, might not be to your taste. If you look at general dog ownership in Ireland, everybody has an opinion on what (or maybe what is acceptable in "Some Peoples" eyes) is the best way to rear, train, feed, house, and exercise your dog. You can even narrow this search down, by applying the above to the small percentage of dog owning people in Ireland that show their dogs, and the vast differences of opinion that the owners of the 1800 or so dog's at an all breeds Championship Show in Ireland, will have. Narrow it down again to the other people in your dogs breed. Some people house their dogs outside, and only get to see them twice a day at meal times. Some people only care to their dogs teeth and nails the night before or morning of a show. Some people breed indiscriminately, in order to finance the rising costs of entering every Championship show in the dog show calendar year. Some people leave the mother with the pups out in a w…

When is a Judges decision final ?

Well it depends if you are talking about dog showing or about life in general. Or does it ? If you are unlucky enough to be caught on the wrong side of the law, and convicted for your crime in a court of law, you could say, that that decision is pretty much final. That's unless you feel as though you didn't get a fair hearing in the first place or a new piece of evidence has come to light, and you go down the road of an appeal. Is it strange then, or maybe funny, that the same type of process and rules exist in the world of showing dogs. Lack of sportsmanship, and general bad manners, seems to be creeping into our Sport or Hobby on a far to regular basis. Maybe the increased costs, and added pressure that the exhibitor feels under, is a contributory factor, whereby they feel that they have to win in order to justify the costs of travelling to and entering dogs shows on the island of Ireland. None of the above though, excuse any person from conduct that the majori…

Mini Circuit & Dog Showing in Ireland

Just a quick line to wish all those travelling to and exhibiting at the Mini Circuit shows this W/E, a safe journey, and enjoyable few days amongst friends. The weather looks a bit mixed, so bring your all weather gear, and tents, but remember only pitch them in the spaces provided (Like our friend above) AKC Judge Dr. Harry Smith Jr. was once asked, “What things tend to irritate you when judging?” He responded, “It takes a lot to get me irritated in the ring when I am judging. When I do, it’s usually because one of the exhibitors has been a poor sport. None of us are infallible. We do our best to render excellent judgments. When, in the eye of an exhibitor, we do not do what they think is correct, they must be a good sport about it, and go far away from the ring before they explode! Good sportsmanship is the strongest part of our dog show sport.” And remember the Dog Show Sportsmanship Checklist: Abide by the rules of the game Avoid arguments Give everyone a chan…

Pedigree Dogs – Happy Easter

Just a quick line to wish everybody A Very Happy Easter Holiday from All of the Pedigreedogs.ie team.

Is your Dog Crazy ?

Firstly, let me start by wishing everybody a happy and healthy 2012, and let's hope that we and our dogs get all we wish for this year. I am sure we are all sick of over eating and being stuck in front of the TV over the holiday, and it's time to get right back out there, and shake the cobwebs off. Having said that there were some good films on TV, and it amazes me the amount of dogs that are used in the making of these films, mostly portrayed as man's best friend. One film I watched, and really enjoyed, wasn't about a Dog but a Beaver, starring Mel Gibson, and titled, no prizes for guessing this one.....The Beaver In this film the main character is suffering from a breakdown, states that "Crazy is pretending to be happy" and if this is the case, then I suppose we are all a little bit crazy. That's one thing then that our dogs can never be called, as they never pretend to be anything but themselves. The human equivalent would be the not too common person that sp…

On a lighter note….

Yesterday's blog seemed to rub some people up the wrong way, so we have decided to play it safe today with a little joke ! A man took his dog to the vets and asked the vet to completely remove the dogs tail. The vet confused said "Why do you want me to do that? the dogs tail is perfectly healthy." The man replied "Well the wifes mother comes this weekend and I want to make sure there are no signs of any welcome!!"

Pugs – A very versatile breed !

Now I'm sure PJ Collins and his daughter Adrienne advised the massive amount of visitors to the Pug breed stand at last week ends Pet Expo, that Pugs are a very versatile breed, but I'm sure they would even be impressed by the current Citroen TV ad shown below (In French, couldn't find the English version on Youtube) http://youtu.be/yTrTwkeGtJg

Dog registrations down 5% – Kennel Club London

The Kennel Club notes the 5% drop in registration figures for the first quarter of 2011 as compared to 2010, but is not surprised by it. "As we have always warned that the difficult economic climate and the unpredictability which the economy is causing for many people on both a business and personal level, was bound to make serious breeders think twice about breeding litters." The difficult economic climate was bound to make serious breeders think twice about breeding litters. My blog on the 08th of Feb was also about this topic, where I stated that if "it were a case that less dogs were being bred in Ireland, I’m sure we would all agree that this was a good thing, but I’m not so sure" Is it a case now where a responsible dog breeder will only breed, if they have a large waiting list and then some, for the resulting pups ? People will always say, why buy a dog when the rescue centres are full to overflow as a result of the economic crisis? Found on the Why Adv…

Pedigree Dogs in Ulster Banks Business Bite

We are delighted to announce that Pedigreedogs.ie has been featured yet again, this time in Ulster Banks Spring / Summer edition of Business Bite This publication can be found in all the Ulster Bank branches in Northern Ireland, and is once again great exposure for the pedigree dogs website. It's got to the stage that we are now working on a press page for the main site Pedigreedogs.ie, and will add this feature along with the others that we were featured in, The Sunday Business Post & The Sunday Times.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Of Dog Showing)

Does showing your dog bring out the Angel or Demon in you ? Wrath also known as "rage", may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger I'm sure we have all felt this at some stage when showing our dogs, most times directed at the appointed judge for down garding our prize exhibit, and then other times at fellow competitors, in instances when the run up behind you etc, or fail to congratualte you when you have a deserved win Greed also known as avarice or covetousness, is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess This can be directed at the exhibitor who continually shows their champion dog at every Championship Dog Show in the country not giving the upcoming dogs any chance of getting a foot on the green star ladder. It can also apply to some of the exhibitors that choose to camp at the show grounds and party on until the early hours of the night, keeping us and or dogs from a well deserved rest. Sloth - The sin of laziness This ca…

Dog Showing in Ireland

There was no blog yesterday, due to the fact that I was busy at the back to back dog shows in Thurles, South Tipperary, on Saturday and Clonmel yesterday for the Fermoy Canine Club's show. I must be getting old, as I never entered the Hound Association Of Irelands show today, and looking at the weather outside at the moment, looks like a made the right decision. People from the four corners of Ireland, and from further afield,travel to these events, in cars,vans,caravans,campers, a lot using these shows over the bank holiday W/E as part of their annual holidays choosing to stay at local hotels, guest houses and B+B's and some reverting back to the old tents and camping out. Most people do it for the love of their dogs, and the social occasion that a dog show in Ireland can be. Some are on the hunt for the most green stars in the year for that breed, and the accolade of annual champion. Some dogs get to spend their few days in relative comfort, stretched on the sofa …

Respect

Respect should not be confused with tolerance, since tolerance doesn't necessarily imply any positive feeling, and is compatible with contempt, which is the opposite of respect. Introduction to Judges (As per the schedule of the Combined Canine Club) Mr.Andrew Brace (England) Andrew Judges all breeds and groups recognised by the English Kennel Club also Best in Show Now on the 29-05-2010 my blog was as follows - Click Here "ANDREW BRACE, one of the UK’s top all-round judges, has been warned and fined £300 over the nature of his judging of Border collies at Blackpool last year. Following the judging, many people watched the video of Mr Brace on YouTube, and many more commented on an apparent lack of interest in the exhibits. Several complaints were lodged with the Kennel Club. At its meeting in February, the General Committee considered these objections and subsequently upheld them. The Committee said it ‘was particularly disturbed by Mr brace’s cursory nature o…

Dogs and The Internet / WWW

When the Internet was first launched back in 1969 and then the world wide web in 1990, I'm sure Tim Beners Lee (pictured left) whom is credited with the invention of the latter, didn't have what the www has become in mind. I think it was around the time that he was being knighted by the Queen that he said he was of course very proud of his achievement, but not of what it was being used for in current times. I have talked about the above title a few times since we started this blog over a year ago, and after spending a fair bit of time at my laptop over the W/E thought it would make for another good blog post for today. The reason I was at my machine was that there were 2 big events in the Irish Dog Show Calendar being held over this Easter week end. The first being the Combined Canine Club International Dog Show held at the IKC National Show Centre in Cloughran Dublin, and as is usual these days the video of the BIS showdown was up on the social networks within 24 h…

Standard Poodle Video & FCI Standard

Poodle Good video apart from the info re crossing with certain breeds ! If you are interested in becoming the owner of a Poodle check out our classified section by clicking the button to the right hand side of this page. If you still can't find a Poodle pup or Poodle Dog email us and we will put you in contact with a reputable breeder of Poodles. ORIGIN: France. DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 06.03.07. UTILIZATION: Companion dog CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.:Group 9 Companion and Toy dogs Section 2 Poodle Without working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: Etymologically, the French word “caniche” (Poodle) comes from “cane”, the French word for a female duck. In other countries, the name of the breed is associated with splashing around in water. Originally, this dog was used for wildfowling. It descends from the Barbet of which it has conserved many characteristics. In 1743, it was called the “caniche”: the female of the barbet in French. T…

Crufts 2012 needs new sponsor

Crufts Dog ShowAs I blogged about during and after Crufts 2011, the coverage by More4 at this years event was superb The records show that in total, almost 2.5 million viewers tuned in to watch, and the figures were almost 50 per cent up on 2010 DFS the sponsor for the last two years are bowing out, after a mutual beneficial working relationship with The Kennel Club (London) and the door is now left open for brands and businesses to take up the invitation from the KC to sponsor next years show. Figures show that a total of 22 per cent of households have a dog, with more with 40 per cent saying that their dog is their best friend, so it is no surprise that Crufts strikes such a chord with the general public. It's one of the annual events that families look forward to watching each year on the TV As I mentioned here on the 14-03-11 I was personally delighted with the amount of times that Pedigree Dogs was mentioned at this years Crufts by Frank Kane (BIS Judge for …

Artificial Insemination

Was reading during the past week about The Kennel Club (London) stance on the above subject Ronnie Irving, basically has said that the stance of the Kennel Club has been misunderstood, and that there is a general acceptance of artificial insemination in dogs, but it shouldn't be encouraged or take over from natural conception Of course the dog gene pool in the UK would be much wider than here in Ireland, where in a lot of cases we have no option but to choose this route. As most of you know, I have Standard Smooth Dachshunds, which are not a numerically strong breed in Ireland. (Why so, still baffles me) I receive a lot of phone calls from pet owners with bitches that they may want to have one litter from, asking if they can use my Dog at stud, as he comes from a totally different line to most of the other dogs here. Danno who will be 3 in August, has only recently been used at stud, and we did advise the owner of the bitch to go down the AI route. The thing …

Grieving for your dog

As per my blog on the 19-01-11 we had to say good bye to Dempsey, our Dachshund who was only 8.5 years old. This is the frist time that my wife and I have had to go through this harrowing ordeal. Family & friends were great as they knew what a huge part of our lives, that the dogs are. Outside of that though, you do feel like you have to explain to people why you might not be in the best possible form, and when talking about it say that in the light of what is happening in the world it might seem small, so that they don't think you are off your rocker There are lot's of articles available in print and online re how to deal with the passing of a dog or a family pet, like the one on our blog 08-05-2010 (Page 18) We did look at these, and books like Over the rainbow bridge by Wendy M Tugby, and found that they did help us. One big thing for us, was that we had the opportunity to write about Demspey and what he meant to us on our blog. That piece is out there,…

Breeding Dogs in Ireland

The above topic seems to cause very heated debates on many of the forum sites, such as boards, and also the dog only forum sites in Ireland Opinions vary from,you should only breed your dog as long as there are no dogs left in rescue centres etc, to only breed from dogs that have been tested for breed specific disease, and then to, I have a lovely looking dog and would like to give dog breeding a go. The Kennel Club in the UK are constantly asking people to check out their website, which is extremely informative about all things dog related. As per my blog on March 14th re the analysis of Crufts Dog Show 2011, I mentioned that The Kennel Club (London) launched Mate Select at this years show The following information from The Kennel Club's web site gives you an overview of what they are trying to achieve firstly in the world of Pedigree Dogs "In a first of its kind, the Mate Select programme, which will be accessed via the Kennel Club website, will allow both occa…

Dogs on Film

I went to the cinema the other day and in the front row was an old man and with him was his dog. It was a sad funny kind of film, you know the type. In the sad part, the dog cried his eyes out, and in the funny part, the dog laughed its head off. This happened all the way through the film. After the film had ended, I decided to go and speak to the man. "That's the most amazing thing I've seen," I said. "That dog really seemed to enjoy the film." The man turned to me and said, "Yeah, it is, because he hated the book."

Google make bid for Pedigreedogs.ie

We are delighted to announce that we have had an offer from Google to purchase the Pedigreedogs.ie website and brand. They have been tracking us from our start date of 29th January 2010, and are obviously very impressed with the results and development to date. Of course, this comes as no surprise to the team behind Pedigreedogs.ie as we knew from inception that we were on to a winner. Google are not the first to have shown an interest in Pedigreedogs.ie as we have featured in The Sunday Business Post, The Sunday Times, interviewed on Dublin's Spin 103 and an upcoming slot in The Belfast Telegraph As you are probably aware Google made a play for facebook recently and were knocked back, and that's exactly what the principals of Pedigreedogs.ie are going to do. The difference between our classified website and the others is that we have total control over it, and only ensure that ad's that meet with our criteria will go live. If we sell out to the giant that Google is…

Fermoy Signs & Abi Titmuss

We have added a new link under the useful links heading on pedigreedogs.ie It's for a local company called Fermoy Signs, who carry a large range of Pet ID tags including the popular Designer Pet ID Tags. William the owner advised me that they will have an add in next months K9 Magazine, when they are having a celebrity interview features with Abi Titmuss and her rescue dog Danny, & they are planning on using one of Williams Tags on Danny. Let's hope that brings them lot's of new business Check out the site on www.fermoysigns.com If you would like to exchange links with us, please send an email to [email protected]

Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really

I read an article last week in relation to a 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier that is blind, deaf, and diabetic In the article by Cindy Bruckart the owner, she said that they have to carry him out to the garden to pee, and compared him to his early days when toilet training and therefore called him a 15 year old puppy. One of paragraph's reads as follows - We sometimes feel frustrated by the amount of time it takes. We then feel very guilty for feeling frustrated! We have argued about who is doing more of the work and who needs a break. Travel plans have been difficult, delayed or simply cancelled because it’s too hard to arrange for alternative care. We’ve secretly wished that it would come to an end and hated ourselves for it. On most days, however, we are simply grateful to have another day with our beloved little dog. We have a very good friend in West Cork who has an 18 year old Jack Russell Terrier, who at 15 years old had her front left leg amputated, and…

Daffodil Day West Cork

I know I missed it by a couple of days, but I only got to our West Cork bolt hole over the W/E This little Haven, just the far side of Clonakilty is of course Dog Friendly and available for short term lettings The picture was taken today out the back garden and is of Josephine, and our eldest Standard Smooth Dachshund "Doris" Please support the great work being done by the Irish Cancer Society

Crufts and the BVA / BSAVA

Following on from my blog the other day re Crufts and the RSPCA, The British Small Animals Veterinary Association (BSAVA) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) have also issued a joint statement in relation to the Neapolitan Mastiffs and certain other breeds shown at this years Crufts. The difference though is that they see the Kennel Clubs action whereby from next year all Best Of Breed winners from the high-profile breeds will be subject to veterinary inspection prior to competing in groups and before a champion title is confirmed, as a major step in the right direction. They are pleased that the matter will be very much in the hands of the veterinary profession to determine whether there are any clinical conditions present which may be causing suffering, and that dogs like this in the future will not make it into the ring and will no longer be seen as desirable or good examples of the breed. It is recognised in these breeds that it may take generations / decades…

It’s the way you tell ’em

A little girl asks her Mom, "Mom, may I take the dog for a walk around the block?" Mom says, "The dog is in heat, go ask Daddy." The little girl goes to her Father, "Dad, can I take Susie for a walk around the block? Mom said the dog is in heat and that I should ask you." "Hm." He answers, takes a rag, soaks it with petrol, and scrubs the dog's rear end with it. "OK, you can go now but keep Susie on the leash." Little girl goes and returns a few minutes later with no dog on the leash. Dad asks, "Where is Susie?" Little girl says, "Susie ran out of gas about halfway down the block. But another dog is pushing her home."

Dogs & Heaven on Earth

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring -- it was peace. I came across this statement the other day, and I can definitely relate to what the author is saying. We are lucky enough to get to walk our dogs on some of west corks finest dog friendly beaches on a regular basis. During the colder months, these beaches can some times be deserted, and we let our dogs run free. Time spent on the beach with our four legged friends can be up to two and a half hours. During this time, at some point, we will sit in a secluded spot far away from the noise of traffic etc, and watch our dogs do what dogs do. I'm not sure what heaven is, but this is my idea of it.

Crufts & the RSPCA Blah,Blah,Blah

In my blogs over the few days of Crufts 2011, my opinion was that the coverage by More4 on the TV was very good. It seems that not everybody agrees with the same, as Mark Watts,Chief Executive,RSPCA has written a letter to the Kennel Club (London) voicing his concerns that the presenters and interviewees expressed the opinion that the dogs shown at Crufts were happy & healthy My overall opinion is that there has been an awful lot of good work carried out by responsible breeders and the Kennel Club ,over the last few years, in improving breed standards with an eye to producing happy healthy dogs. I think all involved would say that in certain breeds of dogs, there is still a long way to go, but come on, let's not be dancing on pedigree dogs head all the time. Could the RSPCA not have started their letter by saying that a lot of good work had been done, and row in behind the cause to keep the movement going ? It's easy to pick on large organisations like the Ke…