| Frequently
Asked Questions
Taffy
Here are answers
to some of the questions we are most frequently asked. Please
feel free to contact us if you need additional information.
1. What type of border
collies do we breed?
We breed the family pet type
of border collie, which means our dogs are lower drive, very
friendly, love children, and have an off switch.
Our dogs are very people oriented and have a strong need for
human companionship and affection.
Although our pups do fine in recreational sports or herding,
they are not appropriate for competitive sports or serious stock
dog or sheep dog work as they simply do not have enough drive.
2. Are our puppies good with children?
Our puppies are very well socialized by our four daughters.
They are held and played with a lot, are wrapped up like baby
dolls, and are quite doted on by our girls. This, in combination
with the great temperament of the parents, makes our pups extremely
well suited for homes with children. We are told repeatedly
by our customers that our pups blend in extremely quickly to
their new home and family setting.
We do however say that if there are any behaviour or training
issues with the young children in a family, these issues should
be conquered before taking on a new pup.
3. What type of home do we like to place our pups in?
We look for homes that are well settled and stable
with there being sufficient family support to care for the dog
without there being prolonged periods with the dog being left
alone. The family should be united on the issue of getting a
dog and sharing in the dog’s needs. Also, there should
be a commitment to take the dog to obedience classes starting
with puppy kindergarten. The individual or family should also
be physically active enough to provide for regular daily exercise
for the dog.
4. What type of home do we not like to place our pups
in?
We do not sell our pups to young people who have not
finished their education and are not sufficiently settled in
life. It is all too possible that opportunities will open up
after school that preclude having a dog or that just will not
allow sufficient time for a dog.
We also do not sell our pups to people who are sufficiently
overweight to prevent them from being active enough for a border
collie.
5. What does our
spay/neuter contract mean?
When you buy a
pup from us you sign a contract in which you agree to spay or
neuter your pup by the time she or he is 8 months of age. You
are required to send us a certificate from the vet saying this
was done.
The reason we sell on a
spay/neuter contract is because border collies and border collie
crosses are the number 1 breed to end up in rescue shelters.
This is largely due to indiscriminant breeding that produces
unstable temperament and poor health. We do not want any of
our pups to become involved in such activities and thereby add
to the problem.
6. What guarantee
do we give on our pups?
We give a 2 year
genetic health guarantee. We do our best to help insure we produce
healthy pups by only using dogs in our breeding program that
are tested clear for hips and eyes and are fully healthy and
structurally normal in all other ways.
7. What is crate
training and why do we recommend it?
Crate training
is the practice of putting the pup into his crate for nighttime,
anytime the pup cannot be supervised and when the pup needs
time-out. This insures the pup is safe when alone and will also
not damage the house and furniture. It is the rare pup that
does not enjoy his crate. It is his own space with water, food
and toys.
Once the pup has grown
up and reached the “age of responsibility” and no
longer has the urge to chew things, you may consider foregoing
the crate if desired.
We are anxious for the
well-being of our pups and would be hesitant to sell to someone
who is against crate training.
We recommend wire crates
(rather than plastic) for home usage as these offer full ventilation
and view so the pup is in a more open area rather than a darkened
environment in a plastic crate.
8. How often do we breed
our dogs?
Once a bitch has passed all her health clearances and
has reached the age of 18 months, we will breed her. If we are
pleased with the quality of pups she produces, we will usually
breed her again in her next cycle. Then the decision is made
once again according to the health and vibrancy of the pups
and the quick recovery of the mom. We will often breed a bitch
several times as long as our vet approves and all our pups are
strong and vibrant. (We have yet to ever produce weak or poor
quality pups, as all our customers can attest).
It is often thought that dogs should not be bred each heat cycle,
even though they, and all animals, do so naturally in nature.
Animals are made to breed each cycle and we have found that
our dogs are doing remarkably well under such a practice. We
do not always breed every cycle, but do breed repeatedly.
Our dogs are vet checked frequently and have, bar none, received
outstanding checkups by our vets. They are in wonderful health
and are extremely happy. Also, our puppies continue to be very
vibrant, both physically and mentally. Our vets have told us
that they enjoy checking our pups because they are so well bred
and raised.
We feed raw dog food to a number of our dogs according to if
they are expecting or building up after a litter, and to some
dogs full-time. They are given natural remedies and holistic
supplements to maintain their health (we manufacture and sell
these supplements). All our dogs are cleared for hips and eyes
and we don't allow any dog to be in the breeding program if
they have any health or genetic issues.
It is odd how the conception that dogs should not be bred repeatedly
came about. All livestock animals are bred each cycle, yet no
one accuses the farmer of being a "puppy mill" with
regards to his cows, sheep etc. Few people realize that cows
are bred about 2-3 months after they give birth and are pregnant
during much of their lactation. But they are made to be bred
each cycle.
And we can assure people that our dogs are cared for much better
than the majority of cows, pigs and chickens these days that
never see the light of day (most livestock these days are housed
indoors for their entire life).
We have completely fenced all of our property so that our dogs
have free run in very large areas (the largest area being over
an acre) and do not spend much time in kennels or crates except
at night. Plus they are a part of our family and have their
emotional and social needs met by playing with our children
and being with us. They are not livestock. Our dogs are very
people-oriented and have a strong need for affection and love.
This is freely supplied and they are thriving because of it.
We truly enjoy our dogs. But that is not hard to do since our
dogs are so easy to live with.
9. How does the choosing of the puppies work?
Once the puppies are 5 weeks old they are old enough
to receive visitors. This is when our customers come out to
meet the pups and make their choices. The choosing goes according
to place on the reservation list. For example, if the person
is second on the list for a male, he gets second choice of the
males in the litter.
10. How old are our pups when they go to their new homes?
Our pups are 7 ½ - 8 weeks old when they are
ready to go to their new homes. They are vet checked at 7 weeks.
11. What have the pups received by the time they leave
us?
When the pups are ready to leave they have been vet
checked, micro-chipped, de-wormed (two sessions with Panacur),
had first set of shots, and have been very well socialized in
a home setting by our children.
The first set of shots is for distemper, parainfluenza, adenovirus,
and parvovirus. The customer receives the vet record for their
pup.
12. What do we
feed our dogs and pups?
Some of our dogs
are fed a raw diet (Mountain Dog Food). If we had our choice,
we would have all of our dogs on a raw diet, but it is simply
too expensive with the number of dogs we have. So we rotate
on a need-related basis. Roy and Glen are totally raw fed, while
our females are fed raw before and/or after a litter.
We use Costco's Kirkland Signature Lamb and Rice dog food and
Kirkland Signature puppy food. Both are high-end kibbles with
holistic ingredients and no by-products or fillers.
We are also beginning to use Orijen grain-free, low-carb kibble.
This is a fantastic, all-Canadian product (www.orijen.ca)
which is made from fresh, locally sourced, human grade ingredients
and is low-temperature cooked.
We also give our dogs North Atlantic herring oil (for coat,
skin and immune system), organic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
(for digestion and as an excellent mastitis preventative), kefir
(natually fermented dairy product for intestinal health), and
kelp (trace minerals).
Our dogs also receive natural remedies as needed, which we produce
ourselves (www.woodlandnaturalremedies.com).
13.
Which registry do we register our pups with?
Our pups are registered
with the Canadian Border Collie Association. Border Collies
cannot be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club since the
Canadian Animal Pedigree Act states that in Canada there can
only be one registry for each breed. The Canadian Border Collie
Association has been granted that privilege, which is most appropriate
since it is a registry which promotes the border collie as a
working breed.
14. Can I leave
a blanket with you so our pup will have an easier transition
to our home?
Please do not bring a blanket
or toy to leave with us. This is an old wives tale about having
the mother's smell on something so as to comfort the pup after
he leaves. Pups quickly forget about their moms and siblings
once they are in their new home (this is the normal course of
nature). Having something remind him will only tease or confuse
him and prolong the transition. Also, for bio-security reasons,
we do not allow outside things from other people into the litter
as the other pups will come into contact from germs from your
place.
Russ and Tracey Salamon
and family.
R.R. 7 Tillsonburg, Ontario N4G 4H1
Tel:519-765-4708
Fax:519-765-4744
email:
Tracey@burhillbordercollies.com
|
