mersonmalinois

I used to work as a repro tech and have sent shipping dewars of frozen semen to Oz. We always insured each shipment for loss. Frozen semen can be kept in a cryogenic storage for thousands of years, but proper handling is critical on both ends. One vial (not "vile"), also called breeding unit, contains semen for one breeding. It's a decision you and the stud dog owner need to make as to how many breeding units you want shipped. It's very expensive to ship semen, but often other breeders get together and have a group shipment done. Some vets use pellets which are contained in a vial, but others use straws. Each breeding unit, whether in pellets or straws, is formulated to contain the same amount of viable semen when brought to temperature.

So they did tie for 10 minutes the first day? I personally would collect the dog and AI the bitch just to be sure.

That's a really good point, becks. Also, veterinarians have to send in info on any surgeries the dogs have to the database? What?? Like veterinarians are going to sit down after a day's work and email all the info to the database? What if a mistake is made there? Sorry, I'm not a fan of this proposed system. Dedicated, ethical breeders have so much more info on bloodlines/health/temperament than any database can ever hope to acquire.

None of the breeders I associated with (here & abroad) would likely be interested. Would people join and then they can get the breeding suggestions from these people? Sounds like a group of folks wanting to make money to me, but then I am a skeptical American who is used to others screwing people out of their cash.

Hmm, it's easy enough for us to check on dogs' health here in the states at the OFA & CERF websites. Sorry, but I wouldn't want outsiders offering their opinions on breedings. They have no info about temperaments/workability and those are extremely important.

I did a repeat mating after getting 9 puppies in the first litter. Here are the results: Litter 1: Ch Merson's Twilight Tear CGC, TDI, TT "Tara" Ch Merson's Tabasco Cat CGC Ch Merson's Dark Mirage O'Belair Ch Merson's Honeycreek Tyr Logan CD, TT, CGC Ch Merson's Thunder Gulch Ch U-CDX Merson's Majestic Prince CDX, TD, ASCA CDX, TT, CGC, ROM2 Ch Merson's Bold Possum CD Merson's Timber Country Merson's Citation Litter 2: Ch Merson's Hammerin' Hank RN, HIC, TDI, CGC, TT Ch Merson's XIV KT Dutch Master HCT, TDI, CGC Ch Merson's Blue Moon HIC HC MACH Merson's Fabled Wrigley Vines Merson's Fabled Wrigley Vines UDT, HXAds, OF, RA, VCD2, O-EAC, OJC, OGC, HTDIs, CGC, ROM 2 U-CDX Merson's Daddy Wags CDX, ASCA-CDX, HCT, WETT, TDI, AATD, O-V, TT, ROM3 Merson's Grand Slam Savannah VERY influential litters in our breed, excellent health/temperaments and the few that were bred produced well too. I know I was VERY lucky with these results, but I think if you have a feeling about a combination, do it twice! eta: Here is a link to the OFA website with the health results of many of the dogs listed above: http://www.offa.org/display.html?appnum=460060#animal

Out of interest MM was the frozen AI transcervical or Surgical and what was the sequence ? ie AI then natural Cheers Kate Natural cover was first, surgical implant of the frozen was second. I believe the matings were one day apart, but I can check with my friend to be sure.

A friend in Finland did a dual-sired litter. Natural breeding from male #1 and a frozen implant from male #2. All seven puppies were the offspring of male #2.

The top 5 ranked dogs in each breed get invitations and guaranteed entry to Westminster, so the great dogs are there typically. I have been to Crufts and really liked it. I have been to Westminster 12 times and have always had a GREAT time! I also really enjoy the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. My favorite show I have attended/exhibited was the World Dog Show in Mexico City in 2007.

There were a few entered but all were absent with the exception of the two shown. There were 5 entered... with only the 2 shown - although bearing different prefixes they are litter brothers bred in the US. Many breeds only have a few entries - remembering the show has a limit of 2500 dogs. Remember the other Puli fanciers may have known the breed judge might have favoured the dog that won, so they didn't want to spend the large sums of $ to go to NYC to compete. Also, keeping a Puli's cords clean/dry in wet/snowy weather is a PITA, so that might have been a consideration as well.

I having withdrawls not being in NYC right now, but I'm constantly refreshing the WKC website for results. My handler friend David Williams won BOB with his CSP! Malinois are in the ring right now and I'm excited to see who wins. I can't find the streaming video at the WKC website...I'm worried they don't have it this year. Does anyone know??

I disagree with the trainer. My dogs all like it.

Many breeds can have puppies born with rear dewclaws. We have had a few puppies in every litter we have bred be born with dewclaws. We remove them when they are 2 days old. We also remove the front dewclaws. Certain breeds must have them for the show ring.

There can be. There are differences between various bloodlines too. It's important to let the breeder know exactly what you are looking for in a BSD. Hopefully he/she will be able to direct you to a breeder who has the temperament you are looking for.

Wonderful sport trained/protection dogs aren't necessarily great in real-life scenarios. It's interesting to watch them hit flesh vs. a big padded sleeve or bite suit.

I know of a toy poodle stud that was 17 when he sired a litter. The owner had to get permission from the AKC to register the litter as I think the cut-off age for stud dogs is 12 unless you get permission.

Used to give the ground up raspberry tea leaves MANY years ago, but I didn't see how it made any difference. Stopped using the product probably 10+ years ago.

There is also a Malinois named Brox here in the USA who competes in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge events. He holds the "world record" in extreme vertical (running, jumping up forward to grab a bar and landing in water), I think somewhere around 8+ feet. I'll see if I can find the video. This is a video of another Malinois, Puma, doing extreme vertical.

Even if they can't be shown in the conformation ring with AKC, they can do all the performance events: agility, obedience, rally, tracking.

Another way to look at the importance of hands-on exam is that many handlers move their dogs poorly/incorrectly and they can make a good structured dog look like a piece of crap. Poor handlers may move too slow, too fast, jerk the dog off its feet/stride, let the dog weave all over the place, etc and that destroys a dog completely. Hands-on exams are also good for finding fixed ears, hair pieces and illegal substances (coloured chalks, etc.)

At AKC shows, a person can receive a bench show hearing for letting their dog foul the show grounds (which includes motels/hotels away from the show site itself) and be fined/lose their show privileges the first time it happens.

I'm afraid emails of this nature are usually deleted by me. I used to take lots of time to send positive, educational emails with breed club contacts, polite requests for further info to help them in their puppy quest, ect. or at the very least a copy/paste response with similar information. And NOT one of those types of email folk ever replied, not even to thank me for my reply. So unless they show some kind of basic manners / introduction ect. I just don't have the enthusiasm to reply. fifi I agree with you fifi 100%! :D

Maybe to get the puppy ready for the day when the testicles are required? Isn't the point of showing a baby puppy to teach it to be a show dog? The testicle exam is a biggie for those boys.

Regarding shoes, I don't think it is necessary to have lace up shoes when you run with a breed. Good fit & soles are important for sure. All of our shows here in Texas are indoors, so non-slip soles are critical. None of my show shoes are lace up. Even when I go to states where they have outdoor shows, I wear the same shoes. I know that many people could care less about my next comment, but NOTHING looks goofier or screams novice more than runners with a skirt. ;)

AKC/Eukanuba National Championship or Westminster as both are a week long holiday with my sister shopping, eating, sleeping and having FUN!