The Public Face Of Purebred Dogs

[DogsAndTheMob]

We've been talking about the future of purebred dogs in another thread, and public relations has been identified as an issue. I'm not very savvy about PR and social media, but here are some of my musings:

I've been looking at breeders' websites recently, and I love those that showcase photos of their dogs in everyday activities. I like to see dogs running or resting amicably with other dogs. I like to see herding dogs herding and gundogs retrieving. Quite frankly, photos of dogs in show poses, swathed in ribbons, leave me cold.

I hate statements that a breeder's puppies are suitable for every possible activity - even, on a website I looked at recently, for show, pet, obedience, tracking, agility, herding and shutzhund. Umm, I've competed successfully in herding, and the traits of a good herding dog are quite different from those that make a dog suitable for shutzhund. How can a breeder state that their puppies are suitable for a sport if they have never competed in that sport? It's like a breeder of agility dogs who never enters the show ring selling her puppies as show prospects.

I like breeder websites that publish the actual health scores of their dogs. Not only does that help with breeder selection , it also helps convey a sense of the health status of the breed.

Given the public (and veterinary) perception of purebred dogs as in-bred, I would like to see inbreeding co-efficients published with litter notifications.

I've been impressed by:

• The Facebook page of the Swiss White Shepherd Dog Club of Australia - lovely dogs, lovely photos and information about breed fun days.
• The Website of Bluegrace Portuguese Water Dogs - lots of useful information and some great photos.
• Starkehre's thread on her puppies, which shows the time and effort a good breeder devotes to a litter.
• The Skyhaven Flat Coated Retriever website photo of Bushman Wind Me Up Watch Me Go with her Best Baby Puppy in Group ribbon in her mouth - it's absolutely gorgeous!

Who do you think is "getting it right" and how else can we improve the profile af purebred dogs?

Edited July 16, 2016 by DogsAndTheMob

[JulesP]

I hate statements that a breeder's puppies are suitable for every possible activity - even, on a website I looked at recently, for show, pet, obedience, tracking, agility, herding and shutzhund. Umm, I've competed successfully in herding, and the traits of a good herding dog are quite different from those that make a dog suitable for shutzhund.

Probably because a number of the Schutzhund breeds were originally herding dogs.

[Steve]

We've been talking about the future of purebred dogs in another thread, and public relations has been identified as an issue. I'm not very savvy about PR and social media, but here are some of my musings:

I've been looking at breeders' websites recently, and I love those that showcase photos of their dogs in everyday activities. I like to see dogs running or resting amicably with other dogs. I like to see herding dogs herding and gundogs retrieving. Quite frankly, photos of dogs in show poses, swathed in ribbons, leave me cold.

I hate statements that a breeder's puppies are suitable for every possible activity - even, on a website I looked at recently, for show, pet, obedience, tracking, agility, herding and shutzhund. Umm, I've competed successfully in herding, and the traits of a good herding dog are quite different from those that make a dog suitable for shutzhund. How can a breeder state that their puppies are suitable for a sport if they have never competed in that sport? It's like a breeder of agility dogs who never enters the show ring selling her puppies as show prospects.

I like breeder websites that publish the actual health scores of their dogs. Not only does that help with breeder selection , it also helps convey a sense of the health status of the breed.

Given the public (and veterinary) perception of purebred dogs as in-bred, I would like to see inbreeding co-efficients published with litter notifications.

I've been impressed by:

• The Facebook page of the Swiss White Shepherd Dog Club of Australia - lovely dogs, lovely photos and information about breed fun days.
• The Website of Bluegrace Portuguese Water Dogs - lots of useful information and some great photos.
• Starkehre's thread on her puppies, which shows the time and effort a good breeder devotes to a litter.
• The Skyhaven Flat Coated Retriever website photo of Bushman Wind Me Up Watch Me Go with her Best Baby Puppy in Group ribbon in her mouth - it's absolutely gorgeous!

Who do you think is "getting it right" and how else can we improve the profile af purebred dogs?

It all depends on where the breeder sees their target market

Breeders who place high priority on champions and want to attract people who want dogs with champion parents are going to present a different face than a breeder who doesn't show and sells puppies to people who don't care about if there are champions

Depending on who is looking some will like it other wont

Either way its up to the breeders to promote and showcase their dogs and their breeds - what you think is a good thing other could care less about .

Coefficients of breeding would be the absolute last thing on my list of what I would be looking for or that I feel I need to show to my potential puppy buyers.

[grizabella]

I appreciate breeder websites that include their feelings on what it is to live with their breed and what sort of home the breed is suited for- without glossing over the potential challenges. Of course, a buyer would do research elsewhere, but I find these first hand accounts to be a lot more useful than breed encyclopedias; at it gives a good show of the breeder's genuine concern for the dogs.

I like to see photos of dogs being dogs; show photos are nice, but that's not what the average pet buyer is looking for and does little to show the personalities of the dogs. I don't want so much to hear about big show wins, but do hear about the dogs as individual personalities and as members of the household.

I absolutely loved following Starkehre's puppy thread, which was a beautiful show of the dedication and care that good breeders put into their puppies.

[WoofnHoof]

I mentioned this in the greyhound thread in news but I think it is useful here. Currently the narrative that much of the public sees is from AR groups, the RSPCA and others who basically have the greatest public presence and the loudest voices. In contrast the purebred dog world appears cloistered and disconnected from the public and the "real world" in a sense. It's time to change the narrative. Become the voice that people hear when it comes to dogs and companion animals in general. AR dominates because they are there, in public, as much as possible. But they are not the only ones who can do this, we can do it too, and become a voice for our breed, our sport, and our pets.

[BlaznHotAussies]

I think that breeders need to show more "behind the scenes". There's this perception that breeders keep their dogs outside in dank, dark, miserable kennels 24/7 and bitches are left to raise their puppies in the darkest of all the kennels. (ok so a bit of hyperbole there...)

When in reality most registered, reputable breeders have their dogs inside when possible & bitches whelp in people's lounge room or bedroom etc. Puppies are raised in the home and care is taken to place them in loving homes.

Unfortunately it's difficult to invite people into the home when puppies are young, despite that being a fantastic way to show the public what really goes on, because of the fears of spreading disease etc.

I also know that a lot of breeders/show people have crates & kennels for their dogs and honestly I think they've been given a bad rap from AR groups. Kennels & crates have their place as if you've got more than about 3 dogs of medium size it's hard to manage them all.

Also there's a plain lack of knowledge out there...I said that my dogs are health tested etc. and the person said it's just a bit of paper riiiight... (I know, I know, playing chess with pigeons...)

[WoofnHoof]

Some horse studs have "mare stare" web streaming of foalings, a good way to include the public in the process without having them tramping through the place. :)

[Steve]

I mentioned this in the greyhound thread in news but I think it is useful here. Currently the narrative that much of the public sees is from AR groups, the RSPCA and others who basically have the greatest public presence and the loudest voices. In contrast the purebred dog world appears cloistered and disconnected from the public and the "real world" in a sense. It's time to change the narrative. Become the voice that people hear when it comes to dogs and companion animals in general. AR dominates because they are there, in public, as much as possible. But they are not the only ones who can do this, we can do it too, and become a voice for our breed, our sport, and our pets.

Except breeders have been well trained to keep their campfires low and stay off the track - say too much get too obvious about who you are and what you do and you are likely to be wallopped. Those who have more than one or two dogs who have a genuine interest in seeing it stay as it is are the least likely to make waves and shout about it . We are divided -where are the dog related groups who have stood up for the greyhound people where are the dog related groups who join with us to fight crap legislation - where are we if they need us.

How many dog related people and groups are going to go in and shout and donate money to help the people who compete in lure work?

[Steve]

I think that breeders need to show more "behind the scenes". There's this perception that breeders keep their dogs outside in dank, dark, miserable kennels 24/7 and bitches are left to raise their puppies in the darkest of all the kennels. (ok so a bit of hyperbole there...)

When in reality most registered, reputable breeders have their dogs inside when possible & bitches whelp in people's lounge room or bedroom etc. Puppies are raised in the home and care is taken to place them in loving homes.

Unfortunately it's difficult to invite people into the home when puppies are young, despite that being a fantastic way to show the public what really goes on, because of the fears of spreading disease etc.

I also know that a lot of breeders/show people have crates & kennels for their dogs and honestly I think they've been given a bad rap from AR groups. Kennels & crates have their place as if you've got more than about 3 dogs of medium size it's hard to manage them all.

Also there's a plain lack of knowledge out there...I said that my dogs are health tested etc. and the person said it's just a bit of paper riiiight... (I know, I know, playing chess with pigeons...)

Yes good thinking except that's not what they are on about that is specific to purebred dogs .How we keep them is already being dealt with and the CCs are working hard to be sure they have this bit covered the whole puppy farming thing is already in the mix for all breeders.

Having a bit of paper to say your dog or its parents have been health tested and more education wont help in that area as with health testing you can still have dogs that get sick and suffer and they still make puppies that do too. It also depends what you are health testing for and guess what people who are breeding outside of the ANKC pedigree system are actually having their dogs health tested too and in many cases more than the registered breeders are.

[asal]

unless its been changed, a friend was told the law is now that you cannot keep a bitch and her litter within 50 mt rs of a food preparation area. ie kitchen. She kept hers on the veranda beside the kitchen and on very cold days in the kitchen. unless the distance has been reduced there are few homes that have rooms 50 meters from the kitchen?

Another kept hers in the lounge room, she too was warned she could not do this anymore as they were too close to the kitchen area. Both were told to build concrete kennels and house them there.

in both cases their blocks were too small to built anything inside their residential block outside this perimeter. Is this still the case?

I remember a chap once told his wife, anyone who does not raise their puppies in the home is a puppy farmer. yet read the Companion Animal Manual for breeders? http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/299803/Breeding-dogs-and-cats-code-of-practice.pdf

That's exactly what they list and recommend. concrete kennels?

Edited July 17, 2016 by asal

[BlaznHotAussies]

I think that breeders need to show more "behind the scenes". There's this perception that breeders keep their dogs outside in dank, dark, miserable kennels 24/7 and bitches are left to raise their puppies in the darkest of all the kennels. (ok so a bit of hyperbole there...)

When in reality most registered, reputable breeders have their dogs inside when possible & bitches whelp in people's lounge room or bedroom etc. Puppies are raised in the home and care is taken to place them in loving homes.

Unfortunately it's difficult to invite people into the home when puppies are young, despite that being a fantastic way to show the public what really goes on, because of the fears of spreading disease etc.

I also know that a lot of breeders/show people have crates & kennels for their dogs and honestly I think they've been given a bad rap from AR groups. Kennels & crates have their place as if you've got more than about 3 dogs of medium size it's hard to manage them all.

Also there's a plain lack of knowledge out there...I said that my dogs are health tested etc. and the person said it's just a bit of paper riiiight... (I know, I know, playing chess with pigeons...)

Yes good thinking except that's not what they are on about that is specific to purebred dogs .How we keep them is already being dealt with and the CCs are working hard to be sure they have this bit covered the whole puppy farming thing is already in the mix for all breeders.

Having a bit of paper to say your dog or its parents have been health tested and more education wont help in that area as with health testing you can still have dogs that get sick and suffer and they still make puppies that do too. It also depends what you are health testing for and guess what people who are breeding outside of the ANKC pedigree system are actually having their dogs health tested too and in many cases more than the registered breeders are.

I agree that they can still get sick. But surely doing all available tests, carefully or not breeding from dogs who have allergies or have epilepsy & keeping open contact with puppy buyers is better than nothing (I know, I didn't mention allergies or epilepsy in the above post but I did see it mentioned earlier)? I think being open and honest with the public about health testing & what the kennel clubs are doing to improve general health is important. Many Aussie Shepherd breeders here contribute to a site called Aussiesdownunder.com and it lists health testing results as papers don't have those details. Pretty much all the breeders I know want to know of ANY health issues their dogs produce so that they can get to the bottom of it. I don't think anyone wants to produce an unhealthy dog, not only because the dog will suffer but its family will also suffer. There are only so many tests available...

[Steve]

I think that breeders need to show more "behind the scenes". There's this perception that breeders keep their dogs outside in dank, dark, miserable kennels 24/7 and bitches are left to raise their puppies in the darkest of all the kennels. (ok so a bit of hyperbole there...)

When in reality most registered, reputable breeders have their dogs inside when possible & bitches whelp in people's lounge room or bedroom etc. Puppies are raised in the home and care is taken to place them in loving homes.

Unfortunately it's difficult to invite people into the home when puppies are young, despite that being a fantastic way to show the public what really goes on, because of the fears of spreading disease etc.

I also know that a lot of breeders/show people have crates & kennels for their dogs and honestly I think they've been given a bad rap from AR groups. Kennels & crates have their place as if you've got more than about 3 dogs of medium size it's hard to manage them all.

Also there's a plain lack of knowledge out there...I said that my dogs are health tested etc. and the person said it's just a bit of paper riiiight... (I know, I know, playing chess with pigeons...)

Yes good thinking except that's not what they are on about that is specific to purebred dogs .How we keep them is already being dealt with and the CCs are working hard to be sure they have this bit covered the whole puppy farming thing is already in the mix for all breeders.

Having a bit of paper to say your dog or its parents have been health tested and more education wont help in that area as with health testing you can still have dogs that get sick and suffer and they still make puppies that do too. It also depends what you are health testing for and guess what people who are breeding outside of the ANKC pedigree system are actually having their dogs health tested too and in many cases more than the registered breeders are.

I agree that they can still get sick. But surely doing all available tests, carefully or not breeding from dogs who have allergies or have epilepsy & keeping open contact with puppy buyers is better than nothing (I know, I didn't mention allergies or epilepsy in the above post but I did see it mentioned earlier)? I think being open and honest with the public about health testing & what the kennel clubs are doing to improve general health is important. Many Aussie Shepherd breeders here contribute to a site called Aussiesdownunder.com and it lists health testing results as papers don't have those details. Pretty much all the breeders I know want to know of ANY health issues their dogs produce so that they can get to the bottom of it. I don't think anyone wants to produce an unhealthy dog, not only because the dog will suffer but its family will also suffer. There are only so many tests available...

But what about the recent study that shows our dogs are dying sooner there are no genetic tests for epilepsy or allergies all you can see is that a dog doesnt have these things on the day .It can still get them and it can still produce puppies with them. What are the kennel clubs doing to improve general health?

[Airedaler]

I mentioned this in the greyhound thread in news but I think it is useful here. Currently the narrative that much of the public sees is from AR groups, the RSPCA and others who basically have the greatest public presence and the loudest voices. In contrast the purebred dog world appears cloistered and disconnected from the public and the "real world" in a sense. It's time to change the narrative. Become the voice that people hear when it comes to dogs and companion animals in general. AR dominates because they are there, in public, as much as possible. But they are not the only ones who can do this, we can do it too, and become a voice for our breed, our sport, and our pets.

Except breeders have been well trained to keep their campfires low and stay off the track - say too much get too obvious about who you are and what you do and you are likely to be wallopped. Those who have more than one or two dogs who have a genuine interest in seeing it stay as it is are the least likely to make waves and shout about it . We are divided -where are the dog related groups who have stood up for the greyhound people where are the dog related groups who join with us to fight crap legislation - where are we if they need us.

How many dog related people and groups are going to go in and shout and donate money to help the people who compete in lure work?

They are in the same place as they were when the docking ban was being fought or the BSL fight or so many other issues. The "dog world" is so fragmented and wrapped up in individual opinions that they will never support each other and soon it will be too late.

[Steve]

I mentioned this in the greyhound thread in news but I think it is useful here. Currently the narrative that much of the public sees is from AR groups, the RSPCA and others who basically have the greatest public presence and the loudest voices. In contrast the purebred dog world appears cloistered and disconnected from the public and the "real world" in a sense. It's time to change the narrative. Become the voice that people hear when it comes to dogs and companion animals in general. AR dominates because they are there, in public, as much as possible. But they are not the only ones who can do this, we can do it too, and become a voice for our breed, our sport, and our pets.

Except breeders have been well trained to keep their campfires low and stay off the track - say too much get too obvious about who you are and what you do and you are likely to be wallopped. Those who have more than one or two dogs who have a genuine interest in seeing it stay as it is are the least likely to make waves and shout about it . We are divided -where are the dog related groups who have stood up for the greyhound people where are the dog related groups who join with us to fight crap legislation - where are we if they need us.

How many dog related people and groups are going to go in and shout and donate money to help the people who compete in lure work?

They are in the same place as they were when the docking ban was being fought or the BSL fight or so many other issues. The "dog world" is so fragmented and wrapped up in individual opinions that they will never support each other and soon it will be too late.

Yep.

[Pjrt]

I mentioned this in the greyhound thread in news but I think it is useful here. Currently the narrative that much of the public sees is from AR groups, the RSPCA and others who basically have the greatest public presence and the loudest voices. In contrast the purebred dog world appears cloistered and disconnected from the public and the "real world" in a sense. It's time to change the narrative. Become the voice that people hear when it comes to dogs and companion animals in general. AR dominates because they are there, in public, as much as possible. But they are not the only ones who can do this, we can do it too, and become a voice for our breed, our sport, and our pets.

Except breeders have been well trained to keep their campfires low and stay off the track - say too much get too obvious about who you are and what you do and you are likely to be wallopped. Those who have more than one or two dogs who have a genuine interest in seeing it stay as it is are the least likely to make waves and shout about it . We are divided -where are the dog related groups who have stood up for the greyhound people where are the dog related groups who join with us to fight crap legislation - where are we if they need us.

How many dog related people and groups are going to go in and shout and donate money to help the people who compete in lure work?

They are in the same place as they were when the docking ban was being fought or the BSL fight or so many other issues. The "dog world" is so fragmented and wrapped up in individual opinions that they will never support each other and soon it will be too late.

Yep.

Another yes from me

[BlaznHotAussies]

I think that breeders need to show more "behind the scenes". There's this perception that breeders keep their dogs outside in dank, dark, miserable kennels 24/7 and bitches are left to raise their puppies in the darkest of all the kennels. (ok so a bit of hyperbole there...)

When in reality most registered, reputable breeders have their dogs inside when possible & bitches whelp in people's lounge room or bedroom etc. Puppies are raised in the home and care is taken to place them in loving homes.

Unfortunately it's difficult to invite people into the home when puppies are young, despite that being a fantastic way to show the public what really goes on, because of the fears of spreading disease etc.

I also know that a lot of breeders/show people have crates & kennels for their dogs and honestly I think they've been given a bad rap from AR groups. Kennels & crates have their place as if you've got more than about 3 dogs of medium size it's hard to manage them all.

Also there's a plain lack of knowledge out there...I said that my dogs are health tested etc. and the person said it's just a bit of paper riiiight... (I know, I know, playing chess with pigeons...)

Yes good thinking except that's not what they are on about that is specific to purebred dogs .How we keep them is already being dealt with and the CCs are working hard to be sure they have this bit covered the whole puppy farming thing is already in the mix for all breeders.

Having a bit of paper to say your dog or its parents have been health tested and more education wont help in that area as with health testing you can still have dogs that get sick and suffer and they still make puppies that do too. It also depends what you are health testing for and guess what people who are breeding outside of the ANKC pedigree system are actually having their dogs health tested too and in many cases more than the registered breeders are.

I agree that they can still get sick. But surely doing all available tests, carefully or not breeding from dogs who have allergies or have epilepsy & keeping open contact with puppy buyers is better than nothing (I know, I didn't mention allergies or epilepsy in the above post but I did see it mentioned earlier)? I think being open and honest with the public about health testing & what the kennel clubs are doing to improve general health is important. Many Aussie Shepherd breeders here contribute to a site called Aussiesdownunder.com and it lists health testing results as papers don't have those details. Pretty much all the breeders I know want to know of ANY health issues their dogs produce so that they can get to the bottom of it. I don't think anyone wants to produce an unhealthy dog, not only because the dog will suffer but its family will also suffer. There are only so many tests available...

But what about the recent study that shows our dogs are dying sooner there are no genetic tests for epilepsy or allergies all you can see is that a dog doesnt have these things on the day .It can still get them and it can still produce puppies with them. What are the kennel clubs doing to improve general health?

Where's the proof it's genetic? Especially allergies, how many dogs are fed shit food like Optimum and Pal and end up with flaky skin, tumours or other issues? Nature vs nurture.

I think health testing is a good step and I know Aussie shepherd breeders are being encouraged to send through normal & affected (as in, showing symptoms) epileptic dogs so that they can try to find a common marker.

[asal]

I mentioned this in the greyhound thread in news but I think it is useful here. Currently the narrative that much of the public sees is from AR groups, the RSPCA and others who basically have the greatest public presence and the loudest voices. In contrast the purebred dog world appears cloistered and disconnected from the public and the "real world" in a sense. It's time to change the narrative. Become the voice that people hear when it comes to dogs and companion animals in general. AR dominates because they are there, in public, as much as possible. But they are not the only ones who can do this, we can do it too, and become a voice for our breed, our sport, and our pets.

Except breeders have been well trained to keep their campfires low and stay off the track - say too much get too obvious about who you are and what you do and you are likely to be wallopped. Those who have more than one or two dogs who have a genuine interest in seeing it stay as it is are the least likely to make waves and shout about it . We are divided -where are the dog related groups who have stood up for the greyhound people where are the dog related groups who join with us to fight crap legislation - where are we if they need us.

How many dog related people and groups are going to go in and shout and donate money to help the people who compete in lure work?

They are in the same place as they were when the docking ban was being fought or the BSL fight or so many other issues. The "dog world" is so fragmented and wrapped up in individual opinions that they will never support each other and soon it will be too late.

Yep.

Another yes from me

except when is the dog world going to get real.

a pet is a living thing. there are NO guarantees come home with your own baby when you go out the hospital door with your next generation.

When the life time guarantees began to be touted as the the must do for every "ETHICAL" breeder, I thought, hey no one guaranteed my parents a heath guarantee when they brought me, my brothers or my sister home? No one said my children would come home with a lifetime health guarantee?

When my babies died, one after the other,most of them about the ten to 12 week mark and I kept asking the doctors whats going wrong? To be told don't you realise every time a new life begins each and every one is a miracle that makes it to term, so many things can go wrong while the cells are dividing, one mistake and the embryo is nonviable and in the majority of instances are aborted early.

all these assumptions that ethical breeders can produce universally healthy animals and life guarantee them is expecting something we cannot even do for even our own children?

Surely if it is not only impossible for parents to achieve for their children, why? and how did pet breeders blindly without question accept responsibility for so many thousands of things that can go wrong which aren't genetic without asking questions first?

two of my babies were identical twins. IDENTICAL GENES PEOPLES!

SO if my babies were puppies their breeder would have been off the ethical list in one swipe, since one of them had only one kidney and part of his diaphragm was missing.

pardon the pun but pet breeders "have been sold a pup" when they fell for that without looking further into the facts.

there are thousands if not tens of thousands of things that can go wrong that are not genetic from the parents, there are many mutations that neither parent has, eg Down. XXY, the list is staggering and thats before we get to the inherited genes for which there is only an infinitesimal number with DNA tests for.

Decades ago birth defects that didn't have a known genetic cause were referred to as congenital as in defect occurring during embryonic development, these days most of the newbie vets call every defect genetic with no knowledge or investigation if such is really the case

the easy stuff to eliminate is the dominant, but the recessives? lord save us, the list is long and the DNA test list is short.

for decades breeders have been held to ransom to eliminate HD, yet rumour has it perhaps? diet is part of the problem.

its a minefield, who wants to be the first to put their toe in anymore?

cant find the one with the hip displastic lines sepearate into three groups, one control, one ad lib fed one diet restricted and the difference in hip displacia percentages was astonishing considering the puppies were siblings from known hip displastic percentage producing parents.

still looking for it so far, this one is just the difference in life span

obviously this too is not so genetic after all folks

http://www.2ndchance.info/homemadediets-Kealy2002dietaryrestriction.pdf

my question

is it arrogance or stupidity to accept responsibility for things which in fact, really are actually beyond your control?

Edited July 17, 2016 by asal

[The Spotted Devil]

I'm just in the early process of building my website so am following this with interest.

asal you raise a darn good point. I certainly don't guarantee dogs for life but I do support my puppy buyers every step of the way. I do the best I can - health test, select sire and dam for attributes and work my @rse off so the litter has the best start to life possible. Recommendations on diet, training, exercise, vaccination etc

Edited July 17, 2016 by The Spotted Devil

[BlaznHotAussies]

Some horse studs have "mare stare" web streaming of foalings, a good way to include the public in the process without having them tramping through the place. :)

Just scrolled back up and saw this - that is a really cool idea!!!

[Jed]

Re - food

There is scientific proof from Purdue that Cavaliers fed raw food have fewer and later onset heart issues than those fed prepared food.

There is evidence that early desexing causes many problems in all breeds.

There is proof over-vaccinating causes many problems in all breeds.

Yet the first thing the puppy buyer does is take the dog to the vet, where they are told to feed only a dry food, desex under 6 months, and vaccinate at 12 and 16 weeks with C7.

In many council areas, mandatory desexing laws apply as soon as the pup changes hands -- ie, 8 to 12 weeks.

Breeders are lost before they begin.