All right, so everybody knows that Mr. K and I have two miniature Dachshunds and that we love them very much; maybe a bit fanatically, but that is what happens when you have fur babies instead of human ones. There have been fragments of thoughts floating around in my brain probably going back to when I adopted Kyo in March of 2010. I had thought of training Kyo and showing him. Sure, he was a mixed breed and was fixed, but the AKC has a category for such dogs now and I thought it could be something he would have been good at. I never got that far with him because life happened and he is now in a much better and productive place, but the thought of showing/training/breeding dogs has never really left my head. Up until now though, the thought pieces had not come together into that concise package of, I should do this.
Now, wait a minute. I haven't decided 100 percent that I am going to show/breed or train, but it is something I have begun to research. My research started on the wonderful thing we call the Internet and has progressed further to me emailing three different breeders to get information. I know that if this is something I want to do, I need to do it properly and since I am completely clueless, a mentor would be helpful. Dachshunds would be my breed of choice. Strange, since if you had asked me five months ago, I would have said labradors, but Aria and Balloo have changed that for me.
I love the challenge the miniature Dachshunds present in training. They are stubborn but incredibly smart and they aren't like a lot of other little dogs- they are tough. They are kind of like a big dog trapped in a tiny bundle of crazy energy and you never know what they are going to do next. For example, Aria has decided she is a monkey. She figured out how to climb onto the kitchen chair and then on to our island and help herself to Daddy's home made bread. Really? Who would have thought seven pounds could be so much trouble. :)
They're a really great breed and obviously aren't for everyone, but after seeing the way Aria was bred/raised until we got her, makes me want to make a difference. On the other hand, maybe I would rather train and show her, or I could start a rescue. So many options.
I'm not really sure. All I know is that this is something I have to be sure about before Mr. K and I jump in with both feet. It would be expensive and very time consuming. That is why I have contacted a few breeders.
One breeder has been in the business for seventeen years and the other 37 years. The third I can't remember how long, but it is Balloo's breeder and I asked her if I could apprentice with her. How will I know if this is for me if I don't have hands on experience? The breeder with 37 years is the only who has responded so far and although he is a bit impersonal, he does have a lot of experience. Until I hear from others, I'll continue my researching and perhaps contact a few more people. It never hurts to ask questions right?
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6 comments:
Hi!
Think I've caught up with your blog now by reading most of the posts.
Sounds like a fun house living with so many dogs.
As I was reading about all your experience with dogs, I was thinking you'd be the sort of person who could give me some advice, by commenting in this post if you get a minute:
http://jenny-theguidedogblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/train-dog-trainer_19.html
It would just be interesting to hear from a completely blind person's perspective, since you have done lots of training already.
I know you work as a volunteer with dogs, so has that been a positive experience? Do you find that people are always worrying about how you will do things if you can't see?
Thanks for reading this very long comment.
Jen
Hi Jen, I will definitely come over and visit. Thanks for reading my ramblings. :)
Sorry about that. I hate when links don't work.
Its a post titled 'train the human, not the dog' if you click on older posts it should be the first one at the top of the page.
Its a longwinded ramble (like most things I write) but maybe you can relate to some of it.
Thanks.
Sounds good :)
Hi Jess, Huib and I will be attending a 2 day breeding seminar in Belleville in April, I'll let you know what I learn. As for breeding Balloo, I'd recommend letting him mature first before really thinking overly seriously about this since you don't really know a lot about a dog or their attributes until they are at least over a year. Also, I know here in Canada they don't like doing clearances or breeding until after 2 years of age so you've got tons of time. For now I'd focus on doing some fun training and maybe a little competing with Aria since she's already on her way and then start doing some with Balloo as well. We've wanted to look at breeding since we got Aspen, but to be honest I'm thankful we spayed her (except for her incontenance due to lack of estrogen) because she just doesn't have the looks or confidence to be passing on her genes, but we love her otherwise so that's why we've kept up with her line. I will let you know how things go, but my best advice at this point is to just focus on training and maybe even competing before truly looking at breeding, maybe you won't even want to breed Balloo (you gotta see if he meets breed standards, can pass his health clearances, and if breeders even want to use him - which is why we're hoping to show Canyon since owning a stud is a lot more work than a female). Hope all this helps, e-mail me anytime and we can chat further.
That workshop would be really interesting. Keep me posted for sure. Training is something I want to continue with. We definitely wouldn't breed him yet-I don't even think he is physically capable yet. lol
I wanted to start looking into it now so that when the time comes we will be prepared and can make an educated decision. I would really love an apprenticeship with a breeder for a short bit-I think that kind of experience would go a long way.
I think Balloo is going to puppy class in March and Mr. K and I are going to discuss putting Aria in the next level of obedience class since she did so well her in her puppy class.
xoxo
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