Thursday 31st may.
Yesterday I was outside watering the cows when I heard a cufuffle (new word) in my chicken shed. My one eyed chicken, Lucy, ran, squarking ( maybe another new word, I'm not sure coz I have had 2 glasses of wine) and I wondered what was up setting her. Hot on her heels was Brewster and he obviously had something in his mouth. I called him and issued the command "drop It" he promptly obeyed and dropped a beautiful blue egg onto the ground. (Lucy lays blue eggs) What is so funny is I often feed the dogs raw eggs into their dinner and Brewster thought he would just help himself. How could I be cross, he was showing independent thought, something this breed is famous for.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Dog things
Wednesday 30th May.
The castration issue is really bugging me at the moment as 16 weeks seems terribly early to have any dog castrated, they are, after all, still babies.
I have been in touch with my friend and Kasidi's breeder in England and she too was appalled when she heard 16 weeks is the age vets are recommending for castration/neutering. She told me her vet would not suggest such an early age. I was always told by vets in the Uk that it is best for the bitches to have a season first and with Ridgebacks this can be as old as 15 months. As for the dogs....... Why do we castrate them?
Marking, mounting, wandering, aggressive tendencies towards other male dogs are reasons to have a dog castrated and these are pretty good reasons especially if the dog is living with a young family in an urban environment. I have no arguement with any of these reasons and of course if a bitch nearby comes into season then it can be an extremely difficult situation. Where I struggle is the age. My experience of 21 years with this breed and German Shepherds growing up is many of these tendencies do not appear until 9-12 months and in some cases they never appear. Raiza springs to mind, yes, he cocks his leg and marks his spot but this has never been a problem. My neighbours who live close by have a wonderful Ridgeback called Sim who is 2 and a half, a lovely gentle boy and he is intact. He lives a double life in that half of his time is spent in Manhattan and the other half up here in the Catskills. He has never presented his owners with any problems.
I have to go to England on Monday and I will be attending the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britains open show so It will be interesting to discover thoughts from other breeders.
The castration issue is really bugging me at the moment as 16 weeks seems terribly early to have any dog castrated, they are, after all, still babies.
I have been in touch with my friend and Kasidi's breeder in England and she too was appalled when she heard 16 weeks is the age vets are recommending for castration/neutering. She told me her vet would not suggest such an early age. I was always told by vets in the Uk that it is best for the bitches to have a season first and with Ridgebacks this can be as old as 15 months. As for the dogs....... Why do we castrate them?
Marking, mounting, wandering, aggressive tendencies towards other male dogs are reasons to have a dog castrated and these are pretty good reasons especially if the dog is living with a young family in an urban environment. I have no arguement with any of these reasons and of course if a bitch nearby comes into season then it can be an extremely difficult situation. Where I struggle is the age. My experience of 21 years with this breed and German Shepherds growing up is many of these tendencies do not appear until 9-12 months and in some cases they never appear. Raiza springs to mind, yes, he cocks his leg and marks his spot but this has never been a problem. My neighbours who live close by have a wonderful Ridgeback called Sim who is 2 and a half, a lovely gentle boy and he is intact. He lives a double life in that half of his time is spent in Manhattan and the other half up here in the Catskills. He has never presented his owners with any problems.
I have to go to England on Monday and I will be attending the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britains open show so It will be interesting to discover thoughts from other breeders.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Dog things
Monday 28th May.
It is well documented that Ridgebacks have the ability to jump high fences from a standstill position. I have never had a jumper until now.
A couple of weeks ago Mark and I created a compound for the dogs. It used the side of our barn and two sides of the electric fence from our paddock. We installed, for the front end and gate, one of those wire kennels that can be found at Tractor supply and are seen just about everywhere.
It must be about 7 feet high. Anyway we don't use it very often but when we do Lela always manages to get out. I assumed she was sacrificing being nipped by the fence in order to get out, that was until Saturday. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Lela from a standing position, look up, jump and scale the fence with very little effort. She sort of balanced herself on the top of the fence and then flipped her self over. The ease with she managed to get out was incredible. Fortunately Lela does not wander and we only created it to have somewhere to put the dogs occasionally so I am not too upset.
Sam, Alex and myself went to Unadilla yesterday for a BBQ with the family of Hamlet now known as Adia and Puck now known as Kinta. We took Motsi, Caesar and Paris and had a truly wonderful time. It was so rewarding for me seeing all of the puppies get together and play. They were well and truly shattered when we got home and are still tired this morning.
Very disturbing for me was hearing about the experience Kinta's family had with the vet when they took him for his rabies vaccination. They were told that they had a month to "get him sorted" and they were told to hold his jaw shut and stare at him for a couple of minutes to exert dominance. This exercise was to be repeated several times a day. To say I was angry with this advice is an under statement and I would love to know what needs to be sorted in a month. They were also advised to have him castrated at 4 months. I could start a new blog on both of these issues but I have decided to create a page on my website that offers help and advice on training the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Yes, It is very important to establish alpha status with a new puppy but Rhodesian Ridgebacks are very sensitive dogs and certainly do not respond to harsh over the top treatment. They also have incredible memories.
Regarding castration at 4 months. I simply do not understand why 4 months is the recommended age. I pointed out to Charlie., Kinta's owner that male dogs rely on Testosterone to develop muscle and the powerful build that essentially makes them male. Castrate them at such an early age and this development is denied.
One of the bitches from Kasidi's first litter was spayed at 4 months and now has problems with incontinence. I am sure that 4 months is not the recommended age for spay/neutering in the UK but I will check this out and report back.
It is well documented that Ridgebacks have the ability to jump high fences from a standstill position. I have never had a jumper until now.
A couple of weeks ago Mark and I created a compound for the dogs. It used the side of our barn and two sides of the electric fence from our paddock. We installed, for the front end and gate, one of those wire kennels that can be found at Tractor supply and are seen just about everywhere.
It must be about 7 feet high. Anyway we don't use it very often but when we do Lela always manages to get out. I assumed she was sacrificing being nipped by the fence in order to get out, that was until Saturday. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Lela from a standing position, look up, jump and scale the fence with very little effort. She sort of balanced herself on the top of the fence and then flipped her self over. The ease with she managed to get out was incredible. Fortunately Lela does not wander and we only created it to have somewhere to put the dogs occasionally so I am not too upset.
Sam, Alex and myself went to Unadilla yesterday for a BBQ with the family of Hamlet now known as Adia and Puck now known as Kinta. We took Motsi, Caesar and Paris and had a truly wonderful time. It was so rewarding for me seeing all of the puppies get together and play. They were well and truly shattered when we got home and are still tired this morning.
Very disturbing for me was hearing about the experience Kinta's family had with the vet when they took him for his rabies vaccination. They were told that they had a month to "get him sorted" and they were told to hold his jaw shut and stare at him for a couple of minutes to exert dominance. This exercise was to be repeated several times a day. To say I was angry with this advice is an under statement and I would love to know what needs to be sorted in a month. They were also advised to have him castrated at 4 months. I could start a new blog on both of these issues but I have decided to create a page on my website that offers help and advice on training the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Yes, It is very important to establish alpha status with a new puppy but Rhodesian Ridgebacks are very sensitive dogs and certainly do not respond to harsh over the top treatment. They also have incredible memories.
Regarding castration at 4 months. I simply do not understand why 4 months is the recommended age. I pointed out to Charlie., Kinta's owner that male dogs rely on Testosterone to develop muscle and the powerful build that essentially makes them male. Castrate them at such an early age and this development is denied.
One of the bitches from Kasidi's first litter was spayed at 4 months and now has problems with incontinence. I am sure that 4 months is not the recommended age for spay/neutering in the UK but I will check this out and report back.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Dog things
Thursday 24th May.
We all have our favourite puppies, mine was Caesar, the boys Ariel and Olivia's was always Hermione but these are emotional bonds and cannot be used when selecting a puppy to complement ones breeding programme. I had decided to keep Caesar knowing full well that he could not be used on any of my bitches and then a man named Frank who I have been communicating with over the last month asked if he could have him. Fortunately for me, he does not live too far away and he and his family holiday here in the Catskills, so I might get to see him from time to time but I was shocked at the sense of loss I felt when I made the decision to let him go. I will keep him until next Saturday andI know It will be a very sad day for me.
Yesterday I took Caesar and Motsi to town to expose them to the traffic etc and get them used to walking along the pavements and I was very proud of them. There is no doubt that the Rhodesian Ridgeback always attracts attention on the street and puppies even more so. They are so strikingly beautiful and proud. I remember many years ago when my dad had the brother to Joshua, my first Ridgeback. He would take Jed to town, mum would go shopping and dad would find a seat, sit back and just enjoy all of the attention his beautiful dog attracted. We have made so many friends over the years by being out and about with our dogs.
The weather has been very hot but the dogs seem to be enjoying the sun. I have started walking them earlier in the morning as It is a little cooler and they have much more energy first thing.
I keep looking for signs with Ruby but I know from experience that with her, It is very hard to tell. When she was pregnant with her second litter, I took her to my vet in Scotland for an ultra sound scan. My vet who was reaching retirement took one look at her and announced that she could not possibly be in whelp. The scan revealed around 9 puppies yet she she showed no signs what so ever. She went on to produce 9 puppies about 3 weeks later.
We all have our favourite puppies, mine was Caesar, the boys Ariel and Olivia's was always Hermione but these are emotional bonds and cannot be used when selecting a puppy to complement ones breeding programme. I had decided to keep Caesar knowing full well that he could not be used on any of my bitches and then a man named Frank who I have been communicating with over the last month asked if he could have him. Fortunately for me, he does not live too far away and he and his family holiday here in the Catskills, so I might get to see him from time to time but I was shocked at the sense of loss I felt when I made the decision to let him go. I will keep him until next Saturday andI know It will be a very sad day for me.
Yesterday I took Caesar and Motsi to town to expose them to the traffic etc and get them used to walking along the pavements and I was very proud of them. There is no doubt that the Rhodesian Ridgeback always attracts attention on the street and puppies even more so. They are so strikingly beautiful and proud. I remember many years ago when my dad had the brother to Joshua, my first Ridgeback. He would take Jed to town, mum would go shopping and dad would find a seat, sit back and just enjoy all of the attention his beautiful dog attracted. We have made so many friends over the years by being out and about with our dogs.
The weather has been very hot but the dogs seem to be enjoying the sun. I have started walking them earlier in the morning as It is a little cooler and they have much more energy first thing.
I keep looking for signs with Ruby but I know from experience that with her, It is very hard to tell. When she was pregnant with her second litter, I took her to my vet in Scotland for an ultra sound scan. My vet who was reaching retirement took one look at her and announced that she could not possibly be in whelp. The scan revealed around 9 puppies yet she she showed no signs what so ever. She went on to produce 9 puppies about 3 weeks later.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Dog things
Sunday 20th May.
I remember my vet in Scotland once saying to me that not all dogs have the natural instinct to mate. This was never the case with Brewster but It certainly was with Raiza.
Ruby came into season and once again Raiza, clearly exasperated, had no idea what to do and I have to confess neither did I. So last Sunday before I was due to take Mark to the airport we did our best to help Raiza along. We were not very successful but I like to think we gave Raiza a clue as to what was expected of him.
The following day my eldest son was horrified when I asked him if he would help me with the dogs. We positioned Ruby over a large container to support her tummy and then helped Raiza along and in the end we managed a mating with 15 minute tie. Sam was acutely embarrassed when the school bus went by but I was just relieved that Raiza had eventually been able to do his job.
I am not holding out much hope for success as I am not sure if Ruby was past her peak but I am relieved that Raiza was able to do what he did as he so important to my plans for the future.
I will have Ruby scanned at the appropriate time to see if she is in whelp.
Brewster is recovering well from his operations and was certainly easier to manage while his mother was in season. He has always been a faithful companion but now I have broken all of my self imposed rules and he sleeps with me at night. I was very surprised that Mark did not mind this new arrangement but we both accept that Brewster has always been very special as he was our first bred dog and he has produced 2 beautiful litters with Kasidi.
Hamlet leaves tomorrow with his new family as they have now returned from Italy but It will not be a sad farewell as he will not be too far and we will be keeping in touch. He is a lovely gentle boy and I know he is going to have a wonderful life.
Our puppy is still un-named but her pedigree name will be loveness Motsi after my Zimbabwean friend from my nurse training days. What her pet name will be is still up for discussion as my children seem to dislike everything I suggest but I think Motsi is the obvious choice. I seem to remember them responding this way when I named Raiza but I stuck to my guns so maybe that is what I should be doing now.
We still have Caesar and after setting him up today I have almost convinced myself to keep him as he is so beautiful. I keep blowing hot and cold as I know It will be hard work and I will definitely have to alter the way I walk the dogs in that I cant walk through the woods every day with 7 Ridgebacks .
Kasidi is on a reducing diet as once again I seem to have misjudged her dietary requirements and her moulting makes her look quite bedraggled . When she is moulting she takes on the appearance of a blotchy leopard and looks quite untidy but I know it will soon pass.
We received pictures of Hermione now known as Inca today and they are quite stunning. She is such a beautiful puppy and has already had loads of exposure to the big wide world.
I remember my vet in Scotland once saying to me that not all dogs have the natural instinct to mate. This was never the case with Brewster but It certainly was with Raiza.
Ruby came into season and once again Raiza, clearly exasperated, had no idea what to do and I have to confess neither did I. So last Sunday before I was due to take Mark to the airport we did our best to help Raiza along. We were not very successful but I like to think we gave Raiza a clue as to what was expected of him.
The following day my eldest son was horrified when I asked him if he would help me with the dogs. We positioned Ruby over a large container to support her tummy and then helped Raiza along and in the end we managed a mating with 15 minute tie. Sam was acutely embarrassed when the school bus went by but I was just relieved that Raiza had eventually been able to do his job.
I am not holding out much hope for success as I am not sure if Ruby was past her peak but I am relieved that Raiza was able to do what he did as he so important to my plans for the future.
I will have Ruby scanned at the appropriate time to see if she is in whelp.
Brewster is recovering well from his operations and was certainly easier to manage while his mother was in season. He has always been a faithful companion but now I have broken all of my self imposed rules and he sleeps with me at night. I was very surprised that Mark did not mind this new arrangement but we both accept that Brewster has always been very special as he was our first bred dog and he has produced 2 beautiful litters with Kasidi.
Hamlet leaves tomorrow with his new family as they have now returned from Italy but It will not be a sad farewell as he will not be too far and we will be keeping in touch. He is a lovely gentle boy and I know he is going to have a wonderful life.
Our puppy is still un-named but her pedigree name will be loveness Motsi after my Zimbabwean friend from my nurse training days. What her pet name will be is still up for discussion as my children seem to dislike everything I suggest but I think Motsi is the obvious choice. I seem to remember them responding this way when I named Raiza but I stuck to my guns so maybe that is what I should be doing now.
We still have Caesar and after setting him up today I have almost convinced myself to keep him as he is so beautiful. I keep blowing hot and cold as I know It will be hard work and I will definitely have to alter the way I walk the dogs in that I cant walk through the woods every day with 7 Ridgebacks .
Kasidi is on a reducing diet as once again I seem to have misjudged her dietary requirements and her moulting makes her look quite bedraggled . When she is moulting she takes on the appearance of a blotchy leopard and looks quite untidy but I know it will soon pass.
We received pictures of Hermione now known as Inca today and they are quite stunning. She is such a beautiful puppy and has already had loads of exposure to the big wide world.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
kasidi's puppies
Thursday 3rd May.
I made a huge decision concerning Brewster last week. He was due to go to the vets to have his anal sacs removed on Tuesday and after much consideration I decided to have him castrated at the same time. From a management point of view It made sense as I have his mother and two of his daughters and I did not want any accidents happening. If we had kennels It would be manageable, but our dogs live with us and it would have been too stressful for all concerned. He has produced two beautiful litters with Kasidi and so now, the baton has been handed to Raiza.
We still have Caesar and Paris and I am holding on to Hamlet until the end of May so It is all go all of the time. Having said that we are really enjoying the pups right now as the weather is glorious and Kasidi is now spending quality time with them. She has become this big puppy herself and is constantly running around with toys in her mouth enticing the pups to chase her.
Ruby should peak next week, so It will be interesting to see how Raiza responds. He still sits on my knee in the evening. In his head he is still a baby but occupying a large body.
Ariel traveled to LA business class on Tuesday and was very well behaved until the food was served and then apparently every one knew there was a puppy on board. Kent, her new owner had to fib about her weight as she was a couple of pounds over the limit. Her new name is very posh. She is now known as Lucinda.
We have not named Phebe yet but we all like Hermione, I wanted to call her Niamah, pronounced Neev, but non of the children would contemplate this so I had to relent.
My friend in the UK and Kasidi's breeder has named her new puppy Khaos, which we all love. I might have to muster up the courage to ask Liz if we can use it also as It is a superb name for a Ridgeback.
I made a huge decision concerning Brewster last week. He was due to go to the vets to have his anal sacs removed on Tuesday and after much consideration I decided to have him castrated at the same time. From a management point of view It made sense as I have his mother and two of his daughters and I did not want any accidents happening. If we had kennels It would be manageable, but our dogs live with us and it would have been too stressful for all concerned. He has produced two beautiful litters with Kasidi and so now, the baton has been handed to Raiza.
We still have Caesar and Paris and I am holding on to Hamlet until the end of May so It is all go all of the time. Having said that we are really enjoying the pups right now as the weather is glorious and Kasidi is now spending quality time with them. She has become this big puppy herself and is constantly running around with toys in her mouth enticing the pups to chase her.
Ruby should peak next week, so It will be interesting to see how Raiza responds. He still sits on my knee in the evening. In his head he is still a baby but occupying a large body.
Ariel traveled to LA business class on Tuesday and was very well behaved until the food was served and then apparently every one knew there was a puppy on board. Kent, her new owner had to fib about her weight as she was a couple of pounds over the limit. Her new name is very posh. She is now known as Lucinda.
We have not named Phebe yet but we all like Hermione, I wanted to call her Niamah, pronounced Neev, but non of the children would contemplate this so I had to relent.
My friend in the UK and Kasidi's breeder has named her new puppy Khaos, which we all love. I might have to muster up the courage to ask Liz if we can use it also as It is a superb name for a Ridgeback.
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