If you are one of our small number of readers that actually reads the dog related posts, you will know that I am adamantly against legislation that specifies engineering based standards for keeping dogs. I don’t think how big the kennel is, what the dog eats, whether it’s tethered or kenneled, indoors or outdoors, how many dogs there are in a home, has a damned thing to do with whether the animal is well-cared for or happy. I much prefer performance based regulations: is the dog of good weight for the breed, health issues taken care of or under treatment, has access to food, water and shelter? That is what I mean by performance based. Dog husbandry, the practice of caring for dogs, is so extremely variable, that regulations specifying things like food fed and how often or kennel size do nothing but make criminals out of law-abiding citizens. Caring for twenty Chihuahuas is an entirely different thing than caring for twenty Great Danes. Certainly there are people who have the time, money and skill to care for many dogs, and those that are unable to take care of even one. New laws will do nothing against people who would have broken the old ones.
I know many people who keep more than the ‘usual’ (what the hell does that mean, anyways? Usual for what?) number of dogs. All of the dogs are well-cared for, well fed, active and happy. None of us does much of anything in the same manner. Vaccine schedules, food, pens or paddocks, crates, separating out bitches in heat, we all do things differently. The vast majority of people who keep dogs do so in a way that works for them, for their home and lifestyle, for their breed and their particular dogs. It is highly counterproductive to attempt to put such variable practices into law, and this is why dog people (I am not a member of the fancy, I think it sounds stupid and frankly elitist), put up such a hue and cry when such laws are proposed.
There is still a large contingent of people out there that think their way is the only way. All dogs in the house, never outside unsupervised, all spayed or neutered, bathed once a week, yadda, yadda, yadda. Many of these people are well-meaning but simply ignorant that there are other ways not their own. Many are junior animal rights fanatics, who truly do think their way is the only way, that dogs are little people in fur coats and must be treated a certain way. Most of these people are not dog people. Dog people, true dog people who care passionately for the welfare of dogs, tend to be pretty tolerant of differences. I frequent several message boards, getting the lay of the land, or testing the waters, if you prefer. I encounter a lot of people who are surprisingly open minded, perfectly willing to accept that someone else may care differently for their dogs than they do. Usually this takes the form of “Well, I wouldn’t do it that way myself, but it obviously works for you, and your dogs are healthy and happy, so carry on.”
That’s why it is so incredibly disappointing for me to find out that an acquaintance of mine, Vladimir Beregovoy, has actually been the target of a campaign of intimidation by the so-called fancy. This occurred on a mailing list that I am on. I saw a conspiracy among several people to bring pressure to bear on this man, to get his dogs taken away from him, seemingly through any means necessary, by members of the fancy. Don’t think I’m exaggerating. I read the messages myself, and I’m being pretty restrained in my analysis. I was, to put it bluntly, gobsmacked.
So what caused this brouhaha? Did he beat his dogs, starve them, make them live without shelter in the snow?
Nope. He allowed his healthy Saluki bitch to whelp in her wooden dog house. Horrors! Worse, she removed the blanket so the pups were on bare wood. Could it be possible that the bitch knows best? After all, the weather is warm, there’s no danger of the pups getting chilled. They are sheltered from the sun and rain, and their mother is there to clean them, feed them and keep them warm if they need it. But no! A truly responsible breeder would make her keep the blanket. Screw her instincts. She should be locked in the house in a sterile whelping box with a heat lamp and blankets! That’s the way it’s done! Get that man’s dogs away from him before he can do more damage! The control issues and desire to dictate behavior behind the entire incident would have kept a whole college of psychologists busy for a year.
I’ll tell you what I thought when I first saw this picture: Damn! That is a really big litter! Then I tried to count the pups. It honestly never occurred to me to get up in arms about there being no blanket. Maybe that’s because I live in a hot climate and my dogs, including bitches with pups, frequently eschew their blankets in favor of dirt or bare floors. Maybe it’s because I’ve been the target of people who think I don’t take proper care of my dogs, since we don’t have air-conditioning and I allow them to go outside into the yard whenever they like (OMG, my poor dogs, baking in the heat, possibly getting into trouble on their own!) Maybe it’s because I’ve seen a dozen pictures almost exactly like it on the hunting forum I frequent. Maybe it’s because the dam and pups were obviously healthy and comfortable, and who am I to tell them they’re wrong?
It was commented that these dogs and pups are the ‘poster children’ for anti-breeding groups like PeTA and HSUS, that keeping dogs in such a way is detrimental to the rights of the fancy.
Bullshit.
What is detrimental to the fancy is to take a case that perfectly illustrates performance based standards, and have a shit fit about a blanket or lack thereof. Such a response plays right into the hands of those people who think breeding and keeping dogs should be controlled by rules and regulations, measurements and thermometers and disinfectants. Anyone who fails to see the hypocrisy in decrying the conditions under which an obviously healthy litter is being kept, and in the next breath, whining and moaning about how overreaching kennel regulations will be the death of dog breeding, needs to have an MRI. Because they’ve got some synapses that aren’t firing. Calling this situation abuse or neglect, cruel or uncaring, when it is clearly none of those things, cheapens the terms as they apply to real cruelty or neglect. There was an Animal Control conference in New Mexico this year, that listed ‘breeding’ as a form of abuse. Is that the reality you want to live in? Where anything someone doesn’t approve of, regardless of it’s affect in reality, becomes cruelty or abuse? I see the same thing with the word ‘puppy mill’, which is used so often by members of the fancy to describe an individual they don’t like or approve of that it has no meaning.
They have gone on to earn obedience and hunting titles, and become guide and therapy dogs.
It’s not about where the pups are raised. It’s about how the pups are raised, about health, about temperament. It’s about the final result. And you can’t regulate that, nor should you try. Unfortunately, you also cannot regulate common sense. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding, or in this case, the pups. Fat, healthy, clean pups. Normal, healthy, temperamentally stable pups. A textbook case in the application of performance based standards. I used to be fairly rigid in my thinking about dogs, until I actually got to talking to people instead of just judging them from a distance. My interest in dog legislation and the effect such laws would have on my own breeding program has also broadened my horizons because I’ve seen how the animal rights fanatics use the public’s ignorance of animal husbandry to manipulate public opinion. And yes, to get those horrible laws passed that would be death to the fancy.
That is one of the reasons I write these dog articles. Most of our readers are non-dog people. I’m hoping to broaden their horizons. However, I must confess I had another motive with this post. There seems to be a kind of mob mentality among certain cliques within the fancy. Individuals seem to egg each other on, and it becomes a twisted badge of honor to engage in more and more extreme behaviors, usually targeting another person who is not a clique member, and has done something the perpetrators deem ‘wrong.’ As a dog person, these people embarrass me. They make me feel the same way I feel when some sub-standard breeder gets busted. They make all of us look bad. It seems the best way to combat this behavior is to out it, throw it out into the real world outside the fancy and let the light of day shine on it. Like killing a vampire.
I feel it necessary to note that I will be getting one of these pups. I am both thrilled and honored to have one. I have not a single reservation about receiving a pup that has been raised outside. Several of my dogs were raised outside and they are all fine companions and house dogs. I find it highly ironic that so many sighthound breeders brag on how primitive and instinctual their dogs are, how they’ve not been ruined by modern breeding, but when it comes to a dog actually acting in an instinctive manner, and being successful at it, and being allowed to do it, shock and horror reigns. It’s a pity that we can’t be like the dogs, getting on about our own business instead of getting up in everybody else’s. Where do these people, to use their own term, get off on assuming that just because a dog lives outside, it is unloved or uncared for? How do these people decide that this bitch and her pups are neglected? Who decides whether the dogs are happy or content? My own dogs would be surprised to know that they need blankets, beds and toys, as they lie, by their own choice, in a hole in the dirt, gnawing on a stick.
None of the pups pictured on this were, or are being, raised inside a house. All the pups that are not still pups have gone on to live happy, healthy, well-adjusted lives, regardless of where they were raised. All photos used with permission.
This is fabulous. I am trying to educate people about this same fact, that not everyone does things exactly the same, and that doesn't make it wrong. I am also active in fighting anti-pet legislation. Would you mind if I copy the article, along with the link (because some people won't go read if you don't put it right there for them) and send it to the people with whom I've rehomed shelter dogs and my breed club. They really should see this.
Michele
As long as you include the link feel free to send it wherever you like. I am glad you liked it.
Thanks. (You can delete this, just wanted to thank you!)
Michele
Many years ago when I started breeding, I listened to the “mouths” in my breed, who also happened to consider themselves the power players. It was incredibly difficult to buy a dog unless your husband was independently wealthy, and you didn't work for a living. It was important, apparently that your dog was never left alone. When I finally got a dog, and then shock horror, bred from it (the power players liked to think that they only had the special grace of god to do so), I was considered demon's spawn. I left the breed club. I stopped asked those people for help. I went to grass roots dog people. And guess what I found – real, common sense.
I also predicted the biases of the peak breed club would be their demise, and indeed I watch that happen now several years later.
I discovered that raising pups in the kitchen amongst the hustle and bustle of human life, was about the worst thing I could do for my pups. I found that handling the pups for hours at a time as babies was also detrimental. When I started raising pups in a far more natural way, including never letting disinfectant near them, my dams were far more settled, the pups flourished, there was little need for human interference, and guess what – pups grew up to be normal, adjusted adults. I don't use blankets. I don't wash bedding. I use straw. I don't use heat lamps. I don't use heat pads.
Unfortunately there appears to be many in the dog fancy that appear to be cannabilistic (humans, not the dogs!), and are proud of their stance.
Some of the main stream dog email lists seem to bring out the worst of behaviour in some people. The extremism I see in people who think they are doing the best thing for the dogs is highly detrimental, and not a true reflectin of the majority of dog people.
Dogs are not humans in furry coats. They are not fur-babies.
Must go now, I need to check on the pups I am raising on straw, feed them some raw meat, and enjoy them running around, without me interfering. Oh, and guess what? I don't give them toys either. Shame on me? I think not.
A common sense way of raising puppies! I must say from the picture of the Saluki bitch and pups, my first impression was: WOW! What a nice den! Just big enough for her and her brood and tight enough not to need artificial heating.
Breeders need to stop tearing each other apart. We all must live and let live. Dogs have adapted to any condition that they are raised in and survived. We all have our own methods.
Thanks Jess for pointing this out.
I also applaud your performance based idea.
Thanks again, SPCPO
Jane, if you go here:
http://demonpuppy.blogspot.com/2009/07/welcome-saluki-people.html
you can read my response to people harassing me about my first purebred litter. Also, I think this sums up how I feel pretty well:
http://demonpuppy.blogspot.com/2009/07/breeding-nazis-go-away.html
I feel really, really sorry for new people that run into the nasty people first. Keep trying, new people, not everyone is nasty.
Thanks for your kind comment, Carol.
Why not? Dogs have evolved over thousands of years because primitive man provided bedding and heat lamps, right? I mean, why would you want to tamper with their natural instincts? Seriously, are you the kind of person who thinks that fish actually have heads and swim in the sea? Everyone knows they are born as squares covered in breadcrumbs, and that milk comes from plastic bottles
Wow….guess I'm one of the “nasties” you comment about. So, by living in the dirt, how is your flea and parasite problem with the puppies? mom? How would you know if mom layed on one or one wandered off, chilled and died?? You do know that they aren't able to regulate their own temperatures for the first week or so, right? I suppose you also let mom have her litter…when she does in fact deliver….not knowing if she's in distress or not. She and her litter can be lost….but I guess that never happens to you all. I've been a quality/reputable breeder for 20 yrs and take great pride in how I raise my litters, handle my puppies and even use toys for activity and play times. I show my dogs and obtain all the necessary health clearances like hips/elbows/heart and yearly eye exams all with specialists in order to breed my dogs. Do you also obtain clearances for your particular breed or do you just put two dogs together, just because they are of the same breed and say…”have at it guys!!” This sounds so “backyardish” to me and actually it's people like you all who are making it difficult for people like me with all this legislation going on. Why even have a dog if they spend their lives outside. Dogs need and want human companionship. Maybe you should get a cat….they're more independent and can care for themselves. Had to chime in, but honestly…am totally disgusted!!!
I totally agree that so long as a person cares, they care that the end result is a happy healthy mom and litter there's nothing wrong.
BUT, at least in my area I couldn't raise pups outside. Fleas, Wasps, Bees, Flies, heartworm carrying mosquitos, Ticks, Mangy distemper ridden raccoons that wander through – if I choose to raise a litter it's my responsibility to protect them to the best of my ability from those dangers. I know that's not possible in an outside environment especially when they're under 8 weeks so every litter I've fostered is kept inside in a quiet room.
My dear Anonymous coward-
First, your reading comprehension is very poor. I have a policy against anonymous comments, clearly posted on the sidebar. I'll let yours stand, though, because you're easy to pick on and it amuses me.
Second, you're a coward. If you're so proud of your breeding, post a link to your web site, or sign your real name.
Third, could you have possibly missed the point by a wider margin? Considering the completely irrelevant content of your comment, I don't think so. A quote from the article that you obviously did not read:
“Where do these people, to use their own term, get off on assuming that just because a dog lives outside, it is unloved or uncared for? How do these people decide that this bitch and her pups are neglected? Who decides whether the dogs are happy or content?”
And don't forget:
“Calling this situation abuse or neglect, cruel or uncaring, when it is clearly none of those things, cheapens the terms as they apply to real cruelty or neglect. There was an Animal Control conference in New Mexico this year, that listed 'breeding' as a form of abuse. Is that the reality you want to live in?”
Just a little note to any other 'disgusted' people who may feel the need to open their mouths and thus prove that they missed the point entirely: By commenting, you are granting me the right to make fun of you in public.
Thank you for your comment, Joe, that is something to consider. Most of us do what works for us. Outside pups wouldn't necessarily work for everyone.
Dear Anonymous,
do you honestly think that because a litter is raised naturally that the breeder does not care about fleas, parasites, etc. And let's them whelp without care and consideration.
Hope you didn't hurt yourself jumping to such conclusions because frankly you look like a fool.
Actually dogs like most human companionship. They don't “need” it. I love your term “backyardish” – that really shows you for who you are – name caller, and not much more than that.
If, after 20 years of breeding, your knowledge of dogs is truly so limited, we all know it's time for you to give it up.
Have a great day.
Jess, I whole heartedly agree with everything you have raised here, I am just not so good at putting my thoughts into text as you are.
I am also taking a pup from Adel's litter and I have both Jess and Vladimir to that for making that possible for me. My first thoughts at seeing the photo of Adel with her newly born litter in the dog house was what great condition Adel and the pups were in and they are still in absolutely great condition despite the fact that this is Adel's first litter and a large litter at that.
I know Vladimir from more than a few years of correspondence via email and through my Saluki Preservation Forum, I also met him in Kazakhstan and can honestly say you will not a kinder more caring person and he is passionate about dogs. So reading some of the personal attacks on him on the Saluki-L has angered me immensely. The Anonymous Coward asks “why keep dogs outside?” Because most real dog people spend a great deal of time outside with their dogs doing things that dog actually like doing, IE walking, hunting, playing etc. and when these satisfied and contented dogs do return to their outdoor quarters they are more than happy to just sleep.
Keeping dogs and rearing pups outside I would say the flea and parasite problem would no different to them being inside and you would treat such parasites no differently. The bitch will hardly leave the pups in the first week so the the fact that the pups cannot regulate their own temperature in not a issue at all, neither is the issue of pups wandering off and becoming chilled any concern as the pups would cry in any such situation and the bitch would respond in an instant.
My dogs have access to the house and the garden pretty much all of the time (due to the fact that one of my Salukis can open doors), They lie out on the grass or in dirt holes throughout the day and night through there own choice and I live in Scotland UK.
I too and plenty others I know have been victims of similar attacks from UK Saluki Club members. I had an accidental litter and the misalliance injection failed to terminate the pregnancy resulting in a litter of 4 Saluki pups, I had threats that my dogs would removed be from me, I kid you not!! Some these same people that judged me had more than their fair share of accidental litters themselves yet they judge me to be a disreputable breeder!
This is a wonderful essay, and I'm sure you know that such trivia as
that Saluki bitch's preferences for her children are just smoke screens intended to lead to prohibitions against all breeding.
My one criticism is that the font
on this blog is microscopic. I
can't read all of it without real
eyestrain. Is there something you
can do to enlarge the font?
Roberta Pliner
Interesting article. Amazing to me how many people forget that Mother Nature knows best. I was talking to a friend this morning that has been in dogs for longer than I've been alive and she was mentioning how two women she knows can't seem to get their bitches pregnant and if they do the litters are small. So many breeders forget to select for vitality. If it can't breed on its own and whelp on its should it be bred? (Obviously a bitch in distress needs care, but scheduled C-sections? Yuck!)
YMMV.
Beth
Another excellent post! I don't usually follow blogs (other than Steve's) but I've got to bookmark this. There are times when I think the whole mankind has lost their minds and I hate them all, and then I bump into some level-headed, humorous people like you that make me rethink my decision to move on a deserted island. Maybe I'll stay here for yet another week.
Go Jess, you totally rock!
*Vigorous applause from Finland*
Hi to Jess, Sari, and Mark. Needless to say I agree entirely. I have known Vladimir for years, own Adel's sister whom I brought from Kazakhstan, and am a “terrible backyard breeder” who will not breed from any dog that is not a proven performer (and of course have corresponded with Sari, who got me into Asian tazi- salukis, and Mark with his fine hunting dogs, for years).
I also live in NM, where animal rights keeps rearing its ugly head. Controversies like this do not help me.
Anyway Jess, keep up the god wwork and keep fighting the good fight. It is nice to know that I am “dog in laws” with you and Mark now!
(“Anonymous said…
Wow….guess I'm one of the “nasties” you comment about. So, by living in the dirt, how is your flea and parasite problem with the puppies? mom? How would you know if mom layed on one or one wandered off, chilled and died??”)
Yes anonymous, outside dogs get fleas and ticks at times….like all normal dogs. You deal with it.
I have ticks, mosquitoes, and blackflies. It always gets dealt with and it is a constant thing, but, it is worth it. As I read your post it strikes me as sad that your dogs never have the opportunity to be outside simply because you don't want to deal with your dogs living, even remotely, a normal life.
How do you know if one of your pups has been layed on in the middle of the night when your asleep? You don't until you find it….just like you.
(“You do know that they aren't able to regulate their own temperatures for the first week or so, right?”)
You really don't have a clue do you. Litters are born all the time when it is cold and there is snow on the ground. They do great but the bitch has to be an outside dog. Unfortunately, your dogs no longer have the natural ability do have a litter when it is cold simply because you have deprived them of everthing that is natural. And your proud of it!!! That is sad indeed.
(“I suppose you also let mom have her litter…when she does in fact deliver….not knowing if she's in distress or not. She and her litter can be lost….but I guess that never happens to you all.”)
Problems can happen to anyone, including you. Do you think, because the pups are outside, no one is capable of picking up a flashlight and taking the few extra steps to check on mom and the pups? You might not but most would.
(“I've been a quality/reputable breeder for 20 yrs and take great pride in how I raise my litters, handle my puppies and even use toys for activity and play times.”)
Well good for you. You think breeding correctly can only be done your way. What if people are actually breeding their dogs to be capable of the work they were intended for rather than to just merely to walk around a flat floor looking pretty?
('I show my dogs and obtain all the necessary health clearances like hips/elbows/heart and yearly eye exams all with specialists in order to breed my dogs. Do you also obtain clearances for your particular breed or do you just put two dogs together, just because they are of the same breed and say…”have at it guys!!” This sounds so “backyardish” to me and actually it's people like you all who are making it difficult for people like me with all this legislation going on.”)
I haven't got time to answer this but, if you actually worked you dogs oustside, you could eliminate many of the tests.
(“Why even have a dog if they spend their lives outside. Dogs need and want human companionship. Maybe you should get a cat….they're more independent and can care for themselves. Had to chime in, but honestly…am totally disgusted!!!”)
You really don't have a clue do you? Most of us spend 90% of our time outside with the dogs in their world….doing what they like. Things like running, chasing, swimming, hunting. You know, things dogs do. No, I guess you don't have a clue.
In closing I might suggest you look at the many failings of your methods before critisizing anyone elses. It is obvious yours is no better than anyone elses….and it just may be worse.
Don Turnipseed
High Country Airedales
excellent article and responses; I do think though that in breeds that have been so manipulated that artificial insemination and C-sections are required, and those that are so diminutive that allowing them to attempt to raise a litter naturally could be problematic. I've only had one bitch that weaned her pups naturally ( by regurgitation ).
Me thinks man has intervened to the detriment of damn near everything we touch.
Kathryn
Very interesting forum. i happen to be one of those breeders that raise my pups under careful supervision, in the house, show for championship titles, etc. been doing this over 20yrs. i also happen to believe in the freedom, upon which our country was based. i PREFER my way, but it doesn't make it the only right way. i firmly believe there are already plenty laws against animal cruelty on the books. more laws will only punish those of us trying to do things to the best of our ability. as my dad used to say, i may not agree with what you say, but i will defend to the death, your right to say it. same here. i may not PREFER your method of animal husbandry but unless they are neglected or abused, i will defend to the death, your right to do as you please with your own animals, which despite what the aristas would have people believe, ARE our PROPERTY!!
i'm going to sign my name in this box as i'm a bit confused. don't really want to sign up for a google id which it seems to want.
debb
tekoah terriers
Jess- email me privately about joining our Asia list with Sari, Vladimir, and other good dog people I
know.
I joined the list in question because I had been informed that my litter post was linked there. I had also heard that Vladimir was being slammed there, but I was really shocked at what I read. I have NO doubt that if I had not gone public on my blog about the unwelcome attention my litter was receiving, there would have been posts advocating taking my dogs away by any means possible and 'rescuing' my pups.
It pissed me off. Bizarre, inexcusable behavior. They remind me of dogs that have been in charge of the household for so long that when a person comes along who will not put up with their crap they get a shocked look in their eyes.
Thanks to all for the kind comments. The type is small to visually differentiate my posts from Brett's; you can make the type bigger in your browser, usually it's under View.
This is a different list in question, Jess. Email me or Steve, will ya?
Sari
This post is still receiving lots of hits, I think we can say it's been the most popular post on the blog by a pretty large margin;)
Ironically, this post was linked by NICE as “Raising Puppies God's Way.”
I am an atheist (thus the large red A in the sidebar.) Feel free to giggle hysterically.
Well if you just wnat to raise dumb yard dogs raising them in dirt in the yard is a good way to do that.
If you want pups that grow up to eat wood and swallow rocks giving them nothing else to play with works too.
If you want dogs that are better socialized to dogs than humans why raise them in a pack and don't expose them to human households.
But most people want a pet that can handle being in a home, is bright, human oriented, doesn't chew up dangerous non food items etc. well then you might want to raise them in the environment they will be living in as adults.
This means that the livestock guardian, the kept for no reason but hunting dog, the yard guard may well be happier if never exposed to anything else but outdoor living away from humans.
It also means that the puppy (and its proven early handled pups are smarter) who is destined to be a housepet and human companion really should come from something more than a dirt or wire or plywood floored puppy factory.
Sure some pups can do fine if sold off early enough say 7 weeks because even feral pups and kittens can become 'pets' if taken that young but you never know if they would have been better pets had they been raised differently though the evidence points to it being so.
Mind you I don't think the 'home raised' in raised wire pens or on show pen floor coverings of the plastic rug variety used by many make for a good pet either.
But then my pups get started on training right in the whelping pen, learning to be clean abd starting housebreaking, learning to come when called, becoming accustomed to handling and grooming, seeing mom defer to humans as the pack leaders etc.
I see no point in having dogs as only outdoor animals as I like my dogs and want them with me. I expect the people who buy one from me to want the same a household companion.
If I wanted a lawn ornament why I'd get a horse or chickens.
Yet another commenter who ENTIRELY MISSED THE POINT.
Do try to read the whole article before commenting, otherwise people will think you're stupid. Also, anonymous commenters run the risk of being deleted.
Anonynmous
While it doesn't bother me one way or the other where pups are raised, it does bother me when things are grossly misrepresented to validate your point. The early handling of pups(Early Neurological Stimulus) has not been “proven” to make pups smarter. IMO, Carmen Batagglia perpetrated one of the biggest scams in the dog world based on the biosensor studies related to the superdog program. Take the time to sit over a whelping box and observe, not just look, but observe what is taking place before your eyes. You will see the exact same things going on in the whelping box as you will find with ENS. They did add the temp change protocol because with the pups being raised in the house, they are no longer subject to much in the way of variable temps. They have to be raised outside for this type of variation. I do suspect you have no specific protocol you follow and are simply handling the pups. If this is the case, it is of benefit to the weak that would otherwise run from potential customers, but, even though it doesn't hurt the solid pups, it really doesn't benefit them. They were solid to start with. If your going to blow smake, put your name with it.
Don Turnipseed
High Country Airedales
my last litter was born in the house just before a heat wave. I tried keeping the babies cool but not getting anywhere. The German Shepherd bitch took things in her own paws and moved them all under the house. I did move them back but she promptly moved them all back again. I finally admitted defeat and just let them stay there. The pups are fine healthy pups, didn't lose any to heat stroke, no fleas or ticks and the next time one does this, I'll let her do it! These pups also house broke before they were 6 weeks. By that time they were going up and down my deck steps and coming in and out of the house. I've had other bitches that I have put out in a kennel, with secure house when the pups were just a couple of weeks old. Never had a problem. Good blog! Anja
What's going on here is simple: these dogs aren't being bred according to the fancy's official way.
So what do they do? Well, they knit-pick. They create BS husbandry rules, and if you deviate from them one little bit, they will hound you.
It's par for the course, I'm afraid.
Best advice: laugh at them.
What reasonable person thinks it is cruel to let a bitch whelp where she feels comfortable?
Seriously, I'd be more worried about the show Saluki losing its functional form and its genetic diversity, all in the name of what those same killjoys deem a standard of excellence.
Great post, it really illuminates the reality disjunct that seems to be increasingly foisted upon us by the “fancy”. I refuse to be dictated to by those who consider that using your dogs for what they were bred for and allowing the dogs to live a natural life is somehow wrong. Where as prancing around in a showring and getting a award for how pretty your dog is is gives you the right to tell everyone else what to do.
I just bred a litter of working sighthound pups. they were bred in doors but with the door wide open two feet from the whelping box. As soon as they were old enough they ventured outside and pretty much remained there. They were housetrained by three weeks old and eating solid food at that time. The bitch weaned them herself and they are growing up as healthy happy pups.
The two I have kept are now in the house but spend at least half their time outdoors by choice.
their is nothing wrong with breeding in or out as you or the bitch see's fit. As with any litter there is the potential for things to go wrong. breeding a litter in a natural manner is not the same as letting nature take its course, if a complication occours any responsible breeder will intervene. Just because the dogs are hardy doesnt mean that modern vetinary medicine is denied as a couple of the anonymous posters seem to imply.
My wallet contents have ended up in my vets bank account too many times to count. But keeping working dogs has never been about money it has been about enriching my life by having my dogs and sharing our adventures in the field rather than scoring points over fellow primadonnas in the showring. Thanks for keeping it real.
Terence
The 'fancy' is caught up in breeding fancy dogs. Dogs bred to live in air conditioned condos, survive on minimal exercise, eat processed kibble and look pretty – when professionally groomed, of course. Dogs – IMO – a lot like the people who, well – fancy them.
Like most of who have posted here, I fancy real dogs. Dogs that roll in dirt and poop. Dogs that eat raw meat (and poop). Dogs that hunt – and kill. Dogs that are just as happy sleeping under the stars as in my bed. Who look absolutely beautiful smeared in mud and covered in cockleburs. Dogs that fuck and fight and hunt and run with pure abandon.
Dogs that purely and truly – and happily exist as animals.
Another “Querencia” reader who MUST comment—I suppose now that wolves and foxes are to be lamblasted for(millions of years) instinctively raising their pups in dirt dens without “bedding”? Anyone who has been around many breeders, or worked in a veterinarian's, would LOVE to have a nickel(they'd be RICH, of course) for every puppy from overly civilized owners that DIED from intestinal blockages from chewing and swallowing their human-styled bedding! One can monitor one's critters just as well OUTSIDE as inside, if one bothers to GO OUTSIDE! Sure, share your houses with your animals(why NOT let your horses or chickens come inside? What are you, Anonymous, species predjudiced? I've had goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens in my house, but then, I have no wife….:). If you could ask most dogs, I think most(except for some frail foo-foo types) would tell you they PREFER to be outdoors as much as possible–nothing sadder or crueler in my mind than some poor dog cooped up in a city apartment most of their life! Let dogs be dogs! And get OUT THERE and enjoy it with them!….Lane Batot(posted as “Anonymous” because I don't know how to send a post otherwise!)