Get into the Crufts spirit Healthy breeding decisions Dog Tracker Plus A Breeder case study

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Spring 2014

The BreederNewsletter

Petlog, managed by the Kennel Club, is calling for responsible breeders to microchip their litters using a Petlog affiliated supplier.

This comes as the Kennel Club has recently issued a warning for breeders to be aware that some organisations have suggested that their microchips are recognised by the Petlog database.

For clarity, Petlog works with 11 of the leading UK microchip suppliers to ensure all dogs are microchipped and their owners’ details are registered on Petlog, the UK’s largest lost and found database, so they can be reunited in the event that a pet is lost or stolen.

Details of all those suppliers can be found below. • Bayer / Tracer• Virbac (Back Home)• Pet-ID• Peddymark• Datamars• Micro-ID (Happy Pet)• HDI Chip International• Identics• Eezytrac• Pet Detect• CoreRFID

There are many benefits to ensuring your puppies are registered on the Petlog database:• Managed by the Kennel Club• ISO 9001 quality standards compliant• Only UK member of EuropetNet• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year UK based reunification line• Supports awareness campaigns to pet owners such as National Microchipping Month• Petlog Premium lifetime service - a one off £15 payment with unlimited updates throughout the life of the pet • Working with the government to advise on the implementation of compulsory microchipping legislation• Over 7.7 million pet owners trust Petlog to securely hold their information and help reunite them with their pet should they go missing

Petlog Premium is an enhanced lifetime service by Petlog, which helps to reunite pets with their owners. Petlog Premium owners can update their records as many times as necessary and gain access to additional benefits such as a 30 mile lost pet alert to ensure pets are traced back to their owners quickly if lost.

Plus for a limited time if you upgrade to Petlog Premium you receive £15 worth of vouchers from IAMS !

If you would like to find out more about microchipping and Petlog, visit the Petlog stand in Hall 2, stand 76 at Crufts, to collect your FREE GIFT from the Petlog team. Trevor Cooper, leading dog law specialist, will also be on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding compulsory microchipping and many other dog law issues.

For more information on Petlog please visit www.petlog.org.uk or our list of affiliated suppliers www.petlog.org.uk/microchip-suppliers

New

s and updates

Crufts gets record coverage on Channel 4

Get into the doggy spirit

The nation’s favourite dog event, Crufts, is to be televised on Channel 4 across three nights for the first time ever this year. Both the Saturday and Sunday of the show, plus an hour and a half of Friday’s coverage, will broadcast on the channel, with Thursday and the rest of Friday’s show airing on More4.

Clare Balding will host daily highlights of the world’s biggest dog event live from the NEC in Birmingham, whilst Liza Tarbuck will look after presenting duties for Thursday’s programme and will join Clare for Friday’s More4 show. The exciting climax of Crufts, Best in Show, will be judged at 20.30 on

Sunday and will be shown live on Channel 4.There will be extensive coverage on More4 and Channel 4 of the events in the main arena, including the agility and flyball competitions that are so popular with dog lovers, and the judging of the Group finalists.

Coverage will feature discussion on the serious topics of how to buy a puppy and initiatives to ensure healthy breeding. Vet, Nick Blayney, will return to give his views on dog health, along

with other experts and dog owners.

Reporter Sonali Shah will explore the stories around the show and Kate Beavan will be joining the team as health and welfare reporter.

The Scruffts competition will also return and coverage will include features on all the Scruffts finalists as they prepare for the event. Plus, there is the much loved Friends for Life competition, which will see viewers vote via phone for one of five hero dog finalists and owner which they feel should be crowned 2014 Friends for Life.

Sunday night’s programme on Channel 4 will include highlights from throughout the day and the final Arena programme, which will include live coverage of the moving dog heroes competition, Friends for Life, an exciting heelwork to music display and the live Best in Show competition.

With Crufts just round the corner get into the doggy spirit and watch these videos from the world’s greatest dog show

Welcome to the amazing dogs and wonderful world of Crufts! From the “Lighter side of Crufts” to “30 years of Best in Show” and everything in between, we have it all covered on our YouTube channel. Also, find out more

about the new competition to be launched at Crufts 2014, Obreedience.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to be keep up-to-date with the latest Crufts videos: www.youtube.com/cruftsThere’s still time to buy tickets: http://www.crufts.org.uk/ticket-office

Obreedience 30 years of Best in Show

New

s and updatesThe Puppy Socialisation Plan – in association with the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust

Dog Tracker PlusFit a microchip and a tracking collar for added security, the best of both technologies to keep dogs safe. Sadly many thousands of dogs go missing every year. Microchips are very effective when your lost dog has been found but they cannot tell you where to find your dog.

The latest generation of tracking collars use powerful GPS technology to locate your dog in seconds on your mobile phone. Dog Tracker Plus comes with alerts that let you know when your dog goes astray and maps to help you find them. The collar is waterproof and will survive the most energetic of dogs. Dog Tracker Plus has been engineered in the UK by dog owners and has been proven by welfare organisations and dog professionals around the world.

Find out more here.

Are your puppies well socialised?Research recently undertaken by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust demonstrated some shocking facts about dogs’ behaviour. It shows that almost one in five dog owners admit that they are never or rarely in control of their dogs when out on a walk and half claim to be embarrassed by their dog’s behaviour in public.

It showed that dogs that were not well socialised were 25% more likely to show antisocial behavior (barking, growling, snapping or biting) towards other dogs and almost twice as likely to show antisocial behaviour towards people, than those dogs that had been well socialised as a puppies.

On many occasions these antisocial tendencies are driven by anxiety or fear, with dogs that were poorly socialised as pups being three times more likely to show anxiety around new people, and twice as likely to show anxiety around other dogs and new household noises, compared to those that were well socialised. The research also shows that puppies that weren’t properly socialised and introduced positively to new situations in the earliest months of their life are the most likely to give their owners trouble, with 12% of dogs being given away due to easily avoidable behaviour problems.

However, the research also showed that dogs who were well-socialised and had positive experiences of other dogs, children, a range of people and noises in the home and outside of it, are significantly more likely to be well- mannered and confident adult dogs.

Whether you as a breeder have a well-planned socialisation programme for your litters or not, the research clearly demonstrates that urgent action

needs to be taken to give dogs a better start in life.

To help tackle the problem of poor socialisation and in order to help establish a ‘best practice’ when socialising puppies, the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust have launched the first ever step-by-step Puppy Socialisation Plan for breeders, rehoming centres and then new owners to follow.

The plan lays out steps that will build puppies’ confidence around everything from household appliances and traffic noises, to new ground surfaces, and a range of people, from those with hats and beards, to children. The breeder or rescue home will work through the first eight weeks, recording each step through a series of diary entries, photos or videos and this is then passed onto the new owner to continue.

To find out more about the Puppy Socialisation Plan and to register for this free programme, visit www.thepuppyplan.com.

New

s and updates

Meet The UK’s Newest Pedigree Dogs

Kennel Club Charitable Trust Opens Flood Fund For Dogs

The number of pedigree dog breeds recognised in the UK is set to rise to 215 when the Kennel Club recognises the Hungarian Pumi and the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne, from 1st April 2014.

They are two of just five new breeds to have been recognised in the past five years. Most recently the Kennel Club announced the recognition of the Picardy Sheepdog, also from 1st April 2014, having recognised the Turkish Kangal Dog as a separate breed and also the Portuguese Pointer in 2013.

Prior to that, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog was the last dog breed to be recognised, back in October 2008. The Griffon Fauve de Bretagne will be classified in the Hound group and the Hungarian Pumi will be added to the Pastoral group. They do not currently have breed standards so cannot yet be shown at breed shows in the UK. In other changes announced by the Kennel

Club, the Beauceron will be transferred from the Import Register to the Breed Register and re-classified from the Working group to the Pastoral group from 1st July 2014. The Kooikerhondje was re-classified from the Gundog Group to the Utility Group on 1st January 2014.

The continual rise in foreign breeds comes as some of our oldest native breeds continue to decline. When the

first ever Kennel Club stud book was produced in 1874, just 43 breeds were listed, including many of those that are now considered to be vulnerable, such as the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Clumber Spaniel, Otterhound and Skye Terrier.

This year, there will be three new breeds competing in their own classes at Crufts for the very first time: the Eurasier, the Catalan Sheepdog and the Turkish Kangal Dog.

A special ‘Flood Fund’ has been set up by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust (KCCT), for those dogs that are in need as a result of the recent floods that have beset the country.

The flooding has meant that some people and their dogs have had to leave their homes, whilst others are left marooned and the dogs may be going without food supplies, access to critical veterinary care or medicines. The debris underfoot and ever rising water levels may also be causing dogs injury and damage.

The Kennel Club Charitable Trust Flood Fund will enable people to donate to dogs that have become victims of the flooding and for those in need to apply for a grant.

Mike Townsend, Chairman of the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, said: “Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by the terrible floods. The Flood Fund will help support those dogs that have been injured or that need shelter in these difficult times and we urge those who want to make a financial contribution

and those who are in need of help to come forward.”

Those who would like to donate to the Flood Fund, by cheque or debit card, or apply for a grant to help a dog or dogs that have become victims of the flooding, should contact Richard Fairlamb, KCCT Administrator, at 1-5 Clarges Street, Piccadilly, London W1J 8AB.

He can also be reached by email at richard.fairlamb@thekennelclub.org.uk, or by phone on 020 7518 6874.

Electronic shock collarsThe Kennel Club is urging both Westminster and the Scottish government to take action after it funded a survey which found that the majority of the general public are against the use of electric shock collars and would support the government in introducing a ban on these devices. The research found that:

• 73% of the public disapprove of the use of electric shock collars on dogs• 81% agree that positive reinforcement training methods can address behavioural issues in dogs without the need for negative training methods• 74% of the public would support the government to introduce a ban on electric shock collars

The Kennel Club is against the use of negative training methods or devices and believes that they are both irresponsible and ineffective. There are a large number of positive training tools and methods that can produce well trained dogs with

absolutely no fear, pain or potential damage to the relationship between dog and handler. Furthermore, some of the most highly trained dogs in the world, including police dogs, armed forces dogs and assistance dogs are trained without the use of electric shock collars.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published two research studies last year which demonstrated negative behavioural and physiological changes in dogs which were trained with electric shock collars.

The research also showed that even when electric shock collars were used on dogs by professional trainers following an industry standard, there were still long term negative welfare effects. Despite this, England and Scotland have yet to follow in Wales’ footsteps in banning electric shock collars, and the Kennel Club hopes that the findings of its new research will let the government know that the public would be behind them on a ban.

It is time for the rest of the UK to follow Wales’ lead and stop delaying what the evidence has highlighted is needed, and what the public has clearly said they want, a ban on the use of electric shock collars. Now really is the perfect time.

Electric shock collars are already outlawed in a number of countries worldwide, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, and in most states in Australia.

The survey follows the introduction of Matthew Offord MP’s Ten Minute Rule Bill in Westminster last month calling for a ban on the sale and use of electric shock collars, which had its Second Reading in the House of Commons on Friday February 28th.

More information on the Kennel Club’s campaign to ban electric shock collars can be found here.

The Kennel Club has been recording and publishing health test results since the 1960s. Embracing new technology, it launched its online health tool, Mate Select, in May 2011. Mate Select was developed in conjunction with scientists at the Animal Health Trust to help dog breeders make informed health-focused choices a part of their breeding plans.

The tools available on the Kennel Club’s Mate Select include: The Health Test Results Finder, three Inbreeding co-efficient calculators and Estimated Breeding Values. The Health Test Results Finder enables users to search for health

test results of any Kennel Club breed registered dog. This includes tests carried out under the British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club (BVA/KC) health schemes (including hip, elbow, eye and Chiari malformation/Syringomyelia screening), as well as official Kennel Club DNA testing schemes.

Three different Inbreeding co-efficient calculators use pedigree information stored on the Kennel Club’s database to calculate the degree of inbreeding for a Kennel Club breed registered dog, the breed average, or for potential puppies from a hypothetical mating.

Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) produce a measure of an individual’s genetic risk for specific complex conditions, such as hip and elbow dysplasia. EBVs are used to calculate the

genetic risk of the individual by utilising the dog’s BVA/KC score and those of its relatives. EBVs will be officially launched at Crufts 2014 for an initial 15 breeds.

Through the Kennel Club’s continued commitment to research, we will endeavour to keep Mate Select an innovative and cutting-edge development in dog breeding.

To find out more and to try out Mate Select visit www.mateselect.org.uk.

Mate Select – helping you make healthy breeding decisions

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EUKANUBA A4 Plakat P2046 9032 0477-01-14 0477-01-14

210x297 mm + 3B ISO

100 % 14.01.2014 Z-A

Motiv: Breeders

Your breed resource.

Your breed resource.

Your breed resource.

BreedersBreeders uk

BECOME A MEMBER OF THEEUKANUBA BREEDERS CLUB

Visit the NEW website at

TOP BREEDERS RECOMMEND EUKANUBA*

• Exclusive offers• Loyalty points• Online shop• Free puppy kits for your new puppy owners

*2012 Winners of Crufts, World Dog Show, Euro Dog Show

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Ali Shelton, 47, from Ramsden Heath in Essex, has been an Assured Breeder for almost three years. She has bred four litters of Labrador puppies and became part of the only dog breeders to be certified by a UKAS accredited body after receiving an inspection visit in January 2014. Here she explains why she joined the Assured Breeder Scheme (ABS) and her experiences so far.

When and why did you start breeding?I first thought about breeding dogs a few years ago because I had a bitch with a wonderful temperament, and once I had

made that decision I was determined to do it well. I carried out extensive research beforehand and made full use of the Kennel Club’s website and had many a long discussion with my vet who has always been, and still is, very supportive of me and a keen supporter of the ABS.

Why did you join the Assured Breeder Scheme?I decided to join the ABS because I wanted the confidence and the reassurance that I was doing all of the right things by my girls and the breed. As a novice breeder, it was reassuring to be able to tick the boxes and to have access to help and guidance.

What is the biggest advantage to being an Assured Breeder?One of the biggest advantages of the scheme, for me, is that I wanted to ensure that there was a clear distinction between me and the many puppy farmers that are sadly ruining so many dogs’ lives within our breed. I have seen too many dogs being sold online and in the papers for £300 or

less, and I know that there is tragic story behind each of them. I am committed to health screening and DNA testing so that problems within the breed can be lessened, and I want to be part of a scheme that supports this responsible attitude to breeding. I know that there are a lot of other benefits that I would like to make use of, such as the discounts on health testing, but in my view the credibility that comes with the scheme, the confidence that you have guidance and are doing the right things, and the reassurance that I am helping the breed I love so much by giving puppy buyers a point of difference between me and the unsavoury breeders out there, makes it money exceedingly well spent.

Whether you are an experienced breeder or breeding your first litter, we know you want the best for your puppies. To find out more about becoming an Assured Breeder, visit the Kennel Club Breeding for the Future stand in Hall 3 at Crufts, or visit www.assuredbreederscheme.org.uk.

Assured Breeder Scheme – A Case Study

A dog’s teeth are a crucial part of a winning show dog’s appearance – and also directly reflects the care that a dog is receiving. In fact, poor oral health can impact on health in other parts of a dog’s body, as Dr Peter Fahrenkrug, Dentist, Veterinarian and Board Certified Veterinary Dentist, explains:

“Food and bacteria build-up on the teeth forms plaque. Plaque then builds up on the teeth and hardens into tartar. This causes bacteria to colonise in these areas and harm the teeth and gums. Bad breath, gum inflammation, oral pain and tooth loss can then occur.

“If left untreated, it can allow bacteria into the body through the blood stream and

cause infections elsewhere, potentially causing problems to major organs, such as the heart and kidneys. Therefore, good oral health is important for the overall health of

your dog.”

Caring for your dog’s teeth when they are

a puppy can give them a great start in maintaining lifelong oral health. There is some evidence that playing rough games

with puppies, such as ‘tug of war’ using ropes

and towels, can cause tooth damage. Chewing on

inappropriate objects, which can result in fracture of baby teeth, can also influence the final alignment of adult teeth.

One of the first steps to good oral health is

brushing your dog’s teeth daily, even in puppyhood. The reason brushing should start in puppyhood is more behavioural than medical – it is much easier to get puppies used to brushing if you start early in their life.

The three ‘cornerstones’ of dental hygiene and oral health maintenance are: a) daily brushing; b) regular dental checks by veterinary professionals; c) diet. It is well-known that dry dog foods impede theaccumulation of tartar more than wet or canned foods; and more recently high quality dog foods have been developed to improve the ‘scrubbing’ action of the kibble on the teeth. For instance, all Eukanuba Adult and Senior diets contain 3D DentaDefenseTM technology which cleans with every bite. Micro-cleansing crystals on the surface of the food scrub the teeth, and leave a deposit on the tooth which helps keep tartar from re-forming.

Caring for your dog’s teeth when they are a puppy

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