Im reading a few books on rabbitry because we are going to be raising meat rabbits. Here is an excerpt from one of them:
"After having a litter, the question arises of what to do with the offspring. Hopefully you have planned this out before even doing the mating. A responsible bunny breeder would. Not every rabbit produced is show or breeding quality. Its tempting with the rare types to sell all kits as breeding stock. After all; if they are rare, every rabbit is breeding stock, right? NO!!! Only about 10% of the offspring you produce will be as good as, or better than their parents. This should be the goal of any good breeding program, no matter how rare the type of rabbit. "
This should and could also be said about bulldog breeders. I fear rabbit breeders may have more grit than many bulldog breeders.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Rise to success
Want to have a better dog kennel? Want to have a better program all around? This thought applies to many areas of our lives. A thought is born. A dream, a plan, a goal, an idea. We then set the course to achieve this dream and we work hard to make it grow. And grow it does! But eventually, we reach a plateau. A place where we are still "doing ok" but in this place we are not growing.There is rest here. No pressure. Easy sailing.
If we stay on the plateau too long, we begin to "stagnate". After stagnation, we decay, and then DEATH. Such happens to everything in life, including the human body. If we are not growing, expanding, adding to, we are on the decline to death!
As we decline, we gain momentum, and what took us 10 years to build, takes 1 year to die.
If we stay on the plateau too long, we begin to "stagnate". After stagnation, we decay, and then DEATH. Such happens to everything in life, including the human body. If we are not growing, expanding, adding to, we are on the decline to death!
As we decline, we gain momentum, and what took us 10 years to build, takes 1 year to die.
Monday, September 10, 2012
My vision for my program
I have a professional kennel of 10 adult dogs. I always have a few young prospects I am observing. Every breeding done in my kennel is done because i believe it will get me closer to my perfect bulldogge. Every adult dog in my kennel has had a prebreeding vet inspection done, hips xrayed, and temperament tested. Every breeding dog I own competes and earns titles in one or more of the following: Obedience, weight pull, personal protection, and real dog trial.
I do not breed dogs for money. Money is not an issue for my program. It never has been & never will be! I breed dogs to create the perfect bulldogge. A dog that is so amazing, so incredible, that other bulldogges do not compare.
Every day I spend time with my dogs and we enjoy each others' company. I have a close spiritual connection with my dogs.
I go to dog shows & events when I can. I do not pressure myself to go to any. I go when I want to. But when I go, I compete! I show up and show hard. I dont just chase a dream, I make people talk!
My bulldogges provide for me a release, a hobby, and an opportunity to make the world a better place by providing families with the worlds most incredible bulldogge.
I do not breed dogs for money. Money is not an issue for my program. It never has been & never will be! I breed dogs to create the perfect bulldogge. A dog that is so amazing, so incredible, that other bulldogges do not compare.
Every day I spend time with my dogs and we enjoy each others' company. I have a close spiritual connection with my dogs.
I go to dog shows & events when I can. I do not pressure myself to go to any. I go when I want to. But when I go, I compete! I show up and show hard. I dont just chase a dream, I make people talk!
My bulldogges provide for me a release, a hobby, and an opportunity to make the world a better place by providing families with the worlds most incredible bulldogge.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Success comes only with a vision.
Where there is no vison, there is no success!
Many people say they have a vision about their perfect dog and what they are trying to create. But when asked, they can hardly explain it. Here is what I do to keep my vision fresh in my mind and hot on the table:
1. See it
I read my vision several times a week and I look at dogs that posess the correct structure and type I am after. over and over and over.
2. Write it
Many people say they have a vision about their perfect dog and what they are trying to create. But when asked, they can hardly explain it. Here is what I do to keep my vision fresh in my mind and hot on the table:
1. See it
I read my vision several times a week and I look at dogs that posess the correct structure and type I am after. over and over and over.
2. Write it
My vision is written out, and on my website. But a few times a month I will put pen to paper and actually write it out. This keeps me pushing toward my goal.
3. Say it
I will read my vision outloud so I am actually hearing it and repeating it.
You may think I am weird, but my vision of my ideal bulldogge consumes me. Therefore i do these things and they keep me pushing toward the goal that matters most. I hope it helps you as it has helped me!
3. Say it
I will read my vision outloud so I am actually hearing it and repeating it.
You may think I am weird, but my vision of my ideal bulldogge consumes me. Therefore i do these things and they keep me pushing toward the goal that matters most. I hope it helps you as it has helped me!
Hot weather breeding by Brian Miller
Hot weather takes its toll on animals, but especially the male breeding dog.
Male dog fertility peaks around 5 years of age as does the female, but can breed
and settle females long after 5 years if managed for fertility.
Season of the year:
Research tells us the season of the year does have an effect on concentration of sperm per ejaculate. Increase concentration occurs in Spring/Early Summer and lower concentration in Late Summer/Fall (Tahs 1981). Sperm concentration is thought to be influenced by photoperiod (day length) and the environmental temperature. One or both can be controlled. Though the concentration of sperm fluctuates, the normal dog is still fertile and can settle females any time of the year if managed well.
Temperature control:
The testicle is outside the body in the scrotum to keep it cooler than body temp. The breeding male is often housed outside and semen quality he is producing is sensitive to hot weather. When outside temp approaches 102°F – normal body temp – male fertility can suffer. Over 105°F and males can be subfertile or infertile if overheating happens. The issue with the testicle is the stored sperm in the epididymis – if it gets too hot the stored sperm dies and the replacement can take 60 days. Temperature is worth managing!
Water misters over the kennel with shade have long been used and can lower the environmental temp by 10°F. Simple solutions such as mister hoses, or in warm areas of the south more permanent nozzle misters, are sufficient. Timers can be set for the hottest part of day, 5 min every 30 min if temp is under 102°F and twice that high when over 102°F. Or just turn on during the 4-6 hours of afternoon sun at a low level. The shade can be permanent metal roofing or shade netting. Feedlot netting lasts for years and is effective. Just be sure to keep netting out of reach. If you have an air-conditioned kennel, keep males inside and don’t allow outside access during the hot of day. Breed when the evening cools or early morning is even better. When breeding, do not use a male in hot weather more than once a day and never pen breed.
Frequency of use:
Sperm is viable for up to nine days in a female with natural breeding. (Threlfall OSU). AI breeding sperm is viable for 3-5 days, so most of us need to breed smarter not more frequent. The female ovulates at the end of standing heat, which is why they quit standing accepting the male. The best conception rate is when females are bred 4 days before or 3 days after ovulation. That is pretty wide window to hit!
Research done on frequency of use for males found healthy stud dogs could breed once daily without affecting fertility. In hot weather, never pen breed, leaving male with female! Put the females with the male and remove after the tie to limit the temperature influence and keep sperm numbers per ejaculate high. Most breeders moved away from pen breeding to better manage their best genetic stud dogs. Breeding every 3rd day will increase the number of sperm per ejaculate and increase success if some sperm are killed by hot weather. Sub-fertile stud dogs should only be used every third day for the same reason — Limited use will increase the number of live viable sperm per ejaculate available to fertilize eggs.
Infertile or Sterile Male:
The number of live sperm and limited number of abnormal sperm more closely correlates with ability to settle females than the total number of sperm! Both can be influenced by temperature. When we check males we cannot call them sterile on the basis of one sample. Repeatable lack of sperm or dead sperm is needed to declare a stud dog infertile. There are multiple reasons for temporary infertility from trauma to the testicle or infection and this article focus — overheating. Always check at least three times over 60 days before calling the stud dog sterile.
Brucellosis:
Both male and female fertility is affected by Brucella Canis! Any dog affected with testicular issues and infertility should have B. canis in the screening test. Likewise, any dog brought into the kennel for breeding should have Brucella testing to protect your breeding stock investment.
Testing involves serum sent to a lab and the most accurate test is the PCR test done at Kansas State University and Iowa State University. Other tests for B. canis have had issues with false positives and negatives not seen with the PCR test that detects the Brucella DNA. If you have a positive test, you can be assured it is positive and, likewise the negative is negative, no repeat testing is needed to prove the test results. Please always test any new dog and especially any adult dog brought into the kennel for breeding and be sure the PCR test was the one used.
Male Fertility Supplements:
L-Carnitine plays a vital role in the process of sperm development, in promoting proper maturation, and morphology of sperm. It also has a role in ensuring the maintenance of sperm quality and vitality.
Vitamins A, C, E, and Selenium are important vitamins and cleansing antioxidants that play a key role in repairing damage caused by the environment and aging.
Grape seed Extract scours damaging free-radicals from your system and literally prevents “rusting” of tissues and cells of the testicle.
Zinc has been shown to have a positive effect on sperm formation, sperm motility, and testosterone metabolism.
Vitamins - B6, B12 and Folate are vitamins critical to male reproductive.
Lastly Vitamin D has shown to increase sperm motility and I always use if males are primarily housed inside.
These are the vitamins, minerals, and herbs found through research to be helpful in mammals for maximum fertility. They can be useful when given during the breeding season. Research these products yourself or use Breeders' Edge® Oxy-Stud™ — with all these products in it at levels research recommended. Oxy-Stud is used during breeding season and best to start 30 days before for best results. The reason for use is maximum fertility and to keep the stud dog fertile. Most products do not correct infertility but can be helpful. You have an investment in your stud dog; the use of supplements can help keep your investment fertile!
Hot weather breeding is never a sure thing and is one of the toughest management times in the kennel! Keeping your stud dogs cool and not overusing can increase your hot weather breeding success!
http://www.revivalanimal.com/articles/hot-weather-breeding.html?a=REV120713PD
Season of the year:
Research tells us the season of the year does have an effect on concentration of sperm per ejaculate. Increase concentration occurs in Spring/Early Summer and lower concentration in Late Summer/Fall (Tahs 1981). Sperm concentration is thought to be influenced by photoperiod (day length) and the environmental temperature. One or both can be controlled. Though the concentration of sperm fluctuates, the normal dog is still fertile and can settle females any time of the year if managed well.
Temperature control:
The testicle is outside the body in the scrotum to keep it cooler than body temp. The breeding male is often housed outside and semen quality he is producing is sensitive to hot weather. When outside temp approaches 102°F – normal body temp – male fertility can suffer. Over 105°F and males can be subfertile or infertile if overheating happens. The issue with the testicle is the stored sperm in the epididymis – if it gets too hot the stored sperm dies and the replacement can take 60 days. Temperature is worth managing!
Water misters over the kennel with shade have long been used and can lower the environmental temp by 10°F. Simple solutions such as mister hoses, or in warm areas of the south more permanent nozzle misters, are sufficient. Timers can be set for the hottest part of day, 5 min every 30 min if temp is under 102°F and twice that high when over 102°F. Or just turn on during the 4-6 hours of afternoon sun at a low level. The shade can be permanent metal roofing or shade netting. Feedlot netting lasts for years and is effective. Just be sure to keep netting out of reach. If you have an air-conditioned kennel, keep males inside and don’t allow outside access during the hot of day. Breed when the evening cools or early morning is even better. When breeding, do not use a male in hot weather more than once a day and never pen breed.
Frequency of use:
Sperm is viable for up to nine days in a female with natural breeding. (Threlfall OSU). AI breeding sperm is viable for 3-5 days, so most of us need to breed smarter not more frequent. The female ovulates at the end of standing heat, which is why they quit standing accepting the male. The best conception rate is when females are bred 4 days before or 3 days after ovulation. That is pretty wide window to hit!
Research done on frequency of use for males found healthy stud dogs could breed once daily without affecting fertility. In hot weather, never pen breed, leaving male with female! Put the females with the male and remove after the tie to limit the temperature influence and keep sperm numbers per ejaculate high. Most breeders moved away from pen breeding to better manage their best genetic stud dogs. Breeding every 3rd day will increase the number of sperm per ejaculate and increase success if some sperm are killed by hot weather. Sub-fertile stud dogs should only be used every third day for the same reason — Limited use will increase the number of live viable sperm per ejaculate available to fertilize eggs.
Infertile or Sterile Male:
The number of live sperm and limited number of abnormal sperm more closely correlates with ability to settle females than the total number of sperm! Both can be influenced by temperature. When we check males we cannot call them sterile on the basis of one sample. Repeatable lack of sperm or dead sperm is needed to declare a stud dog infertile. There are multiple reasons for temporary infertility from trauma to the testicle or infection and this article focus — overheating. Always check at least three times over 60 days before calling the stud dog sterile.
Brucellosis:
Both male and female fertility is affected by Brucella Canis! Any dog affected with testicular issues and infertility should have B. canis in the screening test. Likewise, any dog brought into the kennel for breeding should have Brucella testing to protect your breeding stock investment.
Testing involves serum sent to a lab and the most accurate test is the PCR test done at Kansas State University and Iowa State University. Other tests for B. canis have had issues with false positives and negatives not seen with the PCR test that detects the Brucella DNA. If you have a positive test, you can be assured it is positive and, likewise the negative is negative, no repeat testing is needed to prove the test results. Please always test any new dog and especially any adult dog brought into the kennel for breeding and be sure the PCR test was the one used.
Male Fertility Supplements:
L-Carnitine plays a vital role in the process of sperm development, in promoting proper maturation, and morphology of sperm. It also has a role in ensuring the maintenance of sperm quality and vitality.
Vitamins A, C, E, and Selenium are important vitamins and cleansing antioxidants that play a key role in repairing damage caused by the environment and aging.
Grape seed Extract scours damaging free-radicals from your system and literally prevents “rusting” of tissues and cells of the testicle.
Zinc has been shown to have a positive effect on sperm formation, sperm motility, and testosterone metabolism.
Vitamins - B6, B12 and Folate are vitamins critical to male reproductive.
Lastly Vitamin D has shown to increase sperm motility and I always use if males are primarily housed inside.
These are the vitamins, minerals, and herbs found through research to be helpful in mammals for maximum fertility. They can be useful when given during the breeding season. Research these products yourself or use Breeders' Edge® Oxy-Stud™ — with all these products in it at levels research recommended. Oxy-Stud is used during breeding season and best to start 30 days before for best results. The reason for use is maximum fertility and to keep the stud dog fertile. Most products do not correct infertility but can be helpful. You have an investment in your stud dog; the use of supplements can help keep your investment fertile!
Hot weather breeding is never a sure thing and is one of the toughest management times in the kennel! Keeping your stud dogs cool and not overusing can increase your hot weather breeding success!
http://www.revivalanimal.com/articles/hot-weather-breeding.html?a=REV120713PD
Whats in a Bulldog and how do you test for it? by Brian Miller
What's in a name?
For the bulldog, most everything you need to know about its purpose and function... Once upon a time, the bulldog did quite well when pitted against a much larger, more powerful bull. Now that bull baiting (and other fun sports) have been outlawed how do we successfully test for a dog to maintain the qualities that made it such a famous breed?
Take a look at the qualities a dog would need to win against a bull. Number one, it would need the proper drives - namely lots of prey and lots of fight. The dog would need to be tenacious and unwilling to give up its task at all costs. Number two, it would need the physical body to make that happen- the size, power, striking speed, and endurance to get the job done.
Now, in this new world in which we live, what are some ways we can test for that? Personal Protection takes care of many of these, but what about tenacity? A dog capable of taking down a bull weighing 10-20 times more than it would need to display some serious commitment to the task. One of the best ways to test grit and determination with the job at hand is weight pull. Moving weights much larger than the dog itself was certainly part of the task of the Bulldog centuries gone by.
Those who wish to maintain the original traits which distinguish a bulldog from all other breeds would do well to employ at least some sort of testing in these two venues. Let us always remember what makes a bulldog so different, and work hard to maintain those traits, or lose the true Bulldog forever.
For the bulldog, most everything you need to know about its purpose and function... Once upon a time, the bulldog did quite well when pitted against a much larger, more powerful bull. Now that bull baiting (and other fun sports) have been outlawed how do we successfully test for a dog to maintain the qualities that made it such a famous breed?
Take a look at the qualities a dog would need to win against a bull. Number one, it would need the proper drives - namely lots of prey and lots of fight. The dog would need to be tenacious and unwilling to give up its task at all costs. Number two, it would need the physical body to make that happen- the size, power, striking speed, and endurance to get the job done.
Now, in this new world in which we live, what are some ways we can test for that? Personal Protection takes care of many of these, but what about tenacity? A dog capable of taking down a bull weighing 10-20 times more than it would need to display some serious commitment to the task. One of the best ways to test grit and determination with the job at hand is weight pull. Moving weights much larger than the dog itself was certainly part of the task of the Bulldog centuries gone by.
Those who wish to maintain the original traits which distinguish a bulldog from all other breeds would do well to employ at least some sort of testing in these two venues. Let us always remember what makes a bulldog so different, and work hard to maintain those traits, or lose the true Bulldog forever.
Scatterbred pedigree
When you have 3,4,7,or 10 different bloodlines
in your 3 generation pedigree, you are combining every outcross, every
inbreeding, every random breed, and all the philosophies into ONE breeding. Is
it any wonder that our breed is random and inconsistent? Inbreeding and linebreeding MUST be the tool of the breeder who wants to establish consistency in health, type, and temperament. Beware of the breeder who constantly outcrosses!
Heavy in it... by Brian Miller
As we float on this enormous blue and green ball in the infinite, individualized units all churning together as one massive organism swirling in the vapor, some of us realize our place, our calling, where every moment basks in purpose. There is no path greater than the purpose driven life - the life that will eventually come crawling to the instant of acceptance and release leaving the world forever bent to the whim of this temporary creator expelling one last lung filled breath. One unique mind and body never to be replicated, laced with individualized talents yet even in the unfathomable reaches of ceaseless time will never again be repeated. Each of us, reminded of yourself as you read word by word, was set upon our own micro thin slice of the ever growing timeline, made specifically with the capacity to fill a need. Just as a single cell of a greater tendon was made to support function of a muscle acting upon a single bone facilitation tension upon a toe to maintain the balance of man to stand erect amongst droves of horizontal spines, each individual has a role to play, a void to fill.
It has been said that with knowledge comes freedom, and with freedom - responsibility. Each of us may one day face ourselves towards the end of the long road and be required to answer the most pressing of questions. Did I lead a meaningful life? When you look back upon each choice, each option you took, each step you made to take you down that road you have now found yourself trudging upon, will the reexamination of your commitment of your acutely valuable time spent on bulldogges fill your heart with the sensation of fulfilled aspirations? If not, don't you feel that you owe it to yourself to commit to something that will? Love it or leave it, this is not a game for all but it is most certainly the game for me. - Brian Miller, Evolution Bulldogges
It has been said that with knowledge comes freedom, and with freedom - responsibility. Each of us may one day face ourselves towards the end of the long road and be required to answer the most pressing of questions. Did I lead a meaningful life? When you look back upon each choice, each option you took, each step you made to take you down that road you have now found yourself trudging upon, will the reexamination of your commitment of your acutely valuable time spent on bulldogges fill your heart with the sensation of fulfilled aspirations? If not, don't you feel that you owe it to yourself to commit to something that will? Love it or leave it, this is not a game for all but it is most certainly the game for me. - Brian Miller, Evolution Bulldogges
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