Inbreeding
Inbreeding or Line Breeding is measured by the Coefficient Of Inbreeding (COI) of a given animal. It is a measure of the probability of an animal inheriting the same version of a gene from the sire and dam, known as being homozygous for a gene. Diversity can be measured as the degree of homozygosity. This can have positive and negative effects on an animal depending on the gene inherited and therefore careful selection in mates is required. Increasing the homozygosity through mating may lead to more uniformity and predictability in a litter but may increase the risk for negative traits or genetic disease if the parents are not known quantities. We aim to keep the COI in our puppies low but do balance this against the desirable characteristics of prospective stud dogs (such as performance and health test results). Any dog's COI can be found on The Kennel Club website as well as a tool to calculate the COI of a particular mating.
Microchipping
Microchipping is an effective way to permanently identify an animal and aid in uniting with your pet if it is lost or stolen. All our dogs are microchipped and puppies are microchipped before leaving for their new homes. From April 2016, microchipping of all dogs in England is mandatory.
UK Legislation
All dog owners, under the Control of Dogs Order 1992, are obliged to make sure their dog wears ID at all times in public. Legally this means a collar and tag giving the owner's name and address. This gives the advantage that if a lost dog is found by a member of the public, they can meet their legal obligation by contacting the owner. Not only can they contact the owner, but it is their legal obligation to do so. Few people know that if you find a dog you must, by law, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, either return it to its owner or take it to your local authority dog warden. There are exceptions to this with dogs when working.
Insurance
Pet insurance can be invaluable in the event of unforeseen accident or illness and should be carefully considered. Our puppies leave with 5 weeks free cover through The Kennel Club. To extend cover or to learn more, please visit The Kennel Club Pet Insurance website. The Dogs Trust provides 3rd Party Insurance for members which will cover you if your dog causes injury or damage to another person, their property or pets. It is inexpensive to join so is a good investment and a worthwhile cause. More information on this is available on The Dogs Trust website.
Inbreeding or Line Breeding is measured by the Coefficient Of Inbreeding (COI) of a given animal. It is a measure of the probability of an animal inheriting the same version of a gene from the sire and dam, known as being homozygous for a gene. Diversity can be measured as the degree of homozygosity. This can have positive and negative effects on an animal depending on the gene inherited and therefore careful selection in mates is required. Increasing the homozygosity through mating may lead to more uniformity and predictability in a litter but may increase the risk for negative traits or genetic disease if the parents are not known quantities. We aim to keep the COI in our puppies low but do balance this against the desirable characteristics of prospective stud dogs (such as performance and health test results). Any dog's COI can be found on The Kennel Club website as well as a tool to calculate the COI of a particular mating.
Microchipping
Microchipping is an effective way to permanently identify an animal and aid in uniting with your pet if it is lost or stolen. All our dogs are microchipped and puppies are microchipped before leaving for their new homes. From April 2016, microchipping of all dogs in England is mandatory.
UK Legislation
All dog owners, under the Control of Dogs Order 1992, are obliged to make sure their dog wears ID at all times in public. Legally this means a collar and tag giving the owner's name and address. This gives the advantage that if a lost dog is found by a member of the public, they can meet their legal obligation by contacting the owner. Not only can they contact the owner, but it is their legal obligation to do so. Few people know that if you find a dog you must, by law, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, either return it to its owner or take it to your local authority dog warden. There are exceptions to this with dogs when working.
Insurance
Pet insurance can be invaluable in the event of unforeseen accident or illness and should be carefully considered. Our puppies leave with 5 weeks free cover through The Kennel Club. To extend cover or to learn more, please visit The Kennel Club Pet Insurance website. The Dogs Trust provides 3rd Party Insurance for members which will cover you if your dog causes injury or damage to another person, their property or pets. It is inexpensive to join so is a good investment and a worthwhile cause. More information on this is available on The Dogs Trust website.
Dewclaw Removal
Some breeders choose to remove dewclaws from their puppies. When hind dewclaws are present (which often do not lay tight to the limb and are prone to catching on objects when the dog is exercising or playing) these should be removed within a few days of birth but can be removed later in life as well. We do not remove front dewclaws as routine from our puppies as we do not feel they pose a significant risk for injury. The front dew claws also serve an important function in aiding grip and to climb, and there is some concern that removing the dew claws reduces the stability of the carpus joint leading to earlier arthritis. We instead would recommend keeping the claws trimmed to reduce risk of injury. Our puppies did not have hind dewclaws removed as there were none present. The dams also was born without hind dewclaws.
Docking
Docking of a dog's tail is banned in the UK with a few exceptions, one of which is for dog's of certain types intended for working purposes. A number of working gundog breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation and thick brambles, where their fast tail action can lead to torn and bleeding tails which are painful and extremely difficult to treat as adults. Docking the end of the tail (last 1/3) reduces this risk of injury. Docking must be done early (before 5 days of age) and so the end use of a dog can not be guaranteed at this age. We have carefully considered this issue and feel when weighed against the risk that some may have tail injuries as adults, and considering their intended use, our English Springer Spaniel puppies are docked at 2-3 days of age in accordance with the UK Animal Welfare Act. We have found this to cause very little distress to them. All puppy owners are provided with a Docking Certificate which must accompany the dog if sold or re-homed. We do not dock our Sealyham Terriers.
Some breeders choose to remove dewclaws from their puppies. When hind dewclaws are present (which often do not lay tight to the limb and are prone to catching on objects when the dog is exercising or playing) these should be removed within a few days of birth but can be removed later in life as well. We do not remove front dewclaws as routine from our puppies as we do not feel they pose a significant risk for injury. The front dew claws also serve an important function in aiding grip and to climb, and there is some concern that removing the dew claws reduces the stability of the carpus joint leading to earlier arthritis. We instead would recommend keeping the claws trimmed to reduce risk of injury. Our puppies did not have hind dewclaws removed as there were none present. The dams also was born without hind dewclaws.
Docking
Docking of a dog's tail is banned in the UK with a few exceptions, one of which is for dog's of certain types intended for working purposes. A number of working gundog breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation and thick brambles, where their fast tail action can lead to torn and bleeding tails which are painful and extremely difficult to treat as adults. Docking the end of the tail (last 1/3) reduces this risk of injury. Docking must be done early (before 5 days of age) and so the end use of a dog can not be guaranteed at this age. We have carefully considered this issue and feel when weighed against the risk that some may have tail injuries as adults, and considering their intended use, our English Springer Spaniel puppies are docked at 2-3 days of age in accordance with the UK Animal Welfare Act. We have found this to cause very little distress to them. All puppy owners are provided with a Docking Certificate which must accompany the dog if sold or re-homed. We do not dock our Sealyham Terriers.