Breeders 2016 edition Dear reader We hope you and boxer(s) are doing well and that you will enjoy our 2016 Spring/Summer Newsletter. We have a variety of topics again, one of which is compiled by Mrs. Karin Schoeman. Karin is the hardworking secretary of Northern Boxer Club and a boxer breeder herself. We often get calls from people wanting to breed a litter and asking us how to go about this and how much money we make! This article will give insight in what is involved in breeding a litter and no, we don t get rich from it! Then we have an article from HILL S Pet Nutrition about kidney disease in boxers. Sadly this seems to be on the increase and the more we can learn about this disease the better. I myself have spent some time in the Netherlands this year and am amazed how well behaved the Dutch dogs are. People take dogs to public places and on public transport. Dogs walk, sit and lie down in a very well behaved manner! Yes, even the boxers! Of course most dogs are socialized from an early age there and the majority has been to training classes. It is not always possible to take dogs everywhere in South Africa but it is a very good thing to take dogs to training classes from a young age. There are many dog schools around and included in the newsletter is a list of what to look for in finding the right training school. Just also a reminder that the FBCSA do register white boxers! The only prerequisite is that they must be micro-chipped! Happy reading! Els Sporen Secretary: Breeders Panel 2015
The Truth about White Boxers White Boxers are not rare 20 to 25% of Boxers are born white White Boxers are not all or mostly deaf Approximately 5-8% are deaf in both ears and up to 13% can be deaf in one ear White Boxers do not suddenly go deaf if they are able to hear by 4-6 weeks the chances of them going deaf is the same as any other dogs White Boxers are not albinos White Boxers are as smart as fawn or brindle counterparts Some of the White Boxers do sunburn more easily, just like some Caucasian humans will sunburn more easily you can use baby sunscreen to prevent it White Boxers are no more prone to blindness than any other Boxers White Boxers are no more prone to illness than any other Boxers White Boxers are no more aggressive than any other Boxers There is no evidence whatsoever that white Boxers are more prone to cancer Charles-Clyde & Mavis are special indeed! http://wtboxers.com/about/ They are part of a group of boxers that are born white. They are not albino. They are white. There is a lot of information available online about white boxers and the recessive gene that makes them white. What makes seeing white boxers somewhat unusual is that, for a long time, the white puppies were not allowed to live. The White Boxer Chronicles believes that whites have as much right to life as any other creature already born, and the occurence of whites is common enough that you will always be able to find one if you wish, however, The White Boxer Chronicles supports neutering your white. Breeding two whites together will reinforce and continue the ill effects of this recessive gene. Breeding whites with others will sustain the recessive gene, even if no ill effects are visible in the immediate offspring. It is for this reason The White Boxer Chronicles does not condone the deliberate breeding of any whites. It is not fair to the animal a few generations down the line to have a problem it must live with for life because someone wanted to breed their white for human reasons. Myths which spread were that the white boxers (and other white animals) always had all sorts of genetic and health problems. The important word here is always, which is not true. Some do and some don t and the degree of these challenges, if they arise, will vary from dog to dog. Actually, the more white the dog, the more susceptible they may be to sunburning and an alleged slightly higher occurance of deafness. Charles-Clyde and Mavis have spent many days in the snow or at the seaside with us. We just make sure they always have shade available and bring them in if they start to get a little rosy. Common sense and paying attention to your dog for its 2
needs will go a long way to making both of you happier and more comfortable. Many whites are born without problems and stay troublefree for the duration of their lives. In most ways these angels aren t much different than the other puppies in their litters. When problems do occur, they can occur in non-whites as well, but due to this seeming to have been less interesting to acknowledge in the past, it is difficult to find clear statistics about the white/nonwhite issue. It has been said that, if they were bred, they might simply spoil the color markings that people had worked so hard to develop. The answer is not quite so simple. Charles-Clyde (left) was rescued directly from a new litter we heard about. He is kind and gentle and very good-natured. He loves playing ball and he LOVES people! Mavis (above) was rescued by one of the Boxer Rescue centers and came to baby-sit Charles-Clyde when he was just a few weeks old and she was only 1. She is VERY smart (she repeatedly looks down to my feet on the clutch of our truck when a traffic signal stays red too long!) and she is well-mannered and watches lovingly over Charles-Clyde. 3
WHAT IS KIDNEY DISEASE? (Provided by Hill s Pet Nutrition South Africa (Pty) Ltd) Kidneys remove waste substances from the blood and maintain the normal balance of fluid and minerals within the body. Any condition that damages the kidneys is referred to as kidney disease. In many cases, signs of serious illness only appear when much of the kidney s function has already been lost. With the new IDEXX SDMA test, kidney disease can be detected much earlier when only 25% of the kidney function is lost as opposed to older tests which only detect kidney disease when at least 75% of the kidneys are lost. This means that management can be put in place earlier to slow the progression of the disease. Causes Kidney disease is common in pets, but with early diagnosis and treatment, progression can be slowed and many pets go on to live happily for years after diagnosis. The kidneys can be damaged by a wide range of conditions, including infection, toxins, and trauma. Factors that can make pets more prone to kidney disease include: Age The chance of developing kidney problems increases after the age of 7. Food - Some foods high in phosphorus can increase the progression of kidney disease. Most foods that have increased levels of protein are also high in phosphorus. Breed - Some breeds are more likely to develop particular types of kidney disease. For example: English Cocker Spaniel, German Shepherd, Bull & Cairn Terriers, Himalayans and Persians. Environment - Some chemicals, including certain disinfectants, antifreeze, lead paint and some human medications, can damage the kidneys. Common signs The signs of kidney disease can be difficult to recognize, but if you notice any of the following, it could mean your pet has a kidney problem. Increased thirst and urine production Decreased appetite Weight loss Bad breath Vomiting and diarrhea Sore mouth Weakness Lack of energy and increased sleeping Important note: An increase in thirst is the first sign of kidney failure if you notice this, or any of the above signs, contact your veterinarian immediately. Can food help? Prescription Diet k/d formulated to help manage pets with kidney disease. The only food clinically proven to successfully extend the life of pets with kidney disease is Hill s Prescription Diet k/d. In dogs, those fed Hill s Prescription Diet k/d were 72% less likely to suffer the clinical signs associated with kidney disease and lived more than three times longer than dogs fed a regular dog food. Hill s Prescription Diet k/d provides complete and balanced nutrition for adult and senior pets and can be fed long-term to help maintain kidney health. Key Benefits Clinically proven to extend life in pets with kidney failure Reduced levels of protein to minimize kidney workload Reduced phosphorus to slow the progression of kidney disease Hill s Prescription Diet k/d is available from veterinarians in kibble (dry), Stews and cans. For details speak to your vet or go to www.hillspet.co.za. 4
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN DOG TRAINING CLASSES Ask yourself whether the dog school / trainer you are considering offers the following: A free visit during which you can observe the classes? A free practise session with your dog? A nonaggressive method of training? A questionnaire regarding your dog? Do they have experience with your breed (or cross breed)? Problem or puppy classes with only up to six or eight dogs in? Classes where the other dogs are of the same age or size as your dog? A friendly and patient trainer? Answers to individual or specific questions? The more you can answer yes to the above questions, the more suited a school is to your needs. 5
So you are considering breeding your Boxer Female if so, you must ask yourself these 5 Questions 1) Do I have the necessary knowledge about my breed for example the genetics and genetic faults they may carry or display? 2) Am I financially viable and do I have the time it takes to look after a litter? 3) Am I doing this for the love of my breed? 4) Will I find good homes for and stay involved with my puppies as far as possible? 5) Am I registered with a reputable and accepted registering organization? If you have answered yes to all of the above you must still consider the time, care and effort you would have to put in to have a healthy bouncing litter. Having a litter the responsible way, costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time, planning and preparing. Like with humans, health and a successful whelp is never guaranteed, there is a lot that can go wrong. So do you still want to become a breeder? Then these are the next steps to take: Firstly both the dam and the stud dog must be health tested, not only to check if they are healthy but also for genetic faults known in the Boxer breed i.e. heart murmurs, hip dysplasia, the males must be entire, etc. The FBCSA advises that all breeding animals are health checked prior to breeding. Do you have the pedigree of both dogs so that you can make sure that none of the known genetic faults / illnesses are found in their ancestors? The reason for this is to make sure you are not only breeding with healthy animals, but that their near ancestors were also healthy with no known defects. And even if you do have all this, there still is no guarantee that any of the prior ancestors, might have had health issues! Remember genes are a strange phenomenon, a specific gene may be dormant for two or three generations, then suddenly pop up again. Have you found the right stud dog for your female? Some breeds including the Boxer are considered a young genetic breed and you should not mate any Boxer with any Boxer. Look for and get advice to which would be the best stud dog for your females breeding lines. Remember quality breeding is better than quantity breeding. Contact the FBCSA Secretary before mating takes place, if you are breeding with Boxers, to find out what the rules and regulations and the fees are for registering purebred Boxer puppies. Prior to mating you have to ensure your female has been de-wormed and that her vaccinations are up to date. Once all of this has been done and the mating has taken place, you MUST purchase the following items. 6
A whelping box Thermometer Puppy bottles and formula Small feeding bowls (each pup must have its own) Separate bowls for water Small scissors and cotton twine Infrared lamp or heating pads A small scale Note book and pen Lots of old towels and loads of newspaper At around 32 days you must take your female for a sonar scan to confirm pregnancy, to check for heart beats and her general health. At about 56 days she should be taken to the vet for x-rays to determine how many pups there is going to be (very important to know before hand) and also if all the pups seem alive. At this point you have to make sure you have the following ready and set up. Whelping area this is the area that you will prepare for your dog to give birth. It must be a quiet, warm but well-ventilated area and NOT a corner in the garage or outside on the stoep which is NOT good enough. Additional heat must be supplied to keep the new born puppies warm. You can use an infrared lamp hanging over the whelping box or heating pads, placed under a blanket. Then you must also consider the birth, are you prepared and knowledgeable about whelping, will you know when there is an emergency and when to call the vet? Can you afford an emergency C-section if it is needed? It is important that the mom and pups MUST be checked by your Vet as soon as possible after the birth and mom as well as pups must be regularly dewormed from the age of two weeks and every fortnight thereafter. At six weeks the pups must be vaccinated, dewormed, micro chipped and registered. You have to keep and feed these puppies with premium dog food for a minimum of eight weeks before you let them go to their new homes. Consider this - a pregnancy and a litter could cost you between R10 000 and R30 000, or more, depending on the size of the litter or if there is an emergency during whelping and if the pups and or the mom become ill anytime during the eight weeks. WHEN NOT TO BREED - If you have answered no to anyone of these questions above, please do NOT go ahead and have a litter just for the sake of having one or to make money. If you cannot afford the above or are the kind of person that says ag nature must take its course you cannot be considered a responsible Breeder. Even if you love your animals to bits but you are not able to afford the above, please do not go ahead and do it it could end up in a lot of heartache for you. ACCIDENTAL PREGNANCY When your female is pregnant and you now have a litter of pups that you must find homes for because you cannot keep them, PLEASE DO NOT just give or sell them to anyone, rather contact the FBCSA so that the litter can be advertised on their website for a nominal fee, if all else fails, contact your Breeds Rescue Service or the SPCA. You must be aware that sadly there are people out there that should rather not have dogs and some that will use dogs for dog fighting as well as bait. If after all of this you still feel you are up to it, prepare yourself for a very rewarding experience but which can have its difficulties. Read as much as possible and ask knowledgeable people for as much information on a dog s pregnancy, ask your vet to inform you as to what you can expect during the pregnancy and during the 7
whelping process. The FBCSA can give you literature on the pregnancy and what to look out for. Be informed, knowledge is power. Once the pups are born, you have to monitor them and the dam all the time, but be careful not to handle them too much. A baby monitor within earshot can be of great assistance. Some might think it unnecessary, but many breeders feel more comfortable knowing that they can hear what is going on in the whelping room at all times. If a pup is in a spot of trouble, one can hear it immediately. The first two weeks are crucial. You have to make sure the pups are kept in a well ventilated but warm room (about 22-22.5 degrees). As they progress each week will bring new changes and responsibilities, this is the time that can shape your pups and their health for their lifetime. You have to make sure your pups are getting enough milk from mom, the amount of times a new born drinks, varies from pup to pup, but generally they drink every two hours from birth and then longer stretches as they progress and grow. Sometimes the larger pups will push the smaller ones away and the smaller pups will not get enough milk. Some pups may not be strong enough to suck from smaller nipples or strong enough to suckle once other pups have done so, as the milk flow gets weaker and the pups have to suck harder to get enough. Let the larger pup start suckling to get the milk flowing, then put the smaller one on that teat to drink first. It is quite normal for a pup to lose a few grams the day after birth, but thereafter they must pick up weight daily. It is very important to weigh your pups in the morning and in the afternoon to monitor their progress. Where a litter is larger than 6 pups, or if the dam does not have sufficient milk, the pups must be given supplementary feeding. You can use a baby scale or an electronic kitchen scale, use a suitable container to place the puppy in when weighing them. If a pup shows no weight gain, one has to supplement feed them with a bottle. Never use regular milk, you can get your puppy formula from a vet or vet shop. A SHORT GUIDELINE OF MILESTONES: Week One: The pups will suckle every two hours and sleep in between. This is the time when they do not get milk from mom, but a very nutritional fluid that contains much needed antibodies. Mom will lick the tummy and anus to help the pup eliminate waste. Do not be shocked when Mom eats the faeces, it is perfectly natural. Make sure your whelping area is kept clean and warm. If puppies huddle closely together they are cold increase the room temperature in the room. Bedding must be changed regularly, at least twice a day. The dam must have easy access to clean, fresh water at all times. Week Two: Pups will still lie close to mom. Their eyes may begin to open towards the middle of week two. First de-worming must be done. Your vet will give you de-worming tablets or a liquid de-wormer according to their weight. Week Three: The pup s eyes and their ears are now open. This is when they start trying to walk and also try to eliminate in an area where they are not sleeping. You can now put a sheet of newspaper in one corner of the box. Depending on the dam s milk supply, puppies can be introduced to very soft solid food from as early as three weeks. Week Four: This is when you can start introducing solid food. Use good quality puppy kibbles and soak them in hot water until they are mushy and soft. Use a ratio of about a ¼ cup of kibbles with a three quarter cup of water. You do not have to worry about how much they eat yet as you are just introducing your pup to food the first day or two, just make sure each one gets exactly the same quantity. This is also the time that they will find their voices and it can become quite noisy. The second de-worming must be done. 8
Week Five: You should be introducing toys to the pups, feeding can now be adjusted with more kibbles and less water. You should now be feeding according to the guide on your dogfood pack divided in four times a day. You should now be offering them fresh water all the time. If it is a warm summer day the whelping room does not have to be heated, but extra heating must be used at night. This is also the time that they want to leave the box to play and to eliminate themselves. Keep the floor of your whelping room lined with newspapers. Soiled newspapers must be replaced regularly. Week Six: Now is the time that your puppy will be eating a lot more, make sure you stick to the feeding guide on your pack and still divided into four meals. They will be drinking a lot of water now, so make sure they always have fresh water available in the same spot, so that they know where to get the water if they are thirsty. This is now when they eliminate a lot more frequently and you will have to change your newspapers at least three times a day. This is a perfect time to introduce them to the garden. This is the week that you must take your pups for their inoculations, third de-worming and microchipping. Your vet should check each and every pup individually, including listening to their hearts and checking that the males have both testicles, particularly for Boxers. Please ensure that the veterinarian completes the necessary forms required by the FBCSA for the registration of the puppies. Week Seven: Mom will by now have the pups weaned and this is the time she takes to really teach them their first social skills. Do not separate mom and pups for long periods of times. You will find the mom will roll the pups, play bites the neck and growls at them. This is all normal practice to teach the pups, dog social behaviour. This is a critically important time. Do not stop the mom from this behaviour. Week Eight: Your pups should now all have developed their own unique personalities and be ready to go to their new homes. Make sure you choose wisely when you find homes for your pups. The best thing you can do for yourself and your pup is to make sure that the new parents KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE BOXER. If you are anything like me, this is going to be hardest part of having pups letting them go. Do not be shy to ask questions from those with experience and knowledge. The Federation secretary and the members of the breeder s panel is there to assist. Good luck and happy breeding. Who serve on the 2016/2017 committee? Chairperson: Prof Marinda Oosthuizen Secretary: Mrs Els Sporen Committee members: Mrs Karin Schoeman (FBCSA Representative), Mrs Helen Rennie, Mrs Pam Zeiler, Mrs Monica Roos 9