AVATAR COCKERS - LITTER A - PUPPY'S

SIRE: IMPRESSIVE BOY DERMOTT ( CZ .IMP) x IND.CH.SORCERY'S FORTUNA ( CY.IMP)

                                                             Puppies born on 27.3.2013

THE SOUTH OF INDIA KENNEL CLUB - OOTY - MAY 11TH - 2013

 110TH AND 111TH CHAMPIONSHIP ALL BREEDS SHOW HELD ON 11TH MAY 2013

IND.CH .CHERUBIN DERMOTT ( CZ IMP) 

RECIVED   (    2 X BOB , 1 RBOB

Canine False Pregnancy

The cause of canine false pregnancy is due to a misunderstanding in the hormonal changes. An increase in prolactin and decreases in progesterone are a common cause canine false pregnancy.

A dog that is suffering from a false pregnancy may show some of the following symptoms...

• She may start to nest.
• Your dog may also start to mother obejcts around the House.
• She may start lactating.
• Believe it or not she may even look like she is going into labour.
• Your dog may also suffer from abdominal distension.

PRA INFORMATION

PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) is an inherited eye disease that can result in blindness at a young age. A breeder needs to use great care to breed away from PRA. In the past, we did this by having breeding stock examined by a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist for signs of PRA. This examination needed to be done yearly, and the results registered with the Canine Eye Registration Foundation, (Cerf). There were problems with the Cerf exam, a dog could get a normal test at a young age, but still develop PRA at a later age. Also, the Cerf exam could not tell if a dog was a carrier or not, so it was very difficult to know whether a breeder was producing pups that would develop PRA or not. Many times a breeder could be using a dog to produce pups for years before they discover that one or both of the parents were either carriers or affected. If two carriers are bred together, or an affected and a carrier, then some of the pups will be PRA affected and lose their sight. Recently OptiGen has developed a genetic marker test for PRA in the American Eskimo. This has been a great development for breeders to determine the status of their breeding stock, and aid them in breeding away from PRA.

Now that there is a genetic marker test available for the dogs, when purchasing a pup a buyer should always ask for a copy of the parent's OptiGen test results. If a dog is listed as OptiGen Normal/Clear, (formerly Pattern A), that means it is a non-carrier, it has NO PRA genes, and will not develop PRA or pass the gene to their pups. A carrier, (formerly Pattern B), has one PRA gene and one normal gene, will not develop PRA, but can pass a copy of the PRA gene to its pups. Affected, (formerly Pattern C), will most likely develop PRA and lose its sight one day, and will always pass one PRA gene to every one of its pups. A pup must have two copies of the PRA gene, one from each parent, to be affected.

Below is a chart to show what would be produced from a mating between the different genotypes:

Both parents Normal/Clear = NO pups will develop PRA

Normal/Clear to Carrier = NO pups will develop PRA

Normal/Clear to Affected = NO pups will develop PRA

Carrier to Carrier = 25% chance of developing PRA

Carrier to Affected = 50% chance of developing PRA

Affected to Affected = 100% chance of developing PRA

So it is very important to ask breeders for copies of OptiGen certification on the parents of your puppy for proof of their status, and if both parents are B's or C's, ask if the puppy is OptiGen tested, and request a copy of the OptiGen results on the puppy. There is no way a breeder can know the status of their breeding stock unless they do the OptiGen tests. Some breeders say the test is no good, but it does identify those dogs that are clear and those that are carriers with 99.5% certainty. So if a breeder is not testing their dogs, it is probably due to the expense of the test.

As always, if you have any questions about any of my dogs or pups,

ENGLISH COCKER SPANIELS COLORS AND PATTERNS

English Cocker Spaniels are colorful but the outcome of those colors comes from a wide range of genes.

These genes combine to determine two things

The coat color

(black, red and liver)

The coat patterns (solid and parti-color).

Parti-color is further broken down to "roan", "ticked", and "open marked" in order of dominance.

All of these factors are due to a recognized color series (loci, that is, locations on the chromosomes) in dogs. The generally recognized color series' are A(agouti), B (brown), C(Chinchilla series), D (blue dilution) E (extension which is responsible for red color in English Cockers), G (graying), M (merle), R (roaning), S (white spotting) and T (ticking.) In most cases multiple loci will work together so several different genes can be used in combination to produce a color. A gene may even mask the presence of another gene.

In genetics there is Phenotype, or how the dog looks physically, and Genotype, the genetic makeup of the dog, which may or may not be totally expressed in the phenotype. In addition, there are genes which are more dominant than others and are thus called Dominant (which are represented in charts with a Capital letter) and others which are not as strong in expression which are called Recessive (which are represented in charts with a Lowercase letter). Each dog receives one set of genes from each parent. It is the combination of these many genes which are responsible for not only coat color but ear length, darkness and shape of eSOLID PATTERN

The solid coat pattern is determined by the loci S, solid color. This is the normal gene in breeds without white markings. An SS dog can completely lack white, but it can also express very minor white markings such as a white streak on the chest. Since S, solid color is dominant, a solid can carry for parti-color, but a parti-color cannot carry for solid. A solid carrying two genes for solid can only produce solid and bred to a parti-color will only result in solid color puppies, but all those puppies will be carriers for parti-color. If a solid that carries a gene for parti-color is bred to a parti-color, some puppies will be solids and some will be partis, but all the solids will carry for parti-color.yes and the dog's entire conformation and quite often health as well.

Short descriptions of how the genes work give an idea of how these colors and coat patterns have been recorded in the genotype. Many of our understandings about color genetics come from a book by Clarence C. Little titled The Inheritance of Coat Color in Dogs. Today, researchers are still trying to answer many questions about dominance relationships, new alleles, gene series, modifying factors, etc. Additionally, coat color can also be affected by conditions in the womb. There is not yet a definitive understanding of coat color.

COLORS

Loci in Coat Color

Black and Liver. For English Cockers this loci is B, the brown series. The series allows the production of black pigment. The genes for black (B) and liver (b) are the same gene with black being dominant. A bb dog produces brown pigment wherever the dog would have produced black, affecting not only coat color but also the color of the skin, eye rims and nose.

Red. The gene for red is not the same as the gene for black and liver. The loci is E, the extension series. This series includes Ed (dominant black), E (normal extension) and e(recessive red.) Thus, a red is produced by having two (ee) recessive red genes. The skin and eye color generally show through normally but some ee dogs will show reduced pigment on the nose. They also seems to be more heavily affected by any gene modifier that reduces pigment. Solid reds have something like a 30% higher chance of retaining white on their face than black or liver puppies do, and red/orange parti-colors tend to have more overall extension of white than black or liver do.

If a dog carries E, the dominant gene for "no red", it will be black coated (unless it also carries the two recessive genes for liver, in which case it will be liver coated).

Red/Orange in Parti Colors. The same loci (ee) recessive red will produce a red in the parti colors that appears lighter. It is then registered as orange. Although, the loci is the same (B, ee) they will be registered as orange in parti colors. Occasionally the red will be darker like an Irish Setter or Welsh Springer Spaniel. In these cases, the parti-color will be either red roan or red and white.

Lemon and Golden. Lemon, a light orange, can appear almost yellow or buff. Lemon is a red/orange dog (ee) that also has the loci for liver (bb.) So a lemon must have have two recessives, the one that gives the red color (ee) and the one that gives the liver color (bb.) The two recessives lighten the coat color to lemon. There are other genetic factors such as the "chincilla" gene and genetic modifiers that act together with the liver gene to cause the yellow markings. A genetically solid lemon will be registered in English Cocker Spaniels as either a red (who has a liver nose) or golden. A lemon with any other coat pattern will be registered with "lemon" in the name such as lemon roan.

An important fact to remember is that these color factors are at work in solids, roans and parti-colors English Cocker Spaniels the same way. Coat patterns are determined separately.

ROAN PATTERN

The loci is R, roan. The nature of the coat pattern and the progressive development of dark hair in a light area is unclear and still in debate. Roan is defined as "having the base color (as red, black, or brown) muted and lightened by a mixture of white hairs."

Roan (R) appears to be dominant to (rr) non-roan, i.e. open marks. Roan can carry for open marks, but open marks cannot carry for roan.

TICKING PATTERN

Open marked colors may also have "ticking" in the coat. Ticking are flecks of color in areas where the coat would have been white. When ticking occurs between patches, they are registered as color, white and ticked. The loci is T, ticking. T (ticking) is dominant over (t) lack of ticking. The amount and location of ticking are greatly affected by genes for size, shape and density of the ticking.

There is disagreement on whether ticking is the same as roaning or not. Both can occur on the same dog, although roaning plus open marks cannot.

OPEN MARKED PATTERN

An open marked dog will lack ticking or roaning in the coat. An open marked dog will have clear white between patches. When ticking occurs between patches, they are not truly open marked but registered color, white, and ticked. Lack of ticking (tt) is recessive to roan and ticking. So, a roan can carry for open marks, but open marks cannot carry for roan.

TAN MARKINGS

Any coat color or pattern can have tan markings which will appear on the muzzle, over the eyes, on the chest, on the legs and under the tail. The tan is loci (A) Agouti with the allele being (at). Parti-colors can also be (at) but the coat pattern will remain the same.

Tan is recessive. So, a dog which is itself tan must have received the (at) loci from both parents. A dog may produce a tan without showing tan marking if it has received one (at) from a parent and is mated to another dog with the (at) as well.

Can a red or orange have tan marking? Yes. A red or orange that is the product of two tan-marked parents carries two genes for tan. Therefore it is genetically a "red and tan" or "orange roan and tan" but phenotypically, it is not observed.

History of dfs Crufts

Crufts today

dfs Crufts is one of the largest dog events in the world. No longer purely a dog show, dfs Crufts celebrates every aspect of the role that dogs play in our lives.

It has changed in ways that couldn’t possibly have been imagined when the show was set up in Victorian times by the late Charles Cruft. Although it was a very different event in 1891 Charles Cruft was a great showman and would surely have enjoyed the size and scope of the event today, which is an essential date in any dog lover’s calendar.

The dog show is still an important part of the event, celebrating the unique relationship that dogs share with their owners. Judges are trained to ensure that only healthy dogs win prizes, which in turn encourages the breeding of healthy dogs. But the event is now about so much more besides.

dfs Crufts is ultimately a celebration of all dogs. It celebrates working dogs, which are fit and healthy enough to perform the jobs for which they were originally bred, such as those in the Gamekeeper classes or which line up for the Police Dog Team Operational and Humanitarian Action of the Year award, and it hails hero dogs through the Friends for Life competition. Rescue dogs are celebrated in the rescue dog agility competition and the speed and agility of dogs is celebrated in the ever popular competitions of Flyball and Heelwork to Music.

For prospective dog owners and dog lovers, dfs Crufts is a prime opportunity to talk to Kennel Club Accredited Breeders, rescue charities and breed experts about how to responsibly buy, train and enjoy life with your dog.

And of course, with hundreds of trade stands selling anything and everything for dogs and dog lovers, it is a shopping extravaganza!

How it all started

Crufts is named after its founder Charles Cruft. The young Charles left college in 1876 with no desire to join the family jewellery business. Instead he took employment with James Spratt who had set up a new venture in Holborn, London selling 'dog cakes'.

Charles Cruft was ambitious and a relatively short apprenticeship as an office boy led to promotion to travelling salesman. This brought him into contact with large estates and sporting kennels. His next career move with Spratts saw him travelling to Europe and here in 1878, French dog breeders, perhaps seeing entrepreneurial talents in Cruft, invited him to organise the promotion of the canine section of the Paris Exhibition. He was still just two years out of college.

Back in England in 1886 he took up the management of the Allied Terrier Club Show at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster. It was in 1891 that the first Cruft's show was booked into the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington and it has evolved and grown ever since.

Timeline

1891 – The first Cruft’s show in that name takes place at the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington with 2,437 entries and 36 breeds.

1918–1920 – Cruft’s is not held due to the First World War.

1928 – Best in Show award starts. The first winner is a Greyhound called Primley Sceptre.

1932 – First female owner of Best in Show, Lorna Countess Howe with Labrador Retriever, Bramshaw Bob.

1936 – Charles Cruft celebrates his Golden Jubilee five years early, breaking the 10,000 entries mark for the first time.

1938 – Charles Cruft dies. His widow, Emma Cruft takes over the running of the show.

1942-7 –Cruft’s is not held due to the Second World War.

1948 – The first Cruft’s Show under Kennel Club auspices takes place after Emma Cruft gives over control. Held at Olympia, it proves an immediate success with both exhibitors and the public, with eighty-four breeds entered, almost double the number of breeds at the first Cruft’s in 1891. Since then Crufts has increased in stature year by year, now attracting around 200 breeds annually.

1950 – Cruft’s first televised by the BBC.

1952 – The death of King George VI on 6th February threatens the possibility of the cancellation of Cruft’s for that year but the show is allowed to take place two days later.

1954 – Electricians strike action leads to the show being cancelled, as electricians refuse to disconnect the stands from the previous show held at Olympia, and the venue can therefore not be cleared to make way for the Cruft’s.

1955 – Cruft’s becomes an Obedience Championship Show. Working Sheepdogs are entered, becoming the first crossbreeds to compete at Cruft’s. Crossbreed dogs are now a central part of the show, taking part in a wide range of competitions including agility.

1961 – Entries break the 15,000 mark for the first time

1972 – During the Winter of Discontent, Cruft’s 1972 takes place under subdued lighting and with an abbreviated catalogue due to the 3 day working week which had been enforced. As one commentator says: “For two days every visitor was able to forget the troubles of the world.”

1974 – Cruft’s changes to Crufts, during a rebrand as it is decided that the apostrophe is no longer needed.

1978 – Agility first demonstrated at Crufts.

1979 – The show moves to Earls Court as the increasing number of entries had the show outgrowing its former venue at Olympia.

1980 – First official Agility competition at Crufts - with the move comes a new atmosphere at the event.

1982 –The show is extended to three days to accommodate the increasing numbers of dogs and spectators.

1985 – The Kennel Club Junior Organisation is launched. Now the Young Kennel Club (YKC). Its competitions form an important part of the current dfs Crufts show.

1987 – The show is extended to four days to accommodate further increases in the number of dogs and spectators.

1988 – More than 110,000 people come through the doors making Crufts not only the biggest Dog Show, but also the most popular show to be held at Earls Court.

1990 – Flyball first demonstrated.

1991 – Crufts Centenary Show is held at its new venue, the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre - the first time the show had moved from London.

1992 – Mary Ray demonstrates her fast moving Heelwork to Music routine. She is now a regular performer at the event.

1994 – Discover Dogs area is introduced to Crufts as part of the Kennel Club’s commitment to encouraging responsible dog ownership, enabling dog loving visitors at the show to find out more about the different breeds and how they may fit into their lifestyle. Good Citizen Dog Scheme Ring introduced to Crufts, enabling dogs to demonstrate their pet obedience credentials, and owners their responsible attitude to dog ownership, through obtaining a range of certificates from bronze to gold.

2000 – Rescue Dog Agility introduced to the show, enabling rescue dogs to shine in the fun and fast paced demonstration.

2001 – Crufts moved from March to May due to Foot and Mouth disease. The International Agility Competition takes place at Crufts for the first time.

2004 – The popular competition Friends for Life Competition first appeared, then called Hero Dogs. The popular annual competition ensures that man's best friend gets the recognition he deserves for bravery, support and companionship. The Southern Golden Retriever Display Team appears at Crufts for the first time and this has been part of the event every year since.

2007 – As the event continues to grow, the Arena is used for the first time, for competitions including Agility, Friends for Life and Best in Show.

2008 – Crufts develops its own Facebook page, now with more than 35,000 fans. Cani cross, canine cross country, is introduced to Crufts for the first time as people look for ever more ways to get fit with their dogs.

2009 – Crufts streamed online for the first time and became the most watched channel on You Tube in the UK. The Health Zone is introduced, with breed and scientific experts providing information and advice about breed health and scientific advances. Judges are given the power to remove unhealthy dogs from the show ring and show monitors may report dogs that they fear are unhealthy to the show vet, who can order their exclusion from competition. Breed rescue charities, the unsung heroes of the dog world are given a high profile area, so that the public could find out more about their work. They are supported by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

2010 – dfs becomes the principal sponsor and the event is renamed dfs Crufts. More 4 becomes broadcast partner, providing one hour of footage a night and two hours on Sunday.

2011 – The Health Zone is renamed Breeding for the Future which, run in conjunction with the Animal Health Trust, includes information about the latest work that the Kennel Club and the Animal Health Trust are conducting to improve breed health. dfs Crufts 2011 sees the launch of the revolutionary Mate Select service. This service allows breeders to check the potential outcome of hypothetical matings online so that they can work out which matings will maintain genetic diversity and therefore be best for the future health of their breed and ultimately, which matings will produce the healthiest offspring. Get Fit With Fido 2011 launched in partnership with Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs - the campaign aims to help dog owners to find new and interesting ways to keep themselves and their dogs fit and healthy. Display of Bull Breeds from Wood Green Animal Shelter in the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Ring to highlight the plight of these dogs, often bought as status symbols and then abandoned. More4 named as broadcast partner for 2011.

2012 – As an additional safety net to complement the 2009 vet checks, it is announced that Best of Breed winners and champions in the 15 high profile breeds, which may have a tendency to suffer from health problems due to exaggerated features, will need to be vet checked before their awards are confirmed from Crufts 2012 onwards

Crufts and the Kennel Club make a difference for dogs

The aim of the Kennel Club is to promote in every way the general improvement of dogs, and the Kennel Club team works hard behind the scenes to achieve this aim and also towards 'making a difference for dogs'.

We are: The UK’s largest organisation dedicated to the health and welfare of dogs.

Our Objective: The Kennel Club of today holds within it the broadest remit to protect and promote the general wellbeing of dogs. At its heart are programmes and investments in education and health initiatives to help dog owners across the UK to have healthy happy dogs living long lives with responsible owners.

ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL BREED STANDARD

General Appearance

Merry, sturdy, sporting; well balanced; compact; measuring approximately same from withers to ground as from withers to root of tail.

Characteristics

Merry nature with ever-wagging tail shows a typical bustling movement, particularly when following scent, fearless of heavy cover.

Temperament

Gentle and affectionate, yet full of life and exuberance.

Head & Skull

Square muzzle, with distinct stop set midway between tip of nose and occiput. Skull well developed, cleanly chiselled, neither too fine nor too coarse. Cheek bones not prominent. Nose sufficiently wide for acute scenting power.

Eyes

Full, but not prominent. Dark brown or brown, never light, but in the case of liver, liver roan and liver and white, dark hazel to harmonise with coat; with expression of intelligence and gentleness but wide awake, bright and merry; rims tight.

Ears

Lobular, set low on a level with eyes. Fine leathers extending to nose tip. Well clothed with long, straight silky hair.

Mouth

Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck

Moderate in length, muscular. Set neatly into fine sloping shoulders. Clean throat.

Forequarters

Shoulders sloping and fine. Legs well boned, straight, sufficiently short for concentrated power. Not too short to interfere with tremendous exertions expected from this grand, sporting dog.

Body

Strong, compact. Chest well developed and brisket deep; neither too wide nor too narrow in front. Ribs well sprung. Loin short, wide with firm, level topline gently sloping downwards to tail from end of loin to set on of tail.

Hindquarters

Wide, well rounded, very muscular. Legs well boned, good bend of stifle, short below hock allowing for plenty of drive.

Feet

Firm, thickly padded, cat-like.

Tail

Set on slightly lower than line of back. Must be merry in action and carried level, never cocked up. Previously customarily docked.

Docked: Never too short to hide, nor too long to interfere with, the incessant merry action when working.

Undocked: Slightly curved, of moderate length, proportionate to size of body giving an overall balanced appearance; ideally not reaching below the hock. Strong at the root and tapering to a fine tip; well feathered in keeping with the coat. Lively in action, carried on a plane not higher than level of back and never so low as to indicate timidity.

Gait/Movement

True through action with great drive covering ground well.

Coat

Flat, silky in texture, never wiry or wavy, not too profuse and never curly. Well feathered forelegs, body and hindlegs above hocks.

Colour

Various. In self colours no white allowed except on chest.

Size

Height approximately: dogs: 39-41 cms (15.5-16 ins); bitches: 38-39 cms (15-15.5 ins). Weight approximately: 13-14.5 kgs (28-32 lbs).

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

Note:
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Ancestry of Cocker Spaniels - Spaniel tree

HISTORY OF SPANIELS

To begin a history of any of the spaniel breeds, it is important to note that the word "spaniel", means a "dog of Spain". It is generally accepted that Spaniels are traced back to Spain for their development as a hunting and retrieving breed of dog. From Spain the dogs were transported, traded, given away as gifts, or simply traveled with their masters to England. Spaniels were used in England for hunting on the estates of the wealthy and were further developed and bred for specific purposes there. Spaniels are found in art work, in mosaics, and in the writings of such authors as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
The spaniel was a generic term used to describe a type of dog. When a litter was born the owner/breeder would decide what use a particular dog or pup was to be put to. Much depended on the size and how muscular the dog turned out to be, the stamina he/she displayed, and the intelligence of the dog. What type of game the dog was to hunt was also a factor. The spaniel could possibly be used for hunting the forests, pointing in high brush, flushing birds out of thickets, or used in marshes for retrieving ducks, geese, etc. So to begin with there were no distinct breeds of spaniel, only the generic description of the type of dog.
The English Cocker Spaniel is a flushing spaniel, and was developed to flush woodcocks, thus he became known as a "cocker". They were also useful in tracking rabbit. The English Cocker Spaniel is one of the smallest of the sporting dogs (the smallest is the "American" Cocker Spaniel, which has an identical history). The English Cocker was brought to America and Canada in the 1870's, where breeding for a purpose continued, but changes in the breed type began.
In 1881, the American Cocker Spaniel Club was founded. In the year 1892 the Cocker Spaniel was recognized by The Kennel Club of Great Britain as a distinct breed of dog from the Springer Spaniel with whom it had been classed. The Cocker Spaniel Club of England was formed in 1902.
The Cocker Spaniel became quite popular in America and Canada due to its willingness to retrieve just about anything the hunter could bring down, and its temperament when around people. The cocker is friendly, energetic, fun-loving and not timid. This dog became quite popular as a family and companion dog. During the 1920's and 1930's a change came about to the English Cocker Spaniel breed. It was as if the English Cocker became "Americanized". The bloodlines that were being developed by breeders were following a different type of conformation. The head became smaller, the height of the dog was shrunk by 1 to 2 inches, and the dog became lighter in weight. The coat became longer, silkier and softer. The "Americanized" Cocker Spaniel became used as a family pet, instead of a hunter's helper. The differences became so striking that breeders who preferred the "English" type formed the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America in 1935, and agreed not to interbreed their dogs with the "Americanized" variety. For the next ten years, until 1946, the Club and its members sought to have the American Kennel Club recognize their dog as a separate breed. Until 1946, the English Cocker (also called the Engie), and the American Cocker competed in show conformation as one breed. In 1946, the A.K.C. recognized the English Cocker Spaniel as a separate breed from the "American" Cocker Spaniel.
The English Cocker Spaniel is still used today as a hunter, companion, and family pet. It does very well in obedience, is excellent as a therepy dog due to its outgoing nature, and is also used as a search and rescue dog. Breeders, owners, and exhibitors all agree that it is a lot of dog in a small body.

AIM

WELCOME TO AVATAR COCKERS . FROM THIS BLOG , I WISH TO POST MANY OF HEALTH ARTICLES