Rearing & Goals
The raising of young puppies is no joke. It's almost trite to say it's a labor of love, because of course it is, but it's also a decision to take on the responsibility for the dogs we produce for their entire lifetime. It's a relationship with their families, and prioritizing those relationships that we forge through breeding between humans & puppies alike.
The goal of any breeder is to produce healthy, emotionally resilient and stable puppies who will delight their families for all of their lives. To be a part in that is an honor: every dog should be that dog that is remembered and loved for all their little quirks and idiosyncrasies, but further than that the investment a breeder makes in the emotional and physical wellbeing of the puppies they produce is a tremendous privilege. I adore the people I've met through my dog, and knowing they play a part in her life (and she in theirs) is incredibly special.
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We utilize positive reinforcement training techniques, cooperative care, and fundamentally believe that aversive methodologies are outdated & unnecessary. Eurasiers are easy, congenial dogs whose temperaments are shown to the best advantage when you encourage them to be themselves & play with you.
Puppy Rearing
Husbandry, Socialization & Ethics
Our foundation girl, Rhu, was raised with Puppy Culture & I am thrilled in my own way to have a second generation PC litter running around. Puppy Culture is a puppy-raising program for breeders, created by Jane Killion. In addition to PC, I am a proponent of Avidog, and enjoy some pieces from Empowered Breeder.
When choosing an ethical breeder, the conversation can sometimes circle the drain a bit. Claiming to follow one puppy rearing program or another means very little if the protocols aren't followed, or aren't adjusted to meet the needs of the individual litter in front of you. The ultimate goal of raising a litter of puppies, once they are on the ground and biting your toes, is to produce a group of emotionally resilient adult dogs.
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What does that actually look like? It's a dog who doesn't startle at the smallest noise in the distance, a dog who can confidently embrace new surroundings, who can greet new people without situationally unnecessary wariness or fear... and a dog who has been taught to be operant. To be operant is to offer behaviors, like a sit, or display a willingness to "play" with their handler/owner, and embrace that cooperation. All of this is taught to some degree, as biddability is only as good as a dog who understands how to communicate with their people by offering behaviors.
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Early Scent Introduction & Body Handling: As tiny neonates (newborn puppies whose eyes and ears are still sealed shut), puppies should be handled frequently, exposing them to normal stressors and stimuli. The theory is that this early exposure assists in their development, building emotional resilience and coping mechanisms.
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Puppies Raised in the House: At the outset, it seems obvious and the most hygenic option to raise tiny puppies in the home, but traditionally breeders move the puppies outdoors once they start being loud & messy & mobile. However, this age-- 4 or 5 weeks-- coincides with when the socialisation period starts, at which point it is critical puppies are exposed to the normal noise of a family.
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Early Potty Training: Puppies are naturally quite a bit cleaner than you'd assume. As early as three weeks of age, when puppies develop the ability to relieve themselves on their own and they are toddling around, puppies are given a potty area within their whelping box. This separate area for relieving themselves set an early precedent to keep their beds clean-- This greatly speeds up toilet-training for new owners, since puppies don't get used to going everywhere and sleeping in their pee/poop. As the puppies grow, a larger litter area is added, and by 8 to 9 weeks the puppies are given opportunities to begin pottying outside.
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Novel Objects: A new, novel object is introduced to the puppies every day from the time their eyes first open. This object- maybe a toy, a baking pan, a funny texture, something that moves when pushed, or makes noise- allow the puppy's confidence to grow as they learn about the big, sometimes strange, world outside of their whelping pen.
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Barrier Challenge: A component of Puppy Culture, the barrier challenge is a somewhat simple challege where the puppies must negotiate and move around a simple obstruction to reach food on the other side. It is repeated somewhat daily from 4 weeks onward and the goal is to teach puppies to cope with simple frustrations and to think under stress.
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Outdoor Time, Clicker Training, Default Sit/Wait for attention, Crate Training, Car Trips, New People, Friendly Dogs, Friendly Cats, and More!
Conformation
Aesthetics, Form & Function
Conformation: What is it & what are we conforming to, anyway? Every dog breed has a written breed standard. This standard defines what a dog looks like both in regards to the general size, coat colors and type, as well as the details: the expression, the carriage of the tail, how the dog should move, the shape of the feet, the length of the muzzle, the position and size of the ears. It defines the ideal appearance of a dog of a given breed.
No dog, no matter how well-bred, is ever quite perfect. The goal is to produce a dog who has correct conformation, strong "breed type", and whose assets outweigh any definable faults that might go against the breed standard. Dogs are "proven" by showing them in a conformation or breed handling. Dog Shows!
In the United States, the Eurasier breeds to the FCI breed standard. FCI is effectively is the club-of-clubs for Europe at large, and throughout the continent all member clubs breed to one unified standard that is translated directly into several languages.
In time, it is likely that the Eurasier will move to having an AKC Standard. At present, however, the Eurasier is a breed that participates in AKC's Foundation Stock Service. FSS is effectively a provisional registry for new or rare breeds within the United States: many breeds in FSS are ancient landraces with low populations in the US, and others are emerging breeds which are endemic to the United States. Please note that we opt to dual register our puppies with both the Canadian Kennel Club & AKC FSS while the breed works on full recognition under AKC, an opportunity we are grateful to have from CKC despite the dogs being born in the United States.
Breed Standard
Just the Basics
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Balanced, well-constructed medium sized dog of Spitz type with prick ears and coat in varied colours. Length of coat should be such as still to reveal the body proportions. With medium bone.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: Length of body slightly longer than height at withers. The ratio of length of muzzle and length of cranial region is almost equal.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT: Self-assured, calm, eventempered with high resistance against any provocation. Watchful and alert without being noisy. Very strongly developed link to his family. Relaxed towards strangers and not obtrusive. For the full development of these qualities, the Eurasian needs constant close domestic contact with his family and understanding, yet consistent training.