Yesterday, very early o’clock, I was standing outside Sidney Animal Hospital, shouting at my veterinarian, Dr. Nigel Bass. Shouting, because we were trying to be heard over the din of two cement trucks, barrels grinding, diesel engines roaring, as we planned Ruby’s next steps, socially distanced on the sidewalk. The Covid 19 pandemic adds a little spicy sauce to everything we do nowadays!

Her first blood draw was taken to test for her progesterone levels. These tests are vitally important to correctly time the insemination procedure. We will need to repeat that test a few times until the hormone levels tell us that she’s at her optimum moment for breeding.

Here’s a nice readable explanation of that. https://wacvet.ca/services/vaginal-cytology/

I’ve just heard back from Dr. Bass about the results. She’s very low still and it’s his opinion that we can wait until Monday to do another blood test. I have monitored Ruby’s heat cycles in the past and they are quite ‘textbook’ in their regularity and characteristics, so I am comfortable with that decision.

I feel very fortunate to have Dr. Bass as my reproduction veterinarian. Not many vets choose this specialty and they are not easy to find. I am doubly fortunate because I have a second reproduction veterinarian, Dr. Sophia Fanous on the mainland. She will be doing the insemination procedure. I am grateful for them both.

I adopted a pet Schipperke, many years ago. A scraggly, nearly bald little thing, with an impish furred face, she suffered from hyperthyroidism, heart, and liver disease. My husband and I adored her.

I had the good fortune of a veterinarian in the family, and together we supported her health as well as we could. She succumbed to liver disease when she was six.

Almost ten years passed before we brought another Schipperke home, our first CKC registered Schipperke, Mazeru’s Kenya. (Kaylah) Together, we ventured into the world of CKC obedience, achieving our CD and Excellent levels in Rally. We dabbled in agility a bit as well.

At 3 and a half, she suffered her first seizure. Over the next two years, I learned everything I could about epilepsy, a disease that is not unusual in Schipperkes. We worked with an excellent veterinarian, who correctly diagnosed her focal seizures and helped us manage her condition with potassium bromide, for the rest of her life. She lived until 15 and a half and ruled the household with an iron paw.
I met Pat Boggs online, in a Schipperke in Performance yahoo group. Her generosity about sharing her knowledge about breeding and training was remarkable. In 2015, I acquired my ‘retirement puppy’ from Pat’s lines.

I had by now discovered Crate Games and joined Recallers in 2012. A whole new world of behavioural science based animal training opened up. I continue to support and recommend Susan Garrett’s programs.
I raised Ruby with Recaller games and used shaping and positive reinforcement to train every skill and behaviour. She was my first conformation dog and I have jumped into learning everything I can about that world. Handling, grooming, conditioning, and training; it’s all been a fascinating journey for me.
Breeding Ruby was never my intention when I bought her, but that’s the amazing thing about life; you never know what’s around the corner. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn everything possible about canine genetics, artificial insemination, breeding, maternal health and puppy raising with Puppy Culture.

Yes.

Is that a horrible thing?

Not to me.

I love brushing my dogs, almost every day. Learning to show my dogs taught me about the importance of daily brushing and regular washing to their health and beauty. Training my dogs with positive reinforcement, to enjoy being on the grooming table, being brushed and having their nails trimmed, has brought so many other benefits. Here are a few.

• My dogs’ coats look fantastic. (Excellent diet helps here too) I spray water mixed with a bit of conditioner on their coats first. I associated ‘being sprayed’ with lots of treats, gradually over time. I am always mindful of their eyes and their heads. If you have ever been advised to use a spray bottle as a punishment for a behaviour, you will have a bit more work to do, rebuilding trust.

• It’s pleasant and it builds trust and love between the two of you.

• The fur gets removed from the dog before it gets spread around your house.

• Grooming prepares the dog for similar ‘table’ like experiences, like vet exams. Vet tables are often slippery metal surfaces so I bring my own bit of non slip matting.

• Brushing takes very little time, once you’ve got the area and equipment set up and you’ve trained your dog to love it.

• I still vacuum. No big deal. I have to (reluctantly) vacuum anyway.

Back to Schipperkes…
Mine shed their whole coats, over two or three weeks, and then take another three weeks to grow it all in again. Ruby starts at the rear and works forward. Her undercoat comes out first, followed by her longer outer coat. Different Schips may do it differently. Intact dogs shed differently from neutered ones. Ruby sheds about twice a year.

If you don’t love grooming as much as you might, you can know that it won’t last forever.

My experience with my Schipperkes, is that even ‘au natural’, (meaning without bathing them) they always smell beautiful. But if they’ve rolled in something noxious smelling, that calls for an emergency bath.

Some people use dog fur to spin wool. Collect your fur and send it to a spinner weaver. 🙂