Not all puppies are as lucky as Luther and his brother and sister who have known nothing but love and have had the best possible care. Too many are born on puppy farms where the bitch has no bedding and the pups have minimal care. Every time somebody buys a puppy from these people they are encouraging the puppy farmer to breed yet another litter – condemning bitches to a life of misery and at the same time buying nothing but trouble and expense for themselves.
Please watch this video and copy it to anyone you know – especially those who might be thinking about buying a puppy in the near future.
Two of the most frequently asked questions about Cesky Terriers at Discover Dogs are ‘Do they get on with cats?’ and ‘Are they good with children?’
My answer to the first query is yes, as long as they are brought up with cats and to the second I usually counter with another question: ‘Are the children good with dogs?’
Children need to be taught how to behave around dogs, and the KC has an excellent scheme called Safe and Sound which does just that. When a youngster is lucky enough to share their home with a dog they gain so much. Not only do they have a pal with whom they can have fun and share confidences, they learn about taking responsibility and because animals don’t live as long as we do they even learn to cope with death.
Luther’s brother, Tarka, has gone to live in a household that consists of four boys, three other dogs, two cats and Mum – and it’s pretty obvious from this photo that’s he’s settled in very well.
This photograph was taken by Samuel Phelps – thanks Sam!
It’s a hard life being a dog in this house! Olivia’s sister, Oslava, has come to stay for a little while and her owner was worried as to whether she would fit in with the gang.
Cesky Terriers are very dog friendly and usually get on with most other canines – and when it’s one of the family, then there’s absolutely no problem! And in the evening after a hard(!) day it’s nice to crash out on the sofa!
With having the puppies our showing programme has been very severely curtailed this year, after a very successful 2008.
Yesterday we got back into the swing at Bidgford, where Palma was BOB and then went on to take Group 3 under judge John Catlow.
I had entered Gloria in the Veteran Stakes, but the weather was so hot and humid we came home before that was judged.
In hot weather it is so important to make sure that our dogs aren’t stressed, and especially that they aren’t left in a locked car. Here in the UK we don’t get too many really hot days, and maybe we forget that even on an overcast day, the temperature in the car can be excessive. My Dog Is Cool is a good website for information and you can download posters and leaflets to remind others of the danger.
Lots of dog charities, organisations and dog folk are avid Twitterers and whilst we might not have much clout as individuals, together we can really do good things.
One example is the influence that we have had on an example of the worst kind of puppy seller. You can find the details of the way it operates here: ColdWetNose blog
For those of us who work so hard to make sure that every puppy is carefully bred and then moves to a thoughtfully selected forever home, this sort of operation is heartbreaking. Buying a puppy is not something that can be done over the internet.
As a result of our Twitters, the company’s website has disappeared!
The two boys, Luther and Tarka are the ones from Olivia’s litter that are hopefully destined for a show career, but it’s Mila who has taken the first honours in the ring.
Here she is with Zoe and her rosettes won at the Shrewsbury Family Dog Show.
Mark reports that she strutted her stuff as if she were on a cat walk – what a poser!
Most puppies play with toys. Luther has bigger ideas! His favourite plaything is his bed. He doesn’t just sleep in it. He drags it around the house and out through the back door, then charges around pushing it with his nose and growling fiercely. When the bed is tipped over he gets underneath then roars around with it on his back, playing Ninja Turtles.
Luther has now started going to ringcraft and enjoys it very much. There is plenty of time to play with the other puppies, including Lewis and Rupert the Cavaliers and Seriously Small, the Pug – as well as Magic, another Pug, who is the girls’ best friend. In a couple of weeks the Ridley gang and the two Pugs will be off in the caravan together. Now that will be fun!
Sally Brown with Lastarean Dufek ShCM
Although he’s probably going to finish up a little bit darker, Luther is beginning to look very like his grand-dad Dufek. If he’s even half as successful, we will be very pleased. Last year Dufek was Best of Breed at both Crufts and National Terrier and took Group 4 at Darlington. He has twice won the CAC at the Czech Club show and has been the top winning male Cesky Terrier in the UK for the last four years.
Today Luther’s sister, Mila, came over to visit. She hadn’t been clipped since she left home, and was looking a little bit shaggy, so Mila had a haircut, and Zoe had a lesson in clipping a Cesky Terrier. I always suggest to my puppy owners that they learn to groom their dog themselves. It’s an excellent way of building up a bond between owner and puppy, and it does mean that the dog can always look good on special occasions, without having to depend on the local grooming parlour having an appointment available. Plus, in the long run, it’s much cheaper to do it yourself!
The clippers I recommend are Moser Arco cordless clippers. They are light and very quiet, but more than powerful enough to keep a Cesky Terrier neat and tidy. I did one side, then Zoe had a go on the other – and a jolly good job she made of it too!
Then it was time for Sally to insert Mila’s microchip. Microchipping is the best way of identifying a dog, and I am a strong supporter of the SOFA campaign for compulsory microchipping. However, Cesky Terriers have very loose skin, and I sometimes find that if they are chipped as very young puppies the chip migrates – even though it is not supposed to! Leaving it a few weeks longer ensures that it stays in place.
Mila had a lovely time playing with her brother, Luther and mum, Olivia. Here she is with Zoe, ready to go home – doesn’t she look smart!
Dogs come in all different shapes and sizes, and it’s particularly important for puppies to meet examples of lots of different breeds. Little pups like Luther need to get to know dogs of bigger breeds whilst those like Luther’s new friend Basil have to realise just how big they are and behave gently with the little ones.
Basil is a Mastiff and his head is bigger than the whole of Luther! But he’s been brought up around small dogs and is an excellent introduction to giant breeds for a little terrier.
Yesterday, Luther finally had his first vaccination – with absolutely no side effects! He didn’t have the best start to life, but can we dare to hope that we are over the problems and he can now start to experience the life of an ‘ordinary’ dog? It will be good to get him out and about in the wider world. So far his socialisation has been limited to visiting friends who have healthy, vaccinated dogs. Personality-wise it doesn’t seem to have done him any harm – he is one of the most outgoing Cesky Terriers I have ever owned!
Posted by stockczech 
Posted by stockczech 
Posted by stockczech 
