Breeders Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers About Eagleheart Entlebuchers

This is a list of questions we received from one of our potential puppy families. We would like to take the opportunity to answer them here for your information.

1. Please tell us about your dog’s environment.

We live on 28 acres, with lots of space to play, hike and swim. We have a year round creek that the dogs love to go play in. Bliss swims and Shaman digs in the sand. We have no kennels per se as we do not keep the dogs fenced in. They know the property line and stay on their side. We have 2 cows and 9 goats and lots of other wildlife. Lots of people and other dogs come over to visit.

2. Where are your puppies kept?

For the first 3 weeks they are kept in the whelping box (which we built) in the office or the bedroom. We like to check on them constantly. During their 4^th week when they can get out of the whelping box we move them to our sauna room with a puppy gate. This has two parts and we start paper training them at this point. One part of the space is filled with newspapers and the other part towels, toys and food area. We also have an airline kennel in there for them to get used to that.

Eagleheart Entlebuchers has been awarded the NEMDA Breeder's Code of Ethics. Click cetificate above for larger version (Hit back button to return)

3. Tell us about the puppies first 8 weeks with their mother.

For the first four weeks, the pups are dependent on the mother for food, but when their teeth start coming in, the mom usually says, "ouch, think it’s time to eat on your own." So we start feeding them gruel: a blended combination of goat milk, cottage cheese, yogurt and wet dog food soaked in water. We feed them 3 to 4 times each day this way. From the first day they are born we weigh them and we do this everyday until they are about 6 weeks old. At that time (or a little earlier) we start taking them outside to start the potty training. Mealtime and playtime they spend outside, if they like. There is a gate we attach to the door that allows them to go in and out during the day.

4. Are they kept in the house or in a kennel?

We keep the pups inside.

5. Please tell us about the type of socialization the puppies will receive. Are they exposed to children, strangers, other animals (if so, what), cars, loud noises, etc.

We go overboard in this arena. We have lots of people come over (young and old, male and female, different cultures, big and small), we play music, run vacuum cleaners, we have two cats, two cows and 9 goats that we introduce the pups to. We handle the pups every day so they get very used to people touching them. We also socialize them to other breeds of dogs.

6. Please tell us about the type of personalities you have found in your puppies.

All of our pups are true to the breed: intelligent, active, willful and very devoted. They love to go places, are friendly and like playing with other dogs. All Entlebuchers need exercise to be happy. They need to run and play and will not settle down in the house until they have been exercised. When an owner calls us with problems, nine out of ten times, it is because they have not been exercising their dog enough. When they have been satisfied physically they will lie down by your feet or cuddle with you on the couch. None of our pups live on farms but they do get plenty of exercise. Dog parks are great to take them to as they can play with their four-legged friends. We make sure our puppies go to active families who can handle their exercise requirements.

7. Please indicate the temperament and health history of the parents.

Bliss is active and sensitive. She is a ‘busy one’ who loves to play with two-leggeds and four-leggeds alike. Shaman is good natured and willful. Both are sweet, love to cuddle, intelligent and are mindful. Shaman is gentle with children where Bliss sees them as a playmate. Shaman is over 4 years old and is in excellent condition. She does have a unilateral posterior cataract but this kind of cataract is not progressive and will not affect her eyesight. Bliss is over 2 years old and is in excellent condition also. Every year we have their eyes examined. As for hips, both Shaman and Bliss have been rated GOOD by the OFA. The studs we use must have passing hips and get their eyes tested every year also. All dogs that are bred get tested just prior to breeding for brucellosis.

8. Please tell us about the puppy parents you plan to breed with.

We have two females and try to use various studs around the country to get a mix of bloodlines. We make sure the stud is a good match for our dam and try to match weaknesses and strengths. For instance, our Bliss is a finer boned Entlebucher and we bred her to a stockier boy. We will not breed her to a finer boned male. Shaman, who is under white, is bred to a male who has sufficient white. We review the pedigrees and make sure there are no matches for three generations. And we make sure all the dogs have sound temperaments.

9. What qualities does your breeding program emphasize?

We breed for temperament most of all. We want our puppies to have sound temperaments so they will be cherished members of the family. Herding instincts and activity level are secondary. We also try to maintain the correct size for Entlebuchers. We don’t want this breed to get larger as has happened with a lot of breeds like the Bernese.

10. Are these dogs involved in Obedience, conformation, field trials?

Our dogs have both been to Level 1 Obedience and Bliss has been to a conformation competition as a socializing tool. She was awarded first prize. Shaman and Bliss have been to herding school to learn how to herd as we have cows and goats. Our girls are true working dogs as we use them to help us get the animals from one area to another. We plan on getting a cart for Shaman so she can help us haul things.

11. Please indicate the dog’s pedigree history, eye certifications CERF and hip ratings OFA. Have they had electro radiogram eye tests?

Shaman’s father is Shane Vue Freckles of Kandelwick and her mother is Delepine Gentle Gretle. Her hips are rated GOOD by the OFA. In late 1999 she was diagnosed with a unilateral posterior cataract.

Bliss’s father is Gamir v. d. Untergass (Swiss Registry) and her mother is Gina von Garstnaeck (Slovak Registry). Bliss’ hips are rated GOOD by the OFA and her eyes have been CERFed in 1999. Neither one of them has had an electro radiogram eye test.

12. Please tell us about your pricing range and what that price entails. We are not interested in breeding or showing. Mainly interested in companion-pet, agility, frisbee, maybe field and or other activities breeder might suggest.

We generally sell our pups for $2000 on a spay/neuter contract. We sell for breeding also with various contract arrangements. If a puppy has a major fault we will sell them for $1500. A major fault is brown coat, blue eyes, no white on face, etc.

13. What shots and worming do your puppies have before home placement?

They have their first shot between 6-7 weeks plus one worming if it’s needed. If we keep them longer than 8 weeks then they can get additional shots.

14. What brand of puppy food do you feed your puppies and what brands do your adult dogs prefer? Do you practice any supplements i.e. vitamins etc.?

We feed Avo Maintenance Chicken and Rice and Avo Puppy to the puppies and lactating bitches. There are other good products out there also. We have started feeding Solid Gold or Hundenflakken also. Make sure there are no byproducts or preservatives and make sure the protein and fat contact are not that high. A puppy should be taken off of puppy chow between 4 and 6 months. We feed our dogs lots of good stuff with their kibble: veggies and fruit and some wet food. We supplement with brewers yeast and flax seed oil. We give them garlic and yeast tablets as treats, which helps with fleas. You have to watch the treat factor and make sure they are lowfat. We know of some Entlebuchers who get a pig ear per day and they are fat! We only give those kinds of treats once per week.

15. Please inform us of your contract policies.

We will make our contract available to serious persons. It is 3 pages long and protects you the buyer and us the seller. The most important thing to us is that we keep track of our puppies in the future. We have the first option to take back the puppy/dog if it is unwanted. We will not allow a puppy/dog from our kennel to be resold or given away without our knowledge. We want an ongoing relationship with our puppy buyers. If potential puppy buyers don’t feel comfortable with this arrangement, we can refer you to another breeder who is not so strict in their policies.

16. Please send us family references of your dog owners.

Grace Albraldes, gracie@accessone.com

Lorain and Chuck Nicholson, xsytro@aol.com

Jolee Ford, jdford@kalama.com

Wilhelm and Christiane Radermacher, ChWiRa@aol.com

Carole and David Leer, theLeers@aol.com

17. How involved do you like to be in the life of the puppy?

As I said before we like to hear how our puppy is doing and if there are any problems also. We require all buyers to get eye tests and hip tests after the age of two. We need to track the health of our pups. We love to get pictures and when they are grown up (after 2 years old) we want to know height, weight etc. and most importantly their behavior. We keep a photo album of every litter and love to have pictures as they mature and become adult dogs. We enjoy helping out with training and behavioral questions. (Gina is the Training Resources Chair for NEMDA).

18. Please indicate the clubs that you belong to.

We belong to NEMDA, the National Entlebucher Mountain Dog Association. We are also Breeders Code of Ethics with NEMDA. Also, the Humane Society of USA and Columbia County

19. What diseases or genetic defects do you test for?

We test eyes and hips and we do a blood profile to make sure there is no cancer or other health concerns not common to the breed. There is more information about the specific diseases in our website.

20. Have there been any other problems noted with the dam or sire of any of your litters? If so, what?

Shaman’s first litter was very healthy. Our second breeding of Shaman, in 1998, did not end well. Three puppies died mysteriously and the necropsies did not show the cause, despite us sending the tissues to specialists all across the United States. None of the puppies from her first litter have developed any problems. Both dogs we have used for stud are healthy with no problems. This was our first breeding of Bliss. She had 6 healthy puppies.

21. How old is the dam you plan to breed? How many times or how often has she been bred?

Bliss was 2 years old August 7^th, 1999 and she had her first litter in November 1999. Shaman was 4 years old June 28^th, 1999 and she has had 2 litters. We plan on breeding her January 2000. We do not do back to back breeding. We do not believe it is not good for the bitch. Their heat cycles are 5 to 8 months apart.

22. How did you choose a particular stud? Why? What is his relationship to the dam, if any?

For our last two litters we chose Elder who has a great temperament, is loyal, smart and loves children. He has excellent hips according to PennHIP and has a GOOD OFA rating.. He is almost 5 years old and his eyes are in excellent shape.

23. Is the dam a house pet/family dog or a kennel dog?

Both of our dogs are pets. They sleep in the house on the couch. They are not allowed on the bed though, that is the cats domain and besides it is 4 feet high and is small, so 2 people, 2 cats and 2 dogs do not fit!

24. How do you socialize your puppies?

This was answered above. But one thing that I did not mention was that we train them to sit at 6 weeks and to come when they are called. We start teaching them the ‘off’ command too as the Entlebucher loves to jump up on you. We don’t let them bite our hands or other parts either. We give them a good foundation for them to grow into well behaved dogs.

25. Are they around elderly people? Children? How do your dogs responds to young children?

We have older people coming over lots and they love them all. Bliss who barks at most everyone initially, loves our 76 year old friend of Asian descent and never barks at her when she visits. My 92 year old grandmother came to visit one time when Shaman was younger and she seemed to know that she had to treat her more gently. Children come over lots too and first thing the girls do is go get their toys, as they want to play with them.

26. What type of temperament testing do you do?

We follow the guidelines from the Monks of New Skete. But since we spend so much time with our pups the test usually just confirms what we already know about them.

27. Do you plan to keep a puppy from this litter? How do you choose a puppy to keep? If not, why?

No. We think having two girls is enough. But if we were to choose we would go for temperament and good health first, and then for markings.

28. What faults do the sire/dam have?

Bliss’ legs and feet are her weak points. Her toes are somewhat splayed and her front feet are not as straight as they should be. But she has a beautiful head and topline. She is the fastest Entle that we have seen and is a true pleasure to watch. Shaman is underwhite on her front feet, with just a little white on a couple of her toes. Both are true to the breed for proper height and weight. The perfect Entlebucher doesn’t exist so we take a realistic look at our girls and do the best to diminish the faults and promote the strengths.

29. Do you show your own dogs?

No, they are working farm dogs. However, they both have been awarded their Canine Good Citizen Certificate which is a 10 point test administered under a variety of situations.

30. What health defects are your puppies examined and guaranteed for?

We get each pup fully checked out by our breeding veterinarian and each gets a health certificate. We cannot guarantee that the pups will be free of eye disease or hip dysplasia as you cannot test for that at such a young age. But we do have guidelines in our contract in case there are problems.

31. What training do you recommend and at what age?

We recommend lots of good training at home and provide a training book and video for all our families. We require puppy kindergarten (3 or 4 classes for socialization purposes) as part of our contract. At 4 to 6 months we require Level 1 obedience training. Those classes will fine tune what you have already taught them and continue to expose them to other dogs. These dogs love treats and seem to enjoy going to class and you’ll be amazed at how fast they learn. The key is for all members to use consistent training techniques.

32. Do you find your puppies have dependent personalities or independent?

We think Entlebuchers have dependent personalities, since they choose to be at your side most of the time. They can certainly be strong willed and stubborn, but I would not call the Entlebucher breed independent. Just like people, their personalities vary from one pup to the next and that is why we try so hard to fit the right pup to the right family.

33. As a breeder, what types of special precautions do you recommend should be taken with Entle puppies?

ummm… these pups are hardy so they do not need coddling, It is very important to socialize to as many different people and situations as possible during their first 6 months of life. We know of people who have had their dogs secluded due to various disease outbreaks and they have either been extremely shy or very aggressive to both people and other dogs. All members of the family should play alpha roles. Even the children can play a part in this. The child can make the puppy sit before a treat or food is given. Socializing and training at an early stage is very important to this breed. If an Entlebucher is left alone, untrained and unsocialized you will have a major problem on your hands. If a person is not dedicated to spending the time doing this, then this is not the breed for you.

34. If an owner cannot keep a dog, for what ever reason, what is your breeder policy?

We will either take the dog back or help you to find a good home, but we are always involved.

35. If a dog develops certain faults, what is your breeder policy?

It depends on what it is, as I said before we cannot guarantee certain things. If you bought it for breeding and cannot breed it we can make special arrangements at the time of the purchase or later in the future. We are happy to share our contract with potential clients.

36. Are your puppies tattooed or micro chipped? Do you have a preferred choice of identification that you would recommend?

Shaman and Bliss have been chipped since they were puppies. The NEMDA registry has just been created and the requirement is for them to be micochipped. Our pups will have microchips before they leave our kennel. The microchip is a number that can be associated with the future owner. You can also tattoo your dog but the microchip is preferred these days as most Humane Societies have the scanners to read the chip.

37. What else do you supply your puppy buyers with?

We give them a one-year membership to NEMDA (National Entlebucher Mountain Dog Association). Also we give them a puppy training book and a puppy training video. The book is for them to keep; we ask that the videos be returned for the next litter. The books and tape are by Ian Dunbar. We also supply our puppy buyers with one week of puppy food. If puppy owners live out of the area, we ask them to fly to pick their pup up. We supply a Sherpa Bag to carry the pup on the plane.

38. Oops, I almost forgot, do you dock the tails?

We decided not to dock our puppy tails when the European standards changed. In most countries in Europe tail docking and ear cropping are not allowed. The standard for the Entlebucher tail can be either long or short. Shaman tends to throw naturally bobbed tails but sometimes there is a kink in the tail and in that case we do dock the puppies that need it.

We hope this provides further insight into Eagleheart Entlebuchers and if you have any other questions please contact us.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Katlin@entlebuchers.net