Darling Dachshunds and French Bulldogs, What a Gas!

Things have really changed

2012-01-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

Because our Dachshund sire thought he was Mr. Dominance we had him neutered and are no longer breeding Dachshunds. We had 4 perfect litters before Grimm decided picking fights with a French Bulldog that out weighs him by about 25 pounds. Yes he is a BIG French bulldog. Grimm is a little Dachshund with a 40 pound brain.

All of our French Bulldogs are finally old enough to use in our breeding program. We have had two litters an are expecting another litter in about 1.5 weeks. We have a huge waiting list so all of the puppies are already spoken for. We have been very fortunate to have all healthy puppies, one has a slightly elongated soft palate that may eventually require surgery but he is otherwise a really awesome and healthy little dude.

We now have a strict guide line we follow for naturally training the puppies to obey voice commands from a very early age. They are either fully house trained or very near it at 8 weeks. We have a great support program for our adoptive families so that anytime they have a question they may contact me or go to our resource forum and review information I continuously compile .

All things considered I feel that we are progressing much more rapidly than I dared to dream we would. Alot of that I owe to all the wonderful people who support me.

Two Litters Of Mini Dachshunds

2010-11-07T12:26:00.001-08:00

We were fortunate to have two perfect, beautiful litters of black and tan Miniature Dachshunds. There are fives males and four females. Three of the females were reserved before birth. Winter is coming on fast and will be the test of my training program for the puppies as it will mean spending time out in the cold to make sure these puppies are trained correctly and never get the idea that going potty in the house is acceptable. I am not a cold weather person so if I can concur this part of house training I know everything will go well

Picture 108.avi

2010-09-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Oops Breeding

2010-07-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well sometimes it happens though it never should...We had an oops breeding. We did not realize in time that our little Bonnie was in heat. I suspected so i had begun keeping her separate from the males. Not being sure I had not thought to tell our house guest. He , trying to be helpful got up early and let the Frenchies out to go potty. I got up to find Gibbs and Bonnie Tied. Since the deed was done we decided to go ahead and allow them to tie a few more times to insure we have a decent sized litter. Bonnie is having a very healthy pregnancy and is also filling out and looking really pretty. We expect her litter mid August.

Slug and Snail Bait...Don't Do It

2010-07-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

IMPORTANT****SLUG AND SNAIL BAIT IS A DOG KILLER

We recently went through a horrible experience I would hate to see anyoneelse endure. Last year we moved here to the country and I have dabbled in gardening for years and now finally have the opportunity to do it on a much grander scale. Well I wanted to do it right to get a good harvest. I had spotted a few slugs and signs of insect feeding on my cabbage leaves
I decided it was time to use some products to handle the problems. I purchased Correy's Slug and Snail Bait and a can of Sevin. I got up early and went out to fertilize with miracle grow and then later in the day dust with Sevin and cast the slug/snail pellets. My smallest Miniature Dachshund crawled through the fence of the dog yard into the garden. I yelled at her to get back in the dog yard and she did. But then when i went to go back into the house she followed me in (obviously once more escaped from the dog yard. I thought nothing about the slug and snail bait as I had no idea dogs would be attracted to it. About 15 minutes later i heard what sounded like dog food being scattered and snarling and growling. I jumped up and went to investigate to find my little dachshund having seizures.To make a very long story short... We ended up taking her to emergency vet care with a 50/50 chance of survival. we arrived at 9:00pm and stayed all night with her on an IV and sedated. She did not stabilize until about 4:00am. We couldn't bring her home until 5:00 pm. Even at that point she was still sedated to the point that she didn't recognize us. It took an hour being home before she recognized mike and gave him a couple little licks. She really did not relize she was home until much later in the middle of the night. Please do not use this very dangerous product around your pets. instead try one or a combination of the following methods:

Fill a small bowl with stale beer. Put it in the areas where the slugs are active. Stale beer attracts the slugs and they drown. You may also
use grape juice or a tea made from yeast, honey and water.

Oat bran will kill slugs when they eat it... sprinkle some around.

Certain herbs (Rosemary, lemon balm,wormwood, mints, tansy, oak leaves,
needles from conifers and seaweed will repel slugs. However using a
mulch of these plants will only turn the slugs away, in search of other
food sources.

Why we are companion dog breeders

2010-04-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that there are two distinct types of Ethical breeders. The Companion Dog Breeder, which spends many hours socializing their dogs/puppies to develop the right set of boundries and social skills to be the perfect family member. Their initial investment is high as they need perfect dogs to breed to achieve the right standard for the breed and be secure that their breeding dogs are genetically sound and healthy. They do this by studying genetics and having their dogs checked for genetic abnormalities, vaccinating on schedule, de worming, feed good quality food for all of their dogs and additional supplemental food for pregnant/lactating Dams. They also need to feed specially formulated food for puppies when the time comes. Where their big investment comes in is personal time with their dogs. These puppies are raised in their homes as family members in training. As a companion dog breeder you are with your dogs 24/7 with quick jaunts to the store as your only escape. You do not kennel raise companion dogs. Because your investment is not as high as Show Breeders financially you are able to charge less for your Pure bred registered puppies that are perfect for their purpose living in someones home loving and being loved.

Show Breeders Have an Extremely high initial investment because they must have not only healthy, genetically sound breeders to start out with (like the companion dog breeder) but they also have to purchase dogs with impressive pedigrees. Having these pedigrees shows that they come from a long line of champions (however this in no way means their offspring are guaranteed champion material or that their chances are any better.) Each dog must prove himself to be a champion.Most breed their dogs and raise the puppies in kennels.When they breed two dogs with fantastic pedigrees they have a fair chance of getting a show prospect but there are no guarantees. The Show breeder is breeding to get those show prospects for their show purposes and seldom sell what they would truly call show quality. However they have only a few that actually become champions. So what do they do with the puppies that they don't keep for themselves? They sell them as quality show prospects and companion puppies. They are not quite either most of the time but still are good dogs. However since they have that great pedigree you are going to pay a pretty high price. They will usually not have had the same level of socialization as those of a companion dog breeder since that is not their goal. Many will still be wonderful pets. The dogs that show potential to be champions do get abundant attention as they must be socialized for show.

Both types of ethical breeders have to deal with many of the same problems breeding these dogs. They usually need to be artificially inseminated as well as have c-section delivery of their puppies.

Really this is why I chose to be a companion dog breeder. Bottom line I love dogs and enjoy having them in the house and would not like to have them in a kennel. I am not a competitive person and would not enjoy showing my dogs. I do not like the drama involved in show politics. In my opinion some dogs do not enjoy the show ring and it is stressful for them as well as it would be for me. I want to raise my dogs only to be loved and give love.

Introducing Bonnie

2010-02-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

We have added a new Member to our family. I would like to introduce "Frenchie Kisses Blue Bonnet" AKA "Bonnie". Bonnie is a black/brindle and white Piebald. she is 6 months old and so sweet. She is on the small side at 16 lbs. now and most likely will not be more than 20 lbs. as an adult. She will not be ready to breed until next winter (most likely.)
we are really looking forward to seeing what her and our gorgeous "Huggabull Special Agent Gibbs" AKA "Gibbs" will produce.

Why don't we show our dogs?

2010-01-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

People tell me that my male Frenchie is gorgeous and ask "Why don't you show him?" there are a few reasons that we don't show our dogs and none of those reasons have to do with the quality or lack of quality in our dogs. The main reason I choose not to show is that Showing in itself does not necessarily better the breed. Some would argue that point as your dog is judged for the standards and being the ultimate specimen of the breed. My problem with this concept is that in order to achieve some of the very characteristics that make the ultimate specimen of the breed you may be violating ethical codes to do it. Inbreeding or line breeding (a milder form of inbreeding ) can produce a beautiful specimen with all the qualities to make that one dog almost perfect. However it can also breed in some undesirable traits down the line or even in the siblings of that particular dog. ( the brother they keep in the basement.) Many people would condone this type of breeding just for the glory of having a gorgeous dog. If in doubt check this out! http://www.puppygramnet.com/canine_dog_history.html (Thank you Mary Beers)

Another reason I do not show is that in order to show I would need to travel. We live way out in the hills 30 miles from the nearest city. I would have to leave my other dogs and puppies at home. I will not trust a pet sitter with my dogs and puppies.

As far as I am concerned adding stress to a dogs life just so I can say I have a Grand Champion, is selfish.

In addition I would rather spend the money it takes to show dogs on the dogs themselves rather than playing "My dog is better than your dog" at the expense of my other dogs

Miniature Dachshunds

2010-01-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

This Is Ziva one of our Miniature Dachshund Dams. She and her Sister Katelyn will be Bred for the first time in the Summer to Fall of 2010. They have both Dapple and Pied coloring in their bloodlines so it will be like a box of Cracker jacks anticipating what we will get. Ziva is long coated and very petite, while Katie is smooth coated with a more stream lined conformation. Grimm our Sire is shaped much the same as Katelyn. We asre really looking forward to next year when all of our Dams will be old enough to breed, Dachshunds and Frenchies alike.

Frenchie Kisses Procedures

2009-10-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

We live in the hills of Southern Washington where we raise our beautiful French Bulldogs in our home.From day one our puppies are handled and loved. We assist each whelping, The Dam is never left alone once we suspect whelping is emanate. We check puppies for formation and respiration immediately to insure that they are perfectly formed and breathing freely. If necessary we have a incubator standing by to keep them warm and dry if the Dam is birthing another pup or is not immediately caring for the puppy. We have fresh receiving blankets handy in a warmer to place the puppy in as soon as we cut / shred the Umbilical cord. (Shredding the Umbilical cord with your clean fingernails mimics how the mother chews it.) We do allow the mother to do this if she is willing. Occasionally you will have a dog that is just not into it and you must assist. French Bulldogs are rather a strange breed as they seem to want you to do it for them. Our Abigail is very funny she was very tired from laboring and was very happy with us doing the delivery procedure for her. The puppies are each weighed and their weight and time of birth is recorded. I give them a birth name when they are born so that each puppy is recorded correctly. We may or may not change the name later.For about the first week the puppies are kept close by and monitored. French Bulldogs are very heavy and have been known to lay on their puppies and they can be smothered and die. The puppies dewclaws are removed when they are a few days old since the nerves have not developed yet and it is fairly painless. We begin worming the puppies at about three weeks and it is maintained biweekly. They receive vaccinations at 8,10,12 and 14 weeks of age if we have them that long. They are usually in their forever homes by somewhere between 10 and 12 weeks and vaccination is then the responsibility of their new family. Just before they are delivered to their new family we take them to the vet for their well puppy check. If everything checks out okay we then will release them to their new family. If for any reason you had chosen a puppy that was found to have a condition we would inform you of the condition and let you decide if it was acceptable. If not, any deposit you might have paid would be refunded to you. We do ship puppies within the USA and parts of Canada that are close to the Washington border.

If You Want to Own a Unique Pet, Try a French Bulldog

2009-10-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

French Bulldogs are unusual in many ways. They are not your typical dog. They are very catlike in their action and appearance as well, with those big bat ears. They also make kitty noises until they develop a real dog bark. It is really like having the best of both worlds, a catdog. They are little jiggly bundles of love that just want to please their person or people. They easily learn to do tricks and are very entertaining.

Frenchies are also very vocal but not obnoxious barkers. They growl, grunt, gurgle and meow as well as snorting, snoring and yes, even whistling in their sleep. These can be very endearing traits, however they do have one trait nobody enjoys, they are gassy at times and it can make your toes curl. Our female, who should be sweet and feminine can pack a whale of an aroma. The Male doesn't have this problem, though most do. It can be obnoxious but it does make it easier to "blame it on the dog." See, everything about a Frenchie is really truly good!

Since getting a French Bulldog I can truly say they are my favorite breed. Having a pet that is satisfied to follow you from room to room just to be with you, is so sweet. I am not saying they are never naughty. Our little female is a sneaky little girl. If she comes to you with her ears down looking guilty, you can be pretty sure you will find something she thinks you are going to be mad about. Like if she has an accident on the floor or chews up a piece of paper. She is still quite young and not through her puppy behavior stages yet. With Frenchies one must be very patient as they sometimes take longer to house train than other breeds.

When it comes to breeding, there is a misconception. They may require artificial insemination but this is not carved in stone. Ours are free breeders, which means they are capable of breeding naturally. It has also been said they must have a c-section. Ours also have natural birth. We may own the exceptions to the rule but it is possible. The breeding problems that are often encountered is the reason the breed is very expensive to purchase.

We don't know what to expect from our new pair when it comes time to breed them. It will be an interesting adventure breeding these gorgeous little darlings.

Check out our Frenchies at http://frenchiekisseskennel.com