We got our other half of our Morkie breeding operation, our female maltese. We have decided to name her Claire, but we usually call her Claire Bear.  She is a sweetie.  I wanted then to be close to the same age, but wanted to get Frisco housetrained and started on obedience before getting the second puppy.  It has been a great experience, but keeps us very very busy.  She is very quiet and is truly a lap dog.  She just wants to lay with you and of course on you!

My mother-in-law was gracious enough to take a few great photos of our little Frisco over the holidays. He is getting so big and he loves the snow!  He played outside with the kids for about an hour.  But then he got cold (even with his vest on) and barked at them to let him in!

We did complete his AKC registration online in December and his registered name is “Frisco Oliver Tag-a-long” .  He is looking great and is in line with all breed standards with exceptional health .  He is not yet done growing, but everything looks promising.  I think that it is very important to look at all of these factors when breeding.  A healthy dog that meets all standards is the only animal that should be used for breeding purposes.  It is important not to produce puppies that are not exceptional!

We did board him for a few days over the holidays and he was the hit of the kennel.  The workers at the boarding facility just could not get over how well-behaved he was.  They kept telling me that he was just a very content boy that only showed an appropriate excitement when they took him out for his playtime.  They could not get over the fact that he did not join in when the other dogs would bark and get what they called “wound-up”.  He just played with his toys and ignored them.

They asked me what approach we were using.  I told them that we were using the techniques of Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer.  I suggest that everyone who is looking at getting a puppy reads his book “The Perfect Dog” before getting your new family addition.  We have had many dogs, but this has been the least stressful puppyhood we have ever had.  The kids have all learned the techniques and use them appropriately as well. Calm assertive energy is certainly the key!

I promise to get back to reviewing the different registries now that the holidays are over.  With all of the extra activities it was really hard to find the time to keep up with it all!

AKC Registration

The American Kennel Club was founded in 1884 and is the largest purebred dog registry in the world. The AKC is what most people think of when they think of a dog registry because of its reputation and longevity.  When we purchased our first purebred pups several years ago, this was the only registry that we encountered.  When speaking to breeders that had switched to or used other registries they stressed that the AKC had become a challenge to work with.  When inquiring further most had concerns with the DNA testing that must occur if a dog sires more than 7 litters per year.  They said that the costs incurred with litter registry, as well as the DNA registry for their sire, they were not able to clear as much profit as they could with using another registry. 

The AKC has  nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs and affiliated organizations.  The AKC conducts regular inspections of many breeding facilities.  The following details about these inspections can be found on their web site.  (http://www.akc.org/about/depts/investigations.cfm )

“ AKC field inspections involve several steps. Inspectors begin by examining the dogs as well as the condition of their environment. Inspectors check to ensure all the dogs have proper identification. They review breeder records, which must be maintained for at least five years.

AKC inspects breeders who register seven or more litters per year. AKC also randomly selects some breeders who register between four and six litters a year for inspection.

In addition, AKC inspects breeders based on written, signed and substantiated complaints.

Inspectors enforce the AKC Care and Conditions policy to ensure that dogs have access to adequate food, water and shelter and that kennel space provided them is appropriately constructed and not overcrowded. If a dog appears to have a health issue, inspectors make sure it is being addressed.

Through kennel visits, inspectors seek to work with breeders to help correct any deficiencies, as well as help new breeders develop effective practices and procedures. The standard penalty for anyone convicted of animal cruelty involving dogs is a 10-year suspension and a $2,000 fine.”

The AKC also conducts DNA tests during these inspections to ensure parentage of puppies.  The AKC’s Frequently Used Sire program (FUS), reguires DNA tests  for dogs that sire seven or more litters in a lifetime or more than three litters in one calendar year. On average, 45 percent of all AKC litters that are registered each year come from an dog that has been DNA tested.   The AKC has over 425,000 DNA profiles in its DNA database. 

The AKC will not register dogs based on other dog registries paperwork.  The AKC registrations are accepted by most of the other registries.

This is the beginning of a five part series about the 5 major registries I encountered when I was looking for a purebred puppy.  It had been a while since we had searched for a purebred dog with papers and I was amazed that there were so many registries out there! When working through all of my questions to breeders, I soon learned that “with papers” cannot be taken as cut and dry as it once was.  As I encountered each new registry I researched their standards, breeder requirements and pedigree information.  This is meant to be a summary of information that I have found on the web site of each registry.  I know that there are many out there that have their own preferences for one registry or another, but this is meant to be a summary of what each offers.  Here are the different registries and the order in which the blog posts will be written.

1.  AKC  American Kennel Club
2. UKC  United Kennel Club
3. ACA American Canine Association
4. APRI America’s Pet Registry Inc.
5. CKC Continental Kennel Club

This journey began at a large chain pet store that my teenage daughters drug me into.  I say that they drug me in there because they wanted to see the puppies and I am very, very against pet stores selling large numbers of puppies from USDA licensed facilities that, in my opinion could promote bad practices in breeding.  Breeding many dogs and keeping them in kennels and cages with no real socialization is unnatural and wrong to me.  This is the attitude that I am carrying with me into the store. 

They were looking at a cute little puppy and of course the nice young man brought out the puppy to one of the little “meet the puppy” enclosures and asked them if they would like to play with the puppies.  Really? What teenage girl (or woman) is going to say “No thank you!?” , especially since the pup is right there?  They played with the pup and I took a small comfort in knowing that he was being socialized at least for a while. 

When we are leaving the puppy room, I saw the cutest puppy I have ever seen!  I know, I know every puppy is cute right? This one was amazingly adorable.  He looked just like a little Ewok from the Star Wars movies.  I have always thought that the Ewoks were exceptionally cute creatures and would often think about how cool they would be as a pet.  The fact that they were actually warriors in the movie had no effect on my very young perception of them! 
I asked the helpful young man what kind of puppy this was because his coloring was beautiful, with a cute little mask and markings.  He told me that it was a Morkie and asked me if I would like to play with him.  I declined but was really interested in this designer breed.

As I began to research the breed I became very intrigued.  I liked the characteristics of the breed.  I love the puppy stage and love having puppies around.  Since I can only have just so many dogs around I started entertaining the idea of getting my own Maltese female and Yorkie Male and creating my own small scale (2 dog) hobby breeding program, but what characteristics make the best dog?  Because I am cross breeding two purebred dogs, what should I look for in each breed?  What results will I get when crossing these 2 dogs?  Where do I look for breeders?  What registry should I be looking for? How do I know that I am getting a great quality, healthy puppy since this is going to be my foundation for my breeding program?  This blog will document my experiences on the path to a great little Morkie!