Q. You mentioned the puppies are checked by an opthamologist - are they also checked for hip dysplasia? Thank you    

A. The puppies are too young to be checked for hip dysplasia at 8 weeks old.

Hip dysplasia is a polygenic condition , meaning that it is caused by several genes. It is the most common inherited orthopedic disease in large and giant breed dogs. While there is a severe form of the disease that affects young dogs under one year old, it is more common in older dogs. When and if younger dogs are affected, they usually exhibit symptoms between 5 - 13 months of age.

Large and giant-breed dogs are more likely to get hip dysplasia later in life if they are overfed and gain weight quickly as puppies. If you have such a puppy, you may be able to reduce the chance of future hip dysplasia by careful feeding. Your veterinarian can help you determine the right body weight and diet for your dog. That is why it is vitally important to feed the correct food for your puppy's age and size. We feed a Large Breed Puppy Food to all of our puppies . It helps to ensure that they get the proper amount of calcium , vitamins and nutrients so important to bone growth and development. Yes it does cost a bit more but it is worth it to make sure that your puppy develops properly.

In order to have a dog certified free of Hip Dysplasia by the OFA ( Orthopedic Foundation for Animals ) , the dog must be X- rayed after it is 24 months of age. If a dog is found to be dysplastic , it should not be used for breeding as this condition could very well be passed down through future generations.

So do yourself and your puppy a favour and feed only a high quality puppy food designed specifically for the size that the dog will be at maturity . Also watch how many treats you give your pup or dog, too many will be killing them with kindness if they grow too fast or get too heavy and end up with hip dysplasia.

Q. Why do you charge the same price for your dogs even if I don't want the registration papers for my dog? Why should I pay $400 more for something that I don't even want? Other breeders have offered me dogs without papers for a much lower price.

A. First of all , the papers don't cost the buyer anything at all . You should never be given two prices for a purebred dog. The papers belong to the dog and not to the breeder. In Canada , it is the law that the papers MUST be given to the new owners at no extra cost. As a CKC member , it only costs between $50- $75 to register and transfer a pup to a new owner. The difference is averaged to reflect different numbers of pups in a litter. If you have bought a dog or pup from someone who offers you two prices, you have two options. You can leave and go to a reputable breeder or you can tell the seller that you want the lower price and then demand that they give you the papers which belong to the dog. It is also recommended that you file a complaint with the CKC against this person so that this doesn't happen again . All dogs and pups must be identified by the breeder by either tattoo or microchip prior to the animal leaving the breeder's home. I hope this has been helpful in explaining the difference and your rights as a pet buyer.

Q. Why is it that you only have a few letters on your guest book and your comments page ? I also noticed that they keep changing.

A. We prefer to keep our site current and our guest book uncluttered, so for that reason , we regularly delete old letters and comments and add the new or recent ones. I have been to some sites, where they have over 100 pages in their guest book and some letters date back several years. I , myself, prefer to read recent comments as it reflects what is happening in the present and can help me form an up to date opinion.

Something else that we do, is to use the year as well when adding dates to our web site. There is nothing worse than going to a web site and seeing that pups will be born in September but no year is given ...then you notice somewhere else on the site that it hasn't been updated since 2002. So wherever possible , we try to remember to include the year as well .

Q. Is it normal for collies when fed to take their time? I am so used to labs who almost inhale their food.  She takes 1 piece and walks to middle of the floor or even to the next room to eat it and then comes back for another one. 

A. Quite often dogs will eat slowly , even one piece at a time , when there is no competition for the food or if the food is left down all day . Our first collie, April did the same thing. The best way to have her eat all of the food is to only leave it down for 10 or 15 minutes. Whatever she doesn't eat during that time gets taken away until the next meal time . It will only take a couple times of doing this, before the dog realizes that it has a set meal time and that is when it should eat. You should also make the dog sit before you give it the food , and then place it down so that the dog realizes that the food comes from you and not from the floor upon which its dish sits.This also helps to establish you as the "Alpha" in the house , not the dog . Many times a dog will be slow eating their food also , if they are fed a lot of treats during the day . You can take a small portion of the dog's daily food ration and dole this out as treats so that he or she is still getting their normal food ration throughout the day .

Q. How do I keep my dog from jumping up on my kids and myself all the time ? It happens when we are playing or if the dog wants attention , sometimes even grabbing our pant legs and nipping at us.

A. The dog is jumping and nipping to get attention . The dog , like some children don't differentiate between good attention and bad attention. Even if you are using reprimands, the dog still has your full attention. When the dog does a behavior that you don't like such as jumping or nipping to get your attention, just ignore it ! Stand up , straight like a tree, cross your arms over your chest and just stare at the horizon or the wall or the ceiling ... anywhere but at the dog. The dog will be puzzled at first and then it will realize that its behavior caused you to stop paying attention to it. Once the dog has calmed down and stopped the bad behavior , you can calmly praise the dog. Even if there are times when you are just sitting watching tv or reading and you notice that the dog is laying quietly, reach over and pet it and tell it what a good dog it is , again , calmly. The dog will think " Hmmm, I wasn't doing anything and I got praised, maybe this is what I should do more often ".

Q. Will my collie be the same colour as an adult as he is when I buy him as a puppy?

A. Tri coloured pups will be virtually the same colour as adults. Blue merles will be close to the same colour, however , those with black splotching will look darker as the black hair grows. Sables can start out dark and then lighten over the next couple years . Then the sables will start to darken each year for the next 3 or 4 years until they reach their final shading. Have a look at the parents and it can give you somewhat of an idea of what colour your pup may be when full grown .

Q. I have heard that dogs should go to an obedience class. Do you think it is a good idea or even necessary if I don't want to show my dog or have it compete in obedience classes? Is it just another way for trainers to try to get rich off of dog owners?

A. Obedience classes are a must if you want a well trained and well socialized puppy. These classes usually start at around 12 weeks of age and are excellent for socializing the pups to other dogs as well as other people. A good trainer will take you through different scenarios and show you how to handle your dog when certain circumstances arise. They will also teach you how to properly walk your dog and to be able to control your dog both off leash and on leash. These trainers are not just out to get your money. They work hard for what they do and many take courses upon courses just to keep updated. We highly recommend a trainer by the name of Charlie White , who runs "Better Dog" training and obedience classes. Charlie and his wife Janice have stores and obedience classes in both Stratford , Ontario and Mitchell , Ontario . A link to Charlie's site can be found on our " Recommended Reading " page. You will be given homework to practise with your dog and make sure you do it! Going once or twice a week and then not carrying through with the homework, won't do you or the dog any good. If there was only one special gift that you could buy for your dog , let it be an obedience and puppy socialization class with a qualified trainer.

Q. I noticed that you don't let your puppies go home until they are 8 weeks old but some places told me I can have my pup at 5 or 6 weeks. Why do you keep them so long ?

A. The weeks between 5 weeks and 8 weeks are very crucial in a puppy's life for its socialization in the pack and for it to learn its place in the pack, so to speak . Not all pups are the " Alpha " or leader pup. During weeks 5 - 8 , the pup learns to accept others as Alpha and to get along with other pups. Taking the pups from the litter earlier than 8 weeks can lead to socialization problems later in life for the pups. Another very crucial thing that you can do , is to enroll your puppy in an obedience class so that it can interact with other dogs who are not in its litter and with new people . This is vitally important to the mental well being of your puppy.

Q. I will be going to watch a dog show soon and I was wondering if I can take my puppy with me .

A. If the dog show is indoors, dogs who are not entered in the show are not allowed to be on the premises. If the dog show is held outdoors, the rules are more relaxed and you can take your dog , provided you keep it under control at all times and that it does not interfere with the show.

Q. Why do you tattoo your puppies? Doesn't that hurt them ?

A. The pups are tattooed as a means of identification . All CKC registered dogs must be identified with either a tattoo or a microchip. We have developed a method, that we use, that is completely painless when tattooing the pups. The CKC has indicated that once microchipping becomes the preferred method of identification for over half of the CKC membership, it will be the only means of identification.

Q.In your web site , you talk about " normal eyes", what does that mean?

A. Collie have a genetic dispostion to an eye condition known as Collie Eye Anomaly or CEA. Mild cases of CEA don't affect the vision , it just indicates that the eye may have a different shape to the retina or some " irregularity" which also does not affect vision. The more severe cases can result in reduced vision or even blindness . We have all of our puppies certified by a canine opthamologist and you receive the original report when you buy your puppy. There is more information available on our web site under " Collie Eye Anomaly " and lots of info available online if you would like to read extensively on it . Of course , our opthamologist is always available to speak with you, if you have any more questions .