Any litter we breed is primarily produced with the intent to retain another generation of show dogs and to improve upon what we have been able to take to the showring so far. That of course also means they must first and foremost be healthy and of sound temperament, as they are also our pets.

All puppies, then, are by their breeding of the same quality. We have had very consistent litters, and that makes it quite a challenge for us to choose which puppy will then become a show dog. Both temperament and looks matter in this regard, but we have found it quite impossible to tell much difference between individuals' temperaments. It is much more a matter of nurture rather than nature how our puppies develop relative to each other.

As far as looks go, there is also not always necessarily a 'best' puppy to pick and we have sometimes thought, when we saw another of our breeding later on, that it matured into the better looking dog than the one we retained. Such is life - until a puppy is about 10 months old one can not tell for sure!

We sometimes get people asking whether a puppy as a pet could be sold to them without papers and therefore at a cheaper price. All our puppies need to be registered with the ANKC, whether on full or limited papers is the only choice. The cost for both is the same.

We usually sell our puppies to pet homes with an agreement that the puppy is to be desexed once it is old enough, to ensure good health and no unwanted puppies. We register those puppies on limited papers for this reason, rather than on full registration for showing and breeding. Puppies on limited register can participate in obedience and agility competitions, they just can not be bred from to register purebred offspring.

We sometimes may consider placing an entire male with a family or a show home, with the option to collect his semen in the future or use him at stud. Such arrangements would have to be made with a show agreement in place.

The application for registration of a litter can be made to the ANKC once all puppies have been paid for by their new owners and the new owners' details are known, so it is usually done once the puppies have left for their new homes at 8 weeks old. It then usually takes 2 weeks for the registration to be processed. The registration papers are sent back to the breeder for checking, and are then sent on to the new owner by the breeder.