GREATER MONROE KENNEL CLUB
                  Monroe, NC             
                                                    

                    
                                       All Breed Club            
                                       














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOG MYTHS

A dog with AKC papers must be good quality. AKC is simply a registration body.   As stringent as AKC is in verifying "pure-blooded breed registration" it can not and does not register quality.  It doesn't matter if the puppy is purple with 7 legs. AKC registration does not ensure health, temperament or even if the dog will truly resemble their breed.

If the sire/dam were of the same breed and registered with the AKC on a full registration, the puppy can be registered.

It's critical to choose a responsible breeder to best ensure you are getting a healthy puppy. It also ensures the pup will have the traits that made you choose that particular breed, such as temperament and appearance.

Ask and expect the breeder to have tested their breeding stock with known faults within the breed you are desiring.
Purebred dogs aren't as healthy as mixed. Not necessarily. A purebred dog from a responsible breeder will come from health tested stock. They have predicable traits, even down to what health issues they may have.

So few purebred dogs come from responsible breeders, it's no wonder people think that "all purebred" dogs have issues.

Did you know that over 80% of purebred dogs are produced by one-time breeders? These people breed Fluffy to Fido without knowledge of potential problems.
All dogs within a chosen breed are pretty much created equal. All though predicable traits are one of the positives of purebred dogs, the dogs are not stamped out of a giant cookie cutter. Where you purchase your puppy could very likely be more important than what breed you choose.

All breeders are not created equal and the importance of breeder shopping as opposed to puppy shopping can't be stressed enough.

There will always be another litter, don't rush into purchasing the first pup you can find.
Rare colors, "teacups" and extreme sizes (extra-large/small) are worth more money than their littermates. Often time "rare" colors are considered mis-marks within the breed standard. Read up on your breed before purchasing and understand which colors are permissible. Mis-marks should typically be sold at a lower cost as they are considered pet marked. Note: mis-marked dogs can be registered with the AKC and can compete in most any AKC event except for conformation.

Be leery of extreme sizes as sometimes it can come at the cost of health issues. Some breeds have minimum and/or maximum height or weight requirements. Any breeder striving to produce a dog outside of their breed's standard should not be considered responsible and their motives for breeding should be questioned.

There is no AKC "teacup" breed. period!
You only want a pet, so there is no need to go to a "show breeder". Conformation showing is how a dog conforms to their breed standard. This is important, even if you want "just a pet".

Good conformation ensures a dog's body's structure is  built to avoid early crippling problems. For instance, poor conformation can lead to problems with the spine or legs that can result in lameness and more serious injuries.

Showing a dog in conformation is an opportunity to gather unbiased opinions on breeding stock. Without these unbiased opinions, a breeder can let their personal affections for dogs cloud breeding decisions (this is called kennel blindness) by over looking the dog's faults.

Showing connects breed fanciers, allowing breeders to be aware of current needs, trends or problems within a breed. It also allows a breeder the chance to find better mates, as their search isn't typically restricted to what is in their backyard.

Even the best litters have pet puppies in it. Breeding champion to champion does not mean all the puppies can become champions (which is why starting with mediocre or poor specimens results in even poorer quality offspring).
When looking for a purebred puppy, make sure there are no repeated dogs in the pedigree. That means they are inbred and more prone to problems. Breeding related dogs can be referred to as line-breeding or in-breeding, depending on how closely related the dogs are.

Neither line-breeding or in-breeding themselves are bad, nor do they create good or bad offspring. It all lies in the selection of the breeding stock.

Line-breeding or in-breeding can be a useful tools for breeders, to set traits. This can be beneficial in making the breeding results more predictable and fixing problems within a breed.

Some of the most influential dogs in their breed are line-bred.  When these line-bred dogs are bred to others, their strong traits can be passed along to their offspring.

The problems happen when there are health, temperament and/or structure problems with the breeding dogs. All the problems are concentrated in the puppies.
Certain breeds are hypoallergenic. Some breeds do not shed or shed very little perhaps once a year but they are not hypoallergenic.  Most individuals allergic to their dogs are sensitive to the dander carried on the skin and hair.  The dander is made up of skin flakes, dried saliva, dust particles, microscopic mites, etc. that fall into their environment.
 
When a dog scoots on its bottom  it has worms.  Dogs have anal glands (scent glands) just inside their rectum.  When they become full or itchy "scooting" helps to relieve the fullness and helps to scratch the itch.
Dogs are sick when their noses are warm. Another "old wives tale".  The temperature or whether it is dry or wet does not indicate sickness or health.  The only way to check a dog's temperature is to take it.  Normal temperature should be 100.5 to 102.5 degrees F.
A wagging tail means a happy dog.  A wagging tail can mean the dog is happy but you must look at the overall "signs" the dog is providing.  

Look for clues of aggression like laid back ears, hair on the back standing up, any display of teeth, and just a slight wag of the tail.

When a dog is happy the ears are up, the hair on the back is down and smooth and the whole body is wagging. 
 

Let a dog lick a wound because the saliva acts as an antiseptic and will cleanse the wound. Dog's mouths are filled with germs just like our mouths are filled with germs.  But we generally brush our teeth every day..  Let's look at it this way... have you ever heard of "dog breath"?  Stinky dog breath means germs and lots of them.  Veterinarians to prevent a dog from licking wounds will have them wear Elizabethan collars.  

One more thing to think about.  Dogs lick and sniff butts.... enough said.

Females should be bred before spaying? Not true. Dogs are no better. Actually, spayed dogs have less occurrences of breast cancer and uterine problems.
Are dogs color blind?   Dogs can see in color but only on a very limited spectrum.  They are specifically red-green color blind.  For a better understanding of the canine eye check this website. Dr. P's Dog Training Canine Vision or http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/DrP4.htm

Dogs see a brighter and less detailed world when compared to humans. Peripheral vision is better than humans (dogs see more of the world), but distance is not judged quite as well. Dogs excel at night vision and the detection of moving objects.

Only male dogs  "hump" or lift their leg to urinate.
 		Sorry, not true.  Females, especially bossy females whether they are spayed or not in an effort to be dominant will "mark" their territory, scratch off, and "hump" other dogs and object.
Table scraps are good for dogs. Some table scraps are fine.  Such as most raw vegetables (no onions) and fruits.  

But cooked bones a fat are not.  The sharp splinters of cooked bones can cause gastro punctures or lacerations.  Fat can cause gastro upsets like pancreatitis.

Household "pet dogs" don't need to be trained.
 		Every dog should be socialized and properly trained.  
Saved the best for last

YOU CAN’T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS. 

 

 

Please!.  Give an old dog a break.  Dogs are just like people in their ability to learn.... they can learn anything you take the time to teach them!  Dogs will continue to learn because they want to please their families.  As dogs age they may have limitations but they can and want to learn new tricks, commands, and skills until the day they pass away.  

  Updated: Tuesday, September 05, 2006