General Information from Brendael English Springer Spaniels

Responsible Puppy Buying

If you are looking to purchasing a puppy, you should research the breed to make sure that this the breed for you. Then look for a responsible breeder from which to obtain your puppy. This web site has a lot of information about English Springer Spaniels and how to purchase a puppy or dog. Suggestions for purchasing a puppy can be found on the purchasing a puppy page. A description of a responsible breeder can be found on the responsible breeder page.

Dogs and Children

Never, never, never, for any reason allow your puppy or adult dog to be unsupervised with young children, period. The best temperament and training in the world can not prevent accidents from happening. If you are not there, you will not be able to prevent an accident. You will have to rely on a young child to tell you what happened. Neither young children nor puppies are reliable. So putting them together unsupervised is asking for trouble. If you, or another adult, cannot supervise them, place the puppy in a crate or play pen. That is the safest place. Supervised, young children should be taught how to work with your dog after the dog has been taught the individual exercises reliably by you. Children enjoy and can learn so much from their canine companions.

Nutrition

Feeding dogs can be a very controversial subject. After consulting with a canine nutritionist and changing my feeding program, I have decreased or eliminated many of the subtle skin and ear problems from my dogs that can be found in Springers. Good health for dogs, as well as people, requires variety and fresh food in the diet. To meet this need I add fresh foods to a dry dog food base. Since heat and processing destroys or alters the nutrients in foods, I add supplements that return what is lost back into the diet. Follow the link to further information on my feeding program.

Breeding

Breeding is not a "right"; it is a choice and a major responsibility. It is scientifically proven that a spayed or neutered your puppy has less chance of developing certain kinds of cancers. You also do not have to put up with the twice yearly season in females and inappropriate behavior in males. Consider the number of unwanted and stray dogs today, by not breeding your puppy. The second major source of unwanted pets is pet owners who breed their animals without realizing the responsibilities of placing the puppies and not taking into account hereditary health issues. If you are still considering breeding your puppy, you should strive to be a responsible breeder. For more information go to the responsible breeding page.

Alphabet Soup?

Several years ago I wrote an article for the newsletter for our local obedience club. It was an explaination about the different titles that follow our dogs' names. If you are interested in reading the article, follow the link here.