PUPPIES - EUROPEAN DOBERMANS - KENNEL CANIS MAXIMUS
About breeding and European breeding Ethics
Breeding is like Art. The more talent you have, the better the result is going to be. Every breeding is an act of creative mind combined with enough funds, thourough research and proper preparation.
But not every breeder follows this. You do not have to be creative or talented to breed a male to a female you have. Or your dog to your neighbor's dog. Or to breed your 15 females to the same stud over and over again. You don't need much brain to do this either. No Art in this. Just money making.
Breeding ethics vary from kennel to kennel, from country to country. Keep your mind open and this will save you from being disappointed.
What AKC considers a reputable breeder differs A LOT from what some of the mainstream breeders think. What you prefer is purely your personal choice.
Is it possible to achieve any significant success with one or two litters a year? I don't know. In Europe things are very different. First of all, most national breed clubs don't limit the breeders. They don't need to. Europe has never been plagued by puppy mills and backyard breeders. Stringent breeding requirements filter out everything unwanted. Most breed clubs require a dog to be shown at least once with a satisfactory placement. Working dogs are required to pass working trials. A lot of breeds have mandatory hip certification. All this puts European breeding at a much higher level than in the States.
Since most European and South American countries fall under FCI, FCI ensures same rules apply to dogs living in ALL member countries. AKC stands aside. To join FCI means to lose money and authority. But there will be fewer litters registered per year. Fewer poor quality dogs. Fewer unwanted pets in shelters. Unfortunately, things are not going to change with AKC. So, that's why breeders come up with their own criteria how to grade breeders and kennels. All this is pretty wild to a European breeder who doesn't separate show from pet if the dog conforms to the standard. A full registration comes with all European dogs unless the dog has some kind of a defect or missing ancestors. Things are different in the US.
So, we are sticking to the European ethics. A show quality pup is a show quality pup. Not for money making purposes but for the sake of ART. Art of breeding. It doesn't matter what you are going to do with the dog, show or train or just have it as a companion - the quality stands. And that's how we determine which dog costs what. Since we are in the States, we want to be careful about where our dogs end up. This is why pet homes and Schutzhund homes are preferred.
Why are we breeding?
We've owned and been owned by dobermans for a long, looooong time. Breeding didn't come as a consequence of owning a breeding pair (which happens when you deal with backyard 'greeders'). It was a well planned and thought-through decision that took us about 10 (TEN) years!!!! Prior to that, we've travelled as far as Argentina for a World Dog Show where we showed our European bred bitch, Smart Wood Hills Daphne Arbora. We've done extensive training OURSELVES to know what makes a doberman a DOBERMAN. With experience, came the vision. With the vision, came intuition. These are the three core qualifications of a serious and successfull breeding program.
Don't be fooled by people claiming they breed a 'total Dobe' or that they breed for the betterment of the breed. In the first case, the breeder has to get 'dirty' and go through all the showing and training himself to gain the unique experience and enrich his vision of the breed. If you see no such evidence in his/her breeding, run away. As for the latter, one question pops up: HOW does this breeder make the breed better? A good example: Nitro Del Rio Bianco. He was a muti-champion, produced numerous winning offsprings, was claimed a top producer and lived well past 10. All of this was achieved by his breeder-owner. Thanks to him, the world discovered this magnificient dog. Thanks to Nitro and his breeder, working together, so many lines and breeding combinations have been improved. This is what we call " for the betterment of the breed". If you find no such or similar evidence on the breeder's website, look elsewhere.
"We are the best", "the best ever", etc - often you can hear this in conversations with various breeders. How do they support claims like this? Do they show? Do they train? The only 'best' dog is the dog that proves it's a top winner by winning major competitions like Euro Dog Show or World Dog Show or IDC show; top producer - by siring winning progeny, top working dog - by completing Schutzhund level 3 and more...
Well, 99% of the breeders leave it as it is - just talk...
Showing and Training
Even if you are not interested in showing or training, you have to realize and appreciate why we do this.
1. Shows are the tool that dictates the breeders what a modern doberman should look like, which traits are in higher regard, which studs are recommended for breeding etc. It's a way of shaping up the right conformation in the modern-day population of dobermans.
2. By showing and training successfully we know our dogs are suitable candidates for quality breeding.
Note: If a breeder's website doesn't contain ANY information/news/updates about the development, results and successes of their dogs and progeny, this means this website is serving its only purpose - doberman puppy online shop. Basically, it only shows you the prospective parents that most likely live in the same household and litter announcments. Maybe some brief info about how useless shows are and how great their dogs are. To buy or not to buy - this is purely up to you.
Our Breeding
We are introducing a new emphasis to our breeding program - LONGEVITY.
We pick studs verrrrry carefully. Phenotype and Genotype are the primary concerns. If you just want A dog, our pups are not for you. The Doberman, in our understanding, is a beautiful creature and its perfection shouldn't be ruined by breeding A male to A female just to get a few pups of mediocre quality. Our pups cost $1500-2500 (depends on the quality of the pup). If you don't have the means for a well-bred pup, please, consider rescuing. Don't support back-yard breeding just because you want A doberman. There are a few million dogs put to sleep annually because of such people. There are just not enough homes for these little, innocent, misearable creatures. As for us, if you don't want the dog or can no longer care for it, we will take it back.
Pet Breeding
It's quite entertaining to browse through various kennel websites from time to time and read what breeders write there. Sadly, people don't realize that what they read is normally absolute nonsense.
There is no such thing as breeding for pet. Period. ANY breeding is a selective process to establish a line, develop certain good traits, eliminate some flaws. NONE of this can be achieved by means of breeding pet-quality dogs. By accepting this, you accept the fact that you are getting a mediocre pup from a person aiming at degrading the breed.
Look at it this way.There is always first class and second class. Both go hand in hand. It's a tremendous luck to breed a litter full of champions. Most often, there is a pup or two - pick(s) of the litter who have potential to become champions, great working dogs, etc. The rest of the litter are fine dogs but they are not up to the highest conformation level so should be placed as pets. So, why go to a person who has no idea what and why he/she breeds and get a pet quality pup, while you can have a much nicer dog with a better chance of living a healthier life from a reputable breeder?! Or save a life, adopt a PET.
There are pet quality pups in all breedings. Their price is normally 50% of the normal price.
Buyers
Normally there are two types of buyers.
1. Those who know what they want,
2. and those who don't.
It's easier to work with type 1. If I have the right dog and if the buyer clicks with me, we are off to a good start. If I don't have the right dog, they will search until they find it. Eventhough their choice might not be the correct one.
Type 2 is trickier but more fun to work with as most of type 2s are very willing to work and excel in raising a good doberman. But there are type 2s who are simply ignorant, not willing to learn or research. Those are normally filtered right away.
We are a family. You have to like me. And I have to like you back.
Raising, Temperament
We live in the country, in the eco-friendly area, with deer, cattle, and other wild life in abundance! Our pups are raised inside ONLY. In a warm and clean environment. With daily loving care. We've got kids so pups get a lot of attention from the little human devils.
We don't have cats. Little puppies usually have no problem adapting to their feline pals if introduced early on.
Daily walking schedule consists of 4 outside walks where they are allowed to run freely on our rolling acres. No fighting or bullying is permitted. Keep in mind that you have to be able to walk your dogs OUTSIDE, not in the febced yard, but outside, around the town, in the park, in the forest - at least once a day. A doberman needs a good 40 minutes of active play, jogging, hiking A DAY. Remember, a lot of behavioral problems are caused by boredom and unused energy.
Feeding
We are still experimenting. Right now our puppies are eating Authority (best ingredient list for the best money, best poop as well LOL), Nutro or ProPlan. We also mix that with canned food or home-made doggie soup. They love it!!!!! We used to feed our dogs a raw diet but this process is very time consuming, so we had to switch. But if you want to give it a try, go for it! Just read as much as you can before trying.
Health
Pups are dewormed and vaccinated. We try to vaccinate our own litters as late as possible so not to negatively affect their immune system. Imports come with at least one set of shots, and we take from there. Dews might or might not be removed. This depends on the vet who docks the tails. We perform regular fecals on all our dogs. Since we live in the farmland, on 5 acres, with a river running through, sometimes pups can pick up certain unpleaseant things. We do monthly dewormings but you are highly recommended to do so as well as doing a fecal.
Ear cropping is $450 extra. Usually done between 8 and 12 weeks at the Pender Vet Clinic.
Purchasing
Paypal can be used only for deposits. Otherwise, we accept checks, money orders and wire transfers. All checks are placed on a 5-business day hold!!!
Shipping can be done after all the funds are received and cleared.
Usually an additional $400+, depending on the weight of the dog.
Our dogs live in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, Turks and Caicos Islands and throughout the US.
Rules:
- You might want to obtain a pet insurance to cover unexpected health problems. Euthanizing a dog just because you are not able to pay for its health care is totally unacceptable.
- Do not ask us if we know of any other breeder/litter/puppy somewhere else. We mind our own business. Plus, it's unethical.
- Do not offer us to trade our pups. They are not things. They are living beings.
- Do not offer us 'a deal'. We value our breeding.
- Do not offer us your studs. We have our vision of breeding and stick to it.
- We do not keep waiting lists. But we welcome emails indicating what exactly you are looking for and informing us about yourself and time frame you would like to purchase a pup.
- If you put a deposit down on a pup but for some reason unable to take the pup, the deposit will roll over onto the next litter.
- Our dogs are larger than average. Males range between 95lbs and 125lbs. We prefer dogs of the standard height and weight (100lbs) because that's what the standard says thus making it MANDATORY to follow it. No oversized doberman is conformation-wise suitable. So, do not ask us for a 'giant', 'warlock' or great-dane-type dog. We care about the looks and the style more than about the size. A heavy dog is not a good working dog. And that's the primary purpose of this breed, remember that.
- Price depends solely on the quality of the dog and breeding expenses not on your intentions for the pup.
Registration:
- From now on, all C.M. females are going to be sold on limited registration in order to control the doberman population and preserve the line. Full registration will be granted ONLY to people planning on titling the dog either in conformation or Schutzhund. In certain cases, full registration MAY be granted if agreed upon with the Breeder beforehand but only after the dog completes a full health check (vWD, OFA hips, heart, thyroid) and finishes BH or CGC.
- Imported dogs come with full registrations. Obtaining registrations for imported dogs: It's a lengthy process. If you don't want to wait, we highly recommend getting it expedite. $150. Otherwise, it's $100 extra. Or you are welcome to ask the breeder for help. The time frame of getting the foreign registration DOES NOT depend on us. Note: FCI registrations are accepted by AKC. More info on www.akc.org
What comes with the puppy:
1. puppy pack and lots of advice
2. parents' health history upon request
3. shots to date
4. de-worming
5. tail docked
6. dews may or may not be removed
7. buyer's agreement
8. lifetime support
9. registration
- We speak English and Russian. You can also email us in German.
Importing:
- When we don't breed, we import. We only deal with respectable breeders engaged in showing/training their dogs.
There are three scenarios when we import.
A. We like the litter.
B. We are asked to help with shipping (Russia and Ukraine only).
C. A breeder contacts us directly asking for help in placing the litter.
We import a limited number of pups. Enough for us to care for and place well. Again, pet homes are preferred.
No, we won't have parents on premises but we will provide the pedigree and parents pictures.
There are three major pros in getting one of our imports.
1. At least one of the parents will be a champion unlike most European breeding in the US when champions are pushed back with every breeding.
2. $500 is a non-refundable shipping fee. If you import yourself, shipping from Russia will cost you about $1000. If something goes wrong but your breeder agrees to provide a replacement, you will be out of another $1000 in shipping. We also help negotiate if something goes wrong with the puppy. Please, read out Buyer's Agreement.
3. You will be getting a direct European import not sight unseen. We allow visitors over the weekend. Plus, we know what we import and who we import from. No shady breeders.
Foreign Registration
Since imported dogs come from either Russia or Ukraine, their registration papers will be issued by the national kennel organizations. AKC recogizes pedigrees from RKF and UKU.
We provide a domestic pedigree (official 3 generation pedigree) with all imported dogs some time after they are sold. But if you plan on showing/training/breeding, you will need to get it exchanged for an export pedigree.
Registration rules are different. A person has to physically submit every piece of paperwork, be it litter registration or export pedigree or a working certificate. This makes things a lot slower than what Americans are used to.
Normally, the domestic pedigree takes at least 2 months, add another month for it to be exchanged for an export one. If the breeder forgot to provide a show record or a working certificate for either of the parents, or the kennel club misplaced the paperwork, all this delays the process. We go to the kennel club IN PERSON ONCE a month to pick up what is ready and drop off new applications. The rest is beyond our control. All dogs get registered, but if the long waiting period is going to frustrate you, an import is definitely NOT your option. Inquiries are always welcome, nagging is not.
Training/Showing your dog
We can organize training and showing your dog in Europe. UKC, ADA, UDC shows are also a great option for a Euro-bred. Google local Schutzhund clubs - there might be once close to you, and start going their once your pup has basic vaccinations done.
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author picture Filichkina Kseniya (c)
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