💥 Quinte Canine Newsletter

March Newsletter!

Welcome to Quinte Canine's newsletter. This a great place to be the first to know about upcoming classes, dog events, student brags and get fun and informative training information.

In this issue: Upcoming Classes, Find A Breeder Part 5, Volunteers Needed, Upcoming Community Events, Student Brags, Trivia and Team Wankerpants & More!

Letter from the Editor

Dear friends,
It looks like March might come in like a lion but that means it will go out like a lamb! With March already here it means we are much closer to spring. Daylight savings time will be here soon, meaning longer days and more time to enjoy hikes and walks with our dogs!

As with every spring it also means that classes are starting to fill quickly and we are working hard to offer as many as possible. With requests for regular classes like Basic Obedience we fill quickly but we are also getting many requests asking for our Technical Skills class and Intermediate Obedience. We are very happy to have a large selection of upcoming classes over the spring season but spaces will fill quickly. So don't wait to starting feeling like its spring to do some 'spring cleaning' on your training, sign up today and start feeling like its time!

Your friend,
Yvonne Ferguson, CPDT-KSA, CTDI
Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge & Skills Assessed, Certified Trick Dog Instructor,
Behaviour Consultant - Quinte Canine

Upcoming Classes!

Basic Scent Detection - Level 1

For any dog with a nose! The dogs in this class learn to search and find target scents in hidden locations. Students build confidence to work up to competing with their dog in the Sport Detection Dogs Association trials. This is a great class for dogs of all ages, breeds, special needs and personalities and helps to provide great mental stimulation! $120+HST

Trenton - 8:15pm - Tuesday March 19, 2019 (Mar 19, 26, Apr 2, 9, 16, 23) - only 2 spaces remaining in this class

Basic Scent Detection - Level 2
For any dog who has completed Basic Scent Detection Level 1! $120+HST.

Belleville - 8:15pm - Monday April 1, 2019 (Apr 1, 8, 15, 22. 29 & May 6 - please note this class is running on Easter Monday)

Intermediate Scent Detection
For dogs who have completed Basic Scent Detection Level 1 and 2. $120+HST.

Belleville - 5:45pm - Thursday May 9, 2019 (May 9, 23, 30, June 6, 13 & 27 - no class May 16 and June 20)

Novice Trick Dog
Novice Trick Dog classes are designed for any dog and people friendly dog! Absolutely any age, breed(s) and abilities can learn some fun new tricks! Learn over 25 tricks in this class. All dogs that complete the Novice Trick Dog Class are eligible to receive their Novice Trick Dog Title (NTD). $145+HST which includes the trick dog title fee.

Belleville - 7:00pm - Monday April 1, 2019 (Apr 1, 8, 15, 22. 29 & May 6 - please note this class is running on Easter Monday) - just 1 space remaining

*Technical Skills*
This new class is designed for dog and people friendly dogs with handlers who really want to take their training to the next level of fun! Want to tire your dogs brain? Want to learn fun training methods such as Shaping, Clicker Training and Mimicry? Then this is certainly the class for you! Your dog is just waiting for you to up your training game! Class is $135+HST ($152.55 including HST). (Please note that most supplies will be provided such as clickers. Week 1 of this 6 week program is for the handlers only)

Trenton - 8:15pm - Tuesday May 21, 2019 (May 21, 28, June 4, 11, 18 & 25)

Intermediate Obedience
For dogs over 6 months who have attended a basic training class (with Quinte Canine or elsewhere). This is a great preparation class if you are interested in completing the Canine Good Neighbour Test. If you have mastered the basics in distracted environments its time to bring the skills to the next level. $120+HST ($135.60 including taxes)

Belleville - 8:15pm - Thursday May 9, 2019 (May 9, 23, 30, June 6, 13 & 27 - no class May 16 and June 20)

Registration
To register for any of the above classes visit: https://www.quintecanine.com/registration
Once payment is made and the registration form has been received, we will process your class enrollment and send you an email with all of the details and class handouts.
Previous students: if you have completed a registration form in the past you do not need to complete one again unless your information has changed or this is a new dog. Please just email us to register.

Classes are limited in size to provide dogs and handlers with maximum learning opportunities. Because they are limited they often fill quickly. In the very rare case a class does not fill with the minimum number of participants (50%) we may choose to postpone, reschedule or cancel classes. Should this occur, we will provide the option to participants to apply their class registration fee toward the postponed or rescheduled class, an alternative class or provide a full refund.

Finding a Breeder - Part 5
So Much More to Consider
by Yvonne Ferguson, CPDT-KSA, CTDI

This 5-part series has been designed to help take some of the confusion out of breeder selection. But as you can imagine, we have only begun to scratch the surface of the many things to look for. Here are just a few more things to consider when making your choice and I hope this will help to guide your search when finding your new best friend.

Meet the Parents - meeting the dam (mother dog) and sire (father dog) is one way to learn a little more about the potential temperament of your future puppy. Are either and dam or sire aggressive or fearful when meeting new people? Does the breeder lock them away when you visit? If you have the opportunity to meet both the dam and sire prior to selecting a breeder you have a great advantage. Keep in mind this may not always be possible due to distance or even the dogs being owned by separate breeders (breeders will often select a sire from another breeder that they feel compliments their dam well). If the dam and sire have bred before (known as a repeat breeding), are you able to make contact with previous buyers or does the breeder have some updates?

Number of Breedings - Does the breeder you are considering breed just once per year? Twice per year per dog? Or do they seem to have 5, 6, 7 or even 8+ litters per year? If the breeder has many breeding in a year, it is important to look at other factors such as the number of dams they own. If a breeder has 4 litters per year but has very well-kept dogs and owns 6 dams, then 4 breedings per year is not unheard of. But if the breeder has 6 dams and produces 12 litters per year, some red flags may be present (see previous issues). Some breeders will often breed back to back where others feel a dog should be given a break between breeding. There are many different schools of thought with the breeding frequency for dogs but it is very important to watch for other red flags such as a large number of litters per year per dog in a multi-dog home.

Papers - A responsible breeder will register their dogs with well-established kennel clubs such as the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), American Kennel Club (AKC) or United Kennel Club (UKC). These breeders are bound to a code of ethics in order to be a part of these registries and must follow a standard set of guidelines. If a breeder offers to sell you a puppy for one price if registered and another price if unregistered, they are often breaking these standards and can be faced with sanctions from the organization (such as loosing their kennel registration). Breeders who are following the regulations of their registration organization are often working to better the breed and not make money. Be careful to research the organization your breeder is registered with as there are many lesser known ones that are only there to make money and allow the 'breeder' to show a paper to a potential buyer.

Mixing Breeds - A breeder who chooses to breed two dogs of different breeds (German Shepherd dam and Poodle sire for example) is not only doing in justice to both breeds of dogs but can face serious sanctions from their breed registries (including revocation of registration). It is important to keep in mind that all dogs originated somewhere and the careful selection of dogs to produce a purposely bred dog has evolved over hundreds of years. But in today's society, the breeding of 2 different breeds in order to make money through capitalizing on in-demand 'designer breeds' is a very serious problem. Persons who are producing litter after litter without completing health testing, temperament testing and titling are often only looking to make money and have no regard for the long-term health and well-being of the dogs they are farming. These puppies are often sold into homes as adorable puppies who can grow into unhealthy dogs who have the exact opposite temperament the buyer was intending to purchase. The sellers become experts at smoke and mirror shows that have the buyers very impressed very quickly, resulting in a buyer spending thousands of dollars. Showing 'registration' with some mixed breed online group that has no accountability, using fancy expressions and names for their mixed-breed dogs, and even going as far as placing made up titles and health certificates onto their dogs. The sellers will often charge thousands of dollars per puppy but have little or no actual expenses in their 'breeding program' such as health testing or titles, this often shows the thousands of dollars they make each year off of their dogs. Where a responsible breeder will often be out of pocket hundreds if not thousands of dollars in expenses before the litter is even born through training, titling, testing, etc. It is important to note that we are not intending to paint all with the same brush, but are helping to educate about irresponsible breeding which is prevalent in both pure and mixed breed breeds alike.

Quinte Canine Trivia Team Climbing the Ladder!

You won't want to miss the fun!

Mother of All Craft Shows
In support of Fixed Fur Life!
The Mother of all Craft Shows is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Saturday, May 4, 2019 (10 to 4) at the show’s NEW LOCATION... The Travelodge Hotel - Windows & Park Ballrooms 11 Bay Bridge Road, Belleville! For more information visit: www.motherofallcraftshows.com

Barks by the Bay
Saturday May 25th, 2019 9:00am - 4:00pm
A dog friendly event for the whole family! Visit http://barksbythebay.ca for more information!

Strut for Strays
Saturday June 1, 2019 9:30am - 4:30pm
This annual Walkathon and Pet Festival is fun for everyone! Activities, contests, prizes and fun! Visit https://www.fixedfurlife.com/strut-for-strays/ for more information.

Raise the Woof Comedy Show & Auction
In support of the Quinte Humane Society!
Friday June 7th at the Banquet Centre in Belleville!
Stay Tuned for More information!