Khira von der Leidenschaft BH, IGP-V tracking DOB: November 30, 2017 Training day with Benôit Maye.
As always around here, May was a busy month. We are all trying to adapt to the “new normal” which means not being able to accompany our “kids” to the vet’s office. Fortunately we have a great team and our kids are sound in nerve and temperament and don’t even notice we’re not there. We are very pleased to announce our Khira von der Leidenschaft passed her hip and elbow evaluations for the OFA! She has Excellent hips and Normal elbows. She is also DCM Clear by parentage.
In June, Zeus vom Goldbergsee turns two and will also be evaluated. THEN we should be able to announce our plans for the remainder of 2020. We have had an incredible amount of interest in our upcoming litters, and we can only thank the folks who have taken on our K, L, and M-litters and shown their true potential. Unfortunately with world wide restrictions, it could be another year before we see any advanced titles.
Stay tuned for our June update! We are still taking applications every day, so if you’re interested in a puppy from our upcoming litters, please complete our Potential Puppy Owner Questionnaire.
Follow our Facebook Page, our Instagram @leidenschaftkennels, or Twitter @Leidenschaft95 for the most up to date news.
It’s a very uncertain time in the world right now, and due to Covid_19, two would be homes in the US have opted to wait for the next litter, hoping, as we all are, that the borders between Canada and the US will reopen before our fall litter (and obviously sooner than that!). That said, it didn’t take long for our Purple Girl, now named Maya, to be scooped up close to home. Excited for her new people, and for our club members who really wanted to keep her close by.
In May and June, our veterinary team will examine three of our youngsters hips and elbows. Radiographs will be forwarded digitally to the OFA for certification. We hope there won’t be much delay, and all will be clear for us to plan our Fall 2020 litter. Stay tuned for results and plans.
15 month old LeKarter (aka Karter) von der Leidenschaft certified Explosives Detection Dog! Handler/officer Warren Hearne.
We are pleased to announce Officer Hearne and K9 LeKarter have certified as a team in Explosives Detection. Special thanks to their trainer Tracy Landis and the crew at Ultimate Working Dogs for taking our puppy through this professional program and creating a great team for law enforcement. We hope they enjoy a long and safe career!
LeKarter is one of the puppies from our L-litter from Glock von der Leidenschaft IPO3 and Rogue vom Klingsgarten IGP1, IGP-FHV. Giant Schnauzers are renowned in Europe as police service dogs, and are slowly becoming recognized in North America as a great multipurpose police K9. This is just the beginning for Office Hearne and K9 LeKarter! So Proud! 😀
It’s been a blur! The time has gone so quickly, with the last two weeks being extra chaotic. Add to this, the current world events, and we feel our heads are spinning.
The M-litter was snapped up like toilet paper at Costco! Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let anyone do any hoarding, although a kind gentleman from Tennessee solved some delivery challenges for us by taking FOUR pups across the border. I do have confirmation that they are all in the hands they were intended for! 😉
Purple Girl getting settled in the house.
We still have our Purple Girl in house, but she is on reserve for now, with a wait list. Should that change, I will announce it here.
Plans for the next litter? YES! All dependent on hip and elbow examinations on our youngsters. We are waiting until everyone is two years old to certify with the OFA. Should everything go well, we have some OPTIONS for a fall litter.
If you missed out on this litter, please let us know you’d like a pup from the next. We are very excited for the next generation, without swaying too far from our amazing foundations. Please complete our Online Potential Puppy Owner Questionnaire and we’ll respond promptly.
Gulp! I can’t believe in just two more weeks almost all of these beauties will be heading to their new homes! We are still determining which pup will go where. There are a lot of amazing drives, and definitely some dominant attitudes in this litter, so it’s really important for us to get it right!
Below, in birth order are a couple of photos of each pup (taken with cell phone) and current weights as of today. I will hold off on commenting about their personalities for now as these are so far just observations in the litter, not as individuals. I know you’re all excited to find out which one is yours, but it’s still too soon to tell.
The M-litter kids are 3.5 weeks old and growing like crazy! Yesterday they had their first taste of puppy mush, which is simply softened puppy kibble enriched with a powdered puppy formula, plus some hot water to warm it up.
Unfortunately, my website software doesn’t allow me to upload the video directly, so I hope you’ll click on the link to see how they enjoyed it! Today they will have two feedings of mush, plus Mom’s milk. They will work up to 4 feedings per day, with their bed time snack becoming dry kibble by the time they’re 7 weeks. By the time they’re ready for their new homes, they are quite capable of eating dry kibble.
We are still screening applicants for the remaining three puppies. We’re not sure if it’s going to be three females or two females and one male. One applicant is more interested in drive over gender. So it’s too soon to tell yet. If you’re interested in a puppy from this or future litters, please complete our online Potential Puppy Owner Questionnaire
I try to keep this website upbeat and positive, but life is messy and sometimes bad things happen. The emotions in the early days of a litter are high; fed by exhaustion, aching muscles from hours of lying on the floor, sitting cross legged, doing puppy shakedowns, running at every little squeak or squeal, and making sure every puppy gets on the nipples. Last year I was having an emotional moment and wrote a post on Facebook. I liked it a lot. I won’t post it here, in case you’re the kind of person who isn’t keen on emotional stuff. Instead I’ll attach the link to the original post, you can click on it or not. This Box
Yesterday was one of those days when bad things happen. I wrote a longer post. A catharsis. I thought about my first post all day, sorting through what was important about the events of the day and how I felt about it. It never comes out the way I want when I actually put it down in text, but in the end, I was pretty pleased with the result. Should you wish to read it, you can find it here. This Box Revised
For those interested in a pup, at this time we have reserved all the males, with a waiting list, and we have one female reserved. There is a great deal of interest in this litter, it’s potentially the last time for this combination. If you’re serious, I wouldn’t wait to contact us.
Click on the images to see larger size. Thank you Lisa Guadet for helping us bring this beautiful brood in to the world, and capturing all of these special moments.
Two days early, but we managed to pull together to get ‘er done! 🙂 Beginning early evening on Thursday, January 16, 2020 in to late afternoon on Friday, Momma Rogue delivered us a beautiful litter of 10. Six males and four females are all doing well after a full 24 hours.
This is a three-peat of our wonderful K & L-litters. Offspring from those two litters are already earning titles in working sports, including a few BH (temperament/obedience) titles and some advanced tracking titles. At least one of the K-litter will be competing in IGP1 (formerly Schutzhund and IPO) this winter. One of the L-litter is training in police work, specializing in bomb detection.
This combination has also produced some of the most amazing companions/family guardians for singles, couples, and families. The feedback we get from our buyers assures us, our breeding program is definitely on the right track.
There is a great deal of interest in this litter already, we are in the early stages of screening, and securing homes right now. Some are return buyers, pre-approved, and some are trusted friends known for many years. A few are new to us with background in police and k9 work. We have not promised the entire litter yet, but we are reserving some pups for those who’ve expressed interest in the recent past.
Temperament and drives are the deciding factors when selecting homes for any of our litters. If you’re on the reserve list it’s because we need to see (in the coming weeks) if any of this litter will be suitable for your needs. It doesn’t benefit anyone (least of all the puppy) if we can’t make a good match for your wants/needs. Please be patient with us as we make that determination.
If you wish daily updates and news, follow us on Instagram @LeidenschaftKennels, or check our Facebook page!
Happy New Year!!! We are so excited to begin 2020 with another fantastic litter of puppies due on the 18th! Rogue is in excellent shape and sporting a large and growing baby belly!
With puppies due soon, I am more conscious of all the potential hazards which could present accidents or injury to mom and/or the litter. Rogue reminded me of just such a hazard this morning. Read on.
As I was finishing morning chores with the dogs, I was
reminded by the distinctive “peep” of the Hairy Woodpecker that their suet
feeder needed filling. It’s a great feeder, containing a basket within a wire
mesh to allow the small birds to feed and minimizing the gluttony of the Jays,
Starlings, and Grackles. I took the feeder inside to fill with the frozen suet
balls Sobeys makes in store. They are compact balls of ground beef fat with
tiny bits of meat and birdseed combined. The birds love them, and they are a
great value compared to commercially produced blocks.
Anyway, what does this have to do with raising dogs? As I
was securing the wire mesh feeder Rogue came by with her nose in the air. Normally
quite trustworthy with food, at 7+ weeks pregnant, she’s looking for every
extra calorie she can get! As her nose skimmed the counter, I moved the Styrofoam
meat tray a little farther back. Also on the tray is a pair of nitrile gloves I
wore to handle the balls, plus the mesh bags that comes with the suet balls.
Instantly I imagined any or all of that trying to pass through her intestines.
As soon as I secured the feeder, I disposed of the meat tray and its contents
in the garbage can.
Ron will sometimes accuse me of seeing the worst in
everything. He’s not wrong; but it doesn’t come from a place of negativity, it
comes from having a vivid imagination. I can actually SEE the consequences of a
misstep in any situation. It can be the most benign set of circumstances and my
brain will form a worst-case scenario. Fortunately, most often nothing happens,
whether from removing an enticing meat tray, or it just wasn’t in the cards
that time.
Regardless, when raising puppies to be good dogs, DILIGENCE
will solve or prevent almost every problem you can imagine, or have
experienced. I have a good friend who shall not be named; she has an amazing
dog, who also shall not be named. But this dog has got in to and eaten a long
list of things that really aren’t good for dogs. Chocolate covered almonds, not
once, but two days in a row. Toilet paper on a daily basis. Jumped on the table
and ate a casserole. His latest feat, a box of toothpicks. The dog is 18 months
old. He’s also a very determined dog. That said, diligence from a young age,
would still prevent these escapades.
If your puppy pees on the floor, it’s your fault, not his.
Either he woke from a nap and you weren’t quick enough to get him out the door,
or he had a big drink of water after a play session, or you didn’t pay
attention to his subtle cues because you were immersed in your smart phone.
We have a few rules in our house regarding puppies and
adolescents.
If
you can’t watch him, crate or x-pen him. He can’t get in to stuff that’s not
good for him if he’s safely in his crate or x-pen.
You
wake him, you take him. Like young children (and old people) puppies and
adolescents need to pee almost immediately upon waking.
Have
plenty of safe chew toys to substitute for shoes, books, chair legs etc. If you
catch your puppy chewing (and you should because you’re being diligent) sub out
the bad thing for something puppy is allowed. This will reduce frustration and
conflict.
Although
we share many of our groceries with our dogs, we never feed from the table! And
if you’re not sure the treat you’re about to give your dog is safe (many people
foods are not!) Google it. You’re probably on your phone anyway! 😉
There are likely others that I’m
forgetting at the moment, but the whole point of this post is to encourage you
to pay a little more attention to the circumstances in your life. Imagine a
situation which could be unsafe for your dog, and then fix it. At the very least,
you’ll avoid conflict, and potentially an expensive vet bill and trauma for
your dog.
Questions or comments can be
directed to ourpassion @ leidenschaftkennels dot com.
