Well here we are: Puppies are now 3 months old and while it is a good thing, what I feared may happen certainly has... We still have 5 of the 7 puppies.  I have spoken to many breeders in my breed as well as others, and we all seem to be in the same boat: Declining puppy sales.  I have never received so many emails asking me the price first off with no further correspondence.  On the flip side of that I speak to some breeders that have waiting lists....why is this?  Is there a trend towards smaller breeds?  Is it the influence of the doodle breeds or designer breeds?  I often hear from these breeders that they have waiting lists.  What are your thoughts on why this is the case?

My second fear also came true, my 5 year old girl that I wanted to breed on her next heat (with her age now being a factor) came in season.  I did not breed her.  How can I justify breeding again when I have 5 little tyrants running around the house?  They're actually REALLY good, thank goodness!  So we have been doing everything we can to make sure they are socialized properly.  We have been taking them places 2 at a time.  Having one out at a time so they learn to be alone.  I am also going to start crate training them this weekend.

In 19 years in the breed I have never had this problem, or these worries about selling my puppies.  I hope it is not a sign of things to come... Maybe our sport is in bigger trouble then we realize...... ?

I found out today that without proper dental care, 70% of dogs and cats start to show signs of oral disease by age 3.

I didn't have to worry about dental problems before as my first dog LOVED to have his teeth brushed! He had an electric toothbrush of his very own and loved the massage on his gums. Our vet couldn't believe how clean his teeth always were. He was one of a kind for sure! Now though, my current dog would rather destroy every type of toothbrush he can, and is not blessed with fresh breath.

February is Dental Month and I am determined to find an effective and easy to use product to fix my dog's smelly breath. I think everyone has experienced Doggy Breath…it isn't pleasant! Luckily Tropiclean has a whole line of dental products that are made specifically to naturally freshen your pets breath AND make it easy!

Tropiclean's “Fresh Breath, Made Easy” line of oral care products include a Fresh Mint Foam, a Water Additive, a Clean Teeth Gel, and even "Liquid Floss" which is my favourite! The natural ingredients used in both the products and packaging (right down to the recycled bottles and renewable, biodegradable labels) show that Tropiclean is an environmental conscious company. You can feel good about buying their products!

The Products?

The Fresh Mint Foam works instantly! Just like a human mint! You will notice the difference right away.

The Water Additive is so easy, as you just add a few drops to your pets water bowl. There are two types, one formulated for dogs and another for cats.

The Clean Teeth Gel is one of the best sellers because it take very little time or effort. You just apply the gel to your cat or dogs teeth, and in a few weeks you will see (and especially smell) a difference!

The Liquid Floss spray and toy is my personal favourite and my dog loves it too! You apply the floss spray to the included toy and while you are play tug-of-war or your dog is chewing away happily on his own, they are also flossing! What a great idea! My dog loves his rope toy and I love how it is secretly a dental treatment!

Let's face it: Some of us can't remember to brush our own teeth twice a day, so there is no way we are going to remember to go through the chore of brushing our pets teeth once a day either! Tropiclean helps us here, by making it easy (and in my case, FUN!) to take care of our furry friend's dental needs. While not always a miracle worker, you'll see a noticeable difference with continued use!

Happy Dental Month!

Hello Humans, Miss Diva here!

We've been busy these last weeks! With all the packing for the new house, Christmas dinners and New Years events with family and friends, we haven't had a chance to relax! Our Human has been the busiest, but I've been the most stressed by far... Unlike Dizzy, I don't like change. I like routine and knowing what to expect, and all these life changes have been making me so nervous! Dizzy is just excited and oblivious to what all this means, but she -IS- blonde for a reason!

My nerves are getting the best of me, and I haven't been wanting to eat at some meals. Mom's been talking to me all concerned, and trying all sorts of tricks try and help.

Yesterday though, she decided to take Dizzy and me to Ren's to try and get some suggestions. I could have told her just to stop this whole "moving" thing and take me back to the "old" house, but we love going to Ren's (so I let her take us)!

Well, it was a good thing I did! This whole month of January is filled to the brim with different deals every week! Treats, Toys, Beds, Grooming stuff, Coats, Cleaners, Bird stuff and Cat stuff to name a few! Mom got a bunch of coupons to walk around the store with, and one of the sale things she picked up were Benny Bully's Liver Chops. She talked with the wonderful Treat Lady for a long time about them (Dizzy and I got a bunch of freebie treats and pets out of it!) before we went home.

So last night at dinner in our new house, Mom gave me a piece of this Benny Bully treat in my bowl. It was SO good, and smelled amazing too! I didn't want to miss any of the crumbled pieces Mom also scattered in my bowl, so I made sure to eat every piece of kibble too. She gave me more treats in my bowl this morning when I got too distracted by my world changing to eat... and I can't resist those yummy Liver Chops! I'll always eat my meals if that stuff is in it!

Our human says we'll be going back to Ren's again this month to take advantage of more great deals. I'd love to hear what great things your humans picked up this January, so feel free to leave a comment here!

Of course, Dizzy has a joke sparked from what she's calling my "spoiled catering service".

What did the Dalmatian say after his meal?

"Ahhh.. That hit the spots!"

Every once and awhile as a breeder you get a litter that teaches you a whole bunch of new things that you hope you never have to learn.  This has been one of those litters for me.  It makes you sit back and re-evaluate and ask your self "Why do I do this again"???  How many times in your career as a breeder have you asked yourself that?  Probably every time something bad happens to one of the dogs that we love so dearly.

This litter has been a trial.  There were 10 puppies we ended up with 7, fine I can live with that; it happens.  There were 3 preemies, so this meant bottle feeding every 2 hrs around the clock.  I can deal with that.  Some of the other things that have occurred have really been a learning experience.  We do still have 7 happy healthy puppies but it has been a long road!

Once you start to deal with issues in a litter of course the questions in your head start.  Was the bitch to old?  My girl is 6.  Was the stud dog too old at 7? My girl had experienced issues with getting in whelp when she was young... Was there a reason she didn't conceive easily?  She is a fabulous Mum, she ate through the entire pregnancy.  We do everything that we can... So is it just one of those things?  Probably.  We are always looking for excuses, reasons, someone to blame.  I think life lessons of a breeder are probably all we can chalk it up too.

When I see those little smiling faces I remember exactly why I do this to myself!  Watch this video and laugh out loud and you too will remember why we do this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RipT5KNvQdE

Who needs HDTV when you have 7 puppies tearing around the living room making you laugh!

This is why we do what we do. The good, the bad and the sleeping puppy......

Hi Humans! It's Dizzy!

So, GUESS WHAT?

Diva, our Human and I are moving! Mom just bought us a new house! She tells us we are going to have a great new yard, great new neighbours, and longer walks with even better things to sniff! We're moving from the country to the city, with all new things to experience. Like, Mom's telling me that I'm going to love the neighbour's “pigeons” next door. I don't know what those are, but she makes this funny noise mimicking them whenever she tells me about it, sooo... I can't wait!

I'm totally pumped, and I've been helping Mom however I can! I'm helping her pack by bringing all my toys to her one-by-one, and helping her carry stuff when she has her arms full. I'm a great help! Diva's doing her part too by keeping the chairs warm for when our Human takes a second to relax, but Diva doesn't seem too thrilled about all this excitement yet.

Through all of this, Mom has this long list of stuff she needs to remember to pack, and things she still needs to buy. We had a good day this weekend for shopping, so Mom took Diva and I to the new Ren's Waterdown store to cross the most important stuff off the list!

So, after all the toys, treats, beds, food, grooming stuff and poop bags, Mom was excited to also pick up a bunch of Gift Cards. There's some promotion on right now about getting $5 or $15 back when you buy a bunch of cards, so Mom did just that! She says that everyone will love Ren's as much as we do, so these are easy last-minute Christmas presents for almost everyone on her Christmas list. Diva and I are excited too, because now we can share the awesome Treat People (who give us great things every time we come) with our furry cousins and neighbours!

We got home with all of this awesome stuff, but before Mom started wrapping the Gift Cards, she threw all OUR stuff (old and new) into boxes! As much as we whined and pushed those boxes around the house, Mom kept telling us that these will be our surprises for the new house, and we had to wait. Totally not fair, if you ask me, though she did let me keep a couple toys out to play with until then.

Oh! But speaking of the new home... I came up with a good joke from one of the items on Mom's 'need' list!

Ready? Okay!

When we watch a movie, how will I stop the DVD player?

I'll press the “Paws” button!

Christmas and 2013 are almost here! Hopefully you're ready to celebrate with friends and family with lots of food and time for relaxation (and unwrap all those great toys too!) because.. We know we are!

We will be home with our families a few times in the upcoming weeks (with the stores and Head Office closed), but don't worry! There's still lots of days open for you to pick up Fluffy's food and toys for Spot.

Oakville Store Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Open 8am-3pm
Christmas Day - CLOSED
Boxing Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve - Open 8am-3pm
New Years Day - CLOSED

Kitchener, Guelph and Waterdown Stores Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Open 9am-3pm
Christmas Day - CLOSED
Boxing Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve - Open 9am-3pm
New Years Day - CLOSED

Head Office, Mail Order and Warehouse Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Open 8am-1pm
Christmas Day - CLOSED
Boxing Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve - Open 8am-1pm
New Years Day - CLOSED

Also, don't forget renspets.com is always open, 24/7, 365 days a year!

This time of year...

December 3rd was National Roof Over Your Head Day. It was a day to appreciate the things we have, starting with the roof and home keeping us protected and warm. On a bit of a sad note, animals in shelters and humane societies do not have this important thing to be thankful for... yet. During this Holiday season, it is a time when what we want and need is most prevalent in our thoughts and hearts. Many of the animals at our shelters want their forever home, but in the meantime, still need food, water, beds, toys and treats.

If you're feeling the need to give back and help out in some way other then adoption or fostering (because I know I can't adopt every grey-faced tail-wagging soul that I see at the shelter either), each Ren's store has some solutions!

Each of our 4 stores has paired with a local humane society or animal shelter to help make it Christmas for the animals too! Using tags like the above on products to identify much-needed Wishlist items, or donation bins at the front of every store, you can easily make any much-appreciated contribution. Anything from a can of cat food to a Bowsers bed will go a long way in making this Christmas a little brighter for the volunteers, staff and pets of our local shelters!

Many special thanks go out to the Waterdown Angel's Restaurant who pooled donation money together to help create amazing dog and cat gift baskets. If your company or group would like to do something similar, please contact your local Ren's Store Manager!

Monetary donations can also be made through the always-present counter boxes by each Ren's store cashier.

Well, we have been through quite the journey together, from deciding whether or not to breed, methods used to get our girls in whelp, care during whelping and then ultrasound.

The result?

10 puppies were born in 8hrs! For a 6 year old bitch and only her second litter, she did amazing!  We ended up with 7; 1 was stillborn, 1 lived only a few hours and we lost one a day later.  Never easy that's for sure.

The 7 that we have are a great range of sizes.  My thought here (and I have had this happen before) is that they are actually different "gestational ages".  My girl was bred 3 times over 6 days.  The 2 biggest puppies are 1.5 times the size of the little guys, weighing in at about 1.7-1.9oz. The 2 middle guys are about 14 and 15oz and the 3 little guys are 8 and 9oz.  So we are treating the little guys as though they are about 5 days younger.

We always think that if they are all born on the same day they must be the same age... which is not necessarily true. We need to keep in mind how many times the bitch was bred and over how many days. We probably would have lost the 3 little guys if we weren't feeding every 3 hours and making sure that they nurse first and aren't being bullied by the big guys.

Here's some questions for you:

What do you use for formula?  I know there are many store -bought options which my breed doesn't do well with, so we make formula ourselves.

How do you feed your puppies that require some extra care?  I typically syringe feed. These guys actually took a bottle, which is not always easy. I have never tube fed, as I am too scared.  I have also been told that if you can get them to take a bottle is is better for them because it helps them to develop their lungs and their suck reflex. What is your experience with this?

So everyone is doing well, eyes are opening and the real fun is about to begin!  We will continue this journey next month when they are getting into everything!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Firetrucks and Parades and Santa! Oh My!

We here at Ren's have been busy little elves with a number of events this last month! We want to thank all of you who came out showing support, and we'd love to see and share any pictures you might have taken!

November 10^th - Our Oakville store was honoured with a visit from the Oakville Firefighters, who have been (and still are!) selling their 2013 calendars. All proceeds go to support the Dogs Guides, Oakville Hospital Foundation, Ian Anderson house and OPFFA sponsorships. Each month of the calendar features a (drool-worthy!) firefighter and a future Guide Dog puppy for added “aw”-value.

Firefighters were at our store most of the day signing autographs, posing for photos, and selling their wonderful calendars. Ren's also offered Hard Core Firehose toys on sale, with $1 from each sale going right to the calendar's supporting foundations. Together with Ren's, the Oakville Firefighters were able to raise $700 that day, and brought a number of smiles to both staff and customers!

If you missed out on buying a calendar, you can still buy one (or a few) online at http://www.oakvillepffa.ca/calendar/index.php/2012-03-06-18-32-36

Photo credit to Lindsey Ryder

November 17^th, 24^th and 25^th – The Ren's Hummer was all decked out for the Kitchener, Flamborough (Waterdown) and Puslinch (Aberfoyle) Santa Parades. With dog's walking alongside sporting fancy Christmas collars or our new SafetyGlo leashes and collars, it was great to get out and support our communities. Special thanks to everyone who came out and walked with us or watched us drive by!

Check out our Facebook page for over 50 parade photos!

If you'd like to pick up your own Christmas or nighttime collars, see

http://www.renspets.com/holiday-pet-bell-collar.html or http://www.renspets.com/dogs/collars-harnesses-leashes.html?brand=5853

November 24^th to December 9^th – Santa has been taking time out of his busy countdown-to-Christmas plans to visit each of our stores for our annual Pet Pictures with Santa.

All proceeds go to each store's partner Humane Society, with Santa's last stop being our Waterdown Store on December 9^th. Don't miss this last chance at great fur-family photos, and we can't wait to see more wagging tails and smiling faces whispering their Christmas lists to Santa!

November 29^th to December 5^th – There's still time left to save on our massive in-store and online Retail Sale! With sales in every area of our store and site, don't miss out! Come visit us at any one of our four stores for the full selection, or check out our online sampling at http://www.renspets.com/specials/tis-the-season-for-saving.html

Again, if you have any photos or videos from any of these events that you'd like to share, you can post them to our Facebook page or email them to us at erika@renspets.com!

So we've been through the decision to breed or not, we've discussed the lengths in which we go to, to get our girls bred.  Now we have arrived at ultrasound day.  We have waited 30 days or so since our last breeding...do you do ultrasounds?  Do you just wait and see?  Do you do a urine test?  Do you know that this is available 2 weeks after breeding.  It is 99% accurate.

I know a lot of breeders don't want to extend the expense of an ultrasound.  The way I see it, I need to plan my life!  I need to know if I need to be around for whelping and of course for the weeks following to care for the babies.  I need to let prospective owners know that we are in fact expecting puppies and when approximately they will be available.  So having said that we are in fact expecting puppies!  My girl is due around the 15th of November.

Now we are faced a whole new set of questions.  What kind of prenatal care do you provide?  Do you increase your girls food?  Do you switch her to puppy food?  If so at what point?  Do you provide supplements?  Do you still offer yoghurt or cottage cheese?  When I purchased my first bitch and it was time to breed her, once we confirmed she was in whelp I was told to give extra calcium in the form of the before mentioned.  This bitch in particular was prone to uterine inertia.  Having attend Myra Savant-Harris' seminar on whelping was an eye opener for me.  EVERY breeder no matter how long you have been breeding should attend her seminar, you will learn something new!  So I learned probably the most valuable lesson I could have learned as a breeder.  This lesson has probably saved quite a few puppy lives!  NEVER give calcium during pregnancy.  Calcium is what is responsible for triggering contractions.  If you give increased calcium during pregnancy it is not as effective during labour when you and your bitch need it most!  If you have a bitch that is experiencing a stalled labour some vanilla ice cream and almost instantaneously things will be on there way again.  I have seen it work on many occasions!  Its amazing!  I use this as a first resort.  The girls love it!  They are hot and tired of course and little vanilla ice cream makes both of us feel better!  What tricks of the trade do you use during whelping for a stalled labour?  I not talking true uterine inertia where we maybe at the point of considering a c-section.  This is a very serious situation that you need to evaluated case by case.

So aside from the questions posed above what tips can you share  about what makes it easier for you to get through the long nights we spending waiting for those precious new additions?  I remember on litter we had where we saw every single event of the Olympics...another was every soccer game in the world cup....yawn......I'm going to start resting up now while I still can!

Our next show prospect? Rough or Smooth? Time will tell...stay tuned!