Comment on fronts part 1 discussion...

Sorry...too long to add to comments.

Le'o commented on pictures. I wish I had the skills to take better pictures! In fact they are more for me to remember what that puppy looked like and not to use like this in trying to get points across by using only pictures. Thus, getting back to a previous comment made on one of my lists...the best way to learn about all this is to get your hands on dogs!! My house is always open and I will tell you everything I do and don't like about my dogs and could trace about every characteristic back in the pedigree. (For those who don't know I am a pedigree fanatic, literally have 13,000 Cardigan pedigrees, most of them being older dogs, as I don't tend to put new dogs in my database unless I am curious about that dogs pedigree.)

Le'o's last comment on this discussion needs a big THANK YOU! For those who haven't gone and looked at the skeleton picture in the IS (p. 13), please do. Boy #1 actually has a longer forearm, thus making him taller. You have to be careful of this, as longer pasterns are going to make the feet turn out more, not so much a dog taller. So, look again at boy #2. He actually is the one with longer pasterns. It will become apparent when I post the older pictures. On the side shot you can see it much better. That arch in his foot is not present as in the other three puppies. When I evaluate puppies at this age, I don't want to see ANY turn out, none. Boy #2 is at this age slightly turned out. I did not like this feature but since he was my best male (that wasn't a mismark) I grew him up.

This brings me to another point. Some of us breeders have different ideas on where the front should turn out. I was taught that it is in the wrap, not the foot. So, it is a big pet peeve of mine when I see front foot turn out from the pastern not from the wrap. Thus why some of my dogs tend to be straighter then some people like and I will forgive a bit wider front before I forgive a front that has a long pastern and turns easty westy. In person is much better trying to explain this one.

And since I am going off subject a bit...Australian lines grow a slight bit different. You have to wait for them to mature and I have had many puppies go really wide at stages. So, a puppy that looks similar to one of these puppies we are looking at, may not grow exactly the same. Different lines mature differently...breeding is always interesting, isn't it?!!!!

Of course all IMO.

Fronts (part 2a)...

Here are side shots of the puppies around this age as well.

Boy #1

Boy #2

Girl #1

Unfortunately I don't have a good enough side shot of Girl #2 around this time.

Fronts (part 2)...

Typically after 7-9 weeks of age, I don't really look at puppies. They go through odd stages, some worse then others. This was about the time this litter started leaving for new homes, so some pictures are a bit scattered on ages. But, here are the four puppies between the ages 10-12 weeks.

Boy #1 - about the only front shot I have of him before he left for his new home.

Boy #2

Girl #1 above is around 10 weeks, below is around 12 weeks.

Girl #2

Fronts (part 1a)

One thing I have an issue about evaluating fronts from the front, is that I like to as part of the evaluation look at the whole front, that means where it is placed, how it falls underneath the body, and how the head and neck fit into the body, so part of that is seeing puppies from the side as well. So, I am including the side shots of these puppies which may help some of you on the first puppy especially.

Boy #1 (is he still long in pastern from this angle? Does he have enough front prosternum at this age? Or is he just simply taller on leg?)



Boy #2


Girl # 1 (yes, everyone will know who this is.)

Girl #2 (as noted from someone, this puppy never takes the best photos, even as an adult we still have trouble, so it is harder to evaluate this puppy.)

So, now seeing the side shots and how the fronts are set, would you stick to your comments earlier on the front view?

Fronts (part 1)...

For my front discussion...I wanted to try and educate what I look for in a Cardigan puppies front versus how they turn out as adults. Now I have pictures after pictures I could highlight this with, but thought I might take one of my more recent litters that are just growing up and in the show ring now.

Here are four puppies, my top puppies in this litter, and four different front assemblies at 7 weeks of age. For the purpose of this discussion I am giving them numbers not names...but you will know who they are if you go on my website. FYI, the first puppy was sold as a pet due to his markings, but wanted to include him as without the bad markings, he would be my top male.

Puppy boy #1

Puppy Girl #1

Puppy boy #2

Puppy girl #2

So, of these four puppies. Which front do you like best? Why do you like it? Which one would you rate first through fourth and why?

More to come...

Clu and other news...

Sadly, no puppies for Clu this time. This is the third attempt, so I have decided to send her back to her breeder. It's going to be sad with Clu leaving as she is such a sweet sole, but hopefully with a bit of luck Susan can get her pregnant and I can get something back out of her! Clu is pictured above, her full name is Shadowalk Exclusive.

Other news...we have two new faces going to join the Pawcific gang. One is a replacement for Clu and is a girl I have had my eyes on for a while now. Her name is Nola, she is an Owain daughter. She is pictured above when I evaluated the litter at 8 weeks of age. She reminds me a lot of Secret and how she grew, so we will wait and see how she develops. She is almost a year old right now.

The other addition is a bit of a secret, but some of you might know already...it goes back to my Legend!! (hint hint hint!!!) My friend Leann is going to take him/her home and going to co-own the puppy. And yes, it is a red puppy...more to come!

Good Ole Owain

Today was a pretty sad day for us here at Pawcific, but a good one as well. Our Good Ole Owain left for his new forever home with Susan in Tacoma, WA. Sometimes as breeders you get attached to those special dogs that make your breeding program yours. Owain is one of them. He earned his Championship easily with multiple majors, finished his TD with my Mom, Kathy, finished his PT, thanks to my good friend Shannon, which completed his VC, and has sired two Championships to date (Ch Ryder and Ch Secret), with others hopefully to come. His new owner, Susan, is the best. She is a huge gardner, works for the Museum of Glass (one of my favorite museums!), and is a friend of Jan who owns Owain's son, CH Ryder. I know Owain will love his new home, although at the same time it is sad to see one go that has been with you for so long.

And for those in the front discussion...I thought it would be beneficial to take a front shot this morning after he got cleaned up. This is a dog that did not look like this as a baby. And many wondered if he would ever get a chest...typically this line is very late in maturing, most doing their big wins as a Veteran...and Owain is no different then his ancestors. I just love that wrap, shape, and the way he turns out...not too much, but just enough. Maybe one of these days I can dig up some of his earlier shots. Most of them are at my parents house, so I can't easily get them!