Sitting outside today with the babies and reflecting on a few things.
As a breeder you cannot keep them all. A breeder should be breeding a litter to keep back for their next show dog or performance buddy. As a breeder you cannot keep them all as eventually you will have too many dogs for your team to work with daily. Adults may get placed in new homes as it’s the best fit for them, you, and the program. Not all dogs are show dogs. Not all dogs need to be bred.
My dogs live in the house with us. They wake us up, no need for alarms, between 5:30-8 am daily and that 8am is a treat for us humans! My husband and I get up and we both have our set dogs we take out. We have several dog yards, separate kennels for some and a couple who are let out in our big grassy area as we do the morning chores. We check water and kiddie pools, it’s hot and if they want to lay in a pool by all means they can! We bring back in those dogs who prefer to be in the house. Start coffee, go to the bathroom ourselves. We sometimes go back to bed if it’s the early hours.
I drive to go pick up my son from his overnight job and grab something from the local Dollar General if we need it and back home. My husband usually works evenings, but sometimes mornings. I sit down and go through emails and messages. Drink coffee maybe make myself some eggs. Usually have a few snacks for whatever dogs are in the house. Do dishes and watch the dogs chasing the chipmunks on the fence line. Open their door and see if anyone wants in.
I will sit down and train a dog. Not always something formal for competition, it might be something household-manners wise. It might be learning a new dog interactive toy. It might be just settle down and learn to be a good house dog.
Watch some tv, or sit outside before it’s too hot for me. I immensely dislike anything over 80 degrees. I contemplate some outdoor activities, jumps, tunnels, balance games, yard work.
Back in for lunch sometime between noon and 2. I have to watch my protein levels so I don’t get sick. Hence so many eggs!
Do I need to go into town for yogurt and produce? Do I need something from Home Depot? Oh who should come with? If it’s a Home Depot run only then I take another dog, (Hobby Lobby) If I feel like spending some money.
Back home to chill and work on something. Gets close to dinner, who needs to go outside? Who should I work on something with? What crazy thing have I saw or learned that I should try? Dig out a training thing work Swagger on it. Cool he understood, now who? Figure out which dog looks like they need to have some treats and brain worked. Time to put dinner together. Who’s there for taste testing?
Phone calls and messages get answered. Questions get asked. Oh hey I need to see if this dog remembers how to do what we worked on last week. Watch something. Start cleaning dog bowls, check house waterers for dogs, do some laundry. Let house hippos out. Fill bowls with their food. Check the calendar, Does anyone need a med? supplement? Weight check? Start letting dogs in and checking everyone over. Take my son to work. Check to see who ate. Take a dog out for something or another. Back to their crate. Fans are on. Chews are doled out. Everything is in order. Go to bed and pretty much repeat daily. Some changes of course.
I’m living the easy life right now with the air quality and heat. The knee is starting to heel better. Hoping the temperature drops so I can get on the bike and work the knee and some dogs.
I love working at home, but taking classes online takes dedication. It takes money. It’s a lot of reading and thinking, planning and testing. Those of you who know what I have been studying know I am more than willing to get good reputable breeders going on this, but it is not free. This is a job and we are a unique market. As a preservation breeder we need to help educate the public about the differences between us and other breeders.
I will announce soon what I have been working on and will setup ways for you to be seen more by buyers.