Getting Started

The breeder will normally have registered your puppy with the Kennel Club, if he is a pedigree. They then receive a form called a Breeder Registration Certificate from the Kennel Club, which will be given to you as the new puppy owner. You need to fill in the change of ownership details and return this form to the Kennel Club to register yourself as the new owner within 10 days. You will receive back a new registration certificate. You will be charged a fee by the Kennel Club for this but once registered your dog is eligible to compete at Kennel Club events and shows held under Kennel Club regulations. Pedigree dogs that are not registered may only compete at exemption shows.

If you wish to purchase a puppy with showing in mind it is worth attending some shows as a spectator and speaking to exhibitors who are showing the type of dog that appeals to you. Even within a breed you may find that a "line", or family, of dogs is of a particular type, either chunkier, leaner, or with a thicker coat, for instance. Exhibitors may be able to let you know who is currently breeding dogs of your preferred type. When purchasing the dog mention that you want a dog for showing so that the breeder can help you select the appropriate puppy.

This assumes that you already have a breed in mind that you wish to show. If it is showing itself that appeals then you may want a breed that you think you can be successful with fairly quickly. Some people choose to buy a more unusual breed, reasoning that it is easier to make an impact on the show scene if there are not huge numbers of dogs in a class. There are drawbacks to this as the choice of available dogs may be significantly reduced and it may also be difficult to choose a suitable mate if you choose to breed from your dog. Also make sure that your chosen breed is practical and enjoyable for you to keep, as this is still a dog that will be living with you for some time to come. Ask exhibitors who keep the breed what the personality of the breed is like, as well as taking into consideration how it looks.

Your puppy or adult dog will also need to learn how to behave within the show ring and the best way to learn this is to attend ringcraft classes. You will also learn a lot about the showing world from the other attendees. You should also accustom your dog to being handled and examined at home. Once you and your dog are confident ensure that he is also happy being examined by people he is unfamiliar with to ensure that he behaves in a relaxed manner with the judge in the show ring.

Types of Shows

Joining a local canine society will mean that your dog can compete in their own shows and matches. There will also be a limited number of classes for pedigree dogs held at exemptions shows, often as part of an agricultural show or country fair. Open shows also tend to have large numbers of classes to enter. Championship shows are those at which your dog could win a challenge certificate and eventually be awarded championship status. These shows may be open to a certain group (based on the groups set by the kennel club into which the various breeds are categorised) or to a certain breed. There are various other types of shows and show classifications that you will learn about as you become more involved with the show world.

Nutrition

When showing your dog you will need to ensure that he is kept in tip-top condition. Many breeders and exhibitors choose to feed Procare to their show dogs. Procare is a very high quality food with highly digestible proteins and valuable oils that are needed for excellent skin and coat condition. Expect to be feeding Procare for at least 2 weeks before you see the coat improve, although some dogs will show an improvement earlier. Adding supplements to a complete food can unbalance the nutrition and supplementation is unnecessary when feeding a good quality food.

If showing a long-haired dog a dry food is normally preferable as it helps keep hair around the mouth area clean during eating. On the day of the show do not offer food in the hour prior to attending the show as the excitement could cause stomach upset. If you have travelled a long way to get to the show and your dog needs food wait at least one hour or until your dog has settled before feeding.

Pregnancy in the bitch lasts for 63-65 days but there can be considerable variation. You should not expect your bitch to put on much weight until the fifth week of her pregnancy as the pups really start increasing in body size at this stage.

Bitches with puppies have higher calorie requirements while they are nursing because of the energy the body requires to produce milk. The more puppies the bitch has to feed then the higher her energy requirement is likely to be.

You may feed her normal food throughout her pregnancy and during nursing but will need to feed more. As her abdomen becomes swollen with puppies you may find that she goes off her food or wants to eat smaller meals. For this reason many breeders consider changing to a concentrated dry food at this time, which provides less bulk but sufficient calories. Procare is highly concentrated and easily digestible, as well as still being very tasty for the bitch at this time.

If you want to change onto a different food the best time is before the bitch has even been mated, to allow time for her digestive system to settle. You can however change her diet at any time, provided you do so gradually over 7-10 days.

Before increasing the amount of food fed try and consider the bitch's body condition- if she is already carrying too much weight do not increase her food as much, and if she is underweight increase her food by a little more. Split her food into several small meals a day.

Procare is an ideal food to feed during pregnancy because:

•It is highly digestible

•It provides a concentrated source of energy to deliver the extra calories required by the lactating bitch

•It is highly palatable to encourage appetite

•It contains the IS formulation which provides valuable support for the immune system which may be performing at a low level during pregnancy and after birth

•It is nutritionally complete, so no supplements are required

Procare pregnancy feeding guide

The following chart shows how much Procare Adult to feed the bitch during pregnancy and after birth.

Some dogs, particularly small and toy breeds, may prefer being fed puppy food during pregnancy. Some breeders prefer to do this because then the puppies can be fed the same food as the bitch when they are ready for weaning. Puppy food has a smaller kibble size so be aware that large breed adult dogs may not chew the food adequately or may tend to bolt food when eating.

This chart shows how much Procare Puppy food should be fed to adult, pregnant and lactating bitches.

Although the terms food allergy and intolerance are often used interchangeably, and may produce similar signs in the pet, these are two quite different conditions, both of which can be hard to diagnose.

Both are likely to cause skin problems, such as itching and hair loss. Dogs often show most signs on their feet and groin and ear problems, often in the absence of any infection, are another indicator. Some pets may have sickness and diarrhoea, either in addition to the skin problems or on their own.

Food allergies have their basis in an "overreaction" of the immune system. Usually young animals are affected and the skin condition does not get worse at certain times of the year like other skin conditions. It is thought that weaning a puppy too early may predispose to allergies developing.

A key feature of food allergy is that the reaction does not occur on first exposure. That means the pet needs to have been eating an ingredient, often regularly, before they can become allergic to it. The allergen (the ingredient causing the allergy) will almost always be a protein. Beef and dairy products account for 80% of food allergies, the remainder is to cereal grains, pork and other ingredients. Most commonly it is the protein that has made up the largest part of the diet that the pet will be allergic to. If a dog has been eating a beef and wheat based product then a good first alternative product choice would be a chicken or lamb based product. Initially avoid feeding any other foods than the trial diet and when the pet appears to have improved, gradually introduce foods that are thought to be free from the offending ingredients. It may take some considerable time for a pet to improve even when the right diet is being fed, with visible improvements taking anywhere between 2 and 12 weeks.

Lamb and rice based diets are sometimes thought to be a solution to allergic disease. However, the only reason that a pet would not be likely to react to these ingredients is if they had not previously had exposure to them. Gluten is a commonly mentioned allergen but it is almost impossible to say if the allergy is to another wheat protein or to gluten itself. Some (non gluten) proteins in wheat are very similar to proteins found in other cereals so cross reactions can occur (ie the same signs even when wheat is avoided because the animal is now reacting to another cereal). However corn has a different protein structure so cross reactions tend not to occur if this ingredient is fed.

Food Intolerance

Signs of Colitis

Colitis is inflammation of the large bowel. Affected dogs will have diarrhoea, often with jelly like mucus present. Some people describe this as looking like the stool has a polythene bag around it. If blood is present it will tend to look bright red, and most often spots of blood are seen. The dog may strain to pass faeces or continue straining after the stool has been passed. There might be a lot of urgency to pass faeces, with very little prior warning and this can result in toileting accidents in the house. Grumbling noises from the gut, or flatulence might also be noticed.

In the early stages an increase in appetite might be noticed. In most cases the dog will seem well otherwise although sometimes as the condition progresses weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite may occur. Colitis can occur as a result of damage to the pancreas and this is a much more serous condition, so progression of the illness should prompt a visit to the vets. Breeds such as Boxers, Basenjis and French Bulldogs are prone to certain types of colitis.

Some dogs suffer from very mild colitis, or digestive upsets on an intermittent basis. Changing the diet of these dogs can sometimes relieve their discomfort although their owners would be well advised to keep a watchful eye on the health of their dog to ensure that things do seem to be improving. Changing the diet As there are many types of colitis the dietary solution can vary and owners are well advised to ensure that their dog is examined by a veterinary surgeon to confirm the diagnosis and the possible cause.

Broadly speaking the main approaches to dietary trial suggest that some dogs respond well to a very digestible diet and some to a high fibre diet. Your vet may suggest that you try various proprietary diets, or may advise that a prescription diet is used. Prescription diets are formulated in such a way that they may provide very close to minimum or maximum levels of various nutrients in order to ‘treat’ the condition. As this then means that a nutritional deficiency or toxicity could result if they were used inappropriately then these diets have to be given under veterinary supervision.

Your Your vet could also suggest that a particular type of diet is fed- such as chicken and rice. Do make sure that your vet means a manufactured petfood, as a home-cooked diet with few ingredients is sometimes advocated in the initial stages to try and identify any potential reaction to other dietary ingredients that may be present in any particular petfood recipe. Long term such simple diets are likely to be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals and your vet will advise you as to how you can introduce other foods to provide nutritional balance. If your vet suggests that you can use a proprietary (manufactured, non-prescription) diet then you could try the following foods.

The Procare range offers a highly digestible food so that very little residue reaches the large intestine. This often helps to reduce any inflammatory reaction in the large bowel as it is given time to rest. It is usual to find the smaller more solid stools are formed when a dog is fed this food. This food is also wheat gluten free and this can sometimes be beneficial. Procare contains chicken, eggs, fish and rice: ingredients that tend to be easily absorbed. Beet pulp present in Procare provides a source of fibre that is the most beneficial to gut health.

A highly digestible food is often the best first choice when choosing a suitable diet for dogs with colitis. In contrast some dogs thrive better on a high fibre diet -almost the exact opposite of a highly digestible diet. If you would like to choose a higher fibre diet Pascoe’s Original may be a suitable alternative. Allergies sometimes result in colitis and it can also be worth trying a different meat variety from the one you are currently using- for example if you are using beef, try chicken instead.