An introduction to Jaxon - Parts 1 and 2

Part 1:

Due to my husband's hip surgery, I did not breed two of my girls this spring. Carl is healing slowly but consistently which has given me a lull in my breeding program. It also afforded me the extra time to research for the addition of a possible new stud for Annabelle Doodles.

I would like you to welcome 'Percy Jaxon'. As with all my dogs, his name has a story. If you have avid young readers in your home, you may be familiar with the trilogy 'The Lightening Thief'. The young hero is named Percy Jackson, but I prefer the more unique spelling of the young hero's last name. Jaxon has a light red and white 'tuxedo' pattern and should weigh 18 lbs. or so at maturity. I expect him to be about 16 inches in height.

Jax is a second generation Cockapoo. The experience of integrating my first generation ALAA approved Cockapoo, 'Coriander', into one of my lines has provided me with valuable experience with regard to using this foundation breed infusion. I used him twice but only kept back one pup named 'Holiday Figgy Puddin'. She is gorgeous.

So many people do not realize that in order to be an 'Australian' Labradoodle, there MUST be genetic DNA material by at least three different foundation dog breeds. From heritage DNA done by many breeders in the U.S., we found that the majority of breeds that comprised the Australian Labradoodle were the Poodle, Labrador and Spaniel varieties - hence my interest.

(Please read about what constitutes an American vs. Australian Labradoodle
on my Home Page.)

To be honest, I have always liked the looks of a well balanced Cockapoo. The heads have a nice broadness with a shorter muzzle; the eyes have a soft expression; the coat is silkier and the body has a nicely squared, sturdy confirmation. It is also a breed that is considered 'allergy' friendly - an essential element.

When considering the introduction of a foundation dog, it is extremely important to be able to trace the AKC pedigrees on both the Spaniel and the Poodle that produced the Cockapoo. If you are lucky enough to find Champion stock in both lines, this shows correct confirmation and type for each breed. Jaxon's foundation lines show 14 Champions scattered throughout five generations. His Cockapoo father, Koala Mars, is in the ALAA's Labradoodle Registry database as an accredited infusion for the Australian Labradoodle's breeding criteria. To date, his progeny have been shown to have a strong, solid health foundation which is so important for the future health of the Australian Labradoodle. His Cockapoo mom, with the romantic name of 'Juliet', has numerous Champions in her American Cocker Spaniel lines.

As with all our doodles, Jaxon will need to pass our stringent testing protocol before being used as a stud at Annabelle Doodles. He will, however, be available immediately for a guardian home.

Part 2:

I thought you would be interested in Jaxon's parents and what they look like.


Comments from her breeder:

'Juliet' is a beautiful, friendly, outgoing dog. She wants to play with everyone - adults and children - and gets along very well with all the other dogs. She is curious and playful, yet very sweet and obedient. Juliet had her first litter of puppies in Feb. 2011, and she is a wonderful mama to all 8 of them!'

Juliet - 17 lb. Height: 15" to back; 20" to head
F1 (1st Generation)	Apricot - BBee
CERF clear	DNA tested
patellas normal	AKC traceable

Mars, Jaxon's sire has a very social calendar and rightly so, he is definitely a favorite of many furry females.

Comments from his new owner:

'Mars is a beautiful red tuxedo F1 (first generation) Cockapoo. He joined us in November 2010. He came to us from a labradoodle breeder in OR, and he is a sweet, friendly dog. We love him! He is fully tested for health and genetics. '

Mars - 16 lb. Height: 14" to back; 18 " to head
F1 (1st Generation)	Red tuxedo BBee
AKC traceable	OFA certified hips, elbows good; patellas normal
CERF clear	DNA tested

When something is not what it seems....

In yesterdays mail, I received this very nice letter from the 'National Association of Professional Woman' - NAPW explaining to me that my 'membership' was approved. Huh?

This just makes me wonder how I 'became invited'. I was never contacted nor did I ask to be considered. Since neither occurred, I asked myself just how 'special' is this letter? Is it sent to thousands and thousands of women across the country at random? If so, it diminishes its impact and is definitely misleading as I did nothing to warrant this invitation.

Perhaps other women/breeders would be gushing with enthusiasm to have received such a glowing invite . I guess, I am so traditional, that I believe you need to earn such recognition through much effort and achievement not simply as a result of a mass mailing!

Oh, did I mention that it included a stamped return card to join its membership? I had to smile that any woman would see this as anything more than a marketing ploy.

I wanted to post this here to show the general public that 'not all accolades' published on a website have value. Sometimes, it is just more marketing rhetoric.

I 'filed' it in the circular bin. I much prefer a personal communication from my clients telling me they are happy with the quality and service of my program. :+)

Car Sickness

This is an excellent suggestion about what to do with a pup/dog who gets car sick. I hope many of you will read it and try it out if you ever have such an issue. :+) Joyce

Car Sickness

The first thing to realize when dealing with car sickness is that in 95 percent of cases it is stress related and not motion related. The most powerful memory imprint of any dog's brain is probably the car ride when it was taken away from all it ever new to be safe and secure, its litter mates and its mother. The most traumatic memory a young dog has is in relation to a ride in a car. So it's not surprising that subsequent rides in a car should evoke very strong mental and subsequent physical trauma.

How Can I Make My Dog Feel Better?

The solution is very simple. If the dog has been sick in a car then estimate how long it was in the car before it was sick, say 20 minutes? Find a park about 5-10 minutes from home, preferably one just around the corner, even one within walking distance that the dog has been to before.... but this time drive there. Ideally have someone else in the car too, to soothe the dog and distract him from the ride. Keep him happy all the way to the park. When at the park do all the enjoyable things that the dog loves, fetch the ball, chase the Frisbee, frolic with dad, etc. The stay at the park doesn't need to be that long.... just as enjoyable as possible. Then drive the dog home soothing him all the way again and when home make just as much fuss of the dog as you did at the park. Finish the session with his meal or a treat if time and conditions permit.

This exercise is repeated several times a day or daily if time is limited. Once the dog is enthusiastic to go in the car then the length of the trip is lengthened slightly to 10-15 minutes etc. Once you can drive with the dog for 30 minutes with no signs of stress or anxiety then you have the problem pretty much licked. Some dogs may take a little longer than others. The idea is for as many happy repetitions as possible to overwrite the initial mental imprint the dog has from its youth (or whatever other event caused the initial trauma).

I have had a (client's) dog that suffered from chronic carsickness totally 'cured' (if that is the right term) in 3 days. That was with five car trips per day over the three-day period. The owners were impressed (even if I say so myself) and I am still getting referrals from them as a result.

This method has always worked, but I have heard of one dog that was sick due to some kind of balance problems and this method didn't work for it. A trip to the vet after the method failed brought the problem to the surface. But if it only works for 95 percent of the dogs it's used on then I think it's quite successful!

Train with trust not fear.

Article written by:
David the Dogman
Extracted with permission from David the Dogman's A-Z Guide to Dogs
www.thedogman.net