Monday December 8, 2014

We have had a very successful November at Safron Kennels we attended two dog shows and continue our agility training with our two girls, Ivy and Piper. We had a great time at the dogs shows this past month and the girls did a great job promoting the breed. The girls are also working hard at improving their agility skills, Piper completed her first every small jump course at only 6 months old in practice. Braque Francais are very active and loving dogs however they are also dogs that love to snuggle and love their creature comforts and our girls are no exception. Below you can see how the girls are spending all their spare time:




Last month we went to two dog shows, the first dog show that we atened was a show in Lindsey Ontario. It was a rememberable event because it was the first show ever that there has been more than one Braque Francais type Pyrenees entered. Surprisingly Piper showed really well for her first show that she was able to beat out her mom both days at the dog show. This means that Piper earned two points at the show an excellent start for her first show. Below see a picture of Piper's win:



The second show that we attended was a show in Mississauga Ontario the reason on going to this show was because of ht public tends to be a this show. It was a very successful show in that many people where asking questions about our breed and for this breed the more education that can be done right know the better. Also Ivy beat out Piper at this show earning her first point. Below see a picture of Ivy's win:



We are planning on breeding Ivy next spring in 2015, our last litter was very successful with lots of interest. If you or anyone you may know is interested in the 2015 litter, have any questions, would like to meet our wonderful dogs here at Safron Kennels or would just like to learn more about the Braque Francais please contact us we would love to hear from you. If you would like to find would be a good fit for you and your family please take our small quiz by clicking here. We are encouraging everyone to share the Braque Francais will others please print off our brochure, which is filled with wonderful information about these lovely dogs and help to get the breed more known, to download click here.

Tuesday November 4, 2014

This past month at Safron Kennels we have continued to promote and have fun with our two wonderful Braque Francais girls; Ivy and Piper. We take both girls to agility classes every week and they are improving their skills very quickly. We are also very excited because we have entered both in a dog show this weekend and it will be a memorable event because there are two Braque Francais entered, not just the typical one (Ivy) that has been the only Braque Francais promoter in the show ring for the past three years. As you can see below the pressure has been getting to her.



Agility lessons with the girls are going very well, we try to practice with them every week. We find agility a great active for Braque Francais because it involves a Braques most favorite things which are; running, listening to commands and working with their owners. We find that it is also a great active to help owners learn how to handle their dogs; agility is as much about the dog getting the obstacles correct as it is about the handler (who is typically the owner) getting the correct commons to the dog. Piper has graduated level 101 at only six months old and she has started 102 just this past week. Piper has already obtained some excellent agility skills including jumping multiple jumps in a row, running through a tunnel and targeting at the end of an obstacle. All extremely useful foundational agility skills that she will use once she gets to competition level. However Piper does find agility to be a lot of work sometimes as you can see below she feel asleep at class last week.



Ivy practices her agility skills every week as well in semi-private classes, she is quickly mastering the hardest obstacle in agility, the weave poles. Ivy was having a difficult time learning the wave poles, basically she was not understanding that she had to do every single pole. However now she is doing the weave poles perfect almost every time, practice, consistency and patience pay off when training, check out Ivy's new skills below:



Play Video

We have planned a dog show this weekend where both our girls are entered, in the past it has only been me, my husband and Ivy at the dogs shows representing the Braque Francais. Ivy has been doing a great job being the sole Braque Francais ambassador at dog shows but we are thrilled that Piper is now here to help. Since we are only active kennel exhibiting or dogs in the show ring in Ontario it has been very difficult to move the Braque Francais forward. However here at Safron Kennels we are determined to get the Braque Francais more known not just with the general public but in as many aspects of the dog world as we can. We are welcoming everyone to join us at the dog show this weekend to come out see the dogs and cheer them on. As you can see below Piper is getting ready to help.

Sunday October 12, 2014

Things are forever changing at Safron Kennels we are what with breeding, showing and agility; the puppies are also growing up fast below you can see that they are now old enough to join mom outside in the backyard pointing a birds and bugs. We are now down to two Braque Francais Ivy and Piper, our lovely Dixie went to her New in Seattle Washington last month. We are still planning on breeding Ivy again and are preparing her stud for next Spring. Also we are always promoting this wonderful with showing and agility.



Dixie from Ivy's 2014 litter who was returned to us has finally joined her new family in Seattle Washington. Due to the sudden change in the border crossing rules from Canada to the U.S.A there was a delay in getting Dixie to her new home. However Dixie has arrived at her new home safe and sound the beginning of this month. Dixie has settled in very well to her new home and is very loved by her new family. Below see Dixie at home in Seattle, we wish her a long, happy and healthy life.





With Dixie now in Seattle we are going to continue what we love to do here at Safron Kennels which is promote this wonderful breed by going to shows and through agility. We are currently taking the girls to a dog show in November close by as well as taking the girls to agility class every week. Piper is now half way through agility 101 and loving it; Ivy is practicing every day to improve her skills for competition. We are hoping to get Ivy entered into an agility competition soon however here in Canada going to agility competitions can be difficult what with the winter months coming; it is hard to do agility in all that snow. Below are some recent photos of our wonderful girls, they are the best we could get it is difficult to get Piper to stay still for the camera.




We are planning on breeding Ivy next spring in 2015, our last litter was very successful with lots of interest. If you or anyone you may know is interested in the 2015 litter, have any questions, would like to meet our wonderful dogs here at Safron Kennels or would just like to learn more about the Braque Francais please contact us we would love to hear from you. If you would like to find would be a good fit for you and your family please take our small quiz by clicking here. We are encouraging everyone to share the Braque Francais will others please print off our brochure, which is filled with wonderful information about these lovely dogs and help to get the breed more known, to download click here.

Wednesday September 3, 2014

We have been keeping very busy here at Safron Kennels what with three Braque Francais type Pyrenees in the house right now; Ivy and her two daughters Piper and Dixie as you can see below things can be a little crowed sometimes. The biggest activity that the girls are doing is agility training, with all three currently in classes. We are also preparing Dixie for a her big trip to Seattle where her new family is located. As well announcing that we are planning on breeding Ivy again next spring.



Ivy has been training in agility for about 2 and a half years and is improving her skills every class. She can do contact obstacles, tunnels and of course jumps; Ivy is currently working on mastering the wave poles. This is one of the hardest hurdles in agility but all dogs will get it with practice. Ivy is advanced enough in her training through that she will be starting trials soon, we are hoping at the end of this month. Watch Ivy in action below:



Play Video

Piper and Dixie have just started their agility classes by entering foundation agility lessons. In these classes the dogs become familiar with different agility equipment and basic commands. The girls did very well in foundations they were not afraid of any of the new equipment and picked up new commands very easily. The girls also met a lot of new dogs and people while at class; which is great socialization for them. Dixie and Piper graduated foundation agility with flying colours and Piper is already signed up for the next set of classes which starts in a couple of weeks. Hopefully Piper will make it competition level one day as well, just like her mom.



Here at Safron Kennels Dixie was returned to us from Ivy's past litter although we were upset that it didn't work out with the owners we understood and took her back. However the good news is that once the word was out there that Dixie was available we got many inquires about her from people wanting her; this ended up in her getting a new family in Seattle Washington. We are so happy that Dixie has a new loving forever family in Seattle however the day her new family purchased her they changed the border crossing rules to get her into the States. Thus her new family must wait a whole extra month until Dixie can travel to the States, we are trying to find a way to send her sooner. Until the point that Dixie leaves though she is having fun with her agility training, socializing and playing with her sister and mom.

Sunday July 27, 2014

There has been a lot of activity here are Safron Kennels in the past 3 weeks. The first is that puppies have packed their bags and have gone to their forever homes. A question that is asked to breeders a lot is "Is it difficult to let the puppies go?". The answer I give them is no it is not because by the time puppies are ready to go to their new homes they are becoming a handful to look after that you are unable to give them all the attention they deserve. Below take a look at the few moments of peace the household had right before the puppies left:






Another reason that it nice when the puppies leave is because when you see new owners get their new puppy they are so happy that it makes you happy. The puppies have traveled all over North America and have new names, below find out where the puppies are now:

Below is puppy number 1, a male who is now Buddy he has is with his new family in Alabama we wish him all the best and all he have to say to Buddy is "Sweet Home Alabama", we hope that we hear about how Buddy is doing soon.



Below is puppy number 2, the other male who is known as Moby. His new family is located close by in Toronto with people who love him. We are very happy that Moby is close because hopefully then we can see him again.



Below is puppy number 3, a female, who is called Dixie. Due to personal reasons she was returned but has found a new home in Seattle Washington, we wish Dixie all the best.

Saturday June 28, 2014

Sorry this is late my husband and I have been sick. The puppies are now eight weeks old and getting bigger everyday. We are now starting the point of the puppies development were they play with each other and learn proper behaviour both with other dogs and with people. They are learning to how to properly play with other dogs, which will be important when they are adults because then they will play with other dogs as adults. They are also learning that there is a difference between the way you play dogs and the way you play with humans. I cannot stress enough to dog owners how important play is to dogs when they are puppies they learn so much through play as puppies, such as social behaviour, how to deal with new situations and of course how to have fun. Also dogs that play when they are puppies will play throughout their lives which helps keep them keep active into their adult and elder years. Below take a look at what the puppies look like now:





Below is puppy number 1, a male, who is a very lively fellow. He loves to run around and play with his brother and sisters. He is a natural leader and is always first in their tussels.




Below is puppy number 2, the only brother of puppy number 1. He is great friends with all his siblings and a real snuggler. He is always ready to curl up for a nap with his siblings or human friends after running around for a while.




Below is puppy number 3, a female, and the most rambunctious of the litter. She loves saying hello to new friends and is always looking for something fun to do or pounce on.

Wednesday June 11, 2014

The puppies are now five weeks old, the puppies are going very fast and are becoming more active everyday. They love to run and play around the living room with each other. This is great for they puppies social development because they are learning how to interact with each other which will translate into other dogs when they are full grown. Below take a look at what the puppies look like now:





Below is puppy number 1, a male, who is the biggest in the litter. He loves to play with his litter mates and is discovering that toys are fun to play with too.




Below is puppy number 2, a male, the small boy and the only light puppy in the litter. He loves to play with toys and thinks they are greatest thing since slice bread.




Below is puppy number 3, a female, a small spunky girl. She loves people and playing with her litter mates and toys.

Wednesday June 4, 2014

The puppies are now four weeks old, all of the puppies are doing well and are very healthy, growing like weeds and are becoming very active. They are starting to run, jump and play with one another and even with their mom, Ivy. We have had the puppies out running around in our place, it is very difficult to watch 8 puppies at the time and ensure that they don't get into trouble. Watch them below in 2 movies I like to call "Play Time":



Play Video



Play Video

The puppies are starting to move around a lot, every week it is getting more difficult to get them to stand still for pictures. However we are doing the best job that we can, below you can take a look at what the puppies look like now






Below is puppy number 1, a male, who is the biggest in the litter. He is starting to run and play with his litter mates but loves to cuddle with people.

Wednesday May 28, 2014

The puppies are now three weeks old, all of the puppies are doing well and are very healthy. Last week we noticed that Ivy was getting very tired and feeling drained from feeding the puppies every two or three hours. So we decided to start weaning and supplementing the puppies with some solid food...well gruel. The gruel is puppy food soaked in water, mashed up with sum added puppy supplement from the pet store. The puppies have taken to the gruel with a voracious appetite, all the puppies love to eat gruel and even though it is a mess process it is fun to watch them eat, check out "The Feast" below:



Play Video

The puppies are also walking and playing with each other now they are loving pouncing and getting each other everyday. Check out the movie I like to call "Get Them" below of the puppies playing with one another:



Play Video

Even though the puppies love to eat their gruel they are not fully weaned Ivy still feeds them everyday just not as often. Ivy likes that she can take a rest from feeding them and doesn't have to feed them all the time. With the gruel and Ivy's milk the puppies have grown a lot this past week, below you can take a look at what the puppies look like now.






Below is puppy number 1, a male, who is getting really big he loves to eat, he bounces up and down with joy after every meal. He also loves to snuggle and cuddle with people and is getting darker everyday.