Sasha doing what she loves best

Taprue Black Velvet

Sasha is 9 this year, she is the grandmother to 20 pups and still loves the sport of retrieving ducks from a pond near Kaitangata.

A regular group of 8 shooters headed off to thier Mi Mi Friday night , and Sasha along with 4 other dogs had a very busy time !!

I am very proud to know she was the best dog on the lake for the weekend , having retrieved most of the ducks and back to the mi mi to her master.

She never gives up………….

Hawkshead Labradors Puppy Picnic

A puppy picnic held in the gardens of Hawkshead Lodge on Sunday 1st April 2012, was a fun day had by all – owners and dogs.

3 generations and 13 pups in all from around the Wanaka region arrived on a beautiful sunny afternoon. There were games and hilarity for the dogs and then well deserved bones for them all , while the owners sat back and enjoyed the peace and quiet whilst eating thier way through a sausage sizzle.

Ven the great grandmother, Rocky the father , Sasha the grandmother and Rea the mother, all took on the pups like it was just yesterday and there wasn’t a scrap to be heard from any of them.

Hawkshead Labradors between the age of 4 months and 4 years stole the show and were admired by other owners.

After all it was all about them anyway !!

Thank you everyone for making this picnic such an event with dogs coming as far as Christchurch and Dunedin. Without you I wouldn’t have the joy of seeing my pups development.

Next date on the Calander – Autumn 2013

Ted

Velvet Pure prides itself on offering ‘ New Zealand’s Finest Deer Velvet’s supplements into the market place today. Focusing on the health and well being, not only for our precious pets but for people too.

All Velvet Pure products are 100% pure ad natural, they are free from additives, preservative, gluten, corn, wheat and yeast.

The nutritional benefits from Deer Velvet are great in the respect that they contain high levels of chrondroitin and glucosamine which may assist with your pets joint conditions. The immune system may also be improved and build up your dog’s resistance.

Canine Pet Supplement – Nutritional way to help maintain healthy joints and muscles, support the immune system and promote a healthy coat and general well-being.

Velvet Pure Perfect For Dogs of All Ages

www.velvetpure.co.nz

Freddie

Keep learning and improving as a dog owner.

What does your dog love? What stresses him/her out? How do they communicate their emotions through body language? Understanding your dog will enable you to be a better friend to him this year and every year.

Make time for your dog. This may mean rearranging your schedule. It may mean going out in the cold or rainy weather to give them a walk. It may mean skipping something in order to take them to agility or Canine Good Citizens training. It may mean spending less time on the computer, watching tv or reading and more on playing, training and exercising with your dog.

Be appreciative of how wonderful your dog is. One of the biggest elements of successful training is looking for desirable behaviours and reinforcing them with something your dog likes and appreciates – a butt scratch. A game of tug, the opportunity to go for a walk. Never miss an opportunity to thank your dog for good behaviour.

Don’t get mad at your dog for your management failures. For example – if your dog loves chewing toilet tissues and you leave the toilet door open, its your fault that the toilet roll is messed up. If you leave shoes he loves chewing on where he can access them, its your fault. If your dog toilets in the house on occasions, provide him with plenty of opportunities to toilet outside by giving him meaningful frequent breaks.

Your dog needs and craves mental as well as physical stimulation. Mental stimulation includes playing, training, walking at new or infrequented places/venues, being allowed to stop and scent which conveys mental pictures in your dog’s mind of what he is smelling.

When you take your dog for a walk – it is their time , not yours.

Maisie

The fountain of a healthy life for your dog is in the water.

Many dog owners are very careful and selective with the food they provide their dogs but it is also very important to make sure your dog are getting plenty of fresh, cold, clean water everyday.

It is one of the easiest ways to keep your dog healthy. However many dogs do not drink enough water to maintain their body needs.

Some of the reasons dogs do not drink enough of refuse to drink, is the quality of the water and the cleanliness of the water bowl.

Stagnant water can quickly collect bacteria and debris. If water does not taste fresh and clean, many dogs will refuse to drink it or drink less than they would if given fresher, colder water.

Dogs can get ill and diseased through unclean water and food bowls. Please be responsible for keeping clean receptacles.

If reduced water intake continues over time, it can result in health problems such as dehydration and urinary tract infections. Tap water should be filtered as medications and chemicals etc in tap water are not advisable for the long term health of your dog. Certainly fluoride in the tap water supply is considered a health risk.

A wee story :

A 16 year old Labrador in the deep south of the South Island, who incredibly survived  58 days without any food or water. She was trapped in an unoccupied house, all she had was rain water dripping through a hole in the roof.

Rea Playing

Here are 10 reasons why you should add coconut oil to your dog’s diet.

1. Improves overall skin health and clears up eczema, flea allergies, contact dermatitis and itchy skin
2. Helps moisturise dry skin and makes coats gleam.
3. Applied topically- promotes the healing of cuts, wounds, hot spots. Stings and bites
4. Helps reduce doggie odour
5. Prevents and treats yeast infections and candida
6. Improves digestion and nutrient absorption
7. Reduces and can eliminate doggy breath
8. Helps prevent diabetes and heart disease and promotes normal thyroid function
9.  Helps reduce weight and increase energy, promotes mobility in dogs with arthritis and joint issues
10. Excellent for brain health

If stools become too soft, add pumpkin to diet

Coconut Oil is available from your local health food shop and chemist

Dosage – ½ teaspoon 5 –7 times a week

Bella & Woody

PLAY – Dogs do not outgrow play but actively pursue throughout their lives. Unhealthy, unhappy dogs do not play. Play is a barometre of well being indicating a dog is in good health, well fed and content.

CHECK- UPS – Annual physical examinations by a vet is important to provide optimal health care and quality longevity. Dogs are very good at hiding pain and illness.

DIET – Dog nutrition continues to advance. A healthy, well balanced, daily intake of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and supplemented by fresh food, and fresh clean cool water is best for dogs. 

MONITOR – Your dog for activity level, appetite, urine, water intake and bowel movement for any irregularities.

Owning a Dog teaches parenting. The first thing about being a father is Protection and Direction. It’s the leadership part. Fathers are more protective and disciplinary whilst mothers are more instinctual and nurturing.

Bloat – is a dangerous condition and expensive to treat. Symptoms of this condition are Pacing, Restlessness, Unproductive attempts to Vomit. Major causes of Bloat are food related. Don’t feed your dog only once a day. Your dog’s meals should not just consist of dry food. Don’t allow your dog to drink a large amount of water straight after a meal. No heavy activity / exercising after a meal. Eating slower and not allowing your dog to gulp down their food.

Hannah

Labradors are superbly gentle with children, intensely loyal and affectionate.

Their endless patience and great tolerance makes them the perfect childrens companion, taking any and all sorts of childs play in thier stride.

Labradors can easily live in harmony with other dogs and family pets.

Hannah was 5, and she came to visit for a week and bonded with Sasha’s pups. By the end of the week she could could lay on the grass with them at 6 weeks in complete admiration and respect that they were little creatures  learning about social skills as much she was learning all their vulnerable habits. It was a very special time with Hannah and her family.

We can learn so much from the young and innocent , a Hawkshead Labrador will be a Puppy for Life !!

Kane 8 weeks

The biggest thing with caring for your Labrador puppy, or any large breed puppy is the 1^st 12 months when they should be fed a high quality large breed puppy food as it contains all the right levels of calcium and nutritional requirements a large breed pup needs or a comprehensive raw food diet suited for puppies. Always have fresh water available for your pup.

Please do not over exercise your Labrador puppy, they can usually get all the exercise they need in their daily play sessions for the 6 months, although some pups need to be rested because the can get a little carried away especially if there is another dog in the household or come to visit. Remember socialisation is a must so puppy school is a great place to start, it is a safe a and controlled environment for your puppy. A week or so after your puppy’s 3 month vaccination, parks and beaches are also a good environment to meet other dogs.

Never allow your Labrador puppy to go and down stairs or jump on or off the sofa or your bed, including in and out of your car, until they are older because this can cause major damage to growing and developing bones when they get older. Keep an eye out for rougher play with bigger animals… – this is just a caution for the 1^st year of their life. They are a large dog and those bones grow very fast and need to be taken care of. Adding some Ester C to their diet can be helpful for ligament and tendon development as well.

Your Labrador puppy should never carry unnecessary weight. Some people think the more they feed the bigger they will get, this is incorrect, a lot has to do with your dogs bloodlines firstly as to how big they get and overfeeding a pup will only cause bone issues when older. There is nothing more heartbreaking than having to put your beloved pet down before 12 months of age due to dysplasia. They are better kept on the leaner side, especially during their fastest growing months between 5 – 8 months than to be overweight when growing. Please keep in mind most Labrador breeds are not fully grown until around the 3 year mark so they have plenty of time to get to size.

Rea at 4 weeks

Hawkshead Labradors     “Puppies for Life”

Registered Purebred Labrador Breeder    

Litter all Chosen by 19 January 2012

Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand

Breeder:                      Bridget Jones

Bitches:                       Sasha “Taprue Black Velvet”

                                    Rea “Hawkshead Velvet Sash”

Sire :                            Rocky ‘’ Flagstaff Black Bear’

Member NZ Kennel Association 098324

Member Canterbury Labrador Association

Hip/Elbow Scoring and Certificates – Breeding Bitches and Sire

Eye Certification – Breeding Bitches and Sire

Registration Papers and Ancestry

Worming 2 weeks from birth

Vaccinatons at 6 weeks

Raised in kennels from 4 weeks

Socialised and disciplined from 4 weeks

Thank you so much for your desire to choose a Hawkshead Labrador and also for your patience.

Once I have notified all interested parties and they confirm their pup on a first served basis for a bitch or dog, the process begins.  A $200 deposit is required in 3 working days to secure your pup and the remaining balance is due 1 week before homing. Upon receipt, I send through all the certificates for hip, elbow and eye and also pedigree papers for the dam and sire.

The pups are wormed every 2 weeks from 3 weeks old, they have their first vaccination at 6 weeks, then their second puppy vaccination at 3 months old. This is the ideal time to microchip them as well.

From 4 to 5 weeks old, the pups are in a kennel with runs, depending on weather. They have fairly much a free run for most of the day, they learn all about the garden, where to go and for how long.  They can be real dogs and each week they become more adventurous!! When I bed them down in their kennel at 6pm, I can honestly say I don’t hear a peep out of them till their mum feeds them in the morning.

They are fed 3 times a day when they go onto solids at 3 weeks (a Science Diet puppy up to 1 year) and Mum will also feed them as much as she wants to through the weaning process until they leave.

I meet a very strong criteria for breeding and am also as passionate about my family dogs as I am about the pups.  I put extreme care and good management into all of them and when the time comes to hand them over, I am very, very proud of them.

There will be papers to sign, so I send these off 3 weeks before homing for you to return to me signed, and your registration papers will come directly to you once I have homed all the pups.

When I hand your pup over, you will have a log book of vaccination and worming to date and I will also give you another 2 months supply of worming tablets to get you through to the next vet appointment. Worming thereafter is every 6 weeks.

I hope this is of help to you and I have every confidence you will have many years of enjoyment and loyalty from your Hawkshead Labrador.

Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year

Bridget Jones