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Let me begin by saying I do not believe all dogs and people are created equal when it comes to breeding.  Health
and emotional well being of both the dog and the owner is something that needs to be considered and examined
closely before making the decision to do so.  I am not encouraging anyone to breed, in fact I would discourage most
people from doing it.  I don't feel I am any better than you are because I have decided to breed some of my cocker
spaniels.  What I do believe is I was better prepared than most because I researched and had experience with
working with animals and could be prepared to handle the unexpected and serious situations that can occur.
The following pages are based on my experience and opinions.  If/when you meet me you will find out I am not a
judgemental individual and would never tell you what to do or how to live your life.  That is your choice and I do truly
feel so long as no one is being hurt (including dogs and puppies) and no laws are being broken than who am I to
say what you do?

Health Basics & Genetics
Let's start here by assuming your dog is happy and healthy.  How do you determine that?  Is it just enough that your
dog hasn't been sick (so far)?  Is it a good sign that others think my dog is a great dog?

If you are going to do this with any objectivity you need to let someone else evaluate your dog's health.  Your
veterinarian is an obvious choice.  Schedule an exam just for the purpose of getting their opinion on the health of
your dog for breeding.  A good vet will discuss the pros and cons of breeding, give you input on your dog's overall
health and development and suggest certain further evaluations that are common for your breed.  Another breeder
or handler of cocker spaniels is also another good choice.  They can give you criteria for the breed and tell you alot
about your individual dog.

In Cocker Spaniels one of the earlier genetic screenings we do is for genetic eye disorders such as Cataracts.  
CERF (which stands for the Canine Eye Research Foundation) testing is done by a specialist veterinarian.  Most
major cities have one or more K-9 Eye Doctors and your family vet can refer you to one.  OFA (which stands for
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) is another common evaluation in which your dog's hips are X-rayed and then
examined by the foundation for Hip Dysplasia.  Sometimes Elbows are done as well.

Brucellosis is a sexually transmitted disease that pups can get from mom who more than likely got it from the father
and so on.  A simple blood test sent into the lab can determine if your dog has it and you should require any dog
you breed to have the test done within the last 30 days.  Sterility can develope if any of the dogs have this disease.  

All of this costs money but is a way to at least begin down the road of breeding healthy puppies.  Responsible
breeders will have done at minimum this testing and there are plenty other tests that can apply to certain cocker
spaniels.

Let's start looking into a general idea of what the costs are that involve breeding your dog and raising a litter of
pups.

Genetics~ a very basic look at them.
Let me emphasize that there is SOOOOO much more involved with genetics than I could ever hope to cover.  This
would take up all my time and hundreds of pages to begin to explain thoroughly so please do not believe this is all
that you need to know.  I just want to provide a very basic look at genetics to help anyone interested in breeding
from making some common and sometimes disastrous mistakes.

Basic Color Practices
  • One basic that no one ever seems to mention is that it is undesirable to breed a solid colored dog to a parti
    colored dog.  It often results in mismarks.  What is wrong with a mismark you might ask~ well its not approved
    by the Breed Standard for color.  That's it.  Nothing about them is unhealthy but now ya know!
  • In solid colored cockers, some white is ok on the neck and chest.  Elsewhere it is a mismark. (face, feet, etc)
  • Merles should never ever be bred to another merle~ there is theory that it produces a pup with potentially
    lethal issues or can lead to blind and deaf puppies.  Some of that is theory and some of that is proven.  For
    now it is an accepted practice NOT to breed Merles to Merles.
  • What is the easiest way to know what color puppies you will have.  There is no exact way and even by looking
    at pedigrees you can not be sure what will be in the lines.  Sometimes dogs are registered as a similar color
    but not the right one so surprises can happen.  I often wonder why breeders do not just breed similar colors to
    one another if they are so determined to have one color pup or another.  If you want a chocolate parti breed
    your chocolate parti to another chocolate parti~ still not 100% guarantee but the odds are higher.
  • Black is dominant.  True but there are lots of visually black dogs that are not dominant blacks.
  • In order to have merle pups at all, one of the parents must carry merle or be a merle.  Blue in the eyes is one
    way to tell if a not visually merle dog is a merle.  Merles have been falsely registered as Roans alot so again
    the pedigree is not always an accurate indicator.
  • In order to have a roan pup one of the parents must be a roan.  Heavy ticking is said by some to be related to
    roaning and denied by others.. I myself still am undecided on that.
  • Ticking or spotting.. is very small spots not parti coloring which is well broken areas of color with white.  Not all
    partis have ticking or freckles as they are sometimes referred to on the face of the dogs.
  • In order to have sable pups one or both parents must be a sable and the other dog must either be a sable or
    a black and tan (tri color in partis).  
Other Basic things a Cocker Should have before being bred. (not discussing show quality dogs)
  • A good bite.  All the teeth should nicely line up and a scissors bite is optimal!
  • Clear bright eyes.  Not dull.
Alot more to come in the future as time permits!
Health Basics & Genetics
This website contains our photos and info about our Breeding Program and some other related information.  We
invite you to check out our website to learn more about us and the cocker spaniels here.  Please use the links on
the left or upper portion of each page to navigate this website.  For those on slower speed connections we have
a plain text Directory Page for your convenience.
Kattery Kennels is owned and operated by Kat & Terry Reck and is not affiliated with any other identity.  The
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to Kat.  Requests for further information should be directed to Info@KatteryKennels.com
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