[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Emmye

I would like you to tell your story about how you got in to breeding if it starts with another breed start there and then tell how you got in to corgi

First I agree with Debbie about being "in corgis". I agree with her explaniation of that.

Our first dog was a Golden Retreiver we got from a rescue group. We got him about two weeks after we got married. When we decided to get a second dog we decided to get a purebred we could show.

Now for me, I had been reading about dogs (well, animals in general but mostly dogs) from the time I could read, not just novels, but training books, and other similar type books. I used to walk neighbors dogs throught out my childhood. I had one I walked as a teenager and Deacon was the first dog I trained. No classes, did it from the books I had read. He was a mixed breed dog, Smooth Fox Terrier and Dachshund they thought.

Jim had been a dog handler in the Air Force before I met him, so he had experience with dogs too.

So when we got married I wanted a dog, my parents wouldn't let me have one at home, said it was too hard to move with one. (Dad was in the Air Force.)

when did you see your first PWC,

On TV, the Disney movie "Little Dog Lost". For real the first ones I saw were when we visited the Larklain Kennel in Denver to see about buying a puppy.

when did you get your first one,

February 1980. He was 9 weeks old. Larklains Happy King, we called him Larkin.

how did you learn about them,

From books, I read about dogs and read lots and lots of books on all breeds. I had a list of dogs I liked and corgis were on that list.

What did you do to get started,

Found a breeder and contacted her. Bought our first puppy and followed her instructions for handling classes, obedience classes and shows. Also, we would go out and visit and talk "dogs". Help her with her kennel chores.

And yes, while she did have a kennel it was not a puppy mill. It was a show dog kennel. A big difference. And she only had Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Not multiple breeds.

how long after that did you start to breed,

A year later. Now days I wish I had waited a bit longer. I had much, much more to learn.

We bought our second corgi, a female, who had already had one litter. We listened to the advice of the breeder and she helped us with questions, docking, ect. with that first litter. Also, I read the book "The Complete Pembroke Welsh Corgi" cover to cover shortly after getting our first corgi. I read it every year cover to cover again for sevearal years.

did people try to tell you not to do it.. how did you feel

No, since we didn't have things like the internet then. And we were already working with one of the top breeders in the breed.

why did you want to breed PWC

To have puppies of my own to show. Same reason I do it now, to try to attain that "ideal" corgi.

tell about your first litter of puppies

My first litter was from my first two corgis, Larkin and Kristie, and if I knew then what I know now I'd have not bred those two dogs. There were better males I should have used with Kristie. However, we bred them and have had some nice dogs because of that. Most of my current dogs go back to that breeding some how.

The puppies pictured under my screen name are 7 generations from that first breeding.

Kristie didn't have any problems with whelping, which I knew because she'd already had a litter. She was an excellent mom and I learned from her how things should be. From then on if a whelping wasn't like hers I knew something wasn't right. (Although there was one stillborn puppy.)

Kristie also weaned her puppies at 6 weeks herself.

Now, since then I have learned I was very lucky, as I have lost puppies and a few whole litters. Had emergencey and planned c-sections. Had to supplement or hand raise puppies. Now days b*tches like Kristie are few and far between.

any problems along the way

Like what? I took time off to raise a family, showing and breeding only when we had the time and money. So I have not had the "success" that some breeders have had, not the number of Champions that others have. I have had entire litters that did not survive and finding out why took some time. I have had family or personal problems that have taken precidience over showing so some dogs who should have finished their championships didn't.

Even when I wasn't actively showing I was still reading and talking with other breeders/exhibitors and doing rescue. Still learning, and I am still learning.

Peggy