All the bitches and Grouce are clear of both FN and PRA conditions.Puppies are home reared and well socialised and regularly wormed, vet checked and come complete with a puppy contract, hint & tips and diet sheet as well as a puppy pack to help you settle your new puppy in.They arrive Kennel Club Registered and have 4 weeks free insurance as well. Please note that I will not allocate or accept depostis on any puppy until it is past 3 weeks of age. There is nothing however stopping any prospective new owner contacting me and expressing an interest in a puppy from a litter prior to then.

Please telephone 07867893674 or email me via the contact page for further information.

Now what's in here?                                        Me? I wouldn't destroy mum's plant!!!

We're following the leader, the leader, the leader!

No one will notice if I pull another bit of........would they

Dog Puppy 7 weeks old Krystal & Grouce Litter

A typical Thurness puppy at 7 weeks of age

Health and temperament come before looks when breeding, but I do admit to breeding good looking ones as well! However I cannot guarantee no health problems in the future, no one can! All my puppies are well socialised with the help of my customers, family and friends. Which is evident by the never ending waggy tails when they meet someone new!

All my puppies are endorsed by the KC as ' not to be bred from' or 'exported abroad'. Why do I do that some of you may ask? All to often these days people think that breeding dogs is 'easy money' and will do so without due care and attention to both the health of both mother and any subsequent puppies. By endorsing my puppies it ensures that if you wished to breed from your puppy you would have to contact me first asking me to lift the endorsement, it also ensures that my puppies do not end up in 'Puppy farmer's' hands. With regard to the exporting abroad I am happy to lift it if you are relocating for work or family commitments.

Cockers make wonderful family pets and are easily trained but if you're not careful they will train you first! They are an intelligent dog and are very people orientated. They are equally happy going for a 5 mile hike as sitting on your knee. They are normally very food orientated so if they do not get enough exercise then you will have to watch their waistline!

I normally ask owners to limit exercise periods until they are over 12 months of age. This is to give them time to grow up and muscles to develope in the right places. So lots of jumping up is not recommended either. It is very easy to put undue strain on growing puppies and of course they have to be fed a correct diet.

Each puppy comes with its own diet and hint and tips sheet as well as kennel Club registration and pedigree.They are wormed to date and also frontlined as a precaution. They are reared in the house to help them become accustomed to both people and household noises, once they are on solid food they go outside, health and weather permitting, which helps them become accustomed to going outside to do their 'business' as they learn a lot from mum.

They do need regular grooming by a professional groomer and a word of warning if you get your puppy spayed or castrated it may end up looking like a fluffy Teddy bear as well as putting the pounds on. Many groomers will just strip your dog's coat off competely, so be sure to ask and say what you want to be done to your pet, before you leave your puppy in their hands. Traditionally Cockers are 'hand stripped', this is quite a hard job for the average pet owner and is one reason why the majority end up clipped off. However if you are prepared to brush and comb your dog on a regular basis then there is no reason why you can still not have a dog that looks like a Cocker. If it gets matts in its coat however be prepared for the fact the groomer may be able to nothing but take the whole coat off.

Many new owners ask what are the DNA tests? Basicly you can now get your dog DNA tested for known hereditary diseases, and as a breeder you can now say whether or not any puppies you breed will develop these diseases, so here is some information for you.

PRA - PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY
PRA is a descriptive term applied to retinal diseases that affect all breeds of dogs. The same clinical signs are present in all PRA affected animals. Affected animals will show night blindness and a progressive loss of day vision. Many PRA affected English Cockers can be diagnosed between three and five years of age. It is during this age period subtle retinal changes can be noted by the experienced ophthalmologist. Even though the same clinical signs will be present in all PRA affected animals, the age of onset of disease differs from breed to breed. The onset period is divided into three approximate age groups: early, middle, and late. The English Cocker falls into the late-onset group (4-7 years old). This late-onset form of the disease is now called Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRCD). PRCD is inherited RECESSIVELY

Dogs are tested with results of either A totally clear,B a carrier ( if you put to another A dog then the puppies will not have any problems, but should be tested before breeding with) or C afflicted (the dog will at some point in its life develop the disease, and even if put to an A dog the puppies will be carriers)

FN   -   FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY
A recessively inherited renal disease that has been recognized in the English Cocker for more than 50 years.  FN is a form of "hereditary nephritis" which refers to a group of glomerular diseases that are linked to genetic collagen defects.  Onset of renal failure due to FN typically occurs between six and 24 months of age.  Clinical signs may include polydipsia (drinks more), polyuria (urinates more), weight loss, lack of appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea.  These symptoms are commonly associated with any type of renal failure.

Dogs are either tested clear or not clear.

INNOCULATIONS

New owners are advised that their new puppy cannot go out in any public area until it is one week clear of it's second innoculation. Your vet will advise when these may start and most vet's begin them from 9 weeks of age, with a second innoculation two weeks later.