Macdolly Cocker Spaniels Asuare Cockers, Goldens and Vizsla

• Macdolly & Asuare - welcome to our website
• Who we are
  • How Macdolly began
• Litters
  • What is a breeder ?
  • Buying a new puppy - read on
• DB Grooming - Mossman FNQ
• Hall of Fame
• Our Cocker Spaniels
  • Retired from the show ring
• Our Golden Retrievers
  • Retired Golden Retrievers
• Our Hungarian Vizsla
• Our Imports
• Heath Testing Information
  • ANKC Code of Practice
  • Eye Conditions
  • Familial Nephropathy (FN)
  • Adult Onset Neuropathy (AON)
  • Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
  • Black Hair Follicle Dysplasia (BHFD)
  • Acral Mutilation Syndrome (AMS)
• Breed Standards
• Versatile Cocker Spaniel
• Clever Cockers we bred competing
• Memories
• Contact Us

What is a breeder

A dog breeder is someone who has become a 'relative expert' in many areas of animal husbandry.  
A dog breeder is usually 'dog mad' and eats, breathes and sleeps dogs and dog shows and the next generation of upcoming hopefuls.
In order to be a dog breeder a vast array of knowledge is sought and built upon every day in facets such as:

• Feeding and nutrition
• Pack instincts and socialisation
• Basic genetics, mating and whelping
• Breed preparation and presentation
• Understanding the problems within a breed
   

Of course this is all in addition to the obsession that we like to call dog shows - aiming for the stars and hoping to breed the next best in show winner for the dog show ring !!!

We strive to produce beautiful dogs that are both sound in mind and body.  Not every puppy is destined for the show ring (and nor should they be) and not every litter produces a show prospect.  The more we breed and exhibit the more we learn from the breed and dogs in general and our eye is constantly looking for the virtues we seek.​  There are often many tears and many times we wonder why we do it .... but these times are triumphed when we look at the beautiful dogs we share our lives with and some many other people who have dogs from us that share their lives making everything seem just so much better ..... we truely believe our dogs complete us and we hope that you will feel the same if you take on one of our puppies.

Not every dog is meant to be a show dog, not every dog is meant to be bred from.  Even if one of our dogs has gained their show ring crown and hold the title of 'Champion' we may not breed any progeny from that dog.  Not every dog that wins the accolade of Best in Show will be included in our breeding plans>

We take into consideration first and foremost why we are planning a litter (and generally this is so we can get our next generation of show hopeful) and when this will happen.  We look for the virtues and lack of in the bitch, and look for a dog that will compliment the bitch and what we hope we might improve on from many many hours of studying of pedigrees and hallmarks of ancestors, health tests, soundness of both body and mind (if they have a temperament unsuitable for the ring then it is not suitable to be bred from).

If we then decide to undertake a mating there might be a few puppies that we won't need to keep and that is when we have puppies for sale to forever family homes.

There are no mandatory health testing requirements for Cocker Spaniels in Australia to be 'registered' on the ANKC registry (ie:  have pedigree papers issued if the breeder is registered).  So as breeders we try to do as many health tests as we feel are important for the future of the breed.

The tests we choose to do are:

• Hip Scoring
• Elbow Scoring
• DNA profiling (mandatory by DogsQueensland for litters from 1 January 2018 via Orivet)
  and for Cocker Spaniels we also undertake the following:
• Colour Testing (via Orivet)
• prcd-PRA testing (via Orivet)
• AHRN (via Orivet)
• AON  (via OFA)
  AMS (via Orivet)
  and for Golden Retrievers we also undertake the following:
• Heart Certification
• Eye Certification (yearly)
• Breed Profile via Orivet for all DNA testable hereditary diseases associated with Golden Retrievers