3. We ask that all Breeders approach the Commitee for advice on any planned matings before they occur. The Committee have experience and detailed information on all Utonagan lines and the health problems affecting these. We have accurate records detailing which lines do not mix well and the health problems evident, therefore are best placed to advise you on any proposed matings.

 

4. The Society’s minimum breeding age for a bitch is 20 months of age. However, the Utonagan is known to mature a lot slower than other breeds, and it is hoped that Breeders will carefully assess their bitch's level of maturity to ensure she is ready for the physical, and emotional, stress of pregnancy and whelping, before allowing a mating to occur. Some bitches may not be ready until 3 years of age. Another factor to consider is that Epilepsy, Addison's Disease and Anal Furunculosis have been known to occur as late as 3-4 years of age. If there is evidence of these conditions in your bitches line, it would be advisable to wait as long as possible before breeding from her.

• She should first be assessed for breeding suitability by the Committee, usually at 1 year of age.
• If deemed suitable, she will then need to achieve acceptable hip and eye test results. A legible, hard copy of the results must be forwarded to the Secretary, by post, for evaluation and inclusion on the society database.
• BVA eye certificates must now be renewed Annually. If you allow your dog's cert to expire, she will be removed from the brood page until an updated cert is supplied.
• At least 12 months must elapse between any one bitch’s litters. As well as allowing her time to recover, this is so that the Breeder and Society can assess her previous litter's health and type before the bitch is used again.
• The maximum age for a bitch to be used is 7. Her last litter must be born before her 8th birthday. The maximum number of litters from one bitch is four.

5. TUS, proposed, stud dogs should be assessed by the Committee at 1 year of age. If deemed suitable for breeding purposes (i.e. two fully descended testicles, plus no more than to cosmetic deviations from the Breed Standard) they should then be hip and eye tested.

• A hard copy of the Hip Score and BVA Eye certificate must be forwarded to the Secretary via post for evaluation and inclusion on TUS' database. If the results are deemed acceptable, he will be featured on the stud book.
• Please note his BVA Eye certificate must be renewed each year, if allowed to expire his details will be removed from the stud book.
• Unproven stud dogs should not be used again until their first litter has attained the age of 12 months, so that the Breeder and Society are sure that all pups are sound of health and true to type.

6. Any dog displaying cosmetic faults, i.e. soft ears, spitz tail, should only be mated to dogs with good ear and tail carriage and from lines strong in these areas. No dog in the breeding programme should display more than two cosmetic faults.

7. Any Breeder who is considering using an unregistered stud dog on a TUS registered bitch, should first fully determine the dog's health and lineage by means of pedigree and, where possible, health test results. They should approach the Committee/Breed Advisor for advice before proceeding with this mating. A full written explanation for or against registration of any resultant pups will be issued to the Breeder regarding the prospective dog.

 

8. As well as BVA Eye testing for eye disease, all puppies must be vet checked before leaving their breeder.

9. No dog with a highly uneven hip score over the breed’s mean average of 21, should be bred from. If their score is highly uneven - 2/18, 3/18, etc. - caution is needed, so please seek advice.
No dog should be bred from until hip score result is back from the BVA and copied to the secretary. It is not acceptable to breed from your dog based on merely your vet’s assessment of the x-ray plates.

10. In-Breeding, i.e. brother/sister, father/daughter, mother/son, half brother/half sister etc. should not be done, as historically the breed has been too heavily inbred already.
These matings will not be acknowledged by the Society. Any resultant progeny will not be registered.

11. Line Breeding – Any breeder considering mating cousins, grandparent/grandchild, uncle/niece etc., should fully research their lines beforehand to ensure there are no hereditary health problems or conflicting cosmetic faults. You also need to ensure there has been no occurrence of inbreeding, line breeding in the last 3 generations of each dog. Please consult with the Committee/Breed Advisor if you are unsure of your dog's lineage.

12. Breeders should complete change of ownership and membership application forms with each new owner, on collection of their pup. The completed forms and fees should then be forwarded to the Secretary by the Breeder. In order to prevent loss of contact with registered dogs and so that we can monitor health of all TUS puppies, it is a requirement that all pup owners loin TU, or provide us with full contact details.

13. Would all breeders note that any health issues reported to you in relation to pups that you have bred or your own breeding stock, regardless of how old the dog may now be, must be reported to a member of the TUS Committee as soon as possible. This will ensure that health records are accurate and appropriate measures are taken to eliminate health problems within the breed.

• We ask that Breeders keep us updated with regards to male pups'testicles. Any cryptorchids should be reported to the Secretary/Breed Advisor so that we can accurately monitor the occurences across each line.
• If your breeding stock or progeny are re-homed at a later date, please notify the Secretary of the new owners details ASAP.

14. All Society puppies are to be sold with a breeding restriction (progeny not to be registered) which will not be lifted until the pup has;

1. Been assessed for breeding quality at 12 months of age
2. Achieved acceptable hip and eye test results, copied to the Secretary,
3. Reached appropriate age, depending on sex.

15. Any crossbred pups, or pups born as a result of breaches of the BCE, can only be registered on the sub-register.
Any sub-registered dog will only be considered for entry on the full register if:

• It can be proven they are pure Utonagan or from related lines.
• They have been assessed as breeding quality.
• They have attained appropriate breeding age.
• Where possible, all siblings' current health has been assessed as good.
• Hip and Eye tests have been carried out and results held by the Secretary.

This is to ensure we do not allow health-impaired bloodlines into our limited, but healthy, gene pool.

Crossbred puppies will remain on the sub-register for life though, dependent of New Blood element, may be included in the breeding programme, if deemed suitable.