GWANGI
AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS
The Gwangi kennel name is registered with the Australian Shepherd Club of America and assigned to Dorothy DeLisle.
The name Gwangi derives from the movie The Valley of Gwangi in which cowboys took on dinosaurs they found in a hidden box canyon, the valley that time forgot. It is my hope that my dogs show as much bravery with livestock as the cowboys did with the prehistoric creatures in this movie.
My tradition is to give my dogs SciFi names. The Australian Shepherd tradition is to use Western or American Indian names. Thus, Gwangi combines the two. Though it is a bit of a cheat as the movie is technically Fantasy rather than SciFi, as true SciFi involves advanced technology. Gwangi is allegedly the word for "lizard" in an American Indian language. This not only brings in the Native American Indian connection on top of the cowboy Western connection, but also connects with my love of herpetology.
I believe in the working Australian Shepherd, a dog capable of controlling a variety of types of livestock in a variety of situations. Instinct, temperament, structure, train ability are all important to make the total dog.
Gwangi puppies will have their tails docked and, if present, will have their rear dewclaws removed. Front dewclaws will be left on. Front claws are dremeled regularly from an early age to minimize clawing of their dam.
My pups are raised in my home where they get a lot of attention. The pups spend their first two weeks in the shower stall in the master bedroom. Then the next two or three weeks, they are in a stock tank in the living room or kitchen. When they are ready, they advance to being in a x-pen in the kitchen whose area includes a doggie door that they can freely pass through to go to an outside kennel. The kennel is set up as an enriched environment. There are crates to get used to being inside, a large trash can on its side that rocks when the pups go in it, things to climb, swinging toys to pull on, and a hanging curtain of plastic bottles to pass through. I go in and sit down with them.
I practice early neurological stimulation (US Army's Bio-Sensor/Super Puppy regimen). Each puppy is handled several times daily from birth. Once in the x-pen stage, they can freely interact with my other dogs through the fencing. They will also get highly supervised direct interaction with the other dogs. I am alert to prevent any dominance by the other dogs towards the pups as this can diminish their temperaments. Though I do allow the dogs to give gentle correction to the pups as this sets them up for a attitude of learning and self restraint. Right now, my other dogs are of the Australian Shepherd, German Shepherd Dog and Swedish Vallhund breeds, so the pups' exposure is to a variety of types of canine.
Beginning at about four weeks of age, pups are taken on regular car rides. At first in a crate with their mother, later on without their mother. At about six weeks, I start individually taking pups out to different areas of my property and encourage them to explore. I will even take them off property to places such as supermaket parking lots where they are exposed to car, people and shopping cart traffic. At about six weeks, I start locking them in the crates. At first it's all the pups in one crate. Then they are divided into 2 crates and then successively into smaller groups. By the time they are ready to leave, they will be used to going on extended car rides in individual crates and to being locked individually in crates for a few hours with the crate removed to a room without any other dogs.
While my Trip x Tanner litter is my first litter of Australian Shepherds, I have bred nine litters of German Shepherd Dogs from which I was twenty time (yes 20X!!) on the German Shepherd Club of America's Top Ten Annual Training Achievement Award Dam list. A Dam earns her way onto the list through the training achievements of her offspring. GSD Vom Insel Kennel's offspring were highly trainable because I breed for biddable, people oriented, clear-minded thinking dogs and because I put great effort into the rearing of my puppies. I expect to have equal success with my Australian Shepherd progeny.
I vaccinate the pups at six and nine weeks of age against Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza & Adenovirus/Hepatitis. Depending on what is available, the vaccine may also contain Corona. I buy enough for the 2 doses at the same time. Thus, they will get the exact same shot both times. I do not release my pups until they are nine weeks old to guarantee that they will get this minimal degree of vaccination. Pups that I have longer term will get vaccinated against the above plus also Leptosporosis (four serovars), at twelve and sixteen weeks of age, ideally from the same manufacturer as produced the earlier vaccines.
I guarantee against hip and elbow dysplasia. My buyers must promise to keep the dogs lean and to train the dog in basic/household obedience (further training encouraged, but not required) and to keep me aware of any titles/certifications the dogs earn.
The name Gwangi derives from the movie The Valley of Gwangi in which cowboys took on dinosaurs they found in a hidden box canyon, the valley that time forgot. It is my hope that my dogs show as much bravery with livestock as the cowboys did with the prehistoric creatures in this movie.
My tradition is to give my dogs SciFi names. The Australian Shepherd tradition is to use Western or American Indian names. Thus, Gwangi combines the two. Though it is a bit of a cheat as the movie is technically Fantasy rather than SciFi, as true SciFi involves advanced technology. Gwangi is allegedly the word for "lizard" in an American Indian language. This not only brings in the Native American Indian connection on top of the cowboy Western connection, but also connects with my love of herpetology.
I believe in the working Australian Shepherd, a dog capable of controlling a variety of types of livestock in a variety of situations. Instinct, temperament, structure, train ability are all important to make the total dog.
Gwangi puppies will have their tails docked and, if present, will have their rear dewclaws removed. Front dewclaws will be left on. Front claws are dremeled regularly from an early age to minimize clawing of their dam.
My pups are raised in my home where they get a lot of attention. The pups spend their first two weeks in the shower stall in the master bedroom. Then the next two or three weeks, they are in a stock tank in the living room or kitchen. When they are ready, they advance to being in a x-pen in the kitchen whose area includes a doggie door that they can freely pass through to go to an outside kennel. The kennel is set up as an enriched environment. There are crates to get used to being inside, a large trash can on its side that rocks when the pups go in it, things to climb, swinging toys to pull on, and a hanging curtain of plastic bottles to pass through. I go in and sit down with them.
I practice early neurological stimulation (US Army's Bio-Sensor/Super Puppy regimen). Each puppy is handled several times daily from birth. Once in the x-pen stage, they can freely interact with my other dogs through the fencing. They will also get highly supervised direct interaction with the other dogs. I am alert to prevent any dominance by the other dogs towards the pups as this can diminish their temperaments. Though I do allow the dogs to give gentle correction to the pups as this sets them up for a attitude of learning and self restraint. Right now, my other dogs are of the Australian Shepherd, German Shepherd Dog and Swedish Vallhund breeds, so the pups' exposure is to a variety of types of canine.
Beginning at about four weeks of age, pups are taken on regular car rides. At first in a crate with their mother, later on without their mother. At about six weeks, I start individually taking pups out to different areas of my property and encourage them to explore. I will even take them off property to places such as supermaket parking lots where they are exposed to car, people and shopping cart traffic. At about six weeks, I start locking them in the crates. At first it's all the pups in one crate. Then they are divided into 2 crates and then successively into smaller groups. By the time they are ready to leave, they will be used to going on extended car rides in individual crates and to being locked individually in crates for a few hours with the crate removed to a room without any other dogs.
While my Trip x Tanner litter is my first litter of Australian Shepherds, I have bred nine litters of German Shepherd Dogs from which I was twenty time (yes 20X!!) on the German Shepherd Club of America's Top Ten Annual Training Achievement Award Dam list. A Dam earns her way onto the list through the training achievements of her offspring. GSD Vom Insel Kennel's offspring were highly trainable because I breed for biddable, people oriented, clear-minded thinking dogs and because I put great effort into the rearing of my puppies. I expect to have equal success with my Australian Shepherd progeny.
I vaccinate the pups at six and nine weeks of age against Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza & Adenovirus/Hepatitis. Depending on what is available, the vaccine may also contain Corona. I buy enough for the 2 doses at the same time. Thus, they will get the exact same shot both times. I do not release my pups until they are nine weeks old to guarantee that they will get this minimal degree of vaccination. Pups that I have longer term will get vaccinated against the above plus also Leptosporosis (four serovars), at twelve and sixteen weeks of age, ideally from the same manufacturer as produced the earlier vaccines.
I guarantee against hip and elbow dysplasia. My buyers must promise to keep the dogs lean and to train the dog in basic/household obedience (further training encouraged, but not required) and to keep me aware of any titles/certifications the dogs earn.