Puli breeder of the Felsenmeer

Expected reading time: 8 minutes

It started in 1975 with a large white dog that had run to a neighbour. We took care of the giant and found out that it must be the Hungarian shepherd dog breed Kuvasz. Through advertisements we were able to find the owners of "Falk" and we returned him with a heavy heart.

Puli breeder of the Felsenmeer

Our first Puli

For a long time we had been looking for a dog that would fit to our family, but now there was no more doubt: A Kuvasz was needed! In the same kennel where Falk came from, we found what we were looking for and bought "Greif vom Otzberg".
Soon a mate was sought for Greif. After extensive study of the bloodlines and information about the kennels in Germany, we decided for "Mascha aus dem Graingau". Mascha grew up to a big, very beautiful bitch. She received high awards at international exhibitions.

Our first litter

1980 Mascha gave us the first offspring of our breeding: 7 strong puppies. We kept the only female from this litter and named her "Aika".

Our youngest son is an absolute dog fan. He complained that he was not allowed to keep a dog on a leash during our long walks. For a 6-year-old a Kuvasz simply had too much strength and temperament. So we looked for a remedy and gave him a daughter of the Puli bitch "Agi from the house Schwarz", whom he had met and loved at club meetings of the German Puli Club. Our "Kitty" immediately developed into a herding dog for the Kuvasz. They put up with any paternalism from her in a good-natured manner. It did not take long until we, as absolute Puli newcomers, were thrilled by the great character of this little dog.

Puli grower of the rock sea Csalfa_autumn

Of course Kitty also got offspring. At the third litter she was allowed to keep a puppy like all our bitches: "Ixy". She turned out to be the nurse among our dogs. Everything that was small or sick was cared for. After "Ixy" had also retired from breeding due to age, we bought two black Puli girls in Hungary. We got "Fani" from the then renowned Hungarian kennel "Verecke-Uti". From the breeder Toth came the already somewhat older "Tothszilvasi Hattyu" (called Puli) to us.

Both bitches developed excellently. Especially "Fani" could promote the breed at shows. "Tothszilvasi Hattyu" was an excellent breeding bitch. She also entered the stud books as the mother of our 1995 born "Isis vom Felsenmeer". "Isis" had a total of 6 litters with 21 puppies. She died suddenly at the age of 8 years because of an immune deficiency and was probably the Puli female with a unique bond to the family.

Around 5 years our male dog "Szabadi Aladin" (Börni) survived his partner "Isis". We had taken him over as a divorce dog at the age of 18 months. "Szabadi Aladin" (Börni) was our first masked Puli Therefore he was often used as stud dog in breeding.
As a Puli breeder until 2003 we have also been breeding Kuvasz. The decades of very committed dog breeding, the work in the clubs and the other efforts in this hobby area led to the considerations to continue the dog breeding from now on in a somewhat smaller frame.

Puli breeder from Felsenmeer E_Litter_Birth

But we couldn't do without dogs entirely. In 2005 the black Puli bitch "Tikhegyi Subas Csalfa" came from Hungary to Lautertal. Three years later she was joined by the likewise black bitch "Quastie von Discher`s Hoff".
In the kennel "vom Felsenmeer" fifty-eight litters were registered in the VDH stud book by summer 2010. Almost half of these were litters of Puli.

Successes

We consider the greatest success of our dogs and their offspring respectively, to be the fact that we have been able to expand our circle of friends for these extraordinary breeds for over 30 years on a very high level with healthy and excellently shaped dogs. Many environmental stimuli, the contact with other dogs and breeds and the multiple human contact formed the nature of the puppies. This was the basis for a development which was and is of great importance as an advertisement for our breeds and kennel, if continued accordingly. Our philosophy is to let the buyer of a puppy actively participate in the shaping of "his" puppy during the rearing phase. This has been confirmed again and again and has contributed a lot to make the puppy buyer familiar with the breed.

We see another success in the fact that we have always been able to pass on our commitment to a large number of puppy buyers. So they have been active as exhibitors, have been involved in the work of the association or are active in breeding themselves. This development was supported by our willingness to pass on the existing and constantly growing knowledge. As a competent contact person we are always available for you. Due to the small population and the growing aversion of our society to voluntary association activities, a remarkable aspect for the survival of the breeds.

Whoever breeds dogs over such a long period of time and regularly attends dog shows, will inevitably be successful with his dogs. However, we are not among those breeders who equate show successes with breeding successes and have almost fallen into show hysteria. We see exhibitions more as a guide for our breeding activities and as a way to bring the breed to the public.

Breeding

For the raising of the puppies we have two dog rooms, each 24 square meters large. They are equipped with underfloor heating and an easy to clean plastic floor. The dog rooms are adjoined by 50 square meters of free exercise area. Adjacent to it is a fenced garden of about 2000 square meters with grass, trees and bushes. Dog rooms and runs have direct contact to our living area.

We breed according to the breeding rules of the German Puli Club e.V. and the superior breeding rules of the Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen e.V. (VDH). This does not only mean that our puppies get VDH pedigrees, but that we have to follow the very strict breeding rules. These are controlled by the Club. This includes, for example, that the breeding animals must be x-rayed for hip joint dysplasia (HD) and a certain HD level must not be exceeded. Examinations of the knee joints (patella) and eyes are carried out by appropriate specialist veterinarians and offer the greatest possible assurance that only healthy dogs are used in breeding. In addition, genetic tests can now be used to determine the heredity of coat colours more reliably in advance. By storing the genetic material of all puppies bred, possible hereditary diseases can be analysed and controlled even after many years.

The dams may have a litter only once a year. The parent animals must be approved, i.e. their appearance is judged by a licensing commission. In the case of small errors, conditions are imposed to ensure that the partner does not have the same error. There must be specific prescribed rearing conditions, vaccination and deworming must be carried out. The minimum and maximum age of the breeding animals is prescribed, a bitch may only be re-engaged after a longer period of rest, if she had a certain number of puppies in her litter.

These breeding requirements and rearing conditions, combined with 30 years of breeding experience and extensive cynological and scientific training over the same period of time, guarantee a maximum of hereditarily healthy offspring with an optimal character.