Our Breeding Philosophy
Here at Rocky oak we take the breeding of our dogs very seriously. We are committed to breeding responsibly and making sure our dogs are healthy and well rounded. We know dogs do what comes naturally when it’s breeding time. We also understand as the breeders of our dogs we decide when and who breeds. We take this responsibility to heart. We are responsible for each puppy that we bring into the world. When we lose a puppy it is heartbreaking. When they all thrive it’s a very joyous time. Like anything it is not all rainbows and unicorns. There are times of elation as well heartbreak and deep sadness.
We are continually educating ourself about our breed(s) through a variety of reputable resources. Information is at our fingertips these days and we utilize that daily. We monitor the newest and updated information. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Please be careful.
We make sure our moms have the best food and care available to her during her pregnancy and post whelping. We never leave our moms unattended while whelping. We are there to monitor and assist as needed. We want her to be a happy and healthy mom, so she can rear happy healthy babies.
We make sure our puppies receive early neurological stimulation and socialization, so that we give them the best start in life we possibly can.
We work hard to pair a mom and dad that will produce the best overall puppy. Our goal is to have good structure, temperament and good health. We don’t just have one male to breed our girls regardless of the breed. We pair to create the best puppy we can. We pair based on size, temperament and over all goals in our program. Goal setting is vital to any good breeding program. Breeders must strive to improve their lines with each breeding. We do not feel you can do that with just one male.
We also rarely breed a parti to a solid in our cavalier King Charles Spaniels. We believe in keeping our solids with little to no white. We do not breed for “rainbow” cavalier litters. We prefer to breed to keep the breed standard of no white in our solids. If breeding a parti to solid is beneficial to our overall goals then we will make an exception, but we do try to breed correctly to maintain the breed standard set forth by the AKC.
We think it’s extremely important to look for a breeder that has several generations of dogs that have good health and longevity. We have 7 generations of cavaliers. We have been able to watch these dogs grow and mature from conception. We have monitored their health and temperament for many years. We take great pride in that fact.
We retire our girls at 5-6 years of age. Males are able to breed and produce far longer than females. Males usually retire around 7-10 years old.
We rarely rehome a dog when she/he is retired. They continue to live here and enjoy life. We are also able to continue to monitor their health for their entire life. We know if and when a problem develops and at what age.
We also believe genetic testing is of the utmost importance. While there are many things we cannot test for, we do feel it important to test for those things we can.
Our vet has been our vet for 15 years and he’s has been a vet for around 40 years. He takes very good care of our dogs and evaluates them yearly for any signs of heart disease or any other issue that would be reason to not breed them.
We have a built a solid reputation that we are proud of. We have worked and still work hard to have puppies that will bring years of love and joy to their family.
We set goals yearly for our breeding program. Our goals are set to improve our lines. It could be for size, color, etc. we feel goal setting is vital for solid breeding program. We work to attain those goals with each breeding.
We continue to stay in touch with many of our puppy families years after our first meeting. We love watching our puppies thrive in their chosen home.
We hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about us and breeding philosophy. We hope to someday provide you with your new fur family member. You can visit our FAQs page and it will answer most any question you will have.
