Guardian Angel Shepherds: July 2020

Tuesday 28 July 2020

Pups Have Been Vet Checked, Dewormed, Microchipped

The vet was here a few days ago but I didn't have time to tell everyone until now. I wish I could say they all passed 100% like what usually happens but a few had a few minors problems that they should grow out of. It was the males who had the problems. Two had an undescended testicle. She said that she would not be surprised if they came down on their own as it can take up to 20 weeks. On one pup she said she could already feel it on it's way down the inguinal canal. As none of these dogs are going to be breeding dogs and will be neutered, it should not be a major problem. In all my 25+ years of breeding, I've only had one dog turn out to be a cryptorchid as an adult and that was about 23 years ago. Email me if you have any questions.

Mary Ann

Sunday 26 July 2020

Update On Filming the Commercial

The actual shoot dates are August 19-22. The set is an hour out of Calgary. Which direction I don't know. Hopefully North! But I bet it's South.

Two pups will go to the shoot. Hopefully the two who took to training the best, will be twins but there's only a 33% chance? Is that right? Probably not. Math is not my strong suit. Dogs are!
I have 1 set of triplets and 2 sets of twins. That's not technically true but colour wise it is. I have 3 bicolours, 2 sables and 2 Black and Tans. Watch! It will be a sable and a bicolour! But that's what makeup is for!

I'm not allowed to tell you which company the commercial is for or the storyline of it. It's all very hush-hush. Sounds like that's normal in the filming world. But I can tell you it will be CUTE! How can it not be with 2 precious Guardian Angel Shepherd puppies in it!

I want to thank all of my new puppy owners who have volunteered their puppies for the commercial, should their's be the one who gets picked. I am grateful for the opportunity to pick from such a large number of puppies. There's bound to be 2 stars among them!

The commercial will be about 6 months in the making so think "Christmas" when you actually see it on tv.

The pups are working hard at training but I'm afraid in a lot of ways it's like teaching math to a 6 month old child. There is only so much a puppy is capable of. But they are enjoying their training sessions and they are learning how to learn and that is a fantastic talent to have.

Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!

Puppy Evaluation Testing Coming Soon!

Last year I was lucky enough to go to a 3 day course with Dr. Gayle Watkins Ph.D. who is a world-renowned scientist in dog behaviour. She and her co-workers have come up with a puppy evaluation test that is much more precise than the one I have been using for the past 20 years. I was thrilled to be able to bring 2 of my puppies as demos for the course. This is a picture of Dr. Watkins testing Khaleesi. At the end of the test she said "Now THIS is my kind of puppy!" That's quite a compliment from someone who tests puppies all over the world! Khaleesi shocked everyone (but not me!) with her spectacular results. Fearless, social, forgiving, biddable, self confident, great energy. It honestly doesn't get better than that! And that's not just my opinion anymore! I have video proof!

So this year, I will evaluate the pups using this new (to me) test. Once the testing is done, it takes a couple of days to mark and match puppies with their owners. Hang in there everyone! You will find out soon which puppy will be yours!

Our First Walk!

Sunday 19 July 2020

Are my dogs good with kids and strangers?

A picture is worth a thousand words!

What is that??

Can’t wait to use my new snuffle pad! Wondering what it is? It’s a device to help the puppies learn how to use their nose! You can open it up wide and put in little pieces of kibble or their favourite treats and once they get really good at finding all of them, you can tighten the string up so it makes it more difficult for them to find it.

I have my own tests to find which puppies should be search and rescue dogs, drug dogs, and bomb dogs but this will be one more tool that I can add to my toolbox!

Saying Goodbye to Juno

Begin forwarded message:

From:

Subject: Indy/Merlin pup - Juno

Date: July 8, 2020 at 5:40:10 PM MDT

To: Mary Ann Marcellus <k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca>

Hi Mary Ann! I wanted to share some recent photos of our beautiful Juno (from your Indy/Merlin litter in March 2009. )

Juno was everything you said she would be and more. She was the most loyal, sweet, beautiful, brave, smart, giving girl. She gave so much love to us and I am forever grateful to you for the amazing work you do that allowed us to have such an incredible dog in our lives. She was healthy for almost her entire life. We all LOVED her with all of our hearts.

Juno passed away peacefully yesterday of bone cancer. She was 11 yrs 3 months. We are still grieving, but we know we gave her the best life possible and that she knew every day she was loved. We loved her every day and I wanted you to know that. Juno saw our children through their childhoods to their teenage years. They are 19,17 and 14 now. Juno was truly their BEST FRIEND. They are devastated.

Maybe one day when my heart heals I will be ready for another dog, and if I am I want another beautiful Guardian Angel Shepherd. ❤️

Thank you. ❤️❤️❤️

Juno was everything you said she would be and more. She was the most loyal, sweet, beautiful, brave, smart, giving girl. She gave so much love to us and I am forever grateful to you for the amazing work you do that allowed us to have such an incredible dog in our lives. She was healthy for almost her entire life. We all LOVED her with all of our hearts.

Juno passed away peacefully yesterday of bone cancer. She was 11 yrs 3 months. We are still grieving, but we know we gave her the best life possible and that she knew every day she was loved. We loved her every day and I wanted you to know that. Juno saw our children through their childhoods to their teenage years. They are 19,17 and 14 now. Juno was truly their BEST FRIEND. They are devastated.

Maybe one day when my heart heals I will be ready for another dog, and if I am I want another beautiful Guardian Angel Shepherd. ❤️

Thank you. ❤️❤️❤️

Petcurean NOW & NuVet Plus Vitamins keeps your dog in great shape!

Petcurean NOW Large Breed Puppy Food & NuVet Plus Vitamins
This is what the puppies are eating. 3 meals of NOW and 1 vitamin every day.

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I have been using these vitamins for years. I had to special order them in from the US. About 18 months ago, they have located a warehouse in Canada which has dropped the price substantially. These vitamins are only available through breeders. They are not sold in stores. Three months of vitamins cost approximately $75. That's less than $1 per day. If you take your puppy off these vitamins, you will notice within a week that their coat is duller and not as soft. The dog's coat is the measurement of how their health is. If you have other dogs in your household, I suggest you order the vitamins for them as well. I guarantee that their coats will improve within a week! Canadians must phone the number to order and give the above order code. You can order every month, or have a recurring order so you don't have to remember. I order 12 bottles at a time! I will receive a small commission if you purchase these vitamins. I recommend them without hesitation and I don't recommend anything I don't use.

Tuesday 14 July 2020

We're going to be in a commercial!

I should rephrase that. The PUPS are going to be in a commercial! They are very excited! I've told them about Hollywood and that they could become stars! I told them stories of Rin Tin Tin and Littlest Hobo. I'm not allowed to tell you the story that will be played out but it's going to be really cute! We will use 2 of the pups that are closely matched so nobody gets tired. I will be on set to supervise everything to do with how the pups are managed. We are starting the training of the pups starting today. What fun!

Mary Ann

Thursday 9 July 2020

New Scientific Paper on Spaying & Neutering by Breed

German Shepherd Dog

The study population was 514 intact males, 272 neutered males, 173 intact females, and 298 spayed females for a total of 1,257 cases. In males and females left intact, the occurrence of one or more joint disorders was 6 and 5 percent, respectively. Neutering males at <6 mo., 6–11 mo. and 1–2 years was associated with increased risks of this measure to 19, 18 and 9 percent, respectively (p <0.01). Spaying females at <6 mo. and 6–11 mo. was associated with a 20 and 15 percent level of increased risk (p <0.01), and spaying at 1–2 years with a 5 percent risk level (p <0.05). The occurrence of one or more of the cancers followed for intact males and females was 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Neutering at the various ages was not associated with any appreciable increased risk in cancers followed. The occurrence of MC in intact females was 5 percent and for those spayed at 2–8 years, 6 percent. Of intact females, 3 percent were reported with PYO. UI ranged up to 9 percent for females spayed from <6 mo. through 1 year of age (p <0.05–0.01). The suggested guideline for males, given the risks of joint disorders, is delaying neutering until over 2 years of age. For females, with the same joint issues as males plus the risks of UI, the suggested guideline is delaying spaying until over 2 years of age.

Full scientific paper can be found here:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full?fbclid=IwAR1KRgd5H9df7yX-dbkRPaw69_wgZ5kdbaBzGOqHM1VWLKX9P2L14IF_hVQ

Mary Ann

Responsible Breeder Badge!

This is proof that I have continuously educated myself in the responsible and ethical breeding of my German Shepherd Dogs. And continue to do so! Just today a huge new study has come out regarding spaying/neutering and how it affects not only dogs by age, but also by breed! I'm looking forward to reading it!

Wednesday 8 July 2020

Mama’s Helpers

After cleaning the puppy pen I wanted to raise the door barrier to prevent the puppies from getting out but still allowing Mom to get in. This is how they're helping me. Parked right between my feet! Isn't it always the way !😁. And as you can see, Mama is right in there helping as well!

Grandpa Rommel

Rommel is 10 3/4 years old and still has light in his eyes! His worldwide competitive Schutzhund and IPO career (He has 8 working titles!) has taken a toll on his body. Not to mention being run over by his previous owner and having plates and pins in his hip and leg. But he is happy and pain free with a little help and is still enjoying watching his Grandchildren!