IS THIS BREEDER REPUTABLE?
How do you know the breeder you have contacted is a person of integrity committed to bettering the CCR? Following are a few guidelines to help you make that determination.
1. A reputable breeder requires that pet-quality animals be spayed or neutered. Be wary of breeders who do not mention altering.
2. A reputable breeder in most cases requires a contract, which varies from breeder to breeder, but usually spells out the
rights of seller and buyer, health information, altering and buy-back/return policy.
3. A reputable breeder shows a general interest in, love for and knowledge about the breed. He
or she cares about placing puppies in good homes and will often interview potential buyers thoroughly, ask for
references and refuse to sell a dog if necessary.
4. A reputable breeder will guarantee a puppy's general health for a certain
period of time (which varies from state to state under puppy lemon laws). While no one can
guarantee against inheritable diseases, a reputable breeder is well-informed about genetic problems in her particular breed of bloodlines, routinely has dogs/pups tested
for problems and passes this information along to buyers. Beware of breeders who scoff at
genetic testing and say their particular breed/line is problem-free.
5. The environment (kennel or home) in which the breeder keeps the dogs should be clean and
well maintained. Trust your instincts on this!
6. A reputable breeder is actively involved in the dog fancy, including showing or breed clubs. While there are exceptions...a retired individual who has shown dogs for 20 years... a
person who is not involved with others in the breed can be suspect. When in doubt, call several members of the CCRCA and ask them about this particular breeder, have any complaints been made about them. Do not base your choice of breeder on how great they tell you they are...base it on how great others in the breed tell you this person is.
7. A reputable breeder will allow you to meet the puppy's parents if available and, if the father isn't available, be willing to show pictures.
8. A reputable breeder will be willing to provide answers to questions you may have and is willing to provide names of others
who have purchased pups.
9. A reputable breeder follows up on puppies. He or she is interested in how the pups develop physically and mentally, difficulties in the owner/dog relationship and health problems.
Curly Coated Retriever Breed Problems
Top 10 reasons NOT to get a Curly
Soft Maple Contract
Puppy buyers check-off list.
General Information about the CCR
Be aware that AKC/CKC/UKC registration does not
mean quality. It only means that your dog is a pure-bred. Remember, Pet Quality puppies should be considered as just that! Even litters from very well bred parents usually contain only a few show or breeding quality puppies. The rest of the litter, sold as pets can well supply the pet-buying public without any lessening
of the breed standards, providing that the buyers realize that, while pure-bred, these individuals are not breeding stock. You might not be able to tell the difference between a show or breeding quality and a pet quality dog, but there are differences. Your pet will still be a delightful companion, but it might have
some minor fault not desirable in a breeding animal. Spayed and neutered dogs make better family companions and their chances for some
cancers are lessened. In fact most reputable breeders will insist that pets be sold on a spay/neuter contract or on a limited registration.
Breed Information
We at SoftMaple have been active in showing and breeding pure bred dogs since 1979. Active in Curly Coated Retrievers since 1993. We do not earn our income
from the sale our puppies. For me raising a litter is a very rewarding, time consuming and expensive passion. When I breed a litter, I focus on the whole dog. I don't
breed to whatever stud is nearby, or to whatever stud is winning in the showring, regardless or health or if he would complement my bitch. We are breeding for
healthy, sound, highly trainable, versatile dogs without compromising the correct structure and breed type set out in the standard. Early puppy stimulation, as well as continued puppy socialization are key in our breeding program. We stress temperament and health. Our dogs are family companions, first and foremost. We are only interested in finding homes for our puppies in which potential owners are genuinely committed to loving a Curly for its life-time, be it a pet, show, or hunting companion.
We as breeders are caretakers of the future of the Curly Coated Retriever. Breeding just to fill a demand for puppies can damage a breed for years to come. Not all dogs are worthy of being bred. Having a Championship title is not a good enough reason to breed a dog. There are many judgment calls that a breeder has to make according to their own conscience. There is no perfect dog, and unfortunately, no perfect breeders!
Breeding dogs is a labor of love. Their health and well-being is of primary importance. We check Hips (OFA, or foreign country of origin hip score equivalent) Eyes (CERF)and Cardiac (OFA). Puppies come with a contract covering replacement of puppies that do not OFA, do not CERF, or do not pass Cardiac testing.
Since a dog is a living creature, we can not guarantee that the dog will not have any problems. We do our best to check the health history of the parents, grandparents and siblings. We study pedigrees and dogs to help make informed breeding decisions. No one has yet bred the perfect dog. We will stand behind our dogs if there is a problem. 
The pups are raised in the home. We use the Bio Sensor method of early puppy stimulation. We temperament test our puppies at 7 weeks of age. As we know the personalities of the puppies better than anyone having lived wiht them since birh, we try to match each puppy with the appropriate family for its needs. Every pup that leaves SoftMaple goes with the condition that if for any reason you cannot keep the dog I will always take it back, for whatever reason.
A curly is not for everyone. They are a strong willed, challenging, intelligent dog. We screen our prospective puppy buyers. Your not just buying a dog from SoftMaple, your joining a family. We ask you questions, and strongly encourage you to ask us questions. Anyone looking to add a Curly to their home shouldn't stop at just contacting one breeder. We encourage you to talk to as many breeders as you can.
I don't often use the most convenient stud available. Several times I have bred to overseas dogs. You have to develop a relationship of trust with the breeders and
owners of these dogs when it comes to health issues. The studs from overseas I have used will not have OFA numbers. (being that the *A* in OFA stands for
America.) In these cases I will check out the equivalent health test for that country.
Some Soft Maple Litters
#1 Am/Can Ch Pasha N'Charwin's Black Jack,Am/Can WC ROM CR-200G26M, CR-314 X CH Avanti's Best Bet CD CGC ROM ROMX GSDIIIa clear
CR-CA12/56F/C-ECHO, CR-483, CR-408E24F
#2 CH Riverwatch Desert Wind ROM CR-EL30, CR-429E24M X CH Avanti's Best Bet CGC ROM ROMX CD CR-CA12/56F/C CR-408E24F, CERF
CR-483 95,96,99, GSDIIIa clear
#3 CH, HR Elflock-Ranah's Rising Son WC WCX WCQ JH CD CR-549, CR-426G37M X CH Charwin Even Song JH WC WCX CD CGC HOF
CR-CA22/41F/C, CR-480F35F, CR-489
#4 Luxembourg Champion, Dutch,VDH, German Ch. Caballus Inferno JWW'98, W'98, Europasieger '99, Bundessieger'99 Hips A/A(Finland), B1(Holland) X
CH
Mathel Felicitation ROM CR-CA3/38F/C, CR-453G24F,CR-497 (For this litter, I shipped Bumper overseas for the breeding, so the stud has his foreign country
of origin hip score equivalent.)
#5 Ch SoftMaple's O' Dark Thirty JH SH MH WC WCX WCQ CD CGC HOF TT CR-CA177/89M/C-PI-ECHO, CR-685, CR-536G27M-T GSDIIIa clear X CH Charwin
Evensong WC WCX JH CD HOF
CGC CR-CA22/41F/C, CR- 480F35F, CR-489
#6 CH SoftMaple's International Fling CGC GSDIIIa clear CR-CA134/34F/C-PI CR-640G26F-PI, CR-EL97F26-PI CR-753 sired by Jet CH SoftMaple's O' Dark Thirty JH
SH MH CD WC WCX WCQ TT HOF CR-CA177/89M/C-PI-ECHO, CR-685, CR-536G27M-T GSDIIIa clear
#7 SUCH SJCJ Ringlets Constant Wind Cardiac clear, eyes clear, hips A/B to CH SoftMaple's Fairway Explorer CGC CR-CA74/16F/S-PI CR-EL98F28-PI
CR-642G28F-PI, CERF (This litter is the product of an imported semen breeding using shipped-cooled semen from Sweden, so the male has his foreign country of
origin health checks.)
#8 CH SoftMaple's International Fling CGC CR-CA134/34F/C-PI CR-640G26F-PI, CR-EL97F26-PI CR-753 GSDIIIa clear sired by CH Aberbran Bar Von Bern JH SH WC
WCX ROM OFA good; CR-608G24M-PI CR-CA123/37M/P-PI CERF
#0 Our 2004 No-litter, and an idea of what preparing for a litter costs.
#9 2004 litter between CH SoftMaple N HunterBay's NYwkend CGC TT CR-EL99F28-PI CR-645E28F-PI, CR-CA135/34F/C-PI and SR CH Curlygleann Kiwi
Dream WC TDI CGC CR-677G24M-PI, CR-EL111M24-PI, SN91060601, DOB May 2 2001
#10 CH SoftMaple's O'Dark Thirty MH WCQ CD CGC TT HOF CR-536G27M-T OFA cardiac, CERF 2001 and SoftMaple N HunterBay's Poetic Justice
CGC, PennHip, CR-CA158/21F/C-NOPI, CERF 2004
#11 SoftMaple Gunflint's Beauty CGC CR-715G28F-NOPI, CR-EL131F28-NOPI, CR-CA157/28F/P-NOPI GSDIIIa clear by breedingand Boyerie Dese Maestro Music Please
CR-CA148/24M/C-PI-ECHO CR-696G24M-PI CR-750
#12 Ch. Dese's Black As Coal, CD, WC, CGC, TT, JH, RN CR-530G26M-T, CR-CA47/30M/C-T, CR-582 GSDIIIa clear and
CH SoftMaple's Pheasant Dreams WC CGC, RN CR-722G34F, CR-El134F34, CR-CA178/41F/P-NOPI, CERF 2005 CR-814N
Our Next litter plans
SoftMaple Litters to date, and planned litters
Club Affiliations:
Member of Curly Coated Retriever Club of America: (1999 National Specialty Co-chairman) (Former Head of Web Page Committee) (Currently on National Specialty Committee); Curly Coated Retriever Club of Canada: (Head of Web Page Committee); North East Curly Consortium: (Charter Member) (Head of Web Page Committee); Curly Coated Retriever Club of Great Britain; North Country Kennel Club: (Offices held in NCKC) ; Recording Secretary ; Vice President ; Obedience Chairperson ; Chief Ring Steward ; Public education ; Canine Companions Dog Agility Association; Central NY Retriever Club; Past member in good standing Mid Atlantic Curly Club ; Past member in good standing Irish Setter Club of America ; Past member in good standing Irish Setter Club of Central NY ; Past member in good standing Irish Setter Club of Western NY ; Owner Handler Association; 4-H Dog Obedience
About the Book
Follow a litter of puppies from birthday until they go to their new homes. The diary contains lots of pictures, tips on puppy rearing, some breed specific information,
and lots of information on the care of any breed of dog.
I started doing an on-line puppy diary since many of the people that would be getting one of my pups would not be able to travel here to see the pups. I did not want
to put a bunch of cute puppy pictures online, and encourage anyone to have a litter just because they wanted to see cute puppies! Breeding dogs, if done the right
way, is a lot of work. Lost sleep and sometimes heartache. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to raise a litter of puppies. Once I started doing The Puppy
Diary, I realized I had a captive audience. These people logged on every day to see the pictures, and read what was happening. I used this opportunity to cram as
much education into each day as I could. Health, Coat issues, grooming, feeding, socializing, vet care, puppy evaluations, shipping puppies.... you name it! I tried to
put it in The Diary. It was suggested that I make it into a book. Well here it is! There are 560 pictures and over 300 pages of living with and watching one litter
grow up. I am sure may conscientious, caring breeders raise litters similar to the way I do. Its is a good look into the time, money, commitment it takes to bring
up a litter of pups. Some of the things that go on behind the scenes, that the eventual puppies owners (family), never realize go into the litter.
Enjoy my litter as I see them. Day to day
Contents
Chapter One (Week One) ... Page 1
Seger comes into season
Happy Birthday!
Removing the Dewclaws
Start of the Bio Sensor program
Chapter Two (Week Two) ... Page 48
Coat issues.
Tail Gland Hyperplasia
Do Curlies Shed?
Chapter Three (Week Three) ... Page 94
End of Bio Sensor Exercises
Worming The puppies
Eyes are open
First pup escapes from the box
Chapter Four (Week Four) ... Page 130
Weaning. The great food fight!
Introduction to the puppy play room
Shark Cage
Chapter Five (Week Five) ... Page 156
Field dog? Show Dog? CPE?
Happy Mothers Day!
First Stacked pictures
Chapter Six (Week Six) ... Page 195
Toys! Toys! Toys!
What�s In A Name?
Kids and Dogs
Introduction to Wings
Chapter Seven (Week Seven) ... Page 236
About Puppies and Retrieving
Socialize your puppy
First Shots & Vet Visit
Splish Splash, first bath!
Chapter Eight (Week Eight) ... Page 286
Shape up or ship out!
Requirements to ship puppies
See all the pups!
Before and After...
What we do to prepare our pups
Jump to Our Announcement page
 Your search is over!
Find Curly Coated Retriever breeders in your area!
There are litters due out of field titled parents. Agility & Obedience parents. Show CH parents. Personal Working dogs, and great family companions. Links to some articles on socialization and training your new Curly puppy. Check back often, as the page is updated as new litter information is added.
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Health Issues in CCR's