LitterInfo

JOTUNHEIM

Breeding Philosophy

My goal is to perpetuate and improve on the traits that first attracted me to the GSMD

-- the solid look and character of the all purpose,working farm dog --

the Grosse Schweitzer Sennenhund as described in the Breed Standard of its country of origin.

I breed for Quality rather than quantity.Therefore I only have puppies occasionally.

My priority is to produce GSMD which possess the breed type ,health , longevity, and

soundness which suits them for the variety of tasks for which they were originally bred.

I only breed GSMD which have passed their health clearances, have great temperaments

and have earned AKC Championship, Obedience or GSMDCA Working titles .

I continue to study all aspects of the Breed - pedigrees, and specific traits and problems in

various lines so as to improve on structure and breed type , reduce health risks

and maximize the potential of each litter I produce .

Cost and convenience are not a factor in my efforts to produce quality GSMD.

Jotunheim puppies are raised in my home where they spend the first months of their lives being

loved and well socialized . Pups are handled by different people, exposed to

a variety of surfaces and noises and introduced to the portable kennel and rides in the car .

Puppies are temperament tested at seven weeks and structurally evaluated

at eight weeks by at least one other experienced breeder.

Applicants are carefully screened and matched with the puppy that best suits them.

Show prospects and companions are all placed in homes where they will be

treated first and foremost as beloved family members.

I do not accept deposits on litters that have not been whelped .

If I do not have a puppy for you, I will not put you on an indefinite waiting list.

Rather, I will gladly refer you to other breeders who are expecting puppies

and whose practices are similar to mine.

Jotunheim puppies are microchipped, wormed and current on vaccinations

and all are sold with a contract and health guarantee.

Companion puppies are sold on limited AKC registration with spay/neuter contract.

Show prospects are sold on co ownership with breeding restrictions to protect the

pedigrees involved from irresponsible breeding practices.

Jotunheim puppies go home with a collar, five pounds of quality dry food, a toy and

a binder containing useful information on all aspects of Swissy ownership.

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I have been a member in good standing of the GSMDCA for 18 years.

I have served as an officer of the GSMDCA for thirteen years, and served

the 2005-2006 term as GSMDCA President . I chaired the Standard revision in 2003,

and served as GMDCA Breed Study Coordinator/Judges Education Chair from 2000 - 2006.

I am a member in good standing of various Regional Clubs , including the

Rocky Mtn GSMD Club and the Golden Gate GSMD Club .

I am a training member of the Capitol Dog Training Club and a member of

the Mid Atlantic Stewards Association

I am an approved Mentor for AKC judges seeking approval to judge the GSMD. In addition, I

have completed all the requirements to apply to AKC to judge the GSMD.

In 2002, I was honored with the GSMDCA Friend of the Swissy Award

for my contributions to breed education, specifically the compilation of the GSMD Health Database.

In 2004 I was honored with the Margaret Poole Lifetime Achievement Award

for exemplary service to the GSMDCA .

I currently serve as a Trustee on the GSMD Rescue Foundation.

My contributions to the GSMD will always be grounded in efforts to protect

and preserve the breed, its health and its working heritage.

---- Lori Price

THINKING ABOUT A GETTING A SWISSY?

IF YOU ARE THINKING OF ADDING A SWISSY TO YOUR FAMILY, I STRONGLY URGE YOU

TO READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES IN ORDER TO GAIN A BETTER PERSPECTIVE ON THIS WONDERFUL BREED:

"Is A Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Right for You?" & "Regarding Temperament" (both written by Karen Conant )

& "Twenty One Ways to Love Your Swissy" - by Dori Likevich

"Top Five Reasons Rescue is Called" - by GSMDCA Rescue Chairs

These articles were written by dedicated, long time Swissy owners and describe the REALITIES of

Swissy ownership not just more hype touting the GSMD as the "ideal family dog".
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a WONDERFUL breed but it is not for everyone!
Swissies vary in size, energy level and temperament and can be challenging for the first time dog owner

or even those dog owners who haven't had experience with Working breeds.
Many breeders will not mention the challenges of Swissy ownership because

they are only interested in selling you a puppy. If you are a family busy with a lot of young children

or a first time dog owner , you might wish to consider adopting an adult Swissy.

Adopting an older puppy or adult has proven to be a wonderful compromise for those who want a Swissy

but may not want to deal with the challenges that come with a puppy.

Contact the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Rescue Foundation if you are interested in older dogs available for adoption.

Also you should know that breeders sometimes have older puppies or adults

available for placement. You should of course ask why they are placing the older dog and also ask

about health and behavioural problems.
In addition to reading the articles linked above, I strongly urge you to meet as many Swissies

as possible before you commit to a puppy.
You can't possibly know if you are well suited for GSMD ownership if you have never met a GSMD!
Information from books, television or the internet should never substitute

for meeting the dogs and talking with experienced owners and breeders in person.

You should also be aware of the cost of owning a Swissy.

Many prospective Swissy owners are put off by what they feel are exhorbitant purchase prices for

Swissy puppies. The fact is that the average purchase price for a quality Swissy puppy

is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of basic care for one of these dogs

for its lifetime -- and that is if the dog remains healthy.

Please learn about the common health problems affecting the breed.

Be aware that even if you get a dog from a reputable breeder from healthy lines, your beloved dog

could still develop a condition for which you need to be both financially and emotionally prepared.

Do you really know where your puppy is coming from? Do your homework and make no assumptions.

Avoid online classified sites like puppyfind.com as such sites are typically used by

puppy mills and backyard breeders.

Reputable breeders do not need online classified sites to place their puppies.

Be aware that some of the "Sellers" found at online classified sites who use terms such as " home raised"

or "Champion bloodlines" to describe their puppies, may very well be Amish puppy mills who plagiarize wording from reputable breeder websites to mislead buyers about their own practices.

This is why it is so important to visit any breeder from whom you are considering getting

a puppy so you can see for yourself how that breeder's dogs live and how their puppies are raised.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misleading information on a lot of breeder websites.

A breeder claiming to only have "puppies occasionally" may very well be a large volume breeder whose dogs

spend most of their time in a kennel . Their definition of "occasionally" may be very different from yours!

This is why it is important that you to ask specific questions and demand specific answers.

Many breeders do not want to publicly disclose how much they are breeding.

Therefore, you will be unable to find even the most basic information (sire/dam, health clearance info., etc)

on past or current litters on their websites

Instead they will ask that interested parties contact them privately for such information .

A true hobby breeder typically has only a few dogs all of which live as

family members in the breeder's home.

A true hobby breeder will typically breed only a couple of litters a year but is active in

conformation showing and other breed related activities.

True hobby breeders support their dogs. Their dogs do not support them.

Be sure to ask about and VERIFY important information on the sire and dam of any litter

you are considering. Ask the ages of the sire and dam and be sure to verify the HEALTH CLEARANCES

of the sire and dam, as well. A reputable breeder should provide this information on their website via a link to the dogs respective page on the OFA website.

OFA does not issue permanent clearances for dogs under the age of two years.

However, some breeders have prelimnary evaluations done on their dogs and follow up with permanent evaluations

once the dog turns two. If a breeder claims to have bred a dog "on prelims", ask to see the paperwork (if the results cannot be found on the OFA site.) Also note the age of the dog when the prelims were done.
According to OFA, "NORMAL" hips are those with a FAIR ,GOOD , or EXCELLENT rating and are the

only ones that will be issued a number by OFA.

Said clearances should be published on the OFA website .

The GSMDCA Breeder Guidelines recommend that breeders do not breed dogs under two years of age.

The GSMDCA also recommends that stud dogs be limited to a maximum of three litters per year

in their first two years of breeding ( "year" meaning any 12 month period, not a calendar year)

The reason for this is that such limitations allow for any genetic issues

or predispositions to come to light before the dog has too many litters.

You should be aware that there are GSMDCA member breeders who are breeding underage dogs and

some who are breeding stud dogs four and even five times in their first 12 months of breeding!

If one of those over-bred stud dogs suddenly starts having seizures, who is left holding the bag?

The puppy buyers are.

JUST BECAUSE A BREEDER IS A GSMDCA MEMBER (or even a Club Officer),

AND EVEN LISTED IN THE GSMDCA "BREEDER CLASSIFIEDS" DOES NOT MEAN THEY

ADHERE TO THE GUIDELINES.

UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO ENFORCEMENT OF THESE GUIDELINES.

I am a GSMDCA Member Breeder and was a GSMDCA Club Officer for over a decade .

Yet I would not want this to impress you to the point where you felt you didnt need to research

my practices as much as you would any other breeder.

Please take all of this under consideration. Don't rush into getting a puppy. Do your homework and

be sure the GSMD is the breed with which you wish to share the next ten years of your life ( hopefully longer!)

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They're here!

Four boys and three girls - free whelped.

2 March 2010

Frida with her newborn pups

Frida x Bowie Litter page

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Upcoming Litter - Late Spring 2010

"Boo" (CH Jotunheim Santa Baby) has been bred to "Anke" (CH Breezy Ridge Marsanne Blanche)

Pregnancy will be confirmed by ultrasound.

Pups would be expected in mid April.

CH Jotunheim Santa Baby "Boo"	CH Breezy Ridge Marsanne Blanche "Anke"

Boo's Pedigree Boo's Health Clearances	Anke's Pedigree Anke's Health Clearances