Marking of puppies

[ursula wilby]

With a new litter of ten, I am once again faced with the problem of identification of each individual puppy. I normally cut their fur in differant places, like right back-leg, neck-base etc. One year I tried nailvanish but that was a total waste of time I felt. The marking was never clear enough for me to identify each puppy at a glance. I have seen differant breeders using differant collars. To me there is the danger of the puppies getting caught up in each others collars, so I would feel very uneasy about that. Even if I was to use the ones for cats, with elastic pieces. Any methods out there I am not yet aware of?

[Carmel Stringfellow]

Hi Marcella,
my daughter and I have just been reading about your collars. What is the material that you use as my daughter thinks she can make the same type of thing. She calls them 'scoobys' and makes them out of a plastic material. Obviously not suitable for puppies but she can adapt it to another material.
Thanks,
Carmel Stringfellow

[Laura Kolbach]

first i read MAKING of puppies :-))) (ok, even the second and third time i read "making" and wondered about the content of this discussion...)

as i never had a litter myself, i can't speak from experience. my german shorthair and pointer friends do not use anything :) you can see the markings on the body, head, hehe. my irish setter friends use bands for the girls and strings for the boys, different colours obviously.

[ursula wilby]

Yes, thats righ Laura...how do you MAKE them? I have been actually wondering, and FINALLY I plucked up my currage to ASK!!! :-) :-) :-)
(Better stick plenty of smilies behind this one)

[McBIRDY - Jean DUHANT]

Hello Laura,
We also used collars made from wood ties. We use colours from rainbow: red for the first born, then orange,....
For more, we use a combination of colours: red & white, black & white,....
A lot of our clients like this system because puppies are easily reconnaissable. A lot keep these ties as souvenir.
Plese visit our site on www.mcbirdy.be on breeding page to see a lot of puppies pictures.
Kindly
Jean

[ursula wilby]

Hello Jean, you really have to tell me what wood-ties are! I have checked out your web-site and they look like cloth-bands (knotted) to me. I am so very much against people letting dogs off the lead to play wearing their collars, its easy for them to get caught up somewhere, and in each others collars.
Or perhaps I just have too many veterinairian and doggy friends telling me horror-storys involving dogs wearing collars?
I would feel that attaching bands to small puppies necks would be asking for trouble...
But then plenty of people seem to get away with it...it seems.
Ursula

[McBIRDY - Jean DUHANT]

Hello Ursula,
Sorry, I made a type mistake. Please read a wool-tie. It's a fine lace of wool that we buy at hosier's shop. We never had problem with these fine laces.
Jean.

[Carmel Stringfellow]

Hello Ursula,
I also have a litter of ten puppies at the moment and am finding it hard to identify each puppy. I have tried collars ( with labradors!) and they lasted about 2 hours. My 12 year old daughter seems to know most of the pups but I am interested in these wool-collars. It sounds like some kind of hand-knitting. Am I right?
Carmel Stringfellow

[ursula wilby]

Thank you Jean, changing the d to an l made it all so much clearer! :-)
For me to feel save using a collar, it would have to break easy. But then I suppose that defeats the object. Does it not actually tempt the puppies to pull each others collars all the time?
Especially as I can see on your photos that there are long bits hanging down.
But perhaps they get used to them and dont bother...

Carmel, I think the collars used by Marcella are knitted, but Jean's are like strips of material judging by the photos.

I may just continue cutting their coat. At least they cant get caught up in anything and it grows out again.
Ursula

[ursula wilby]

Thats an interesting method, and not one I have ever heard of before! I suppose the drawback is not being able to see at a glance...but the collars you use when they are older, what type are they?
Cat-version?
Ursula
(convinced if there is even the slightest chance of something going wrong...it normally will when it comes to horses and dogs)

[McBIRDY - Jean DUHANT]

Hello Ursula,
We change often the collars (each week), until they have 8-9 weeks and left home. Until now we produced 106 puppies and we never had a problem with these collars.
Jean

[Susan Stone]

I like the Trawricka method - much better than sticking an ugly plaster on to each pup's back end with a numer on it. Makes me think of sheep when I see that...
I also worry about the risk with collars. But I still resorted to them when I found the coat marking just did not work with newborn puppies - it is practically impossible to cut into the coat of a new born puppy. I used different coloured strings the thickness of a shoelace - but rather than tie a knot I sewed the ends together with one stitch very thin cotton which would break at the first pressure. Yes, they did loose them now and then - hereby proving that the idea was working.
Around 8 weeks they got 'real' collars but only wore them while I was with them...

[ursula wilby]

The sewing together sounds much safer to me than tying a knot. Especially if they break easily (as you mentioned). The way I read the reply about the plaster, it was stuck inside the ear and not on the back. But of course that is also impossible with newborn puppies.
I dont actually start cutting the fur until they are a few days old.
But its good to see that there are options available!
As an identification from all angles, I do think the collars are far better than anything else. No need to pick the puppy up...you can see at a glance.
Perhaps I am just too hung up on keeping them safe?
Like going over the top...
After all no-one has come forwards and talked about strangled puppies.
Perhaps I just have a vivid imagination?