Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Entle, puppy, puppies, Swiss, Sennenhund, Switzerland, cattle herd, alps, lively, high energy, medium size, beautiful symmetrical markings, black, white and tan, tri-color, health, genetics, bloodlines, lifespan, disease, Bergen Alberta Canada, Cottonwood, Arizona, USA, Saint Ferriol, Aude, France, Eugene Oregon, USA, show, AKC, CKC, Superstition, Saguaro, Evelyn Kenny, BCOE, NEMDA, Qualified breeder, conscientious, honest
Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Entle, puppy, breeder, medium sized, family dog, friendly, the SMILING dog, easy to train, Entlebucher Sennenhund, Swiss Mountain Dog, Alberta, Bergen, ranch, breeder, medium sized, cattle dog, drover, herder, velcro dog, therapy, assistance, companion, agility, nose work, obedience, healthy, conscientious, ethical, intact, titres, deposit, Cottonwood, Arizona, raw food, enthusiastic, loyal, genetic diversity, AKC, CKC, conformation, performance, dog show, cute, cuddly, playful, Good Dog, AviDog, purposefully bred, purebred, well socialized, NEMDA, BCOE, tri-color, clean, , puppies available, active
Breeding for health, temperament and breed survival
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Bar T T Ranch Entlebuchers
A new puppy
After losing Nelson in 2024 and then retiring and spaying Nakita in 2025 we decided to start our search for a new breeding female. Of course you don't start with a breeding female - you find a perfectly bred puppy from a conscientious breeder.
I look for health concerns in the litter's mother and father and their direct relatives (parents, siblings). We always check for their breeding CoEfficient of Inbreeding and Ancestor Loss CoEfficient.
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This time, I also looked for parents specifically tested and clear for Ectopic Ureter. This is a maladie that has arisen in North America but so far we can't even diagnose it very well. In Europe they test and grade dogs to try and prevent further propagation of this disease.
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I like to look at the breeder's location and dream about any interesting travel opportunities in the area. Puppies arrive when they are ready, so you have to be flexible about season and weather.
I contacted my breeder network and scoured others online. It is tricky finding a breeder of Entlebuchers outside of North America, unless you are a linguist!
Eventually, we found a litter that looked perfect. One final check with the other NEMDA breeders for their opinions and then I was ready to commit.
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To my delight, the puppy was just outside of Prague, CZ, a place that's been on my list for a long time. They would be ready to go home right around Christmas time - which allowed my son who is a school teacher to accompany me. We made a wonderful trip, ate some great goulash and sampled local pilsner beer.
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Returning home with the puppy proved more difficult than I had expected. Canada still allows pups to be imported at 8 weeks of age, (The USA will not admit any pups under 6 months), and Air Canada will take them in cabin from 10 weeks on. Unfortunately, most other carriers require anywhere from 13 to 20 weeks of age - which means an Entlebucher would no longer fit in the cabin carrier.
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When I arrived at the airport with the puppy to head home, I was refused a boarding pass. It was a long day of web searching and phone calls but we made a plan and eventually were able to bring our special pup home.
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Given the difficulty of my experience, I doubt that I will attempt this again unless rules change. I do not want to ship a young pup by cargo and I don't like giving up the first 6 months of socialization time either.
You will be hearing more about Cleo as she grows. For now, we are delighted to have her home, healthy and safe. And even more pleased that Nakita has decided to take her into the pack. They have been playing "Bitey Face" over the past couple days - silently. Nelson & Nakita learned that if they were quiet we would allow them to play this silly game. It can look quite vicious at times, but they love it. Apparently Cleo understood the rules right away.
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