Kennel de Ursidae Stee

Here you can find:

A. About us

B. About our kennel

A. About us

Our breeds
The Ursidae Stee is a small hobby  kennel which breed Leonbergers and Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs .

Our family lives in Warnsveld (municipal: Zutphen) in the east part of the Netherlands (not very far from the German border) More information about how to reach us can be found at our homepage.

Our kennel name

Ursidae is the official latin generic name for bears like mammals. Stee litteraly means: place. But in general use it also means house, farm etc.

When we had our kennel registered we breeded Newfoundlanders and Leonbergers. Because of their massive appearance we thought it funny to put a link to bears in our kennel name. When we later decided to also breed wolfdogs we thought about changing our name. All the more because wolfdogs don’t look like bears at all!

But because our kennel name was already well-known (from the first four places from the ‘Leoladder’ – a competition from the Leonberger Club there were three Leonbergers from our kennel) we decided to keep our kennel name.

And for wolfdogs it now is a very special kennel name with ‘wink’ because the total contrast.

A small introduction 

We are a busy and active family with lots of interests and many hobby’s. But keeping and raising animals is one of our mutual hobby’s. Even in our holidays we cannot do without our dogs and every year at least one comes with us!

We don’t have a big outdoor kennel of separate meadows/play field where our dogs are kept and can play, but our dogs are living with us in our house and garden. They are companions amidst our family. The pups also live, until they leave for their new owners, everyday in our living room.

That time it is like we are living in a kennel!

Leonbergers

From my childhood Leonbergers (and newfoundlanders) were part of our family. Later me too thought a family isn’t complete without a LeonbergerJ. So we always had a Leonberger of our own or a dog from friends or family in our house. Our kids grew up with Leo’s and they liked it very much.

Our dogs always participate at our camping holidays and they saw more of Europe than many ordinary Duthcman. Because we always are very active with our dogs we preferred the sportive/active dogs within this breed. All the dogs we had were very fond of water and swimming.

Wolfdogs

Because of my affinity with wolfdogs a we also got a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. After a while we got another  wolfdog to re socialize/reinstruction and shelter.

The last few years I became more and more engaged with this breed. With my own dogs I participated in wolfdog activities and meetings in other countries. Together with other people I also organize all kinds of activities for wolfdog owners.

Because I also wanted to participate with the breed in general I became translator for the international website www.wolfdog.org  later I became moderarator.  It is something I like to do very much and it brought me many international contacts.  

** www.wolfdog.org is a big international website (pages in various languages) with all kind of information about Tsjecho-slovakian Wolfdogs (race information, hundreds of articles, photographs, forums etc.)

Hereafter information about:
B. Our Kennel

B. Our kennel

Contacts

As we tell in ‘about us’ we are not only interested in our own Leonbergers and Wolfdogs. We have many contact with breeders and owners in various countries.

Because we like to do things with our dogs we preferably contact owners from dogs (all kinds of breeds) who also like to be active. For example we bike with a small group and with some others we go swimming. One or two evenings in the week we go to the dogschool.

Through my work as moderator of www.wolfdog.org  I keep informed about the international development within the CsW breed.  Besides this we participate in (and sometime organize ourselves)several activities for Wolfdogs (CsW and Saarloos Wolfdogs)

We are members of KC Zutphen, de LHCN, Leo libero and the NVTW.

Small kennel

We are a very small kennel. We don’t have big outdoor kennels ore meadows for our dogs. Our dogs are used to live amidst our busy family with lots of visitors, children and other dogs. Incidental we breed a litter of Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs or Leonbergers.

Hobby breeding

We are breeding for hobby, not for profession. Because for us it for 100% our hobby we have only now and then a litter. Our dogs are not our source of income. And we invest lots of time, energy and money in this hobby.

Socialisation

Because we don’t have many dogs we are able to take our dogs with us everywhere (sometimes even our work). All our dogs are to the best socialized and friendly to other people and animals.

They go with us on holiday, travel by car, bus and train. So they are used to busy city’s, big events, used to wait in shopping mall’s, visiting schoolyards, restaurants etc.

Character

We think the character of the dog is one of the most important things in breeding. We only breed with dogs with a first class character. (what good is a dog that is looking fine, but which very shy or aggressive?)

All our Leonbergers are undergoing (according the breeding rules) a profile test from Leo Libero (Dutch club).

For Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs the Dutch club has not a special breeding or profile test.

But when it is possible for us we do the Bonitation in countries of origin.

Health

We only use healthy dogs which after examination by a veterinarian possibly are used for breeding.

Hipdysplasie (HD): all our dogs get officially x-ray examination by specialized vets and judged by RVBH (Dutch kennel organization). For our breeding we only use HD A 0/0 (total HD free) combinations. Next to this all the buyers of our dogs get hints to limit the risks for getting HD.

Eyes

The LHCN en Leo Libero also insist that Leonbergers used for breeding get an inspection of the eyes by a vet which is recognized by the W.K.Hirschfeld foundation (ECVO).

We breed only with dogs free of cataract, entropion and ectropion.

Teeth

We breed with dogs with a full ‘scissors’- (or ‘tong’-)teeth.

Wolfdogs are relative healthy breed (and free of many problems which occur within other breeds). They live longer compared to other large breed. But within the population of Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs also HD is found .

Shows

We don’t like it very much to go to shows often (we prefer to ‘work’ with our dogs). But because we want to demonstrate that we use good dogs in breeding we now and then go to shows. For results: have a look at exhibition results in ‘our dogs’. We are also very glad if new owners like to go to go to shows more often!

Training and Activities

Next to our weekly training with our dogs we also participate in activities. (for results have a look in ‘our dogs’). We also take specific trainings. With one of our wolfdogs we take a course in rescue training for Leonbergers

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Recapitulation:

General objective in breeding:

Maintaining, guarding and promoting the health, the character and well being together with the typical qualities of the race.

Until the initiation of the new rules of the National committee who looks after breeding in the Netherlands (the RVBH), we have our own criteria for the dogs we use:

In general:
The dogs have to be registered in a by the F.C.I. approved register.

Health:
The dogs should have good health and condition.

Behaviour/character:

The dogs should be well socialized without shy or aggressive behaviour. Leonbergers which are used should have a character test of Leo Libero

HD invesigation:
The dogs should have an official (by a recognized veterinarian) certificate that they are x-rayed and judged by the RVBH. For breeding with our own dogs we only use HD A 0/0 (= total HD free) combinations.

Exterior:
The dogs should measure up to the race standard. Next to this the dogs should have at least two times a qualification ‘very good’ at a club match or an exhibition by two qualified judges. One of the qualifications should have be given after the age of 18 months.

Age standards:
The stud should at the time of covering be at least 18 months or older. The bitch should be not younger than 24 months at time of covering. She shouldn’t be used after the day she becomes 96 months (8 years). The bitch should be at the birth of her first litter not older than 78 months (6.5 years).

Covering:

Both parent animals should not be closely related e.g. parent-child brother-sister. With our CsW’s we want a wrights  coefficient lower than 13 %.

Breeding frequency:

A Leonberg bitch can get only 1 litter every 12 months (time between first and least birth should be at least 12 months)

A Czechoalovakian Wolfdog bitch isn’t allowed more than two litters in 24 months.

The difference between Leonbergers and Czechoalovakian Wolfdogs is because a wolfdog bitch only gets in heat one time per year.

Both breeds should not get more than 4 litters during their whole life. (until now our dogs only got two litters.) A stud should not get more than 6 litters in his life.

Birth:

Birth should be natural. When a Caesarian birth was needed, this bitch will not be used for breeding anymore.

Pups:

The pups go to their new owner when they are 8 weeks old.

They then are  three times de wormed and vaccinated (Dogs disease and Parvo) and they have a declaration of good health from a veterinarian. (When they are 7 weeks they get a total examination.)