Amazing Lene
Since I was so small I can remember, I have always loved dogs !!! And my biggest wish throughout my whole childhood was my own dog!! But unfortunately, my parents did not agree with this and the compensation was then that I started to look after and take care all our neighbours’ dogs. I walked daily trips with them – everything from Riesenshnauzers, German Sheperds, Collies and mixed dogs. But at the same time I continued to ask my parents to get my own dog. And when I was 17, my father was obviously fed up with my bust and said “okay, you can get your own dog, but then it must be smaller than our coffee table “! Our coffee table was not very high and I had no experience with Toy dogs and I answered “but there are no dogs that tiny”!!!
But I had received a “YES” to finally get my own dog and I went to the library and borrowed a book about Toy breeds! I read all the details about all the breeds, but it was not before I came to the Chihuahua chapter that the interest was further awakened! I especially remember the line where it stood “don’t be fooled by the size. This is the world’s largest dog in the world’s smallest body “! This was in 1994 and the Chihuahua was at that time a small breed in Norway and I found only one breeder in Bergen, my home town. I contacted her and this was the start of my adventure with this wonderful breed!
I got my first Chihuahua in 1995 and my first litter was born in 1998. This was not with Chihuahua, but with Maltese – which also is a breed that I love and which I was active till about 2001. But when I decided to start breeding Chihuahuas, I chosed to continue with this breed over the Maltese. But the Maltese is still one of the breeds that is closest to my heart next to Chihuahua.
Breeding Chihuahuas has been a wonderful journey! It’s not an easy breed to breed with, but no matter the ups and downs, I have never regreted that it was just this breed I ended up with!
The most important thing I’ve learned from everything I’ve been through until now is that real passion for what I’m doing gets me through also the difficulties, which every breeder has. The fact that I really love what I’m doing makes me manage to put behind my defeats and hard times when they come and rather take it as a precious experience rather than let it break me. The two things that I focus most on in my breeding are type and health. I have also found that it’s important to use a wider breeding strain than just a pure line breeding. Then you can more easily double up any weaknesses that may be on the lines. So I’m trying to go out to bring in some new blood to my breeding now and then. I try to choose dogs that are about same type with my own breeding and who have a well known pedigrees, but which are still not too much related to my own dogs. Then I can mate my own lines into these in the next generation again !
I don’t use just my own bitches. I’ve also bought bitches from other breeders on some occasions. But then I mainly use males of my own lines on them. The same with male dogs. In many cases I haave worked with other well known breeders to borrow one of their males if it is a dog that I think fits perfectly with one of my own bitches.
When I’m planning a litter, I always try to focus on what is the weakness of the bitch I will mate. And then I try to find a male that has these qualities strong. In addition, the dog should also be same type as my bitch and be healthy. I always look much at a healthy constructed body, movements and the type. The correct Chihuahua head with big eyes and a good stop. I’m also a breeder who likes the Chihuahua to be rather on the scale from 2.4 – 3 kg than about 1.8-2.3 kg. I love when they have a good solid and muscular body and a really good coat at the long coats! You can also see these details very clearly at my breeding. Of course the pedigree behind the two individuals I mate is of course thought out and always important!
Combining life as an active breeder/exhibitor, mom, wife and work in addition, has actually worked very well. There have of course been periods in my life which have been difficult and that I have gone around with constant bad conscience and the feelings of inadequacy! But I am a very disciplined and organized person and I have learned that as long as you stand straight, you will make it! So even though it’s a busy life, it works fine and I love my busy (and never boring) life!
