ABA 2024: Breeding Vision Winner - Shainy Majidi

In this inspirational episode of Breeders Brew, Sara flies solo to celebrate the incredible achievements of one of the Annual Breeder Awards winners – the visionary French Bulldog breeder Shainy Majidi!

🌟 Shainy is a double finalist and the proud winner of the Breeding Vision Award. She is recognised for her unwavering ethics, preparation, and drive to raise the bar for French Bulldog breeding.

🎙️ Tune in as Sara and Shainy deep dive into:

✅ How Shainy’s passion for ethical breeding began after discovering her Frenchie’s unexpected athleticism and health, flipping the script on common stereotypes.
✅ The critical role of mentorship, how a trusted stud dog owner guided her first experience, and why it changed her entire mindset.
✅ What happens when a stud doesn’t live up to expectations, and the courage it takes to walk away, even when the clock is ticking.
✅ Practical prep before breeding: folic acid, exercise, ovulation testing, and more.
✅ The importance of BOAS testing and selecting stud dogs with breathing health at the forefront.
✅ Raising two litters, nine days apart – how she did it, what she learnt, and why she's probably still catching up on sleep!

Whether breeding your first litter or looking to refine your programme, this conversation is full of insight, inspiration, and real-world lessons you won’t find in a textbook.

📌 Helpful Links from the Episode:

🔗 Want to follow Shainy's journey or connect? Find her on Instagram: @the_world_of_kiki_and_co

🔗 Want direct access to Sara, Isobel, and our growing network of responsible breeders?
👉 Become a Brew Crew Member today for community support, breeder resources, and exclusive member events: www.breedersbrew.com/brewcrew

🔗 Interested in applying for the next Annual Breeder Awards? Submit your future application here: www.caninefamilyplanner.com/aba

#BreedersBrew #BreedingVision #FrenchBulldogs #DogBreedingDoneRight #EthicalBreeding #PuppyPlanning #HolisticBreeder

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Love the podcast? Get even more as a Brew Crew member → www.breedersbrew.com/brewcrew

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Transcript

Sara Lamont (00:23)
In this episode, I sit down with Shaini Majidi, a double finalist and winner of the Breeding Vision Award to explore her journey into French bulldog breeding. We discussed the challenges, ethical considerations and key decisions that shape a responsible breeding program. We discover how to find the right stud dog and the challenges of selecting a responsible match, how to consider health testing and nutrition and the essential steps for breeding preparation.

and we discuss worming and vaccination and why many breeders are moving towards a more evidence-based approach. Whether you're a breeder or owner looking to breed for the first time, this episode is a must listen. So I shall hit play now.

Sara Lamont (01:08)
So today I'm super pleased to welcome to the Breeders Brew podcast, Shainy Majidi who is a double finalist.

of the Annual Breeder Awards. She was a Finalist for the Holistic Breeder category and also the winner of the Breeder Vision category. So by the sounds of it, she's obviously smashing it out the park. So welcome to the podcast, Shainy

Shainy (01:34)
Hello. Exciting.

Sara Lamont (01:37)
We've got big expectations now. No, no, no, it's fine. Right. let's get started. It would be great to know a bit about your history in dog ownership, in breeding and what breed you have.

Shainy (01:49)
So I always had dogs, like as a kid we had Boxer dogs and then I had an English Bulldog when I started living on my own and then when I got together with my husband we brought a French Bulldog and all of a sudden we were like, wow, like she's really healthy, this dog's

like an athlete. When you're looking at other dogs and then you're thinking wow, my dog's really good. I started researching about dogs, French Bulldogs health, what's kind of expected and then learn about all the health testing and stuff like that. And then we thought, well, she's really good. breed her?

because it's really nice to kind of have healthy dogs and that's kind of like how we ended up breeding for the first time.

Sara Lamont (02:41)
what attracted you to the French Bulldog? And was you expecting all doom and gloom and then you realised that you didn't have one that was like that?

Shainy (02:44)
Well....

No, was all by accident My husband's friend had a litter who now when I look back on it was one of them things that I would be telling all of my puppy owners to stay away from. That ignorant kind of life, like, yeah, we're just going to get a dog, not really thinking anything of it. yeah, we saw the mum.

Sara Lamont (03:02)
You

Shainy (03:12)
and we really loved her and she didn't have any kind of issues either but it was just it was more kind of as Kiki was kind of growing and we were wow this dog's so powerful like she's so fast and just there was just nothing there was no kind of health issues about her whatsoever and then yeah so it was

It was all by accident really. just kind of, you know, when things just kind of like keep, you get an idea and then it just keeps kind of rollercoasting on, that's what happened. And the next thing I knew, I was like DNA testing her and taking her for a BOAS.

Sara Lamont (03:47)
So funny enough Sue that we've had on the podcast actually said the same. She said, I was hip and elbow screening my dog and I had no really idea why.

Shainy (03:55)
Yeah, no, that's like, well, that's what that's

what you do. But then I very, very quickly found out that's not what everyone does. Then the passion kind of kind of came from it as well, where I was like, well, actually, I've really being quite ethical here and look at and then it turned to looking for the stud dog. And I was really, really lucky.

finding a really responsible stud dog owner as well who'd done all the health testing, she'd done all the BOAS testing too, which like gold dust, isn't it? Her being quite close to me. And then she became a bit of a mentor as well throughout my dog's pregnancy. at the end when I sold Kiki's puppies, I sent her a massive bunch of flowers because you really took me under your wing and I really appreciate it. So it was really nice.

Sara Lamont (04:43)
You're not the first person to sort of echo the importance of having a mentor or somebody to support and guide you. And it sort of naturally happens. It wasn't like a structured, I need to find someone that can help me do this, this and this. She's, as you say, naturally taking you under her wing and guided you. How did you find looking for a stud dog, like even from subsequent breedings, how do you find that whole process?

Shainy (05:09)
It's horrible. I look for dogs and then I just like I've messaged something I think right your dog looks like this is a good dog and then I say I'll have you have you done any health testing? Well, I don't need to do I it breaths alright! All right. my god, There's nobody that wants to take the time to do that side of things. It's absolutely crazy.

Sara Lamont (05:11)
you

Shainy (05:33)
I missed Stella a couple of times because I just couldn't find a stud dog for her. But there are some good stud dogs, but you have to travel very far to find them. So I suppose that's going to be one of my next questions, isn't it?

Sara Lamont (05:39)
interested.

Yeah, and I

Well, I know you have a whole story of you changed your mind on a stud dog. So I think it would be great to share that with people because I think it shows great conviction when you think you're getting something and then you get there and you go, this isn't quite what I was expecting to have the confidence to go, do you know what, I'm gonna, I'm gonna re-rack this. Cause I think most people just go,

Shainy (06:08)
The

Sara Lamont (06:13)
this is a tie-in sensitive situation, the female's in season, she's ready to be bred, I'm just gonna go with it. So I don't know if you just wanna explain without obviously mentioning any names, but a situation that you were like, oh, okay, because I just think it shows great strength and it really does underpin your ethics as a breeder and the response, how seriously you took the responsibility of the puppies that that combination could produce.

Shainy (06:39)
Yeah, so we met this stud dog, we met halfway. He was like three hours away from me. So we decided to meet halfway. He'd had him BOAS tested and it was a grade two, but I thought with Stella, she was grade zero, it would kind of even, you know, even out. was the max that you could possibly go to with the health testing for breathing wise.

And when we met him, we met on this open field. I was throwing a ball for him. You know, he was just like literally tearing around the dog. And I thought like, actually, like your nostrils are good, like you're breathing fine here. Roll on a couple of weeks when Stella was in season.

We drove up there, we got into the house and then the dog started sniffing Stella, attempted to kind of mate with her, but then his back legs wasn't long enough. And then got himself in such a state that he started coughing up all this white foam.

And then I was just like, no, sorry, just need to call this a day. And off we went, we drove back and I was just like, yeah, it made me feel like, I thought, don't want you near my dog. It's just, yeah, and we just, we just went, but I thought like that was like, you know, time at Petrol. And then it's also that he hadn't been a stud dog before. So obviously it was kind of.

Sara Lamont (07:49)
Yeah.

Shainy (07:55)
new to him, he was inexperienced as well, but it was more the kind of coughing up of the white foam and the breathing. was just like, absolutely not. Like I don't want to produce puppies like that at all.

Sara Lamont (08:08)
No.

as you say, could have been the fact that you had seen him before and he was all good. I don't know, maybe he was overcome by the whole situation. It got himself in the right state, but then that situation, that's why it's quite important that a mating is managed correctly. you can damage a dog, you can get damage a female if it's not correctly dealt with and all the dogs are correctly managed. And yeah, it just sounds like he could have got himself into a right situation.

Shainy (08:14)
Yeah

Yeah.

Sara Lamont (08:32)
And then he's just become overwhelmed by it all. I mean, when I think back many years ago, not that it was ever any of my dogs, but we've been at dog shows and because a dog in the show ring has to walk a triangle. sort of walk half the triangle stop.

Shainy (08:37)
Yeah.

Sara Lamont (08:47)
cough up a load of phlegm and then carry on again. Like that never happens now, as you say, with all the BOAS testing,

but that just tells you, that dog's literally just walking a triangle. Why is it doing that? Like that's not a normal, a bit like the handlers would literally just scoop up this phlemy ball and and pretend it never happened. Like, everyone just see that? That's not right. So for anyone that doesn't know about BOAS testing, it is the breathing obstructive airway syndrome.

Shainy (08:57)
Yeah.

You

Sara Lamont (09:14)
tests that the Brachycephalic, so the flat-faced breeds are encouraged to participating, particularly if you are breeding. And as you say, there is like a little grid and you can put the, what's the grade? Zero to four, is it? Yeah, zero to four. And there is a little table. And as you say, would rightly say you can put a zero to a two. Two is the maximum really to be bred from. You would never breed a two to a two.

Shainy (09:25)
Yeah. Yeah.

Sara Lamont (09:40)
but a two to a lower number is deemed I think that's the problem when you're finding studs, you're just juggling the best traits and qualities that you can get. And so you kind of think you're never going to find the perfect stud dog, but you go, okay, I say it might be locations not right or the.

the BOAS is a little bit higher or the color's not what you thought or the legs are a little bit too short or whatever

it is, you're always just juggling thinking, yeah, I think overall this is the right dog for the female that I've got. And then, yeah, to go on that way and to be like, yeah, no, let's go down another route, I think, yeah, just shows real good belief in your program and where you wanted to take it and you felt that that wasn't the direction. So I think a big pat on the back for you.

What preparations do you take for your females when you know that you're planning to breed them on their next season?

Shainy (10:34)
So my dogs are really healthy anyway, they are just solid muscle and fed raw and you know I never kind of have any issues with them anyway but this time round we use the folic acid and just kind of kept them exercised the whole way through. mean poor old Stella she

did give up like towards the last like 10 days. She's like, I'm absolutely not walking because she was such a round barrel. But yeah, I just really tried to keep their exercise going, giving them their food, I spoke to Isobel your canine nutritionist and just kind of like anything that she kind of recommended to me this time, then I was just like,

Sara Lamont (11:13)
Yep.

Shainy (11:19)
we will use that and go with it.

Sara Lamont (11:22)
Yeah,

so you've just recently had two litters pretty much at the same time, nine days apart, which some would call you crazy. And so that resulted in how many puppies?

Shainy (11:27)
nine days apart.

I think it's crazy and I definitely felt crazy through it as well.

Oh, you scanned Stella for seven, but she was messing around, wasn't she? Didn't want to comply at that point. But she had...

Sara Lamont (11:46)
Yep.

does she doesn't like me full stop does she so

which is fair enough it's fine

Shainy (11:57)
She actually had 10 puppies, but two were born in their sacks and they pooed in there, so the last two didn't make it. She has eight healthy puppies and then Ria, she had nine healthy puppies as well.

Sara Lamont (12:06)
Okay.

So that's a lot of puppage. Yeah, a lot of puppage. And they were both self whelps.

Shainy (12:19)
Yeah.

Both self-helped, yep, done really well. With Stella, thought, just when are you going to stop? Please, there can't be any more!

Sara Lamont (12:26)
Yeah, which is.

Yeah, I mean, that's phenomenal because

many people, know, French Bulldogs get a bad rap as do the Bulldogs that, they're brachycephalic and they can't do this and they can't do that. Yet both of your females have self-whelped two above average size litters. And when I saw the puppies from microchipping, I saw both the girls as well. They're in great condition, like not out of condition or anything.

Shainy (12:44)
Yeah. Yeah.

I know the vet when I took the puppies there, she just kept saying to me, I just I just love these puppies. So they're so healthy. And she said, I can't believe what good condition their Mum's in. did, I did keep feeding Ria kept fattening her up when she'd actually eat but

Yeah, it's just they're really they've done so well, really well.

Sara Lamont (13:15)
Yeah, yeah, the only one that's lost weight is you. For all the stress, the anxiety and the sleepless nights.

Shainy (13:18)
No.

Honestly, there was a period where I don't think

I actually slept for about two weeks. It was insane. But the other thing that I did use once they were whelping was the calcium. So that played an absolutely huge part as well to try and regulate both the girls because of their kind of like breathing, the restlessness, like it really, really helped.

finding the right calcium to give them as a supplement was really, hard. So having Isobel and being able to order stuff off her this time was absolutely amazing and it worked brilliantly as well.

Sara Lamont (14:00)
No, it's brilliant. gave Isobel the biggest glowing ever compliment. I used to give certain supplements, but I never thought too much about it until Isobel drilledhome the importance of quality supplements and when to give them and the correct dosage. And it is a game changer. Sue literally, she said,

Shainy (14:11)
Yes.

Yep.

It is, it?

Sara Lamont (14:22)
Yeah, like Sue, she reeled off load. She reckons she's losing less puppies because of it, that the bitches are in better condition, that her boy that she's got a stud, he's semen quality's gone through the roof. Like she named so much stuff that she just, and she's, you know, she's bred for decades. And she said, like, I wouldn't change that now. That's my new protocol. So it is the more that we share this information, because I deal with some breeders. my God, are these dogs? Honestly.

Shainy (14:37)
Yeah.

Sara Lamont (14:50)
King. Puppies screaming in

Shainy (14:53)
hahahahah

Sara Lamont (14:53)
the background trying to survive for his life. I think I deal with a lot of breeders where they just go, well, it's all in the food. It's a complete meal that should do enough. But they don't realise when, when I then see the pups for microchipping, the pups might be a little bit scrawny or the bitches are totally out of condition. And they think that that's normal.

Shainy (15:20)
It's not though, it's not. They don't have to be like that, do they? Like, I mean, I do think that I probably, you know, I do make a lot of work for myself, but then I do feel really proud that my dogs look like and the puppies look in such good condition. yeah, I'd rather it be like that.

Sara Lamont (15:21)
No, but because they've never

No.

Well, yeah,

I always think when I sell a puppy, if I was that person taking that puppy, I want to be as pleased as punch that I've got that puppy. So if I wouldn't sell it to myself, I'm not selling it to anybody else. So I just think you've just set your own high internal benchmarks that, yeah, it can as a breeder make your life more complex, more difficult.

Shainy (15:50)
Yeah.

Yeah.

You

Sara Lamont (16:02)
but you've combated a lot of problems, no doubt, by having that proactive nature and at the same time you've produced quality puppy and you've also kept your bitches in A1 condition, which just isn't a given where people just think, it's easy, just chucking them some food and they're happy.

Shainy (16:10)
Yeah. I mean,

they wouldn't eat mine wouldn't eat. So I had to, they just totally went off their feet. I had to get like the what's the not the stuff that the raw food, the cold press.

had to get the cold press, liquidise that with an egg and some goat's milk and syringe it in their mouths. Like there I was at like four in the morning, blending, flipping the cold press food.

Sara Lamont (16:36)
Yeah.

Yeah. And that's what people don't see the behind the scenes stuff. People think dog breeding is all said it before you. I actually saw a quote online only yesterday and I thought it was brilliant. And someone said, people like to think breeding dogs is all unicorn and rainbows and that the fairy dust is what lines your pockets. And I thought that's touch a brilliant. I've got to get that written up.

Shainy (16:46)
right.

It's like when

somebody says, I just wanted my dog to experience it. No, you don't. It's bloody horrible. Like, isn't it? Like, there's nothing like nice or glamorous for the poor bloody dogs that are like having puppies.

Sara Lamont (17:17)
No,

no female ever wants to have puppies. We've made the conscious decision that we want to breed from her. And in doing that, we should ensure that her safety is of the utmost importance. Because, okay, yeah, she's in season and she's flirting, but that's just hormones. That's not, she's not thinking, I can't wait to have a load of pups in nine weeks time and I can't wait to see whether they grow up to be.

Shainy (17:29)
Thanks.

I don't think

Stella would have been so pleased with herself if she knew what was to come in the next few weeks.

Sara Lamont (17:46)
So hormones are hormones.

Right, what do you do in regards to worming and vaccinations for your bitches if you're planning to breed them, but also your puppies?

Shainy (18:00)
So I haven't chemically wormed my dogs in about three years. I'd use pumpkin seeds and raw rabbit's feet or rabbit ears. And that's all I use. And I worm count test them about every three to six months. because I knew that I was going to breed them, I worm count tested them before pregnancy to make sure that they weren't pregnant.

Sara Lamont (18:20)
Yep.

Shainy (18:20)
pregnant, didn't have worms. You're going, yep.

Sara Lamont (18:23)
Worms, yeah, sorry. As we go, yep, yep. No,

we want the pregnancy bit. We don't want the worms. We don't want the parasites.

Shainy (18:30)
And then I didn't chemically worm them all the way through pregnancy. I bought the worm count pregnancy bundle and then they were clear during pregnancy. And then I done a pool sample from the puppies at day 23, I think it is, and done the mum again and they were all clear. So Ria's left last week and I chemically wormed them.

Sara Lamont (18:38)
Yep.

Shainy (18:56)
before they left their new homes because I thought I want you know, everyone's peace of mind. And I felt like eight weeks, coming up to eight weeks, they can take it a bit more. They still really hated it, but yeah, it didn't, it wasn't horrific giving it to them.

Sara Lamont (19:12)
I followed the exact same protocol that you've just said. I like to do one chemical wormer before they go to their new homes. But apart from that, I'm happy with a Worm count. Have you ever had a positive Worm count come back? Out of interest? No. I think I did.

Shainy (19:21)
Yeah.

No, I haven't. No, no. But it just

goes to show, doesn't it? Like all those, like when people do the payment plans with vets and they worm their dogs every month and you're just like giving it to them for no reason whatsoever.

Sara Lamont (19:33)
Yep.

Well, and that's why it's such a problem now that we've got worm resistance, antibiotic resistance. So these treatments that don't need to happen, that's why the vets have all cracked down saying that you can't just pop in and ask for wormer. If you're not in one of these health care plans, you have to then take the dog down for a consultation because they haven't been ill and they haven't seen it in the last year. Yeah, exactly. Just to look at your dog and go, yeah, it's fine. It just seems ridiculous to me.

Shainy (19:45)
Mm.

I'm a positive lucky fortune!

Sara Lamont (20:07)
But yeah, but it is because of that, because people start dishing out wormers willy nilly, and they're not needed. So the dogs are becoming resistant to them. So they're trying to crack down a bit on that. I, like you, I'm all for worm count. Let's not give stuff, especially when people, when my puppies are two weeks old, and they've not even had real food in their bellies, they've just done milk. It just sounds a crazy thing to do. I mean, at one point,

Shainy (20:14)
Yeah. That's horrible, it?

Sara Lamont (20:34)
At point I was leaving it till three weeks and then I was giving them slippery elm to counteract what the wormer might do. And then I'm thinking, no, this is crazy. Why am I giving my puppies poison, that I know are now going to be ill when I don't even know if they've got worms? It's just a bit crazy. So I think the methodologies around that are definitely improving and people are taking them up on that.

Shainy (20:48)
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Sara Lamont (21:01)
What about vaccinations? What do you do with your pregnant girls and your puppies

Shainy (21:06)
I've been led by you this time really, because I was really interested in the way that you do it and that you don't vaccinate before they go to their new homes. So just read the stuff that you sent me, kind of like looked a bit online about it. So.

I don't vaccinate my dogs. If I felt like I was going to have to do anything, then I would titre test them to see what immunities they did have and whether they needed vaccinations or not before I did do anything. But with the puppies this time, I have said to all the new owners that I'm not going to and actually got a really, really good response from it.

Sara Lamont (21:49)
Mm-hmm.

Shainy (21:49)
So people

are just kind of, because also as well, like lots of breeders have been talking about the Lepto-2 being discontinued and the Lepto-4 coming out and wanting to kind of wait until their puppies were a bit older because quite a few people have had fading puppy syndrome. Because the vet said that to me when I went, when I took them, she said, oh, you're not vaccinating them today then. I said, no, I'm going to wait. And she said, oh, you're the second breeder that's come in here and said that.

So it must be, know, people are starting to kind of like think about it a bit more.

Sara Lamont (22:21)
I think because of the pandemic and the COVID jab, I think that's just heightened people's own opinions on vaccinations and how many should be done. And now that's been reflected onto the dogs. And as you say, interestingly enough, I took a King for his puppy jab, which I've left him to his 10 weeks, took him for his puppy jab. And she said, I think it was a new vet in there. And I sort of go in there nonchalant because they're going to

Shainy (22:32)
Mm.

Yeah.

Sara Lamont (22:51)
talk rubbish at me and I've accepted that. So I just take it and go. And anyway, she said, oh, we might only have Lepto 4. And I said, well, I prefer Lepto 2, but if it's Lepto 4, it's Lepto 4. That's why I've left him till he's 10 weeks old. Okay, that's fine. He's had some multi vaccination. So I was like, all right, okay. So I said,

what is it, Lepto 2 or Lepto 4? She said, is Lepto 3? So I'm like, exactly. So I'm like, oh, is this a thing I don't know about? Anyway, I literally come home, Googled it, it does not exist, spoke to Isobel, she said, that sounds like rubbish. And I'm like, I've literally been told rubbish by a vet, that Lepto 3 exists, which I was impressed at one point, because I was like, oh, well, that would make sense. It's not as strong as four, if two's going.

Shainy (23:15)
What?

You

You

Sara Lamont (23:38)
So I

don't, but she literally said Lepto 3 and it doesn't exist and that's from a qualified vet. So what more, what more can I say? But yeah, I'm all for titre testing. As you say, with you bitches and I've never needed booster jabs after puppy vaccs. I've never needed it and I monitor it. And yeah, again, I think it's overkill and.

Shainy (23:45)
Crazy.

Sara Lamont (24:05)
pointless expense that is of no advantage to the dog. yeah.

Shainy (24:09)
Because if you

think like mum's natural immunity and then you're giving them an injection at eight weeks, it's not really going to do what it's supposed to, is it?

Sara Lamont (24:18)
No,

it doesn't work. That's why you have to do two. Unless it was literally some rescue puppy that you had no history about its parents, then you would play it safe. But when you know they're well bred puppies and you've got the parents, you know what the deal is, it is a little bit ridiculous. So yeah, as you say, I think there's a

Shainy (24:20)
Hmm.

Sara Lamont (24:40)
definitely a change of expectations there. I think puppy owners like it when a breeder will go against the status quo, but can articulate why, because you're showing that you have knowledge about what you're doing. You're not just doing it because that's what you're meant to do.

Shainy (24:51)
Why?

Yeah, I think and they said as well, lot of the... So one of my puppies has gone to Liverpool, one's gone to the Isle of Man and both of them said, well, actually it makes more sense for us because the pets probably wouldn't have the same injections as what you would use down here. So we'd probably have to start again anyway. And then that means that the puppy's getting like double, doesn't it, of everything.

Sara Lamont (25:21)
Yeah, yeah, so just totally unnecessary, totally unnecessary. Okay, so let me ask you a question. What do you feel your long term plans are and goals are for your breeding program? Because I know that you've kept two puppies.

Shainy (25:24)
Yeah.

Yes, so

well I've kept a female out of Ria's and then I've kept a male out of Stella's and the reason I chose the male out of Stella's is because he's standard brindle and I want to get him up to gold standard health testing with the French Bulldog Club of England.

Mac, my other stud dog, he is that level but because of what's written on his Kennel Club he's more like a Fawn Pied now but on his Kennel Club it says Blue Fawn Pied so he wasn't standard colour so they wouldn't accept him for the programme.

Sara Lamont (26:16)
Has he been,

sorry, has he been, have you like DNA tested him for coat colour?

Shainy (26:21)
and absolutely everything with Mac yeah.

Sara Lamont (26:24)
And so,

but is he a blue pied or is he? Because all I'm saying is some people were adding the fancy colors on because they were thinking that the puppies were sell for more money. Is his DNA the blue?

Shainy (26:33)
Yeah, well,

Max Breeder, Jess, she's up in Chester and just quickly going back, I know we've already talked about this, but because I couldn't find a stud dog for Stella, I brought my own and I'd followed Jess for many years and then saw that Mac was still available. So went and got him off her because she does every single test that you can possibly imagine as well. So I knew that I was getting a really good dog off her.

And I can't remember, Sara what it says on his DNA test at all.

Sara Lamont (27:05)
Oh, okay. All was

No, all I was thinking was if his DNA test isn't actually what's on his paperwork, then you would have an argument to say that he should be accepted for the highest level. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, well, it'd just be worth checking because if it's not true and they're literally just going because of what's written on his

Shainy (27:19)
But I can have another look.

Sara Lamont (27:28)
certificate, but that isn't actually true. So that was all but yeah, sorry, I've digressed. I've taken on the tangent. So you keep in your  Brindle boy.

Shainy (27:36)
Yeah. And we'll use him

as a stud dog because there's quite a few healthy, health tested French Bulldogs in the North area. So we done a nine hour round trip for Ria to go up to Stoke-on-Trent for her dog because he was health tested and you know, really good standard of health testing as well. So he'd had like the BVA eye test, BOAS testing, DNA testing, everything.

Yeah, so I thought that it'd be good to go and get Mac and bring some of that quality to himself so that anyone that wants a really good health tested sound dog, that's what I want to kind of have for the French Bulldogs down here really.

Sara Lamont (28:03)
Yeah.

Yeah, and he's really flashy marked as well, isn't he? So he's going to look nice once he's finished growing and maturing. And then you kept a girl. Yeah, OK, so.

Shainy (28:22)
Yeah. Yeah.

From Ria's, yeah, this little madam.

She's like, just beautiful looking. She's lovely and just a real sweetheart dog as well. She's got loads of confidence, but then she's, then sometimes I'll catch her like sitting back watching everything. And I thought, yeah, that's fine to come into my pack that I've got already because I don't want anything too crazy with having five dogs.

Sara Lamont (28:38)
Yeah.

Yeah, you need quiet ones. It's nice having some with some character, but you need quiet ones. King, my new one. Yeah, thankfully, I said when I went to pick up King, said, would never have, obviously, he was mine from being born because he's the color of his dad and I bred his dad. But he done absolutely zero to sell himself to me. He just used to.

Shainy (29:00)
Really, it's got a nice character for all of them.

Sara Lamont (29:20)
hide away at the back, try and not make eye contact. So I did think, do you know what? A quiet one wouldn't be a bad thing. Well, anyone that's heard this recording will hear him screaming in the background, getting chewed up, throwing themselves through the dog flap. maybe that I'm the pro, yeah, maybe I'm the problem, not the dogs. So that's not state the case.

Shainy (29:33)
What's the point of all this?

Yeah, no, it's funny

how they turn out, isn't it? Like Stella was the loudest out of all of her siblings and she was like terrorising all of them when she was a young puppy. And she's grown into the most chilled, laid back dog that just couldn't, she won't even like listen to her name most of the time. She's asleep. It's just, yeah, she just don't care about anything. Yeah.

Sara Lamont (30:01)
Do you know what,

I think it's sometimes it also depends on food and like you said, you're a raw feeder. I know a very popular brand when it was first introduced to people that's breed specific, that people started seeing behavioral differences in their dog. And what it was is they were becoming hyperactive because of the food.

Shainy (30:22)
Yeah.

Sara Lamont (30:23)
And I think with puppies, a lot of it can be hyperactivity because they're feeding a kibble that's just not right for them. I mean, I can't imagine it happening on raw food, it might do, who knows. But I just imagine some of these puppy kibbles and the protein levels are just sending some of the dogs scatty and the owners haven't realised it's the food. It's not actually the dog.

Shainy (30:40)
Yeah.

For me, just couldn't... How boring would that be to eat the same brown biscuits every single day? It's one of the reasons why I love raw, because they've just got a nice kind of variety.

Sara Lamont (30:58)
Yeah, it almost looks like just cardboard in a bowl. And as you say, depending on what raw you feed, I've settled with Paleoridge and I'm really happy with it. But sometimes I look at it I'm like, you can literally put that into a little patty and you could fry that. Like, I don't know if I want to munch on the bits of bone that's in there, but it looks to me, it looks appealing. And it's not just done from a, you know, like

Shainy (31:11)
Laughter

Yeah.

Sara Lamont (31:21)
Bakers shove some orange bits and some green bits in their kibble to make it look appealing. To me, this is real food and I can see all the elements of what this food is. So it shows to me it's not processed.

Shainy (31:27)
Yeah. Do you know,

I've never cleaned my dog's teeth either. Their teeth are whiter than mine. Like it's just, you know, you can just tell the difference in the, like where they have like their chicken wings, stuff like that. It's just, yeah, just completely different health from feeding raw.

Sara Lamont (31:48)
I saw your Instagram video of the chicken feet that you were given. So I knew that you go those extra levels of enrichment as well as dietary. yeah, and it...

Shainy (31:59)
Yeah, it absolutely terrifies me

and I'm like trying to watch like 15 puppies all with a chicken feet in their mouth and I'm just like and then you can hear one go like that and you're like my god why are you trying to swallow it whole? It's terrifying but they absolutely love them.

Sara Lamont (32:14)
Yeah.

But I think it's good to, if you teach them while they're young, not to be greedy, because I think that's a really big problem with the Bulldogs. If they eat anything whole, they don't even sniff it. They just see the hand coming towards them and it's gone. They've eaten whatever you've got. Where my Labrador will actually observe what it is, work out what it is and decide if it needs chewing, chomping, dropping and then looking at. But some breeds, it literally just, they go food, eat it, gone.

Shainy (32:42)
Well, it's like so Ria's food drive is through the roof and she would demolish anything and just swallow it whole and kill herself but Stella

is completely different. We'd like just sniff it, think, do I want this? And then like just have a nice little chew on it. So yeah, both Frenchies, both totally different drive.

Sara Lamont (33:01)
But you know that, so that's the important thing. Right, we are coming to the end of this amazing podcast. So I'm going to move on to the quick fire round, my first question to you is, and I already know the answer to this, but health testing, yay or nay? Two litters at the same time, crazy or chill?

Shainy (33:02)
Yes.

Yes, yay.

Crazy.

Sara Lamont (33:21)
In one word, describe your breeding philosophy.

Shainy (33:28)
Thething that came to my head then was like quality, but I don't know whether that's the right... I don't know. I'm terrible at being put on the spot with things.

Sara Lamont (33:36)
That's

fine. No, but if that's what you're aiming for and the...

Shainy (33:41)
I suppose

overall quality in everything. So from like the food, the enrichment, know, just like the temperament, everything really. It's just a really...

Sara Lamont (33:52)
Yeah, all builds on itself. Keeps on building and building, doesn't it? Yeah, no, I totally

agree with it. I totally agree with it. Because anyone can feed a 15 pound bag of dog food or a 55 pound bag of dog food. The dog gets fed either way, doesn't it? But the quality of what's, and I'm not saying I'm not being like dog food, but just an example. The dogs are eating, but what repercussions that has on the quality of life, even, Isobel she went on to really...

Shainy (34:07)
Yeah.

Nope.

Yeah.

Sara Lamont (34:19)
she started harping about lifespan to me the other day, I've got it on a podcast somewhere, the difference between lifespan and

a lifetime basically. And like you can live a long time, but if your quality of that lifetime is in a good lifespan, then like all these little differences make the difference. So no, I'm totally, I'm all for quality. Right. And the last one is what's one must have tool for breeding success?

Shainy (34:36)
Yeah.

Must have tool, I would say your supplements, definitely. Yeah. Yeah.

Sara Lamont (34:50)
supplements. There you go, there you

go. Another point to Isobel.

Shainy (34:56)
Yeah, definitely, definitely this time and you know, like some raw goat's milk, that is key too.

Sara Lamont (35:02)
Yeah, you like some goats.

How did you use that? Is that for mums or pups or

Shainy (35:07)
gave it to mums before and after whelping

I didn't give it to the puppies to supplement anything like that. gave it to them once they were gone onto the six week old puppy milk and I gave it to them probably about nine o'clock at night just so that it would give them a little bit through the night and then gradually reduced it before they were going to their new homes, but they absolutely love it.

Sara Lamont (35:31)
yeah.

Yeah, that's like a baby. That's like a human idea, I suppose, isn't it? a heavier meal before bed to keep them going through the night. Yeah, that's a good idea.

Shainy (35:40)
Yep.

Yeah, and it's the routines

worked really well because most of the feedback that I've had from the new owners is that they've done really well with going through the night.

Sara Lamont (35:53)
Yeah, I tell

everyone just to ignore the pups anyway. I'm just like, I'm not getting out of bed for anybody. I'll go a bit late and I'll get up early, but I'm not having interrupted sleep, less about me anyway. Okay, well, thank you for your time. You've given some awesome insight into finding studs, what makes a good stud.

Shainy (35:56)
Yeah.

Thank

no, thank you for having me.

Sara Lamont (36:19)
sourcing studs and the preparation that should go in before you start breeding. So yeah, an amazing insight from anybody that's yet to do it or on that journey. thank you for officially accepting your Breeder Vision Award, which will be in the post to you. So you've got a nice little gift coming into the post with your certificate. So I hope you enjoy it, place it somewhere nice and

Shainy (36:37)
Thank you.

Like you say, from being in this crazy world that I've been in with 15 puppies, was just amazing to win this. I was really, really happy.

Sara Lamont (36:55)
It was the cherry on the cake. Good. Well, as you say, it's good for people to be recognised for their hard work because it doesn't always happen. And yeah, you've done an amazing job and you'll continue to do an amazing job. I have no doubt about it. And so yeah, that effort should be recognised. So it has been. So congratulations. Right. Thank you ever so much.

Shainy (36:56)
Yeah, yeah, it worked.

Thanks.