0243: Gator Mouth Kennels with Xavier Gulley

Xavier Gulley, trainer, breeder, and operator of Gator Mouth Kennels discusses the sturdy but gentle Rottweiler. He also owns two of Peaches’ favorite dogs, Bishop and Ava.

Follow Gator Mouth Kennels on Facebook.

From the Dog Words archives:
0123: Checking the Weather with Gary Lezak
0239: Gary Lezak Returns
0147: Dog Behaviorist Dr. Ellen Furlong
0210: The Self-awareness of Dogs with Dr. Ellen Furlong
0236: The Seeing Eye with Peggy Gibbon

Celebrate 5 years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

Music for this episode is provided by alternative string duo, The Wires. Visit them at TheWires.info. Learn fiddle and cello-fiddle online — even if you've never played before — from Laurel Morgan Parks and Sascha Groshang at FiddleLife.com. Join The Wires as they explore new music on their show Sound Currents.

The transcript for this episode is available on the Dog Words Buzzsprout page: Buzzsprout.com/840565.

Make a donation at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

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Transcript

XAVIER  0:00 
The priority for Gator Mouth Kennels is to make sure the puppy goes to a good home and you have a clear understanding what you are owning. You're owning a strong loving smart dog.

PHIL   0:15 
I'm Phil Hatterman and this is Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Today the operator of Gator Mouth Kennels, Xavier Gulley discusses breeding and training the sturdy but gentle Rottweiler. He also happens to own two of Peaches' favorite dogs, Bishop and Ava.

If you're new to Dog Words, in each episode, we explore the world of dog care and companionship. "We save each other," is the motto of Rosie Fund, which simply means the more we do for dogs, the more they do for us. And they already do a lot.

If you love dogs, you'll love Dog Words. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Go to the podcast page at RosieFund.org to share your thoughts. Please download, follow, rate ,and most importantly, share Dog Words.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website, buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com, or buying our notecards and shirts on BarkYours.com. Links are in the description. Your donations and purchases help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure these senior and harder-to-adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home.

Please follow Rosie Fund on social media. Subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel that offers great videos of Rosie, Peaches, and shelter dogs, including some exclusive content like the wonderful KC Pet Project dog featured in our latest post.

Next time on Dog Words Heather McClain-Howell helps us with holiday shopping at Fit 4 a Pit.

The mission of Rosie Fund is to provide humans with the resources and education they need to give senior and harder-to-adopt dogs a better life. We thank you for joining our mission.

Today's guest on Dog Words is Xavier Gulley of Kansas City's Gator Mouth Kennels. Welcome to Dog Words, Xavier.

Unknown Speaker  2:08 
Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity, Phil, to be a part of your podcast so we can talk about dog breeding and also rescuing animals and give people there tips on what to do when they own a Rottweiler.

PHIL   2:22 
Rottweilers are one of my favorite dogs. And full disclosure, not only is Xavier a guest on the show, he's also my neighbor. I've known one of your dogs much longer than I've known you and I know your other dog just a little bit longer. So you have Bishop and Ava and our dog Peaches is in love with Bishop. Almost every time we take a walk, we have to go by your house which is a half mile from ours, and swing by to see if Bishop is out there. She's very disappointed if he isn't and I'll have to tell her, "He's not out today. You can leave a message." And she'll mark outside your fence a little message for Bishop. And then one day, there was this beautiful puppy that came running over, poking her nose between the boards on your fence. And Bishop seemed so proud. So it wasn't till several months after that, that I finally saw you in the yard with the dogs and got to find out Ava's name. I already knew Bishop from another neighbor who told me, "Oh, yeah, our dog loves Bishop." As I was saying, "Do you know the name of the dog who lives over on the corner? The Rottweilers?" "Oh yes! That's Bishop. Everybody loves Bishop." Bishop and Ava could not be nicer. You're very nice, too,Xavier.

XAVIER  3:44 
Thank you so much. Yeah, I try to instill that in my children. They are my babies, Bishop and Ava, and for the breed itself, Rottweilers, they are such an intimidating dog that I want people to feel comfortable walking up to the fence line, petting them because they want to be loved. All animals want to be loved just like people.

PHIL   4:03 
Yeah, Bishop will hop up—I don't know, has he ever tried to leap over the fence? I'm guessing you've taught him, "This is a good place to be. Why would I wanna leave?" Because I think he could get out if he wanted to.

XAVIER  4:15 
Oh, most definitely. I believe he would...

PHIL   4:16 
Because he will stand up and stick his head over the fence to get some loving. And it's just not intimidating at all. Even though he's, he's a big dog.

XAVIER  4:25 
Yeah, he's a very big dog. He's weighs 100 pounds. And there've been in times where he did knock a board off the fence. And a neighbor actually brought him and Ava back to the house. I was so happy. I was in the house cleaning up. Had my music blasting. Mopping the floor. Having a good time. And then my neighbor, Chris, stopped by and said, "Hey, do these belong to you?" I was like, "Man if you need anything, just give me a call. I'll be there for you, buddy."

PHIL   4:52 
I couldn't picture them running away but I could see them wandering off. Just, "We're happy to be walking," and "Oh, we're not at home now." But not, "We're free!" Running. Because they seem to be living a good life. Bishop is so well-mannered, that he will meet Peters at the fence. And then they walk down the fence line taking turns sniffing and kind of booping when there's a little bit of a gap, or a knothole, where they can get their nose through. Ava, much more enthusiastic as a puppy. But as she's matured, she's settled down a little bit. Bishop would kind of hover over her. And so they would both be at the fence. Now she's almost as big as he is. And they're both there. But because she was always able to be kind of in front of him, he defers to her. He still lets her kind of get in front of him. Because he's a gentleman. But she also will kind of give the excited, "Let's play!" bark once in a while. And then Peaches will respond with that. And I noticed this on this morning's walk. They were out. She did that. Peaches barked back. And Bishop had kind of wandered off from the fence. He came running back and got in front of Ava and just kind of looked at her like she was misbehaving. Like, "We don't do that."

XAVIER  6:07 
Yes.

PHIL   6:07 
"we have manners." And she stopped. And then Bishop went back to sniffing around the yard. So how much of their good manners is just inherent in the breed, as opposed to, or combined with, how much work you have done to sort of coach them up and socialize them?

XAVIER  6:28 
To be honest with you, I think it's a little bit of both. Because honestly, I think it took a lot of training to develop them to be able to have that social ability to know what a threat is. Training did help out with that. And I think Bishop is a very smart dog and Rottweilers are very smart breed. And it's just the fact with Bishop in that leadership role, because he's the older and Ava can get out of line, sometimes, she can bark. I notice when I out there along the behavior that she has, when he's outside is totally different. She's more on guard. She's not being a threat or showing anyone that they're going to bite but she'll bring aware to me that somebody is outside that compared to Bishop is like, "They're not a threat. I'm not going to alert that anyone's out here. I have everything under control." But if anything seems suspicious, or anyone walking suspiciously, they are smart enough to know and catch on to that and, "I will start barking," and letting me know that, "Hey, Dad, I think you need to look out the window or be on the lookout, be aware." So I think the behavior that Ava is experiencing is just growth and time that she invested with Bishop and being out there because Bishop's never been the type of dog that bark a pedestrian or the local resident that goes by. He's just always been easy go lucky. So I realized over time that Ava started to change her demeanor within herself, just being around Bishop, which is her role model and soon to be husband as they reach the age of breeding. So to answer your question, I do think it was 50/50 because we do do training on the weekends where I do have Bishop in obedient classes and also Ava, and we do Schutzhund, as well. So they have to know when to turn it on and turn it off. I don't want my dog as friendly enough that anyone can just come inside my face and take them home. Which they could possibly happen if you come in with a good demeanor.

Yeah. Yeah. Like, "That's a beautiful dog." I don't hesitate, now that I've gotten to know Bishop, to reach over and pet him when he hops up and offers his head. But I think if somebody jumped over that fence, they would instantly regret it.

No, for sure. I think...

PHIL   8:39 
And I think that's what you want from a dog. You want them to be easygoing, polite, well-mannered, but also to recognize what is their territory when there is a threat, and respond appropriately. And then I think another critical point you made is when you said it's 50/50 how much of that is just them being them and the training. Regardless of what dog you have, where you get it, whether it's from a shelter or a breeder, there's going to be characteristics of breeds, but also individual characteristics of a dog. That particular dog might be a little different from others in its breed just because of something in its DNA, but you still have to train it and socialize it and bring out the best of it and not let it fall into bad habits. You can't just rely on you know, "Here's what Border Collies are like. They're gonna herd and so I have a herding Border Collie." That's not what sheep farmers do. They don't just, "I have a Border Collie!" and throw it out there. They train it. They also have the old or older border, older. That's hard to say, older Border Collies. The older Border Collies model the right behavior, because if you don't, you get the Border Collie that has all that high energy misdirected. And it's gonna be a nightmare.

XAVIER  9:59 
It will definitely be a nightmare if you have a higher energy dog and you don't have time to exhaust their energy because they pretty much gonna be doing things in the house misbehaving. Not because it's intentional, but it's just because irritation and frustration of things that they want to do instinctively, but they are then domesticated into our lifestyle. And that may not be what they want. And for Rottweilers for centuries, for they're one of the longest bred dogs in this world with the Romans in history. They was used for herding. But always been a determined dog. Always been a guard dog, not only for the herd, but definitely a guard dog for sure. If you look at a Rottweiler...

PHIL   10:43 
Cause, yeah you want 'em to herd but you also don't want anyone to steal something from your herd or a predator to get something from your herd. So a Border Collie is great at herding. They're not great at protection. Because they're just a little...

XAVIER  10:55 
Not a deterrent.

PHIL   10:56 
40, 45 pounds, maybe. A Rottweiler can herd any size animal.

XAVIER  11:01 
And a Rottweiler has a sense of death. A Rottweiler do not want to die for any type of cause. If anything, they will escape and scurry away if they feel like they're about to die, other than the breed of a pitbull or a bulldog. Those breeds were bred to go to war.

PHIL   11:22 
They have a tenacity. Yeah.

XAVIER  11:24 
To hunt bears, hogs. They don't have any fear of death. They will put their life on the line for their owner. And that's why you see so much today in society, if you do not put the proper training in training that particular breed of dog which is a Rottweiler, Pitbull, they can get theirself in situations where they're acting instinctively, in a situation where another dog may come around him, his territory, he's just like a pack of wolves. This loner dog had been cast out of his pack or his pack had died off, he walked past a pack of wolves, they will nine times out of ten attack this wolf just based on territory. They do not smell my markings. Why are you here? And then same thing with a pitbull, they have that instinct if they don't have their training involved. And when they just want to protect the owner or protect themselves, or just create a mental understanding that, "I'm the dominant one. I already warned you. Prior to coming here, I barked once." And in some cases you don't even get a warning. So that's why you always got to have to have control of your animal at all times. And I do strongly recommend that all owners keep that in mind when they own a dog or being around a dog. Make sure that dog is under control. Because if not, that's when mistakes happen.

PHIL   12:42 
So what are some basic skills or commands that you as a trainer would impart to a new dog or a young dog? Because everyone wants to teach their dog sit, stay, maybe lay down. And most dog owners I know, that's it. They don't even get to heel or come. So if we can even get them there, that would be great. But then what are some of the things that help you control your dog to keep your dog safe, you safe, and then neighbors safe?

XAVIER  13:13 
To be honest with do? Sit stay down are critical, though the most used command and dog obedience. Also, you want to have control and that will establish the collar, that's where the collar and the leash come in. So you want to always have your dog under control on the leash, doing the commands at that early age at six weeks. At six weeks your puppy needs to be on a leash with a collar around the neck so they can know that you are in control. You are not moving unless I'm telling you to move other than having it off him until they're about six months. That's bad. The Dog is living freely without any restriction. So now when you try to initiate their training, he's confused. But if you do at a young age when they're receptive to a lot of different things, before you even feed your puppy, I will make sure he sits as he gradually understand that, "I need to sit before I eat." I'll step it up a notch and say, "You need to sit then lay down. I'm gonna go walk upstairs and change your water bowl and I still want you to lay down until I return." Because with time that those concept is going to make him a better dog when he's off the leash. That's when you know you won the game when your dog is laying down off leash when a pedestrian walks by with their dog. You gave the command once of down. That mean the bond that you created when it was a puppy when from that small commands - stay, sit, down - has developed your dog to be a great listener. And I think he's going to better the relationship if you start at that age. With sit, stay, down.

PHIL   14:58 
People sometimes look at that as being cruel, 'cause you're not giving the dog what they want. It's like, "They're just a puppy." It's the ultimate kindness because you're taking stress out of their life. So when a stranger is coming up, a dog who doesn't know what to do is under stress, but a dog, in your example, who trusts its owner, who tells them sit, lay down, stay, the stress is gone, I know what I need to do now. I've been told by this person I trust what to do. And I will do that and I will be perfectly content. And they don't have to figure out the situation because someone they trust has figured it out for them. That's much more kind than having a dog that's out of control, doesn't know what to do in a situation, doesn't have commands that it can respond to, you're not doing your dog any favors by not teaching it, not disciplining it, not teaching it boundaries.

XAVIER  15:53 
Mm hmm. I totally agree. All dogs need to be taught boundaries at a young age because as they get older you're gonna start noticing that personalities. And dogs, to me, have a close nature of how I see within my daughter to do something wrong. They try to be sneaky. They do something good, I reward her. And you just have to keep your eye on them. Because they get rebellious at certain ages. The ones that I notice the most from the range from six months to a year, they become like teenagers. Feel like they know everything. Even though they do know what you're saying. You just have to get back to what I said earlier - control. So if I give a command, give it to 'em once. I don't have to initiate or grab the collar, put them in the down position. I don't believe in physically disciplining your dog because that can cause confusion. So you have to come up with tactics of discipline a dog. It's a lot of different avenues we can do with that. Whereas an owner, I don't want to tell someone, "Hey, this is what you need to do." Because it might not work. You have to find out what works for that dog. You find out what the dogs do not like. Some people use shock collars as a discipline technique. Shock collars can be used. Some people may see that as a tool of abuse. And it can be if you overdo it. But in reality, you just want that dog to understand that, "Hey, I need to do what dad says at all time. Because if not, I'm gonna get punished." And no dog wants to be punished. And neither do humans in our nature, something taken away from us because they're going to make us change our behavior in order for you to get back. And this is what you want to look forward to when owning a dog. You want to build that relationship where that dog wants to be rewarded to make you happy. That's all dogs want in their lives. They want you to be happy. They want to be happy. And they love rewards. And so as human nature, we love to be rewarded for the things we do.

PHIL   18:00 
Yeah.

XAVIER  18:00 
We want people to recognize us. This is what the dogs want.

PHIL   18:03 
Yeah, people work a lot harder for a reward than they will to avoid a punishment. And also—I think this is probably true for dogs, as well, but I think it's definitely true for humans—to avoid punishment, you'll do just enough to avoid the punishment.

XAVIER  18:19 
Agreed.

PHIL   18:20 
For a reward, you will go above and beyond. You don't want to take any chances on not getting that reward.

XAVIER  18:26 
I agree.

PHIL   18:27 
It's a much better incentive. And then talking about your daughter, teaching her that you can't always get what you want, and that she needs to listen to you, is a lot easier to do now than when she's 25.

XAVIER  18:40 
Haha, right. I know, right?

PHIL   18:42 
Have her go out into the world or go to college and find out that, "Oh, when I don't get what I want, nobody seems to care?"

XAVIER  18:52 
I agree. At that age, yeah, I taught you all the values that you need to have when you're going out in life. So I'm gonna let you make your mistakes like I made mine. And hopefully we learn from them. Because if you don't learn from your mistakes, you're gonna find yourself in evolving circle.

PHIL   19:10 
You still let 'em make mistakes so that they learn from them, whether it's a dog or a child, but they also know that you're going to be there for them.

XAVIER  19:20 
Agreed.

PHIL   19:20 
So a mistake's not the end of the world. But you still need to be able to recover from the mistake. Learn from a mistake. A few weeks ago, we had Gary Lezak on who made the point several times that dogs live in the now. That they don't hold on to the past. They're not planning for the future as much as people are. They're just enjoying being in the now. That's part of moving on from a mistake. So when you discipline a dog, if you do it the right way, that you're not beating your dog, it's just a verbal correction or a nonverbal sign that that you've taught them, they will stop the inappropriate behavior. But then they're not going to hold a grudge.

XAVIER  19:24 
Agreed.

PHIL   19:27 
When you see a dog act guilty, and we had dog behaviorist, Dr. Ellen Furlong, on talking about a study that showed dogs that act guilty or look guilty are not feeling guilt for something that they've done wrong. They're responding to their human because they read humans so well, even if you don't think you're giving off any signals. The dog looking guilty is responding to you. So when you feel bad that, "Oh, I punished them. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to tell you no. I still love you." Well, yeah, it's gonna respond to you acting guilty for being a good owner. But if you just discipline them or reward them or correct them, and then move on, they'll move on, too.

XAVIER  20:54 
I agree. I think their - I want to say attention span - but that memory bank of their failures, I think it gets deleted with happiness that you promote in their day to day lives.

PHIL   21:05 
So, yeah, they're a lot better at that than we are.

XAVIER  21:08 
I agree. I know some things that happened in my life, man, I still haven't forgotten.

PHIL   21:13 
Dogs just let it go. So Gator Mouth Kennels, you are breeding and training, Rottweilers. People can follow you on Facebook.

XAVIER  21:22 
Yes, Gator Mouth Kennels on Facebook, please take time out, hit the search tab, type in Gator Mouth Kennels.

PHIL   21:31 
And I'll have a link to it in the description for this episode. So that will also make it easy. What are people gonna find on your Facebook page?

XAVIER  21:37 
On my Facebook page you gonna find my babies, of course, Bishop and Ava being advertised with photos, moments that we share together. And also videos of when we do schutzhund training. I don't really have the obedience training that we do. I don't  really promote that because I'm promoting the protection side of a Rottweiler because they are a guard dog naturally. So you don't have to do anything, they're going to have that natural, determined ability to guard you and protect you at all times. So I'm promoting that and also my upcoming litter that I should have on the ground beginning of next year in February, early March. So you don't want to miss out by word of mouth on the litter is already sold out breeding dogs at the time I was a child with my father. But I just took time out for myself to start off with Rottweilers, starting with breeding, and then we're going to move forward and possibly have other breeds available. But right now, I'm just focused on learning, understanding my breed. And that's the Rottweiler because they are a working breed of dog. This dog loves to be going outside doing some type of training, doing some type of job. And I trained my dogs on search. I trained my dog on protection. I trained them on obedience. I'm learning. They're learning. I even take my dogs do go hunting.

Before we started recording, you were talking about your bow hunting.

Oh, most definitely. He loves go out and sniff the ground and track down the buck that I took down. It is both a beautiful experience for me, build confidence in me to take them out. And if I end up going into another area that I'm not comfortable with, I can trust my dog on leash to lead me on a trail to possibly find my next area to hunt. And that's the beauty of it, because he reminds me of what people did before time was motorized. When we've really had to go out. We've used the dog...

PHIL   23:39 
Yeah, the way we've evolved with dogs, there are breeds like Rottweilers that are still so close to that kind of relationship. Not all dogs can you do that with. Not all breeds.

XAVIER  23:41 
A Rottweiler not even known to go hunting. But they're known for tracking. They have a good nose. They're used for blood tracking, also cadaver dogs. They search for dead bodies, missing children, and they just not like a hound. A hound is primarily used for hunting. It's good to try to change the image of what people think and see when they deal with the Rottweilers because I'm going to give you something out of the normal. When you see a Rottweiler, people already assume that this dog is aggressive. "I want to ban it from the neighborhood."

PHIL   24:24 
Yeah, there's breed specific legislation. That there's some municipalities that don't allow dogs like Rottweilers, pit bulls. I get an apartment complex if the rationale is like the size of the dog. If they just say, "We don't allow dogs over 60 pounds." Okay. But when they say a specific breed of dog or type of dog, then that's getting into a kind of profiling that to me exposes they don't really understand dogs. They don't know dogs. Because having a Rottweiler next door? When you move in, that should be the best day of your life. We got a Rottweiler that we get to love on and watch. And we don't have to feed.

XAVIER  25:03 
To me, instead of discriminate the breed, I think it should be laws put in place where in certain situations, depending where you live, if they have any issue with you owning that dog, to be able to have some type of insurance just to cover anyone that may be damaged or attacked by your dog. And I think there's always should be just make sure you have some type of insurance. You're gonna have to pay these people's medical bills. And let's hope for the best and keep your dog under control, as we talked about in the beginning. Because control is the main thing that you want as an owner, when you own a dog. Because it's an animal. Even though he's domesticated, it's an animal. And you never know how he's going to feel on a bad day.

PHIL   25:48 
And it doesn't matter how great a driver you are or how safe your car is, you have to have liability insurance.

XAVIER  25:55 
Agreed.

PHIL   25:56 
Jimmie Johnson has liability insurance. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has liability insurance, to be able to drive the streets even though they're probably never gonna cause an accident on a public street, because they're a great driver. They have to have liability insurance. That makes sense. I don't know why we don't have that liability insurance for the dog. And you treat it like a human.

XAVIER  26:20 
Agreed.

PHIL   26:21 
Because until I punch you in the face, you should assume I'm not gonna punch you in the face.

XAVIER  26:26 
Agreed! I agree.

PHIL   26:28 
And then if I do, then I deserve whatever I get. Same way with the dog. If the dog doesn't cause any problems, great. But if it does, then that individual dog and their owner are held accountable. Let's not preemptively remove a dog from a municipality or homeowners association. When we bought this house two and a half years ago, there were houses we looked at on Zillow and then when I saw where they are at, that city has a breed ban. They're out of the running. And our realtor, we would see a house that we liked and we would check with her, and because she knew what our requirements were, she would say, "That HOA? No pits." Okay, well, I guess those people don't get to be our neighbors. Too bad for them because they're missing out on Peaches. They would be missing out on Bishop and Ava.

XAVIER  27:22 
Agreed. As you see the dogs is well-mannered. Peaches been quiet napping the whole entire time. She's a great dog.

PHIL   27:30 
Thank you.

XAVIER  27:30 
And she's a rescue. I do strongly recommend people take time out. If you're not gonna buy from a dealer that breeds Rotts, which like to say I am a middleman in the business. Because you have top notch corporation like Petland, Petco which is going to overprice the dog. You're not going to know the health history. Breeders like myself, we go above and beyond to make sure that our dogs are healthy. We go through world class breeders. We spend the extra money to get tests done on an orthopedic level. X rays before we breed these dogs. So when you don't have the time or money to afford a dog from a breeder like myself or a huge corporation, I strongly recommend you go to the rescue. Get you a dog that you can bring home to your family and love. They're good dogs. At the end of the day, they have personality. And they're all alone. And they just want someone to come by and grab their paw and say, "I love you." So not only am I, I'm a dog breeder, I do strongly promote rescue. Just because there are dogs out there that need families.

PHIL   28:42 
Yeah, it comes down to really being honest with yourself about, "Why do I want a dog? What do I want it to be in my life?" And you're talking about dogs with personality and Peaches is trying to jump into the conversation. But it's kind of like deciding, "Do I want to buy a house? Or do I want to rent? Do I want to live in an apartment?" Well, think about, "Long term, what do I want to do in my house? Can I do that if I own or if I rent or can I not afford to buy at this time?" My brother-in-law, you talk about the health of the dog is important to you and the tests that you do before you match up a pair. My brother-in-law is a reputable breeder like yourself. He doesn't want to just crank out as many litters as he can. Because then his reputation as a breeder is, "Yeah, you have these pairs that were not well matched." You have the father who had bad health and now you have puppies that have bad health. That's not good for him as a business person, let alone ethically. It's just not smart. We had The Seeing Eye on a few weeks ago and they are the world's oldest seeing eye dog training school. And they have their own breeding populations. There are breeders that they work with.

XAVIER  29:59 
So they get all their dogs from a specific breeder that they trust.

PHIL   30:03 
Yeah, they have certain breeders for, they have German Shepherds and then they have some Labrador retriever, some Golden's because they want a dog that's gonna be healthy to give to this blind person. You don't want to give a dog to a blind person that, "Yeah, this they have a history of hip dysplasia, and they only live six or seven years." No. They want to have healthy dogs that are gonna have a long life that are gonna fit the needs of their population that they serve. Just as you in, the short term, you can make a lot of money just by, "How many litters can we get out of Ava?" But that would be a really bad business model.

XAVIER  30:39 
I agree.

PHIL   30:40 
Or you could trust that someone like Xavier is smart, good business person, ethical, and wants what's best for their dogs. Because it's obvious when someone sees you with Bishop and Ava, you love them.

XAVIER  30:55 
I do. I love them so much. I invest a lot of time in them. Invest a lot of money, just like what I do for my daughter. And I want people to understand that at Gator Mouth Kennels we are here to promote a good litter of pups, well behaved, good temperament for your family. It's gonna provide you the love that you are desiring. And I want people to understand that I am starting this business. This year I had all my pups almost for three years now. And I just can't wait to start putting a smile on customer faces when they decide to come by the house and check all my dogs And I can't wait till I get myself to the point where I have maybe 10 dogs at a time. So please take time out on Facebook. Hit the like button at Gator Mouth Kennels. I'm available 24 hours. If you send a message, if I'm up, I will respond at 2:45 AM. So don't be hesitant. If you have any questions or concern, please contact me and I will reply.

PHIL   31:59 
Oh, and certainly if you're in the Kansas City area or willing to make the drive to Kansas City area and you're thinking about a Rottweiler. Great place to start your search is Gator Mouth Kennels with Xavier Gulley. And if you're not sure if a Rottweiler is the right dog for your family, your lifestyle, ask Xavier.

XAVIER  32:19 
Yes.

PHIL   32:20 
That's one of the great things about Facebook is it's interactive. And so you can tell him, "Here's what we're looking for. Here's what our lifestyle's like. Will a Rottweiler be a fit." And if it's not?

XAVIER  32:29 
I will definitely tell you. I'm not here to pressure you to buy a Rottweiler. I'm not here to take your money. Because the most important thing is to make sure my pups are going to a good home. Because I would love to have my puppy back. If you no longer want that puppy, you need to rehome it, just give it back to me. You're not getting your money back, of course, but I get my dog back and we can go on with our lives.

PHIL   32:52 
And that's what's most important, is making sure that dog is in a good home and obviously.

XAVIER  32:58 
Yes.

PHIL   32:58 
Xavier Gulley is a good home for a Rott.

XAVIER  33:01 
Yes, yes. The priority for Gator Mouth Kennels is to make sure the puppy goes to a good home and you have a clear understanding what you are owning. You're owning a strong, loving, smart dog. Rottweilers mature at a slower rate than most dog because they have the Mastiff lineage. And like a big Mastiff, they really don't mature until about three, maybe even five, you have your full size Rottweiler. And we all know that they're known to not live the longest lives. So when you get a Rottweiler, hold 'em, cherish 'em. And make sure they are always loved. Because once they're gone, they're gone. And only thing that you have left are the memories. And the memories of love is what you always want to remember. Don't remember the regrets and just move forward. And if you ever need another dog, I'll be here to provide services for you. And make sure that they are well health tested and good temperament for you and your family.

PHIL   33:58 
Well, what you're saying about loving your Rottweiler now, of course applies to all dogs. But it goes back to what we were saying earlier about dogs live in the now. Live in the now with your dog. Enjoy every moment that you can with your dog, because odds are they're gonna be gone before you are and so don't have any regrets. Make the most of the time you can spend with your dog. And if you want that dog to be a Rottweiler, check with Gator Mouth Kennels. Xavier will make sure that it's a good experience for you. And even if you don't live in the Kansas City area, anywhere around the world if you have questions about Rottweilers, Gator Mouth Kennels is on Facebook. Xavier, thank you again for joining us today and I can't wait to take my next walk with Peaches to see Bishop and Ava again.

XAVIER  34:43 
Thank you, Phil, for the opportunity to be here on your podcast. It's a blessing. God bless everybody and God speed.

PHIL   34:55 
I'm Phil Hatterman and you've been listening to Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Thank you to Xavier Gulley for joining us today. A link to Gator Mouth Kennels' Facebook page is in the description along with links to the Dog Words episodes we mentioned today.

Next time on Dog Words, Heather McClain-Howell helps us with holiday shopping at Fit 4 a Pit.

A big thank you to alternative string duo The Wires featuring cellist Sascha Groshang and violinist Laurel Morgan Parks for playing the wonderful music you've heard on today's and previous episodes of Dog Words. Supporting The Wires supports our mission. Now you can join Laurel and Sascha as they explore new music and delve into the inspiration behind each work as hosts of Sound Currents on 91.9 Classical KC. Click on the Sound Currents link in the description for more information. Learn more about The Wires, including their concert schedule, at TheWires.info and download their music on iTunes. Check out FiddleLife.com and learn to play fiddle and cello-fiddle online from Laurel and Sasha, even if you've never played before.

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DISCLAIMER: This document is a transcription obtained through a third party. There is no claim to accuracy on the content provided in this document and divergence from the audio file is to be expected. Some content may be omitted, particularly when there is crosstalk.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai