PRESS RELEASES AND MEDIA 2024

 1/29/24 - Training and showing dogs is all fun and games until the girl dog goes into season.   As a preservation breeder, I typically have a mix of 3 or 4 intact male and female dogs in training at any given time.   It is peace and tranquility, until one of my girls goes into season.  

Girl Dog's Heat Cycle:  Just like a human estrus cycle, the dog heat cycle is a reproductive cycle.  The human ovulation is preceded by a menstrual cycle, and so is the female dog heat cycle.  But unlike a human, a female dog generally only goes into heat twice a year.  The dog heat cycle lasts about 18 days, the first 6 days are bloody and the final 12 days require quarantine, lots of of supervised potty breaks and safe kenneled spaces so the pack can coexist safely.  Living with intact boys and girls under one roof increase the risks of inner pack aggression and of an oopsy litter.  When the girl is in heat, the boys will scale heaven and earth to find her.  And if you have multiple boys, they will fight like hell for her.

The Boys  during the Heat Cycle:  The intact male dog will quit eating, spar, run the yard, jump fences, destroy doors, destroy fences,  leap through windows, his brain will glaze over and he will mark everything inside and out.  As her hormones signal her body to change, the boys body will also secrete hormones for change.  The hormones come out via the glands and even the hair folicles.  Hormones are dog perfume, and they help him get aggressive and focused on breeding.  Dihydrotestosterone is the male hormone that comes from the hair folicles and causes the most change in behavior for the boys and the girls.  It has a very strong odor and works to attract and warn other dogs of his presence. Smelling his own smell will literally drive him crazy.  Thank God it only lasts 18 days.  

Hacks for Successful Abstinence:  Since the hormones are causing the behavior change in the pack, it makes sense to try to wash off the hormones.  Clean cloths, clean dogs, clean house, clean yard and clean kennel.  It may sound like a lot of extra work, but if you plan for it, you won't be spending endless nights with crooning  love birds or an oopsy litter.  Here is my list of hacks that help me survive this season:  

1. Pants for the boys and girls
2. Daily laundry
3. Separate bedrooms for sleeping
4. Afternoon- Dog Baths
5. Evening- Special Feeding
6. Before bed- Vicks Vapor
7. Outdoor Fenced Turnout area
8. Indoor panel Kennel
9. Crate Trained

Dog Pants:  Boys wear belly bands and the girls have a diaper that allows access for her tail.  I have a bunch of each, and I prefer the cloth ones as they stay on better.  I have a bucket of commercial grade vinegar mix hanging outside to soak the boys pants.  The girls pants I soak in hydrogen peroxide.   And I wash on a heavy and hot cycle in the washing machine.

Daily Laundry:  The obvious messes need to be cleaned up, but what can't be seen is causing problems too.  The hormones get on cloths, furniture and bedding as well as the dogs.  Daily washing will help!

Separate Bedrooms:  These love crazy kids will not rest until her heat cycle is over.  So I found that sleeping in separate rooms really helps.  If they are in the same room they can smell and see each other and it goes from bad to worse fast.  The separate rooms give them sound barriers, separate air space and I can use Vicks to throw him off the scent for a peaceful night's sleep.  This is a life saver  for those who like to sleep at night.  

Daily Dog Baths:  In the afternoon I wash the boys and use the Eric Salas coat wash and conditioner recipe of citric acid and apple cider vinegar.  This washes off the hormones from the hair follicles and the coat conditioner helps mask the hormone smell. 

Special Feeding:  My boys always loose their appetite when a girl is in season. I noticed that washing the boy dog also helps with his appetite.  After baths, I feed the boys.  If my boy isn't eating, I will hand feed him.  A full tummy will help the savage beast sleep all night!

Vicks Vapor Rub:  Before bed, I dab a small amount of Vicks Vapor Rub under his jaw so he can't lick it off.   It calms his brain and masks his olfactory receptors for a good night's sleep.

Outdoor Turnout:  I rotate the boys and girls through outdoor turnout about every 2 hours.   I start my turnouts with the girls first.  She will have to go frequently to keep her happy and comfortable.  The boys are easy,  they run around looking for girls that aren't there.  During this crazy season it is best to be out there with them to make sure they don't get hurt or mixed up.    

Indoor Kennel Area:  When a girl is in season, it is not safe to leave her unattended outside.  The neighborhood furbabies will come find her, and my boys will claw their way to her.  That can be dangerous for the dogs and cause damage to your property.  I have kennels I made out of dog run panels.  A top, bottom and sides all made out of dog run panels.  It is Fort Knox and if I have to leave the house, I have a safe place I can park him. 

Dog Crate:  All my dogs are crate trained, so if I have to leave, I can use crates in separate rooms to safely park my pups away from each other.  That works well for us, but sometimes I end up with a dog that isn't crate trained.  My indoor kennel is like a giant crate, so even if a dog isn't crate trained,  I can use my indoor kennel and make it like home for them with their bed and blanky.  If this sounds like a lot of work, well, it is.  I am raising prissy, snooty, clingy little clean freaks that will one day be someone else's companion dog.  Breeding purebred Italian Greyhound dogs is a huge responsibility.  Knowing what you are getting into is half the battle if you are planning on breeding.  The key word here is "planning".

Please SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel @ItalianGreyhounds
By Dana Taylor, owner, handler and small hobby breeder of Italian Greyhounds at her Dainty Acres Kennel in Spring Branch Texas 

 1/06 /24 -It is always a special day when us Italian Greyhound lovers can sleep in on a show day.  And Italian Greyhounds love to sleep!  Nolan River Kennel Club started us in the afternoon and  did a fantastic job gaining entries for this Glen Rose Texas dog show.  Judge Nena Dee pinned Dainty's Cashmere Stetson as her Winner's Dog!  Bexar was fantastic, all the practice paid off.  Boerne was fantastic too, but didn't get the points.  But TUNCAP'S LIFO THE PARTY was stunning and got the win from the girls.  And the Breed win went to GCH INTEGRA SUN OF A BEACH.

Now it is time for my favorite Italian Greyhounds to take an afternoon nap and sleep off all the great success and the show ring treats.

#NolandRiverKennelClub

#DaintysCashmereStetson

#RVLife2024

Please SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel @ItalianGreyhounds

Ad by Dana Taylor, owner, handler and small hobby breeder of Italian Greyhounds at her Dainty Acres Kennel in Spring Branch Texas, photos by Malinda Julien Photography

  10/29/23 Great day in the ring with a very experienced judge judging the Italian Greyhounds at the Belton Expo Center in Belton Texas October 29, 2023. Judge Raymond Filburn liked what he saw in both Dainty's Cashmere Stetson and Dainty's Cashmere Beret. He gave us the reserve wins and some nice complements. That means a lot to me, especially from someone who knows the Breed so well. We had some great dogs in the ring but not enough to add up to a major. We had fun and have some things to work on when we get back to the Dainty Acres Training Studio!

Please hit the SUBSCRIBE button @ItalianGreyhounds

Written by Dana Taylor, owner, handler and small hobby breeder of Italian Greyhounds at her Dainty Acres Kennel in Spring Branch Texas, photo by Malinda Julien Photography

 7/20/23 Press Release Spring Branch Texas -

Thank you Judge Elizabeth Muthard for an amazing win today!  Dainty's Cashmere Beret won Winner's Girl in a ring of 18 wonderful girls and their handlers.  Thank you Houston Kennel Club, Judges, Stewards and the Onofrio folks for running a smooth show.  Thank you dog show peeps for showing up and thank you Malinda and Jon for the great photos that I get to share!

Written by Dana Taylor, owner, handler and small hobby breeder of Italian Greyhounds at her Dainty Acres Kennel in Spring Branch Texas, photo by Melinda Julien photography

 7/15/23 Press Release Spring Branch Texas -

 Great last day for our pack here at the dog show in San Antonio.  Bexar caught the favor of the Judge, and nailed Best of Winners!  Thank you Judge Nikki Riggsbee for seeing us and the great placings!  Boerne won Winners, and both of our pups get to add up points toward their championship.  Great show!  Thank you dog show peeps for your kind words and devotion to this breed.  See you in Houston!

#DaintysCashmereStetson

#DaintysCashmereBeret

#DaintyAcresItalianGreyhounds

#DaintysCashmereBeret

#PracticeHeadStraight.

Written by Dana Taylor, owner, handler and small hobby breeder of Italian Greyhounds at her Dainty Acres Kennel in Spring Branch Texas, photo by Melinda Julien photography