but if they came to assess us at this address, I would imagine we would fail.

Well to be honest, I'd hope so. It does not sound like a suitable environment for breeding.

It would make more sense if I could show you a photo but I cannot see a way of adding one onto here. It's less than ideal for a long term place, but as a stop gap between houses it would have to do. It was better than splitting the dogs up to go with family for a year whilst waiting on the sale of another house. Getting a rental with a giant hairy breed is easier said than done and we make it work.

> but ID-ing pups before they leave seems a good idea, nevertheless.

If all pups had to be ID'd to their source (the breeder, then we would truly know where dogs in rescue truly originate.

> but as a stop gap between houses it would have to do

but we are talking about  suitable, safe and Secure place to be breeding. 

The situation you describe would entail you keeping your dogs on lead, in a dog run or tethered to keep them on your own property.  This is often the case in a communal garden if you want to keep the peace then the dog/s must be under close control while using communal facilities, to all intents treated as if using the street. 

As one of your neighbours in this open plan garden I'd not want your dogs encroaching on my patch nor would I inflict my dogs on someone else's property???

It might do for short tem place for you and dogs to stay, but the ABS is not an assured owner scheme.

The only modifications that would be necessary to suit my personal circumstances,  is one that many breeders take anyway,  partitioning off one part of our garden in order to contain puppies. I'm not saying all breeders do it, but by the same token, it's not only irresponsible breeders (that people are trying to insinuate) that temporarily partition part of the garden for puppies to wreck.
There is nothing stopping us erecting a fence but having only 2 adult dogs, that haven't been over other people's gardens, my male perhaps would if someone had an in season bitch out obviously, but they just ignore neighbours dogs, who are kept in a run (and that live at the furthest house away from us... We live on one end, they live on the other). They are quite happy charging up and down our stretch and over to the path that separates me from my left hand neighbours, but never over it. In fact, the only time a dog has left our garden to go on a neighbours was when a friend visited us with his male to let me see him and he let him off. He hasn't been back since and so nobody has been upset.

The only modifications that would be necessary to suit my personal circumstances,  is one that many breeders take anyway,  partitioning off one part of our garden in order to contain puppies.

You'd need double partitions I'd say, because otherwise there would be nothing to stop a dog not belonging to you coming right up to the fence and potentially spread disease. Or indeed people. And what about theft? Puppies where people can walk right up to them would be a magnet for most people -some honest, some not so. You couldn't even be sure that nobody would not walk up to an enclosure and throw poison in. I'd never want to take such risks myself.

Goldmali, the Weim is about 11mnths old now, so perhaps it was before the inspection became mandatory...

> but having only 2 adult dogs, that haven't been over other people's gardens,

I don't understand how this can be achieved, or has happened in your case, how can they know where the boundary is and keep within it with no form of tethering enclosure????

So what if there was a cat, Fox, bird or in season bitch surely they would cross the invisible to them boundary.  I can understand a well trained dog when your supervising closely being called away from the boundary, but if your immediate neighbour disliked dogs?

What's to prevent someone visiting one of them interfering with your dogs when they are out there, or using the Dangerous Dogs Act saying they have apprehension that your dogs might attack?.

I'm not entirely sure how they know as I'm the worse trainer handler etc on the planet... but after the first couple of days of being here and me standing on the boundary between myself and next door and sort of ushering them back onto our strip they haven't offered to leave it, even when the other neighbours are sunbathing on their grass and the usual birds etc. I can't say about an in season bitch as the only other dogs in this set up are males that have a run on their own garden, but yes as my male is entire if one of the neighbours bought a bitch then provisions would have to be made as an invisible boundary wouldn't exist then.
I will say that if the dogs are outside so am I, but that has always been the same even at the old property that had 5 ft fencing around the boundary (as in a typical garden). Unfortunately, too many scary Facebook posts have left me paranoid about having my dogs stolen from the garden. It's handy that our town park is literally 100yd by crow from the rear boundary, as in the houses that back onto the bottom of our gardens are facing the park

I don't think I have explained the layout all too well as I think it has come across as the gardens are available for everyone to get in. The only access to the gardens are through the houses (unless you scale the houses from one side, or 6 foot walls from the right and left side, or outhouses the back onto other people's gardens from the bottom). Imagine like a giant enclosed courtyard where a row of houses makes one wall of the enclosure, then strips that go from the back of each house makes their garden.

If anyone wishes to come and see how it actually looks then you are more than welcome, or if someone sends me an email address I can draw like an aerial view of it and send it via email. Maybe someone else will be able to describe it better than I can as i seem to be making a pigs ear of the way i describe it

So why are the gardens not divided, I'd  be very unhappy at the lack of privacy and security for myself???

I'd feel very vulnerable.

I know that in the USA often gardens are mot fenced, but that is often down to the fact that builders don't have to fence a plot and it can be expensive, so owners often don't except for just a part of rear garden for privacy.

That is why so often rescues and breed4rs will only sell to someone who has a fenced yard, as it isn't' a given as normally here.

The houses are all owned and we're built by 1 man. During the time when they were built each house belonged to a member of the builders family and the set up was because they were a self sustaining. Each family member tending to their own plot but all family members feeding each other. There are pig styes at the bottom. All the properties are now owned by the son of the original builder and rented out. The only lack of security is from the other 4 houses, but everyone is in the same boat so we just muddle along. The lack of privacy bothers me as I don't feel like I could go out and sunbathe, it would feel weird, but as far as security goes , its probably more secure as the gardens are completely exposed to all 5 houses and with no side gate for anyone to sneak down. If someone unknown is in the garden, then the only reason they are there is because they are up to no good.
so lack of privacy,  yes. Vulnerable, quite the opposite

Privacy would really bother me, I grew trees and  have the hazel that screens one side nearest house really well from all the houses up the next street then OH's workshop etc so that in my garden I cannot be easily overlooked.

The problem for me with your set up, is how trustworthy are all those 4 neighbours and their visitors likely to be, so your always going to have to lock doors and supervise the dogs outside access.

I love to slum around in nightwear until I have to leave the house, have back door open in most weathers, unless the dogs are being barky (they soon work out keep quiet and you can have access to outside).

But again maybe having always lived in a City I am more conscious of keeping secure and private as much as is possible.

I know when I was in Finland the road the people were on was only ever used by residents, their house was to the back of the property and house door garage withoffice and Granny/student flat above , and kennels were never locked.

I love to slum around in nightwear until I have to leave the house, have back door open in most weathers, unless the dogs are being barky (they soon work out keep quiet and you can have access to outside).

That sounds just like me! I wear a nightie for way too long in the day as I prefer to get dirty jobs done BEFORE getting dressed. I even go outside to see to the kennelled dogs in just my nightie in ALL weathers, even snow.

> I wear a nightie for way too long in the day as I prefer to get dirty jobs done BEFORE getting dressed. I even go outside to see to the kennelled dogs in just my nightie in ALL weathers, even snow.

You must be my sister then, my husband is the opposite, gets dressed to go downstairs to make a midnight snack.

hi. ive just phoned the vets and asked for an appointment to have my 6 puppies vet checked. (Previous litter was checked at a different vets practice) I was told that they dont usually do this unless there is thought to be a concern! I was also told that she never had her dogs litters vet checked. My gut feeling is to press for the vet checks because I want to know that my puppies are as healthy as can be expected on leaving for their new homes.
opinions please

You are the customer, you are paying, if you want the puppies checked they can't really say no. Maybe they were just trying to save you money?

I had that problem with my vet who I have great faith in have been with for years. I kept reading that people's litters had been vet checked but had never done mine.
When I asked for one litter it was obviously a thing he did not normally get asked to do. Then I had a pup that owners vet had a murmur at 8 weeks ( all clear next check thankfully ).
So for my next litter I really wanted them checked before they went so I asked again. He did it and I did get a bit of paper to say hearts were OK on date of check but that was about it.
You may need to push your vet as I think now it is expected and will reassure you.
I will ask him to do the same again this time but it does not seem to be something all vets are expecting to have to do for some reason. Maybe they are worried you will come back later if the 2nd vet says different.