Just wanted to say that I have, at last, got around to having all three of my dogs tattooed!! I have been meaning to get it done for ages and when I went to Crufts recently I picked up three vouchers giving me £5 off per dog. So it only cost £10 each.
The girls came to the house and were very efficient. My two girls didn't even flinch but my boy did cry a little (typical man).
I can't understand why I didn't get it done before because it wasn't the money - just needed something to make me pick up the phone I suppose.

I'll take the risk of sounding dim but where do they tattoo the dog? I've had 3 myself and each one hurt more than the last, all to do with how much fat there is apparently so I must be getting skinnier! ;) How on earth do you get the dog to sit still long enough?
Have you got them microchipped as well, sorry nosey aren't I!

Hi Julie, or should we call you the tatooed lady:)

Where have you had them done by the way :) :) Only kidding.

Dogs are tattooed in the ear. It is not done like a humna tattoo, it is like a pair of pliers with the numbers inserted in like little pin formations. These little pins pierce the ear and then loads of ink is put on and your dog has a green ear for a few days.

Ian

Looks like I'll have to change my screen name now!
glad that the dog tattoo is nothing like mine, although I think I'll not bother to have my ear done!
Seriously though it sounds like a pretty painless thing, don't fancy trying it on our rotty but I might consider it for the shiba pup, he is chipped but at least with a tattoo it is obvious to any one thinking of nabbing him, thats why we don't need to do the rotty, no one in their right mind would want to steal her! :) Given me something to think about though, do you reckon they could bo a butterfly or something instead:D sorry just kidding

ive had 2 rotts done--one took ok, the other was blurred and had to be redone---not a happy rottie!!!!!

Sorry Dizzy but glad I wasn't the tattooist. An unhappy Rottie is not something I would wish to talk into another go :)

it had to wear head gear for the second attempt!!!!!!muzzle---have i had too much to drink or has the board changed colour?????

The girls who came were very professional. The tattooist MUST bring her assistant with her who is also trained. The assistant held each dog while the other girl applied the pliers with the number inside the right ear. It only took a few seconds and then the dye was rubbed into the pin marks. It will apparently take about two weeks before the number is properly visable.
One of my dogs is microchipped but, after finding out from this board that the chip could move or even disappear altogether, I decided that I wanted to get them all tattooed.
I am really pleased that I have finally made that phone call!

Lets hope they dont become illegible like my dogs tattoo!

All of our 5 dogs are tattooed (and I have 6!! <G>), and our last 2 litters were all done too. Very quick, and soon forgotten about, you just get green or black ink on you for a few days :) All are very clear, and easily read. I wouldn't use any other method.

Marie

you'll not be able to tattoo the peis ears, theyre tiny, nowhere to put it, if you really needed it done you'd probably have to have the inner thigh or something, ive got mine chipped--the rotts where tattooed!! :)

yoo hoo Dizzy thats Marie up there not me. Mari :) :):D

shhhhhhh! i was hoping no-one noticed- apart from marie will be confused,

I geussed you'd got mixed up :)

Marie (with an E <G> )

well she dident really marie . as Im Marie as well but not on the board :D

Just a thought but does the dogs age make a difference when they have it done, if you do it when they're a pup and then their ears grow do you get a stretched tattoo? :D mine on my stomach looked weird while I was pregnant, started off as a rather nice lizard and ended up like an aged crocodile!!

I have for the last 5 years had mine done with the small calipers at 7 weeks, the needles are very close together in the numbers so that when they stretchas the ears grow theybecome (for me with only 20% sight) much easier to read. for me with the old big calipers the same cannot be said. these had fewer needles more spaced, and when they stretched out with growth I could not read them hardly at all, though the mother who wasdone with them as an adult is better, but not as good as my two youngest generations with the small calipers. In my second litter with the large calipers one of the pups I bred had a totally ilegible (to me) tattoo, that is when I changed, and all the ones that I see done in last five years have really easy to read tatoos. At 7 weeks their ears (in my breed) are only just big enough to take the calipers, and the tattooist always removes one of the superfluous zeros, so that mine have the 3 code letters/numbers plus 3 more for their individual number eg R7K 021 etc. I only had one puppy owner complain that the tattoo was too visible, LOL. I also have mine chipped, but like the visible deterent, I think having both is best!

I have had over 30 puppies and older dogs tattoed and had no problems at all, 3 different people, 2 different sizes, I do prefer the smaller ones but every single tatoo is fully readable and I would recommend this for of identification to anyone xxxxxx

As an NDTR tattooist, I prefer to tattoo puppies as I think they get a much clearer tattoo. I do all my own litters and the pups end up with lovely legiible tattoos. All my dogs are done, and event eh 14 year olds tattoos are still readable, and tehy were done before we switched to smaller pincher and changed the technique.

Since the technique was changed, and we moved to smaller pinchers (callipers) I've found that the tattoos are much more legible and that they show up quicker. I did a friends lab litter a few weeks ago and the tattoos were very obviously there and easily readible one day later.....the pups had licked all the back ink off :(

I also prefer to use black ink and not the green...it comes out clearer even on black dogs.

Pauline

Welcome to the forum Pauline.
Do we get to choose which colour we have now then :D

Hi and thanks for the welcome :)

Technically we are supposed to use black ink all the time but if the breeder of the litter really really insists, then we use the green. The black does give better tattoos.

Pauline

Looked at your website, nice gently sloping croups, and some substance in back ends!!

Thanks for the comments:)) I do appreciate other people liking my dogs :))
I try to breed so that there are no extremes in anyway.

Pauline

it comes out clearer even on black dogs

I have a black cocker spaniel - would it be possible to have her tattooed? She's going to be microchipped in the next couple of weeks but I like the idea of the 'belts and braces' approach.

Fiona

Hi Fiona,
It would certainly be possible to tattoo your cocker and to get a legible tattoo. How old is she??
The only thing with cockers is their hairy ears which may hide part of a tattoo. However this can be remedied by plucking the hairs out so leaving the tattoo exposed. I ahve to do this with my Russian Black terrier.

Pauline

Hi Pauline, Thanks for replying - it's lovely to get some good news for a change. Today has been a bad day, but that's a different story and totally irrelevant!!

Holly is now 15wks old and is quite hairy!! I was originally planning on showing her but due to some personal problems I've decided to keep her as a family dog so plucking/shaving her ear would be fine.

Where in the country are you? You sound like the sort of person I'd like to 'do' Holly!!! If you're not local/willing to do this then what qualifications should I look for in a Tattooist?

Thanks,

Fiona

Hi Fiona

I'm in East Yorkshire, don't know whether thats any good to you or not. If its not, i can soon find out who your local tattooist is. All NDTR tattooists have been trained, so you shouldn't have a problem.

Let me know

Pauline

Hi Pauline,

A bit from me I'm afraid. I live just outside Reading in Berkshire. If you could find out who the local person I'd be ever so greatful. Please feel free to pass on my email address and mobile phone number.

Thanks,

Fiona

07740 947761

I had my cream GSD tatooed at 6 weeks old and was very disappointed with the result, the ink was smudged all over his inner ear and took about a month to disappear, now the number is so faint its not visible unless you have your eyes about an inch from the ear!
When I phoned the woman to ask if he could be redone ( about 6 months later ) she wasnt keen because he was a big dog, said she would phone me back and never did!
So I have just microchipped from then on, because I thought after that experience, tattooes werent all they were cracked up to be.

Hi Fiona

Yes, Reading is a bit outside my area <g>
However if you go to http://www.dog-register.co.uk/ you should be able to locate a tattooist nearer to you.

Pauline

roflol :D

Soon after my westie pup was tattooed, she had to get a bath (as puppys do). And was competly (head to paws!) mint green for about a week!