NICHA kennel is born in “Saint-Lawrence River”, Province Quebec, Canada.   NICK and CHAD are at the origin for the choice of this kennel’s name.  Nick was my first Belgian Shepherd dog and my first dog.  He came to live with me in October 1986 at the age of 3 months old.  He’s responsible for the passion and the big love that I developed for the breed.  Chad came later (1988) to really start my breeding.  Then Nicha is born in 1990 with my first litter.  A female Shetland Sheepdog entered in my house later.  She came for my son in first but it became clear very soon that I would not be able to live without them neither.   

The temperament and health are very very important for me and more the years pass and my experience become bigger and bigger and more I learn about the breed, more this two points are primordial for me.  A good type and good construction are also very important.  

NICHA kennel is in our home:  The puppies are born in the home’s principal room ; the kitchen and they lives there until 4 weeks old.  After that, the space began to be too small (they grow!!!), they go downstair.  Then they have more space and a big room where they play and run many times each day.  Giving a big importance to the temperament and at the sociabilisation, I began the puppies’ sociabilisation before they leave for their new home.  As soon as it’s not dangerous for the puppies health and Ok for their mom, I invited friends and children to come and visit and manipulate the puppies and then later, when they have older, I started to go to different safe places in car, they are used then to different places, sounds, dogs.  It’s important to stimulate them, give them good stress but not too much, just good ones.  All that ask a lot of time and energy but I prefer to do it and give a better start for the puppies in their new life.  My son, Guillaume, helps me in all that job and loves that.

For every breeding I do, I keep in mind to do the best for the breed wherever can be the best choice for my bitch.  All that ask a lot of research and expenses, I try to keep a first choice at each of my litters.  Of course, I can’t keep all them with me, I want to keep a minimum at home to give them the best cares, sociabilisation, training and a good family life.  Then I love the idea to place some dogs occasionally in other families.  Not all the time easy but it works well and I want to keep that formula for the future.  

All my breeding stocks are tested for the eyes (every year or before to breed because eye's hereditary disease can show up as late as 8-10 years old) , hips and elbows Xray (done once at 2 years old or sometimes 18 months old for Sheltie), thyroid (done every two years and the first one before the first breeding) and Von Willebrand disease for the Sheltie (done once by DNA) and lately I started to do BAER (to detect deafness in one or both ears, problem see more on dog with white, lot of white, hereditary problem).  Epilepsy’s side, no test to detect carrier exist yet then I do a lot of researchs with the different pedigrees.  I’m myself veterinarian then I know very well the big importance of these tests.  I’m pretty sure that in the future, some other tests will be available and/or will be found important for the breed.  I hope they will discover a genetic test for hereditary epileptic.  Nothing is static in breeding and all the ways possible to produce better dogs are and will be used here at Nicha Kennel.