Ghana News
Inspired to Breed Amazing Rottweilers and German Shepherds
When Ali Francis set off on the journey to Accra with his dogs, he was confident of a good showing. He trusted in the quality of his dogs, and their potential.
The Canine industry in Ghana is fast growing. While most breeders are believed to be in the Greater Accra Region, the recent ACDS 24 show saw breeders from different regions in Ghana participating. One Dog that converted the top price as BEST ROTTWEILER in the PUPPY CLASS, Leo, came from a Kennel in Hohoe, Volta Region – Ghana. The young male Puppy wowed dog lovers and show Judge Tania Edwards, making the win one without doubt. Leo is a Ghana born and bred puppy from Yazo Kennel owned by Ali Francis.
When Ali Francis set off on the journey to Accra with his dogs, he was confident of a good showing. He trusted in the quality of his dogs, and their potential. For him, Yazo Kennel is young in the business of breeding, however, he started right, and thus, will fit into the grand scheme of upholding breed standards, and producing enviable quality.
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How Yazo Kennel Started
Ali Francis started Yazo Kennel purely by accident. Ali’s love for dogs go as far back as when he was 5yrs old. However, breeding happened after he got his first 2 Boerboels in 2022. The size of his Dogs compared to other Boerboels in the Volta Region inspired him to consider selling Puppies. After a successful sale of the first set of puppies, he realised it was a viable business opportunity. A visit to a friend also led to a connection with Haus of Vigilio and Lion Kennel, breeders of Rottweilers and German Shepherds respectively. Two years after that introduction, Yazo Kennel finally decided to breed Rottweilers and German Shepherds of impeccable quality.
Why Yazo Kennel Chose to Breed Rottweilers and German Shepherds
Breeders largely gather all their knowledge from peers, online, and vets. However, getting extablished breeders to impart knowledge can be daunting. According to Ali Francis, the decision to stick with Rottweilers and German Shephereds was due to access to information. Breeders who were willing to help him climb the ropes mainly bred Rottweilers and German Shpherdds, this made the decision easy.
After almost 2years of breeding and being close to the Rottweiler and German Shepherds, Yazon Kennel’s Ali Francis said; “I think fell in love with both breeds early enough and it’d be too tasking to expand to others hence my focus on both.”
Leo winning Best Rottweiler – Puppy Class
Even though Ali Francis has been to a number of Dog Shows, ACDS 24 was his first showing of dogs. He brought 2 dogs, Leo (Rottweiler) and Nadia (German Shepherd). Leo topped his class and Nadia placed second in the Best Female German Shepherd in the Junior Class.
Leo is born and bred in the Yazo Kennel. He loves to play and doesn’t thrive on jealousy like other dogs. He is a good “follower”, one that listens to the handler. The adorable Leo was not considered for the show; however, his composed strides of leash made him a candidate. Coupled with his quick learning ability and the confidence with which he finishes tasks, Leo was selected for the August Classic Show 2024.
Preparing Leo for the ACDS’24
Leo’s primary regimen for the show was an increase in walks and runs, this was to avoid any incidence of fatigue at the dog show. From brisk walks, Leo graduated to running with the Bike of his handler. At 7 months, Leo could run up to 50 minutes non-stop. This we believed helped maintain a stamina in anticipation of the show.
To ensure that Leo was well-socialised, Leo’s exercise regimen was in public. Doing that in public made Leo aware of his surroundings and the existence of others including dogs. It made him learn to avoid unnecessary confrontations and barks. He was also potty-trained to avoid doing so while in the ring.
Yazo Kennel took a lot of lessons from the internet on how to handle dogs at a show. Leo’s handler, Godsway Tek also got invaluable tips from Haus of Vigilio some days to the event. Ali Francis believed all of these led to Leo’s stellar performance alongside the handler.
Lessons from ACDS 24
Even though Yazo Kennel is aware of the varied quality of dogs in Ghana, participating in the ACDS 24 was a major eye-opener. The kennel finally came face to face with some of the best from competitors, thus, a motivation to not wane in delivering quality. Also, the tips suggested by the FCI judge made a lot of sense to Ali Francis, and he is definitely considering them in the quest to continuously produce awesome and heakth Puppies. Leo’s win also suggested Yazo Kennel is on the right path.
“Before the show, i had a meeting with my team and we all agreed that we are one of the youngest kennels, so we werent going to win by all means, but going to learn and see what we could do differently or improved on. Definitely a positive was added to our reputation.”…Ali Francis, owner of Yazo Kennel
The Future of Yazo Kennel’s Leo
The Future of Leo is bright. The Kennel intends to keep him for breeding and more shows.
Buy a Puppy from Yazo Kennel
Getting good quality Dogs in Ghana is becoming easier as thesavannaonline run this series of articles. Cognisant of the fact that there are more shady breeders with inferior quality Yazo Kennel makes it easy to buy just the right quality you can get anywhere in the World right here in Ghana.
Yazo Kennel is located in Hohoe in the Volta Region of Ghana. They are available on Instagram and Facebook as Yazo Kennel.
They can also be reached on +233 0242184552.
