Your objective on Luv 4 Pets is to improve the quality of a breed by actively showing and responsibly breeding your animals to raise the quality points of each generation of offspring. Each of these elements is discussed in depth in this section, as well as anything else you'll need to know to play the game.
Acquiring Animals Before you do anything, you need to know what types of animals are allowed in the game. At this time, animal types are limited to Canine, Feline, & Equine. Other types may be allowed in the future, though you shouldn't count on it. Once you have an idea what type/breed of animal/s you might like to start out with, you need to make sure you have all the necessary building structures and supplies on hand. Check the Feed & Supplies and the Construction pages for this information, if you have not already done so. If you do not have everything necessary to sustain the animals you are requesting, they will be turned over to the Humane Society, where anyone can adopt them. Once you have the appropriate structures and supplies, you may set out in obtaining some animals.
There are three ways to obtain animals: requesting starters, adopting from the Humane Society, or purchasing from other players. Starter information can be found here. Humane Society information can be found here. The third method is detailed below.
Purchasing from Other Players: If the breed you are interested in is already established in the game, you might be able to purchase some of these animals from another player. These players have the option of selling animals to you on a breeding contract, or a show only contract. A show only contract means that you are able to show that animal in any elligible shows, but may not breed that animal. (Sellers will write their own contracts, therefore any consequences of breaking a contract will be the decision of the seller, and must be included in the contract to be able to be enforced by the game.) There can be a variety of breeding contracts, ranging from being able to breed the animal, but only when and to whom the seller specifies, all the way to having full breeding rights to do as you please. These choices are made by the seller. Remember, any fines or the loss ownership rights must be detailed in the sellers contract to be able to be enforced by the game. To complete a sale, both the buyer and the seller must email the game with the intended animal/s, including registered number and name, and terms of sale. If there is a contract involved, it should be signed and copies should also be sent to the game. Sellers and buyers, it would also be a good idea to save the original emails detailing terms of sale, contracts, etc.
How do you know your beloved furry friend is worthy of passing on its DNA to future generations? By earning titles, of course! And how does an animal earn titles, you ask? By competing (and winning, of course) in shows.
Showing your pet is easy, at least in the virtual world! Animals must be six months of age or older for dogs and cats, and one year of age or older for horses on the day of the show to participate, and they must be current on their Rabies vaccination. Below is a basic run-down on the types of showing, entering those shows, titles, and how to achieve them.
CONFORMATION
Conformation showing is the biggest event here at L4P, because all types of animals can participate! Each animal competes against other individuals within the same class. Class winners go on to compete for the top male and female from the non-champion (regular) classes. Also awarded, is the second best (reserve) male and female. Should the winning male/female be found unfit to hold that position for whatever reason, the reserve gets the winning points. The best male & female compete against each other for Best of Winners, and that winner competes against the Champions for the best animal of that breed. Whichever sex is awarded Best of Breed, the other competes for the Best of Opposite Sex win. (Ie: a Dog wins BOB, so the judge picks which Bitch they think is best, and awards them BOS.) Breed winners compete against the other breed winners in their group, and finally, the group winners compete for the coveted Best In Show title. As with the Winners, Reserve Best In Show is also awarded, should the animal winning BIS be found inelligible.
Classes are as such:
CANINE
Regular Classes:
Additional Classes:
Example: You have a 2 year old dog, but did not breed that dog (ie you got him from someone else). You enter that dog in the Open Dog class of your breed. Your dog gets first place in the class, yay! He then goes on to compete against the other 1st place winners of the Puppy Dog and Bred-by Exhibitor classes. Congrats, your dog wins out of these three dogs, thus he wins the Winners Dog. Next he competes against the Winners Bitch. It's your lucky day, your judge likes him better than the bitch, and so your dog wins Best of Winners. Now he goes on to compete against all of the Champions for Best of Breed. Woo-hoo, you must have something special, because now he wins Best of Breed! Now you're in the big leagues! Your dog competes with all the other breed winners from that group (say, Herding), and he must really be on today, because the judge gives him the Group 1 Placement! After a quick potty break for both you and the dog, it's time for the Best In Show competition. Your palms are sweaty, but you try to stay as calm as possible so as not to upset your dog. You parade around the ring, showing your dog off to the best of your ability. Alas, it seems your luck stops here, for the judge awards the fluffy, yappy dog from the Toy class as today's BIS. Don't give up, though, maybe next weekend you'll be even luckier!
FELINE
Regular Classes:
Additional Classes:
EQUINE
Regular Classes:
Additional Classes:
Breed with Varieties:
Guidelines for classes are as follows:
Championship Title (CH)
Earns No Points
Earns Points
* For Felines...
* For Equines...
Grand Champion Title (GCH)
SPECIES
GROUP - (for Canines)
BREED -
CLASS -
Information you *must* include is the animal's registration number and official name, TQP, NAP pertaining to which show you are entering (for Conformation shows, you would include NAP S), and the handler's name.
Sample Entry:
CANINE
GROUP - SPORTING
BREED - WEIMARANER
CLASS - Open Dog
CLASS - Champions
SMPL047 Sample's Bobette TQP: 184 NAP S: 11 - Jane Doe
Sample Entry with Varieties:
CANINE
GROUP - NON-SPORTING
BREED - ALASKAN KLEE KAI
VARIETY - TOY
CLASS - Bred-by Exhibitor Dog
VARIETY - STANDARD
CLASS - Open Bitch
Sample Entries:
CANINE
GROUP - TOY
BREED - PUG
CLASS - Champion
GROUP - WORKING
BREED - BOXER
CLASS - Grand Champion
In addition to conformation showing, animals may compete in various activities. Some of these activities showcase what the breed was created for, some are activities that any breed may compete in. Activities and titles are shown below, with explanations on how to achieve each title.
CANINE
AGILITY
Agility Trials test a dog�s ability to maneuver an obstacle course, directed by their handler, as quickly as possible. The dog receives an overall score for the precision of their run through the course within the qualifying time for that course. A perfect run is 100 points, and each dog starts with a score of 100 before their run begins. Points are deducted for various mistakes during the run, and for every second the dog goes over the qualifying time for that course, one point is deducted from the score. A dog must earn a score of at least 80 out of the possible 100 to earn a qualifying score. Each time a dog gets a qualifying score, he�s earned one leg toward his title. A dog that fails to complete one or more obstacle correctly during their run will be given a score of NQ (non-qualifying).
There are two Agility divisions: Standard, with contact obstacles including the A-frame, the Down Table, etc., and Jumpers with Weaves which has only jumps and weave poles and results in faster runs than in Standard. Any dog competing in Agility may compete in either Standard or Jumpers with Weaves, or in both.
Standard Classes:
Jumpers with Weaves Classes:
Titles:
Entering Agility Trials:
DIVISION
Sample Entries:
DIVISION - STANDARD
CLASS - Open
CLASS - Excellent
Last, but not least, there is one more title a dog may earn in Agility. That is the title: National Agility Champion (NACH). Competition for this rare and highly prestigious title is an annual event. Each year that there are at least five MACH titled dogs, they will be invited to participate in the competition for NACH. If at least five of these dogs accept the invitation and enter the championship trial, the trial can be held. (Fewer than five entrants will result in the trial being canceled.) The NACH competition will consist of ten agility trials to be held over a two day period. Five Standard Agility trials are to be held the first day, and five Jumpers with Weaves trials are to be held the second day. Each entrant must compete in all three classes (Novice, Open, and Excellent) in every trial. Scoring will follow the regular point deduction method. Should a dog receive more than one non-qualifying score, it will be disqualified from the NACH competition. At the end of the two days, once all ten trials have been completed, the dog with the highest overall score (the sum of their scores in every class in all ten trials) will be given the title NACH.
*Note: Scoring in Agility for L4P will be based on a dog�s NAP for Agility, plus their Agility Training Points (ATP). (**Training Points will be installed at a future date. For now, it is just based on the NAP.)
Obedience Trials test a dog's ability to perform a prescribed set of exercises. The dog is scored
for each individual exercise. In each exercise, the dog must score more than 50 percent of the
possible points, and get an overall score (sum of the scores of all exercises combined) of at least
170 out of a possible 200 -- this is called a qualifying score. Each time the dog gets a qualifying
score, he's earned one leg toward his title.
Classes:
Titles:
Entering Obedience Trials:
CLASS
Sample Entries:
CLASS - Novice
CLASS - Open
CLASS - Utility
Last, but not least, there is one more title a dog may earn for Obedience. That is the title:
National Obedience Champion (NOCH). Competition for this rare and highly prestigious title is
an annual event. Each year there are at least five OTCH titled dogs, they will be invited to
participate in the competition for NOCH. If at least five of these dogs accept the invitation and
enter the championship trial, the trial can be held. (Fewer than five entrants will result in the trial
being canceled.) The NOCH competition will consist of ten obedience trials to be held over a
two day period. Each entrant must compete in all three classes (Novice, Open, and Utility) in
every trial. Scoring will follow the standard method. Should a dog receive more than one non-qualifying score, it will be disqualified from the NOCH competition. At the end of the two
days, once all ten trials have been completed, the dog with the highest overall score (the sum of
their scores in every class in all ten trials) will be given the title NOCH.
*Note: Scoring in Obedience for L4P will be based on a dog's NAP for Obedience, plus their Obedience Training Points (OTP). (**Training Points will be installed at a future date. For now, it is just based on the NAP.)br> You show your animal to win, and to win you must have the best animals possible, right? How do you achieve this? By breeding, of course! Choose a strategy you like (ie: breeding to improve one trait at a time, or breeding based on TQP, etc.), find a match between a male and female, breed them together, and hope you get what you want!
Okay, that's not quite clear enough, you say? Let's take a more in-depth look at breeding on Luv 4 Pets.
As L4P is geared to showing and breeding quality animals, only breedings within the same species and breed are permitted. Cross-breeding is not allowed (ie: you may breed a Doberman Pinscher to another Doberman Pinscher, but you may NOT breed a Labrador Retriever to a Rottweiler).
Once you have decided what you are breeding for with a particular breeding, choose a male that will best compliment your chosen female to reach your goal. Example: If you are going to breed for a higher Coat QP, you might choose to breed your female with the highest Coat QP to the male of your breed with the highest Coat QP, in the hopes of producing puppies with even higher Coat QP. If the male happens to belong to you, then it is quite easy to breed the female to your male. Simply send an email to the game email address with the subject BREEDING. Include the registration number and registered name of both the female and the male you are breeding together, and consider them mated. If, however, the male does NOT belong to you, you must first contacted the owner of the male to request a breeding. If the owner permits you to breed your female to their male, then you must send an email to the game email address with the subject line BREEDING. Include the registration number and registered name of both the female and the male you are breeding together, AND indicate the owner of the male, as well as the agreed upon stud fee. You need to send a copy of this email to the owner of the male, as well. The male's owner must then send an email to the game email address, confirming that they are indeed allowing you to breed your female to their male. They should also include registration number and name for both male and female and the agreed upon stud fee. If there are any discrepencies between the two emails of both owners, no mating will take place. If all is well with the emails, then the animals will be mated.
Now...just because two animals are bred, does not necessarily mean that the female is pregnant. There is a chance that the breeding will not take. (In which case, you are certainly allowed to do a repeat breeding, following the same procedure as the first time.) There is also the chance that an animal may be sterile. If a particular breeding between two animals fails three times, the owner of the female must wait four weeks from the date of the last mating to breed her again. If you do decide to breed her again at that time, you would benefit to breed her to a proven male (one that has sired at least one offspring), to be certain it is not she that was sterile in that last go-round. If this female fails to conceive twice more (three matings each time), then that female is deemed sterile. Now for males -- If a male animal fails to impregnate three female animals (three matings for each female), they are deemed sterile. If you have a male that fails to impregnate an unproven female, it would be a good idea to breed him to a proven female for the next mating, to be sure it was not the unproven female that was sterile.
Another reason a mating may be unsucessful, is that one (or both) of the animals do not meet the age requirements. Dogs and cats must be a minimum of one year of age GT for females and ten months of age for males, and a maximum of eight years of age for females and ten years for males. Horses must be a minimum of three years of age, and a maximum of fifteen years for mares, and twenty years for stallions. While these are the age requirements, keep in mind that while an animal may be able to sexually reproduce, it does not mean it is fully mature enough (or perhaps it is too aged) to handle the physical or mental requirements to bear young. Complications may arise from breeding animals that are to young or too old. Consider your breed carefully, and keep each individual animal's best interest in mind.
After a successful mating has occured, the litter will be due sixteen RT days from the date of the successful mating. An email will be sent to inform you the mating was successful, and will include the due date of the litter. Upon receipt of this email, you may choose to have an Ultrasound performed on the dam. This will give you a good idea as to how many young the dam is carrying, though the number will not be a guarantee. It may be off by as many as two young. The litter may be born within one day of the due date (ie: it may be born at 15 days, 16 days, or 17 days). You will receive an email notifying you of the birth(s). The email will include the gender, color, and rank in the litter for each live young birthed. Stillborn animals will not have a litter rank, but will list color and gender if you would like to keep that for your records. The dam and her young should be taken to the Veterinarian within two RT days after birth to be looked over. Should the dam have any retained placenta, there is a chance you may lose her if she is not seen by the Veterinarian within those two days. You will have two weeks (fourteen days) from the date of the birthing notification email to name each of the young. After fourteen days, any young that remain unnamed will be given a randomly generated name and will carry the L4P prefix.
In the event that a Cesarean Section surgery is needed, you will receive an email informing you of such. You should respond and request the C-Section as soon as possible to give the dam and her young the best chance of being healthy. If you respond within twelve hours, all young (with the exception of stillborns) and the dam will be fine. Within 24 hours, there is a 50% chance of losing each baby, and a 25% chance of losing the dam. Within 36 hours, there is a 75% chance of losing each baby, and a 50% chance of losing the dam. Within 48 hours, all young will be lost, and there is a 75% chance of losing the dam. Beyond 48 hours, all is lost. When it comes to a necessary C-Section, time is of the essence, so be sure to keep track of when your animals are due to give birth in order to keep an eye out for C-Section notifications!
Now that we have the technicalities of the breeding process out of the way, there is one last thing that must be mentioned...Genetic Defects. While starters are not affected by genetic defects, and genetic defect testing of starters will produce no results, starter animals do carry genetic defects. You will not know which starters carry which defects, unless you keep a carefully organized breeding program, and can track defects that appear in offspring. Starters will carry a defect as a simple recessive gene. (ie: For this purpose, let us say that Epilepsy has the genetic code of ee [two recessive genes]. Breeding a starter with Ee [one dominant gene, and one recessive gene -- this animal is not affected with Epilepsy, but carries the defective gene] to another starter with Ee, there is a 25% chance that their offspring will be clear of Epilepsy [EE], a 50% chance their offspring will be carriers of Epilepsy [Ee], and a 25% chance that their offspring will be affected by Epilepsy [ee].)
At this point, you are well on your way to becoming an expert in animal husbandry...aren't you? Show us what you've got, and wow us with the high quality animals you can produce!
Objective
Showing Your Animals
Puppy Dog, Bred-by Exhibitor Dog, Open Dog
Puppy Bitch, Bred-by Exhibitor Bitch, Open Bitch
Winners Dog, Winners Bitch
Best of Winners, Best of Breed
Champions
Feline & Equine Shows follow the same format as Canine Shows. Those classes are as such:
Kitten Tom, Bred-by Exhibitor Tom, Open Tom
Kitten Queen, Bred-by Exhibitor Queen, Open Queen
Winners Tom, Winners Queen
Best of Winners, Best of Breed
Champions
Colt, Bred-by Exhibitor Stallion, Open Stallion
Filly, Bred-by Exhibitor Mare, Open Mare
Winners Stallion, Winners Mare
Best of Winners, Best of Breed
Champions
Breeds having two or more varieties have these additional wins:
Best Male/Female (species specific) of Variety. Class winners from each variety (ie: the 1st place puppy dog, 1st place bred-by exhibitor dog, & 1st place open dog of the Rough variety of the Collie breed) compete against each other for the Best Male/Female (species specific) of Variety. The two Variety winners (ie Best Dog of Variety from the Rough Collie and Best Dog of Variety from the Smooth Collie) then compete against each other for Winners. Judging then progresses as it would for breeds without varieties. **Note: Champions class is not divided by variety. All varieties are shown together to compete for BOB.
Puppy/Kitten = Dogs/Cats that are at least six months of age, but not over one year of age on the day of the show
Colt/Filly = Horses that are at least twelve months age, but not over 24 months of age on the day of the show
Bred-by Exhibitor = Any animal at least six months of age for dogs and cats or one year of age for horses on the day of the show that has been bred by the handler exhibiting them at that show
Open = Animals that are at least six months of age for dogs and cats or one year of age for horses on the day of the show
Champion = Animals holding the conformation championship title (CH)
In order to achieve the conformation championship title (CH), an animal must earn a total of fifteen points (at least), with three of those wins being major wins (three, four, or five point wins). Points are awarded based on how many other animals of that breed the winning animal beats. As of right now, the numbers are:# of Animals # of Points 2 1 3 2 5 3 8 4 12 5
Each Class: 1, 2, 3, 4 Placements
Each Variety: BDV=Best Dog of Variety
Each Variety: BBV=Best Bitch of Variety
Each Breed: RWD=Reserve Winners Dog*
Each Breed: RWB=Reserve Winners Bitch*
Each Group: 2, 3, 4 Placements
Each Show: RBIS=Reserve Best in Show
Each Breed: WD=Winners Dog*
Each Breed: WB=Winners Bitch*
Each Breed: BOW=Best of Winners
Each Breed: BOS=Best of Opposite Sex
Each Breed: BOB=Best of Breed
Each Group: 1 Placement
Each Show: BIS=Best in Show
RWT/RWQ=Reserve Winners Tom/Reserve Winners Queen
WT/WQ=Winners Tom/Winners Queen
RWS/RWM=Reserve Winners Stallion/Reserve Winners Mare
WS/WM=Winners Stallion/Winners Mare
Here on Luv 4 Pets, animals may also earn a Grand Champion title in addition to the standard Champion title. To earn a GCH, an animal must first earn its CH title. Once that has been accomplished, the animal should be entered in the Champions class of conformation shows to compete for the BOB win. An animal must earn twenty BOB wins, beating at least eight other animals each win, to earn their GCH.
Top Ten
The Top Ten animals of each breed is a list of the ten animals that have beaten the most other animals within their breed. This competition is for all animals competing in conformation shows, regardless of age, points, or titles. Scoring is as such: The BOB winner of each breed competing in each show will get one point for every animal they beat to win that BOB. For example...if there are 2 class dogs, 3 class bitches, 1 CH dog and 2 GRCH dogs and one of the class bitches goes BOB, she would score 7 points. If there are 4 class toms, 0 class queens, and 2 CH cats, and one of the CH's goes BOB, they would score 5 points. And so on and so forth. At the end of each game year (every 3 RT months), the breeders and owners/handlers of all Top Ten winners will receive cash awards! (Plus the satisfaction of knowing their animals ranked in the Top Ten, of course!)
Entering Conformation Shows:
Entries should follow this format, unless otherwise noted on the show premium.
SMPL052 Sample's Bob TQP: 215 NAP S: 15 - Jane Doe
SMPL649 Sample's Bobby TQP: 289 NAP S: 27 - Jane Doe
SMPL621 Sample's Bobbina TQP: 276 NAP S: 23 - Jane Doe
Entering the Champion or Grand Champion Class:
Entries in these classes must also include the animal's gender (just Male or Female, not species specific), following the rest of the information.
SMPL015 CH Sample's Max TQP: 189 NAP S: 7 - John Doe - M
SMPL021 GCH Sample's Maxine TQP: 172 NAP S: 11 - John Doe - F
ACTIVITIES
Novice = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing no standard agility title
Open = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing the NS title, but not the OS title
Excellent = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing the OS title, but not the ES title
Novice = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing no jumpers with weaves title
Open = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing the NJ title, but not the OJ title
Excellent = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing the OJ title, but not the EJ title
Novice Agility (NA) - Dog must earn three legs in the Novice Standard class to achieve an NA title.
Open Agility (OA) - Dog must possess the NA title, then earn three legs in the Open Standard class to achieve an OA title.
Agility Excellent (AX) - Dog must possess the OA title, then earn three legs in the Excellent Standard class to achieve an AX title.
Novice Jumpers (NJ) - Dog must earn three legs in the Novice Jumpers with Weaves class to achieve an NJ title.
Open Jumpers (OJ) - Dog must possess the NJ title, then earn three legs in the Open Jumpers with Weaves class to achieve an OJ title.
Jumpers Excellent (JX) - Dog must possess the OJ title, then earn three legs in the Excellent Jumpers with Weaves class to achieve a JX title.
Agility Trial Champion (ATCH) - After obtaining both the AX and JX titles, dogs can compete for ATCH (Agility Trial Champion). To earn such title, the dog must earn a total of 100 points by placing either first, second, third, or fourth in the Open Standard or Excellent Standard class, and in the Open Jumpers with Weaves or Excellent Jumpers with Weaves. Dog must earn qualifying placement in one Standard AND one Jumpers with Weaves class (Open or Excellent) at the same Agility trial for the points to be counted toward their ATCH title. In addition, dog MUST place FIRST in each the Excellent Standard AND Excellent Jumpers with Weaves classes at least twice (need not be earned at the same Agility Trial). Points are given as follows: First - 4, Second - 3, Third - 2, Fourth - 1.
Entries must follow this format.
CLASS
Dog Number and Name - NAP A + ATP - Title working toward - Handler
CLASS - Novice
SMPL039 Sample�s Zip - NAP A: 11 + 1 ATP - NA - John Doe
SMPL042 Sample�s Nop, NJ - NAP A: 10 + 2 ATP - NA - Jane Doe
SMPL048 CH Sample�s Fly, NA, NJ - NAP A: 14 + 1 ATP - OA - John Doe
SMPL067 CH Sample�s Hope NA, OA, AX, NJ, OJ, JX - NAP A: 20 + 11 ATP - ATCH - Jane Doe
DIVISION - JUMPERS WITH WEAVES
CLASS - Open
SMPL039 Sample�s Nop, NJ - NAP A: 10 + 2 ATP - OJ - Jane Doe
SMPL067 CH Sample�s Hope NA, OA, AX, NJ, OJ, JX - NAP A: 20 + 11 ATP - ATCH - Jane Doe
OBEDIENCE
Novice = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing no obedience title
Open = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing the CD title, but not the CDX title, or those dogs possessing the UD title and going for the UDX title
Utility = Those dogs, six months of age or older, possessing the CDX title, but not the UD title, or those dogs possessing the UD title/s and going for the UDX title
Companion Dog (CD) - Dog must earn three legs in the Novice class to achieve a CD title.
Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) - Dog must possess the CD title, then earn three legs in the Open class to achieve a CDX title.
Utility Dog (UD) = Dog must possess the CDX title, then earn three legs in the Utility class to achieve a UD title.
Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) - Dog must possess the UD title, then earn ten qualifying scores in both Open and Utility classes at the same show.
Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) - Once a dog possesses the UDX title, it may then competeto earn the coveted, prestigious OTCH title. To do so, the dog must earn a total of 100 points by placing either first, second, third, or fourth in the Open or Utility class, and MUST place FIRST in the Utility class at least three times. Points are given as follows: First - 4, Second - 3, Third - 2, Fourth - 1.
Entries must follow this format.
Dog Number and Name - NAP O + OTP- Title working toward - Handler
SMPL026 CH Sample's Fluffy - NAP O: 9 + 2 OTP - CD - Jane Doe
SMPL032 Sample's Fifi - NAP O: 12 + 1 OTP - CD - Jane Doe
SMPL097 Sample's Spot CD, CDX, UD - NAP O: 17 + 23 OTP- UDX - John Doe
SMPL097 Sample's Spot CD, CDX, UD - NAP O: 17 + 23 OTP - UDX - John Doe
Breeding Your Animals