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I find this discussion really interesting (my husband had to have a very large numver of x rays over a 10 year period) and we have to keep them at home. The radiographers ring up and nag you to come and get them because they don't have the storage facilities and neither does the medical practice - maybe it will change one day for animals due to storage probs Wishing you and Charlie all the best

Thanks for the reply, Spikes Puppy I actually clip (don't shoot me - owner prefers this) a Border and she is just gorgeous in personality. Owner was shown how to hand strip by the breeder but doesn't like doing it and prefers to get her shaved short in summer due to ticks - luckily she suffers no skin probs from this. Thanks for the info - damn those Americans they are such fashionistas oh for FCI and the Uk where hair spray is banned and dogs are a little scruffier!!!!

Actually, there are a couple of border collie owning idiots in my village who do exactly what the writer described. They have been pinged by the ranger several times but continue the same behaviour. They, and their dogs, are too special for the rest of us!!!!

Thanks for th pic Lowenheart - very cute I think we are dealing with definitions here - for me - if you intervene then the coat is not being presented naturally. Given the huge amount of time that is dedicated by terrier people to the maintenance of their dogs coats I just don't get the big deal made about poodles and show coat So were did the tradition of hand stripping come from???? Was it originally an extension of the natural ripping and tearing that happened as the dogs went about their work that has been taken to an exterme for the show ring. After all this is what happened with poodles and clipping.

They were the subject of a destrucrion order for aggression towards peope

"Altered" as in clipped or stripped or scissored. Like poodles none of these dogs are shown in their natural states - so I don't get why everyone makes a fuss about poodles. Thanks Lowenheart - so is the Liontrim compulsory for Lowchens in the show ring?

Bichons, bedlingtons, lowchens, and any that are hand stripped - oh and I love seeing the clouds of product wafting out from some non poodle exhibitors tents. Sometimes you feel like you are in the middle of a ski field with all the potatoe flour that is wafting around and what other products go into hair of various breeds - you can't tell me that poodles have the hairspray market cornered and what about gels etc

My standard poodle had seizures between the age of 2 and 5 years (averaged one every 4 months) was never medicated and has not had one in the last 3 years. His personality did not change. He had typical grand mal siezures which lasted around 2 mins - they were full on and he sometimes took days to recover. It would be a good idea to time your dog's seizures as there is a big difference between 2 mins and 5 mins. There is a lot of very good info on the net. The Canine Epilepsey Network was very good.

What I don't get is why people ask about show trim on poodles but never ask about the myriad of other dogs that have their coats dramatically altered for the ring.

I love cords but our humid climate and paralysis ticks would make them a nightmare.

I groom a couple of pet lagottos and there is no way the show ones I have seen are a la naturale - they have all been fully scissored - not blow dried but definitely scissored. I assume the lagotto coat would just keep growing much like a poodles if you did not trim it at all??????

Yes, similar to portugese water dog and lowchen. A lot of breeds are are shown in particular trims for the show ring eg bichon, bedlington, lagotto. For my money its the hand stripped dogs that require sooooo much preparation for the ring and if you see a terrier whose coat has gone feral it is soooo different LOL ps - why do the Lowchens get trimmed (know nothing about this breed)

We like the larger terriers too and considered an airdale or schnauzer before we got our first standard poodle but we were put off by the descriptions of stubborn - I was drawn to the poodles because they were very trainable and eager to please but a little more independent and light on their feet than say a lab or goldie

With the standard poodles (of which I have owned 3 and shown 2 others as youngsters - also met quite a few) I have not found them to be over the top boisterous - in fact a lot less boisterous than other gundog breeds such and labs and goldies. It may also depend on the "lines" that you buy from and of course which puppy in the litter you choose. I do not like "in your face" boisterous dogs and most of the standards I have met would not be described in this way. Having said that - my dogs are taught manners and boundaries from day one - that is the good thing about poodles they are very smart and easy to teach. They do require regular mental and physical stimulation and when this is provided they happily sleep while I am out. I walk my dogs twice per day and they go to the beach or for a run once per week as well as playing and doing some obedience. My biggest problem with my current standard is that he is lazy and sometimes has to be dragged out from under the table for his walk LOL

Thanks Rappie, nice to know I am on the right track. LOL

and I quote: "Her dog is registered as an assistance dog and is cleared to fly by aviation authoirities"

Sorry Mita but it will happen - there is a petshop Tibbie up the road from me (entire) and across the road is a tibbie x malt so they are out there.

An elimination diet will tell you if she has food allergies.

Proplan make an adult food which is Salmon based????

You need to try an "elimination diet" - there is heaps of info on here about it. It doesn't need to be raw - when I first did this with one of my standards many years ago I used Eukanuba fish and potatoe kibble (grains and red meat are common allegens and most kibbles contain grains).

Our brown standard poodle did it her whole life - she would sometimes go to sleep licking and kneading her favourite toy between her front paws. She would also carry the toy around in between bouts of licking and make a funny little noise. Strangely enough she was the only one of our three who didn't destroy stuffed toys - she had one favourite bear that lasted for 8 years - he did have to have surgery a few times LOL

She should ask this puppy producer what a patella is - you can bet they won't know and the breeding pair will have shonky ones!!!! See it all the time when I am grooming. Did I spell patella correctly Having a senior moment.

If you play in prickles you need a good brush and comb once you get home LOL. Anything with length is not "wash and wear".

Doing a very nice job Zug-Zug. My biggest tip is "strive for a lighthand" with the clipper. We always do flares over winter - and by the end of the season they are very flared - especially at the back - as I like a bit of pizzaz

awww, good on you Christina - those poodle people are nice!!!!