dancinbcs

I start them as soon as the teeth are through which is usually around 3 weeks. They don't need solids before they have teeth.

Several of the most successful breeders I know, in several breeds, actually give away their best show prospects to place them in the homes where they will reach their potential. Sometimes they are in dual names, sometimes not, but the idea is to get the puppy into the best possible show home. The pet puppies are sold to cover some of the expenses of breeding the litter. Some breeders place them on lease or in dual names until they are titled, then transfer them over to reward the owner for putting in the effort to show the dog. Many of my friends show dogs that were given to them. I would never charge more for a show prospect because I would want to encourage people to show my stock not penalise them for it. A puppy that goes into a pet home contributes nothing to the future of the breed or to the success of it's breeder. A show puppy placed in the right hands can make the reputation of a breeder. If you are breeding to be the best and produce the best, making money is never a consideration.

I don't think age of the owner matters so long as the dog suits the circumstances. I once sold a Border Collie puppy to couple in their 80s. They were on acres and had experience with the breed. The wife was full time carer to her disabled husband and desperately wanted the white faced BC puppy I had, because it reminded her of a dog she had lost. Her grandson called me and offered to buy the puppy for her. He also assured me that he would take the dog and care for her the minute his grandparents couldn't cope or they passed away. The grandson arrived to buy the puppy with his kids who obviously would have loved the puppy for themselves but were happy it was going to their great gran and they could see her there. I dropped in and checked on the puppy a few months later and all was going fine. She was a happy healthy well trained puppy with owners that obviously adored her, so my decision to sell her to that home was well justified. Good luck finding the perfect companion for your Mum. A Pug or Whippet would suit the situation but the temperament of the individual is more important than the breed.

I have sent Steve a draft of the poster I have created so if I get the go ahead to print them up I could I drop some posters off to you to put around the area Edit And of course I wouldn't have to come to your house I could meet you at that shop if you like! Thank You both.

Can I suggest that someone local drop some posters with a photo of Magnus into the local produce stores. BettaProduce on the service road at Burpengary has a lot of the dog fraternity as customers and I believe there are a few other produce stores around the area as well. Also has there been a contact number put up yet for people to ring if they spot Magnus? Searching through the thread I didn't see one. I know the dog rescuers are all flat out but maybe a call to Today Tonight or ACA would get them to do a story about them and how the dog world has pulled together to help Jed and provide publicity about Magnus being missing as well as asking for donations to the fund. To all the co-ordinators, fundraisers and especially the dog rescuers, you are doing an awsome job. I know Jed will be overwelmed by your generosity. She has a very long road ahead and will need all the help she can get. I will be very interested to hear what caused the fire. One of our breeders here in NSW lost everything in her house in a fire caused by a plug in air freshener. Luckily she wasn't home and the dogs and cats were outside at the time, so all were safe but if the fire had occured at night the outcome could have been much more tragic. She also had all her dog paperwork in a filing cabinet in the garage, so that was saved as well. There was a fundraising show here to help her get back on her feet, so hopefully Qld will be able to do this for Jed as well.

Try teaching her to walk at heel with just a collar on and no lead. Use food rewards and make it fun. When she is walking happily at heel, attach a lead but leave it loose ( no pressure at all) while you continue the same heeling practice. After a coupke of weeks, gradually put a tiny bit of pressure on the lead intermittently until she learns it is nothing to fear. This method teaches them to always follow you and walk on a loose lead so the lead is only there as a safety feature. It is not used to direct the dog at all.

You are correct. A dog with the wrong conformation cannot do the work it is supposed to do. The breed standards for the working breeds were written to describe a dog that has the physical attributed required for the particular work it bred for. Cosmetic points like colour, ear carriage, etc, are of no importance in a dog bred purely for work but the basic structure of the dog still needs to be correct. Working breeders do need to remember that if they only breed for working ability and completely forget about conformation they will end up with dogs that no longer look anything like the breed they are supposed to be. There are plenty of crossbred dogs that work well but it doesn't make them good examples of a particular breed.

Even after 20 years of successful showing and breeding, Jane will still not know all there is to learn. Novice breeders realise they know nothing. After about 3 or 4 years they think they know everything. If they stick with breeding, a few years later they will start to realise how much they still have to learn. If you are a truly dedicated breeder you never stop learning. I consider anyone with less than 20 years experience a relative newcomer to the dog world. You need to have observed several generations for their full lifespan to really know a breed. At the first National Border Collie show in 2006 we had a photo taken of all the exhibitors with 20+ years in the breed. There were about 50 breeders in that photo, so newcomers have a long way to go to gain that sort of knowledge and experience. The best person to decide if your dog is worthy of breeding is your mentor. A mentor should have at least 15-20 years in the breed and have successfully produced numerous titled dogs in whatever field you wish to pursue ie. showing, trialling, herding, retrieving, etc. It is preferable if the your mentor has produced dogs titled in conformation as well as other activities appropriate to the breed. IMO this a very pompous statement, and is the reason a lot of newbies give up. Not pompous at all. Just a fact. As the next sentence states "You need to have observed several generations for their full lifespan to really know a breed." You simply cannot acquire this level of knowledge in under 20 years. It is up to us experienced breeders to mentor and encourage the newbies. I don't understand the reluctance of breeders to trust a promising newbie with a good puppy. Sometimes they let you down but sometimes that newbie goes on to become one of the stalwarts of the breed. It is very satisfying to see someone get off to a good start with a dog of your breeding. I make a point of doing whatever I can to encourage keen new exhibitors and breeders that are trying to do the right thing. I was lucky enough to start with a fabulous experienced mentor and fully intend to continue to pass on the breed knowledge that was entrusted to me. It does make me mad though when judges seem to assume that newbies haven't paid their dues yet and therefore don't deserve to win. It wasn't like that when I started. If you had a good dog and it showed reasonably well, you won, no matter who you were. This is the reason so many newbies give up. We tell them to show their dogs before they breed but if they never win because they are not well known, they won't stick around for long. It is getting harder and harder to encourage newbies into the show world because it is so hard for them to win anything at all.

Even after 20 years of successful showing and breeding, Jane will still not know all there is to learn. Novice breeders realise they know nothing. After about 3 or 4 years they think they know everything. If they stick with breeding, a few years later they will start to realise how much they still have to learn. If you are a truly dedicated breeder you never stop learning. I consider anyone with less than 20 years experience a relative newcomer to the dog world. You need to have observed several generations for their full lifespan to really know a breed. At the first National Border Collie show in 2006 we had a photo taken of all the exhibitors with 20+ years in the breed. There were about 50 breeders in that photo, so newcomers have a long way to go to gain that sort of knowledge and experience. The best person to decide if your dog is worthy of breeding is your mentor. A mentor should have at least 15-20 years in the breed and have successfully produced numerous titled dogs in whatever field you wish to pursue ie. showing, trialling, herding, retrieving, etc. It is preferable if the your mentor has produced dogs titled in conformation as well as other activities appropriate to the breed.

The only Viszlas I have known were top knotch obedience dogs. They are high energy and very smart, so with the right training they can be exceptional dogs. They are one of the few breeds that I know I could live with. :D Dobermanns can be quite dominant, need a lot of consistency in training and need to know you are in charge or they will take over. Other than that they can be great dogs. Also keep in mind that a male Dobe can be a very big dog. The females are usually quite a bit smaller so more med/large than large. I love Dallies but would never own one. They like to learn tricks but are hard work for any sort of consistent obedience performance. They do like to do things their way and are much slower learning than my Border Collies. :p I have a friend who has had several Obedience Champion Dallies over the years, but she has had to work really, really hard to get them to that level. She likes a challenge. Standard Poodles are wonderful dogs, easy to train with a real sense of humour and you can have them clipped to look any way you want. Any of your other choices would also be suitable for your lifestyle.

I change daily for the first week and twice a day after that. Have never had any trouble washing up to 1.2m square in my washing machine. The paper underneath is changed more often. From twice to four times a day, depending on how wet it gets. Once mine are on their feet at two weeks I put a puppy pen up, off the front of the whelping box, so they can get out of the box and put newspaper down there. They usually go off the drybed to poo on the paper away from their bed and thus start to be houstrained. At 4 to 5 weeks they go into the puppy pen on wood shavings but still have the vetbed to sleep on in their box. It doesn't need to be changed more than about twice a week once they stop toileting in the box.

Except Herding. GSD of course can compete in herding trials. Both are great breeds if the dog is well bred. In the right hands they can be exceptional dogs but a disaster in the wrong hands. One breed difference I have had pointed out to me by a long time Dobe breeder many years ago was that Dobes can be a little too fast protecting their owners. This breeder was bitten by a friend's Dobe at a Royal show when she slapped the owner on the back to congratulate him on winning best of breed. The dog in question obviously thought she was threatening his owner and grabbed her by the arm. She said to me that most breeds would wait to see if there really was a threat but the Dobe will jump straight in on the defence. She blamed herself because she knew the breed so well and should have taken more care. Both breeds can have wonderful temperaments if bred and raised correctly but they are both very protective of their home and family. A fact that any owner needs to keep in mind so the dog doesn't protect them when they don't need protecting.

Some of the smooth coated, easier to train breeds are: Collie Smooth, Hungarian Viszla German Shorthaired Pointer Pointer Labrador Dobermann If you dont mind a medium coat you could try: Brittany English Springer Spaniel Border Collie Australian Shepherd Portugese Water Dog Standard Poodle. Try writing up a list of things you don't want and start crossing breeds off. Include physical and temperament traits. You may find that if you do a thorough list there are only a couple of breeds left to consider. That is how I ended up with my Border Collies nearly 30 years ago. It was the only breed left after I eliminated all the ones with traits I didn't want. The things I wanted were medium size, highly intelligent, easy to train for trialling with a strong will to please. That shortened the list considerably to start. I didn't want a doggy odour, a flat face, a docked tail (now they are not docked but many breeds were then), a drooler, any instinct to dig, fight or hunt, smooth or very long coat or a coat that needed hours to prepare for a show. I also didn't want a heavy shedding dense short double coat like a Labrador, GSD, Corgi or ACD. I had owned a Lab and couldn't stand the 365 day a year shedding that comes with those coats. So try to think of things that would drive you mad and use that to elimate breeds as a starting point.

If he loves the car then driving is the best option. At least you are in control of everything that happens to him. I took my two dogs with me last year on a road trip holiday and travelled 4500km in 16 days, from Sydney inland through Wagga, Bendigo, Ballarat to Melb, around the coast to Adelaide and back home again. The dogs had their normal meals and they had a wonderful trip. In the past I have done many Syd - Melb and Sydney - Bris trips for Royal shows with various dogs of all different ages, with no problems. Unless a dog is a bad traveller, there is no reason for them not to travel long distances. If he is a chewer just take some chew toys or beefhide chews to keep him amused.

Double post

I know of two different Belgians that mated with their own mothers at 4 months. In Borders it is usually more like 6 months before they are fertile and interested, but earlier is certainly possible. Your puppy has a blue eye so I am surprised that you consider him a stud prospect. It is considered a major fault in the breed unless the dog is a merle. Every breeder I know would only limit register a black puppy with a blue eye. Regardless of that, no male puppy should get away with humping other dogs, people or objects. It should not be considered polite behaviour by any dog and needs to be discouraged. It is really very unusual for a Border to hump anything unless they are actually doing a mating. I have owned 6 entire male stud dogs and have never had a one do it. Perhaps try a noise like AAHH, then distract and reward him when he complies. No need for heavy tactics but just let him know it is not acceptable.

All the worming suspensions are pretty useless. For medium to large breeds it is a lot easier to use tablets broken into halves or quarters. I give them in some nutrigel and the puppies usually suck them off my finger. I have known of puppies to inhale the suspension as well, so not a product I would use again. Besides that the litters I have used the suspension on all hated it and spat most of it out. It's amazing how far little babies can spit chocolate worming syrup. Most vets are still of the opinion that they should be wormed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. I usually start at about 10 days so they don't end up being wormed on the same day as vaccination if you do it at either 6 or 8 weeks.

Just be prepared for a wheat crop in the back yard. Yes, this has been known to happen.

You don't need a slicker for an everyday brush for a Border. The best everyday brush is a bristle and nylon, preferably a Mason Pearson. This is what most of us that show Borders use .So long as they dogs don't chew it, you should get at least 30 years out of one so the price is well worth it. My original one purchased in 1984 is still going strong and grooming dogs every week. Oh, and the dogs love them. Mine push each other out of the way to get brushed. You can buy them online from Peter's of Kensington. The best size for a Border is the one called "popular". Plush Puppy have pretty good cheaper version of the bristle and nylon as well. Besides the brush, a Collie Comb and a two sided comb are handy additions. I hardly ever use a slicker.

DOL is for the promotion of ANKC registered pure breeds not unregistered breeds like APBT.

OCD (shoulder, elbow or hock) is known to occur in Border Collies and is concidered to have a partial genetic component. It is not common, nor is it very rare. It is usually diagnosed between 4 and 8 months and is more common in large fast growing puppies. Environment plays a big part and puppies that have access to areas where they can jump, such as a terraced yard, seem to be more at risk. All the cases I know of could also be traced to a specific injury that our very active breed are always prone to. Diet also plays a big part in both OCD and HD. It is possible to get a dog with HD from parents with good hips. Breeding only from good hips increases the chances that the puppies will have good hips, but does not guarantee it. The exact genetics involved in HD and OCD are not known but most breeders would not breed from an affected dog. A mating that produced either HD or OCD should not be repeated. Opinion is divided about wether the parents should be bred to different lines or not bred at all. With no proof of an exact genetic cause, it is up to each individual breeder to make that decision. If you decide to breed the parents again and they produce the problem to a different partner, then they should be removed from breeding.

With a dog that size I would be getting a wagon with a cargo barrier. Then the dog is not on the seats at all. I would never go back to transporting dogs in a sedan again. I bought my first wagon six months after I bought my first dog, 27 years ago. Since then I have had a succession of wagons and vans.

It is quite possible that the bitch is back in season after 4 months. While 6 months is average they do vary from 4 to 8 monthly cycles. A four month cycle usually indicates that all is not well and she should probably be speyed sooner rather than later. Fixing the hormones on a valuable breeding bitch with a 4 month cycle can take a lot of time and money. Not something that you would bother with a large cross breed. The other possible reason for a discharge is the start of an open pyometra. Either way a vet visit is a must. Good luck convincing her.

As would I. But, devils advocate ............. why are people not so horrified when cats roam and kill our birds and other of our wildlife - animals that may well have been encouraged to other people's gardens through the (eg) bird specific friendly trees, flowers and shrubs and so on that we might plant? I do not condone dogs killing swf's, cats and so forth, so please do not think that is what I am about. But I am puzzled that it never hits the news nor even here on DOL do I not here the voices of alarm and horror when it is about a cat's doing. To the contrary, I'm inclined to hear more the "it's what cat's do", yet when it is a dog to (say) a swf or cat (or other animal that might be seen as prey) it is exclamations of . Why is it seen as so much worse/dramatic/shocking? Why aren't people calling for those offending cats to be pts? Cats usually don't kill other cats. They kill animals that are prey to them. If a dog kills rats or rabbits, that is a normal prey drive. They should never kill their own species. Any dog that kills another dog should be pts. It is not normal dog behaviour for a dog to kill a smaller one. Most dogs are incredibly tolerant of dogs smaller than them. They know they are dogs, same species, not prey. They also know that smaller dogs, even aggressive ones, pose no threat and as such have no reason to kill them.

Try feeding her small amounts at a time, so she has nothing to guard. Stay with her and dole the food out, so she knows that you own the food and are sharing it with her.