dancinbcs

I once had a dog that would nibble the corn off if I held the cob, just like a human, but I never give the dogs a chance to chew on cob. They can be deadly if they cause an obstruction.

same as above Me too. And me!

I don't think you can make that assertion fairly. Some breeds go together well, some owners may have the land, financial resources and the time to own a few breeds and breed them very well. I'd even go so far to say that sometimes you learn more having more than one breed to compare. I have Central Asian, Anatolian, Kangal there'll be a time when I consider South Russian and Estrela, maybe Caucasian I'd argue that the breed collective teaches me more about the total dog than the breed singular. I'm fascinated by dog mechanics, behaviour and their natural interactions. It certainly doesn't make one a puppy farmer. You will notice that I said "I have never met anyone". I have had show dogs since 1983 and I can only think of one breeder that I know of that successfully produces 3 breeds to a what I consider a high standard. Even then the third breed is one she only dabbles in occasionally. The other two are her main breeds. I do know of breeders who have successfully had many breeds but not all at the same time. One comes to mind that likes to import new breeds, gives a lot away to get them established and then finds another new breed to concentrate on. Whichever breeds she has are always of he best quality but there are only 2 or 3 breeds at one time being bred. Lots of breeders have an extra breed or two to show but they don't always breed them. Rare breeds, like yours, are a bit different and not something that puppy farmers tend to get into. With the current price of Frenchies in particular, alarm bells would ring if the breeder had lots of breeds, especially if they are very different breeds and popular ones.

Also have a look at http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=186565 The best way to have a look at the two breeds is probably to go to a show. Get talking to the breeders (after judging) and if you feel comfortable with one ask if you can see the rest of their dogs some time. Both these breeds require a lot of health testing so breeders should be able to discuss this openly with you. They are very difficult to breed so that you end up with sound healthy dogs so I would not consider a Bulldog from anyone who does not show their dogs. As to the question of one breed or many? I have never met anyone who can successfully breed more than three or at the absolute most 4 breeds at a time. People with lots of different breeds are puppy farmers not breeders. Both British and French Bulldogs need a great deal of expertise and dedication to breed correctly so I cannot imagine that anyone could achieve this unless they only had one or two breeds. The best breeders are those that are totally dedicated to their chosen breed and who may have also decided to have an interest in one or two others. There is simply too much to learn to be able to keep up with more than a couple of breeds at a time.

I was going to say a fluffy as well and she looks to me like a cardigan/ pembroke cross.

Border Collies definitely prefer other Border Collies but three of my males have all had a passion for playing with anything small from Sheltie size down. They are much gentler with little dogs than they are with other BCs.

After spending 4 months teaching my first Border collie to walk on a lead I have worked out a much easier training method for puppies over the years. By ten weeks my babies can stand, sit, drop, heel on lead, sit in front and shake hands (just for fun). I do start from 4 weeks stacking them and teaching the word stand. Stand is the hardest command and should always be taught first. You can start teaching it by stacking her on a table now, placing her in position, rewarding and telling her to stand. Then when she is on the ground use bait to lure her forward, keep it in front and not above her nose, stop, tell her stand and reward before she has a chance to sit. Lure her foreward again and repeat two or three times. For drop, sit on the floor with your knees up forming a tunnel. Lure her under your legs with bait and tell her to drop as her belly hits the ground to enable her to crawl under your legs. Again repeat two or three times. Do not tell her to sit for at least a week while teaching the drop and the stand, then only do one sit for every three stands and two drops. Any dog can sit so it is not something that needs constant repetition. Train several times a day for just a minute or so. Sometimes just make it one command, praise and give a release word. To get her to walk on a lead teach heel without the lead in the yard using bait to encourage her to walk at your side. Reward randomly when she concentrates and walks closely. Practice for one minute several times a day. Anything from a few steps to the width of the yard, then progress to circles and turns. Once you have her attention and she seems to get the idea that heel means walk on my left side, put the lead on, that the breeder provided, and start again with the one minute/ few steps heeling with the lead loose. The idea is to repeat a familiar exercise with the lead hanging around her neck. She will probably sit and scratch at the lead but just keep enticing her with the bait and reward when she forgets about the lead. After a few days put a tiny bit of pressure on the lead and release and reward while continuing to walk forward. Gradually put a little more pressure on the lead and reward her if she yields to it. Also practice come on the lead using it to just give a little tug to get her started and use food to lure her in. This helps reinforce the idea that any pressure on the lead means to move in that direction. I have never had a puppy I could let drag a lead around. They all just stop and chew it so that has never been an option. The method I use simply teaches them everything without a lead and then teaches them to do these things with a lead on. The lead is never used to drag them along and they never get a chance to pull. My 9 year old girl who has been used a lot as a junior handler show dog is great for teaching kids to work a dog on a loose lead. She will work with them and follow them anywhere in the ring but if they tighten the lead and pull, she just stops. In her whole life she has never needed a lead to be tightened on her to get her to do something. A lead should be a safety device not something used to drag a dog around with.

Hard to tell from the angle of the photos but the choc looks more correct in outline. Remember with the shoulders that the lay of shoulder may still inprove but a short upper arm is short forever. Watch them move over the next week or so, but I think you will find that the choc will probably move better. Get out baby photos of the mum and compare as well. Like BC's, there is probably no point in running two on unless you can do it for two years. The best time to pick is between 6 and 8 weeks because after that they can hit the "uglies" pretty soon and just complicate the issue. With BC's the only things I cannot pick by 8 weeks are final size and ear carriage. Everything else you see in an 8 week old puppy is pretty much what they will be when mature, but they may look nothing like this on the way to that maturity. I know in some breeds this does not seem to apply but it does with mine.

selecting i like to see there sites before i look into them further Some of the best breeders of dogs don't have websites Jess. My Whippet's breeder is one. I think he struggles to turn the computer on sometimes. I wouldn't restrict your searching to the internet. You want someone who's knowledgeable about dogs, not computers. Have you selected a breed yet? Many of the more experienced breeders do not have web sites. They know about dogs not computers, as poodlefan pointed out. Many of the very swish looking web sites are set up by breeders I would not send my worst enemy to. A good web site does not equal good dogs. When looking at web sites things to keep in mind as a general rule, are: Good breeders - list dogs by their registered name as well as their pet names, have pedigrees and health stats for all dogs, have stacked photos (not just heads and pet photos), have litters sired by dogs not owned by them, have details of some of the their dogs achievements, make mention of their retired/past dogs, don't make sweeping statements about how great their dogs are, don't charge more for different colours. Bad breeders- list dogs by their pet names only, don't have pedigrees available to view, use their own stud dog/dogs to sire all litters, only have head or relaxed photos, have lots and lots of cute puppy photos, don't mention anything about achievements, focus on selling puppies not promoting the dogs in their kennel, often tell you how wonderful they and their dogs are, use bad photos with captions saying how perfect the dog is, make no mention of what happened to all their older dogs, sell puppies to anyone with the money and ship via internet orders without meeting the buyer. Web sites are handy for checking out a breed but finding a breeder needs to be done on a more personal level.

Hate to mention it but this could be a serious neurological problem. Acting weird can be an indicator of brain tumour of inflammation. Having had a dog suffer bacterial meningitis followed by the brain damage it caused I would be very careful with this dog. My dog had no "health" symptoms at all except a little intermittent lameness in one leg but was acting strange over several months. Nothing that made alarm bells ring but odd things like hiding under his bed, barking in the car, asking to be let out to bark at one spot on the fence in the middle of the night. He was still eating, was obedient and looked healthy. Vets and Chiro's were consulted about his leg and none of us worked out anything wrong with it or that it could all be in his head. Unfortunately, when I gave him a hug one night, he let out a scream of intense pain and attacked me quite badly. Moments later he was looking at me trying to work out what happened. I am sure he had no idea he had caused my injuries. After a long talk with the vet we decided whatever was wrong he was suffering, and would be dangerous to handle for intense veterinary work. Even if we found a cause he would not be able to tell us if he was feeling better after treatment. We opted to pts three days after the attack and find out what happened. The vet's autopsy revealed greatly increased fluid pressure in the brain but nothing at all wrong with the lame leg. Pathology on the brain showed extensive irrepairable brain damage with scar tissue from (probably bacterial) meningitis that was obstructing the drainage of the fluid around the brain. The fluid was compressing his brain outwards towards his skull and he must have had some incredible headaches that he could not tell me about. I was told that this type of condition was very rare but I wonder how many dogs are put down for sudden attacks or odd behaviour without anyone looking for a cause. Not many people will go through the whole autopsy, pathology route looking for an answer because the whole scenario is just so distressing. Since losing my boy I have heard of a couple of other dogs suffering similar fates from mould spores being inhaled and causing infections and tumours in the brain. It is a devastating way to lose a young healthy dog but I would have preferred to have known and had my dog pts sleep before I was attacked. I would suggest that the dog in question here is seen by a veterinary neurologist asap. Diagnostic techniques are more ready available and affordable now than they were ten years ago when I lost my dog. I hope I am wrong about this dog but a lot about it sounds very familiar.

The nose is probably more of a concern than the third eyelid. If you are prepared to keep her out of the sun because of the nose then you shouldn't have any problems with her eyelids. Glad to hear that you chose the "right puppy" regardless of colour rather than buying her just because of her colour.

The puppy pre-school I use does not allow the puppies to play. It is not a play group but a real training class. The whole point of the classes is to teach the owners how to train their puppies and to get the puppies to be calm and responsive to their owners, in the presence of the other puppies.

I wish I had read the book "Think Dog" by John Fisher before obedience training my first competition dog. This book is so logical and gives you a real understanding of the world from the dog's point of view. It opened my mind to new ways of training and communicating with dogs. Since then I have learnt a great deal more from some wonderful trainers, found the best puppy pre-school and discovered the benefits of positive re-enforcement, leadership skills and the use of body language. I made so many mistakes with that first dog but despite me, he still managed to become a show Champion, win a Best In Show, gain his CDX, did some agility and herding, and became a successful stud dog. He changed my life but I often wonder what we could have achieved if I had known then what I know now.

Good news that there was no damage to the eye. I gather she is a merle from the eye colour description and unpigmented third eyelid is to be expected in some merles. It can also happen in dogs with a lot of white (markings) on their face. Full pigmentation ie: nose, eyerims, third eyelid, lips, etc is always preferred in solid colours but patchy pigment is common and accepted in merles. Lack of pigment is always a sun damage risk so something to keep in mind with any dog, but especially merles. Most dogs with lack of pigment are simply kept out of the sun as much as possible and then don't have any problems from it but it is something you do have to watch. The pigment problem is one of the reasons that I have no desire to ever own a merle of any breed. Apart from that the merle pattern just does not appeal to me and I am constantly amazed at the number of people who do find it attractive. I know some lovely dogs that happen to be merles, especially in Aussies but I always think they would look better in another colour.

Rehoming may be an option if you offer to cover any veterinary expenses. I think it is incredibley selfish for anyone to expect people to take on a dog over about eight if you expect them to foot all the bills. I am constantly amazed at breeders who expect to rehome "retired" old dogs like this. There is a nine year old "retired stud dog" of my breed currently advertised on DOL and I just cannot believe that anyone would rehome a dog that age just because they have a younger stud dog. All my dogs have cost more in vet bills in their years 11 to 15 than they did in their entire lives before this so anyone taking on an older dog gets all the vet bills, worry and sleepless nights that looking after a geriatric dog entails, without the benefit of all the good early years. With your dog the deciding factor is probably whether he would cope or not and only you can be the judge of that. If it was me, I wouldn't go or would find dog friendly accomodation somewhere but sometimes you just do not have a choice when it involves other people. Sadly, this is one situation that really does not have any solution that will not cause you pain one way or the other.

Absolutely agree with this post. Some dogs are just not interested in toys. I have had numerous related Border Collies and they are all different in their attitude to toys. My current two are mother and son and they are like chalk and cheese with their attitude to life. The mother, now 9, still herds lizards and pigeons and wants to play ball, frisbie, tug or whatever is at hand. Take her out somewhere for a run and she just hangs around me. Her son has no interest in her activities other than playing tug and zoomies with her. He ignores all the things she herds and had zero interest in balls, frisbies, etc. He does like to tear up milk cartons, soft toys,etc and anything else he knows he is allowed to. When taken for a run he likes to really stretch his legs and run and delights in chasing swallows which his mum ignores. Both of these dogs like to herd sheep but at home they are easy going and not hard to live with. They can both be trained with food and praise but neither of them work for toys. The mum simply forgets what you want her to do when she sees a toy and her son has no interest. On the other hand I have had a dog so obsessed with toys and training that he lived to work and his absolute favourite was a seek back to play with a squeaky toy. In the park he would walk backwards in front of me just in case I asked him to seek for a toy I had dropped. He was a fantastic obedience dog but very hard to live with because he was always "on". Just let your puppy be whatever he will be. Hopefully he will be the laid back sort and so long as he is food motivated training will easy.

I use Alpha Keri Oil on me and the dogs. When I have had really itchy dogs I give them a bath and then soak in a bath with the oil added. Blow dry rather than use a towel and the result is an oiled dog. It won't stain furniture and takes a few days to be fully absorbed into the coat and skin. Don't have to use it often but when I have had to it works wonders on my BCs.

Can you try feeding in the morning, as soon as you get home from work and last thing before bed to get three meals in? This is what most people I know do if they have to be at work with no one home. I know 4 feeds is preferable at this age but three will suffice if necessary. Leaving food out makes dogs into fussy eaters and should be avoided if at all possible. I have no idea how you could keep adult dogs away from the food unless the puppy is in a separate run.

Age is just a guess as is the breed in many cases. If they think that they look like a cross of two breeds they are listed as a cross of the most popular of those breeds. Half the time they have no idea what they are. When I worked for a shelter the boss asked me to look at a dog that the pound had brought in because it had a tatto number in it's ear. She had seen the dog and agreed with the pound staff that it might be a deerhound ot an elkhound . I went and had a look and it was in fact a pure bred foxhound :D . Now the only thing these three breeds have in common is that they are in the hound group. We did eventually find the owners who thought their dog was a beagle cross. If they can't even work out an obvious pure bred dog breed they have no hope of working out ages acurately.

First make sure that you are placing the front feet well back under the withers, not in front of them. Hopefully the dog's conformation will allow this as it is impossible with dogs that have forward placed fronts. A very common problem in many breeds, unfortunately, especially in many of the dogs shown in the US. Keep bait in your right hand with it stretched in front of the dog't nose. Let the dog lick and nibble the bait while you place the back feet. Before placing the rear end run your hand along the back and down each back leg before gently placing each hock. Some dogs react badly to having their back legs touched if you don't keep your hand on them first. Once the feet are placed hold the collar up and tempt the dog forward with the bait asking it to "stretch". Reward in small increments every time the nose inches forward and the feet stay still. Eventually you should see the back muscles ripple as the dog really leans forward into a full stretch. This is what you need to enforce as the "stretch" command and it can be practised with free stacking as well.

Most fleas actually live on the furniture and in the carpet. They just hop on the dog for a feed. Try flea bombs in the house as well as treating the dog.

I switched mine from the 12 month Proheart injectable and waited for exactly 13 months before starting back with the Interceptor that I was using before trying the injections. The vet advised waiting the 13 months because I was suspicious that the injection had caused itch problems so the way to find out if it was a seasonal itch or the injection was to wait the month after the next injection was due. She assured me that the injection actually lasted 13 months not 12 and said so long as the tablets were started between the 12 and 13 month mark they would be fine. There was no itching this time so proved my suspicion was probably correct. No more heartworm injections for my dogs, ever. I thought that dogs had to be 12 months old to have the heartworm injection and that only the 12 month version was available in Australia. Maybe things have changed since I had my last puppy Check with your new vet about the duration of the six month injection. Anyway I now use Interceptor monthly that covers heartworm and intestinal worms and just use Frontline for fleas as needed in Summer. My vet doesn't believe in using the all in one treatments unless you need to treat all those things. As I don't need flea treatment for most of the year I don't want a heartworm treatment that does fleas as well. Much cheaper and you are not contantly overloading the dog with chemicals.

Interesting as I have never heard of this in Border collies or the use of Rimadyl in mature bitches. I have had three older BC bitches speyed with no trouble and no Rimadyl and one definitely had ovarian cysts. Between my breeder friends there have been dozens or retired breeding bitches done over the years with no one ever mentioning a problem with either behaviour or drugs.

I have been going to Gary for over 20 years as have most my friends and cannot speak highly enough of him. In an emergency recently I had to see Neil when Gary was booked out and found him wonderful. Some of my friends even like Neil as much or better than Gary. As mentioned above Peter Schofield is a muscle man not a chiropracter and your vet has recommended a chiropracter. I have heard that Peter is very good at what he does, but for a pinched nerve I think a chiro may be more appropriate.

The brushes from the average pet shop or chain store are pretty useless. Plush puppy make some nice brushes at a reasonable price but no matter what brand you get it is the type of brush that is important. This link is to the Mason Person site and shows the range with the sizes at the bottom of the page. http://www.masonpearson.com/range.html These are the type of brush you need, with individual tufts of bristles, with or without the nylon pin in the centre. Personally I have found that the Mason Person's are worth the extra money because they feel better and last forever. Peter's of Kensington usually has the best price on them and currently have the pocket size bristle and nylon for $69.00. You would need a pocket ot handy size for a Pap.