helen

I am show secretary for the Club L'Epagneul Breton (Brittany Club) in Victoria. We used show manager for our show and it was fantastic. They sponsored us being a small breed club so the people who did enter online did not have to pay the usage fee, just the credit card fee.

They pretty much did all the work setting things up and respond very quickly to any questions - we had different prices for members and non members and sweepstakes, and we even added a membership form which was used - they do the whole package - you can look online and see who has entered at any time as you get a link and a password. using online entries does allow you to keep the entries open longer, when you are ready to do the catalogue you just hit a button to close entries - I advertised normal closing time, 1 month before show but left online entries open until the very last minute, before printing the catalogue. They also added a price for postage of numbers.

When people enter using show manager they get an email before the show reminding them of their entry, and it includes weather report as well

I suggest you contact Marilyn DiNatale of riverreed Brittanys - she has American and French dogs, and blended dogs as well and is extremely knowledgeable. If you go to shows in nsw you are not likely to see anything with French lines. http://www.riverreedbrittanys.com - There are people in usa who have both French and american lines that do say that the French are more obedient as they are bred to hunt more closely, a lot of usa dogs have been bred to hunt at a bigger distance and they trial on horseback. There are also some people with French lines who do health test.

can I join in? I just decided to do 52 weeks of Bella again as she is 14 now and loosing her health pretty quickly

This is my old man Lestat. He'll be 11 in March.

Poor old man is very weak in the rear, has cancer and is going blind but he still lives every day with joy

how cute, my girl Bella can still see fine, but is deaf as a doorknob

What a day for me to come into this thread.

We gave our oldest girl her wings yesterday. Indiana was 14. All our recent photos of her and Em, our 13 year old, are on Instagram and I don't know how to put them up here, but here's a blog entry my OH wrote last night which has lots of photos in it: Goodbye Indiana Paddledog

I checkout out the blog, it is a beautiful tribute to Indiana, but very sad too

Bella at 14 by Rivamist, on Flickr

I don't come in to the forum very often now, but visited for a quick browse and saw this thread and it is so exactly like me and Bella I had to post and went outside and took a photo. Bella is 14 now, but she did start to slow down about the same age as Cherry - and she was also my introduction to agility (and showing and obedience and breeding), so we have learnt a lot together along the way. Bella has developed a bit of a breathing problem recently so can do even less now, but still very happy and I still get a bouncy excited greeting every day. She is having some lumps removed tomorrow.

I think everyone should join the 52 weeks photo project with our oldies (if you haven;t already, this thread has inspired me to do another year of photos of her now that she is older, as I haven't taken photos of her forever.

ETA - she is looking a bit moth eaten because I accidently started clipping her with a 15 blade instead of a no 5 blade LOL

that is horrible. Sometimes you can just be unlucky. A friend from agility has a staffy and her dog started getting the same problem, she is the only staffy I I know of personally that has had this problem - are Pugs prone to this?

The 'edit your breed' thread inspired me to start this topic.

Today I discovered that my Pug has another mast cell tumour - a skin tag on his chest. He has an appointment with the vet on Monday so that's no problem, my vet will take care of it. It just means more surgery.

I love Pugs and they're my favourite breed but, after all the tumours mine has had (this will be his 13th), I'm not sure that I want to go through this again with another Pug. So next time I'm thinking of choosing another breed...

Are there any breeds that are known for being robust and are least prone to health problems, especially cancer? Someone once recommended a Schipperke to me for this reason... Apparently they're really hardy dogs. Is this true?

eta

Sorry, I changed the thread topic three times. I couldn't work out what I was trying to say.

I don't know but they always have big numbers outside the ring (up high)

that is awful, sorry to hear about Maddie & CK

I was very spoilt last time she was here, she stayed locally and my first Brittany litter was quite young and she was very impressed with them :-) She had Brittanys before she had shepherds. Her husband came last time and a few of us learnt what a tracking guru he is too while we were having a break, not sure if he is coming this time.

Fantastic news. Susanne Clothier is coming to Australia May next year for a 2 day seminar if anyone is interested. I attended her seminar last time she was in Australia and it was fantastic. There is more info here http://www.k9events.com/new-assetts/advertising/susanne-clothier/Suzanne-Seminar-Brochure-Aug-'13.pdf - Mount Duneed is between Geelong and Torquay so an easy drive from Melbourne.

This is some info from the link just in case there is anyone who doesn't know of her - About Suzanne:

Suzanne Clothier internationally known dog trainer, behavior consultant and speaker, is the author of “Bones Would Rain From the Sky” and numerous other publications. Suzanne has been working with animals professionally since 1977, with a deep background of experience that includes obedience, agility, puppy testing, breeding, Search and Rescue, conformation, instructing, kennel management and canine midwifery. She has served as a committee member for the American Humane Association's Task Force for the Development of Humane Standards for Dog Training, and as a member of the AKC's Agility Advisory Board and consultant for Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Canine Development Center in Patterson, NY. She has taught seminars on a wide variety of topics in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Belgium, and Italy, and spoken to groups as diverse as FEMA Northeast Region Disaster Dog Teams, Association for Pet Dog Trainers, Alaskan Dog Mushers Association and Wolf Park.

Suzanne is well respected for her holistic Relationship Centered TrainingTM approach to dogs and the people that love them.

on the flip side, if your dog stacks up beautifully without moving or fidgeting they may only need the one shot :D

Edited to add - from my experience too, if the judge is going up/down the line they may also move away when the judge gets in front of them

The very essence of positive training begins with good attention IMO - so hopefully that helps to answer your question.

My oldest BC girl is a very independant, workaholic type. She is REALLY not into cuddles and will put up with being patted but will lean away and look very put upon while you do it. I don't like this in a dog at ALL, she is too aloof and we don't get along very well. She is a fantastic dog to work with though, I have done heaps of different sports with her and she is very good at everything she has tried. Sometimes I forget and cuddle her and offend her greatly

My next oldest BC is not a cuddler either. She likes attention/interaction and will follow me about and will nudge for pats, but doesn't do lap sitting etc. So when I talked to Gael's breeder originally I said I want a dog for agility and tracking but really above all I MUST have a cuddly dog. I got my cuddly dog, I adore her, she is very velcro, needy, in my face on my lap as often as she can be. She loves all her people friends too and feels they need many cuddles. She likes to sit on people's laps at agility shows and poke her nose down their tops and inhale noisily:("you smell so nice my lovely friend").

The Brittany is also a snuggler and a heat-seeking snuggler at that, and refuses to contemplate sitting by herself when there is a lap to sleep on. She is very affectionate but more with her family than like Gael with everyone. She is the sort of dog where you go outside to take the recycling out and she is overjoyed at your return as if you had been gone for hours. It is very cute and so I forgive her occasional naughtiness.

Cuddly is the MOST important thing to me

You sort of described so well the reason that I could never be without a Brittany

A Labrador person was telling me she has a green suit (not dark or light) which is a dusty sort of green colour that matches any dog she shows, hope the description makes sense LOL

I would love to take photos of anyone's dog if they ask :-) - helengreenphotos.com

thanks Ruth, I think I found the website, but it is starting a bit too late for our show, thanks anyway.

It all boils down to personal preference and how they also feel in your hand. I prefer Wahl.

that is good to know, because I need some new clippers too, a bit like canon v nikon cameras LOL. Do you know of a good place to buy online too?

super cute puppy

hi. does this tie in with ozentries or is it separate?

Raineth, I had to say you have such good taste, three of my favourite dogs - of course Brittanys won for me but I love Spinones and Smooth Collies too. I find Spinone faces way too cute :-)

Sounds like Jake is really learning how to work the system hankdog

It's interesting hearing people's plans for future dogs. OH and I have decided that the loose dog problem is so bad here that we won't be getting another dog(puppy) as long as we are still in this area. I just think the risk of it becoming reactive due to scary incidents would be too high.

That being said, we wouldn't be getting another pup while we still have Dig and Del anyway.

But our plans are for a Pedigree next time, mainly because I want a puppy rather than an older dog and I am planning on eventually being able to have one at work with me, so predictability is very important. So far are shortlist is Italian Spinone, Brittany, and possibly smooth collie (depends on how barky they are even with training).

Maybe it is because I have small dogs? Fergus isn't at all reactive however I still worry about him when I see an off leash GSD in prey drive running towards us! Maybe ill just get a big dog next time - not reactive, but could put up a fight if they needed to.

ETA: Lucy is reactive only to dogs that don't respond to her very appropriate "please give me some space" signals. She was a gem today - she knew to stand behind me and not say a peep!

Megan, I often think about how much more terrifying it would be to have a smaller dog. No wonder some people with the small dogs are too worried to walk them at all. I think how stressful it is with mine when we have those aggressive encounters, even though I know their size affords them some protection; not from getting hurt, but certainly from getting badly hurt or killed.

From what I was told when I started researching the Brittany, was that the French lines are more the hunting lines & the American lines are more suitable for pet/show homes. Call a few of the breeders and talk to them (that's what I did) Our boy is from American lines. They really are super smart & just love everyone. You can hunt with them one day & then take them to a show the next.

There are some fantastic breeders in Australia that I have spoken to, really helpful and been with the breed for years and years. Even though I didn't purchase my dog through their kennels they are happy to offer support and ideas - Most of the breeders know each other & who has puppies too. Depending on the time you may have to wait for a pup as most have long waiting lists before the litter is even born.

Thanks for that, first hand accounts from people with the breeds is just what I was after. Any other info you can give is much appreciated, everyday life stuff that you don't tend to find in books and on the Internet especially is very helpful.

Actually there are great show dogs in both European and American lines, I have seen both, American dogs in Australia and European dogs in Europe. They are a different type, most peole who have European lines in Australia and New Zealand do not show, but there are some around and some nice ones. There is a Brittany club in New Zealand that you may wish to contact as well, http://www.brittanydogclub.co.nz/

Sorry a bit behind, a few birthdays there, and congrats on graduating from puppy school :-)

Here is Tilly today, didn't want to go too far away from the air conditioning LOL

no worries, it is something that came from t-touch, where they use bandages/bands to wrap around legs so dog is aware of their rear end, but without the bandages - ETA sometimes used in agility for dog walks

What is the problem with the ramp? Is the dog scared to walk up it, or is the dog just jumping off because it doesn't know what to do for some reason?

If the dog is scared the owner is right not to force the dog, especially if it is sensitive.

If the dog is just jumping off the ramp, try teaching the dog to walk on it on the ground, the raise it just a little bit, then a bit more etc until it will stay on. I am guessing the dog is on the large side because they can't pick it up, so sometimes you see in agility large dogs just struggle because they are unsure about what the back end is doing, if so going over it a few times while rubbing the back of the hocks helps so the dog is aware of what the rear end is up to

- just a few ideas anyway.