SkySoaringMagpie

IMO Gillman's are the best quality and Computer Sashes are pretty good. Some others may be cheaper, but they look it. Might not matter so much for All Breeds but for Speciality shows I think it's better to have something that is an attractive keepsake.

Establish which state it is in and take a look at the local laws. The internet is a poor substitute for understanding the law. I would be very surprised if a dog securely contained in its own yard could be done for killing an animal that wandered into that yard. I think it's also highly unlikely that killing a cat will translate to human aggression. If you own a sighthound, you own a hunter. Not the first cat to die this way, and certainly unlikely to be the last - which is why it's important not to let cats roam.

Don't care as long as the quality is reasonable. We do small rosettes for the feature BOB and sashes for In Show.

No. I have a breed where all colours are permitted. I feel affectionately towards certain coat colours because of dogs I have loved, but if I were going to a breeder for a dog, the colour would be the last thing on my mind. Other things like temperament, soundness, breeding and style are much more important to me. If I were looking for a show dog and I found a parti colour I liked with a great big spot on the neck or topline I would probably pass. But not because of it being parti, or because it's a fault (it isn't) but because showing a dog with an unfortunate marking is making life really difficult for yourself. I can work with an unpopular colour if the dog is outstanding, but an unfortunate mark is different.

Yes, OH dragged me into the lounge room for the Saluki segment. There were at least 5 pieces of information that were bs. Overall tho' the message was pretty reasonable - ie, need fully fenced free running, tricky to train, for experienced dog owners.

I don't see this as particularly harmful or anything fundamentally new. A DOL dog profile is by its nature a very public document, that's the whole point of having it. I'm assuming that the photos a person uses on their dog's DOL profile are the best they can find of their dog because of this. Likewise I am assuming that any showie will not be posting unflattering pictures of their dog or unflattering information anywhere public - DOL or otherwise. DOL has been and still is heavily scrutinised by show people who never post here. When we post there are a lot of people quietly watching and working out whether they'd work with us/sell a dog/whatever on the basis of what we post and Facebook links doesn't change that. The sighthound thread already gets a number of "guests" reading it, particularly when something gossip worthy might be happening. I get PMs from people who don't post when that stuff happens too. We'd be silly to think we weren't already being watched and links sent around. IME, if people are going to be actively destructive they are more likely to use pictures taken by show paparrazi because those pictures you can't control. If they are using pictures you've uploaded, then perhaps it's worth considering whether you should have uploaded them. FB is self policing to an extent too because it is so public, it's the sly emails behind your back that do the most damage.

Sadly I think this is often the big test. Anyone can be pleasant when looking for a sale or when things are going well. It's how someone reacts when something unfortunate happens that counts. Both breeder and buyer.

It's the Arabic for Sirius, the dog star.

Some do, some don't. Just as some puppy buyers like to have an ongoing relationship with the breeder of their dog and some resent the idea that they have to do anything but pony up the cash for the dog. The whole "I want a dog, not a relationship" thing is pretty common. The key thing is to ensure you pick a breeder whose values around this stuff match yours. And if you happen to mismatch, then there is always the breed chat threads to talk about your pride and joy.

Would find it useful for my own purposes and to assist friends rescuing large breed puppies to have an Australia wide list of vets who will do vasectomies/tubals. Similar to the list we have for repro vets. Maybe if we can get a decent list together we can get this pinned or put into the knowledge base area. South Australia Dr Chris Girling: Noah's Crossing Vet, Lewiston SA ph 08 8524 2260 Dr Rebekah French: Animalia Clinic Evanston Gardens SA Victoria Stewart Mason will do them from 12 weeks: Monash Vet - Oakleigh East Main St Vets, Bairnsdale

Some of the "country" line ups I've seen in the last 6 months definitely give the metro centres a run for their money. Yes there are some small Aggie shows with not a lot of competition but the big country shows around here like Yass and Goulbourn KCs pull in competitive quality dogs from everywhere - including Sydney.

If you think we have problems with cronyism now, we'll have even more problems under a system like that. If we want independent judges, we have to treat them like grownups. One thing I would like to see is some kind of continuing education requirement to maintain one's license, similar to what many professionals have to do.

I think the answer to this depends a lot on the observer. I see it as one element of qualifying a dog for a breeding program. There are other important elements that a judge has no hope of assessing in a show ring, and those are the responsibility of the breeder to assess. Like human qualifications, some get through the Ch by the skin of their teeth and some romp it in with a 25 point challenge on their first birthday. An educated observer isn't going to assume a plumbers license guarantees a good job on their drains, or a legal qualification guarantees their lawyer will win their case. The qualification is just one box to tick among many before deciding they are the one for the job.

This is very good advice. The only thing I would add, is that unlike the diseases the C3 vaccinates for, KC can be a pain, but is rarely a serious problem unless there are other underlying health issues in the dog. So while someone may not agree with an owner not vaccing for KC, it's not the kind of thing reasonable vet is going to argue with because the consequences are highly unlikely to be serious. I would expect a reasonable vet to argue with someone who was planning to use homeopathy instead of a parvo vacc because that IS negligent behaviour by the owner.

This is one of our local shows. Do you have any trouser suits? Considering the forecast is for a top temp of 9, I think you'd be wise to wear thermals under a trouser suit. Or if you have some nice warm stylish clothes that works too - a lot of people here wear cute brightly coloured short coats, swing coats or trench coats with trousers or even (eep!) jeans. Usually they wait for frost to burn off the grass, but sometimes it can still be dicey. Most important thing about footwear is grip. You can change into a pair of warm boots while waiting around. If you really want to go all out, a butane camp heater and a butane stove for making hot tea is what you want! I hope the coffee lady will be there.

Having a lot of trouble getting hold of Royal Canin Giant Adult at the moment, we like it because the kibble size means he actually has to chew on it rather than hoover it, and he was doing well on it. Anyone got any suggestions for a similar kibble - we tried Hills, he doesn't like it. Tho' the Saluki pup had fun digging it out from under the couch where he had kicked it. Also, does anyone have any inside goss on when the supply problems will be resoved. Mostly just getting "Royal Canin, who knows!?" when I ask, tho' the lady I spoke to yesterday said it was something to do with changing the formula to avoid irradiation on import? Edited to fix extra "and"

No. Too close in age for training and development purposes and a definite risk of BYBing if they are not registered breeders. And the toileting inside bit is very odd, particularly for an active medium sized dog. How much exercise are these dogs going to get? You could tell him that male companion dogs will be sold with desexed or with a vasectomy. That should weed out their intentions pretty quickly.

It was explained to me this way, bearing in mind there are exceptions to every generalisation: the Specialists keep the All Breeds judges honest and the All Breeds judges keep the Specialists honest. IOW, I think specialists are there to support the true type of their breed, ensuring that their breed doesn't lose breed specific attributes to a "generic show dog" look. The All Breeds judges see a huge range of dogs, and can separate the wood from the trees. I don't think either is superior, you just need to understand and appreciate what they each bring to judging. And of course, you can get good and bad judges in either camp, and that's not to do with specialisation, it's to do with whether someone has integrity, education and an eye for a dog.

On the bed, not in it. The 2 girls do all the time, the boys get visiting privileges sometimes and the IW is never allowed on the bed, for obvious reasons. He has his own single mattress anyway.

I can do one better, there is a litter of Pharaoh/Afghan long dogs in rescue ATM. Let me know if you are interested and I will put you in touch with the foster carer!

The only other breed that I am serious enough about interest wise to want to own is a Skye Terrier. Probably about 15 years off, it will be my "retirement present" to myself. Until then, any space in the house with my name on it will be for a Saluki.

I would use the high ambit claim strategy for that one. "Honey, I want a Saluki or a Pharaoh - or maybe an Afghan" He'll be so relieved you'll settle for a sensible Borzoi after that you'll be home and hosed!!

You need to get out more.. I've seen it reasonably frequently. Not in Group 5 but definitely in Groups 3,4 and 7 I've seen an entire Challenge line up refused CC. I've seen BOB refused. And I've definitely seen plenty of classes refused. I've seen dogs excused from the ring too. Mind you, this was all in the country. I've seen it too. A good judge also does it discreetly and a mature and street-smart exhibitor doesn't react obviously in the ring. Unless you watch all the judging very closely, or you often volunteer to write cards or you run shows, you probably will not even know it's happened.

If a rescue is one of my breeds, then to me they are more special and I will allocate my resources accordingly. I am not saying any one dog is intrinsically worth more in the eyes of God/The Universe/Whatever but in the face of finite resources, you have to prioritise it the way you see fit. This being a pure breed forum, I guess others see things the same way.

This is just not true. If you visit any dog shelter you will find that most dogs on death row are mixed breeds - usually your large brown or black mixed breed. Take a look at the pound lists on the rescue forum on this site under "urgent rescues" and tell me what you find. Yes some pedigree dogs wind up in shelters, but of these, most are picked up through breed rescue and responsibly dealt with. I have no idea where your 90 per cent figure comes from, but in the ACT at least the PTS figure for all dogs (pure or mixed) is nothing like that. In fact, it's almost the reverse at the RSPCA (8 per cent, I just looked it up).