SkySoaringMagpie

Actually, yes. Lucy - means "light" and she is the light of my life. Jadir - means "worthy". Mab - I really should have known better than to name her for the Queen of the Faeries. Still, it's nothing if not apt. Floyd - means "grey haired" and he is a silver grizzle. His registered name means "The Hero". I hope that is a sign of something good Edit: PM, I never put two and two together before. We must arrange for Obie and Mabbie to meet one day!

Sorry, but I have to disagree, and actually find that comment a little offensive. When the breed/s that you particularly love have certain basic personality traits, then that is often what you love most about your dogs. If you take on a dog from a different breed that is a completely different animal to live with, you may not bond with it, you may not even like it. If true dog lovers were happy to bond with any and every dog there would be few if any pure breeds because people would not strive to fix certain types and temperaments that are most admirable within a breed. Plus, sometimes certain people and dogs do not bond, just like some people never get along. They should not be made to feel that they are doing sometime wrong, that they are not a "true dog lover". Agree with Alyosha here. I can get on with and admire a wide range of dogs but when it comes to those I want to share my heart and my home with some just don't make the cut for very good reasons. And that is the whole point of pure breed dogs.

klink what about the people in this thread who have said it wouldn't work for them because they want to know when close friends are judging so they can avoid entering? Isn't that acting ethically? Back in 2002 Duggan and Levitt did a study of corruption in Sumo wrestling. Basically they did a statistical analysis of the number of times fights came out a certain way when a fighter had nothing to lose by throwing a fight but his opponent had a lot to gain and the analysis demonstrated that there was corruption in the sport. Google it and you'll find a lot of info about it. If, as you say, it's obvious from the results pages, then perhaps you could come up with a similar statistical analysis to support your theory? Otherwise it's just an allegation without anything behind it. FWIW, I do think there are people operating corruptly in the system but your proposal wouldn't change cronyism or "you scratch my back" behaviour.

I think it depends on whether you want a dog, or if it's a case of there being a place in the family for another dog, and you don't really mind who chooses. If that was the case I'd leave it up to hubby to pick from a decent breeder. I am a sighthound nut, and out of your hubby's shortlist I would pick a Dobe because I think they are more similar than the others.

Personal staff to 4 Salukis Co-parent of 2 Afghans and an Irish Wolfhound Show my own dogs Club Secretary for a Group Club and an All Breeds Club Member of my two breed clubs Steward at dog shows and occasionally at trials Do some private lure coursing over winter months Occasionally do breed rescue and foster when the need arises Planning my first litter. Also a member of the CSM and definitely a Crazy Dog Lady Before I ran out of hours in the day, I was a volunteer obedience instructor and have taught classes and given intake lectures at two of the Canberra obedience clubs. Spend what spare time I do have reading all I can find on my breed, structure, performance, heath etc and talking about those things with other dog tragics likeminded people. I have an office job, I couldn't afford to pay for what I want to do with my dogs with a dog job, and probably could not put up with the people associated with dog jobs either.

We had one of these last year. Even tho' the judge ended up awarding our dog and giving it an age class in group - never again. Edit: Wasn't there some talk of amending the rules so that Judge A could not show to Judge B if Judge A had put Judge B up for a Group or BIS/RUBIS in the two years previously?

I don't mind mystery General Specials judges, some clubs do that and it seems work well, particularly for fundraiser shows. There are legitimate reasons why you might choose not to enter under a particular judge for breed and group tho'. Fifi has mentioned one. How about this one? I enter a show, travel a couple of hours, OH grooms an Afghan Hound, and we get there to find that the judge is a close enough friend and mentor that we think it would be inappropriate to show to them. I can think of better ways to spend the time and money. The best solution for facey judges is not to give them another entry and to speak up when your committee discusses appointments.

Yes, I'm guessing anything other than frozen is going to be hard with the complication of the owner potentially being away - it's not hard to set contigency plans up but follow through can never be guaranteed. So far I'm leaning towards your suggestion of frozen.

Is the stud dog's owner at all interested in the mating? Who is minding the dog while they are away? Could they not arrange to have a stud master/vet on standby to do the collection and mix up for the chilled and a trusted friend (or pay the extra $$ to the stud master/vet) to freight it? Yes that's all possible so maybe it is possible. And yes Fifi, the stress of travel bothered me even tho' they are a pretty robust breed. Hmm.

Just wondering how easy that would be if the stud dog's owner was away.

Puzzling over what to do here. The dog is proven stud dog and lives in WA - so driving to him is not an option. Bitch hasn't had a litter but has had an accidental tie that we fixed with Alizin so she's not unfamiliar with what is required! She lives with me. I would prefer a live mating. The first option was to fly the bitch over with me going with her but there is a chance the owner of the stud dog will be overseas when she is due in. I'm not sure how feasible it is to fly the dog, he is older (9). There aren't any genetic tests in our breed which is why the accepted health protocol is to use older dogs. The nasties have usually shown up by the time they hit 8 or 9. I suppose the obvious option in this situation is just to do chilled/frozen despite my preference for a live mating. But I'm not sure if that would be more or less likely to produce a result. How long is a piece of string?

Having Afghans, we've learned to ignore it. You'll have to do the same or you'll go mad. Recently a relative told me at a family function that she thought Afghans were dumb - she's a dog trainer and had been house sitting one. I think the rest of the table was waiting for me to go ballistic. You know where all the cutlery stops mid air and you can only hear the clinking in the distance of the other tables. Anyway. I didn't go ballistic or even attempt to have a word about it. I just ignored it - she's not going to change her mind and I can't be bothered with it anymore. If people who should know better are going to say stupid things then they are beneath my notice. Usually I think the problem is something like: "I can't relate to the temperament or appearance of [whatever breed], and I don't have the imagination to recognise that someone else might see more in it". I mean, there are some breeds where I'd prefer to shove a blunt stick in my eye than own one, but the owners of those breeds don't need to listen to me projecting my personal issues about it onto their choices. Be the kind of dog person you want to hang out with, and you'll attract like minded people. Ignore the rest, poodles are dudes.

I am looking what has happened over the last 30 years. If you definition of typey is what fits the breed standard not necessarily what wins I would agree but if it is what wins it is often what fits with the current fashion. I am looking at a breed that still performs its original function and while are top show dogs still could conformationally there are also a lot lot who physically couldn't because of their type. I don't think that's type tho'. It's usually "generic show dog", which is not type by definition.

Yes it's too young - dogs are just as capable of overdoing it as humans are especially if they are bonded to you and want to please you. You can damage his joints at this age. What breed? I'd probably try fetch and find games instead, including ones where you hide the ball or object. Wearing out their brain is at least as important as wearing out their body.

Christine Zink said the same. And still it falls on deaf ears. Pat also explained the reasons for their original structure - I thought it was educational and understand better now why a good GSD is different to other dogs in the rear. Different doesn't mean wrong tho', and a lot of what we see is very wrong in that "if some is good, more must be better" kind of way. She had some great photos of dogs working to demonstrate any exceptions to the standard structure. I'm also reading a really interesting and intelligently written book at the moment called "Gazehounds: The Search for Truth" by Constance Miller. It's out of print now I think, OH got it second hand. Great for sighthounders but useful for any breed to understand better the ways in which myths are created and maintained in dogs against the available scientific evidence and how this also works against people putting effort into better research. There's a drawing of an Afghan skeleton reproduced in it that is just wrong, that has been used over and over in breed education because it's been handed down as lore. The combination of attending the seminar and reading that book has given me the confidence to test the "experts" a lot more. One of the saddest photos Pat presented was one that had been printed (and now has mercifully been removed) in a breed standard extension!

I went to this yesterday in Sydney and it was excellent. Definitely try and get to it if she comes back to Australia again, the info is invaluable to anyone doing agility or high level obedience, and I don't think anyone should purchase a new dog for dog sport or show without examining the dog against the structural fundamentals she explains. I ordered the book, "Structure in Action: The Makings of a Durable Dog", hope it's as good as the seminar was for reference purposes.

It is part of some Islamic traditions about dogs and there are specific instructions to kill black dogs in the Hadiths. It's not in the Quran and many consider it to be a pre-Islam arab belief. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_dogs

Bang. Only if they are lucky.

Yes you can do pretty much anything with motivators and commands in the show ring, and I rather like the idea of a "forward" command. Thank you. As for cheating, plenty of judges and stewards overlook dirty handling and rough handling for political or personal reasons. Some will make the exhibitors go around again and say "leave a space" or ask you to gait separately. With rough handling some will step in and tell the exhibitor to back off, many won't. Some will punish dirty handling by not awarding the person doing it, but that's not very common. Sometimes part of dirty handling is to intimidate the judge, not the other exhibitors. To make a complaint stick you need the complaint fee plus something in addition to your word against theirs - either a witness or some video. It's a lot of trouble to go to for something that is ultimately just a dog show. That's why I like the idea of proofing it instead.

Agree with this with the one dog who is only young, the other dog was quite a bit older and that was the dog whose name was called unfortunately. Lots of helpful suggestions here, thanks. Will think on it. I can't use anything that requires the dog to look at the handler mid gait as it will throw their front out.

I like what Alyosha and Diva have said. I think it's also important to understand the difference between what I might call a "plain" presenting dog, and an "eyecatching" dog. The "plain" dog might have all the breed hallmarks, and the "eyecatching" dog might not. So for example, a very long narrow muzzle in Afghans or an overangulated rear and straight front in Salukis might look "typey" to an uneducated eye, but in fact it's just flashy and not actually reflective of breed type at all. I'm not saying all the plain sound ones have excellent breed type. Many don't. But it's important to understand what is REALLY breed type and what is just generic show dog.

OK, this is actually a show question but I thought I might get better answers in here. The ultimate answer may be the show answer, which is to turn around and kick up a fuss in the ring about your exhibit being interfered with. If I can get the dogs to ignore it tho', that would also be good. So. Twice this weekend my OH has been handling dogs and someone has dirty handled from behind by distracting our dog. One person used the dog's name and the other used the "puppy puppy puppy" call that a lot of breeders use to call puppies. The net effect is that your dog turns around and usually that looks ungainly, breaks their stride and can also make them look spooky. So not a good look. And if you're wondering if the "puppy puppy puppy" was innocent, the person didn't do it when gaiting their dog by itself. Calling the dog in front of you by name in the ring can't be called innocent in anyone's language. I'm not sure whether training a dog to ignore their name from someone else would be sensible or realistic. There is less drama about undoing the "puppy puppy" stuff but that is pretty early wiring for most dogs so might be tricky. If you were going to try to train either of these, what would you think the prospects would be and how would you go about it? Or do we just start shirtfronting people in the ring?

Unless you've seen it, you can know intellectually that you have to keep them separate but it's only with experience that you realise how nutty the boys can go and how separate separate has to be! Agree with Alyosha that they tend to get better with age. My oldest male was really stupid around girls as a young one, now he restricts his obsessive behaviour to when the girls are actually ready to stand. I think the younger dogs can get awfully confused. Also agree with the others that what works depends on the dog and your infrastructure at home. Some boys are quieter when they can see the bitch, some aren't. You either hunker down and deal with it, or board the dog. The latter is by far the safest option providing the kennel is a good one. Edited to put a missing noun in!

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/dog-figh...0421-1dpxn.html Transport minister Terry Mulder might have overturned a ban on dogs and cats travelling with their owners on regional trains — but that doesn't mean rail operator V/Line is going to do what he says. In a statement posted on its website this morning, V/Line said that: "Despite a State Government announcement on Wednesday 20 April, pets are NOT allowed on V/Line trains until further notice... "V/Line is working with staff and government to resolve concerns around the carriage of animals and until all risks are assessed, pets will not be allowed on V/Line services." Contacted this morning for a comment on why the minister's order had been ignored, Mr Mulder's press officer said she could not yet discuss the matter. Mr Mulder yesterday heralded his decision as "a great announcement for pets". But the Opposition, which in 2008 changed the rules to forbid passengers travelling with animals to board regional train services, said it was a sign Mr Mulder was not in control of the rail network. "What a wally," Opposition public transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said. "Could he not even be bothered to ring the rail authority that he was about to launch this initiative with?" Mr Mulder yesterday appeared at a launch at Southern Cross Station, accompanied by three-year old terrier Mishka, to make the pet announcement. "If you are going to launch an initiative that allows you to give a nice cuddle with a poodle for a photo opportunity, then you'd better be sure you ring the authority concerned to check it's okay with them first," Ms Richardson said. It is unclear how long it will take V/Line to come up with a final decision on whether pets can be carried on its trains. Passengers wanting to check can call V/Line on 136 196. Guide dogs, hearing guide dogs and training guide dogs can still travel on all public transport services in Victoria without restriction. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/dog-figh...l#ixzz1K9WWiP1D

Off to Castle Hill tomorrow for the IW Spec. Gotta love a club that starts at 1pm. Very civilised...