SkySoaringMagpie

At the risk of being anthro, like many dominant humans. And there is a difference between the quietly confident and those with issues. I think there are many varieties of dominant dog. Also, the peacekeeper is not always the alpha. Our younger Afghan is the peacekeeper. He sees when the girls are getting toey with each other or the pups are annoying the older dogs and he breaks it up by sauntering in the middle of it, or just generally giving off a relaxed aura of "what's the fuss?". He's also one of our most stubborn dogs physically, he's a real space taker, but at the same time very smart about space. Dominant should not be used as shorthand for "poorly trained" but unfortunately it often is.

BIS - Flatcoat RUBIS - PBGV Edit to put the full names in: "Jet", Retriever (Flat Coated) SH CH VBOS THE KENTUCKIAN, MR J M IRVINE, "Jilly", Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) SOLETRADER PEEK A BOO, MRS S ROBERTSON

Don't quote me, but I expect around 8pm British time. I'm not sure exactly how that translates. I use this site for working out international time: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Just got back to my hotel after watching the Hound Group in the main arena. I also watched the Terrier Group and the Agility and Flyball finals, plus the demos by the DWD winner and the Obedience winners. I watched all of the Saluki judging earlier, which took most of the day - am totally exhausted. The only downer was that all the Hound breeds I was interested in were on the at the same time. The Afghan ring was loud and cheerful during the Open/Challenge/BOB but Salukis were doing theirs at the same time so I missed it which was a real bummer, it looked like a real party from what I could see from three rings back. Will have to go again another year! And holy crap, I thought the Australian fancy left a lot of mess behind them when showing. The empty benches today as we walked out after Hound Group looked like someone had emptied a garbage bin all over them. Just going to have something to eat, then it's time so I can do it all over again tomorrow. Tomorrow will be fun day rather than concentrating on breed education and marking catalogues tho. I'll be shopping and watching whatever takes my fancy in the Toys and Utility. Also, showdog, you are not wrong.

I agree with Oakway. I'm in Europe on business staying in a Hilton. It has wooden floor in the room and accepts pets as do most hotels including the major prestige chains. Try it at a Hilton in Australia and see how far you get. I think the difference is that in Australia accommodation that takes dogs is the exception, not the norm. And a lot of what is described as "dog friendly" actually means "we won't freak if you park your trailer with dogs in it near the room" rather than "you can have your dog inside and there is a fenced area for them to toilet".

I'm going to be there on Saturday and Sunday. :p

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local...rs/2097699.aspx Airport staff query pet's transfers BY PETER JEAN 09 Mar, 2011 01:00 AM Dogs and cats are unnecessarily exposed to the elements and could be at risk of being hit by vehicles after being unloaded from planes at Canberra Airport, according to baggage handlers. Qantas baggage handlers, speaking on condition of anonymity, have told The Canberra Times that cages containing pets are routinely left outside for up to an hour after being unloaded from aircraft. The handlers said a shady area where pets used to be left had ceased to be available when the new airport terminal opened last year. They were concerned about animals being exposed to very hot and cold conditions and to prolonged noise from aircraft. One handler said animal containers were sometimes placed dangerously close to areas used by service vehicles. Workers said they raised their concerns with managers and the RSPCA but a Qantas spokesman said the company had no knowledge of any problems with the handling of cats and dogs. ''Qantas is not aware of any issues with the way cats and dogs are handled at Canberra Airport ...'' the spokesman said. Transport Workers' Union official Ben Sweaney said immediate steps should be taken to improve arrangements for pets after they were unloaded from aircraft. For more on this story, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times

Hemangio is a known problem in German Shepherds. Don't know about Belgians.

There's a bit of "look, there goes Elvis!" in this thread. Forget the third world countries and the dirty metro - they could do better but so could we. I don't think we are becoming dog unfriendly, I think we are adjusting poorly to the changes in our society and some dogs are paying the price. We have some deeply held cultural values, some of them going back to how the country was settled, which teach us how to see dogs from an early age. Some of those values are risky when you combine them with modern society. A huge one is dogs are not to be inside, another is not to be soft and not to make a fuss. My grandparents had a dog and being of country background would have been horrified about having him inside. However, they spent a lot of time in the (large) yard on the vegie garden and projects. These days people are much more house bound, and I think many have failed to make the lifestyle transition with their dogs. Plus bogan attitude extends to dog ownership, just as it does to everything else. Arctic breeds appeal to the bogan, and the bogan is probably the least suited to raising them responsibly.

I'm also sorry to hear this sad news. I don't know what breed your Lucy is but in some dogs there is a genetic element to this form of cancer. That would inform my decision making if I was facing this in a Saluki, and I would do as Rebanne has suggested. I would not put a dog through chemo unless there was a very good chance of complete recovery. With this kind of cancer in my breed I'm afraid I'd be rather pessimistic. However, I also agree with Rebanne that others may choose differently and what matters is what you feel is the right course of action. There will be DOLers to support you whichever road you take.

The girls that are here are part of what I'd call the "second wave" of COO Salukis in Australia, and to date none of the bitches have been bred from. Well over 20 years ago, a Saudi dog, Aj Mohammed was imported and is behind a number of Australian Salukis, including my smooth boy. His nephew, Bearsnrails al Bes also had Iranian stock behind him, and is behind a number of other Salukis both here and overseas. I think his owner still has some semen stored. Some of the Salukis that come down from him look like 4 year olds and they are 10, they are impressively healthy dogs. I think it's important to remember that some Western Saluki people have been doing this for a while, well before PDE came along to shake things up. Yes, we do it on a private basis as getting a suitable venue and insurance for publicly accessible lure coursing has been too hard. Your profile says you are in QLD, which has the best public lure coursing set up in Australia. I'd get in touch with the QLD lure coursing association and go and have a look. Edit: 8 guests reading at 4am in the morning Australian time. How odd.

Just wanted to mention that sometimes something that seems cosmetic, like ear set, is related to performance ability. It's another reason why I think pet only breeding is a risky proposition. Fitness for purpose is part of the breed type and we should be aiming for the best to the extent we can in modern society.

It sure is - this area is a political nightmare btw, there are factions of COO types and some heavy agendas. No-one can answer your questions for sure and no-one can guarantee that any dog will be healthier. One observation I will make: like working dogs everywhere, if a Saluki doesn't perform or sickens in the COO, then the solution is not usually to fret over the pedigree and do tests but just to put it down - and not always humanely (or worse, which I won't go into here). However, one of the big attractions for me in having a COO Saluki is that I am a health nut and I think I have a better chance of healthy dogs this way than using heavily line bred dogs. At least in the ME, you get natural matings, natural whelpings and if a dog doesn't cut it, it isn't used. So it's a good chance, but not a guarantee. So far my girl has come through her health checks with flying colours but I'm not counting chickens.

I'm not sure that's me but I'll give this a go. Shortstep, once the AKC recognises them on their registry, you can transfer them to ANKC registration. A Saluki with COO background has recently been imported into Victoria from America and she is registered - I'm guessing that some of her ancestors would have come through the SPDBS. The AKC has a similar entry scheme for Basenji and there are some Basenji imports in South Australia with COO background that have come down from that scheme. You can't register a dog straight from the COO through this scheme due to the 3 generations requirement I have a COO Saluki from Bahrain in my backyard who is ANKC registered and she is a direct import. She was able to be registered because she was registered in Bahrain, which has a KC which is FCI affiliated. I think of the COO (broadly speaking) only Bahrain and Morocco have FCI affiliation? Anyway, in order to be registered in Bahrain you have to satisfy the registrar, who is very experienced and exacting, as to the dogs pedigree back over 3 generations. My girl's pedigree was already registered back that far. A friend was offered a beautiful bitch a couple of years ago, but as the pedigree on one side could not be absolutely established, she could not be registered, and so could not be transferred to the Australian registry. So it didn't happen. I suppose I also want to sound a note of caution for those who think that might be unnecessarily harsh. 200 years of European interaction in the Middle East has lead to what you would expect - a lot of cross breeding, including way back at the turn of last century. Even today a lot of young arab guys will go for whatever is fastest, which usually means cross breeding with greyhounds and others. Some won't use the term "desert" about a Saluki because to them it means "off the desert" - ie, of dubious purity. That's why I use COO Saluki to be completely clear. There are some excellent stewards of the breed in the ME, including the Bahrain registrar. It can be very hard to tell what you have in front of you unless you know the breed and the area it came from well and I have no problem at all with them being really fussy. My Bahraini girl is having a litter at the end of this year. I expect the owner of the bitch in Melbourne may have plans for her girl too as would Farousi Salukis in WA who have my girl's sister. So if you're serious about wanting a COO heritage Saluki you have a number of options right here in Australia and progeny of all three bitches are registrable. One thing people should definitely NOT do is locate a dog in the ME and assume the ANKC can be convinced to register it. Some pretty heavy hitters in the breed tried to help someone out with this exact issue recently and the answer was a flat no. With all this, it pays to do your homework before committing to the dog. There is a lot you can do in Salukis within the existing rules. A final note of caution - there are alleged problems particularly in Europe & Israel, with dogs being passed off as COO when they are not. People know there is a cachet to COO dogs and they play on it. So it comes back to homework. Edited for clarity

I agree with this tho' I think it's pointscore rather than the Gr Ch title producing this effect. We often run into the top winners in my breed and you see some of them at very small shows. Being in show admin, I do see refusals too, perhaps more than your average punter does because most judges are quite discrete about how they do it. Maybe not enough to prevent a dog getting titled, but enough to slow them down enough to rethink. There are always going to be champions that are not worth the title in some people's eyes. Heck, there are going to be Gr Chs that are unworthy in some people's eyes, even if they have scored a BIS. To some extent it's an argument about taste and/or breed knowledge, not quality. The generic show dog is not always the correct dog.

A useful blog: http://www.badscience.net/ There is also a book, titled "Bad Science" that is worth a read. Explains in layman's terms what Rev Jo is talking about re scientific studies.

For the OP, I would NOT give a homeopathic for parasite/flea prevention. I have not had a flea on my dogs for years and I don't use chemicals. I get to avoid chemicals because I live in Southern NSW which is usually very dry and has very cold winters (ie flea unfriendly). I also live well away from other people and their dogs. I could be giving homeopathics and saying "hey, this works!". In fact, it's the fortunate combination of geography and general good management. The same applies to heartworm down here - our local vet only sees cases that have travelled in from well outside the area. Anyone around here putting their flea free/heartworm free status down to homeopathics would be deluding themselves on a grand scale.

I agree with this, tho' would extend it to participation in some form of performance sport that includes serious peer review and participation. If you're not out among the best and rest of your breed in some way, then I think it's a rather risky prospect to be breeding. Showing/performance doesn't have to take over your life - I know people who show more selectively than others but they still get amongst it, particularly at Specialities.

In NSW anyway the mailing fee is a saving because for a manual entry you have to supply two stamps. One to post your entries there, and one on the stamped, self-addressed envelope that you enclose to get your numbers back. Would be different in states where you pick your numbers up on the day I guess.

Is it really thou? I like the online process and use it when Im lazy but I def dont find it cheap especially when enterin 6 dogs Whether it is cheaper for you depends on the value of your time in strictly financial terms and how much you are being charged for cheques by your financial provider. I won't say how much I earn per hour but it is well over $60. For me, quickly picking up pre-recorded details of my dogs on a website and paying by credit card is far quicker than the time it takes to manually put the entries together and get to a post box to post the entry. If I were retired on a fixed pension with a lot of spare time the calculation would be different and it would not be cheaper unless my bank charged like a wounded bull for cheques, as some do. Plenty of people in that situation are prepared to pay extra for convenience and certainty tho'. As for records, I've been using OzEntries for a few years now and I have records of everything I've done as well. Electronic records are still records but the official club records are all on paper (printed off the computer!) It is definitely financial advantageous for the club IMO - I get additional entries through using this system and if you shop properly for envelopes you are not out of pocket on postage.

done, many thanks Got it, ta. Will mail tomorrow when I have a functional enough brain to include some instructions!

I am a show sec too, and while I have never personally bounced one of my show cheques, I have certainly dealt with those who have and it is a pain in the neck. My comments about it are not related to balancing my cheque book, tho' I do like the fact that the money is immediately secured when you lodge with OzEntries. My comments are about the irritation of having to make the phone call, then collect the money + bank fee from someone who is inevitably embarrassed and/or defensive. OzEntries saves me (and them) all that aggravation.

From a show secretary's perspective I think it is less work not more. You don't have to do any reciepting, you don't have to deal with bounced cheques and there are macros you can use to convert the exhibitor file and exhibits file into envelopes and entry slips. Takes much much less time than it does to process manual entries. From an exhibitor's perspective, your entry is not lost and you can double check what you have done at any time. You can also sneak entries in at the last minute without having to bug the show sec to see if they'll be accepted. This is also less work for the show sec. Yes it's more expensive, but for me not when I consider how much I get paid an hour and the amount of time it takes me to muck about with manual entries including posting them. Edit: Rebanne I can send you the merge word docs for envelopes and slips if you like. Just PM me an email addy.

We have tried both - before and after - and had complaints both times.

I think a "fwump" of Wolfies. I like a "swish" of Afghans. Also like a "flight" of Salukis tho' an "aristocracy" of Salukis would also capture a certain something!!