SkySoaringMagpie

Depends on the dog and the owners. It would not be fair (or sensible if you want to avoid behavioural problems) to take the pup from its mother and siblings and then leave it alone for 8 hours immediately. But if the people take some time off during which they settle the pup in and get it used to being by itself for increasing amounts of time and secure with its surroundings, then I don't see a deal breaker. However, I think all that is a bit irrelevant. If you're a breeder, you set the terms you are happy with for your puppies. What other people would or wouldn't do isn't really relevant, if you're not happy with the pup being by itself that long, then don't sell them a pup.

Agree with those who say hubby should ignore the dog - and if he is usually someone who crashes about the place and rants at the footy, he might want to tone it down for a bit. Let the dog come to him, and when she does, he should respond gently and slowly and steadily. The dog will do better over the long term if she has developed the confidence to approach him, rather than feeling that she always has to deal with the fear of him approaching her.

Beef brisket, chicken frames and for the girls, chicken wings. The brisket is good because they eat the lot. Don't often feed lamb because it gives some of them the runs. I buy from a butcher not a supermarket - they deliver in bulk to my OH's work and we just drive it home in a big esky from there. For the Canberrans, this is the place: http://www.jordoschopshop.com/ Assume that other capital cities have similar services. It's cheaper than our local Woollies and the provenance of some of the supermarket "pet bones" can be a bit iffy - not so much with lamb and beef but with chicken. I'm talking frozen and imported from eastern Europe where some of their meat management practices can be a bit iffy. I also got annoyed with the stink of the Woollies frames when you open the bag. I know dogs digestive systems can handle most things but I don't want that smell in my kitchen.

Agree with this, for example with the rarer sighthounds quite a few people who have been involved in Saluki/Afghan/Borzoi rescue have helped out with Pharaohs. They are all different, but they tend to be challenging in similar ways. I once took some small terriers because it was Christmas, it was a friend whose home had been foreclosed, and I didn't want to impose on rescue at such a shitty time of year. They are not my bag, and I'd rather deal with an escaping Saluki with separation anxiety than the little terrierists. On the other hand, a terrier rescue person would no doubt see things in reverse. Horses for courses.

How do you get to know the breed standard and different lines to figure out what you want I think you need to be guided in the early stages and guidance that is impartial is hard to come by from within the breed. If you can find someone very experienced from outside the breed to make a few suggestions, that can be helpful. It also depends somewhat on whether you just want to win and have no interest in breeding, or whether you have caught the "bug" for your breed and what to be a part of its future. The dogs you would purchase for both those aims are not necessarily the same dogs. Have a look for breeders where the dogs win big with other people, not just with the breeders holding the lead. Breeders - sorting the wheat from the chaff Eliminate anyone who bitches to you about other breeders. If they are prepared to do that, they are also prepared to bitch and whine about you, and that's not a step very far away from doing you over in ways large or small. Someone who is quite confident in the quality of their dogs doesn't need to put other breeders down. By confidence I don't mean being kennel blind, kennel blindness often goes with putting others down anyway. Make sure you are up for the relationship they want. It may be that they want you to consult them over where the dog takes a crap each day, expect you to go to particular shows no matter what is going on in your life, etc - or - at the other extreme, you might never hear from them, send them an email about winning the dog's first group only to get no response but notice that the result has gone up in the pointscore anyway. There are advantages and disadvantages to joining a large well established local "team" or going your own way with a dog from a breeder who is geographically quite distant. Talk to people in both situations about their choices and decide what suits your personality best. How to convince a breeder you are "safe hands" for a show prospect You can only try and demonstrate to them that you are less risky than most. Don't make promises you're not sure you can keep. No-one can guarantee that they are a totally safe pair of hands, but with baby steps you can show that you are the kind of person who will do the right things by your dogs. What each breeder considers "safe" varies too. Some will put welfare above any other consideration. Others will put dutifully trekking to shows at the top of their list. Find out what is important to the breeder, and work with it. The steadier you are, the better. People who flip from one option to another on a whim don't give the impression "I want one of your dogs, and I'm prepared to put in some effort to get one". What does "show prospect" mean and dealing with pups that don't turn out as well as expected. A show prospect is just a promising puppy. Often people give up far too soon. With late maturing dogs, it can sometimes not be until they are 5 or 6 when they really hit their stride and start winning the bigtime. So my advice would be, providing there isn't a deal breaker like a bad mouth or a sucked up testicle, be patient if you have a slow maturing breed. Work at your presentation and handling and grooming. Don't get uptight when you're beaten by someone who has 30 years on you, watch them carefully instead. Dealing with disappointment - no litter, no gender you were after, no testicles etc, no pup for you. This is where I get cheesy. Invariably when I have hit a disappointment like that, it meant that something better was just around the corner. When plan A fails, move to plan B. Edited to fix formatting...

x 2 The point of this situation, I think, is that it's particularly disturbing that someone charged with upholding the law would do something like this. When any ordinary idiot does it, it's reprehensible, but it doesn't provoke questions about who will police the police and what other behaviour they get up to when they think no-one is watching. Which means it's doubly important that we as citizens insist on everyone adhering to the law, instead of responding by suggesting a bit of vigilante action.

My mother phoned last night from Victoria to talk to me about the fact she is considering purchasing a new dog. One of her rescue SWFs died a few months ago, and the other one is lonely. I am always careful to hang back when giving new dog advice to relatives because it's a pretty personal decision and we all have to live with each other. If it were up to me I'd buy her a Cav, but it's not up to me it's up to her. However, it was her who mentioned to me how difficult a very well known local "rescue" was to deal with. She will probably just go to the pound and pick out a little jack x or mini foxie when they come up.

From the DogsWest Regulations: A9. REFUSAL OF MEMBERSHIP Notwithstanding that any person, firm, company or association may satisfy the conditions of eligibility for membership, the Council may at its discretion refuse any application for membership or terminate any membership provided that Council is satisfied that the applicant or member has a history of cruelty to animals, without assigning any reason for such refusal.

Justen Storay first realised something was wrong when his dog, Laps, did not welcome him home. But a review of his home security system uncovered a shocking secret. CCTV footage showed an ACT police officer had fired capsicum spray at the chained dog during a search of Mr Storay’s unoccupied Griffith home last month. Jer, through his lawyers at Canberra law firm Ben Aulich and Associates, lodged an official complaint with the Australian Federal Police. The incident is currently under investigation by AFP's Professional Standards. Acting chief police officer Commander David Pryce tweeted an assurance that police were taking the matter seriously. "I've read all comments and criticisms: I know we've let you down Canberra. A professional standards investigation is occuring," the tweet said. Police searched the home on May 1 in relation to a dangerous driving charge. Justen Storay, centre, from Griffith with Zoe Storay, left, 8 and Declan Storay, right, 3 play with their family dog Laps in the backyard, Justen Storay, centre, from Griffith with Zoe Storay, left, 8 and Declan Storay, right, 3 play with their family dog Laps in the backyard, Photo: Jeffrey Chan Mr Storay – who is known to police – was not at home at the time and no items were seized. Footage of the incident shows Laps – a bull mastiff cross – tethered to a chain in the back yard. A plain clothes AFP officer can be seen barking at the dog. The dog charges but is stopped well short of the man by its chain. The officer then shoots a burst of oleoresin capsicum spray directly at the stationary animal and it quickly retreats out of sight. Minutes later, three AFP officers can be seen apparently laughing, with one recording on his mobile phone. The officer who used the spray later throws a stick towards the animal and leaves. The dog allegedly suffered red, watery eyes and was distressed but did not require veterinary treatment. Mr Storay said two-year-old Laps’ injuries had been overwhelming psychological. He said the normally friendly dog – who Mr Storay trusted to play with his children, aged eight and three –had “cowered”, been “stand offish”, and seemed "really shocked" after the incident. “I was pretty disgusted and didn’t know what to think,” Mr Storay said. “Laps was on a chain and there was a 480 kilogram break point on his collar. “There was no need for that. He wasn’t going anywhere." The incident had also been a financial burden for the family. Mr Storay had since constructed a $1200 pen for the dog and now only walked him at night to avoid people and other animals. “Hopefully he’ll go back to normal, there’s plenty of love for him here,” he said. Mr Storay’s lawyer, Peter Woodhouse, said AFP Professional Standards originally classified the complaint as a level 1 public relations issue – usually reserved for inappropriate behaviour in relation to minor management or customer service complaints. But the matter has since been upgraded to a level 3 matter at the law firm’s insistence after viewing the footage. He said his client had been concerned the AFP would not take the matter seriously. "It is cowardly for anybody to treat an animal in this way. [but] the fact that it is a police officer supposedly executing his duty is appalling," Mr Woodhouse said. He said the officer who sprayed the dog had acted in a highly inappropriate manner. An AFP spokesman said the allegations had been taken seriously. "This matter is currently subject to an investigation by the AFP's Professional Standards area," the spokesman said. "AFP professional Standards have reviewed the footage and the matter is currently subject to an ongoing internal investigation. While this remains ongoing, it would not be appropriate for the AFP to comment any further." It later put out a further statement. "ACT Policing does not condone cruelty to animals in any form. All officers are required to report all use-of-force actions, and the reported use of oleoresin capsicum spray is part of this requirement," it said. RSPCA ACT chief executive Tammy Ven Dange said the behaviour had been “inexcusable” towards a dog that was tethered. Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-police-officer-capsicum-sprays-tethered-dog-20140620-zsf16.html#ixzz35B7CMZuD

Me too. I can see a need to keep a dog for evidentiary purposes to a certain point but presumably by now there's nothing keeping the dog would contribute. Suppose if she thinks she has a chance on appeal and she wants to recover the dog it would make a kind of sense, but I would much rather see the dog homed somewhere. Also, considering it was a 38C day, I'm guessing the chance of a successful appeal is not going to be very high. Honestly, I have no idea what people are thinking or not thinking, the picture with the ribbons on the cargo barrier sends a terrible message about dog show people. We should know better.

Likewise an Afghan in an All Breeds rescue. When I forwarded an inquiry, the inquirer wrote to me a week later saying the rescue had not responded to her emails. This was someone who had just had a 15 y/o Afghan die and had another 8 y/o Afghan - IOW, an ideal companion home. The irritation definitely cuts both ways. Edit - oh and re good earner, we gave them feedback rescuer to rescuer that the fee they were charging was too high - higher than we charged or what an Afghan breeder would charge for a companion home. Response? "We have to recoup our costs". Which is why we need breed rescue supported by breed clubs, because then the costs take a back seat to finding the right home.

If this was the case, this thread wouldn't exist. I'm getting increasingly frustrated with breeders refuse to help their own breed. Surely if you love your breed, you'd help. So a breeder of SBTs should help all BYB staffies needing rescue?

The "embarrassment" factor is the biggest thing that prevents people abiding by that bit in most puppy sales agreements that says that if you can't keep the dog to contact the breeder. It's often not that the breeders are unwilling, but that the owner is unwilling to have a conversation about it, particularly if they have made up their mind that they want to be rid of the dog yesterday and they think the breeder might offer advice about making changes to enable them to keep the dog I don't know what the way around that is. If you are as non-threatening as possible and assure them up front that if that has to happen it won't be a big deal (which is the path I have successfully taken with rescue) then I wonder if you're not just encouraging that disposal mentality. On the other hand, be in any way demanding about it and a likely route is those drop off cages at the RSPCA or a gumtree ad.

Firstly, I think that once a person purchases a dog, morally the responsibility lies with them if they can no longer keep the dog. Too much of this dialogue focusses on what breeders should do, and not enough attention is paid to the owner who wants to get rid of their dogs. However, I think breeders also have to have a role if they consider themselves in any way a steward of their breed. We may not be able to take dogs back in all circumstances, but I believe we should have a plan we can enact and money set aside when a dog of our breeding does require rehoming. For me it's about following up on a placement, particularly if I made an error of judgement. This is especially the case if the dog is entire, because it is not just the dog that is the issue, but the impact that dog has on the community if it falls into the wrong hands. Pet shop Pharaoh Bull Mastiff crosses, for example. Whether breeders should clean up after other breeders really depends on a number of things. Volume is one issue, there is no way I would expect individual Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeders to clean up after the tsunami of BYB staffies. It's impossible. The other issue is whether, in cleaning up after irresponsible breeders, you are in fact releasing the problem breeder from the consequences of their behaviour and freeing them up to keep going. It's very much a judgement call in each individual circumstance. Sometimes the better option will be to put pressure on the breeder to deal with it themselves, sometimes it won't be. My personal approach to other people's breeding where the breeder is uninterested depends a great deal on whether the dog in question is out there undesexed. A neutered dog is less attractive to the BYBers and roo/pigging breeders and I'm much more inclined to work with the owner or a local rescue without fostering the dog myself. If the dog is entire tho', I will move much more quickly to secure it and then deal with who will foster etc later. I think it is in the interests of all breeders to take dogs out of the idiot breeding pool if they get the chance. Ultimately tho', my dogs come first. I am not going to compromise their quality of life because I share my breed with people who are not responsible.

How about one unopened bottle of Cascade Raspberry Cordial (original recipe) They make a Raspberry syrup now, it's just tricky to find but Yass Woollies has it. 30 per cent raspberry juice, so works for the upset tummies. In fact, you may just find a bottle of it in your trailer.

There's a couple of things going on here. Firstly, you can't assume that all cross breeding is done by someone who understands what they are doing. Our own rural pounds contain enough evidence to demonstrate that - I'm not talking about BYBs as much as I'm talking about people breeding for pigging who have no real grip on desirable hunting temperament etc. Secondly, greyhounds were originally hunters, not racers. Whether hunter or racer, the intense desire to chase game is something that successive generations have bred into greyhounds and other sighthounds. That is why we're constantly dealing with rips and tears from them leaping through stock fences after rabbits etc. While retrieving is not their strong suit, I can see that someone might draw a conclusion that they, or another hunting breed, like the Foxhounds she mentions, would give some added drive to belt through whatever is in their way to get to the game. So perhaps speed was the wrong word for me to use, but I still am inclined to believe MRW is right just based on what I know of what lurks in Salukis alone. Recall also that MRW makes criticisms of the side effects of doing these crosses so she's not a proponent, she's warning people to watch for traits that are typical of labradors and traits that are not.

With respect to crossing working dogs, that is well known across a number of breeds, and was more commonly acknowledged in times past than it is now. Greys have been crossed with Salukis and Afghans to get speed for straight track racing and with arctic breeds to get speed for sledding. It did not surprise me at all to hear they have been crossed with gundogs to get speed going out.

This, and a variation on it - being absolutely consistent, patient and super observant even when sleep deprived and frustrated. I think it's not so much the puppy time as it is the adolescent time that is the most challenging.

I shall call her "mini me".

I posted this in another thread, but for those truly interested in an expert view on the labrador - both working and show - get a cup of tea and sit down and listen to these two clips, which are a single lecture given by Mary Roslin Williams in the 1980's.

I agree with Diva that it comes down to what sort of state you are in, and whether you are fit to be at work in that state. For me pet bereavement leave stories sound a bit like tabloid click bait that is usually aimed at undermining workers' conditions one way or another. I have the discretion with the leave types available to me to give someone a day off if they have been hit by something nasty without having to have it all classified in detail as "worthy" or not. For myself, I would be wary about describing my own leave as being for the death of a pet, but I take unscheduled leave so rarely that if I said to the boss "Really sorry, I have some personal business to deal with, I need the day off" that he would OK it without any issues. I'd have no trouble at all giving a staff member a couple of days to get themselves together after the loss of a significant companion. If the staff member is a hoarder who has an animal die each month then it becomes a different consideration, but people abuse leave types all the time, and that includes people getting friends to fake phone in messages at 9:30am like "I'm from X school and you need to collect little jimmy". Genuine and not genuine is pretty easy to spot once you've worked with someone for a few months and it has not much at all to do with whether the stated purpose is kids, pets, parents or whatever.

I have done both - done it myself, and used an agent. Even with a cluey exporter breeder, which I had last time I imported, and the fact that I work in a border related business myself, I was glad we had an agent. You only have to stuff up one thing with the vaccinations/treatments and the records to blow your whole timeframe and then you are really relying on the indulgence of the exporter or your own bank balance to board the dog for the extra time. The problem is not the countries of origin most of the time, it's our own requirements that require deft handling. The main thing with choosing an agent is choosing a good one - the good ones are worth their weight in gold, the bad ones - well, with those you'll be on the same level doing it yourself.

We have four entire bitches and it requires active management. They can run together peacefully when we are around supervising, but we don't run them together when we are not around. I have a feeling that when the old girl goes, there will be some shifting of positions that mean we will really have to be on our toes. I agree that they are fine until they are not, and I intervene much more quickly with the bitches than with the dogs. One of the bitches in particular annoys the other bitches. She is that one girl who says "slut" under her breath as the other girls walk past, good at giving a snide eyeball. Yes I know this is anthropomorphic but just as dogs will tend to act like like dickheads in a bar when they square up to fight, so bitches can be real bitches, as WreckitWhippet says. Knowing what the signs are, from the look held just a bit too long to the standing just a bit too close etc is important. I think non dog savvy people would see me tell bitchy bitch off and wonder what the hell I am getting annoyed about - but I know what she's about to do before she does it. If I wasn't a breeder, I wouldn't have this many girls. I love them all, and we can manage them, but - it's not straightforward and adding another girl is not something we do lightly.

Use your head, not your heart. A lot of people rely on the "the puppy ran up to me and licked me so I knew we were meant to be!" Hallmark moment, and it could just mean that puppy smelled last night's dinner on your jeans first or the puppy has done that to each and every visitor because it's fun. Whichever puppy you take you will fall in love with. I agree with both Huski and the people saying let the breeder pick one for you. Basically as I see it, if you have chosen the breeder correctly, then letting the breeder choose is the best course of action if you have been honest about your family circumstances. If you have not chosen the breeder carefully, then I would be looking for some help to sort out which puppy you would take - but honestly if I wasn't confident about the breeder's recommendations I'm not sure I'd be giving them my money. It's a big investment - and I'm not talking about the initial purchase price, I'm talking about 15 years of life together.

Find half an hour, grab a cuppa, and listen to this very sensible lady, now passed away, who bred labradors for both show and field and also judged field trials. This was recorded in the 80's, it's interesting how much of it is still directly relevant today.