SkySoaringMagpie

Wow, that would have been, um, fragrant.

It was Arwen. Especially nice as the judge was a breed specialist, she judged the UK Borzoi Club Champ Show last year Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!! Go Miss Arwen and congratuations to you!!!! :p

Diva, whose Borzoi was it?

For a while there we had to really hunt to find enough Kongs each morning - we have a multi-dog household on 2 acres and it felt like we were always hunting the damn things down to clean and refill. Now, perhaps because spring is in the air, I've found heaps of them - 10 in total! I suppose one thing to be grateful for is that I haven't found a old full one

A BIS at the Sydney Hound or Sighthound shows under an international specialist is - in my eyes - worth more than a BIS at a country ag show with 200 dogs under a local all breeds judge who is not a specialist.

Wow, it is hard to explain just how angry this makes me.

Edit: Whoops, forgot to talk to OH.

Is the problem stain or smell? Some stains dye the material they have affected. So even if you have removed the original material, you may still have a mark? If it still smells of urine I would re-treat. If it's just a colouration issue you may have to replace that bit of carpet or just live with it.

Unless you're under 21, you might be new to dog breeding but you're not new to life. I agree there is a risk of ending up with someone who will steer you down the wrong path, but the virtues most of us were taught at home and at school should kick in at that point. If your mentor is lying about health issues, encouraging you to surgically alter your dogs or dye them, bitching up hill and down dale about everyone else in the breed etc, well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out you should look elsewhere for guidance. Sure, sometimes a mentor has a blind spot about something, or does something in the grey area, but I don't think that's a reason not to learn from them. I think it's worth having more than one sounding board. Particularly if they disagree. That way you get experienced advice and you have to develop your own view. I also think there is a difference between an adult having an adult mentor, and an apprentice type situation. I would steer clear of arrangements where you are expected to sit adoringly at someone's feet and just swallow everything you are told. That's far more risky than a mutually respectful relationship between adults. I also think there is no substitute for up to date science, and that hitting the books is also necessary.

Today... GSD BIG Sheltie RUBIG Sorry, don't have names or a catalogue tho' the Sheltie was Amy Stevens', I was just wandering by at the time. Group 4 Basset BIG Deerhound RUBIG

Agree with this for pets too, because the person's first dog could well have been selected for them as a suitable dog for a novice and they might find that most dogs in the breed are a bit more challenging. Also having had a poor example of the breed in some respect - temp, health problem etc - so that you not only can recognise problems, but can put yourself in the puppy buyer's shoes/be more conscious of what bad decisions really mean for the breed. Not suggesting someone should actively look for a hard time, but when it arises it's a good learning opportunity.

I see the process of titling a dog as a separate question to what you use for your breeding program (within reason). I think the process of titling a dog teaches you a lot about dogs and dog world - or it should. I agree that a title doesn't mean the dog is suitable for breeding or that an untitled dog is unsuitable.

I'm thinking things like: title a dog of that breed, establish a relationship with a more experienced mentor, study breed "bibles" etc. What do you think? What's essential? What's a nice to have?

Eep!! I hope you are all OK, give us a yell if you need any help.

Invest in some bitch panties for the mess. I buy from a woman who makes specifically for my breed, but there are lots of options around. The lady I buy from has a website: www.sosewme.com I never leave a bitch in season unsupervised unless she is in a covered run and entire dogs can't even get close enough to mate through the dog wire. For a pet in suburbia, this means supervising in the backyard for toilet and exercise and otherwise keeping her inside. You are looking at at least 3 weeks of confinement and supervision.

This is my plan!! I can't imagine attempting it alone.

I know a Saluki who sticks his head in holes he has dug and barks to himself. He's otherwise a perfectly friendly laid back dog. His owner seems to think he's entertaining himself. Sounds like your guy - perhaps there is some kind of echo?

I was a first time owner of a breed you're not supposed to start with first and it's worked out. I went on to get two more - perhaps because I am remarkably stubborn There are some breeds that your average person shouldn't go into unaware of the demands, but that isn't the same thing. A single male martial artist of the more reflective schools of martial art who has never had a dog before might be a great first time owner for an Akita. A harried mum of 3 kids under 10 trying to hold down a job and care for an elderly parent probably won't be. I think the answer is in some combination of lifestyle, ability to reflect on your own behaviour and resources (mental energy, time & money). That's hard to neatly sum up. I also feel really sorry for the "easy" breeds. If you are terminally clueless, you can easily ruin an "easy" breed and some of the "easy" breeds have lines that are anything but (Goldens, for example).

Um, as usual Diva says it better!

What do you mean by "friendly"? Friendly does not equal harmless. You can have a dog that is friendly to humans who at the same time wants to kill another dog. You can have a dog that is actually pretty rude that an uninformed person might see as friendly but which is actually unfriendly. Aloof does not equal aggressive either. I would like you to meet my Saluki bitch. Aloof definitely, aggressive, definitely not. And her temperament is the Saluki standard to a tee. She is not a danger to anyone, but she is also not a waggy tailed labradoodle type who will monster anyone she meets for treats and pats.

Weirdest I got was my b&w parti girl being called a dalmatian greyhound cross. Was said with great authority by some guy instructing his child. Also had them called Borzoi before, which at least is somewhere in the ballpark. Long haired poodle To answer the original question, I saw a Tibetan Mastiff at the Hall Markets a couple of months ago.

What for?

Steve I'd like to meet you - 17th is a work day tho' so that makes it hard. Where in Canberra are you going to be? Civic?

Recall - not necessarily. Also, a proportion of show breeders believe that obedience training removes show ring "sparkle" so they tend to be light on with obedience training. Certainly nothing other than what is required in the ring, and recall is not required in the ring. I think the view that it removes show ring sparkle is to do with harsher methods that used to be in vogue rather than obedience training per se. Anyway, forget all that. You have behaviour you don't want, and behaviour you do want. Whether rescue, ex-show or whatever, it's up to you to set your criteria now and then train for it. Her past as a show dog may explain her reluctance to sit, but if you make sitting worth her while she'll soon get it. Recall, you'll have to train. She's a poodle, she is probably ridiculously smart, so you have that to work with. Good luck. Edited for syntax

Another link which contains footage about the same breeder. This time on the subject of Islam and dogs: http://www.onetvo.com/video107