Gayle.

I stayed with someone who breeds Tibbies earlier this year and they certainly are different little dogs. Dunno about them being lap dogs though, they seemed to be quite happy to sit on their own bums, thank you very much. And one of them barked a lot. A very lot. And it was an ear splitting bark. One thing I noticed about them was that if you were sitting down and there was a way for them to be level with your head, they'd get up there. They don't seem to like being "beneath" you.

I had not actually packed footwear suitable for the mud but I had all my gear inside the front door and when my husband packed the car, he picked up my herding boots and out them in too. Just as well or my brand new sneakers would have been ruined. My precious little man looked less than impressed with the mud, he carefully picked his feet up and moved them to clumps of grass when Lyndsay was trying to stack him.

Tibetan terrier, not a terrier but a delightful dog with loads of personality. Might be a bit bigger than they'd like though.

I have no doubt about that. He would have loved Ripley, he always gave new dogs a thoroughly good sniff before doing the play bow invitation to engage in a good race around.

My friend went to Kmart in Albury on Saturday afternoon and bought some plastic ponchos for $3 each. They were a godsend on Sunday! Next time I go shopping I'm going to look out for some to keep in the car and grooming bag. They take up hardly any space and I can see plenty of uses for them. It always seems to pour rain when it's time for me to pack the car at KCC Park.

My first show pup was a female, I had no problems getting a breeder to sell me one but that might depend on the breed and breeder. And might also depend on your involvement in the breed as well.

Thanks for all the lovely comments, we are beyond thrilled with our new addition. It's a bit of a story as to how he came to be with us, but he is not a rescue dog and his previous owners have deemed this to be the best life possible for him. Space to run and other active dogs to play with. And I hope to introduce him to some sheep soon!

I showed at Albury on the weekend and it was awesome! LOL! It got so bad that really, you just had to laugh. I went to a breed lecture after the show with mud spattered up my jeans and caked all over my boots, and I wasn't the only one there who looked like that. It was an incredible weekend, but had that been the weather at home on a show morning, I'd have just rolled over and gone back to sleep. Oh, the best thing was, no grooming! No point really. He was bathed and trimmed before we went, then just brushed before his turn in the ring.

On the weekend, I went to Albury for a few reasons.....to show Isaak in the big international weekend, to take part in the Australian Shepherd Interstate breed match (C'arn the Vics!), to attend some Australian Shepherd seminars........and to meet and bring home our newest addition. He is Ripley (Ausnadir Peters Big Boy), he is almost 4 years old and he's come to add some balance to our slightly lopsided pack and to be thoroughly spoilt, loved and to live the good country life in Gippsland. Unfortunately we also brought the wet weather home with us, but we managed a good play in the paddock with some tennis balls, a frisbee and the other dogs. Ripley had a blast, as did the other dogs and by 5pm I had four mud-coated pooches, who all got a rinse off under the hose. Ripley is a sweet boy, he has the most gorgeous nature, stunning good looks and so far, he's fitting in here beautifully. Does he look happy in his new home?

My eldest girl was desexed as an 8 week old puppy and shes not taller and does not have long limbs. She is tiny for the breed and if her legs were shorter she'd look like a turtle. She is, however, very dominant and pees by lifting her leg on the nearest tree. She will also start a fight AND finish it, so desexing her prevented one thing only, and that's her being bred from.

I thought they were already banned.

I'm pretty sure that 8 months would be too young for hip scores, and the people who read the x-rays won't do them for unregistered dogs. He can't "improve" the breed if the dog isn't registered.....improving the breed means contributing positively to the gene pool that pedigrees are made from, and if the dog doesn't have a pedigree, it can't contribute to that particular gene pool.

My desexed dog was the best company ever for my entire bitch when she was in season. I had to quarantine her from our young entire male, and the desexed dog provided her with compaionship, otherwise she would have been very lonely. My dogs aren't kennel dogs and usually run together and she hates being seperated from her friends.

wow, that's late for a kitten. Some breeds of cat are capable of reproducing at 4 months and most responsible breeders have pets desexed at around 10-11 weeks for rehoming at 12 weeks. Are they recommending 6 months for the cats benefit, or because they don't have the skills to desex a 10 week old kitten?

Awwww, Sue it sounds like you're having such a lovely time with him. I'm hoping to have some news about a newcomer next week (no, not a puppy). I had a cry for Benson on Saturday, at a dog show. He loved going to shows, even though I never showed him, he liked the "making friends and attracting admirers" aspect and he excelled at it. We had our Aussie open show on the weekend, and it crossed my mind that the last Aussie show I was at, he was with me, having a blast meeting people and dogs, and the tears started flowing. I don't miss him any less than I did 3 weeks ago.

Some will. And some will cave thinking their vet knows best. Desexing at 6 months may be best for the majority of pet dogs belonging to the majority of average owners. But it is not best in ALL cases and vets need to recognise this. And vets do recognise it. I go to two vet clinics, one because I like the vets there, the other because they encourage the 3 year vaccination protocol and at both of them, when I've taken pups, they've talked about the best age to desex (before 6 months). And in the case of my last two pups, I explained why they wouldn't be desexed and they were good with that and that was the end of it.

I bought the DVD in Kmart.

While some people would not be suited to some breeds as a first time dog owner, some other people are just brilliant with the strong, stubborn or just plain difficult breeds.....even for their first breed. Others know their limitations, and some will never even contemplate certain breeds because of that. And some "difficult" breeds occasionally produce a dog that is very suited to first time owners.

Shae howls regularly, for no apparent reason. She is a little dog with a few issues, none of which were caused by us, and I've come to think her howling is her way of releasing stress. Anyone hearing it would think she is very unhappy or hurt or neglected. She sounds THAT sad. She is none of those things though, she is very loved, very well cared for and is never alone. We just live with it and keep her life on an even keel so she feels secure.

My mum's first dog was a Weim too but she didn't cope well at all. We went for a GR after that and things went much better. A Lab was my first dog so not exactly a difficult breed. Oddly enough I now never want another, I like the challenge of my Samoyeds What's challenging about Samoyeds? Aside from the grooming. They always come across as lovely, friendly, happy dogs who are willing to please. Not that I know very many but that's the impression I get. Are they not like that?

The white thing with patches? A mutt.

Well I must be a PUppy farmer as well. Ease of cleaning and hygiene, low chance of being chewed up and longevity obviously don't come into it. No we need fancy bowls that are more easily destroyed or if cheap possibly crack and harbour bacteria or leach harmful substances - what a load of crap. For me personally 84 dogs is a lot of dogs,and I guess since it really doesn't happen often then most people would find it a little unusual. I would be more concerned about all the things mentioned before, as in correct care etc than the actual number, but I guess unless you know more then you can't really form an opinion. For me that many dogs would not be doable, but if you you choose your staff/carers carefully, then it can be done and well My dogs eat out of stainless steel bowls too, but I can't possibly be a puppy farmer because I make up for the lack of beauty in the kitchenware with the range of collars and leads I buy for their fashion pleasure. They never leave the house in unmatched attire, they are the best dressed kids on the block.

I had a bit of a cry for my boy at our Australian Shepherd ope show today. Benson loved going to dog shows, he wasn't a show dog but we took him because we couldn't bear to leave him at home. And he'd sit up on the crate and attract admirers and friends, he's mooch treats and pats and he'd have an absolute blast. How I missed him today, he would have loved being amongst the 58 other Aussies that were there.

Aaaah, yes it was a Cairn terrier, thanks! Now there's a dog with a presence.....much better looking in the flesh than in pics. I kept thinking Norwich or Norfolk but when I looked at the photos they look nothing like the dog I saw. Such a cutie, what's the temperament like?

I saw this cute dog at the dog show today, but I can't for the life of me think of what breed it is, and I'm none the wiser after browsing the breed pages. It was small but sturdy, a terrier, lightish colour....I think all one colour, a light tan or sand, or maybe leaning towards greyish.....straight hair. Head was big and round and hairy and I think he had small prick ears. He was in proportion....not a long bodied dog, nor long legged. He had the appearance of being a very rugged little dog, up for any task.