Gayle.

If the elderly gentleman can't control his dog on a walk, he's got very little chance of having the skills to train it to ignore it's natural instincts. Desexing the dog will at least take those natural instincts out of the equation.

Isaak helped himself to some grains the other day....the bucket of wheat for the chooks. God knows how much he ate but it went straight through him. He couldn't possibly be benefiting from it because it came out looking the same as it went in. I think with pet food, sometimes the milled grain (wheat, corn, millet etc) is used as a binder, to bind the other ingredients together.

I was recommended a horse one....Glo White....by the lady who bred two of my dogs. She used it on them when I stayed with her, and their whites came up gorgeous and bright. She had it mixed with water in a spray bottle, sprayed it on the whites, rubbed it in and left it while she washed the rest of the dog then rinsed it out. I have since bought some and it was $20 for a large bottle.

The Drizabone ones are fantastic. Not cheap but they'd last for the life of a few dogs.

My dad used to be a greyhound trainer and loved everything about them. He also had firm opinions on feeding, training, housing, medicating.......just about everything to do with dogs. He hasn't had dogs for years now, but I must say, he is a very proud "dog-grandaddy" and doesn't try and lecture me on my dogs. My ways are different to his, but then my dogs have a different purpose than his did. Instead, we chat about the pros and cons of various feeding methods, different ways to care for dogs, he tells me about the various characters he had in his kennels over the year and I appreciate his knowledge and his stories. But most of all I appreciate his interest in my dogs. He is so proud of them, he loves that I have pedigree dogs and he brags about them to anyone who will listen!

I thought I wanted a particular type of dog, then my husband said "I don't want a dog that looks like an alien", so we looked together and came up with Australian Shepherds. We both liked the look (non-alien like) and they sounded like they'd suit us. That was 4 years ago, now we have 2 boys and 2 girls and they are the best dogs in the world. Even when I'm ancient, I reckon I'll still have a sweet, funny, gentle Aussie.

Don't know of any Nutro supplier here. I emailed Nutro and they told me Petstock Traralgon was, but they aren't. When I went to Adelaide I was concerned I hadn't taken enough Black Hawk for Isaak, as I noticed he'd lost a lot of weight while Dusty was in season, so I bought a 3kg bag of Pro Plan and mixed it with the Black Hawk to make it go further.

Shae winks but she has an eye condition called iris hypoplasia. Basically she is missing most of the iris in one eye and part of it in the other. It doesn't affect her sight but herceyes can't control light so she squints in the sun which often looks like she's winking.

I have often wondered the same thing.

Human saliva contains a pre-digestive enzyme that helps food break down in the gut. Try biting into something, leave it for a few hours and you will see where you've bitten, it's started to break down and gone soft or slimy. That is why we need to chew our food, and our anatomy is designed for this. Dogs saliva doesn't contain that enzyme and they aren't meant to chew food. Their whole digestive system is different from ours.

I'm not a huge lab fan, lovely dogs I'm sure but they aren't my personal cup of tea. However, I saw an absolutely stunning black male at a dog obedience trial last year. He had a big wide head, lovely and boofy, and he was all-over glossy jet black and he was a real head turner.

You should see the rubbish that comes up in DOL forums when I Google various dog subjects. There's lots of things some innocents could read and believe.

What do you think will happen if I use it on the dogs? I'm reading various sites about insecticides and their toxicity. Kind of interesting. I can use the confidor on my vege garden.

Don't do it. I had my dog to the vet yesterday as he was clearly unwell, and asked if this could be a possibility as he is our chief mouse catcher. The vet described the symptoms of a dog eating a baited mouse (thank DOG mine had none of those symptoms), and believe me, they were awful. Nothing I'd ever wish on any living creature. They die through a slow bleed as their blood doesn't clot.

I have two cats so anything toxic to them isn't an option. I have been doing loads of research on Imidacloprid, which is the active ingredient in Advantage, Confidor, Avenge, Merit and quite a number of other insecticides, be it for plant or animal. The other ingredients are inert substances used as carriers. There doesn't appear to be anything in Confidor that would harm an animal, it's exactly the same product as Advantage but rather than an oil as a carrier, it seems to have water and glycerine. Still researching. Imidacloprid itself does not have a cumulative effect on the body and seems to be quite safe to use long term.

I've got a couch potato Australian Shepherd......actually I've got a few of them, but one in particular would be happy with no walks, no exercise, just as long as she could be right next to me. Aussies are like BC's in that they are supposed to need loads of exercise and activities to keep their minds and bodies active. Not this one though. It does present a bit of a problem in that I would like to DO things with her......ie, obedience trials......but she'd rather not, if you don't mind. Her preferred place is home in front of the fire or the fan. She is easy to teach things to but hard to get her motivated and excited about doing what she's been taught. She was also an abject failure as a show dog......even if she was the most stunning example of her breed ever born, she'd never win a cracker the way she mopes around the ring.

I chickened out. Ended up buying several packets of largest dog sized advantage and splitting it for the smaller dogs. Cost me a fortune but only needed to do it once and havent seen a flea since on the small dogs. The greyhounds still have a few fleas but they do spend alot more time out doors rolling around in the grass. Have kept the advantage up on them but have been able to stretch it out to around 6 weeks rather than monthly. I bought large quantities of Frontline Plus from the US and used it on the four dogs. It worked out cheaper than buying it from the local pet shop but still an expensive exercise.

Jut wondered how the OP went with the Confidor. I've been lurking on a greyhound forum and it seems to be a very popular alternative for treating fleas....and much cheaper. Avenge sheep drench also contains the same active ingredient. I went to the local stock supply place today to see if they had Avenge and when I told the guy there what I wanted it for, he handed me a litre of Confidor 200g/l and told me he sells bucketloads of the stuff to local greyhound trainers for flea treatments. The Confidor cost me $80 for a litre, from my best working out, for a 20 kg dog I need 1.25 ml mixed with an equal amount of water. On one of the greyhound boards, someone suggested using an essential oil such as lavender oil. It's really just to use as a "vehicle" to help it stay on the skin while it penetrates.

I really like the look of Tenterfield Terriers. If I were looking for a small dog, this would be near the top of my list for research.

eBay is good as long as your a regular size. There are cheaper brands than RM Williams that make similar styles. I like that look over the more formal suits as I think the outback county wear is more appropriate for working breeds like ACDs and Kelpies.

Oh dear, they made their own party. Did you make hub clean it up seeing as it was all his idea?

To enquire about health testing, it's probably best if you know beforehand what tests are required, or what health problems are in the breed. You could be told tests are clear for cardiomyopethay, elbow dysplasia, epilepsy and luxating patellas. Unless you've done your research, how would you even know any of those conditions are a known health problem in the breed or can be tested for?

All dog breeds are designer breeds, you just were not there trying to smack them down at the time the breed was being developed. I'm not trying to smack the "breed" down, but I am against poor breeding, which designer dogs generally have. What health tests is she doing? If she really is in it to promote the breed, why advertise is as a mini husky? I don't really see how a mini husky would make a particularly "ideal companion" (as stated on her website). Huskies, miniature or not are often best placed in experienced homes that can provide them with work of some sort. Huskies are working dogs that quite often end up in pounds, due to people buying them as companions and not being aware of their high exercise and training requirements. btw she does have a spay/neuter contract and a reasonable application form, so perhaps she is trying to do the right thing why don't you email her and ask her about the health testing? But first you might like to find out exactly what health tests are recommended for the breed. Just doing acquick bit of reading, it seems to be more of a recently developed breed rather than a designer breed. It seems the woman who originated the breed had a clear idea of what she was after and set out to develop it, rather than indiscriminate crosses that make up designer breeds. I wonder if the bush telegraph was running hot 150 years ago when some bloke started crossing dingoes, collies, Dalmatians, kelpies etc to develop a particular type of herding dog?

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Of course she can charge what she likes, just like any breeder. It's up to the buyers as to whether they will pay the price and I'll bet no one is twisting arms.