Diva

I have plenty of concerns about registered breeders who prioritise show ring success over health or temperament issues. But the really good responsible registered breeders with the full welfare of their breed/s at heart I'd be very happy to see more of. And to keep my post on topic, LOL - I won't buy from stores that sell animals apart from fish and rodents. But I am still a bit haunted by a kitten at my local that looked very unhappy and unwell and like it needed to be 'rescued'. I left it there and I think it died, poor little mite. Even though I know on balance it was the right thing to do, it feels very much like it was the wormg thing to have done for that kitten.

The complications will be on your return to Australia, when she will need quarantine.

He's looking good!

I don't know why the applicant presented evidence that the APBT and AST were the same breed but according to the judgement she did, via two expert witnesses. The council didn't have to twist anything, nor ambush anyone, the evidence and its logical conclusions seems to have been handed to them gift-wrapped. You can't present something to a court as a matter of fact and then expect it only to be taken into account in the way you want it to be. It seems to been a bizarrely ill-advised tactic on the part of the applicant, whatever their intent.

Oh I think they are too. It's just a risk management decision you have to make for your particular circumstance, neither decision is right for everycase. If I had a single dog or dogs that didn't play as much and in the style mine did, I'd leave them on.

Mine don't wear collars at home, they play in a style that would see a broken jaw or foot and a strangled dog one day. I wish they could keep them on but it's too dangerous given the way they rear up and mouth and paw at each other's necks in play. I do have high fences and padlocked gates, of course.

I'd get someone to help you the first couple of times, because as Alison says they seem to start out quite stiff. After that they are possible single handed.

IW4ME, I'm not sure if that terrier is surrendering, or saying 'Oooh, I like it'!

I'll ask poodlefan, she can figure out who anyone is.

I think that's drawing a very long bow in any legal sense. Dogs Vic are not a statutory body have no mandate to 'permit' the keeping of any dog anywhere.

Aidan, I have no idea what gender or age you are, but sometimes I think I need to either adopt you, hire you or arrange to have you marry into my family! You almost always say what I believe or know, but so much more succinctly and wisely. (note to self, never meet Aidan in real life, now too embarrassing )

Did mine on ozentries ssm, look out for them

Thanks!

Which one was that GeckoTree?

This is a genuine question - why would being an ANKC breed matter in terms of legal action? I can see that politically it means there is a lobby group with a lot of members likely to oppose a ban, but really the ANKC and the affiliated canine associations are just clubs that keep registries and run events. How legally (rather than politically) is recognition of a breed by them any defense against banning or any reason why legal action for damages would be more succesful than for any other dog?

Temple Grandin has written a number of books, 3 or 4 that I can recall. I don't always agree with everything she says but she has some wonderful insights. I'm jealous of your conference!

Thanks ssm. Go Wilbur!

Depends on the reinforcement history and how well the response has been conditioned. I'm not 'purely positive', but the value of an individual reinforcement v level of distraction becomes a non-issue even at my level of expertise.

Tulendeena is indeed a place.

What went BIS at the Sighthound Show?

Hooray for Paige, Rebanne and Shantiah

RIP Buddy. Watch over them all from the bridge. If the tumour under his heart was an hemangiosarcoma, that is also the way I lost my Groen boy many years ago.

If the approaching dog has aggressive body language, I step forward and growl at it/them to 'go home'. If the dogs don't have someone with them I'll yell loud when doing so too, in the hope someone comes out from one of the houses and gets their dogs - but they never have. My scariest instances have involved pairs of unaccompanied dogs running loose, in three cases my stance has caused the dogs to back off or at least hold their distance. In one case it had no effect at all, the charging dogs (GSD's so not small), split up to circle around me and closed in on my dogs. I have big dogs so I judged the best I could do was give them loose leads and let them respond, and they saw the attacking dogs off. I'd have joined in and kicked the attackers if needed. I've also had my dogs menaced by dogs off-leash with a handler, in which case I tell the owners to call them. If they are really trying to get their dog/s back I just keep my dogs calm until that happens. If the other owners don't bother I tell them I will not stop my dogs retailiating if they are bitten. That usually causes them to take a good hard look at my dogs and decide to get their dogs after all. Not all loose dogs around here are aggressive, I find I can usually tell by the dog's body language and by how my dogs are reacting if I need to worry or not. If the dog is friendly my dogs will not respond badly. And if they are just carrying on but not intending to do anything I just turn my dogs to face them and they back away. I don't know what I would do if my dogs were small. I think I just wouldn't walk around here, I have about one bad encounter a month these days.

I agree. The regulation says six months and that I'm more comfortable with. I think you can also get a refund on a sexually entire permit if the dog is desexed within 3 years. So, although it would require an upfront cost, I could in the ACT get a permit for my giant breed dog which enabled me to keep it entire until the age I would be happy desexing at, which would probably be 18 months, and then get my permit fee refunded. At least there is that much accomodation in the govt processes for those of us that are nervous about desexing our large/giant breeds at a young age.

Perhaps it is more of an issue because they are sisters, and so closely matched in size and age.