Steve

On the other side - look at beagles. In 35 years Ive never sold a beagle to a hunting home - every single one has gone out as a pet and while they muck around here scenting Ive never selected them for how well they scent .Thats why when I send them home they are easier to live with as pets and if I went back to driven dogs which scent and drive you nuts they would be more difficult to live with for those who want them as pets. I don't care if they don't pass scenting tests or go into the quarantine program.I breed pets not hunting dogs and if ever I get an enquiry for a hunting beagle Ill tell them to find someone who has been selecting for that. No doubt that people who have placed a higher importance on hunting think Ive buggered it up but the people who live with them like it lke that and so do I.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/fox-terrier-snoopy-is-freed-from-death-row-in-rspca-backflip-after-they-declared-her-aggressive/story-e6frf7kx-1226499604107

This is a really important issue . The ANKC is set up to judge a dog on its conformation - how it stacks up against the visual standard on the day and how it moves in a ring - that doesn't mean that dogs shouldn't be or are not judged for other characteristics in other ways. That period they are in front of a judge shouldn't be used to judged them for their health - because only a vet can judge that and it shouldn't be used to judge them on whether or not they can function in the way they were intended to past what is visible in that arena There are various authorised affiliated activities which award dogs for agility, obedience, scenting etc. Working dogs are judged every day in their working roles and those dogs which have evolved to be little more than lap dogs are judged by the owners and breeders every day. When a breeder makes a selection for which dogs to breed with they don't - or shouldn't just take into account where the conformation champions are but also how they behave, what jobs they do or what their inherent characteristics are . Clearly some breeders haven't understood this. When we see breeds which are so far removed visually from a working dog to a show dog it is because 2 groups of breeders have recorded and selected for dogs which have excelled in one area they have been of the belief counted and didn't research or consider or for them it didn't matter in selection. You see show dogs which cant do the function they were intended to do and you see working dogs which look nothing like their breed in the ring. With humans we see them get a certificate in cooking at TAFE but we know that doesn't say how they run - if we want to look at how a human performs in certain areas we simply look at their achievements and characteristics but for some reason we have come to expect that with dogs it should all be done at one event and placed more importance on on how they look. That was never the intention of any breed's forefathers. Every person who ever decides to breed a purebred litter should be aware of their goals and understand what they may be compromising on as they select which dogs to breed. Just as a human has to include all of their certificates, skills, and characteristics including their work experience and hobbies when applying for a job a breeder needs to consider these things as well as conformation in selecting a mate. So the answer to why not judge on function - we do or at least we should when we select a breeding dog but dog shows judge one thing and because the mob who keep the stud book also run dog shows and make a truckload of money out of it they push the importance of dog shows over anything else. On a personal note.I have always bred ANKC registered purebred dogs - for me the registered pedigree is the issue as it allows me to see the ancestry and keep records on health and temperament . I have kept meticulous records on every little thing for about 40 years .This week I added information about a dog which killed a snake on her pedigree notes and I added the fact that the other dog took off on his.The jobs they do in their new homes and any issues are all recorded for every dog I own or breed. These days these notes are also added to the MDBA pedigrees so anyone coming after me for generations to come can also use it. Since this breed came into Australia in the main we have been able to have dogs which worked well in the paddock all week and came out on week ends to run a show ring and win a championship. I was very proud of the fact that I had dogs which worked 24 hours a day which had no dog in their 5 generation pedigree which wasnt a champion or a grand champion . I was chuffed about the fact that my dogs were working and I was breeding puppies which were working well and winning in the ring. But as time has progressed more breeders are breeding these dogs and not working them. they are also selecting partners for their dogs based on conformation wins with no interest in working ability in the belief that even with out selection these characteristics will not be extinguished over time. They see typical breed temperament characteristics in their dogs which are pets and assume that equates to them possessing first class working ability so they think they are selecting for function as well as conformation but they are not Joint problems are now an issue which was never there because they are breeding them bigger and heavier and because there isnt as much importance placed on the dogs ability to lope.Several other things which dont matter to a pet are showing up which are crucial for a working dog such as lack of pigment in the noses, lighter eye colour etc . So for the first time I'm aware that Im at the same place as breeders of other working dog breeds must have been at one time. Im understanding more clearly about why there is such an obvious division. I want a registered pedigree, I want to breed dogs which are good examples of the breed visually , I want dogs which are able to work , I dont want to breed with dogs which have no known ancestry but work well, I dont want to breed with dogs which are showing joint problems or lack of pigment or which have a coat which needs grooming but only 119 were registered last year Australia wide - about 10 litters [ 4 of these were litters I bred] half of them would be on limited register some would be bred by people who don't work them, some have recessive genes for light pigment , I want form and function but that's getting harder. Im going shopping for a new stud boy early in the new year and these are pretty big issues for me right now ?

Over the years Ive had hundreds of people come to my home and meet me and meet my dogs etc but I live with 3 men, Im not a domestic violence victim etc. Many breeders are single women who have no neighbours for several kilometres and feel vulnerable. Some people just would prefer people didnt come to their homes and that doesn't mean they are bad people or up to no good or live in filth. They may work full time and have limited time to sit and chat to people.I had people here last Saturday .They were great and I was more than happy to send home a puppy with them but that was 4 hours my husband and kids had strangers in the house.Thats not such a big deal for me - my kids are teenagers now and used to their mother being with puppy buyers but back when I had 8 kids at home and they were all wanting my attention it wasnt such an easy thing to have people call in to look at my dogs. All Im saying is that sometimes its not possible to visit a breeder or a puppy buyer. Most of my puppies go out to people I've never met they always have the option to come here and meet us but some of the best puppy buyers ever have never met me and some of them have known me via phone etc for over 20 years and they are on their 4th beagle from me.

Yeah well sooner or later now and then especially when you have to travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers to visit a new puppy buyers home to be sure they are telling the truth about their set up or to check out how the breeder keeps their house someone has to simply trust each other.

Just ask them if they are registered with their state canine association and whether they provide a registered pedigree - they would be pretty stupid to tell you they are if they are not and Ive never ever heard of anyone telling lies about it other than one bulldog breeder who was charged with fraud. With beagles there isn't any reason for them to tell lies - non registered beagles sell for the same price [pet shop beagles sell for much more] as registered and there is way way more people wanting them with or with out papers than they are able to supply . If you are going to wait to find a registered beagle breeder who is close to you , who has puppies available and who is happy to have you visit and able to sell you one in a time frame that suits you I think you may be rather disappointed. Only 900 beagle puppies were registered with the ANKC AUSTRALIA WIDE last year and at an educated guess there will be even less this year especially if the recommendations for NSW go ahead. Also all this importance on visiting homes etc - just remember most of us just own dogs and breed them now and then our kennel is our lounge room. There isn't anything to see - a house, a back yard , a home and it isn't supposed to be this difficult to buy a pet puppy.

Aloe Vera Juice.

Reputable rescues will ALWAYS notify the breeder of a purebred dog of it's situation and offer to let them take it back. Reputable rescues will also notify the breed club or breed rescue of said dog if the breeder can't take it in. Please don't tar all rescues with the ugly brush... we're not all cowboys... T. You sure about that ? So if they have a policy of not allowing the dog to go home to the breeder do we assume they are not reputable?

Gumtree ask if you are registered and you tick yes to go to the next bit. They dont ask if you are ANKC registered, MDBA registered, AAPDB registered or council registered. - means nothing. Ive never found any major big deals with beagle breeders - never heard of anyone saying they are registered with anyone if they are not .To be honest I cant see why they would - they get the same money as us and also have heaps of demand - some people want puppies which are not registered with a state CC anyway and others dont care one way or the other. Ask them if they are registered and if so who with. If they say they are registered with one group and they arent Id be very surprised. t

the reality is that once a puppy changes hands it is no longer the breeder's property and the breeder has no right to make decisions regarding its life. There are only about 6000 registered ANKC breeder left Australia wide and based on what Ive seen most of them wouldn't be interested in taking their puppies back . There are many many more breeders who are breeding cross bred mutts and BYB litters who also wouldnt be interested in being responsible for the pup after its gone home. Pet shops want to be able to provide anonymity because without that no one would sell to them, even if you dont take into account places like the RSPCA who wont allow a breeder to take the pup back thats a lot of stakeholders and numbers who dont want to see this happen . Back in the beginning when chips were being made compulsory in NSW a big deal was ensuring that info wasn't handed around and privacy maintained. Id be surprised if anything was done to erode that at law.

Sorry Shek. That sucks.

We have been petitioning for years to have the breeder name entered as this way proper stats can be kept if they are dumped. Pet shops don't want this as the deal they have is the breeder stays anon and they sit in on all committees. They can take puppies and not chip them until they go to the new owner so the breeder and the pet shop never show up.

Yep looks like it to me.

About 3 years ago I was doing some research and in England the most commonly dumped dog was a cavalier. The explanation given was because the breed was commonly promoted as something it wasn't and people would take em home and find they didnt get what they thought they would but I never followed that aspect of it up as that wasnt what I was researching - no idea if its still the same but it would be good if we could get some facts on why they or any dogs are dumped - whether they are chipped - who bred them etc.

To be honest it really is a no brainer isnt it? Makes you wonder why it made news. If you own a dog and you are responsible for its nutrition and exercise of course you have to wear it if its too fat . Makes no difference as to why it may be more prone to excess weight .

Sounds like a nomination here

Couple of mine can open cupboards and fridges - we have beagle proof catches on everything They aren't fat though

I cant pull up the studies as Im not on the right computer but this speaks of the study - shows when your dog is desexed you need to monitor their weight more .Knowing what the cause may be doesnt mean owners get let off the hook , http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/news/revealing-oestrogens-secret-role-in-obesity/10314

By whom? I didn't think there was any research that supported this notion. Personally I think it has more to do with most people desexing their dogs as they reach their adult height. Food needs to be scaled back then and frankly a lot of owners never do. There is some good research about estrogen and testosterone. Fact is most animals including humans which have their sexual hormones taken from them have a greater weight. Estrogen can be taken from fat so this is why middle aged women get bulkier around the midrift and its harder to loose weight. The body stores more fat as a method of trying to make up for the loss in the testicles and the ovaries.

yep thats how they work .Mine pick you up as soon as you slow down out the front of the house about half a kilometre from where we are and let me know to watch out .That dog has heaps of shelter - there are trees there .I give mine kennels and build lean to's for them but they never use them they go where the sheep go - from minus 6 in winter up to 45 in summer ,They dig a hole for a windbreak and even as pups given the choice they prefer the middle of a paddock to a nice warm kennel.

Different management systems for different situations...You are no more familiar with Eyeopeners system than they are with yours,so since it was asked if the perspective was way off base,an explanation would be fair? I am lucky enough to live in a similar situation to Eyeopers,but I realise how lucky that is after my introduction to DOL. Out of 5,some times 6 dogs only one is regularly in a kennel run,and I feel awful for her,and guilty though shes out every day and part of the evening.I'll take care in choosing the next to avoid that. My dogs are trained to stay in the acre yard unless out with one of us by invitation,and in the house together if we are out,on their beds and toys /company for any pups.Live stock some times shares the yard,chooks always and lots of wild life.The only one who MAY break the rules is the one kenneled when we can't keep an eye on her. We walk the rest with out leads on the rest of the property when we do,usualy when snakes are less active.The dogs have good recall.We don't have dead live stock,plenty of live wildlife here darting out underfoot with no kills yet. I can understand the need to crate for most,But I think there can be over reliance on crating for some and it shouldn't always be the 1st option. I know I am lucky,and would learn to crate if I had to live like most others.But good management and breeding comes into it too,so we have dogs that fit into the circumstances they are bred for,and that they go to those places.It shouldn't be a case of "putting them away when not in use",but breeding and choosing dogs who are not a nuisance. There are good reasons to crate,for some they are excuses and it is open to abuse. I am in the same situation and also agree that some people reply on crates a little too much. I personally dont believe a dog should be crated all day (sure some dogs are old/infirm so this is different). But I dont agree with a healthy, active dog being crated all day and then again overnight. My dogs are out around the property during the day and sleep indoors overnight. Occasionally I will crate the Pug if I'm dashing out, but if Im out for more than an hour , two of the dogs go in the runs. I always make sure they are not confined for more than 4 hours in the one day, and this is probably only once a week. The rest of the dogs are out free ranging with the other animals 24/7. Agreed - but I have breeds and dogs which just get on together. I often hear stories of breeders with other breeds and realise how easy I have it. Mine free range all the time and at most they may be confined in a backyard sized fenced area when on heat or if we are laying concrete. Ive never used crate training but I do put a large pen 8 feet square around the whelping box when almost due to whelp so they don't mess up the rest of the house when in labour - as soon as they have their puppies the baracade is taken away. We have sheep, chooks ,ducks,cats and magpies which share space with them and no need of crates. I have my pot plants and lots of stuff in pens so the dogs cant wreck them and the dogs run free rather than the other way around.

I would like to see councils do this. Breeders,rescue, trainers, groomers, vets etc. This would tidy up many issues which hang around and allow people to have quick access to those who are listed - not necessarily recommended by the council. Cleans up any idea of an illegal puppy farmer being mentioned etc and allow members of the public to know straight away what their options are. If someone they are looking at for a puppy isnt listed to give them a wide berth etc. At the moment they have some crazy ideas about this in the fear they would be seen to be recommending one over the other but its all about how its done. If all trainers in a shire can notify council where they are and council simply gives out this list then they cant be accused of recommending one over the other taking bribes etc .

Good idea except that it cost money to advertise in places like that and there aren't enough purebred puppies to fill the demand now. If more people know how to find them and there arent any available its not worth spending money to get them there.

Nominations close 31st December heaps of time for you .

Minimax The Maremmas house train their puppies much quicker and better than the beagles so at about 6 weeks they take over and help the beagle mum and within a week they are all going way out to go to the toot . No mess - no work for me to do - easy.