Kissindra

yes, get a breed good breed mentor to guide you, know your breed and get to know people who own your breed to get a feel for what homes work while being open to the idea that a good home may come in a variety of forms.

The breeder I bought Benson from asked me exactly this question. My reply...."My last dog died two months ago, she was 14 years old and it was nowhere near long enough". I think that clinched it. The small problem with pop quizzes is that people who lurk on forums know what to answer even if it isn't the truth. If I were ever to source a dog from rescue, or some breeders, for example, I would never admit to working full time. Firstly, it's none of their business, and secondly in some cases, it's an immediate dismissal. and in some cases there is a damn good reason for it being an immediate dismissal.

we had a family trip to Perth a couple of years back, obligitory zoo visit! I remember saying to OH "is that......is that a squirrel?" nice to know I wasn't seeing things!

covered foam matress (shade cloth type material on one side, vinyl on the other) followed by a padded doggy quilt, followed by a snooza furry rug and tucked in with a polar fleece blanket

you may find people are not open to discussing this subject - giving a list of questions and desired answers on a public forum may negate the usefulness of asking. The "what we look for" will be completely different for most breeds - new breeders would be best served having a breed mentor

morning all! Jed I hope you are getting a sleep in, too damn cold this morning!

phone your vet to be sure, I would think you'd want to worm her and check her over for ticks that might have hitched a ride - less likely at this time of year I believe but worth a check. Maybe keep the food fairly bland and reduced meals for a few days in case of tummy upsets but dog can and do eat some revolting things, often without consequence. Definitely phone a vet to make sure though as there may be transferable diseases or other issues I'm not aware of.

could be number 8 is in someones illegal collection, hope they find the poor little mite and that the others have no lasting health issues as a result.

bloody hell Jed your way with words has been missed, can't wait to see you pop your head in

hard to tell at the small and fluffy puppy stage but oh my what a cutie!

:p so beautiful! Huge huge thanks to Pedigree and Petrescue for making these lovely moments possible

Love the pic of the little Cavalier (whose name I have forgotten ) but you'll have to get one of the lovely Liza who is on the other end of the leash LOL

In the USA they have Ugly Dog Comps which carry a lot of prize money!! As the hairless breeds can be known for their unique looks and often lack of, or primitive looking teeth, the lure of the hairless dog to breed with another dog to win these comps is sometimes all too much! Its pure greed on this account and so many Xolos and cresteds end up in pounds and shelters as a result. I have already had people in Australia calling and emailing me with oversized cresteds asking if they are a Xolo lol The almighty $$ is an evil thing at times! I do recall watching one year and seeing a woman say she was entering the son of a former winner - an unfortunate dog with health problems and an unknown history Made me quite sad to think on it. But then, there are those minority breeding crap to chase show ribbons too - human nature, what a joy! It's why doing you research when purchasing a pup is so important.

dear lordy If I refused to bestow any worth on anyone who didn't wish to give me a blow by blow of their financials I'd find myself in quite a pickle - or without pickles entirely as the case may be - I don't pick where to get a dog from based solely on proffit or loss(actually quite a few people here wouldn't be able to tell you as they don't want to know how much they've managed to spend - good dogs in good homes is the proffit) I base it on the research I put in finding out about their dogs and the breed in general, I base it on their ethics, I base it on whether they do the right thing by their animals - a minority of registered breeders wouldn't make the cut but every puppy farmer would fail instantly it isn't simply whether someone makes a proffit or a loss - it is whether making a proffit is the only focus to the detriment of all else. Certainly there will be people making a proffit, and more power to them if they manage it while maintaining sound ethics and sound practises. I daresay it doesn't happen overnight and is a result of years of hard work and NOT making a proffit, or indeed plain old good luck with matings all going to plan and good litter sizes. I imagine there are breeds more likely to make a proffit than others for a variety of factors, and if the demand is there and you don't stint on the important parts I'll cheer you on as you spend your proffits but cut corners, treat animals like crap, breed with no reguard to the future, sell puppies to anyone with enough cash, lie to puppy buyers and treat your animals as disposable stock first and foremost and I'll cheerfully hope you choke on your wads of cash :D

Because the ongoing cost of the bitch is part of the cost of breeding a litter. You need to factor in things like entry fees for shows, trials etc that are part of proving your bitch is worth breeding from. ETA the average pet isn't DNA tested as new tests become available, hip and elbow scored, yearly eye and other health tests etc that are carried out on breeding dogs. Ok, so what are the costs for shows, etc per year? If the bitch has a littler of 10 pups each time she is bred that's a fair amount of money. I have always wondered about this so would be keen to know the answer depends on which show and how many shows. There are also things like memberships, council fees for breeding licences ect that vary greatly from place to place. Also, the going rate for a puppy varies greatly between breeds and often within breeds. Some states have different requirements for selling pups such as mandatory microchipping. You also might find the stud fees vary a really good dog might cost more to use, or you could be importing semen and have to cover storage fees ect. heck, you might be importing dogs for your breeding program and that runs to well over $10000 in most cases - perhaps you had to fly your dog to meet a stud in another state so add that cost on top too. You begin to see why for so many people this is considered a passionate hobby and not a business. Ok, so if someone was selling pups for say $1500 each and there were 10 in the litter, and they had their own stud dog so no fee there. That would be a total of $15,000 per litter (according to regulations 1 per year). How would a breeder spend that much (minus expenses) in one year on showing, training, vet checks, etc. any number of scenarios really, they could have multiple dogs to feed and house, perhaps they have needed to upgrade kennel facilities if they house their dogs in kennels - maybe they have to pay kennel hands a wage. Heck maybe they spent that much on a dog trailer or campervan to get to shows I have ONE show dog, he's a puppy - we've probably spent around $15000 upgrading to a bigger car, moving to a property with a yard, and buying all sorts of crap related to going to shows like gazebos, camping equipment ect. And I'm not a breeder :D

What about the ones that use two pedigree dogs of different breeds? see bolded points

Because the ongoing cost of the bitch is part of the cost of breeding a litter. You need to factor in things like entry fees for shows, trials etc that are part of proving your bitch is worth breeding from. ETA the average pet isn't DNA tested as new tests become available, hip and elbow scored, yearly eye and other health tests etc that are carried out on breeding dogs. Ok, so what are the costs for shows, etc per year? If the bitch has a littler of 10 pups each time she is bred that's a fair amount of money. I have always wondered about this so would be keen to know the answer depends on which show and how many shows. There are also things like memberships, council fees for breeding licences ect that vary greatly from place to place. Also, the going rate for a puppy varies greatly between breeds and often within breeds. Some states have different requirements for selling pups such as mandatory microchipping. You also might find the stud fees vary a really good dog might cost more to use, or you could be importing semen and have to cover storage fees ect. heck, you might be importing dogs for your breeding program and that runs to well over $10000 in most cases - perhaps you had to fly your dog to meet a stud in another state so add that cost on top too. You begin to see why for so many people this is considered a passionate hobby and not a business.

heres the thing - so many genetic problems that could otherwise be avoided or reduced % can be passed on unknowingly if you are using dogs whose genetic history is uncertain or unknown. When Joe blogs mates his little fluffer he got out of the trading post to the neighbours little fluffer they got from a friends accidental litter (father unknown presumed fence jumper) you have a whole host of possible genetic problems that a vet check showing both dogs to be healthy would not show up, and quite frankly most backyard breeders don't even bother with the vet check! A whole range of new issues can come about when crossing seperate breeds - extremely over or undershot jaws are a common one for example. You see these people advertising on free advertisement websites, looking for a partner for their lovely doggy - sometimes they have a breed in mind to cross with, sometimes they just want something of a similar size but there is never any mention of health checks or testing and we so often hear it is a case of "mate down the road had an entire dog so we got them together". The thought process doesn't go beyond get two entire dogs together and sell puppies, and breeding SHOULD be so much more than that if you give a shit about the pups you are bringing into the world. I don't like people who put so little thought into bringing lives into the world, be they crossbreeders or registered breeders - there are bad apples everywhere but I'm yet to meet one person who crossbreeds who does so in a way I would consider ethical. Even the vets will tell wonderful porkies to sell their "stock" those cav x beagles who will have all the good traits of the cavalier and the beagle and none of the percieved problems...well it often does not work like that and I'm tired of people being lied to by those out to make money who often DO know better.

ongoing costs can account for things like periodical health tests, many tests are only good for the year they are done and so need to be done repeatedly.

for the update Toohey I'm so glad you were able to see eachother :D Think I'll hold off lighting a candle for Jed tonight and raise a toast instead: for a wonderul woman, a hero and a bloody brave soul - we drink to your health! ;) :D

oops, double post!

rarely do we bother if it's raining, but certain times of the year it just wont stop so we suffer through LOL

a) what breed you have b) what special needs your breed has (eg working, terrier, sporting dog) c) what 'enrichment strategies' you have to prevent boredom, destruction etc? a) 2x Cavalier King Charles Spaniel 1x Great Dane (puppy) b) Cavs: as individuals, drive and energy levels can differ but in general terms they are fairly forgiving of a low activity lifestyle yet just as happy with a higher activity one - however Cavaliers are prone to packing on the weight, and with heart problems being a major concern in the breed a moderate amount of exercise is required. One of my cavaliers is a foster and with her background opportunities to socialise in a variety of places/situations are necessary part of her care. Great Danes being a giant breed need special care when still growing - exercise is limited to free play and short walks. Getting out and about is still a big consideration(particularly for socialisation), he just isn't allowed to be as physically active as other breeds (suits him fine) and jumping or activities which might impact on joints are avoided. c) we always have a variety of toys available and swap them periodicly, we go to obedience once a week, bones to chew, frequent trips to the dog park, frequent trips to schools/cafes/shopping centes/dog shows ect., short walks, games, training, lots of human time and one on one time. I could get away with a lot less and they would be fine with that but I like them to have variety, I have the time and I enjoy being with them! Remembering to give them alone time without me is probably more significant for me in terms of avoiding unwanted behaviours.

Watching Boo(almost 3yo Cavalier) and Atticus (Great Dane puppy) play has me in hysterics, usually Boo instigates a game of chase and he tears around the back yard at full pelt with Atti plodding after him. Boo will swerve back in front of him, teasing him and them drop to the ground out of reach, then Atti does his "I am stalking you" thing and moves ever closer and as soon as he's close enough to pounce Boo takes off again Once they get tired they have a bit of a play and Atticus will roll to the ground like he's been knocked over by some great big dog and not a weeny cavalier I love when Atticus is on his bed with some tiny piece of contraband - usually turns out to be a tiny scrap of paper on closer inspection but you can't tell there is anything there from a distance. He gives it this very focused look, ears alert, before giving a leap and diving on it repeatedly with both front paws together. He'll stop to make sure it is still there and then do it again- he looks like he's trying to squash a bug that refuses to be squashed

too cute!