WoofnHoof

My chi tends to chew at his feet excessively when he's stressed and doesn't know what to do with himself. My sibe has developed a habit of jumping around in circles at dinnertime, he must think it's a ritual he has to go through to get his dinner

The more people I meet the more I like my dog.

If I were you I'd get the vet to do pre-anaesthetic bloods before he gets desexed just in case there is a liver issue there, that can sometimes cause neurological and digestive problems. Well worth the extra money IMO.

I mean that they wouldn't get put up easily in the ring because they are not 'the norm'. They wouldn't be considered pretty although I think they are stunning. I might be a little biased though I like my boys to be fit and athletic Don't worry I think your dogs are stunning too :D Fit and athletic should be the norm in a working animal even for show, IMO especially for show as you can clearly see the conformation in a fit tucked animal, I go to shows and see thoroughbreds with cellulite!

Depends on whether it is suffering, there are plenty of 3 legged cats getting around quite happily most of them have to adapt to being indoors. Animals adapt far more readily to their 'disabilities' than humans do, the pic says he can walk run and climb and if he can still lick his own bum he's probably pretty happy Might have taken him a while to get to that point but you can say that about most major surgeries really, he's a pretty young cat and could realistically have 10-15 years in front of him as a pampered house cat. Depends on the animal I suppose if it's a really high energy cat it might be suffering but without knowing the cat it's too hard to say.

*Flame suit on* - Because that's what wins in the ring. The breeders that breed only for show are hardly going to want to have something like one of my boys in their kennel because it would just be too much hard work. And to be honest, I wouldn't want a show style Sibe in mine because I think they have lost their working ability. That's JMHO though and I am a minority I guess in this country who likes the running style Sibes. Unfortunately, judges can only judge what is put up before them so I guess it's a catch 22 and I certainly don't have the patience to attend shows every week and get knocked out by a judge who thinks my Sibe is a cross breed :D . Breed specialist Michael Jennings judged the SHCNSW show last year and told exhibitors later on at a seminar that if they didn't inject racing lines into their breeding programs then the state of the Siberian in Australia was heading downhill very quickly. I believe him but I dare say majority wouldn't! I certainly can't see any of the breeders who have been in it for a long time throwing out all their hard work and starting all over again. Phew - I think I might be melting soon or should I be ducking for cover Edited to say: Once again, I state that I have absolutely nothing against those who show their dogs. It's just not my thing Thanks for the info! I wonder why the judges initially started rewarding those types though. When you say that one of your boys in a show kennel would be too much hard work do you mean that they are too high energy? Sorry for the 20 questions I just find it really interesting!

So what do you think has made the Aussie and US judges move away from a more 'working type' of shape and style? I mean it's not like the standard calls for a pluffy coat or a broader head so why do the show breeders follow this when you would think that they would follow the style of the working types?

I find it odd when people say it's 'necessary' to have two different lines for showing and working, Idigadog when you say your dogs wouldn't stand a chance in the ring what exactly would the judge be holding against them? Do the judges give reasoning for putting dogs down in the placings? What would be the sort of traits that would go against your dogs in the ring? I'm just trying to understand why there is such a difference in the types and why a judge wouldn't put up a working line dog if they are all supposedly being bred to the same standard?

Just thought I'd update this thread my boy had his teeth done yesterday and the vet said his heart murmur seems fairly bad but it's hard to say whether it has worsened because I moved earlier this year so had to go to a different vet. He has lost weight so is a much more ideal weight than he was at Christmas time, he was about 4kgs then now he is down to 3.4kg. He coughed a little last night which may have been just recovering from the sedation the vet said that she didn't sedate him very much because of the heart. We will go back to the same vet in about 6 months so she can compare. Thanks for the info about Q10 do I get that from the health shop? The vet suggested that if he starts to show more clinical signs it might be worth getting him looked at by a specialist too.

My sibe has a lovely kennel but given the choice he'll sleep on my bed Depends on the dog I suppose you could always suggest to the owner that concrete is a very cold surface in winter and have they tried a trampoline bed or something they will tell you soon enough if he is a bed destroyer

Yeah my sibe is an awful resource guard and it's made worse by the fact that his warning off 'signals' are often way too subtle for my poor little chi to understand, whereas many dogs might lift a lip or growl in warning the sibe will just give a 'look' that not everyone is quick enough to pick up on. They get separated when I'm not home and when I am home I do my best to make sure there is nothing of value around for them to fight over. I've managed to avoid a lot of problems just by changing the way I manage them. It's a PITA and it would be nice if they just got along without having to be managed to that extent but as others have said dogs will be dogs

I've met two NBTs both CCCQ registered and very nice dogs as far as i can tell but I don't know much about rottis.

Mine went well today they had to be careful with my little chi his heart murmur has worsened apparently, they both got pre-anaesthetic bloods and the bill was $751 which was pretty much what they had quoted.

OMG I came home to a disaster zone the other day, Sonny had gotten my bag (which I thought I had put out of reach but obviously not) and gone into the bag and gotten out my beautiful purse which my mum got for my birthday last year and chewed it to shreds I was so devastated I just had a rant and a rave while he went into the yard and waited for the storm to settle! I know it was my fault he hadn't had enough exercise recently with moving and lots of stuff to do so he was starting to get a bit bored but it was still a shock and very distressing for some reason they often pick the stuff you really really didn't want chewed! The horse is the same I'll get him a beautiful rug and he will find some way of trashing it, I actually have a whole collection of rugs that he hardly ever wears because I don't trust him with them! Daisy is starting to be hard on rugs too the little snot!

Mine are both going in on Friday for a clean, neither have had their teeth cleaned before I rarely feed bones as the little shits fight over them even if I think I've picked them all up! I'm pretty nervous they haven't gone under for ages and it's a new vet so i'm a bit stressed! Bit stressed about the bill now reading everyone's posts I hope they give me an account!

If you're breeding dogs you ARE a breeder. Most of the people I see at shows consider their dogs pets and don't breed much. However,iIn order to do it responsibly you need to register yourself with your CC, obtain a prefix, learn how to judge your own stock and the mechanics of whelping. You also need to obtain Main Register dogs and health test them appropriately. A mentor is no substitute for those things. As I see it, there is nothing stopping anyone with a passion for purebred dogs becoming a breeder now. However nothing is going to make the process easier or less emotionally draining for those who embark on it. There are lots of things stopping people not the least of which is the lack of good quality dogs on main register. That's not really what I was getting at though, I'm more thinking of breeders co owning dogs but instead of the dog going back to the breeder perhaps it could stay at home through the process and the owners mentored and guided. A lot of people shy away from the co owner aspect because they don't want to have to give their dog back and they feel like they have no input I think if more breeders could be encouraged to take this approach it would be an effective way of introducing pet owners to the breeding side of things without having to jump into the deep end.

i agree with you on this. Also further to souffs point re shrinking gene pools ive often felt that breeding dogs shouldnt just be about one person breeding lots of dogs i think there should be more involvment of pet owners. It shpould be encouraged for owners of nice dogs to breed their dogs and the breeder should be mentoring as many as possible first.y to get more of their dogs out and about and secondly to share the knowledge experience and most of all passion for the breed. If more people become part of the project more people will understand the importance of matching sires and dams and looking at strengths and weaknesses.

What's the difference between a pet shop puppy sale and a sale of a pup picked up from the breeders house? I've known many people who've just rang up about a pup in an ad and gone to pick it up, no home checks no interrogations it's the same thing in a lot of ways the only real difference I can see is that instead of walking past a shop they have picked up the paper and called the number? I would like to see compulsory education courses in place even just make them watch a 2hr video regarding the breed in question before a purchase can be finalized, plus a desexing voucher which can be redeemed at the owners chosen vet at a time that suits. These would be easy first steps to introduce and enforce.

Couple of interesting doggy studies mentioned July 2010

Lead poisoning can cause neurological symptoms I've heard of it happening if dogs find a battery and chew on it. Liver issues can also cause both neurological problems and digestive issues so maybe get them to do a liver function test? Edited for typo

True about the neuticles it's more the context in the show where the fact that the dog had balls was more important than the fact that the dog obviously needed some training (desexing was done because the girl that owned him had little control over him), it was just one of the irritating things that stood out for me in that show.

Now why wouldn't this bloke endorse a pets paradise purchase? It's not like his show is a great endorsement of ethical veterinary practice (neuticles anyone?) and if you buy yourself a sick dog he's gonna be there to take your money don't worry about that!

My first dog was a chihuahua and for me they will always be special, my family had a gorgeous bitsa for many years so of course i do love the mutts as well. My sibe was a bit of a shock to the system being so different to any other dog I had ever had anything to do with, even though he is far more work and challenge than I ever could have anticipated I find the thought of never having another sibe difficult. I am in love with white shepherds too and so will definitely have one of those in the future. Hard to say which breed I have 'clicked' with the most but I think my husky has been the one who has had the most affect on me and changed the way I think about dogs. (eta or more specifically breeds and breed characteristics)

Of course you're going to get that from animal rights people, the RSPCA aren't an animal rights group so what animal rights people have to say isn't really relevant in this instance. (unless of course you find something in the campaign which aligns with that view)

What a stunning old chap he is thank you for saving him he is just so beautiful! The big fluffies give the best cuddles I reckon!