angelsun

Guess you don't have your finger on the pulse of things as much as you beleive? Primarily german pedigrees with these faulty toplines. Yes the show was in Australia, Victoria to be specific. Everyone has their own tastes in any breed however people do very much promote the word 'import' and yes, it very much features in their marketing as well as their attempts to discredit other breeders. (this is not second hand news, but what we get daily from phone calls from prospective buyers) Yes but unfortunately the general public is being misled (in my opinion) that only breeders using imported stock are considered higher quality. You have just reiterated that you do consider someone that owns a dog with a fault to be not qualified to comment on the breed overall.

I usually do the job myself, clean up pup and give it a good rub to help dry, then mum takes over...no issues doing that I've found.

Short answer...neither.....let me explain quickly; the course is set out in the field and would remind you of an agility course in that each 'station' is numbered and you walk the course without a dog prior to attempting it. At each station, you do what the sign says and move on to the next station. The judge only says 'forward' to get you going, and then you are on your own. You do the course alone and on lead for Novice, (off for the other two levels) http://z3.invisionfree.com/RallyODownUnder/ Rally is what I call 'agility for slow people' and I don't mean slow as in "not smart" I mean slow as in some of us can't run in agility like we used to! Rally makes you use a LOT of your brain!

"local" shows for us are at least an hours drive....average is about three hours or better for a one day thing and sometimes we have been known to drive back and forth that distance for a weekend. (yes we're hopeless!) It wasn't rare for me to use to drive six hours for a weekend and many many times I drove about ten or twelve for a three day event. (when living in Canada) Spent way too much time on planes as well now that I think of it!

We're getting closer!

In answer to the question (which hasn't been to this point) it is state law, nothing to do with VCA that restricts the training of schutzhund, however there are still many individuals training and clubs permitting it. I do not agree with the state laws restricting this sort of canine training as if it's done correctly there isn't a thing wrong with it! However I am against anyone that is breaking the law (schutzhund trainers) or clubs that turn a blind eye. Whether I agree with the law or not, it is the law.

How did you get started in showing? When I bought my first Manchester Terrier I decided to join the local all breed club. I had thought more along the obedience lines but they had a peek at the dog and suggested I 'show'...I knew nothing about it and figured what the hell...how hard can this be? Figured I'd show a few times and see how it went...got hooked badly and am still at it! What was your first dog/breed? My first purebred dog was a sable GSD however I didn't show her...it wasn't til I got my first Manchester Terrier that I started this madness!! (see above) What is your favourite memory? (Doesn't need to be a win but just a significant moment, maybe the moment you knew you were hooked?) It wasn't a case of knowing when I was hooked or a specific memory that did it, but my strongest memory was when I took that terrier in as a puppy and he went breed for his first points over a champion. Who do you thank from your early days? One of the most influencial people was a woman named Laurinda who was a handler and amazing to watch. She could go from a Dane to a Chihuahua and never miss a beat. She was kind enough to take me under her wing and show me the ropes. I will always be grateful to her for helping this newbie and consider her one of the most influencial people to me. Who really helps/helped you out and you wouldn't be where you are without them? See above. As well I give a lot of credit to a great all breed club and one woman named "noonie" who kept us grounded when we won and picked us up when we lost....she was an amazing woman who we lost two days after our show finished one year and we always will miss her humour and experience.

I just finished registering a litter co bred with my friend in Canada and all online....this was tricky as the sire of the litter is co owned with myself and another friend as well...thank goodness for online registrations! In a day (because of time zones and some small corrections as it was her first time doing this) we had litter registered, pups all individually registered and in less than two weeks I got my pups papers in the mail here in Victoria! Gotta love the online stuff....wish we could do that here.....also would love to see more online entry's happening and get rid of twenty million bits of paper!!

Have you checked the solid gold website directly? That would be a shame if they have discontinued it....was a good all round suppliment that seemed to really help some bitches during labour and delivery.

that's a shame

It's tricky to try to calculate and keep everyone happy...for example, my puppy last year had less than half the shows that the #1 rising star did and yet was only about 75 points behind....quality versus quantity...but how on earth do you try to calculate and reward that? She also had far more 'in group' wins plus an 'in specialty show' win..... This sort of thing makes it very hard to get a clear picture of which dogs were in fact bigger/better winners....I don't have the answer as I had a problem with the Canadian system as well that didn't truly reflect a better winning dog versus a dog that had one win at a larger show and ended up on top...

And because all too many 'humanize' linebreeding/inbreeding and refer or beleive it to be incest failing to take into account the different numbers of human genes versus canine genes. I'm sure we have all heard the wives tale about the reason the dog was "cross" was because he was inbred. As for COE's, in the end as stated by one, it's the frequency of a name or series of names, it's got nothing to do with WHAT that name was and how it affected the progeny and future generations....in my opinion, COE's are for those that want to breed to paper (pedigrees) without taking into account the dogs behind the name. I linebreed, but I know the dogs I"m linebreeding to....all too often breeders will line breed to a dog they know only by reputation and that isn't always accurate.

Firstly, I think every region favours or penalizes certain looks of every breed depending on the amount of dogs being shown there. I've seen regions of Canada and the USA that favour a certain look more than others....most exhibitors know this and if they have a dog that isn't the 'flavour of the month" they save their entry fees and show somewhere else... As for what issues, I stated earlier...walking on hocks and roached backs...it's not uncommon to see dogs here with those traits and it's just as common in North America, hence why some imported dogs here, are familiar to me as I know the kennels and the dogs....As I have mentioned many times in the past, imported does not always mean better. (regardless where the import comes from and that applies to ANY breed, not just this one) Upon examination of pedigrees, yes there are a lot of imported German lines as well as Scandinavian however there are North American dogs appearing more and more as well... As for how these dogs are doing, I've seen the roach backs and practically unable to walk with rubbing hocks go BOB (with no competition) and RUBIG.....do I agree? No....what made it worse in my opinion was seeing a breeder judge do the awarding. I watched a dog with North American lines (dog imported from Canada) win Breed at a large entry show that in my opinion shouldn't have won Challenge Dog and certainly not go over a lovely bitch that was there that day...but again..I wasn't the one standing in the ring doing the picking. I'm not sure where the judges head was to be honest as both his challenge dog and bitch were of two totally different types and styles....gotta love dog shows!! I think in answer to the question why anyone would import over angulated American dogs....because it's an import to start...and it makes for good advertising and better puppy sales unfortunately....it's not uncommon to see in most puppy advertising done how the word "Import" gets used a LOT....even so much to imply that anyone that does not have said import, is breeding inferior puppies. We also have a few breeders that had imports 6-7 generations ago and are still promoting this current generation of pups as 'import lines' implying that the pups are more superior. Sure it's good marketing...but like any breed...prospective owners must sort out the sales pitch from the actual product. I think this is SO important when looking for ANY new family member and always encourage anyone in the search for a new dog, to really look hard at what is being said on websites and advertising. (this breed is not the only one with these issues) In the end, the new buyer must take the time to figure out what look they choose to add to their home....this breed has many styles (some like to call it type, but that's actually incorrect terminology) As for the final comment: It is a shepherd...regardless of the coat type.....until there comes a time where all faults are removed...would you comment with as you say if this were a short coated dog that was too large? That doesn't conform to the standard either....but it is not bad to own one nor should that person with the oversize dog because they own a dog with a fault, not be permitted to comment on the breed or the standard. Boy if that were the case, none of us could comment on anything...unless perhaps someone out there has perfect dogs and never had one with a fault of any nature?

Easy to say that the numbers are big at KCC and Bulla...but as both are three hours drive, they aren't generally ones we attend....not everyone lives 30 minutes outside Melbourne!

I like the double points for large shows as there is a pretty good chance that there will be more than 1 dog in each class for each breed with the youngsters. Well done Troy!!!! Not in MY breed, regardless of the numbers at the show...recent example..I entered the Australian shows at Bulla in VIC, big numbers....one German Pinscher....I was entered at Benalla the weekend before..half the dogs or so....one German Pinscher. I have had ONE weekend where I had class competition and that was in 'baby'....even at our specialty, I was the only one in the Minor Class (for bitches OR dogs). As often happens, the rule are being designed and implemented for the city folks, and the rest of us in the country simply are told to suck it up or travel further.....we travel far enough at times. (rant over....)

I agree that my story is sad and was VERY frustrating for me at the time. My main problem was half the judges had never seen the colour before and i swear many didn't realize the breed that was on the end of the lead because of it (he also had natural ears which was also not seen often in my breed at the time) I will add (to those newbies out there that wonder why they got involved in this sport) that not all judges are crooked or influenced by this sort of thing..I am fortunte to be good friends with a number of all breed judges in Canada and we've had this discussion MANY times as they were mentoring me towards getting my license. Yes it was assumed if they put up the most advertised dog, they were following the trend, but as mentioned here, it probably WAS the best dog out there that day..why shouldn't they put it up? Many of the complaints about having that top dog put up, came from new exhibitors (less than ten years) or others directly connected as in breed or group peers. That's nothing to do with being influenced by magazines, simply poor sportsmanship when others lose. I have seen a lot of favouratism in judging...friends putting up friends etc...and i think I related here a long time ago of a show where at 8am we had all the winners picked right up to BIS based on the judges and who was here...and yes...it was friends putting up friends....lets just say as the decisions came down, you could hear a pin drop, and this wasn't normal in a crowd of showies that we were that tended to be very vocal and applaud a lot and cheer during General Specials. There was at one point a big to-do about our local results being put on line (www.canuckdogs.com) at the end of the day or the next day and that judges in motel rooms may decide to surf and check what their collegues did so they didn't make any 'mistakes' the next day. After a lot of bantering it around..it was decided that results would be posted fully as they always had been because we knew that if the judges wanted to chat about who won what, they would do it over supper and a beer at the end of the day before they were taken to their rooms for the night...as I've said many times before..you can't legislate ethics....advertising your dog/kennel, posting wins online immediately following shows etc, I think will always be done and it's up to the judges out there to decide if they use that information or remember why they became a judge in the first place. I'm very guilty of focusing so much on the dogs that I fail to see who's on the end of the lead and have been called 'rude' because I didn't chat up an exhibitor during the exam.... Judges can have it rough....yes, damned if you do, damned if you don't....but again, most of the bitching comes from folks that have lost and would never put the hard yards into attaining their license in the first place!

I rolled my eyes when I saw the subject title and then read the actual post....please....there are many out there that use a pop/correction and the fact you stated there was no warning when the correction was given isn't a horrible and as you imply, "traumatizing' incident! Until you've worked with labs/retrievers you can't truly comment...this may have in your opinion been too rough of a method for you and your breed but in fact, that's how you should have stated it instead of automatically assuming that the owners were abusing the dogs and that anyone that DOES a correction with a check chain is barbaric and cruel. Glad you enjoy the method of training you do and you are entitled to that method for your breed, but don't condemn other actions until you know the full story of why they are being used and what results have already resulted because of their use. I used clicker training before it was fashionable to do so..people thought I was nuts...I still use some of the methods depending on the dogs but I also use check chains and have to occasionally give a good sharp correction. I used pinch collars which I know are far less harmful on a neck than a check chain but like so many things now, seeing something that disagrees with someone is not considered cruel and inhumane even if they know nothing about the method or tool. Flame away....I've been training a LONG time and never have I abused a dog or caused harm to one.

True story: I had a dog I imported to Canada from here in my breed..he was a different colour than I had been seen showing with and although the dog was a fine specimen and in fact a grand champion here, I couldn't get a win on him no matter what I did....show after show I entered and nothing. Remember, in Canada if we are a single entry, we must win a placement in group to get the points we need for a title. I decided to take out an ad in a major magazine and hopefully time it right so that it was in the hands of the judges prior to my next 'lot' of shows. Since I'd not had any wins in Canada to that point, I simply advertised his wins over here prior to getting to me. Had a nice photo taken of us and waited to see what happened. The VERY first show I attended after I knew that the magazine was in the hands of the judges, I got put up to a group second win....wasn't long after that I won the group with the dog..within four weekends of showing, he had his title and only lost out on a group placement once. There ARE dogs that win big with no advertising..I've seen it....and yes I hope that this country doesn't fall into the trap that Canada and the USA have when it comes to this sport, that the more money you have to toss behind a dog, the more you will win. (won't even get into the pro handler debate and I could as I used to be one) Anyway....in the end...you can't blame the exhibitor for promoting the dog they believe in...what I do have a problem with is that some judges are so heavily influenced by the ads that they fail to observe all the other outstanding dogs in the ring the day they are judging.

As I'm familiar with just about every pedigree in my breed, I've usually already done my homework when looking for an outside stud dog. It must tie into what I'm doing as I'm a firm believer in linebreeding. I need to know hip/elbow scores and vWD status. Current eye checks as well are desired, but as I know the lines pretty good for every GP around, I'm not about to consider a dog if there are issues in the lines in the past. I'm not so much worried about what the dog has produced in the past as I linebreed tightly and pretty much know what I can expect when I finally get around to doing a breeding. My first question is simple...'will you let me breed to your dog?' It saves me a lot of time if I know they would permit a breeding..then we can work on details. If the dog is available, I usually like to know what I"m expected to do as owner of the bitch. Most stud dog owners have their set of rules they like to use...if I'm not happy with what they send me, I walk away...no dogs sperm is worth selling a soul over....there are a few in my breed that own males that seem to think they are entitled to making decisions such as telling me that I must only have any entire dogs on the ones I keep, the rest must be altered and sold on limited registration..I even had one tell me that I was to use the dogs name in the registered names of the litter! I like to keep it simple..all too often lately it seems that everyone is making this dog breeding thing, FAR too difficult and complicated....

Thyroid testing showed normal levels, but that is in fact what we had thought at first....in truth, we can't figure out why it works, it just does. There are quite a few 'brand names' of thyroid meds out there (in Canada) and not everyone was found to use the same, so I'm thinking it doesn't matter the actual brand name, so much as the dog is getting an additional dosage over what the normal levels are indicated. There aren't 'official' studies done on this sort of thing, just a bunch of frustrated breeders and stud dog owners, giving something a go and hoping it works....in almost every case of males, noticable increase in semen production and in most, substantial increase....in females, at least 25% increase in whelps.

German Pinschers time gone by: Omo VD Birkenheide....to me the ideal specimen for the breed. There are very few today that can combine the solid structure with the elegance that this dog did in my opinion. In Cresteds: Ch.Rompford's Dark N Haunting Wind (Dracula) absolutely STUNNING dog and has produced very well. In Manchesters: Ch.Hidden Hills Tic Tac CDX Well rounded version that followed the written standard (of the time, circa 1970)

I've been called in as a Manchester, German spitz, German pointer, German terrier, Mini doberman....and that was in the run of just two weekends...by the same steward....all of which I knew and took as a joke....I just stood at the gate til he reamed off all the names and came up with the right one..then I went in the ring!

I kept two of my pups til they were almost six months old the last litter I had, as I couldn't find the right home....in the end, the right people came along...I didn't do anything different, just told people the way it is...worked on manners and housetraining and crate training and was patient. I didn't lower the price as often people will do when desperate, in fact I should have raised it as it would have helped cover the feed and work I put into them. The key is PATIENCE...and don't agree to the first home that comes along...it's no different than putting out that eight week old pup....don't worry, many think they want young to bond properly....but there are many that would snap up a mostly housetrained pup in a heartbeat....they will come along and you will send these babies on their way.

Even if this breeder is found innocent of an alleged violation....this sort of thing does irreputable damage to a reputation that may have taken years to establish. There are many cases of innocent people having things twisted to suit an agenda...in this case, I beleive that the RSPCA are out to 'set examples'.....but remember folks..someone had to notify them for them to put into motion an enquiry....disgruntled competition maybe? Don't laugh...happens all the time!

Most RSPCA officers wouldn't know breed specific hereditary conditions if they tripped over them....They should be more worried about the dogs out there left suffering in the heat, tied to trees or the bitches having litters every season....those dogs don't generally belong to registered breeders....it's too bad that monetary resources are spent on things like this when in my opinion, there are far bigger fish to fry.