RubyBlue

They're gorgeous Talien Here are some pics of my pup and his mum. As you can see I lack camera skills.

Nice!!! The dad shares some relatives with my new pup. Oh cool, which ones? Have you got your new pup yet? No he's three weeks now. I saw him for the first time on Sunday though. I'm interstate at the moment but will post some pics when I get back. I can't remember which dogs were the same now but I put both his parents profiles up earlier in this thread.

YAY

Nice!!! The dad shares some relatives with my new pup.

Probably a good one to check up with the actual insurer. I'd be pretty upset if they claimed a pre-existing condition if it didn't exist during the first year I insured with them. I also think its worth keeping in mind the cliche that "insurance companies are in the business of NOT paying claims".

We've tried a few different brands of insect repellent and whilst they all worked to begin with after a while the flies didn't seem to care. The little suckers attack their legs too. I think I remember hearing somewhere about spot on flea treatments helping against flies - I can't remember if I got around to trying this one or not. Does anyone know if there is anything in this?

We did it without a crate with Jackson and with a crate with Milly - the crate made life soooooo much easier. I have a wire collapsible crate and now an open top playpen.

I have tried supercoat and eucanuba but found that both dogs did better on science diet. Am now going to give BlackHawk a go. I have also tried raw and whilst it was great I found it quite demanding on me to provide it properly. Great poll - there are a few brands listed that I've never heard of before. How do does everyone go about find out about these foods?

Lucky lucky dog. Yet another reason why they should be safely restrained whilst in a car.

Same, my poor old boy suffered terribly - the best we could do was keep him 'high'. I'll definitely be looking into when my other one starts showing signs of arthritis.

hmmm....you may have trouble find a young healthy human undergoing a desex op....

How about sodium There must be some form of salt in pet food Copied & Pasted, excuse the quality Crude Protein……… 25.00% (min) Crude Fat………… 14.00% (min) Crude Fibre………… 4.50% (max) Crude Ash ……. 11.0% (max) Phosphorus(P)………… 0.80% (max) Calcium (Ca)……….. 1.45% (min) Moisture……… 10.00% (max Ingredients Statement Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Oats, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols source of Vit E,Citric Acid & Rosemary extract), Brewers Dried Yeast, Flaxseed meal, Fish Meal. Canola Oil, Emu Oil, Dried Carrots Dried Kelp, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Chicory, Yucca Shidgera Extract, Glucosamine Chondroitin Sulphate Dried Blueberries, Dandelion, Peppermint, Rosemary, Tomato Meal,Zinc Oxide, Zinc Amino Acid Chelated, Iron Sulphate, Vitamin A-Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement. Manganous Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement Copper Sulphate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Riboflavin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, D-Biotin, Calcium Iodate Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carboinate. Sodium Selenite = salt It's not the salt you put on your tomatoes, it's commonly known as selenium and it's a trace mineral found in a lot of foods. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium I haven't read all the posts in this thread so I am sorry if I have doubled up on something. We got some BH yesterday and asked the salesman at the petshop to ring up about the salt. He initially said there is no added salt but we pointed out that salt was in the ingredient list in the puppy food. So he called up again and said that the salt content in the puppy food was 0.2% and would be less than that in the adult food. Something else - the puppy food has sorghum in it. Several of the other people working in my lab are trying to develop a non-cyanogenic version of sorghum (they are very close...). The kibble looks well processed so I think it is extremely likely that all cyanide was released during the grinding, mixing, baking, etc process but just in case I will test a small amount when I get a spare moment and let you know if I get a positive.

How does one go about finding an ethical breeder when purchasing from interstate? The breeder's facilities can't be viewed and as every breeder sets their own price tag, the cost doesn't seem to reflect actual quality of life for the dogs in question. Just curious - what state are you looking to buy in and why are you keen on interstate? Word of mouth is a good way to find good breeders. Talk to people who have bought pups off them in the past, you can possibly meet/see their dog and talk to them about any problems they have had or what their relationship with the breeder is like.

Yep the lab pup I am hoping to get is a singleton born by caesar and the mating was AI. The breeder won't be able to cover her costs.....

need a 'like' button

...and with the development of sunscreen he doesn't need to wear his over sized hat anymore - its not suitable to indoor living. Ill decide what dog lives in my house and he can decide what he puts on his over sized head.

That's very sad

how do they sleep at night

Poor little thing. $1500 is hardly a punishment. I imagine veterinary treatment would have cost more - how is such a small fine going to prevent them doing it again.

That's a really good idea. I wonder if they will do similar things with other hospitals?

Its good fun and GSPs seem to be especially good at it. Personally I would wait until he's a little older before running him. I don't know when GSPs are fully grown - someone else here should be able to answer that - but I would expect 18months to 2years before you start to step it up (you don't want to risk his joints for the sake of waiting a little bit longer). Windchill is a good site for gear but they also have information about places to bike. I have a friend who gets her racing gear elsewhere - Ill chase up the name for you (or with the strong dollar you could get it in from overseas). You could also try the husky/malamute clubs they have the occasional training days. It is a winter sport and I believe events are cancelled if the weather goes above 15dC (someone correct me if I'm wrong - its been a long time since I looked at this stuff). Good luck

Ive never heard of LAT before - what is it? is there a thread on here about it?

Mine are black..... hopefully the next one will be too

Yes, you should be looking for health first and foremost. Or you could keep an eye on this page: http://www.rescuealabrador.com/dogs-available-for-adoption Scores AND temperament AND conformation AND knowledge of the lines. The breed will go down the gurgler if we select by hip and elbow scores alone. Unfortunately, some of the more important health aspects, such as prone-ness to cancer, bloat, and heart problems are hard to quantify. And Labs generally have great temperament, but there are a few of 'em out there that I wouldn't have a bar of because either they don't have an off switch, or they aren't biddable. Also, the difference between 0:0 and a 2:1 hip scores simply be how the dog was positioned for the X-rays, or who did the reading and how they were feeling on the day. In my years in WA there was a group trying to do Lab rescue, but I think they gave up cause they rarely found any dogs to rescue . . . the demand for Labs is far greater than the supply . . . between toilet paper adds and Guide Dogs you have a huge built in PR campaign. Really? So at the other end that could be the difference between above and below the breed average..... We paid $600 for Jackson in '98. Milly was 'free' to a good home (not that they screened me or anything lol). I'd be happy to pay $1500 for a good dog and a good relationship with the breeder. If all goes to plan this next dog will be with me until my 4th decade - given that I pay more in rent each month to me the initial cost is not a priority.

I use the limited slip over a flat so it can sit loose on the dog but they can't pull backwards out of it on a lead - something about labs and all their jowls bunched up doesn't look right for me. The limited slip I have has less 'slip' than a martingale however I have seen some of the rogz (i think) ones and they have way too much for my liking. I also prefer it as there is no buckle (I have experienced holding a lead attached to collar with a dog running off in the distance - so never again ) All in all its a different variation for the same results - personally I prefer the look of the limited slip. If you want to use it for corrections I'd suggest a martingale with a bit of chain for the slip (I don't see how just jerking the dog will correct but at least with a chain you get a auditory cue)