alpha bet

The breeding you mention would be classed as line breeding (dog name) 2:3 This meaning the dog in question is 2 lines back on one side and 3 lines back on the other. This would be considered okay but with the number of staff bloodlines around it would seem very tight. If you are intending breeding with this dog in the future you would probably not want to breed back to that same blood line. If the breeding is 2:2 or less then you are getting too tight and verging on incest breeding. goodluck with your pup.

Question: If you didnt know the bitch was in season and now she is pregnant - does that mean you will register the pups.....?

To mate the bitch just under 2 years is usually fine. Remember too there are two months before the pups are born and the girl grows up even more over those two months. If the bitch being mated has good size and health do not be put off by the fact that she is under 2.

Just to remind people in case there is any confustion - there is not a special injection for the 3 yearly. It is the same as the normal vaccination just that the AVA has now recommended that the C3 injection has a three year cover - That is the distemper/parvo/hep part of what most people think of as the C5 injection. Regardless of what your vet says the C3 section of the vaccination is not needed as an annual. Kennel Cough is still believed to be needed as an annual injection (at this point anyway). C4-C5 are the parts of the vaccination that cover some of the kennel coughs - remember tho that Kennel Cough is not life threatening in itself. If you wish to kennel you have to ensure that your boarding kennel is okay with it.

GSDC does not welcome people who work their dogs in Schutzhund or as security dogs. Many working breeders are hence not members, especially if pp/security/military/police dogs are their bread and butter Nekhbet, the writer was not asking for dogs for Schutzhund or Security - seemed she wanted a replacement for her 3 legged family dog. There are many good breeders thru the GSDC who have good working lines. After all the stud dogs brought into australia generally have their SchIII. Working bloodlines does not necessarily mean that breeders who just breed for security.

Have you contacted the GSDC in NSW - they have puppy listings...... would have thought they were the first port of call.

You will find that the German Shepherd Club will give you all the help you need. They will advise you of all the tests needed and then you present your dog for the Breed Survey where you will receive an assessment. The Breed Survey System is terrific - I had dealings with the GSDCV from 1979 and found that although there can be differences amongst the people, but when it came to the breed survey - all personal issues were put aside and the dogs were judged and assessed with impartial eyes. You can talk to the surveyors and they may offer suggestions of stud dogs that will compliment your bitch and her bloodlines. It is easy to look up show critiques and breed surveys on the stud dogs and their offspring which can help you determine the breeding traits a dog may have to offer. We all start out as beginners at some point - I got my first GSD when i was 19yo and never expected my life to become so involved in dogs. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Never used the internet for checking puppy buyers. Generally just taken people at face value. However, must say, it does make sense to see what might be out there. And I dont think it is invasive to look up an address on google maps. It will only zoom in so far and mostly it is from the last twelve months. So its not as if we would see you walking around in your gstring.....lol

I do the same at 6 weeks and then send of the paperwork for registration to VCA - so far have had the papers back in time to go home with the pups - VCA Reg papers including Microchip numbers. Microchips registered in my name and transfer papers provided to families to transfer the reg into their own name. If they dont transfer at least there is a chance I will get contacted. Microchipping is terrific and perhaps the best chance for dogs to be reunited.

My black tri girl Australian Shepherd 'Giget' is due to have her first litter about the 13-17th February. All going well that is... So pleased to see she is putting on a little weight and I would swear she is just a little sooky at the moment..... Arrrrrhhhh don't you all just love having puppies around the house......

Just goes to show that perhaps smaller kennels offer a much more personalised service that many DOL's would prefer. Certainly don't think you were charged an excessive amount (many charge from $22-$32 a day and still charge for extra services). From my experience there are many kennels in Victoria that aren't open on Sundays so you end up paying the extra day or even two depending on when you can pick up on the Monday. Staff costs can be higher on the weekend but the kennel rate remains the same as mid week. If you have specific things for your dog, such as regular brushing, it is always best to tell them when you drop your dog off. You might have found they would have added an extra fee but your dog would have a lovely hydrobath/dry/groom. Probably well worth the extra $20 or so.

Exactly what does that entail? How tolerant of abuse should a dog have to be? How will this protect them from strange kids? I don't expect my dogs to have to tolerate being teased or abused. They all have good bite inhibition but I regard is as my job to keep them safe, regardless of what the threat to them is. Fear aggressive dogs and resource guarders know they're dogs, not children. I don't think its only "spoilt" dogs that can have issues with kids. Put a dog in a room with a kid, remove the ability for it to leave and push it hard enough and most WILL at least snap in defence. Good bite inhibition is the most important part of dog safety around kids IMO. Poodlefan.... please dont nitpick at a post that is intended to offer some food for thought to the member asking for advice. Please note that I said she needed to work directly with a trainer for advice as this is a serious issue. At no time did i state that your dog should "tolerate abuse" as you say. But then you are welcome to your own opinion.... perhaps I am ignorant of your experience in this field and should bow to your authority on this matter as you obviously believe you have the answer to this problem. Best of luck to the original poster of this thread.

Didnt realise that promotions for commercial aspects was acceptable on the forum...... Perhaps I am mistaken.

The forum is not really the place to get the ideas you need, it is only a place to touch base. The issue is too important to be left bits and pieces of advice. There are many books and trainers who specialize in just this issue. It is worth your while actually seeking them out to have one on one discussions and some sessions. However - My best advise to you is to have the right attitude and develop the correct philosphy and you will win out. 1. It doesnt matter what breed you have - poodles or rottweilers - it is your responsibility to ensure that your dogs have the social skills to deal with children - your own and others kids to. 2. If your dogs are spoilt you will have problems - therefore firstly ensure your dogs understand that they are dogs, not substitute children. 3. Crates are not the only solution - a crated dog can easily end up a target for kids - Your dogs must learn to be good with all ages of children, plus your kids learn early how to respect dogs. Therefore should the dogs and children accidently end up in the same room unsupervised they know how to deal with each other. 4. With other peoples children you have to be much more vigilant as you have no definite idea of how other people teach their kids to handle dogs. In your home tho you are the boss - it is up to you to intercept if the visitors kids are inappropriate, not just wait for their parents to step in. 5. Remember your dogs also have to learn not to react to bad kids either. Congratulations on recognising the need before you have children and not like many of my clients who had kids and then realise they have problems - it takes a great deal more effort after kids come along.

Does sound a bit rich - are you sure that the $120 fee is an annual fee. It might be a one off fee and then you just pay for individual cats. I got a permit for 20 dogs for boarding and paid an initial planning fee. I dont have to pay any fees to register individual dogs but I do pay to register my own dogs and cats. That was about 10 years or so ago, perhaps things have changed. There are plenty of councils now who don't want to have any kennels or catteries so they make it harder - Whittlesea is one council that has almost stated they wont allow any further applications and any of the older permits that were issued to individuals instead of a business name will not be able to transfer the permit to others should they sell the property. Seems a bit rough when you think this will start to limit kennels in the future.

One major difference...... price!

Not sure if its the same but what I know about 4 x 2 biscuits - these are the old fashioned style of biscuit that was developed for working dogs. They were easy for the stockman to have in his saddlebag and use for his herding dogs. Initially made by 'Farrells' - (but I think the company name may have changed). The name came from the fact that the biscuit is 4 inches x 2 inches - they were also called Farrells Dog Biscuits. Available thru most feed stores. They are pretty good substitute for bones as the dogs sit down and give them a good chew and then easily swallow. I think they might have preservatives.

Easy solution. Ginger is a very big tummy settler as well as good for headaches. Used regularly for animals and humans for travel sickness. Here is a good receipe that will likely work for your dog. You make a batch then feed dog some grated ginger mixed in with her meal the night before you travel, then a few cookies 20 minutes before you leave and then some cookies regularly thru the trip. These are good healthy cookies for dogs as they dont contain anything harmful like sugars and preservatives. Dogs love them. May seem a bit of a hassle but well worth the effort and you can use them for whenever you travel this will help your dog get used to travel. Preparation time:15 minutes Makes: 30 INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp (30 ml)- ginger (grated) 4 cups (560 g)- whole- wheat flour 2 tsp- cinnamon (ground) 1/0 cup (125 ml)- water 1/2 cup (175 g)- molasses (blackstrap- health shops or feed stores) DIRECTIONS Blend the ginger, flour, and cinnamon together. Slowely add water and molasseto the flour mix to form the dough. Place on floured counter and roll out about 1 inch think and cut into shapes with cookie cutters (or make flattened balls). Bake at 350F for about 15 to 25 minutes or until brown and crisp.

First thing is to talk to your house insurance company and see if you can get an extension on your home public liablitity to cover this activity. Many companies do this and it is the most cost effective way as it is not a new policy just an extra. Can save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars. The problem for small businesses is that the Insurance Companies often want to sell you a $20,000,000 cover. Which really is ridiculous considering the likelyhood of you ever being sued over something like photography. Get lots of quotes and find companies that will consider quoting you for home and business.

One of the best known is the greyhound chiropractor in Michelham. George Scoefield and his son. Not expensive just have to go there on Saturday morning and put your name on the blackboard. He is fabulous and definately worth the trip for you.

You dont necessarily need to worry. It is not uncommon for dogs to pull a nail..... bit like with us and a fingernail. Hurts heaps but does settle down. Have had quite a few dogs over the years do this (the problem with having dogs in pens). They are sore for a few days and you will see some swelling and redness around the nail area. Then the dog will just start to limp around carefully. After about 2 weeks the dog will seem pretty happy just a limp. After 3-4 weeks will be a big improvement. I would avoid using any antibiotic when she is feeding the pups. You can dip the foot in salt water to try and keep it cleaned.

$60 for a wash and blow dry of a labrador seems about right..... But they wouldnt have spent 3 hours grooming your dog.... only takes perhaps 15-20 min to wash and perhaps half an hour or so to dry. Therefore about 1 hour really even allowing for the fact that the dog might be a bit squirmy. The woman who does the grooming at my business is great with the dogs and if she gets one that is a handful she calls me over to help out and i will hold while she washes.... Often after the wash we let them have a run around in a yard to let them burn off some energy before we use the dryer. We are lucky that we work well together as it is handy to have a groomer and trainer work together. Plus we have the advantage of her teaching me how to groom and I help her with hints how to handle some of the dudes. We also have some big undercover yards where we can let the clients burn off energy. Sometimes I kick a soccer ball around for them before we start. This seems to really help settle them and make them more relaxed with us. When they come back again they seem to be more enthusiastic and cope much better. Labs are shockers for losing coat and the professionals dryer and comb out at the end is the bit that seems to help drop the coat the most. Perhaps the groomer you used wasn't able to use the dryer on your dog, hence why you picked him up with lots of loose coat. Dont give up on groomers, I'm sure you can find someone really good, however you need to prepare the dog for them so here are two suggestions : 1. make sure you give your dog a big run before you take him to be groomer. 2. get him used to the noise and feel of the dryer - just use your hairdryer in bits and pieces to get him ready.

Add lots of parsley (just wizz it up in your kitchen) to his diet.... very good for bad breath The other thing is you can buy charcol biscuits - this is an easy way to feed the charcol and the dogs do love them.

We purchased some of the 'Shear Magic 10' blades with the ceramics. We use Oster and Wahl clippers and these blades actually fit both clippers which makes life easier. No difference in the finish but they do seem to run cooler and they are the same age as the Oster blade and the Oster metal blade is due for sharpening where the ceramic blade is still running well. Shear Magic is also significantly cheaper.

Purchased a new twin tub Barf last month. It has an enclosed main tank and an open second tank with a white (plastic/resin) floor that lays down over the top of the floor, thus creating a barrier over the second tank..... The plastic floor has a screw off lid over the second tank to allow for transfer of water. So far so good.... works really well and easy to clean.... Any other questions just ask...