Alyosha

Beautiful babies everyone!! Congratulations to all.

If you trust your breeder, just ask. Tell them your thoughts and ask their advice on finding a quality pup. Most good breeders enjoy the opportunity to mentor someone who is passionate about their breed. It can be a gamble because many people start out showing and move on to other hobbies etc - taking their quality dog with them. But your background in horse showing should help you out a great deal. Some new folks come into showing with expectations that aren't met, so don't stay. Most local dog or kennel clubs run show training classes, anything from fairly formal ones to very casual. Someone closer to you should be able to point you in the right direction.

We're at 8 weeks today, and enormous. I don't think she has paid any attention at all to my order of five or six pups!! I don't know if she'll make the week though, she really is getting very uncomfortable. As long as she waits 'till after Wednesday - that's when my leave starts! Although I have let my boss know, if she starts before then I'm either gone home in a flash or not coming in! Other half will be keeping close watch in a slightly nervous way... :D I'll get a pic in daylight tomorrow.

Oh crap Ish. So sorry. I know you put lots of time and thought into this one.

Fingers crossed here too Ish!! Let us know how you go!

Oooo! I'm getting excited by these big belly shots!! New puppy pictures on the way!! :D Fern still looks very elegant - wish I'd managed that when I was preggers!!

Britt fingers crossed she is still picking up now and all will be fine. What a horrible scare!!

Wow guys, love the photos. I'm a little worried however that my borzoi girl, at just five weeks, looks about the same size as Fern!!!

Oh crap. So sorry to hear you have both had no success. Will have fingers and toes crossed for next time. I was excited before I headed away last Thursday for a few days to see our girl had lovely boobies coming along, and I fancied I could make out a little bit of a bulge. I came back today after just five days and she looks like a whale!!! Staying home with OH and getting a bit spolied doesn't account for that much belly in five days!! So much for hoping for a small litter! Four weeks to go and counting. The sire of this litter, my beloved boy, won his first BISS over the weekend, to say I'm thrilled doesn't even come close!! No scans for us, she really stresses at the vets and it's not worth it just for our sakes. So we'll keep guess-timating for now!

Revolution can also be used for Sarcoptes.

I did it for one of mine. But wasn't too sure on the questions about being happy to play with entire males, desexed males etc. I answered these as if it meant strange dogs? My boy will play happily with entire and desexed of either gender within his family/pack (even fosters once he knows them), but will rarely or never play with a strange dog of any gender. I hope that was right.

Horror on QLD roads today. http://au.news.yahoo.com/local/qld/a/-/local/9537923/rock-band-members-killed-in-crash/ Hopefully if help is needed with dogs it is found quickly.

We used to have a saluki that drove me nuts trying to get and keep weight on her. Lambflaps did help. But I bought some Livamol (bought it online and it was about $17 for a kg bag? Lasts ages so very cost effective) and a dessert spoon a day of that made a big difference, improved her coat as well.

What gorgeous pics of a happy mum and lovely pups!! Congratulations!!

Steve. I wonder at people who seem to use inbreeding as the root cause of all health problems in dogs - ie the more outcrossed a breeding the "healthier" the offspring will be - think of the multitudes of crossbreds in the world with health issues.

Oh, soory, forgot to add - I have used Livamol very successfully as a general conditioner for dogs - to add weight and general condition, as well as improving coat colour and quality. Good stuff. Watch the suger content as it contains molasses. And the theory is this: any dark coated animal that has enough trace copper will not fade. So rugging and sun protection becomes a moot point. Bearing in mind that necessary copper requirements have never been officially set. In goats, British Alpines (a black coated breed) can quite successfully be supplemented with 6 times the copper of Saanens (a white coated but otherwise very similar breed). At these levels British Alpines will not fade, or "rust out" if living outdoors unrugged. They will also not develop the dry and curled sort of coat which is often attributed to sun damage.

Staranis As far as I know black animals actually require a higher intake than white animals. It has been studied in humans as well and black haired humans had higher Cu requirements than fair haired people. Research in Japan way back in the 60s found this. Copper is also tied up with iron, and in anaemia cases sometimes iron supplements will show no improvement until trace copper is increased as well - the body cannot use the iron when the copper isn't available. Chronic copper deficiency can also present as high susceptibility to parasite burdens and/or fungal infections. Too much copper can resrict absorbtion of zinc. But don't forget we are still talking trace levels here. Copper is obviously toxic in high concentartions, as is iodine and many other trace minerals. Medical iodine present in antiseptics is at a very different level to the trace levels required for normal healthy body function.

Love your critters Cas. But you're right, they could be particularly at risk from dog attack. I worry about our old mini, smaller than our dogs, with one eye and 25+ years old. But she seems determined to protect her sheep friends! I know my dogs would bark if something was going on out in the big paddock, but it could be too late by then.

Iodine can be a problem for anyone (or dog! ) with a thyroid issue. Otherwise seaweed meal should be safe. Another symptom of iodine deficiency is all male offspring being conceived/surviving, and in severe cases, cretinism in surviving males. In normal thyroid animals and humans, seaweed should be a balanced and safe intake of iodine. Artificial iodine can be harder to manage and get right. Correct trace levels of copper and iodine are a must for good rich chocolate and non-rusty black coats, as well as for breeding health. edit - spelling...

And... WooHoo SSM!! :thumbsup: Sighthound babies all 'round!!

Borzoi - due 9th July all going to plan... :D

There is a well regarded theory that dark and black coloured animals have a higher copper requirement in their diets. Up to six times the level of white animals. Copper deficiency is a major cause of coat fade. Seaweed supplementation often helps.

I do question the blanket theory that inbreeding is altogether bad, and the less you have of it the better. I know I've used the example before but Arabian horses have been closely inbred for thousands of years. They have the reputation as one of the hardiest and healthiest horse breeds in the world. This as well as being so prepotent that they have been used to improve the health, stamina and general quality of nearly every single other breed of horse. Unprecendented. All this from inbreeding. The entire thoroughbred breed reputedly descends from just four arabian stallions. That's a whole lot of inbreeding... We wouldn't have purebred dogs without inbreeding, yet suddenly some people decide it is nothing but bad?

Sorry to hear about your ewe Cas, I hope it's the last. Be careful though, I've seen powerful dogs (smallish x bred gsd size) take on and kill determined alpacas when they're in a sheep frenzy - not a nice thing at all. If you have got dogs in your area doing this, watch your 'pacas as well as they can also be at risk.