Alyosha

Mine are snobs. They definitely prefer sighthound company... But sighthounds have different play than many other breeds, they do't really like the close contact wrestle play unless they are very closely bonded. Playing with dog friends or aquaintances needs to consist of running games, they don't like their personal space invaded by strangers (maybe a bit like some of us humans?? ;))

I think it largely depends on where people's passion lies. Some folks are more keen on active showing, and some also love the administrative and organisational side of it. Neither are more right or wrong, as they are both necessary parts of it. One person might not bat an eyelid at missing the odd show here or there but for others that may be a big thing. I'm a bit of a fence sitter. I can see why it doesn't always look good. But I don't think that many Committees have long queues of people waiting to join, and the more restrictions that are involved, the more people might just give it a miss - life is too complicated anyway - and stick to going to shows instead of helping to organise them.

So sorry to hear about your boy. But I think any dog can choke, it's just a rare and unfortunate thing. I know of a borzoi that choked on raw chicken - and despite the long face and big throat you would expect you could reach into and remove the blockage they couldn't get it out and lost him. Just heartbreaking.

Yep. And sighthounds are experts at it. He'll forgive you soon enough.

If the breed is fairly new to Australia can you look further back in the bloodlines and find tested dogs from overseas? Maybe that could give you a general impression of the test results of the Aust lines - even if a little further back? And if you could find something you feel you could work with then you could end up being the groundbreaker in the breed and start testing...

Poor boy, and poor people who loved him. What a magnificent creature he was. I'd only ever seen him in pictures but he was unforgettable!

Mine always wear martingales - it's a sighthound thing, flat collars are a big no-no for sighthounds. This is because there's not enough difference between the width of their muscular necks and their narrow skulls, they can come out of flat collars with a very quick flick of the head... especially if they want to go chase something! My two good walkers are very good on them, they will correct easily and lightly and walk without pulling. But my puller (who is the blonde in the family!) will always pull into a martingale like she's dragging a sled - no matter what we try. So she has an infin8 halterr. But yep, for normal dogs (not your exceptional blondies that is! ) martingales are very good.

These people have been at this for quite some time and have got deposits off a good deal of people.

Very nice to see some Greys getting in there!

Far out - I never thought it would be so nice to see a smurf!!

They look fantastic! What a lovely job you've done. I agree see if you can find a rescue group in your state that may help with the pups.

Hey Stormie!

If you hold a pug upside down their eyes will pop out. wow I really should stop picking Bert up by his hind legs then! :D ;) They way I heard it their eyes just fall out - ALL the time apparently... Because they're soooo inbred and they're bred with such bulging eyes... But you can just rinse them off and pop them back in! ;)

And Afghans too - they're apparently the stupidest or "blondest" dogs ever... "studies have shown". So say people who haven't lived with them!

Don't trust a dog with orange eyebrows. Only dogs with three hairs growing out of the freckle under their chin are any good as pets.

I'm no Belgian expert but as far as I know Groens and Tervs can interbreed, but not the other two.

So its ok to breed every season with the bitch? PFFF Please RSPCA get a grip... Would rescue groups be happy with their animals at a pet shop? I didn't realise that if you inbred you could inherit problems! Maybe if they just start hitting these BYB's and puppy farms with huge fines they might stop. How about $10k for breeding a animal without being registered and send that money back into our pounds??? Unfortunately the RSPCA can only enforce existing laws. And it is not against any law to breed a bitch at each season. Horrible as it is, it's simply not legislated against. The same goes for breeding unregistered animals. There is no law stopping them breeding whatever animals they want. The law only provides for cruelty etc offences when minimum standards of care are not met. Clover Moore's bill also calls for very tight restriction on registered breeders - from memory it defines any place where animals may be bred as a commercial premises?? So that includes breeder's homes. Things like that have the potential to actually encourage companion animal farming as the average joe who breeds a litter every year or two at home cannot comply with the strict requirements.

Winter nose? Some breeds can lose pigment somewhat on their noses over winter.

Sorry Scrappynsuzie I didn't see Group 2 finish. But Group 4 BIG - Afghan - Aust bred dog RU - Saluki - Open dog

Does anyone get their meat from here? www.justfood4dogs.com.au I found the store via a link on here a few weeks back and thought "Fantastic! Sounds perfcet!!" But last week when I went to place an order the site has been down... I was kind of hoping it was down for maintenance and not down as in gone for good... But it hasn't been back up. Anyone know anything?? Has the site moved? Is the business still operating?

They don't carry any infections that can make a dog sick as far as I know, except for external parasites. They can have sarcoptic mange. Surburban possums can also suffer with bacterial dermatitis which is pretty gross, but I don't think transferrable. It is illegal to kill any wild animal - deliberately. A dog killing one is seen as accidental, like a vehicle strike. My dog has grabbed a couple over the years... The important thing to check is up in trees in your yard in case a young joey has been orphaned. This happened with one my boy caught - but the dogs were standing under the tree and staring up at it so it was easy to find! If there is one contact your local wildlife rehab group.

Lambo if you like Ridgies, get in touch with some breeders for good solid info about them. The info copied from that website doesn't fit with the Ridgies I've known - but I'm not expert. My breed (Borzoi) was developed for hunting wolves, but that doesn't make them hard to live with - they're quite the opposite! So being originally a lion hound doesn't really mean much in the scheme of things. As for time etc, a very reputable breeder took a chance on me many many years ago when I was very young and new to dogs, and entrusted me with a special pup from a high-requirements breed (Afghan). The dog never suffered for it, he lived a long an happy life. And I still get to catch up with that breeder every now and then, and she has been a referee for me when I have gone looking for other pups over the years. To cut a long story short - you don't need to be an expert or have every minute to devote to a dog to be an excellent dog owner.

Do you mean how does it all work? I'll give it a try... Dogs are judged in age classes according to their gender. So boy baby puppies (3 to 6 months) in the same breed are all in a class together and so on. Dogs are judged as to how well they match up with the standard for their breed - see here: ANKC Breeds So the one from the age class that the judge considers the best representative of the breed standard is the winner. The winner of a class will go on to compete against the winner of the same age class of the opposite sex - ie winning male of age group against winning female in same age group. Also of all the males and all the females in a breed (over six months) the best male and the best female will be awarded a "challenge certifcate" which gives them points towards a Championship title. The best male and female of a breed will compete for best of breed. If for example the male wins the runner up male gets a chance to compete for runner up of breed, the winning female doesn't get it automatically. All best of breeds from a particular Group - eg the "Toy Group" - compete for the award of Best in Group. Then the Best in Group winners (there are seven groups) all compete for Best in Show which is the highest award at an individual show. The winners for particular age classes also get to compete against the winners from other breeds, then other groups as well. Shows are advertised online or in your State Gazette which is mailed to you when you're a member of your State governing body - eg. Dogs NSW etc. Entries are sent in the mail or completed online a few weeks before the show date. All as clear as mud?? Edit - too late for accurate spelling!

Sigh... The Ovtcharkas and Kangals now?? So we're moving now from the breeds that have a reputation for being of fighting anscestry into the mountain types? What's next? Bernese? St Bernards? Then which Group do they start on next...? edit - sorry, it's late and I can't spell

And make sure you get there early as parking will no doubt get difficult during market time!! There's a big entry, it should be a great weekend. Weather forecast looks good - fingers crossed!