gundoglover

Interesting overseas precedent.

I agree with sandgrubber. Go for the breed and temperament that you want, then look for a breeder that can show consistency in low hip scores for the past three generations and ask about the hip scores of the near relatives. A breeder that selects from breeding stock with hip scores of less than 10 for several generations will produce fewer puppies with poor hips. Also, remember that genetics is only part of the HD story. It is important that you keep the puppy lean (not a butterball) and only exercise by play for the first year (no endurance or jumping work for growing puppies).

Yes, I agree with all of these rules. I have just started back in obedience after a break of 20+ years and I am astounded at what is being taught at the obedience school. I train mostly at home, but need the distraction of other dogs to test the training. My dog is an entire male in the throws of puberty and if I used only reward-based training as advocated at the school we would be proceeding much more slowly, if at all. The only negative reinforcement that I use is a quick tighten-release of the check chain and occasionally placing the dog in the position that I want. I use liberal positive reinforcement of food, voice and pats. I have noticed that not only is my dog proceeding more rapidly than the rest of the class, he is also one of the few happy workers with the fastest recall. Now, I have no doubt that it is possible to train a dog with positive reinforcement only, but surely this can be confusing for the dog while he tries to read the handler's mind and offer the required behaviour. I do understand that novice handlers can do a lot of damage to a dog by incorrectly using check chains, etc., and that positive reinforcement should vastly outweigh the negative, but it seems that we have gone to an extreme where some novice handlers with large badly controlled dogs are not being shown how to correctly use negative reinforcement when appropriate.

If you are using food as a reward, is it possible that she has learnt that start peg = no treats? If so, then practising in a mock trial situation with a start peg and where you can reward with food may help overcome the problem. You may also need to enlist the help of a mock judge giving commands to make it sufficiently realistic.

I have a similar aversion to filling out entry forms - so many numbers & the embarrassment when the cataloguer rings you because they have picked up a mistake; can never find the envelopes or stamps. The only reason that I have managed to enter any shows at all is ozentries, which I can do on-line & after entering my dogs' details once & checking very carefully, I don't have to do it again. I pay by credit card & envelope & stamps are included in the price. I know that it costs a little more, but the time (and embarrassment) saved are worth it to me.

What an inspiration to us all.

For a moderately active adult dog, approximately 2% of bodyweight in meaty bones, for slothful types about 1.5% of bodyweight, for very active about 3% of bodyweight. If they look skinny, feed them more, if they look fat feed them less. Growing puppies may need up to 10% of their bodyweight in meaty bones (and softer, younger animal bones, eg, lamb & chicken). By 4 months old, a puppy will be eating the same as an adult of the same breed, and will need a bit more than an adult from 6 to 12 months - If they look skinny, feed them more, if they look fat feed them less. As for veges, some people weigh these and make sure that a certain amount is provided daily. I just give left over veges & don't fuss too much about the quantities. It is good to give fish (sardines or mackerel) about once a week, chopped liver or other offal about once a week, and you can add a raw egg or one coddled so the white is set (some dogs have problems with raw egg white, others are ok). If you feed the bones with the meat, no extra calcium is needed - bones have the correct balance of calcium & phosphorus. For mineral supplement, livamol is good, or alternatively small amounts (1 teaspoon is ample for a large dog) of cod liver oil & kelp powder (but some dogs have trouble with the iodine). However, some say that the fish, offal, egg, & veges provide sufficient vitamins & minerals. If the dog's coat is shiny & eyes bright, and gums an oyster pink, then the dog's diet is probably about right. Growing puppies still need milk until about 3-4 months old - some breeds do best with the lactose-free milk. I don't feed grains - it's hard to imagine how a dog would have consumed these prior to the human agricultural revolution, but if there is a piece of left-over bread, the dogs can have it with their veges.

Sandgrubber, I agree - eliminating all carriers would have profound consequences for the breed. If it were my breed, I would test to eliminate not carriers, but carrier x carrier matings.

For elective surgery, I'd bathe to reduce the risk of infection. I don't use groomers, but my dogs are on a regular flea treatment regime, so they don't get infested.

Actually, I think that I would be flattered. I'd want to know how they plan to do the painting and where it would be displayed - wouldn't want my dogs starring in something sick or pornographic, but otherwise, I probably wouldn't have problem.

Since she likes fetch, I'd try putting the fetch object in my pocket and showing it to her (waving around, if necessary) in a high distraction environment, do one quick fetch on the lead & then continue, when she looks away, do the same thing. But only for a few minutes, then give her the release command (while still on lead), so she can look around at the interesting things. And, please remember, she is very young and needs time to mature. Huski's advice on observing her & seeing what is naturally rewarding for her, is also very sound, with some good ideas on what to look for.

What breed goat is he, how old & is he entire? Entire bucks tend to urinate on their front legs to advertise to the does about their virility! And if he was castrated late in life, he may still have this antisocial (to us) drive. If I've guessed wrong about the behaviour, I do apologize. I have kept goats, but not a buck, because of the aforesaid antisocial behaviour. I did have a kid buck that was castrated after 3 months old (too late, I now know) and had this behaviour - I sold him to the local butcher.

Well, 7 months is pretty young for a gundog. I'd keep the training sessions very short - 10 mins only and finish with a short game of "fetch", but make sure it is a game, not more training. Most gundogs are motivated to play fetch. Mine will do almost anything for a game of fetch and bring me a vast assortment of items (sticks, rope, balls whatever they can find) to tempt me into a game of fetch with them. I've made a habit of saying thankyou and placing the item either in my pocket or in sight but out of reach and requesting a response to an obedience command (whatever we are working on currently), but just one response, then we play the fetching game. This keeps learning fun. When they get older, I ask for more before the fetch game. When they don't spontaneously offer a fetching object & I want to do a 10 min training session, I'll go & get a dummy and let them see it, then do the training session & finish with fetch the dummy. If she is motivated to play fetch, then teaching a recall can be an extension of the fetching game: throw the fetch object a short way, let her race out to it, pick it up and then squat down, calling come! in a happy voice, lots of praise when she comes & reward with another fetch. Alternatively, if she tends to pick up the object and run away, teach come by showing her a favoured fetching object & saying come! When she comes to you, good girl & immediately throw the fetching object. If she doesn't bring it back, turn & walk away. Over time, she'll learn that she has to come to get another fetch. If she doesn't want to play fetch, then maybe some cocker spaniel breed experts have some ideas for rewards.

How old is she? Gundogs often need a couple of years to mature and can be very distractable when puppies. After all, a gundog who is totally focussed on its handler would have been no use in the field, particularly in the kennels where they were developed and often loaned out as flushing or pick-up dogs to visiting shooters. So, they were selected over many generations to care less about the handler and more about what is happening around them, ie, birds, rabbits, etc. They also need time for their brains to mature. I've got obedience titles with young gundogs, but it is easier if you wait until they are two years or older before you expect them to focus consistently.

Thanks for posting the link. The dogs were clearly enjoying every minute of their performance and had great rapport with the handler.

I don't know what they are like now, but Sydney All Breeds Dog Training Club was the first all breeds dog training club established in Sydney (possibly Australia). The German Shepherd Dog Club had an obedience training school prior to Sydney ABDTC. So, the club has a long continuous history and helped to establish many of the other obedience clubs in Sydney.

Yes, this is normal. The five days of lighter bleeding or straw-coloured discharge coincide with her five days of ovulation. Since she wasn't mated, the bleeding resumed to flush the uterus. You are lucky to have a bitch with these classic signs.

You could try to dremel his nails or take him to a groomer who can do this. That will shorten his nails and make them smoother. I would also be discouraging him from scratching you (or anyone else). He needs to learn how to play gently with humans unlike the rough and tumble of playing with other puppies.

The paper tests are fine for most bitches for a natural mating, because in natural mating a lot of sperm are released & can survive up to five days. We used this method for over 30 years. You need to use the tape from the first day of the season and when the edges of the paper start to change colour, test two or three times a day. Once the middle of the paper is colouring, the bitch should ovulate within 24-48 hours. So a mating at that time will still have viable sperm 2 days post ovulation, the optimal time for fertilization. And if you plan 2-3 matings 1-2 days apart, the fertile window will be covered. For AI, I always want a progesterone test because there are fewer sperm available & their life expectancy is reduced, particularly if frozen or chilled. For a bitch that has hard-to-identify seasons, eg, not much blood loss, split seasons, etc, checking for cornification can be very useful to determine where she is in her season.

I wouldn't be recommending the microscope method unless you are competent in using a vaginal speculum and able to take a sample of cells from the cervix. The paper methods are: 1. test-tape: yellow tape turns green 24 hours prior to ovulation when glucose is released into the vaginal fluid; 2. litmus type: pink stick turns purple due to change in pH associated with glucose in vaginal fluid.

Poodlefan, Do you have any links to research on the white dogs > thyroid issue ? I did a quick search but could not find anything. What I did find was a list of breeds most commonly affected by thyroid problems: "Studies indicate that the breeds most commonly affected by autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis include Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Beagle, Borzoi, Shetland Sheepdog, American Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Akita, Old English Sheepdog, and Irish Setter." Many of these breeds have no white in their coats. Was it a different thyroid problem that is colour-linked?

Yes, raw pig trotters are ok, but I would avoid the smoked ones. Mine will get them occasionally as a treat. They take longer to demolish the bone than a lamb's neck, and the skin is tough so their teeth get a good cleaning & their jaws get a good work-out. Dogs can handle a lot more bacteria than humans, so I don't worry about raw pork or chicken for the dogs but would never suggest feeding these to humans.

An entire golden retriever that had been used at stud! Talk about starting tough. But when he did work he usually placed well - 190+ or NQ!

I went as far as I could with my first obedience dog, which was UD (the champion title didn't come in until later). However, it took 7 years. It took one year exactly of trialing to get his first novice pass - he kept running out of the ring to say hello to other dogs or people, then return ok, but scored zero; and my voice got squeaky from nerves, so he failed to understand me when I called him to come on the recall. But after we overcame those minor obstacles, he scored in the 190's. CDX wasn't too difficult, apart from at a breed speciality where he tried to trade his dumbbell for the sexual favours of a bitch in season over at the breed ring. He was turned down by the owner of the bitch & returned to the ring to complete the retrieve over obstacle, but another zero for leaving the ring. UD took a while, including a nasty habit of marking the scent discrimination mat! I learned an enormous amount from that dog, mostly humility! But also, the importance of allowing a dog's brain to mature and not to enter the trial ring too soon. My dog had quickly become ring-wise, knowing that what would not be tolerated out of the ring (he was put smartly back on lead) could not be corrected when in that magic roped-off space & even knew when it was real or mock (probably picking up on my nerves/body-language). Although my later dogs were better behaved (because I was a more experienced trainer), that first dog has a special place in my heart.

There are a number of possibilities, including genetic susceptibility. However, too much Calcium (even when balanced with Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Vitamin D) can cause bone joint problems. Ideally, puppies need about 12g Calcium & 10g Phosphorus per kg dry matter food. What is too much depends somewhat on the breed. Giant, fast growing breeds can have problems if Calcium constitutes more than 2% of the dry matter weight of their diet, while small breeds can tolerate 3% without problems. So, a lot of milk with puppy kibble may be too much Calcium total for these puppies. Cow's milk also varies in the amount of Calcium depending on the stage of lactation and the food and supplements consumed by the cow. If they were my puppies and I wanted to make use of a free supply of milk, I'd combine it with mince meat (high in Phosphorus), and a little cod liver oil (for Vitamin D) and a little kelp (for trace minerals). If I had to feed kibble with the milk, I would not use a puppy formula (too high in Calcium when added to the milk).