RallyValley

Yes - that looks as thought it would interfere with the way he moved. His back legs are three inches too long! (God I hope I'm not insulting someone's Gr Ch). ;) Nope she ended up just a field dog, so obviously the owner/judge/mentor saw her fault and didn't try titling her. Its a mostly field kennel though they didn't show this bitch or her brother although they are both qualified to all age at field trials.

I had to majorly scale down the pic quality to have the file small enough to be an attachment, the original is a bit better. ;) This is a pic of Chesapeake from the US I found on a breeders website that is what I think is too bum high for a Chessie. Thanks for the compliment. ;)

My first SLR is an Olympus because they are the lightest/smallest of them all. But I know Olympus isn't a popular option but I have taken lots of pics I really love. When I learn how to use the thing properly I am sure I will get heaps better pics.

You can have 3 pics, so I would ideally like to have one of him not at a show, so people know my dog goes other places ;) . In my breed the standard states "Topline may have slight hollowness, with the hindquarters level with the withers, or slightly higher." So for a 6mth old to look bum high is fairly normal in the breed as many dogs end up with higher hindquaters the withers. I change my profile pics once a month at this age because he is changing so much. Once he is fully mature I will keep my profile pics the same. But I was just frustrated because the next pic is him running off to chase the bird he was staring at and is a blur of motion.

Possibly a preminition of Trixie. :D I was never in those sort of orginizations but I spent all my spare time in the winter as a child playing around in the bushland behind my house, always with a dog following along. We always made forts and had "gumnut wars" where we literally threw gum nuts at each other, last ones standing won. I was the only girl of about 20 kids

Today I took this photo of Lincoln, and if he has been looking straight ahead or at me it would have made such an awsome pic for his DOL profile. Anybody else have these heartbreaking failues. Edited because I forgot the pic.

Back in your hole! Thanks! Ummm not sure what time Saturday's starts, morning I believe so probably 8-8.30am I will be trying to assemble? Will you be around then? Sunday I think it at the GSDA grounds. I've never been there before so no idea if a shade is required there. Thats early! :D Lincoln isn't on till 12.30pm but I might come a bit early to watch some obidience and maybe he can watch and get some pointers.

Afraid not, depends which state, sometimes which council... rescue dogs are at the most risk as they generally just get PTS even if they're suspected of having a little pitbull in them.. the pounds don't like them but they'd rather rehome a SWF. So not peoples pets then. That guy was obviously a dickhead though since he didn't even call about his dog.

Very sad... how come they couldn't just neuter him? They don't put down pit bulls here unless they have been involved in an incident right?

I am at K9 both days next weekend so I might see if I can help you out on the Saturday! What time does your trial start?

You know now you are offically the most popular WA Doler! I keep meaning to but always baulk at the cost. Yay I'm popular ;) . It only works out being $6 an issue. I have to wait until July to get my first issue but the Agility Right From The Start book should keep me busy . I've just finished the chapter on training yourself. How are you going with it? I am working on the treat magnet with Toby and teaching him some tricks to keep his mind occupied while I draw up a training plan. If I could pay $6 at a time I could afford clean run but its the thought of all that money at once, plus I find it very hard to order only one thing at a time from clean run

You know now you are offically the most popular WA Doler! I keep meaning to but always baulk at the cost.

Contact ST. She lives near you and Ari is at a level where you can bounce ideas ect. I would offer but I'm waiting till Lincoln has a retrieve.

Just then I was playing with the dogs outside and Lincon was doing the most beatiful trot with his head up looking so good! Now I think I am going to spend some time for the next week just watching Lincoln with a clicker trying to mark the pretty trot for showing!

If you PM Ptolomy she has the name of one that doesn't cause drowsiness, I have the name somewhere I could also try find it for you if you like?? Mason is not too drowsy, he is sleeping more than normal but when he is awake he seems fine. They are ones like Fexo and Loratidine (I work at a pharmacy remember ) but since Toby only gets allergies badly for a couple of weeks when seasons change and even then he dosen't need them everyday even then it isn't a huge problem for me. Thats how Mason's started when he was that age, hopefully Toby's dont get worse, I think the name is Zyrtec or something like that ( cant find the paper I wrote it down on now ) I am pretty sure fexo is the cheaper version of Zyrtec How old is Mason? I thought he was only 18 months? Toby is nearly 3.

Just found this: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Burke/107503899270932 :D

If you PM Ptolomy she has the name of one that doesn't cause drowsiness, I have the name somewhere I could also try find it for you if you like?? Mason is not too drowsy, he is sleeping more than normal but when he is awake he seems fine. They are ones like Fexo and Loratidine (I work at a pharmacy remember ) but since Toby only gets allergies badly for a couple of weeks when seasons change and even then he dosen't need them everyday even then it isn't a huge problem for me.

I think maybe as long as the dog is up to it? Normally Toby is just about unconcious after anti-histamines.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I am a first time owner of a Chesapeake but a long time enthusiast. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? The breed was first developed in the Chesapeake Bay region on the eastern coast of the USA. It was thought to be started by two Newfoundland pups, Sailor and Canton who arrived at the bay in a shipwreck in Maryland in 1807. This unrelated bitch and dog pair went to different homes on opposite sides of the bay and gained great reputations as water dogs. They were out crossed to spaniels, poodles, St. Johns Water Dogs and various other breeds until in 1877 the Chesapeake Ducking Dog began official development as a single breed (initially with 4 varieties). In 1878 it gained AKC recognition (the first retriever to be recognized by the AKC) and has been developed as a single, dual purpose breed since that date. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers were developed as a ‘working class’ retriever, this means as well as being able to fetch downed waterfowl all day in icy cold water they bond closely to their master and are protective of them and their possessions. They were originally the sort of dog that would live with the family, go out to work for the day by retrieving waterfowl, watch the masters catch when they had to leave the boat/blind, then come home and relax with the children of the family. 3. How common is it in Australia? It is a very rare breed. There are less than 15 people breeding CBR’s and at an estimation maybe 100 dogs in the country, of which about 25 are show dogs. There are many CBR’s here and in NZ that are retrieving dogs primarily. 4. What is the average lifespan? From the American Chesapeake Club 2004 health survey of 3,564 dogs found the average lifespan is just over 9 years. Other sources usually say 8-12 years. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? From the AKC Standard: The Chesapeake Bay Retriever should show a bright and happy disposition with an intelligent expression. Courage, willingness to work, alertness, nose, intelligence, love of water, general quality and, most of all, disposition should be given primary consideration in the selection and breeding of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. (Note the emphasis on working ability, possibly the reason a Chesapeake is still a true dual purpose retriever) IMPORTANTLY: A CBR is a retriever, like a Labrador or a Golden, this is where the similarities end. As mentioned earlier CBR’s are meant to be able to work all day and are meant to be protective. A CBR has a totally different temperament to a Lab or Golden, they are not going to be every dog and every persons best friend, they are very loyal to their owner and will quite happily ignore everyone else (really it’s true). They are truly unique, Lincoln is happiest when he is either with me, my other dog or food! Not much else excites him. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? A good walk and some mental exercise everyday should be sufficient, but like most things dogs are individuals and this will vary depending on personality/age/fitness. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? No, probably not. A Chesapeake is the kind of dog that, given the chance, will walk all over you. It is important that rules are established in the household and some sort of training happens. A good puppy socialization class is really important too. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I have only ever had multiple so not sure. 9. How much grooming is required? A quick brush once a week to spread the oil through the coat. Bathing once every three months. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? It really depends if the family or infirm people are dog savvy and the individual dog. I don’t like to think of young children being alone around any breed nor infirm people trying to walk an untrained dog of any breed. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Chesapeake’s can be tested for: Hip Dysplasia- this is an X-Ray which gives a hip score of the dog. Both sire and dam should be hip scored before breeding HOWEVER even if both parents have perfect hip scores the pup could still be HD affected, this just decreases the risk. Elbow Dysplasia- as above. Progressive Renal Atrophy (PRA)- is an eye disease inherited through simple inheritance. A dog is either clear, a carrier or effected. A clear to clear mating will produce all clear pups, a carrier to clear or clear to affected will produce litters with carriers, but carriers do not have the disease. A carrier to carrier or carrier to effected mating will produce pups with PRA which will gradually leave dogs blind. Degenerative Myelopathy and Exercise Induced Collapse are both diseases that can occur in Chessies but are quite rare. Other issues in the breed are epilepsy and cancer but it is unknown how much of this is genetic. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) The health tests to ask about in Chesapeake's are: HD – score should be excellent, good or fair, a dog with a lower score should not be bred from. ED- elbows should be normal. PRA- dog should be clear, one dog being a carrier is permissible as long as you don’t mind our pup being a carrier also. You should also ask the breeder about the dogs temperaments and activities the dogs are involved in. If you are looking for a performance/hunting/show dog be sure to carefully study the pedigree. Also a good breeder will be able to tell you what they hope to achieve from

I am not a breeder, but if I had a litter and someone had some questions about my rare breed- understandable. However if someone came to me wanting to buy a pup because 'it's like a lab/golden but rarer' I would tell them to do some reading and contact me again if they seriously want a Chessie, same for any other people that have obviously done little/no research and are just ringing up because they see the word retriever.

ST if you make it a wei and Chessie club I will be half the committee

I have two, Sifonios and Katris. However Katris is not a name used in Rhodes any longer as far as we know and most of them live in Italy or here. I visited Kos when I was there. My family was from Rhodes town but I stayed with a family in Sifonios most the time.

Well you have chosen a breed that attracts idiots so the breeders might simply be sick of dealing with them. (Not saying you are an idiot, saying thats why they appear abrupt or rude when they are really just tired)

Maybe he wants a Xolo but with hair ... There already are Xolos with hair

Lincoln has an attitude. He will bark at me all the time if I am doing something wrong or he is bored.