Kia

Llante....prices quite often relate to health testing, importing semen, AI. There is also the raising of pups and their health testing, microchipping and so forth.

I don't have Beagles so someone who does might be able to give you a clearer picture.

Researching the breeders, visiting their kennels if you can and asking questions of them should give you a clearer idea of why the prices vary. There is also demand and supply.

Good luck in your search for your puppy.

A lot of merles will have blue in the eye be it a full, half, marbled. But that is due to the merle gene and not every merle will have blue in their eyes.

The blue eyed tri's on the other hand is due to a recesive gene...both parents must carry a copy to produce it. Sometimes they will only have 1 blue eye but the eyes are a solid blue not half or mabled.

In America some breeders charge extra for the blue eyed merles and tri's.

As a breeder I have lost count of the number of people who are wanting a blue eyed merle....because of the random nature of the merle gene we often don't know what we will get.

Anyone know how small they actually are? There's such size variation in Aussies anyway and (I think) the standard says that size shouldn't be penalized over other aspects anyway, although I guess if the minis are Sheltie sized that's quite a big difference.

Tlc, reading that website you linked, my Aussie must be broken They say that Aussies are reserved with people, loyal to their owner and protective of their property. Quinn loves absolutely everybody, throws herself at strangers for kisses and pats, would happily go off with anyone if they gave her food or had little kids, and welcomes strangers on the property as new friends... Sigh.

14-18"

Not all aussies are reserved and many aussies these days have been bred to have the friendlier temperament. Mine will alert bark. Due to extensive socialisation most of mine love every body but I do have 1 who is reserved with strangers until she decides they can be friends.

They are also known as the North American Shepherd. While many of the breeders claim they are bred down from aussies there appears to be some that have a striking resemblance to other breeds. The NAS may find it's way onto the AKC in the future. But I would be wary of what other health issues they might carry if they have other breeds in the mix.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/

here is a link to the information that i send out with all puppy purchasers.

purebred always use to refer to a dog/pup sold without papers.....even if the parents themselves weren't papered but purebred.

A pedigree dog always has the paperwork to back that up.

Hi GeorgieB

I have had aussies since 1999 and was lucky as I put the early ones on heartworm meds. I didn't even know about it back then and didn't have a computer.

Although these days I test and know the MDR1 status of my dogs I still don't give them heartworm meds. If you google heartworms you will find plenty of info and the conditions that are needed for mozzies to transfer the microfilae.

I did have one MDR1 carrier that didn't handle a desexing surgery well....she wouldn't drink for over 12 hours and wouldn't eat for nearly 24 hours. The medications were not on the list to be avoided so we assume she just was one of those dogs that didn't do well with anesthetics. These days all of mine that go in for anything that has the dog put under gets extra fluids to help flush it out of the system quicker. I have desexed affected with no complications doing it this way.

Give the vet the list of problem drugs and have it put on the pups records.

This type of attitute from parents really annoys me. As a dog owner I have to make sure my dogs are well rounded good canine citizens. As a breeder I am expected to produce healthy pups who will be good canine citizens. We are regulated by government and our canine associations. All of my good work can come unstuck because of unthinking parents and feral kids. A bit of common sense would go a long way....but so many seem to lack it...bad training or breeding?

What do others do when evaluating a puppy or a litter for sports potential? What traits do you look for in a pup and would you do any sort of puppy evaluation test to pick the most suitable pup in a litter?

The first thing you would be looking for is a well constructed dog.....any weakness will usually show up when competing and those injuries can take a long time to heal.

Heart is something that isn't really explainable....but you will know after studying the pups for a while.

1 .I want to maintain balance. As many have mentioned, priority is to enjoy living with my dogs. Something I think that sometimes gets 'lost' when people start getting 'into dogs' and the numbers start to rise. I want to make sure I continue to enjoy them as part of my home, life and lifestyle which means I have to ensure that number stay manageable and that sometimes I have to 'limit' what I do and be sure I have other interests as well so that I don't lose sight of why I got the dogs in the first place. .

2. I want to understand the breed. I want to 'see' that instinct and functionality and see the dogs in action and understand how they work. I spend hours just being with the dogs (my own and others) and observing how they 'operate' and learning how they react and think. Hours researching and learning about how the breed works, how it operated historically (beyond the popular lip service potted history), how their structure and nature supports that function (e.g. WHY should they have a sloping croup or small low set ears, or the back of the skull is an oglive shape ). To me that is an important part of understanding the breed and determining what my goals will be.

3. A lot of lip service is often paid with lines like 'breeding for health, temperament and structure' etc. I won't use that line as half the time I am not sure people really understand what they mean by that when they say it. It can also mean lots of different things to diferent people. my goal here though is to understand what health issues are in the breed, to try to know to the extent possible how my dogs and their lines 'stack up' health -wise and to use the resources available to me to determine that. This means health testing and understanding what those results mean and using that information in my decision making. It also means looking to the overall health and wellbeing of my dogs through the best possible diet, exercise and lifestyle I can give them. It means understanding what makes a 'sound dog' in mind and in body and working to produce that. It means working to produce a 'unctional dog' (see goal two).

4. To teach people about the breed and how it is not just (or not even) a 'big fluffy white dog'. There is a LOT of misunderstanding about the breed out there and I want to represent it well.

5. To look ater the welfare and future of the breed. All the above goes into this one. I see my involvement as part of a long timeline stretching forward and back. I want to be part of the stream that carries the breed forward and makes a difference, not a murky backwater or offshoot from the original design and purpose. this means ensuring MY goals are the BREEDS goals and (as my motto says) putting the Breed before any thought of my own ego and design in being a 'breeder'.

6. while it would be nice to 'win' in the showring, my goal is not to produce a generic big fluffy white show dog (which is NOT what the breed is or should ever be), but to produce good, functional, traditional examples of the breed. If that results in wins, that is nice but my main aim when in the ring is for people to see the breed and to represent the breed.

I am sure there is more, but that will do for now.

Such a well thought out response Espanay2.

Something for all breeders to stop and think about with their breeding program.

So many times we hear that breeders aim to 'improve' the breed. But are we? With so many changes to breed standards over the years many breeds aren't what they use to be when the orgininal standard was written.

My goal is to produce puppies who are going to be wonderful family members, who are long lived and mentally and physically able to do any thing that their owners would like to try.

I thought merle x Merle was acbig no-no?

merle x merle can be done but breeders need to be responsible about any resultant pups that are double merles. Not every pup produced in one of these litters will be a double merle.

For my breed Australian Shepherds, we have a website that covers the health issues that can arise and the protocol many breeders follow for testing (it is a USA website). It is writen with the lay person in mind and very easily understood. I send the link so anyone wanting to can research and see what questions they need to ask. Although I usually have explained what testing I have done before they ask.

Perhaps sending pet people to the breed club website of their state is a place to start and they can research the health issues from there.

how sad for all involved.

Brave puppy to protect a young child. RIP little one

It is incredible isn't it.....a pet shop can charge $1000 for a cross bred mutt with no health testing of it or parents and nobody batts an eye lid. Responsible breeders get boohoo'd for asking that amount after doing all testing on parents and pups.

Oh well,,,,,our aussie babies will have extra special homes<g>

I was asked today by one of my Y12 anim studies students, "Miss, how many times does a dog have to bite someone until it is put down?" I asked a few Qs, eg. Who it bit, why and what they did about it... In the end no-one has reported the dog as the owner has convinced them not to. Rather than directing a 17 yo to read the Companion Animals Act, I thought I'd ask you guys.

The dog is a large, semi-housebound, Rottweiler that has bitten her brother and left scars. She asked if she and her brother can do anything about reporting it as it has also seriously bitten someone else on the face?

Sorry, but if it was one of mine it would be PTS or micro managed. Depending on the reason for the first bite as to what course I would have taken from there.

Any dog bites that a DR sees has to be reported but it is up to the person to report to council at least. Why hasn't the parents reported this dog if it has biten 2 of their children?

I see no reason for the class not to read the Companion Animals act....more pet owners should

how about a Tibbie....a bit smaller than asked for but they can be an awesome little dog. Double coat that isn't full on and they love to play.

the NBT trait does have modifiers that make it dificult to predict what you might get.

To date I have done full tailed to full tailed which resulted in litters of full tailed and ended up with my smallest litter of 7.

NBT to full tailed has produced several litters of 8 of which I have had a length from not even 2" as an adult to one who was missing 1 digit.

I am currently awaiting my first litter of NBT x NBT.

The Americans have done generations of NBT x NBT with some very large litters. While there are some issues that may turn up they also turn up in full tailed breeds so not related to the NBT gene.

Size of litter can often be due to the pedigree ..... some lines produce small litters.

I should add that it can be difficult to tell if a dog is missing 1 digit. Some dogs also appear to have longer bones in the tail compared to others.

congratulations LP....lovely looking babies.

Hi we are relocating from NZ to Adelaide in a few months and just wondered if anyone else has any info on what to expect when we arrive at the airport. Our dog will be on the same flight as us and we have been told that she will be unloaded and take to AAE cargo for us to collect. Has anyone else been through this or have any experiences of AAE? We are hoping there won't be too much red tape to deal with and that we can collect her as soon as possible after landing.

Thanks

Samantha

Hi Samantha,

I flew a pup in from NZ last year.....we had to get AQIS clearance as well as customs. Not quite sure how it would work for a family pet on the same flight. I went through a broker and it was about 4 hours after landing that I was able to pick her up.

You do need to notify AQIS and customs before the day to arrange the people to do the clearances.

Michelle

poor little tyke....hope there is a speedy recovery.

Report to police and council.....depending on how badly the owner was bitten, all Dr's have to report dog bites they treat.

Get photo's and a report from your vet too.....

Hey Guys

Do Aussies cope well in the heat?

It can get into the 40s quite easily here in SA summer.

Hi Kahlua

yes aussies can cope with that sort of heat. All of mine survived the extended heat we had last year and they were outside. As long as you have good shade and plenty of water....both drinking and paddling( some just love to paddle in their water buckets and kiddy pools), they are fine. I also have put down wet towels but my older dog refuses to even walk on them let alone lay on them.

I wouldn't be asking them to work during the heat of the day though.

Hi All

Just wondering if any one knows of any good skin or nose specialists in the Sydney region?

Bit of background, our BC has had some flaky skin on his nose for a while, we have seen a few local vets but they dont know the cause and recommended to keep applying paw paw cream or neotopic cream, this was there recommendation since he isnt bothered by it. His nose has also changed from a light brown to pink, it occasionally starts to darken but goes back to pink soon after.

Anyway, feed up with the local vets and them not having any ideas so looking to see anyone can suggest a specialist to take him to?

Cheers

Hi auir,

I would recommend getting a definate answer as soon as possible. While lupus starts out looking quite harmless it can deteriate and look ugly very quickly if not looked after. An aussie I bred unfortunatly has lupus and he doesn't have a lot of nose left now. There is no cure but it can be managed.

A good anti fungal sunblock on the nose every time he goes outside and keeping him in the shade or inside during the harshest sunlight hours will help.

Good luck and I hope it isn't lupus

Thank you.

Oh.... I just discovered you freighted Rajacadoo's ( a friend) dog to QLD do you do NZ ???

Wayrod does all over the world.

I highly recommend that you get in touch with him.

http://www.boardingkennels.com.au/transport_12.html

I second a call to Wayrod...excellent communication and service

I was wondering what the issues were with White Aussie shepherds? Someone I used to work for owned one (from a registered breeder) and it had alot of health problems. Is this normal?

Hi Fuzzycuddles,

a great site for information on aussies is http://www.ashgi.org/toc.htm

Breed Challenge Competition NEW - Previously known as Best of Breed competition.

Points will be awarded based on challenge points received (NOT the number of dogs entered).

Only best 40 results (points value) will be counted.

I like the fact it will be based on challenge points for BOB and that it is capped at 40 shows/results (less would have been better, but hey it's a start)

that was the way I did it when I put results in....put myself behind the 8 ball before we started