Inevitablue

I'm not a breeder, and with the shrinking purebred dog numbers I think you sound like a great candidate. If everyone had to pass the 1000 point checklist that some people expect then the purebred dogs would be shrinking at an even faster rate. You sound responsible, passionate, well equiped with land/time/resources, know what your goals are and experience? well everyone has to start somewhere!! Not one breeder was ever born experienced. Its your money risking importing an immature bitch/dog, but thats completely your choice. On your original question - I really love my breed, and would LOVE to see more people consider one from good lines, and I think I have found a happy medium. My breeder and I are fantastic friends, and we are going to do 'breeder terms' on the most outstanding male puppy, who is currently 6 weeks old. I have him as a pet/ competition dog, and then she gets to produce the nicest puppies from him. Suits my goal of contributing to improving the temperament, seeing more in dog sports, and I dont have to worry about getting attached to all the puppies! If the nationals were on, and it coincided with a bitch in season, we have already discussed that the competitions take priority. She is just as keen to see him do well, and she only mates about 4 bitches a year. I suppose the difference between what your proposing and what I am doing is that we are already good friends, have similar goals and its suits both of us completely. We have agreed that if he is studded to outside bitches then a) she makes sure its a suitable cross and b) it fits in around my competitions. I am also not paying a purchase price and all council/microchip registration will be in my name.

What about staying with the mince/ raw meat and adding the Vet All Natural complete mix? It's all the vitamins/minerals/amino acids plus adds some roughage.

Can someone point me in the direction of a brown leather arm band please, either a websIte or if you have seen one at a vendor stall. I can only find fabric ones, and none of them come in brown :-( Ages ago I asked what people thought would be nice attire to show an ACD in. I finally completed the picture yesterday I have been wearing (after spending my life saving at the RM Williams shop ) brown, rubber soled! RM boots, bone moleskins, one of those RM trophy belt buckles with silver and gold detail, a pink or blue check shirt and a neck scarf. So many people have stopped to compliment me at the shows and suggested that I just need an Akubra to finish it. So yesterday I drove to Katoomba and bought a lovely sandtone Akubra. On the girl I have a gold snake chain and the finest brown leather plaited lead. All the leather has been oiled to be the same colour. I think we look kinda spiffy!! Hehe.... hopefully we will get our photo taken on the winners podium at the Specialty next week.

Fingers crossed Sandra. We had a Stafford bitten between the eyes by a Black snake, and with lots of care she made it through after about 2 weeks at the vet. She sounds like a determined Miss

Join the Yahoo7 group herdingEP. There was one instructor (who has a daughter who instructs as well) who mentioned she was looking for interested people for private lessons. Ask on the Yahoo group, someone will definitely know. Herding on saturdays ends for the year on the last weekend in October. I think it's the same for Sundays.

But your abilities as a dog owner would overcome that. That you demonstrate an ability to manage your dog. Its the dog AND owner being assessed. I just think it would put alot of peoples minds at easy to know they can get exemption on the grounds that they have proven their capabilities and/or dogs temperment.

Perhaps angled that wrong, if the dog was Lab x Staffy (and I should clarify, by staffy I mean SBT)and should never even come under any BSL and it was obvious that the dog was a decent member of society then those dogs would be protected. I also include any dog that physically resembles what the rangers are looking for, be given the chance to prove their merit. As for temperment assessments, they would be looking for dog and owner combinations that are not uncontrollable, unsocialised time bombs. If the dog fails they still have the option of keeping the dog, just under a 'dangerous dog' situation.

If the law is here to stay for the interim in Victoria, and the issue really is people who do have dangerous, unsocialised bull breeds ruining it for other bull breed lovers, why not really push for some sort of temperment assessment days? The dog that is of undeterminate breeding, fits the physical description but really is displaying the personality qualities of a lab x staffy, could be then issued with a special council registration. The people who have been responsible pet owners hopefully will get some relief. Im not suggesting the dog has to be perfect to pass, but at least stable in social situations and if the dog is DA then the owners are able to demonstrate what/how they manage the situation. To fund it the owners pay a fee (I have no idea....~$50) and over the next 3 months behaviour experts (with no repercussions on themselves) and council rangers work together at various locations around Victoria. Open the amnesty until the end of the 3 months, and those owners who really care about their dogs will make the effort. seems like a way to weed out the deadbeat dog owners.

What's going to happen with the papered Amstaff's in Vic, if the Vic Gov run with the AST is a APBT theory?

It worked on my colt when I took him to Sydney Royal, really took the edge off him, but I think that it can only work in mild cases of arousal. I'd not rely on it for an animal that was chronic or genuinely stressed. Lots of other pieces of the puzzle required to remedy that situation.

Yay! What a good week for you!

I know there was another thread about working bitches in season, and Tess is my first entire (all others were desexed rescues). She has a great work ethic but is in her first season now. She is normally so keen to work but showing at the Spring Fair this weekend really showed that she wasn't 100%. She looked hot/bothered and didn't want to move out. Be it hormones, tiredness, physical soreness etc, they are bound to have off days. When I show jumped with my horses, I remember one big comp in a place where the nights got quiet cold. Stupid me over estimated just how cold it would get and put way too many PJ's on my mare. Poor girl sweated a lot and must have had a terrible dehydrated headache the next day. I rode her for 5 min then retired her from the competition. I think our animals have less chance of off days though if we manage more than just their enthusiasm, like making sure they are fit for the task, no soreness, proactive health care (like Chiro checks etc), marking their hormonal changes on the calendar! Lol Aussielover, maybe she wasn't having a bad day as such, maybe she just woke up in an extra feel good mood

Console ourselves with chocolate and liver.... Jokes aside, I don't stress unless I see a pattern forming. I have off days and I bet our animals do too. If I see a pattern forming then I will give the dog a break.

The Sun Herald pet feature today- 'What to wolf down' 'Kathy Chau of Sydney pet-food retailer Vegepooch says the right diet for cats and dogs can exclude all animal products. "People have different reasons for raising vegan pets," Chau says."......... 'Chau claims "about 30 per cent" of Australian cat and dog owners feed their pets a vegan diet' Am I the only one who thinks that, at face value, it's a ridiculous figure pulled out of somewhere dark?

Hehe... David came to the Spring Fair today. First dog show he has ever been to. He was like 'they are using hairspray!' Not his style of photography, as you guys would know, and he was slowly taking it all in. Meanwhile OH was drooling over his camera...apparently a Canon D1 Mk4 is pretty good. His next book is due out for fathers day next year, and Ch 10 are doing a series of TV shows following him around on his adventures. I'm looking forward to seeing the scenery, as well as the dogs

Just ring a larger vet in the area. They should have contact details.

This lady breeds them.... A tiny photo on her website http://www.naughtydogschool.com.au/AboutUs.htm

Ohhh it was fun! The cattle dog puppies in Little Mongrels are from Tess' breeder. Infact one of those pups on the cover of the book has a profile on DOL, Willowpark Blue Shade. He is lovely, and we had fun with puppies, plus Tess and new stud dog Levi flying in and out of the dam. 14 year old Zac got some shots for the senior citizen section too Some beautiful images of puppies suckling......adorable. His new book is going to be over 200 pages and will be released this time next year. Featuring dogs from all around Australia, including Aboriginal camp dogs, police dogs, snow dogs etc. I told him to come to the Spring Fair on Saturday, and he just might. Dogs all around Australia- can't forget the show dog! Even more exciting, he has a TV show in the pipeline and Tess has been asked back for filming in 2 weeks :D

So excited, Tess is modeling for David Darcy tomorrow. http://mongrel.com.au/index.html I have all his books and :D now I get to see my own dog featured in his next book. YAY, to say I'm excited is an understatement!! OH just doesn't understand my excitement

Let's also clarify.... They are not an already banned breed, they are a restricted breed. I'm still undecided as to my position on this. No easy solution, and to hear Karl Stefanovic repeatedly mention cattle dogs this morning made me unsettled. Also, the above argument somewhere that BSL popularized the breed is not the whole argument, what made them popular was/ is the American tough guy attitude some Aussies aspire to.

Agree PF with the fact that this dog was most likely already known to council. How can councils be better equipped to manage the situations? Make all dog impounding officers be extensively knowledgeable in dogs (not an all rounder ticket writing officer)

Would have education helped? There are groups in society that still street race, regardless of the strong message that it is unsafe plus with the impounding/ confiscation laws. Some like the fact that they live on the edge, be it legally or safely.

Steve Austin was just on Today, saying he believes it's now time to ban them nationally. His reasoning is that while any dog is capable of aggression there has just been one to many incidents now, with this style of dog.

My 7 month old has always hated the vacuum cleaner. I'm not fussed to fix it though, she just takes herself outside. My old boy HATED the lawnmower, but he had good reason, a rock flew out one day and ruptured his eye. I never tried to rehabilitate him, as I'd be emotionally scarred for life too. It was easier to take him away (like for a walk) when mowing as he became overly concerned for anyone else around the mower. He would desperately try to herd/ round up people and my deaf dog away from it. The urgency in his eyes was really sad, plus the deaf girl invariably couldn't understand the sudden onslaught from him nipping her and would ark up at him. His eye ended up with a 6mm tear in the cornea and looked like a shriveled pea. It did refill and heal, but he had a scar across it. Dogs are so wonderful though, he still remained a competitive agility dog. Keep dogs away when mowing!!