JRG

I had a bitch who survived a number of years with this condition. I wrote about her when she died (a couple of years ago) in the Rainbow Bridge section (sept 20th 2015 The End of an Era). Please feel free to PM me if you think I can give you any other help.

No.It might make sense to you but not to a dedicated breeder. Think about it - where does the "line of credit" stop? a few hundred here. the odd thousand there? Never free to make your own decisions because someone else has "bonded" with the dog.? It might sound harsh but I can assure you I am as dedicated to my dogs as anybody but if I hold the purse strings and am responsible for the pups'/dog's ultimate welfare, (directly or indirectly) then I take that responsibility seriously. Sorry if I offend anyone.

Just a minute - RAW is RAW ie not processed in any way. Confit is a cooking method and there are additives eg salt therefore no longer in its raw state. Dehydrated is also , by definition, NOT RAW ie the food is changed from it's original state

We use the Road Refresher - excellent! Not sure why you would use a different bowl instead of the plastic one as the whole thing is integrated ie it is a three piece set up and designed to fit tightly together - I don't think it would work properly any other way. Interestingly, although there is only a little bit of water available at any one time, the dogs all LOVE it and seek it out if available

News flash- Em's sister, Duffy, has 5 new babies(3 boys, 2 girls)

Love her dog "mat".

sorry. Didn't mean to swear at you!

Hell againi bella90 How are you getting on with those babies?

I have a similar set up to TSD either in my office or in the family room and I also cover the surrounding pen with dust sheets so it is like a den and so no one can see in or out. I like to position the pen so that the bitch has easy access to the outside without going through the whole house (they can have quite a messy discharge sometimes). I also always leave a night light on so that Mama can check on her babies during the night and I can peep in without disturbing her.

A boot with a suitable weight in it?

Not much spaniel in there!, but since the "spoodle" is not a breed as such therefore does not breed true to type, it would be impossible to say definitely that this is not a spaniel/poodle cross of some sort

I sometimes add kelp (seaweed powder) to the dogs' food, it is very high i minerals and things like iodine so I am sure it does them no harm. quote: Kelp is ideal for balancing glandular functioning in dogs. Iodine is essential for stimulating the thyroid gland. Kelp can help maintain a shiny and healthy skin and coat in dogs. ... Another benefit of iodine in kelp is that it helps to better manage dogs' weight by improving their metabolism.

well done! hand rearing pups is not easy. Thing you could try: 1. cut down the number of feeds - twice a day is probably enough and will let their tummies rest a bit between meals 2. give them the chicken with boiled (gluggy) rice for a couple of days + a "finger full" of plain yoghurt or yokult 3. change the kibble to a gluten free one

you obviously did not contact the "right" ones !! or you asked the wrong question!

Just a word of caution before you teach your working springer to walk at heel - there is nothing worse than a dog that is supposed to hunt ahead of its handler and thinks it can get rewarded for walking at heel! Over the years I have spent hours trying to teach a young dog to "get on" when someone (probably me) has inadvertently instilled in its mind that to be by my side is the best place!!

forget it! No pups should be " weaned by 3.5 weeks" - you should just be starting to wean them at that age.

Hi there Yes it is multiple choice so you have to choose an answer from the list that you think best fits the question. It is an OPEN BOOK exam so read, mark and study the book so that you know where to look for the answers if you don't know them already.

Please do not confuse the written "Standard" with a "pedigree" They might be linked together in the show ring (although the current fashion for squashed faces would suggest that this is not true), but they are certainly not linked in the working dog world.

Are the Best in Show winners recognised at a Field Trial because of their working ability? The Kennel Clubs run different events for dogs with different abilities. Please don't confuse the show ring with an agility trial or a retrieving trial or think that Kennel Clubs only support conformation events. A show is just that - a conformation event. It does not pretend to be a working event. Some members of the dog community might like to think it is an all round accolade but that is not the intension. It is the beauty pageant of the dog world, not the olympic games.

Not true. The Kennel Clubs recognise trials and sports of all sorts as well as Shows and members of the Kennel Club do not have to subscribe to the Show Circuit (or agree with what goes on in that arena) if they do not want to.

I'm not sure I have made myself clear. I breed ESS that are registered by Kennel Clubs all over the world but they do not look like the ESS you would see in the show ring. I do not aspire to breed spaniels that look like their show cousins and I am sure the people who breed from show lines do not aim to breed dogs that look like mine. They are all registered as the same breed because they share the same ancestry and (if we trace them back far enough) they would share the same pedigrees. We all breed to the same "standard" (which is broad and allows for differences) for example: Coat: Close, straight and weather resisting, never coarse. Moderate feathering on ears, forelegs, body and hindquarters. Dogs from show lines tend to have long flowing coats with a lot of feathering whereas in dogs destined for a working life a long flowing coat is a liability and is the last thing I need so my pups will have a much shorter coat with very little feathering. Now we immediately have two dogs that look different. The same is true for other features. What does the show person want with a dog that goes around with it's nose to the ground all the time? Now we have two dogs that not only do not look alike but who behave differently, Both types are clearly within the standard Both registered and pure bred. I could go on. In many of the gundog breeds there are working lines and show lines because there are still people around who want to use their dog for working and are not interested in the show ring eg there are working bred Irish and English Setters, working bred Golden Retrievers and Labradors etc etc So it is possible to have variety within the current system, people just need to have the will to stick it out and cop the flack that is aimed at them by people with different aims and interests.

Kaijek I apologise if I have upset you. I abhor the traits you listed just as you do. I have fought for 40+ years for the working springers and it has not been easy. Fought to get them at least some recognition in Australia for the work they do in conservation and service work. Like you, I could give up tomorrow, but I am stubborn, resistance just makes me tougher. Stand up for your BB's. Find one, breed yourself and make the world listen what you like about them. All the best Rachel

In reference to another post in this section: How many DOL's recognise the breed of the brown dog between the labrador and the springer as a working bred Cocker Spaniel?

Gundogs we salute you! What a privilege it is to breed dogs like this! Rachel

So who is responsible? The groups that cannot deny some responsibility are the Breed Clubs who, by definition are the "guardians of the breed" and judges who should be knowledgable about the breeds they judge. BUT it requires great inner fortitude to go against the fashion of the day, so no one group can escape all responsibility. As TSD says variation is an inbuilt natural part of genetic inheritance. Add to this the personal preferences of the individual; breeder. I confess that I breed for what I like for example dark eyes and you will rarely see a pup of my breeding with lighter eyes BUT I might forgive them shorter ears to achieve that. TSD has other priorities so her dogs do not necessarily look the same as mine and knowledgeable people can recognise different kennels by their offspring. People will say to me "I can recognise one of your dogs anywhere" So what if, 40 years ago, I had decided that I like "bandy legs" for example? Opening the stud book will not solve the problem because people will still breed what they like to see be it bandy legs or squashed faces, and what I might consider to be undesirable others might applaud.