Miranda

Thanks so much to all have responded and to all those who have sent PM's, it can be very difficult sending a puppy interstate to a relatively inexperienced owner and you have all helped immeasurably :rolleyes:

pewithers I have been involved in dogs for 36 years and have been to literally hundreds of shows (including shows in the U.S., UK. and Europe) and have never seen a judge deliberately set out to be cruel to a dog in the ring. I've come across a couple of judges who were a little heavy handed (usually when checking the mouth), but the vast majority of judges handle exhibits in a careful and considerate manner. I have never seen any judge try to 'spook' a dog in the ring nor have I ever met a judge who bragged about their cruelty to other breeders. My experiences of dog showing have been generally positive, but perhaps I see and interpret things in a different manner.

I train exactly the same way RSG, in fact I used these techniques on three very wilful eight week old pups on Sunday. However, like you, I find this judge's actions totally unacceptable.

Thank you mita

I've put this in General because more people visit this forum. I have just sold a puppy to Rockhampton. Can anyone recommend a good puppy pre-school, a vet and an obedience club? I have no contacts at all in that part of Queensland.

I would just like to point out that in Victoria breed lectures are open to all. If anyone has an interest in a particular breed or group they are very welcome, you do not have to be a trainee judge to attend.

A breeder is a temporary guardian of a breed, our aim is to preserve that breed and hopefully pass it on to the next generation of breeders is as good or even better condition than when we started. I have dedicated 36 years of my life to one breed of dog and to me the breed standard is sacrosanct. However I understand that it is virtually impossible for those who don't breed to understand that concept and to comprehend just how involved we are with the the welfare of our breeds, how much respect we have for their history and how much concern we have for their future.

Sounds good if everything they claim is true. However I don't like the shape of it, surely it should have rounded edges if it's designed to be inserted into a bitch's vulva?

Moving to a country property doesn't mean that it's easier to own dogs, there are two main things to consider, council regulations and fencing. I've lived on acreage and IMO the most important thing you need is a well fenced, secure house yard, allowing your dogs free access to 20, 30 or more acres is asking for trouble. Remember that country fences are made of wire and dogs can go through, over or under them and if a dog escapes onto someone else's property it risks being shot. Don't make the mistake of thinking that your dogs won't wander because if they're not confined they almost certainly will, especially if there's a pack of them. It can take less than a minute for a dog to get out and disappear. Also be aware that more land doesn't mean that you can have more dogs, some councils still limit numbers regardless of how much land you have. If I were you I wouldn't rush into anything, just keep the two you have and see how you go.

If it's still there when you have him desexed, have it removed then.

Several hours? Surely you exaggerate? I agree with poodlefan, 12 hours is a very long time to expect a dog to hold on.

I don't worm pregnant bitches, I worm them immediately before mating and then again when the puppies are four weeks of age.

We have two males and two females, she had the first three and then required a caesarian to remove an exceptionally large puppy that was stuck at the start of the birth canal. There were two other puppies stillborn.

I wouldn't allow any 10 year old to be in charge of walking a dog, they may well be able to manage their own dog, but a 10 year old isn't capable of dealing with any problems that may arise eg. another dog attacking. I think it would be a good idea to wait until the mother recovers before they get another dog.

When you breed a litter, you only get a few puppies that are of such outstanding quality that they are suitable for showing and breeding. Of course there are exceptions, but in general, regardless of how much planning you put into a litter and how good the parents are, there are only a few puppies genuinely suitable to be placed on main register. Those breeders who place every single puppy on main are IMO either totally kennel blind, incapable of seeing the difference between a well conformed typey puppy and an inferior one or just don't care about the future of their breed or their own reputation as a breeder. I won't sell a puppy on main register to a novice exhibitor who may or may not show, if I think they lack commitment they don't get the dog, the last thing a breeder wants to do with a promising puppy is to hand it over to a newbie who purports to be keen, but ends up doing a few shows and then gives up and has the puppy desexed because it's a nuisance owning an entire animal. This happens all the time even if the puppy buyer has signed a contract or the puppy is co-owned. People on DOL are always whinging about the shortcomings of breeders, but believe me puppy buyers can be just as unethical as some breeders. Big D I'm sure that if you contact breeder B and discuss the matter there may be a possibility of acquiring a puppy on main register. As for breeder A, I wouldn't even consider purchasing from them, it's really well worth the effort to establish a relationship with an ethical, reputable breeder who owns good stock even if it means that you have to wait a little longer for your puppy. Edited because I mixed up my A's and B's LOL.

Clean it with warm salt water and put some Betadine on it then let it scab. Leave the collar off until it's healed.

I tend to agree with this, I would never put a bitch out on breeders terms in an ordinary pet home, it's just too risky especially if you don't know the people concerned. The bitch may have a mongrel litter, the people may find that having an entire bitch is too inconvenient and have her desexed without telling you or they may just decide that they don't want to part with her when the time comes for her to have a litter. Sure you have a contract in place, but if the bitch is desexed what's the point of it, what's done is done. And do you really want to have the hassle of trying to enforce the contract if things go wrong because there's absolutely no guarantee that you'll win. If you want a bitch to breed from, the best thing is to keep it yourself unless you are absolutely 100% sure that the people taking the bitch will meet all the conditions and uphold their side of the contract. Believe me people will promise anything when they take a puppy, but fulfilling those promises is a different thing entirely and the fact that they've signed a contract is irrelevant.

Artemis didn't suit my dogs at all, they only got one cup a day with meat and bones but they had loose poo and lots of gas. I persevered with it for a couple of months, but the dogs started to lose weight and their coats went off so I gave up.

I use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil as a leave in conditioner between baths, 1 tablespoon in 1/2 bucket of warm water.

I had a 9 year old large breed male desexed this year, no problems whatsoever.

Yes that's right mirawee, I'm glad you understand

pups carry on at the drop of a hat. Terrorising is causing permanent psychological harm, a pup whinging for a bit or throwing a tantrum is nothing to be avoided. They do it with other dogs, their mother or the vet trying to give them a needle because they dont know how to just accept handling. As for biting harder, if you have not done it hard or long enough the pup sees it has a game and carries on. I dont like Dunbars method. Dogs learn faster when its yes or no, not little by little and end up with an adolescent dog that still puts its mouth on you or your children. And most pups dont learn enough bite inhibition for human levels from their litter, most pups are happy to put their mouths on you when you get them so obviously this is not the case. I suppose it's all up to how much you're willing to tolerate from your dog. I'd never recommend this. If you're happy with this fine but this can backfire majorly. I've bred and raised a lot of puppies and I must say that I completely agree with Nekhbet.

I'll have another go 2 Have you left a number off that 2 doesn't sound right given how many Lappies one particular DOLer was washing the other day Oh, and Lappies are the Finnish ones Oops it is definitely NOT my day today I should have checked which lappies were on today before I posted OK they are numbered 1608 to 1632, I'm not game to work out how many that is, I'm bound to get it wrong

What a shame, no winning for you then :rolleyes:

I'll have another go 2