Salukifan

Very sorry to read this Huski. Rip Mischa.

That is wonderful news!

If you are a Dogs VIC member Kirislin, I suggest, if you haven't already, that you make yourself known the the Dogs Vic Coordinator and volunteer to chip in. If they don't know you, they won't find you. You could be organising it!! It takes a few folk to get these things off the ground and I'd imagine every pair of hands would be welcome. It also saves on duplication of effort. Dogs NSW has the genesis of LC Club and a Club Committee. That sort of progress doesn't happen quickly if someone is doing all the work themselves. Many hands and all that...

Yes, they're a long way ahead of Vic. I would imagine it's a very big task to start from scratch. I've put my name down as interested and am trying to get information on certain aspects of coursing so I can read up and learn but it's not proving easy to get. I hope they post photos of the days they have. I'm looking forward to seeing them. NSW has benefitted from the efforts of extremely dedicated workers from the sighthound community and their proximity and relationships with the sighthound folk in Qld. Hopefully as NSW grows in experience, there will a flow on effect to Vic as their neighbouring state. :)

Some are not there for the love of the animals but to WIN. At what price the ribbon? I lost interest in showing my dogs before the pup even came home from the breeders because I went to a few shows with a breeder to get a feel for showing. The bitching, snarking and criticism I heard from people who had seemingly forgotten the dogs were living beings put me off ever wanting to be involved in showing my dog/s. I hope they find the person who poisoned that dog and that her/his name is revealed to those involved in showing their dogs. Agreed so sad. It is obviously all for their own ego boost rather than a love for a breed or even just dogs in general. No one who would call themselves an animal lover could ever be so cruel And yet, so many people who show dogs DO love the breed, do behave appropriately and are animal lovers. And without them, most breeds wouldn't be around any more. Who do you think run most breed rescues?? Who is out there all day at the Pet Expos, Breed days etc?? Frankly I am utterly tired of these kinds of generalisations. If you want to know why so many experienced breed people are no longer here, on a forum based on a site promoted to purebred dogs, look no further. The sniping is wearing in the extreme.. at their hobby, at the fact that they breed dogs, at any advice that isn't glowing and supportive... expecially of people who rushed into dog ownership with no idea what they were buying, bought from BYBs and suddenly find themselves having issues. If you are looking for the negativity in any hobby, you can find it. Ifyou are a negative person, you will be drawn to it. However the experience of many people who enjoy that hobby is just as valid. The fact that a lot of the criticism comes from people who have never set foot in the ring or who were there for less than a heartbeat is telling to me. They have limited or no real experience in the fancy. The fact that people abuse their pets doesn't make every pet owner a scumbag does it? The dog wasn't poisoned at Crufts. It wasn't done by another exhibitor as far as anyone can tell. However inconvienient that may be for people who want to write off those who show their dogs, those are the facts. I won't hold my breath for an apology from those who were so quick to put the boot into exhibitors.

Probably not but an understanding of what is typical breed behaviour is not a bad thing. Thinking your pup will be different can be the fast track to heartache. After all, its why breeds were developed - to increase the odds of getting selected characteristics. Times have changed and some of those characteristics are less desirable now but many dogs of a breed will still have them. I'd cheerfully generalise that most bull breeds are utterly bomb proof when it comes to kids if they are raised and socialised correctly. I am very happy to recommend them as family dogs but that recommendation comes with a caution about dog aggression. The yin and the yang of those breeds. There are plenty of other examples in other breeds.

Agree. Unless you have dog people prepared to organise a dog section, I'd suggest it won't happen. Which show is this?

With the greatest of respect Staffyluv, isn't Ziggy a crossbred? I don't doubt for a moment that he is an extremely amiable dog but I think drawing conclusions about any breed based on the behaviour of dogs that may not even be that breed's cross is unwise, especially when those breeds have higher than average levels of dog aggression. Personally Amstaffs and SBTs are dogs that I am wary of in dog social situations. They are powerful animals and IF they decide to take an issue with a dog, they will finish the fight, ice it and put little sprinkles on it. When coupled with an owner that cannot or will not accept that such behaviour is possible from their dog, I take a course to avoid. In my limited experience with such dogs, many want to be dominant. With submissive dogs that's all good. When a dog doesn't submit you can have issues. This is a breed bred with a high degree of reactivity to other dogs, a low bite threshold and low bite inhibition where dogs are concerned. It's a powerful cocktail in the hands of the unwary. I've had so many owners tell me that their dogs are "friendly" as they approached mine stiff legged, hackles up, tails over they back and staring hard. Some are complete marshmallows but as a stranger, I won't know that. I leave any off lead area I see an Amstaff or SBT entering. Safety first. The fact that I have entire males makes me extra cautious. I certainly would not recommend one to a person wanting a dog park regular. One of the problems I see with DOL these days is that a lot of folk with high levels of in depth breed knowledge have left. That leaves pet owners with lesser experience in breeds giving advice, sometimes based on knowledge of no more than one dog. All I can say is that I'd be listening to the people who breed and have bred these dogs and/or who have dealt with multiple dogs of that breed to make a decision about buying one. Dog trainers also tend to see a lot of the more common breeds and tailor their advice accordingly. Their advice may not be as palatable but my suggestion is that it will be more accurate. I'd be hard pressed to find an Amstaff or SBT breeder who'd underrate their chosen breeds' capacity for dog aggression if pressed. No amount of socialisation and training is going to undo a breed's hard wiring and any decent dog trainer will tell you that. If you'd like another example, witness all the posts on social media of Greyhounds with cats and rabbits and a complete denial by many of these dogs' owners that prey drive is a real issue in the breed more widely. Its what they are bred for and the idea that Greyhounds only will chase small animals because they are made to is both ignorant and dangerous. No knowledgeable sighthound person I know would make such an assertion.

Impressive! Folk might like to start running their dogs without collars. The ANKC rules won't allow them.

I find GSPs (and indeed all utility gun dogs) a lot more full on than Pointers.

Can't comment on the food drive but I have to say that Pointers are largely undiscovered gems as larger breed family dogs and deserve to be better known. :)

A crossbred litter, six weeks old advertised on Gumtree and given no questions asked free to the same man. ALL of them. Mr Brown is hardly a great example of a breeder either. Seriously WTF did he expect??

We had a black and tan Standard Smooth when I was a kid - great dog! I think the Wires tend to be a bit sparkier than the other varieties and the Long Hairs the softest.

The ANKC regs here (9.9) prohibit inter variety breeding of Dachshunds. That means no breeding of two different sizes or coat types. Sadly these dogs are currently one of the profit breeders' chosen breeds and there are a lot of non ANKC breeders churning them out. They don't give a toss about regulations or indeed anything but $$$$ "Rare" colours are as popular with such breeders as ever and they are quite prepared to crossbreed to get them. White or brindle "Pug" or black and tan "French Bulldog" anyone? : If you want a Dachsie of any variety, do your homework and go through a breed club. If you need a contact, PM me and I'll hook you up with a decent Vic breeder. I know a couple. Any piebald "Dachshund" you saw could be a crossbred or would be considered an unacceptable colour. Dapple breeding throws up the same potential health breeding as merle to merle breeding and my guess is this is why white was and is considered unacceptable. If you want something a little unusual in a Dachsie consider a Wire Hair! Not very common and certainly deserve to be more popular.

Journalism at its worst. What a confusing story! Appalling for the child.

You don't "socialise" any dog to get them put up with larger pups that overwhelm them. The saddest thing here is that the little dog's owner failed to step in before the dog had to become snappy. I don't find anything remotely funny about it.

There are a lot of dog owners out there who know precisely squat about dogs, dog training or dog behaviour. Sadly for us, the kinds of places that allow us with our dogs are a magnet for all kinds of dog owners. I find it less stressful not to frequent dog parks, dog cafes etc. The ignorance factor is going to be present. We can bemoan the behaviour of dog owners all day and every day but the sad fact is that it's not going to change.

It was put to me like this when I was looking at my first trolley: If you show where there are concrete paths, don't intend to load your trolley to the top with gear OR have a bad back, go aluminium. If you show on goat tracks, need to push the trolley over the rough stuff and load it up. Go steel. Aluminum can warp. Rivets pop, bolts that once closed don't and doors can have fit issues. None of those are an issue with steel generally but it is heavy. I've got a CCrates. It's had 90kg of dog food in it and two golden retrievers hauling it and survived. Never had an issue with it and will certainly be sending it back to CCrates for a refurb when I can, along with an older model I picked up a while back. Their Securapens are also brilliant.

Shorten the leash, encourage him forward and keep walking? He can't eat what he can't reach.. don't let him reach it. He can buck and whine and carry on but keep going and praise him when he continues on and the leash can loosen again. No need to overthink this stuff. Just decide who gets to determine where the pair of you walk. That should be you! It won't just be paper or tissues. People drop all kinds of things dogs want to investigate. The rule you want to establish is he keeps the leash loose in what ever directiom and and what pace you determine you are going.

Unless you undertake a proper elimination diet, all guesses about what foods a dog has dietary insensitivity to are guesswork.

The individual breed councils do that. You cannot register some breeds' pups with out certain health testing on the parents.

Responsible breeders are health testing for a range of conditions. Hips, elbows, eyes, hearts. However it may not be mandatory.

Many breeders will not early desex pups. Microchipping and vaccinating is mandatory for all ANKC breeders. Health testing is mandatory in some breeds and certainly a way from sorting the wheat from the chaff in some breeders of breeds. Of course not all breeds have common genetic conditions or structural issues that require health tests.

Genetics plays a part in aggression. Not the only part but upbringing is not a cure all unfortunately for the inherited temperament some dogs get. Personally if all a person is after is a pet, I'd be going for a breed longer established here and with a larger gene pool. It tends to open options for breeders, reduce prices and provide more certainty about the temperament of the dog you are going to get. I'd be getting a Rottweiler.