Salukifan

I gather the HD diagnosis has been made based on X-Rays? I think most breeders would look at a refund but the only way to know for sure is to talk to the pup's breeder. You have my sympathy - you must be gutted.

Day 2 - MFB consumed his with gusto. :)

Dr Barbara Fougere at Natural Vet Care - she'd be my pick for allergy help too.

Where's that "like" button...

I won't vote because "always take back" is too restrictive. "Always take care of" would be better. No way in Gods green earth would I take a rescue dog into my home if I had unvaccinated pups. That's not to say I wouldn't see to the dog's welfare though. This is where breeders (and other breed fanciers) cooperating to do breed rescue is so valuable.

This is a great website on coat colour genetics I would describe that dog as red tipped sable.

Trying a sample bag now. First meal tonight. It is quite a fine, flat kibble. Consequently it weighs light so the dogs got a fair bit for the recommended weight. The honorary Labrador was thrilled! MFB ate it happily but tomorrow and the next day will be the test for him.

Yes to breed. Yes to parents. Working on gender/name.

PM Erny. She is the person I'd want to talk to in this situation. The fact that the runs clear up on chicken and rice suggests to me that the right diet will sort this.

Pedigrees are about history. The history of a dog's antecedents. People used to give a damn about such things and they valued their dogs enough to record ancestry. They cared enough about dogs and the roles they performed to selectively breed dogs for certain roles. Until not that long ago, that was pretty common. Pedigrees are NOT the problem. They did not cause BSL. What caused it is the fact that people are so isolated from dogs and breeding that they give no thought to the parents of the pups they buy. Many no longer see them. They don't understand dog behaviour and they don't care enough about their dogs or their community to socialise and train their dogs to make them safe. The problem doesn't lie with the dogs and the sooner you grasp that, the sooner you'll stop blaming the KCs for the problem. It's people who breed and buy irresponsiblly and who think dogs are "just a dog". That doesn't describe the pedigree dog world who neither cause nor enshrine the legislation that perpetuates the myth that dangerous dogs are born, not made. They also cannot control the behaviour of people who choose to breed or buy dogs with no regard to their inherent characteristics. Write your book but as far as I'm concerned you are barking up the wrong tree. Stop blaming dogs and pedigrees and start looking at the kind of people who have dangerous dogs and the kind of people too stupid to create legislation to deal with them.

How about one unopened bottle of Cascade Raspberry Cordial (original recipe) They make a Raspberry syrup now, it's just tricky to find but Yass Woollies has it. 30 per cent raspberry juice, so works for the upset tummies. In fact, you may just find a bottle of it in your trailer. Oooh thanks! :)

Most of the diseases that the C5 vaccination covers may be spread without direct contact with another dog. Urine and faeces will do the trick for most. However, if you don't want to revaccinate your dog, you could have him titre tested to check current immunity. You also have the option to drop to C3 if you don't want to cover kennel cough.

How about one unopened bottle of Cascade Raspberry Cordial (original recipe)

Pookinuk has the little bags. :)

Lots of passion and a thin skin. Like most of us about our dogs and our dog related hobbies I suppose.

I weighed it. With one of my dogs prone to resource guarding, the crumbs were an issue. Oh well, it wasn't to be I will try the Meals for Mutts grain free now. I seem to recall their rep was rather "interesting" too.

And on day 2 of the MFB test... it's a fail. Howie's just not that interested. I have to say also that the amount of crumbs produced by the dogs chomping up the big biscuits was a bit disconcerting too.

Most dog trainers don't focus on training dogs. They focus on training the dog's owners to train their dogs. I'd never recommend an owner send their dog away for training. However, seeking instruction from someone knowledgeable in dog training, especially as a novice seems no more than smart thinking to me.

Me in Dec 13: Nice of someone to prove my earlier prediction correct.

I have no idea. Mary Roslin Williams suggests it but who knows? What I am saying is that if straight line speed is the mark of a good retrieiving trial dog then a greyhound, if taught to reliably retrieve would surely be ideal. But it wouldn't bear more than a passing resemblence to a Labrador. I've had people explaiin to me how a weak nerved dog can be taught to do Schutzhund reliably. Im sure many of us have seen the JRT perform a Schutzhund test. But it wouldn't make the grade as a police dog. "Sport" is just that - its stylised. As you modify the rules of the sport or what wins in the sport, you modify the ideal type of dog to compete in the sport. But is it truly a reflection of "original purpose" and does it reliably test performance of "original purpose". I accept that in some case its the best test you're going to get but my guess is that people who shoot over their dogs outside of the trialling environment or who actually work their dogs probably raise their eyebrows about what wins as much as the sports folk do about show wins. Maybe I'm just not happy to accept that everything that's gone wrong with a breed is as a result of conformation showing, especially in this country where we seem less inclined toward extremes of breed type (or at least I hope so). We're not in the habit of changing breed standards to make them different to the country of origin's one as happens in the USA.

SG: Not around here it doeesn't. The "standard" judging rate is 40 dogs an hour and many judges take longer. I won't disagree about conformation showing not testing performance though. The very best it is capable of is assessing potential fitness for purpose. However, as has been discussed, when performance in sporting events can be improved by breeding away from the breed standard, where does that leave the breed? If I can teach a greyhound to reliably retrieve, would it win a trial? Perhaps, but it certainly wouldn't be a Labrador.

My guys like the RC Mini Mature but lately the Senior Poodle has not really been eating much kibble. So he will have wet food. He still likes his chicken wings (I give him the two smaller joints) so, at his age, if he wants My Dog or Dine cat food, then that's what he'll get. My guys also liked the Advance Turkey and Rice too.

JW: No dog is going to willingly go to the toilet within the space it is confined to sleep or rest. You need to rethink this. The whole point of crate training is to prevent a dog toileting in the crate, not to confine where they can toilet. Otherwise what you will do is destroy your dog's natural inhibitions about soiling where he sleeps and plays. Bad move. Have you told the breeder of this pup that you live in an apartment with no yard? It's not impossible to have a working breed in an apartment but it is one hell of a commitment.

Doh - forgot the Fauves - an undiscovered treasure of a family dog IMO.