Airedaler

77cm takes a Vizsla with comfort. :) Thanks VizslaMomma - should be fine for my Airedale then. Most trolleys seem to be this height without the wheels so finding a stock one that is this height with the wheels works for me.

I agree with others that say they would not amputate on a dog of this age. I also agree with contacting Ann Nevill. Unfortunately I had a dog that was not one of Ann's success stories but she was so genuinely devastated when we agreed that my dog was not going to be cured or her condition managed well.

Thanks Rebanne

Thanks for that feedback Rebanne. Is the height of your trolley - including the wheels - about 77cms? And if so do you find it high enough (internally) for the greyhounds to be comfortable?

The breeders are usually the ones that run breed clubs. IMO because they are the ones that stick around year in and year out and they are the ones that have the most information about the breed and in most cases are the most interested about the history of the breed over a long time. I don't believe there are too many breed clubs that are for the betterment of breeders but without the betterment of breeders there is no betterment of the breed. Breeders are the custodians of the breed. In my experience non breeder members are only interested in a minute part of the club and more often or not only want to do what they want to do. Of course there are exceptions.

IMO first and foremost the purpose of the breed club is to promote the breed. They should be accepted and acknowledged as the authority on the breed. Of course this will depend to some degree on the people involved but that aside to me it is what the breed club should be about and they should be able to ignore personalities. The State Canine Associations will refer any breed related queries to the "breed club" The breed club are the ones that organise and run sanctioned shows, trials etc. and events. The breed club has a responsibility to work with breed clubs in other states to provide the best advice to requests for information regarding the breed, puppy enquiries, issues/health/grooming requirements with the breed etc. The breed club has a responsibility to maintain and keep records of breed related issues so as future enthusiasts of the breed can be taught about important matters within the breed and about dogs of importance etc. I would like to see a breed club responsible for maintaining a register of health tests and results but that is a can of worms for many. Unless specifically a "show" club -which is unlikely- , the breed club will probably have members who are not interested in showing and so needs to organise and run other events. At all times the promotion of the breed should (IMO) be paramount. As an Incorporated Association we operate under the Model Rules of the Associations Incorporation. We did not accept the MR as given but included our own clauses in order to better suit us. Remember that the Incorporation MR's are for huge Incorporations as well as little Clubs like us. Just some of my mutterings. I plead guilty to being a die hard breed club enthusiast and have spent many years serving my breed club and producing record books etc.

Hi All, I'm looking to purchase a show trolley and at the moment the OKS one is at the top of my list. This is because of the overall height of the standard trolley and what will fit in my car. (the new car I bought because I was not ever going to another dog show with a dog!!!!1 ) All the others bar one I have looked at are about 10 cm too high. Could anyone who has an OKS trolley please give me some feedback on the durability, quality, wheels - size and are they durable or would bigger be better etc. and please feel free to comment on any other feature or fault. Can you attach a grooming arm to the trolley or should I ask for something to be included so I can (i.e. an umbrella holder that can be adapted to a grooming arm) The chap from OKS seems quite helpful and happy to accommodate so it really is just a matter of deciding what to ask for. A cheaper trolley (by about $100) could be bought but is it a case of paying for what you get? And I'm happy to support an Australian company in this case. There is also someone in Vermont (Vic) who makes stainless steel trolleys, I think they go under the name of Ant Energy (also produce solar panels) I plan on looking into these next week when they re open. Anyone know anything about these? Thanks in advance

All very different breeds. I suggest you go and look at each of them - visit several breeders of each - and see what you like or don't like about each. See which, if any, you connect with most. Look at the good points and the bad points of each......yes every breed has both. No one can tell you which breed to get you are the only one that can make that decision after due consideration of ALL the information.

Our latest video may be viewed here

How quickly they grow.

I had this done at East West Veterinary Group in Bentleigh East (Vic) last year. It cost me $85

A Vet told me to use Advantatix to stop the flies. Since doing so I've had no problem. There are heaps of repellents that can be bought but you do need to re apply them regularly and my dogs hated having them applied..

Thanks Nekhbet and Erny for your input. Personally I am not a fan of head collars so your thoughts re that is pleasing. So any people seem to advocate head collars as being the be all to end all in training. I accept that the problem is mainly with me, I need to learn how to communicate better what I want the pup to do. Therein lies the biggest issue. Nekhbet, I've owned (and bred for 35 years) Airedales for over 40 years and know just how well they can be trained to fill just about any role required. As a breed they have a long and distinguished history of service dogs. I don't necessarily see them as stubborn but they are independent thinkers and need to see a reason for doing anything. The key is, in many cases, identifying the key/encouragement/reward to give them that reason. I'm not proud to say that my early Airedales were much better trained than my recent ones, although those have done as I requested of them - that was not a lot in terms of their ability. As it is now 9 years since I trained a pup in any manner at all I'm sure there are new methods to be tried.

I've only ever fed my adult dogs once a day. At the moment they are fed early to mid afternoon as a rule. My current adult male does get about a tablespoon of mince in the morning as well with his medication. Occasionally - maybe once a week he will also get a bone or maybe a chicken carcass as well during the day

Hope your 2015 is everything you hope for and that the move to Vic is wonderful.

That could be well worthwhile, thanks for the suggestion. I know Erny trains not too far from me so it could well be doable.

Thanks all for your tips. I'll stick with the flat collar for now and make an effort to find something really awesome as a treat. I'm well aware she is still a baby Persephone and am very much treating her as one who as such need to learn all sorts of things. It is many years since I had a puppy and it is a whole new learning curve for both of us. This pup is very clever, probably to clever for me in many ways. Her smelling is very much a part of her learning and she will sniff out all sorts of things and indeed go back to them, or where they were, days later . Thanks for the video links, I had seen some of them but do find the quite frustrating for a couple of reasons, 1, the dogs all seem to have had some training and more importantly the handlers are trained. I guess what I need is someone to train me. My ultimate aim at the moment is to get her into the show ring.

I have a 3.5 month old puppy who is learning to walk on the lead rather slowly as she becomes distracted by smells and objects on the ground. At the moment I only have her on a flat collar and leash but would like suggestions for equipment to use that will keep her head up. Treats or toys interest her for a short time but are nowhere as interesting as smells etc.

If you have the name of the dog anyone who is a member of a State Canine Association can access the ANKC database. If the dog is registered then it can be found there. Happy to look for you if you want to PM me the details

I suspect the conversation was taken out of context. I also suspect that your neighbour did not mean any offense by his comment.

There is a breeder of Airedales in the Mandura area if this is not too far from you I can give you her details. I don't know if she will groom for you but she should be able to suggest someone who can if not.

That would be Phenyle (sp?)

And a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe 2015 to you Aleksandra

So Spice is now three and a half months old and beginning to become quite adventurous. This morning we went for a walk in our paddock and she had a lovely time racing through the grass and trees and tormenting Gus. Then at the end of the walk she disappeared for a few minutes and came back tossing something happily in the air and catching it before presenting me with the treasure. What was it? A not too old rat's head!!!!!! I guess she was just working on her terrier instincts. She was most offended when I took it away from her and disposed of it. Bless her.

I have short fat arthritic feet and wear substantial orthotics. I also have arthritis in my ankles and risk them giving away without notice at any time. I wear New Balance sneakers in the ring, I have some nubuck ones and some black ones which look a little dressier than the white. As far as I'm concerned it is more important to wear what is best for my feet than what looks best and if my winning or losing comes down to what is on my feet then the judge is looing at the wrong thing.