espinay2

You basically need to use anything that will suds up well. Dog shampoo, soap, dish washing liquid, whatever it is the creation of the suds which suffocates the fleas.

Yes, chicken is easy enough to get in bulk at a good price (less than $2 kg) It is the other things like beef etc that I haven't found a cheap, good quality, reliable, BULK supplier for. A 3.5 hour each way drive to Luddenham etc is just too far for me, particularly when they are not open on weekends.

No, toy breeds are not immune from joint and growth issues such as HD. HD in CKCS: http://www.cavalierh...ipdysplasia.htm The article states it is 'common' in the breed as in estimates of affected CKCS are 12.4% to 33%

I have been eyeing off thier 'Sacred Trust' (Great Pyrenees with lamb defending it from a wolf) for years! One day <sigh>

One thing to remember is to never say never, particularly with these large breeds (though it does apply to any breed). Your own dogs may be health tested, but how many generations of your dogs pedigree, plus all their siblings, do you also have health tests for? We never know everything that is there lurking and there are things that can knock even the most thorough and concientious breeder for a six. Work on reducing your risk, plan for the worst, hope for the best, and NEVER claim you 'don't have any problems in your lines'. Good luck! :D

Yes a LOT more difficult than a deaf pup from what I understand and takes a LOT more work. A blind pup is a LOT more dependant on their owners. Everything is a major challenge including 'simple' things like negotiating even one step up or down (the Pyr pup has from what I have seen had several severe panic attacks when it has managed to get itself onto the slightly raised fireplace surround in their loungeroom and then can't work out how to get down. They are teaching it to negotiate steps but it is a long and slow process as they have to teach the dog to step into nothingness - they dont have the benefit of a cane etc to guide them like humans do). Different dogs may react differently, but it is I would suspect a lot more of a full on job than a deaf dog or even one that has gone blind later on. I too would be VERY careful about placing such a dog and do agree in some if not most cases euthanasia may be the best option.

Oh yes. Leather lounges. SO much easier!

Well done! I know what you mean - until you get the all clear and that piece of paper, not matter what you think to be the case, all bets are off. That anticipation as you do the tests is a killer :laugh:

There is somone on one of my Facebook forums who is raising a blind Pyr pup in the US. The video's of what they are doing and their progress with her have been interesting. If you need a contact (or the person taking her needs a contact) and I probably provide something so you can get in touch.

Damp chux cloth. Best thing I have found for getting hair off soft furniture. Almost nothing works on short sharp hairs that stick into open weave though! (I swear my Dalmatian was worse than the Pyrs as you just couldn't get that stuff off!) I will admt I am used to hair on everything though. My office chair at work has dog hair on it, not matter how clean I try to keep my work clothes! Best one yet though was Stepsons new car. He bought a shiny new car, drove it to our place after he picked it up, arriving late at night (after not being at our place for over a month). Next morning we went out to look at the pristine new beast and there was a lovely long Pyr hair sitting on the beautiful clean upholstery inside - and the dogs had not been anywhere NEAR the car yet! Didn't dare point it our to him .... :laugh:

If you are a registered breeder you can also ask to join and pose the question in the breeders part of the forum and you should get good replies there. As mentioned, it can vary from breed to breed and condition to condition what you would 'guarantee'. Also wording needs to be quite careful - you need to state EXACTLY what you are guaranteeing and what the guarantee is if things do not go well. All very good saying you 'guarantee' for a particular condition, but you need to specify exactly what you will do if it gets it and how long the guarantee is for - is it for 1 year? 2 years? lifetime? Also make sure the guarantee is something you are prepared to do and CAN do. What specifications will you put on the guarantee - i.e. under what conditions will it be null and void? What proof and/or severity will you require for the guarantee to come into affect - eg a specialist report, two independent vet reports, a particular result on a test etc etc Note guarantees regarding specific conditions may be longer term than a 'general health' guarantee which involves the health of the pup when the new owner takes delivery and both types of guarantees may be included separately in an agreement.

Studies have shown that children who grow up with dogs inside the home have a lower incidence of allergies so that is good. I would if it were an issue for the child make the child's room dog free and be sure to groom and clean house regularly so common areas were less of an issue. I would only consider other options if it were really severe and proven it was the dogs causing it. I am an allergy and asthma sufferer, and do react a little to what can be on the dogs coats but I am so glad I grew up with dogs and have them now. We have family that visit that are allergic to cats so we have an 'animal free' guest room to make sure they have a safe haven and can sleep well.

Darn phone...what I said was some breeders may not register till at least 8 weeks after the assess puppies, particularly if they are doing 'puppy puzzle' style assessments. They may not have decided which pup is going where (and whether it will be main or limited ) until then. As microchip info has to be on the Regis they can't register till they have made these final selections.

I know Qld can be slow due to their odd way of registering the puppies into the buyers name but in NSW no one should have to wait that long. In NSW they should be registered as soon as they are microchipped, it can be done online and you have the option to pay express to get the papers back in days. If you don't use express it can be up to 4 weeks. If you can physically get to the office in NSW and pay express you get the papers in your hand in an hour.

Edit repeat post

What breeds are you after specifically. Often the breed and other poultry clubs can put you in touch with local breeders (just like in dogs!) . Also check out Andy Vardys Backyard poultry website which is the chook equivalent of DOL. I breed Bantam Faverolles and Belgian d'Uccle so can provide more info on them if that is what you are after.

Well done!!!

A link to a good video which helps explain typical Pyrenean behaviour: http://www.youtube.c...d&v=67ObjymUif8 As a lot of this behaviour is instinctive it can be apparent in pets as well as those working with livestock. Also an article on Pyr temperament: http://www.lgd.org/library/temperament.htm

You should be able to tell if she has ovulated or not, but the only way to pinpont when she ovulated is to chart the rise over several tests, so it won't tell you that.

Let us know as I was thinking of putting in an order

I am loving seeing the photos and watching that coat improve We are going to want photos from the show. The 'before and after' is going to be great so make sure you post the first and last pics side by side when you do!!

I certainly don't discourage the OP from becoming a breeder if that is their wish ....... just not with this boy. Though this boy can be VERY valuable to their education on the path to becoming a good and responsible breeder. Every dog (backyard bred, rescue and those from good breeders etc etc) is valuable in teaching us. I thought my first Pyrenean was perfect. I didn't think I could get better. In some ways I was right as every dog is special as an individual. Learning more and more about the breed though taught me to separate the love of an individual from knowledge about what was good and not so good in them from a 'breed' prespective. It is important for a breeder to be able to separate these two things - to be able to love their dogs for what they are, but also be unemotionally critical of them from a breed perspective. Not everyone can do this - my OH sure can't and I drive him crazy when I 'pick my dogs to pieces' :laugh: But this thought separation of individual from breed example is something that all 'good' breeders must learn. So OP, LOVE your boy, but also learn from him. He will be a valuable part of your journey, and not breeding him will not mean his value is lost. So make the most of the opportunities he can bring you. He can bring you a whole new world :D .

Agree Teebs. Have seen it with one of the daughters of a friend of mine. They have tried literally everything. It is affecting their health and sanity and affecting their 'good' daughter too. Again, nothing like this, but sneaking out, running away, drinking, stealing money from them and her sister, not going to school, not turning up for the jobs or courses that have been arranged for her (that she said she wanted), acting out etc. At 16 they have now been told they can't 'make' her do anything - not even turn up for family counselling. As for the little brats who did this - there definitely needs to be consequences.

Good on you for thinking about this and wanting to do the right thing. I agree with everyone else here. Your boy is an unknown genetically and the best you could be with him is a backyard breeder which is in fact NOT the best you could be. As nice as he may be, you would be letting the breed, and potentially future puppy buyers too, down if you breed him. BUT, this boy can teach you a LOT. Desex him. Join an obedience club if you haven't done so already - there are plenty of fun activities you can do with him and the more you learn about handling dogs and dog behaviour the better off you will be down the track if do DO wan't to be a breeder. Join a Doberman club too. Clubs often have things that pet owners can participate and it is a great way to learn. Having a desexed dog of my breed, doing fun things with her, getting involved and letting her teach me was how I started off. IMO it is a great way to start

You have to remember too that a reason many show ppl downsize dogs as they get older is because you have to run them in the show ring. The larger the dog the faster you have to run. As you get older running fast gets harder. Pretty much everyone I know who has downsized breeds had done it because they found running the larger dog in the ring was just getting to be too much for them. Yes, I really should have said grooming and handling ('work' = handling too) as running with the big dogs is bad enough now as it is :laugh: