espinay2

I think it was their attempt at a VERY bad French accent! :laugh: I must say though, I found the information they gave wasn't too correct and worryingly so in the case of the Pyr where they list it as Barking: LOW!!

If my dogs hadn't accepted him, my OH would not be my OH. My girl 'Milou' (now deceased) was the big test. She was friendly but standoffish the first few meetings (just biding her time and making an assessment :laugh: ) but then decided he was ok. Milou and my OH became buddies big time. He was completely sold over to the dogs and simply adores them. Lucky, as if he didn't and if they did not accept him, he would have been out the door! ;)

Agree - no sign (though a property [not a kenne] name sign - yes. We are rural and that is pretty standard). The people who need to know know where I live. Anything else is inviting trouble.

What is yOur breed? Dogs are excellent at reading body language so sometimes they pick up on badies, however they often judge people with extreme fear (clanking up, staring etc) as bad sorts too. I make decisions around who comes and goes in my house - not my dogs In my signature block. Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Generally don't react to fear as quite a few can find them imposing and they are used to people staring (they get stared at a LOT :laugh: ) and generally ignore it. I have only seen an extreme reaction from my dogs a couple of times and there was nothing really 'different' about the people at the time that I could pin it on (my dogs meet LOT of people, both out and about and at our home). One was a person I trusted - who proved later not to be trustworthy to the point my dogs had to physically protect me from them. As I said, I have learnt to trust their judgement implicitly. Something that many many Pyr owners have learnt to do.

I agree totally. This needs recognition.

totally agree Ditto!! I don't care what people may think of me. My dogs welfare comes first. BTW, I don't go to 'dog parks' either. But by dogs are very well socialised (in many ways probably a lot better than the average suburban dog that goes to dog parks)

Or Caesar Milan....

I trust my dogs judgement implicitly. They have been proven right before. But then my breed is known for its excellent judgement in this respect.

I have a bitch from a half brother sister mating and am very happy with her (and all her heath test results which include hips, elbows, patellas, eyes, thyroid and DNA for degenerative myelopathy). As mentioned it all depends on the knowledge of what is behind what you are breeding. Note though that linebreeding can in fact increase genetic diversity as linebreeding creates different genetic 'pools' within a breed that you can then outcross to from time to time. Continued outcrossing creates a level playing field where in the end everyone in the population is relatively related (moreso than if you linebreed) and you have nowhere to go if you are trying to isolate (to either add or remove) particular genes or traits. Sandgruuber, re not paying a stud fee - no the breeder of my bitch didn't. But then she has imported around 7 dogs from various countries overseas, some of which have contributed at various times to this bitches pedigree, so I do rather resent the implication that linebreeding is the 'easy way out'.

Glad to help :)

I use Cryogenes and have found them great to deal with and providing a good service walking the shipment through customs etc. When you contact them they will send out info and a flow chart of what needs to be done etc (it varies from country to country so they can't put everything on the website). In the US Cryogenes coordinates with and will put you in touch with the International Canine Semen Bank (ICSB) in Grass Valley California who will help coordinate the process that end with whoever is doing the collection (they can help you locate/recommend someone too if the breeder doesnt know where to go/doesnt have a preference on who will collect). They will send out a questionnaire to you for you and the breeder to complete and help you coordinate it all that end. I have found them very good to deal with too.

If you are looking to import (or export), talk to whoever you choose to handle it this end as they will put you in touch with the appropriate folks to deal with overseas. I use Cryogenes and have found them very good in this respect.

They can tell a dogs external heath - glowing coat, good muscle tone and fitness, clear and bright eyes, happy in itself etc. They can assess a dogs basic mental health - happy to be there, bright, aware, comfortable in what it is doing. They can assess a dogs structural health - how it meets the structural standard for the breed, how the dogs structure supports or hinders its ability to do its job, how the dog moves, that it is happy and comfortable moving at a pace and in a style suitable for the breed. They can NOT assess long term genetic or internal health or look into a crystal ball and see how the dog will be health-wise tomorrow or a year from now. But that is not the role of a dog show judge. A judge is there to judge TO THE STANDARD. The standard does not address health isses beyond the types of things I have listed above which can be assessed EXTERNALLY on the dog in front of the judge. Any further assessment of health is carried out by the breeder, sometimes under the auspices of official and formal schemes run by the ANKC, breed club or other organisations and sometimes not. Assessment in accordance with the standard by a show judge is just part of it and never ever have dog shows set themselves up to be a one stop shop assessment of all elements of the 'health' of a dog :thumbsup: "Assessment in accordance with the standard by a show judge is just part of it and never ever have dog shows set themselves up to be a one stop shop assessment of all elements of the 'health' of a dog" I remember being told something along those lines once, when i queried how could a dog well actually two dogs become australian champions with three hernia's in another case again two dogs, was looking after them for friends on holiday and my 7 yr old visitor asked whats wrong with them. as i was going to the vet for one of mine i took the pair just to make sure they were ok, i had noticed they moved funny myself. grade 4 patella was the answer. if a 7 yr old child could see something was not normal. i asked how could they win 100 challenge points? to be told by a judge the above. with the additional comment judges are not vets. as for the hernias? where is making champions with these bettering any breed? walked away shaking my head and still wondering Some judges have a better eye and understanding of structure than others. But that is for a whole other thread - this thread is about breeders, not about dog shows. Winning at a dog show does not automatically mean a breeder will breed that dog. Heck I have made the decision to desex and not breed a bitch with a champion title and I am far from the first and wont be the last to do that.

Agree with Lilli that there appears to be a long bow being drawn by the OP. Being better suited to a home as an only dog (for what reason, there could be many?), not suitable for a home with children (again, there could be many reasons for this) or cats (If the dog has a reasonable prey drive as many breeds do, and has not been raised with cats - which many people don't own - then it makes sense to place this caveat) does not automatically equate to the breeder being irresponsible and inadequately socialising their dogs or breeding 'bad examples' of a breed (we don't know what the breed being referred to is so can't conjecture whether any of these things would be normal or cautionary for the breed and we don't know the individual dogs being referred to so don't know why the preferences have been made for those individual dogs.) This is not to say that SOME of the dogs being listed may be poorly socialised. But cause and effect can not automatically be drawn between the two.

They can tell a dogs external heath - glowing coat, good muscle tone and fitness, clear and bright eyes, happy in itself etc. They can assess a dogs basic mental health - happy to be there, bright, aware, comfortable in what it is doing. They can assess a dogs structural health - how it meets the structural standard for the breed, how the dogs structure supports or hinders its ability to do its job, how the dog moves, that it is happy and comfortable moving at a pace and in a style suitable for the breed. They can NOT assess long term genetic or internal health or look into a crystal ball and see how the dog will be health-wise tomorrow or a year from now. But that is not the role of a dog show judge. A judge is there to judge TO THE STANDARD. The standard does not address health isses beyond the types of things I have listed above which can be assessed EXTERNALLY on the dog in front of the judge. Any further assessment of health is carried out by the breeder, sometimes under the auspices of official and formal schemes run by the ANKC, breed club or other organisations and sometimes not. Assessment in accordance with the standard by a show judge is just part of it and never ever have dog shows set themselves up to be a one stop shop assessment of all elements of the 'health' of a dog

This topic is apparently about 'breeding to better the breed' so I will address the issue in that fashion. We could have quite a debate here on what that means but from my point of view and for the purposes of my discussion here it merely means improving on the individuals you have with each generation so that they more closely meet the 'ideal' for the breed (structure/temperament/health etc) - we could also have a discussion about 'breed preservation' and 'breed guardianship' but that is a whole other issue) Here the issue seems to be combined with a discussion on what breeders are in the process of removing from their breeding genepool by rehoming elsewhere. IMO it is responsible for breeders to be removing from their breeding program those dogs that don't in some way 'improve' the breed. Shouldn't they be commended for that? In some cases that may involve rehoming the dogs in suitable homes. Sometimes these dogs may have 'special needs' (such as not being housed with other dogs) - it it wrong for prospective owners to be alerted to these facts? Seems responsible to me to advertise what the dog will need in the way of a home to make it happy and comfortable rather than just leaving it in an environment that may not be ideal for it as an individual, just because 'a breeder must keep all their dogs for life'. Sometimes keeping a dog is a selfish act and not the best thing for the dog. It is not often easy for a breeder to rehome a dog. I have seen many breeders shed copious tears on sending dogs to new homes. But they are not thinking of themselves, but the welfare of the dog - and the breed. In these days where numbers of dogs are restricted a dog that turns out to be not suitable for breeding may be taking up space in a home or kennel which could be occupied by another dog that would better contribute to a breeding program. By rehoming a dog the breeder is better able to pursue the goal of 'improving the breed' - keeping a one or two dogs that at an early age turn out to be not suitable can set a breeding program back 10 years or more. By making room for better breeding prospects, a rehomed dog is helping to 'improve the breed' . Mary Roslin Williams in her book "Reaching for the Stars: Formerly Advanced Labrador Breeding" sets out a program to assist people to become top breeders and do the best by their breed. One of the things she does and recommends is a continuous assessment of breeding stock in the kennel so that anything that doesnt make the grade is sent to a new home. She goes into the system in a lot of detail. Naturally everyone will have 'favourites' which will stay regardless, but in order to improve the breed, breeders need to look at their dogs unemotionally and objectively so their decisions on whether to keep and breed certain dogs is realistic and helps to improve the dogs in their kennel (to 'better the breed'). This ability to look at dogs on two levels - from the point of view of their worth as a breeding dog as well as the emotional attachment to an individual dog point of view is something that good breeders need to foster. Breeders are often 'damned if they do and damned if they dont' - they are damned if they are not objective and remove the dogs that shouldnt be bred from their breeding program and they are damned if they are not emotional and keep every dog regardless of whether they help to better the breed or not. Quite the rock and the hard place as without large kennels and staff to help run it there is no way that that it would be practical to keep everything that was run on as a prospect, even if you only keep one or two from one litter once a year (one or two pups per year from one litter only amounts to 10 to 20 more dogs in a home in a 10 year period). But then they run the risk of being labelled either a hoarder or a puppy farmer. These are some of the issues that breeders face these days as a result of some myths and high ideals in the general puplic about what breeders should be and do - they shouldnt have heaps of dogs, they should keep everything for life, they should 'better the breed'. Unfortunately those things do not necessarily all go hand in hand and it is getting harder and harder for breeders to actually get on with the job of breeding good dogs. Yes, as already stated, there are 'breeders' and there are breeders, but I think we need to sit back and look at what we are asking responsible breeders to do. To breed better dogs breeders need have the tools available to them to do that. And to do that some dogs that dont make the grade may need to go to other homes.

Try getting some 'memory foam' or similar or a cot mattress from Clark Rubber or a mattress factory. You can use an old doona cover to cover it - easily removed to wash. Look also at products designed for bedridden humans.

Agree - replace jumping with sit. And remember that you are your dogs leader. YOU need to teach him not to jump on other people by giving him something else to do instead (eg the sit). This means perhaps keeping him on a lead for a while (have a lead in handy places at home near the door or gate for instance) so you have more control in those situations and being proactive to use meetings with other people as a training opportunity.Tell them not to talk or pat or even look your pup in the eye until he is sitting. Not sit, no pat.

The quality of the puppy pre scool classes can vary a lot depending on the knowledge of the people running them. I would not necessarily call this puppy shy. I have seen a LOT of puppies in puppy preschool classes who in the first week want nothing to do with the other puppies. If allowed to take their own time, generally over the next few sessions they begin to be more bold and by the end are playing with the best of them. 'Shyness' in some puppies in the first classes is to be expected and there will be at least one in most classes. Personally I don't mind a pup that hangs back, looks and assesses before engaging in play. Many of these pups, IMO, if allowed to engage in their own time, can become some of the better mannered pups. A note - my biggest beef with puppy pre school is that many of them are largely a free for all play session. Play is good, particularly when it is controlled play, but I have noticed that puppies coming from pre school classes also tend to rush up to other dogs as they think - puppy play time! By not controlling the socialisation encounters, some puppy pre schools IMO are helping to create 'rude dogs'.

I keep telling people that if I were a dog, I would be desexed and in a pet home........

Yes agree there can be a difference between the policy and the practice. It is as much about educating vets as it is about educating owners - and many vets dont see the point and aren't open to all the recommendations made by the AVA. Can be frustratingly hard when choice of vets is limited in an area and they won't work with you on these things, even when their own peak body is telling them it is ok!

Have desexed bitches here when 'retired'. Made life so much easier (ours are in the house too). One would go through horrible mood swings in season and after desexing at age 7 was so much nicer to live with. Other on desexing around same age was found to have a rather abnormal spongy uterus so was glad I did it, though she showed no outward signs of issues. Again, so much easier to live with and meant less bitches coming into season (having one right in season at the moment and a screaming boy, the less we have to deal with that the better ). Still showed them in veterans sweepstakes classes after desexing, and there is always Neuter titles now too, so a whole new showing life after 'retirement' if you want!

To follow on from this, here is the Australian Veterinary Association Policy on vaccination, which you will note has adopted the concept of 'core' and 'non core' vaccines. This policy was introduced in June 2009. (note that it provides for 'off label' use of vaccines with consultation to seek 'informed consent') It is based largely on the recommendations of the Vaccination Guideline Group of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association: WSAVA Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats. (which does address the issue and likely resistance to pet owners not going to the vet annually for vaccinations)

Product used on our fence is 'netting' (sometimes referred to as rabbit netting or sheep netting): http://www.onesteelwaratah.com.au/products/pre-fabricated-fencing-and-netting/netting.aspx Chicken wire is a lot lighter guage wire and much easier to tear. I wouldn't even use chicken wire on a chicken pen as the foxes could easily tear through it ;) I will admit I don't trust dog wire or deer fence or ringlock with dogs. The wider wire spacing means it is easier for them to get hold of it/push though it. I have seen plenty of dogs push and bite their way through these types of fences. you could go with something like the Stocksafe-T: http://www.onesteelwaratah.com.au/media/51438/150cm%20stocksafe-t%20feral.jpg , but personally I still have my doubts and a small dog could still easily get through it.

Number 1 looks to me to be a better pose. When you said 'on canvas' though I was thinking you were getting his portrait painted so totally disregarded the background. and just looked for the one I thought the dog looked better in and would make for a better composition. If you can edit, or get someone to edit, the background in the first, to me it is the better pose and the lighting on the subject (dog) is better too. In the end though, the one to choose is the one you like to look at the most. Pick the one you keep going back to.