espinay2

I have a form that I send out. As well as the general stuff some of the questions are about breed specific 'issues' that the prospective may encounter to make sure they have actually considered them and to get them thinking how they will deal with them. I have had positive feedback from those who have filled it out. It gives them things to think about and also highlights things we can discuss further. I always tell them there are no 'wrong answers' with the questionnaire and that I am happy to help them fill it out if they need. I find that those who don't want to do it are not the type of people I want to sell a pup to anyway. It does tend to significantly reduce time wasters.

Ditto! Very much looking forward to it.

Yep, straight to the no mouthing at all.

If the policy isn't being followed when it is required to be then that is a matter which would be taken VERY VERY seriously ....... I would be interested in being provided with the details privately please

You may want to check your information. Trained MWD do not live with their handlers, they live in the kennels and a retired MWD is not rehomed with anyone, they are PTS at the end of their working life. They are considered too much of a 'loaded gun' to be less than strictly controlled. Dogs that fail the initial MWD training (and retired brood bitches etc) may be rehomed in pet homes if suitable. This is done several times per year. Dogs not trained for bitework (eg expolosives detection dogs) may be homed with their handlers at the end of their working life, but certainly at the moment the policy followed by the RAAF is that a trained MWD never is.

Your statement and question is somewhat coontradictory considering the number of dogs in the breeding program at Amberley and the fact that that are raised in a kennel environment. How can they be socialised? I think you have rather answered your own question. Remember that that RAAF does not hold a monopoly on those techniques which are in fact utilised in quite a lot of kennels (as anyone who has read books by or spoken to people such as Pat Hastings or Carmen Battaglia will know). BTW, many if not most of the dogs/bitches in the breeding program are not raised in a home environment - only those destined to be Military Working Dogs may spend some time in foster environments.

Heart testing seems to be a big issue trying to get done. Wish they would establish a program for it like eyes and hips. It would make life SO much easier.

Some useful reading: Canine Reproduction by Phillis Holst Successful Dog Breeding by Chris Walkowicz Puppy Intensive Care by Myra Savant Harris

How many dogs he has is irrelevant and far from enough information to make ANY judgement. Any judgement made on number alone is jumping to big conclusions with very little to go on and IMO is very irresponsible. MUCH more information is needed before any conclusion can be drawn.

Looking forward to the show and the seminar! (and being nice and warm with my dogs in our hotel room ) Have my fingers crossed that hounds and utility will be close to each other

You may find this article good reading:'Just wants to say hi'- what you will need to work on is developing a dog that understands other canine body language and is not 'rude' as described in the ariticle. I encourage you to see if you can get into a puppy socialisation class (or even several) as soon as you can so your pup gets as much experience as you can give it socialising with other dogs. Pat Hastings' book 'Puppy Development' has some articles in it you may find quite useful. (also available from places like Amazon and Dogwize) With bite inhibition, make sure you teach your pup that putting its mouth on a human AT ALL is a big no no. Encourage chewing of appropriate objects like toys and bones. Good luck and have fun!

Not free but I love and use www.breederoo.com Great service and they make things very easy particularly if you have limited knowledge of HTML. Even computer numpties like me can put together and easily maintain a reasonable website. Lots of features too.

Can't their vet write a letter saying they are referring for 'pre-breeding testing'?

As I posted in another thread - I have now been waiting for results from ASAP since last November! Lots of promises but no delivery and one very unhappy customer who is taking their business elsewhere. For DM tests (and a number of others) you can get them done through OFA in the US too. A DM test costs US$65. Very prompt turnaround with the results etc too. Only downfall is that it doesnt fulfill the new ANKC requirements regarding proof of ID etc as you collect the swab yourself (though they did say if you wanted it noted on the certificate that it was collected by a vet they could sort something out - I didnt bother as all I wanted at the time was a result). Now the problem for me is getting a test for CMR. The US company who owns and does the test says the Aust company holds the Aust rights to it so wont do it, yet the Aust company that holds the rights wont do the test for it! Stupid

The issue will be that a pup removed early from its littermates will miss critical socialisation. Dogs that are removed early tend to have bad social skills and often poor bite inhibition. OP, I would br reading all you can about raising 'singleton pups' and about important early socialisation and teaching bite inhibition. This is going to be critical if you are to raise a well balanced dog. You have your work cut out for you! The breeder has done you no favours by letting you take the pup early.

Millers often has some useful pieces. Of course it depends on your age and your build! For older dumpy women like me it can be worth a look I am not a big fan of bling (can I say that out loud? ) and would go neutral. Depending on where the colour is on your dog, black or silver may work for a lead? If you dog has white around its neck you could use white too. Colour-wise for clothes I would probably go with greens or reds or similar. If your dog is fairly dark, steer clear of dark clothes as the dog (or bits of it) may blend into the background and be hard to see (not good unless you are trying to hide something like a not so good topline ;) ). If your dog has white on it you need to steer clear of yellow tones as the reflection can make them look yellow too. Go for solid colours in particular with a multi coloured dog. I am a fan of both Plush Puppy and Chris Christensen products. PP has an article on grooming aussies that may give you a few ideas. The PP seabreeze oil is a great product (remember only a few drops though or the coat will be flat and oily!). Can't comment on leads specifically for the breed, but in general IMO with a pup you may want to start with something just slightly heavier than a snake chain - a smaller check chain for example. Once the dog has more training you can progress to a thinner snake chain. I would start with a basic soft nylon show lead. They are relatively cheap, come it lots of colours and will get you started. You will find them for sale at most shows and a lot of online shops (petnetwork, callicoma to name just a couple). From there you will be in a better position to decide if you want something different for you and your dog (like my favourite leather show leads;) ). Can you arrange to meet with someone at the show and sit with them? That can be a good place to start. Try and sit where you have a view of your ring if you can. One of my favourites is "New Secrets of Successful Show Dog Handling" by Peter Green and Mario Migliorini. American of course, but some really good step by step procedures for things like stacking. Remember though that one of the important things with a baby puppy is that it learns to have fun and enjoy being in the ring. Don't expect a perfect performance in the ring and dont expect the pup to stand still for very long - even a few seconds at a time is good in the beginning. Count yourself very lucky if you manage to get round with all four feet on the ground! LOL!

Wash all bedding and any soft furnishings (theirs and yours) in hot water and eucalyptus oil then hang in the sun to air dry. Clean all carpets and rugs and 'flea bomb' the house. Spread garden lime liberally on grass and dirt areas, keeping dogs off it - water in after a few hours before allowing dogs access. Wash dogs - any normal shampoo will do (doesn't have to be a 'flea' one though if you want to use one I recommend the Fidos brand one) but make sure you work up a real lather all over the coat (it is the suds that are important, not necessarily what is in them). Start at the head and neck (creating a 'ring' around the neck with the suds) then work your way backwards. Make sure you wash all over including between the legs and under the tail. This will kill any fleas on the dog. The rest (above) is to help get rid of the fleas in the environment.

We use crusher dust in our runs. Drains well, relatively cheap and easy to replace. I do not have a problem with dogs eating it (though I don't feed them raw meaty bones etc on it as it does stick to that). Easy to clean up and to disinfect. Mine dont get smelly. They can get a little dusty in summer but If you spray them with water that solves the issue. Some of our runs are just the crusher dust and some also have Bodpave filled with the crusher dust. The Bodpave runs are my preference as the dogs cant dig in them but they are not exactly a cheaper option.

The first step to addressing an issue is collecting information. It is only once you have that information that you can start to apply that knowledge to make changes. Making changes without having the knowledge first gets you nowhere. IMO a stepped approach is needed. First step is information collection and in some instances I do beleive that making it mandatory may be the only way to achieve a viable sample. The information collected has to be based on viable and trusted data using a system of collection that is trusted. We have seen how shonky and useless LIDA is. Organisations such as OFA walk all over it (frankly I dont see why we cant use a model like OFA or why the ANKC cant get an organisation like OFA which is already established in the health data and assessment field to assist). The act of collection itself, while not necessarily achieving all the long term aims will make any required next step possible and there is likely to be at least some degree of 'self regulation' in this phase which will assist too. Once a trusted and viable data sample is achieved, it can then be analysed. This data would then hopefully help determine if further steps are necessary or not. In some cases it may be found that further regulation is not required. In some cases it may be useful to set goals only. In some cases more stringent guidelines may be recommended. But you really cant determine this until you have the data. You need the data and a viable system of collection first! JMHO.

With Pyreneans it is the pigment (dark eyerims, lips, roof of mouth etc) that is more important than the colour. Personally I have no real colour preference and will choose the dog over the markings or lack of them (even markings are preferred if they have them - but I have had off marked dogs before). Like many though when I started out I was positive that I wanted an all white one. That seems to be a common request with new puppy people. You do get some that want dark markings that will stay dark too, though that is less common. Neither is something a breeder can guarantee and I am yet to meet a Pyr breeder who has bred specifically to get either. When I first became involved with the Dalmatians too, I did want only a black and white. Wasn't long before I came to love and appreciate the softer look of the livers as well. I saw a lot of new puppy folk too who only wanted a black and white as they were the 'real' Dalmatians Similar situation to the 'all white' Pyrs I guess - you have folks coming in with no real knowledge and preconcieved ideas about what colour a breed 'should' be, but often when they learn more, they learn their original preference may not in fact be their preference at all. As for a wider colour preference, I do prefer 'white' or 'light' colours in general (and funnily enough this translates across the board to other animal species including our cats, chickens and other livestock ). I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I like to be able to clearly see and read the eyes which I find harder to do on all black dogs for example. That said, we do also currently have a black and tan dog .

The dog profiles are in effect 'advertisements' for individual dogs designed to promote them and inform people about them. Having a 'like' button on them IMO is a good idea as it is a way for your 'ad' to be seen by even more people. If someone doesnt want people to see their dogs profile, I would wonder why they have one. I agree that having a profile 'rubbished' in FB is possible but unlikely due to the very public nature of it - more likely to happen privately if it will happen just like it can be done now already. The benefits of social network sharing in this instance IMO outweigh any negatives. Regarding forum threads. I have seen them shared on some other breed specific forums I belong to (listservs) - mainly articles and threads in the 'news' sections. They are being found and shared by people overseas (not DOL members) who see the topics as interesting and relevant and worthy of sharing. I have personally never seen any shared in a malicious fashion, only in the spirit of education and information exchange.

In my case I did in desperation actually get one of my dogs done for DM through OFA in the US and it was super fast! Ordered, kit received, swab done and sent off and results back in a total of about 2-3 weeks! While using OFA was not ideal (mainly because it doesn't accord with new proposed ANKC rules regarding positive identification at collection as you do the swabs yourself) at least I got a result I trusted and got it fast without going broke to get it and without all the hassle, which was what I needed at the time and had needed (and was promised) by ASAP. I doubt I will be using ASAP again.

A damp chux wipe has always worked the best for me.

Good to hear you are having some success. Keep it up!

Depends what the OP wants. If they want to be really successful at dog sports, I would suggest a Border Collie from working lines. If they want to have fun, then a Dally is fantastic. I have found them to be very responsive and driven to please, though they do tend to go off on a tangent at times LOL! Unlike many high driven dogs that would be excellent at dog sports though they do have a definite off switch. Having baby sat a friends Viszla's for example, the Dallies are far less exhausting IMO. To me the Dallies offered a balance - maybe not the top breed if all you are interested in is their sporting ability, but very capable at dog sports while still being a relaxed and snuggly dog in the house, having a short easy care coat and capable of living happily with a breed such as a Labrador or GSD - which is the reason I suggested them for consideration along with the other breeds mentioned.