ellz

Definitely looks like an allergic reaction to me. Could he have come into contact with a castor oil plant in the backyard? Or another thought was that some years ago, one of my Staffords used to enjoy munching on wooden clothespegs and he came out in a rash not unlike that to look out....literally covering him from head to the tip of his tail. It turned out that the pegs were cheap imports from asia and had been treated. Anti-histamines internally and bathing in baby shampoo did the trick but it took a few days. And yes, the anti-histamines could slow him down, they are mostly designed to have a sedating effect to help lessen the urge to scratch but if the drowsiness becomes very pronounced get him back to the vet because he could be having a reaction to the drugs themselves.

I'm thinking there is a lot more to it than meets the eye and that there may be three sides to the story!

This isn't necessarily fair to registered breeders. Many people have "oops" litters for various reasons no matter how much care they take. Bitches can have silent seasons, especially young ones. Coated breeds may cover it well, especially if they aren't house dogs. And some bitches keep themselves very clean as well. And then you have the bitches which escape from wherever they have been isolated, or dogs which manage to bust into wherever a bitch may have been isolated. But the answer to the question is that the age for most breeds, with the exception of toy breeds is 12 months and that is the age of whelping, not the age of mating.

Does the same apply in all breeds if the tail has been banded?? I know that banding is more likely produce a naturally tapering tail end in some breeds, the ones I banded always did anyway.

Some hounds would do ok in a rural environment....a lot would depend upon the type of fencing. Definitely agree with the long coat situation though, that is part of the reason why I'm leaving my beloved American Cockers as a breeder/exhibitor. They just aren't compatible with the environment here in the country. 6 months of the year it is too dry and too many prickles for them, the other 6 months it is wet and muddy. Just not suitable terrain for a long coat of any description!

Sounds to me like it could be one of two scenarios. If there is, as you say, a gaggle doing a pack attack then either the newbie does in fact have a dud, OR they have something which is very nice and the competition are worried. Whilst I do know that it isn't a nice way to welcome a newbie, the newbie, like everybody else needs to learn to rise above it. The cream always rises to the top.

Definitely wouldn't recommend an American Cocker for this situation either. IMO it really doesn't matter WHAT the breed is going to be like with the children, the issue in this case would ultimately be the living conditions and the expectation of the adult humans.

Personally I'd rule a Cocker out. Unless they are in a position to do their own grooming, and the reality is that MOST pet homes with children don't after the initial settling in period, the coat will become an issue. I would also say that a Cocker would be more suited to an indoor mostly home for that reason. Outdoor dogs will grow more hair and what they grow will get dirty quickly and if the adults don't like dirty dog smell, they would soon get tired of dirty Cocker.

A Stafford would be suitable for the older children under most circumstances PROVIDED it were well trained. People need to remember that a Stafford from a good breeder which has been reared properly will not START something (but most would not let something go unfinished). The standard states "bold, fearless and totally reliable". My biggest concern for a Stafford would be the mostly outside situation. Staffords NEED human companionship. It's a not-negotiable thing. The vast majority of Staffords that become problem children are those which are not with their humans for most of their days/nights. Yeah, there are the minority who cope admirably with being outdoors all the time and don't become a problem, but as a breeder, I wouldn't be letting my dogs go into such a situation anyway.

They're only kidding themselves. They can fool the judges, can fool other people, but can't fool Mother Nature!

I was very thankful that the ANKC computer was down and I decided not to show him as a Baby I can tell you! :D That over there <<<<<<<<<<< is the same dog about 3 years later! He came out of the uglies very nicely!

Oh doG! Tell me about it. Can you imagine what we thought when we realised that we owned THIS at 6 months of age? Thankfully, 4 months later....he looked like THIS!!

I would say this is a very much a breed dependent thing. I've seen bites in a few breeds go wrong after 6 months of age, even to as old as 18 months of age. As for the rest. A breeder doesn't have a crystal ball on which to depend. They can place a puppy in a show home as a "show prospect" or as they told your friend, as a "promising puppy". That doesn't mean that Mother Nature is going to play ball and that the puppy will ultimately turn out as a show dog which is really a very subjective term anyway. I think every breeder/exhibitor will tell you about the dogs they see in the show ring which they wouldn't be seen on the end of the lead with. I would think it wouldn't be fair to completely discount the puppy until it has reached the end of the "usual" growth and development period for the breed and the individual bloodlines (some lines in Staffords for example bloom early, yet others look like nothing on earth until they are 12 - 18 months old or even later sometimes) and that the breeder should hopefully be a resource that would be useful with this type of information.

Hmmm, I know this would be referring to cropping, but wouldn't ear taping fall under this category as well? (just curious) Technically no, because it is non-invasive, ethically....well that depends upon which part of the fence you sit on.

Did you happen to read any of the thread that turned a bit feral about the Tasmanian German Shepherd people? That's the same kind of thing that your question refers to Fran.

I'd be wealthy if I listened every time I've been told that story! BTW, they're called "Neuticles" ;)

I defer to those who know more than I do about Basenjis and dog breeding. Good luck Rajacadoo, hope it all turns out well for you.

With all due respect chocolate....Rajacadoo and I are friends away from DOL and I think she knows me well enough by now to realise that my comments are not made to worry or upset her. I also believe that she is sensible enough not to get into a flapping panic about a simple suggestion based upon information that she has posted here. She has been a party to all of my breedings for the past couple of years and knows only too well that it isn't in my nature to stress about something unneccessarily. Given that Ochre has obviously been displaying nesting behaviour, even on a small scale and that there has been a marked temperature drop from the "normal range" of temperatures for a canine, I don't believe that my advice is out of order. I will now however consider myself firmly slapped on the wrist and withdraw any offers of help previously made because the Lord knows I don't want to be accused of causing Rajacadoo and her family (or dogs) undue concern.

With all due respect, this is a bit of a guilt trip question. Why should what the breeder does with the puppy if they take it back have anything to do with the person returning it?

Can I just ask what you are feeding? My Stafford bitch always throws up one particular brand of dry food for no reason...she just does.

A temperature drop is a temperature drop. With modern technology and digital thermometers, the margin of error is dramatically reduced and as for operator error.....I'd think that Rajacadoo's prior experience in the medical field would count that out! Should probably add here too that given that Rajacadoo lives more than 5 minutes from a vet and doesn't drive herself so is largely dependent upon her OH being home from work, a trip to the vet on a suspicion is probably more in order than leaving things until they are an emergency and finding herself in a real pickle. BUT, be that as it may, I have everything crossed for a safe and easy daytime whelping with little or no veterinary intervention. And Rajacadoo-doo-doo my bondaged one....our previous contact methods are up and running.....you know the numbers!

Peaceful, I've got 24 years of breeding under my belt. I don't tend to panic. I'm not particularly fond of taking my dogs to vets as a rule. It has been my experience to date that vets don't tend to know as much about whelping as breeders do, but they DO have access to diagnostic tools that breeders generally don't! I think Rajacadoo knows me well enough to know that my advice, knowing her AND her dogs personally as I do, is well-intentioned and has basis for consideration and that I'm not a worry wart and tend to be quite laidback in my approach to animal husbandry.....within reason. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how well renowned a breed is for being easy whelpers, it doesn't hurt to be vigilant particularly when the bitch is a maiden and the owner is not experienced and already worrying (and literally has been since the minute the bitch was bred). I don't think that my advice to tread carefully is unneccessary.

Sorry, don't agree. If I'd not been vigilant, I would have lost not only my 9 Stafford puppies, but probably the bitch as well. Symptoms? Temperature drop on Day 58 and no progression after that. Diagnosis....twisted mess of birth canal and puppies. Placental separation. Outcome...successful c-section and 9 living puppies and a healthy mother on Day 59. Due to the placement of the puppies internally, there was NO WAY she would have been able to have the litter naturally. Gut instinct and timely veterinary intervention as well as meticulous record-keeping were what saved my bitch and puppies.

I prefer no more than 2 over 3 days maximum.

That's a terribly low drop, for a new thermometer especially for there to be NOTHING happening. Rajacadoo-doo-doo, you probably don't want to hear this, but if she hasn't started to do anything by 24 hours after the lowest drop you recorded, then I'd be thinking about trundling off to the vet for a checkup. At a guess they may want to do a progesterone reading but certainly with the kind of drop that was evident, if nothing happens soonish then you should be on the alert for issues.