ellz

This. Although I do confess that an initial email which simply asks "do you have puppies and how much are they" (or similar) tends to get my back up a tad. Makes it seem like the ONLY interest is price and that isn't good either. Emails like this will generally get a reply along the lines of "how did you find my details and what is it you are looking for in the breed/breeder etc". IMO whether puppies are sold at 8 weeks, 10 weeks or however old, whichever vaccination comes "next" in the regime is the responsibility of the purchaser unless otherwise stated IF the puppy is in the hands of the purchaser at that time. If however other agreements have been made then that is different. For example my Stafford litter 3 years ago saw one of the puppies stay with me until she was 13 weeks old (my puppies normally go to new homes at 10 weeks) because her "parents" were on an "early" honeymoon overseas. I was happy to keep her for the extra time and didn't charge them board and when the time came to take her brother and sister (who I retained) for their 12 week vaccinations, she went at the same time and I didn't ask for, or expect reimbursement.

Sadly it is law in some parts of Australia now, so fraudulent numbers or not, they must be listed.

I made my collars myself by crocheting strips of chain stitch in various colours. It was also easy then to cut the collars off as they grew and replace with new ones (each one that was cut off was kept with the puppies "personal" papers and given to the new owners when they went to new homes). And of course the limit is only on the colours you happen to have on hand or can buy cheaply. The roughness of the stitches means that the collars don't work their way undone like ribbon can. The bitches didn't mind these at all. You can also buy readymade puppy ID collars in various colours. The choice is yours. I personally have never had much success with nail polish.

My puppies are all colour coded from birth. Everything they do or have done to them is documented on their own individual paperwork as "blue puppy" "pink puppy" etc. As they are microchipped, their colour is written on the microchip documentation and on the back of the spare microchip stickers in the same way.

As with anything it is about balance, feeding a whole egg (shell and all) is balanced. The old biotin absorption information has been proven to be largely incorrect UNLESS you are feeding a HEAP of egg whites by themselves (I'd rather make a pav with them! :laugh: ). I'm about to embark on the Augustine's Approved Diet with my Staffords and American Cocker. Am looking forward to seeing the results.

Any animals that I have will be cared for by my remaining family members (ie my children) if at all possible. If their circumstances don't allow it, provision will be made for euthanasia...without guilt or fear of recrimination. This is with the exception of my Stafford boy Roger who will be euthanased immediately upon my passing. He is too high management and too much of a mummy's boy to expect anybody else to have to deal with.

Agree with all who said they wouldn't worry overly much about it. A small umbilical hernia, and especially 1 in 10 wouldn't phase me one little bit. If on the other hand, it were half of the litter, then that would be a different issue. Quite often a small hernia is caused by mum ripping the cords, or by an over-zealous breeder pulling too hard on the umbilicus during whelping. Why would this preclude a puppy from a show or breeding future?

Not about any breed specifically, but I have heard people saying that if their purebred bitch has a mismating with a crossbred dog, or a dog of another breed, she is ruined for life and will never breed "pure" again...... :laugh:

Gotta be the old potato about Staffords having a "lock jaw". Yeah, they may well be able to hang on, but it's the super-strength masseters and the iron will that does it!!

It just amazes me that they have completed university degree(s), one would think they have a modicum of critical thinking skills. I'm sure they do have these, but are smart enough to abide by the old adage "you don't bite the hand that feeds you".... :laugh:

Wooden crates are generally a lot heavier than plastic too so take that into consideration. I have imported a number of dogs over the years and would always give preference to varikennels which are very easy to adapt to a "quarantine approved" crate and which are more practical after the importation as well. The wooden crate that came from England became a white elephant in the corner of my grooming room and was used as a cupboard whereas the varikennels saw lots of other use at home and at shows.

Things I have learned over the years.... 1. It never hurts to go back to basics. No matter how long you have been exhibiting dogs for, sometimes it's a good thing to go back and start again. You'd be surprised the little things you can pick up. 2. Don't assume that because you know what you are doing that your puppies don't need the occasional "formal" show training lesson. Each dog is different and needs different ring preparation. 3. You "own" the space in front of you in the ring. If you are pushed up on top of the dog in front of you, it's your fault. You choose your speed and your distance. Always allow plenty of room for yourself and your dog. 4. Have a mirror set up somewhere flat so that you can practice stacking your dog and seeing it as it will be seen from the middle of the ring. Just because you think it looks great from your side of the dog, doesn't necessarily mean it is so. 5. Have a wide variety of leads in your possession and don't be afraid to try something new. Just because a lead looks the best with your outfit or the dog, doesn't mean that it will be the most effective for the job. 6. Listen to the stewards and the judges and don't be afraid to ask questions to clarify if you think you may have misheard. 7. Remember that you take the best dog TO the show and no matter what anybody else thinks on the day, you also take the best dog home with you.

I've been using VAN, but am in the process of switching over to Augustines Approved which is a lot more "user friendly" for me.

It's like the hairdressing industry. Different salons are sponsored by different product brands. They don't recommend any others and none of them are very kind about "supermarket" brands of product either.

Incidentally, for those who feel the need to supplement a diet with calcium, don't waste your money on the calcium powders. Invariably all that will happen is that your dog will produce calcium-powder-coated poo. Nil absorption. Liquid calciums are far better and more readily absorbed by the body. And a lot easier to dose correctly as well.

Miss Matilda (aka Semajon Tantaliza) is making her show debut this weekend. She has been to two sessions of show training and all indications are that she'll be a showy little creature! Took this photo yesterday after her bath, clip and trim.

Pot....kettle.....

Maybe they have some kind of quarantine station rest area, similar to the one they have at Heathrow. The dogs are still under quarantine laws and restrictions but are only handled by certain people and are kept within a "sterile" complex and environment.

Most states say that the age is the age as at the first day of the show, and a one day show means that if the puppy turns 12 months on that day then they are no longer eligible for puppy.

Ditto! Best prices and most importantly, best service!!!

Been there done that...the only thing that could keep the tag-team fridgebusting pair out was duct tape!

I'm going to have to make some enquiries with ASAP on Monday because I have received some DNA results from them for colour which simply don't compute. According to them, my brindle dog is dominant black (Kk) so apparently his stripes are a figment of our imagination.

This is what I'll be doing. I can get a never-ending supply of good bones and they do love it so much as well.

Interesting stuff. I think I may look into this myself for my dogs. Especially now that Woger appears to be allergic to "something" and keeps springing hot spots on his tail.

I don't think ALL generic meds are "created equal". I use Panadeine Forte a lot and have found that none of the other brands work the same (or as well) which meant that a normally controlled migraine would end with a trip to A&E for "the big guns" (ie pethidine and Largactyl). For that reason, I also don't buy generics for eyes or ears if they can be avoided.