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sandgrubber

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Posts posted by sandgrubber

  1. Brachy-ness isn't the only worry.  Pugs, bulldogs and Frenchies are near the top of the OFA list for bad hips, elbows and patellas.  Not to mention brain and spinal problems for cavvies, Apple headed chihuahuas etc.  Yes, the squashed face is 'cute', but...

     

    It's good to see a KC beginning to take measures to reduce the negative effects of breeding for extremes.  In the future it would be better to see a whole dog approach.

     

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  2. 3 hours ago, WoofnHoof said:

    Would also be interesting to see how common those issues are in the breed, displaysia can’t be detected that early although the parents can be tested, can they test for the airway issue in pups? 

    If you look at OFA statistics, 70% of bulldogs have abnormal hips (only 0.4% excellent).   They also have awful scores for elbows and patellas. 

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  3. 6 hours ago, WoofnHoof said:

    I agree but I don’t even think it needs to involve cross breeding, many of the desired traits already exist within currently available breeds, they just haven’t been strongly selected for. The fact that conformation has changed so drastically within existing breeds in such a short period of time suggests that better outcomes could easily be achieved in a similarly short space of time without having to outcross at all.

    Biologically possible, but institutionally, not so much.

     

    For example, in years past I bred Labradors.  The breed's popularity is unquestionable.  It's also clear that many people who love Lab temperament would prefer a smaller dog with less shedding.  Breeding in this direction would be easy, and would probably also yield dogs better suited to hot climates.  BUT you'd be excommunicated for announcing the intention of doing so.

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  4. 21 hours ago, WoofnHoof said:

    Yes I think the show influence is a whole other can of worms, but it only accounts for the last 30-40 years of breeding. In post war times there is no way people would breed dogs that need C-sections every time or must be kept in air conditioning.

    I just wish the effort that went into pushing extreme comformation had gone to breeding overall health (including the things causing most vet visits like allergies, obstructed breathing, ear infections) and traits suitable for the majority of modern families (friendly, playful, trainable, not overly barky or energetic, relatively small, good with children).  Oodles move in this direction, but not very well.  Systematic, pedigree based cross breeding could have done a much better job, but has been utterly rejected.

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  5. On 20/12/2023 at 11:52 AM, WoofnHoof said:

    new breeds have been developed in the past to do a job and help the owner make a living whether that’s herding, hunting, guarding etc. Breeding for purpose doesn’t mean it wasn’t profitable at one point in the breed’s development.  

    Brachy skulls serve no purpose.  The shortened legs and elongated spine of modern daschunds serve no purpose. Excess coat serves no purpose.  Deep skin folds serve no purpose.  It's trend/fashion.

    Small fluffy oodles seems to work for many modern families.  They may require a lot of grooming, but so do Pekes, poodles, Saints, Newfies, Afghans, and show line Spaniels. The pedigree world supported and furthered the cross breeding that created the modern pekinese, cavvy, silky, and other small pet/lapdog breeds.  More recently it has dropped the ball when it comes to breeding dogs suited to apartment life, 300 sq m sections, grey nomadism, etc. 

    I approve of keeping pedigrees, but when the function is pet/companion, I wish the pedigree conveyed more information about the things that matter in a pet: health and temperament. 

     

    There's high demand for friendly, cheerful, loyal, non yappy, dogs without huge need for exercise.  Sadly, the pedigree world isn't meeting this demand and the supply is coming from elsewhere. 

    • Like 3
  6. I don't think the history of breed development, especially when it comes to toy and lap dog breeds, shows much concern for dog health or ethics.  Pugs and toy Spaniels are cases in point.  I don't know anything about the breeders who supplied the demands of the growing urban middle class during the Industrial Revolution, but I'd be surprised if they didn't breed for pecuniary gain. The extreme inbreeding of show line standard poodles probably was motivated more by desire for ribbons than by financial gain, but has also led to well documented health outcomes. 

     

    IMO blanket condemnation of oodles rests on a romanticised notion of virtuous dog breeding.  Dog health has rarely outranked fashion in the breeding of pet dogs, and $ has long been important.

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  7. IMO, unfriendly attitudes toward the creation of new breeds has created a lot of problems for the pedigree dog world.  People's circumstances have changed greatly over the last century.  Inflexible breed standards and hostility towards creation of new breeds have left the dog fancy unable to adapt.

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  8. On 16/11/2023 at 10:11 AM, persephone said:

    Where I live, folks often drive to towns sometimes a 6 hr round trip for less expensive prices...there is a mobile vet , but obviously she cannot do surgeries etc , but she is in high demand for ordinary things.

    Mobile vets are wonderful.   The one we had in WA did minor surgery (castration on the kitchen table), and was so much better than going to the hospital for puppy vaccinations, AI, euthanasia, prog testing, minor wounds, etc.  I don't mind paying the vet, it's the practice manager in franchise vet practices that I have qualms about.

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  9. 5 hours ago, Mairead said:

    Are they set on a JRT only because they haven't met many, or any other terrier breeds? Any chance you can introduce them to some of the rarer breeds that need all the help they can get?

    The parents have owned and loved JRTs, and seeing how small NZ is, I'm inclined to avoid rarer breeds.  Anyway,  the pup is already paid for...arriving this coming Monday.

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  10. I'm helping an 11 yr old with her start in the pedigree world.  Her family's choice is JRT, so that's where we're going.  I don't know the breed. Am I right in thinking you can breed rough to smooth coat within pedigree regulations?  Is one or the other dominant?  Can you get a mixed coat type litter?

  11. I'm an oldie and in the habit of using benadryl for bee stings and other minor allergic stuff.  I was surprised when my vet recommended trying another over the counter med.  I see there are at least 3 recommend options these days

     

    https://www.kingsdale.com/antihistamines-for-dogs-when-to-use-them-dosage-schedules-and-more

     

    Wonder how others have done with the newer options.  Trying an itchy boy on Loratadine ATM.  So far so good.

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  12. 20 hours ago, Amazetl said:

    Do you know if they were intact? Is it unusual for breeders to place two same sex dogs of powerful breeds like this? Like so many, it seems it could have been prevented without banning the whole breed. 

    No. It's just me being judgy.  Seeing how she has exaggerated and displayed her own sexual features, I assumed she would prefer dogs with full tackle.

    We don't know if both were intact, and we don't know if the breeder or breeders knew there would be two boys in the same smallish backyard.   I lived across the road from the Success subdivision when it was being built, and I sure wouldn't recommend it as a good location for two large, powerful dogs unless there was an exceptionally good owner.  

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  13. 6d3d2c7e23a34aad5db8069b2169d006.thumb.jpg.d38817e00156779eafa4a739fa6eb3d9.jpg

    1 hour ago, Deeds said:

    Hard not to be judgy of the owner given the photos (from the owner's FB page) shown in this article. What a gross, disgusting boob shot!

     

    Maybe the breeder's only fault is in not doing a better check before placing the dog, though that’s not the easiest thing to do.  In my days as a breeder,  I hope I would have screened her out....but then, I had Labradors and majority of buyers had had labs before and most had obvious families with children.  Putting 2 intact male Rotties in a suburban backyard isn't clever, unless there's a strong justification.

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