sandgrubber

I'd say it depends on how much you like to drive. My guess is that the pup will be fine either way, especially if somewhat used to being crated.

I've been trying to understand the additional genetic testing suggestions and requirements for Labradors. CNM (centronuclear myopathy) is especially interesting. The geneticists find a lot of carriers (between 10 and 25% depending on what country). They also conclude that it's a new disease that probably arose from a single mutation, and that it's dissemination is mostly due to a 'very famous' UK stud dog ~50 years (17.5 generations) ago. I can understand why the dog in question isn't named. But it's annoying as hell that instead of concentrating efforts on pedigrees that descend from the stud in question, CNM testing is on the way to being required / recommended by LR Clubs around the world. I'm also bothered that I'm not seeing this mutation discussed in conversations about line breeding and popular sire syndrome. Warning : the article is highly technical. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3465307/#!po=2.02703

Small Claims is cheap (if you don't hire a lawyer) but a pain in the arse. The fear of having to go to court again may be enough to stop a mildly shady breeder, even if they win the case.

? No idea. This site says 'a reasonable length of time'. How long is a piece of string. https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/publications/guide-consumer-rights-when-buying-pet

These days it's getting harder to get a puppy when you want one, and the lure of buying from a non-ANCK breeder is rising.

Doesn't law concerning defective merchandise apply? If she can show that the breeder is knowing selling puppies with a high risk of ill health, I'd think that Small Claims Tribunal would be a way to send a message.

I recently posted this to a Labrador site, but it applies to all breeds. The point is not to skip testing, but to be sure to look at the whole dog. A PLEA REGARDING TESTING I've retired from both uni teaching and Labrador breeding. One insight from teaching side is that it's tempting to test for what is easy to test, as opposed to what is important. In the case of health testing, big pharma tends to offer a suite of genetic indicators that are easy for laboratories to find, as opposed to those that are important for health. Narcolepsy and centronuclear myopathy are so rare I've never seen or heard of them apart from genetic testing websites. On the other hand, cancer kills more Labs than any other disease, diabetes, epilepsy, and allergies are far too common. Bloat is relatively uncommon, given that Labs are deep chested and notorious gutsers, and I hope that it remains uncommon. Likewise, it would be great if geneticists could get a handle on the genetic components of osteoarthritis, dysplasia, etc., so we could better separate genetics from environment. Temperament is a whole nother can of worms. Here it's sufficient to say that it has a strong genetic component, and as an owner I'd rather have a dog that goes blind in late middle age than one that is absurdly anxious or aggressive throughout its life. Testing is needed to preserve quality. But if we test only for the menu big pharma is offering, we may end up throwing the baby out with the bath. We must think critically about the role of testing in responsible breeding, and learn how to weigh the value of a given test by its importance. Also, we should not loose sight of the factors that are extremely important, but less amenable to simple genetic tests. This includes the temperament factors that define the breed, and the history of health and disease in the bloodlines of an individual dog. Commercial genetics is now going for the low hanging fruit. In time, the science will improve on its ability to understand and predict the complex inheritance of immune system capabilities, bone structure, and temperament. When the science matures and the commercial products address our primary concerns, we should take it seriously. Until then, much of it is a distraction, and we need to get better at weighing test results by their importance to the whole dog.

It's frightening to see how brachy breeds have moved up the charts. Still, Oz is lucky that it's unprofitable to import puppies, especially of the fashion breeds, from puppy farms in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

Also try rescue groups. Sibes are a breed that people buy with romantic / cosmetic ideas, but no clue about need for fencing, exercise, etc. Often they find they can't manage and end up rehoming.

Get a second opinion from a specialist before getting serious. Sometimes vets make mistakes, especially in matters where they aren't experts.

WAPO is doing a story on dog adoption during the pandemic. https://hosted-washpost.submissionplatform.com/sub/hosted/5ef23915b5cdd9002aecdf5c?utm_campaign=wp_read_these_comments&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_comments

There's been proliferation of genetic tests. Many of the new tests seem to be directed to things that are easy to test, not to important concerns. It's great to see work on cancers... though useful results may be a long time coming. https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-020-00084-w Plain language summary Despite the advances in sequencing technology and the success of previous canine whole genome sequencing research, we know of no other publications that report using whole genome sequencing to investigate a genetic risk (aka. a risk that can be passed down through generations) for canine mammary tumors in purebred dogs. This canine cancer type is comparable to human breast cancer, and as a result, genes that are known to influence inherited risk for breast cancer were investigated to determine if those same genes played a role in risk for dogs. We whole genome sequenced 14 purebred dogs from four different breeds; each of the dogs within a breed had been tied back to the same family tree (pedigree). From this study, we have identified mutations in genes BRCA2 and STK11 that could increase risk for those dogs with the mutations. These mutations seem to be present in some breeds more than others, thus affecting risk differently. Furthermore, the large dataset from this research allows for further exploration to find additional mutations that influence their risk for developing canine mammary tumors.

My big gripe is decisions made not on free flow of information but on strong opinions without evidence. Scientific studies on desexing go this way and that, depending on how the study is framed. What the data mostly show is that the health effects are extremely small. I've yet to see ANY evidence that having 4 or 5 litters is cruel or unhealthy for a bitch... nor that back to back litters was harmful given adequate nutrition and care. Evidence keeps growing that the popular sire syndrome and narrowing gene pools are bad. As for the 500 Frenchie puppies in the news story... It would be interesting to see their pedigrees. I'd be surprised if they had COIs under 25. If you're breeding for profit, especially if pups are exported, why not mate father to daughter... and granddaughter too while you are at it.

Mention that you might be interested in breeding. Many people sell on limited registration, which means if you do breed, you will not be able to register the puppies as pedigree dogs. Btw, you said the breeder was registered... you do mean with the state Canine Association? Some people say they're registered and they just mean registered with the Council. I think there are registrations for commercial breeders that have nothing to do with pedigrees as well. I think there are some other registries for bull breeds as well. Another caution. FB prohibits animal sales. One last thing. I'm not a staffy person. Most breeds have common health problems and tests that are suggested to guard against them. Read up on these and ask the breeder what they do to select for healthy puppies. I'm skeptical about the value of some tests... but I would be very skeptical of a breeder who hasn't put some thought into what tests are important for their breed.

They're making a profit... and pet insurance is one of the most profitable parts of the insurance market. It follows that unless you have reason to bet your dog will require more care than most in its class, insurance is a loosing proposition and you are better off putting money into a rainy day fund. Also beware, they jack up insurance rates as the dog reaches late middle age, so it's going to cost dearly when you are most likely to need it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2020/06/24/plane-packed-with-hundreds-dogs-landed-canada-board-were-38-dead-puppies/ Demand > supply can stimulate awful things. . No surprise, French bulldogs. Exerpt The Ukrainian International Airlines plane arrived in Toronto after what is usually a routine 10-hour flight. It was a typical commercial aircraft, but airport workers found a shocking scene on board. Inside were 500 crated puppies, according to Canadian authorities. Many were dehydrated, weak and vomiting. Thirty-eight of them were dead in their crates.

I feed Lab pups all they can eat until ~14-16 weeks. Yes to 3 or 4 feeds a day. I figure they put on a bit under 1 kg/week. Rottis are a bit bigger, so I'd say your guy is a lightweight. But slower growth may be healthy... it's possible that many of us overfeed puppies. If the rescue didn't do a vet check (shame on them) you should get one done, and get the vet's advice on his condition. Rottis are notoriously succeptable to parvo, so do get his jabs at the recommended schedule, likely 12 weeks ... that's a good time for a check-up. Weaning at ~4 wks isn't a disaster. I've seen pups do fine when their dam got mastitis at that age and they got put onto 100% puppy mush. Many bitches begin avoiding their pups at that age. I knew a Rotti breeder (he was my tenant) whose favorite bitch would kill her pups given a chance. He tied her down for nursing, and routinely weaned them at 4 weeks. They grew up to be big, strong healthy dogs.

I haven't bred a litter for more than a decade now. I ended up in a discussion about genetic testing and was a bit shocked to find that a big panel of tests, mostly for diseases I have never heard of, is now available for Labs (and most other common breeds). On checking a few out, I find, for example, that narcolepsy affects one in a million (and the affected are much sought after by medical research and may live long, near normal lives) and the 'hip laxity' tests are for one of many factors that may, in combination, cause hip laxity. I can only image the headaches involved in showing the results of such tests to puppy buyers, not to mention the minefield they open up when deciding whether to breed a bitch and what dog to use. Question: Has anyone found a good resource that details such things as the incident rate, range of severity, and age of onset for the conditions the tests represent? Something NOT produced by the testing laboratories would be best. They have a $ interest in convincing us the tests are needed and good. Also, some assessment of the accuracy of the tests would be handy. I once had a run in with a color test that, after the whelping, was obviously incorrect. If 1/1000 dogs carry some condition and the accuracy is 99%, most of the positive results are likely to be testing errors.

I've been a Lab person but have recently gotten a Springer. She's a sweet girl, and tireless; also quite pretty. Single coat, so takes heat much better than a Lab. But it would be beyond my skill to teach her not to take off after rabbits, and she's much more excitable, and prone to barking, eg, the neighborhood cats often set her off when they cross the street, and kids walking to school are also events that require barking. Btw, streams are fine for cooling a Labrador. When hot, they will happily lie down in mud puddles.

If the extensive exercise includes swimming they're good. Otherwise, night work only, or pre-dawn. Cutting off a lot of coat would help. Labs and goldies (and other double coated breeds) weren't bred for hot climates.

And I've met (cared for in kennels, actually) toy poodles with very serious temperament problems... including a 10 year old that regularly bit it's owner and anyone else who came close. I had to wear welding gloves to feed her. I'm not saying to avoid toy poodles, just to do all the temperament screening you can, no matter what breed. Unstable temperament is pretty common in small dogs, especially when bred indiscriminately.

Hip/elbow tests can be iffy as well. I dropped out of breeding in large part because the lovely girl I kept from my last litter had a bad score on one hip. She's now 10 1/2 and has no sign of arthritis. She also failed the vet examination eye test... No sight problems either.

Asking for a video would be reasonable, though not as satisfying as a physical meeting. It's a seller's market so I wouldn't push very hard. It would be easy for them to refund your money and find another buyer.

Depends. Hips and elbows can't be scored on babies and most people don't score them until 1 or 2 years. DNA tests on both parents may clear the whole litter of being affected by a recessive gene, but if one parent is a carrier, the he pup should be tested if to be used for breeding.... It goes on and on. Name the breed and condition and you will get a clear answer.

Just advertise on Facebook or Gumtree for tyres, or ask around at Tyre shops. Given that you have to pay to dispose of tyres in most places, free ones are easy to come by. Those look like tractor tyres... if you want that type, try a tractor supply shop.