sandgrubber

Perhaps firing dog control officers who fail to respond to serious complaints would work better.

Some use the term for anyone who doesn't show.

To me, a dog's temperament is at least as important as appearance and health. And to me, a sense of humour is a key aspect of temperament. Clownishness and a relaxed and tolerant enjoyment of whatever happens make for a dog that's a joy to live with. Stiffness and reactivity, less so. I almost never see this trait discussed, but most people who have owned many dogs can say which dog had a sense of humour and which were more serious. Just curious to know whether I'm alone in this, or whether others have like views, and whether anyone has set out to breed for this trait.

The USA tradition of lawsuits has its drawbacks, but in such situations it might have merit.

It can be different. I don't know why Finland has taken a different course, but its Kenel Club takes a strong health and temperament stand in defining "improvement " of the breed. https://www.kennelliitto.fi/en/forms/finnish-kennel-clubs-general-breeding-strategy-2018-2023 Objectives 1. Dogs that are used for breeding shall be above the breed average in desired characteristics in order to achieve genetic improvement. 2. A dog that is suitable for breeding is typical of its breed both in appearance and temperament, and it is free of ailments or characteristics that would make everyday life difficult. 3. A dog that is used for breeding is to its nerves and behaviour one that can manage situations in everyday life. This way, the probability of the dog’s progeny to inherit mental traits, that make everyday life difficult and are detrimental to wellbeing, is minimised. 4. The spread of defects and diseases that have a severe impact on the wellbeing of dogs will be prevented. Only clinically healthy dogs can be used for breeding when it comes to diseases that cause pain or discomfort or otherwise restrict the dog's ability to lead a normal life that is typical for the species. 5. Only dogs that can mate naturally and care for their puppies will be used for breeding. 6. Dogs from bloodlines with maximal longevity will be used for breeding. The life length of a dog shall not be unduly prolonged at the expense of its health and wellbeing. 7. The genetic diversity of all breeds will be safeguarded in breeding. Different individuals of the breed are diversely used for breeding. 8. The Finnish Kennel Club supports and produces activities that aim to increase knowledge of the heredity, health and diseases of dogs. 9. Cooperation with veterinarians and researchers will be intensified. The actions undertaken by veterinarians also support the principles and objectives of the breeding strategy. 10. The Finnish Kennel Club influences the international community through the Nordic Kennel Union and the FCI with the aim of promoting greater knowledge of and competence in dog breeding. Our actions within the international community always set the health and wellbeing of dogs as the most important goals.

Yes, inbreeding is a symptom and breeding to standards (pedigree or market preference) is the cause. But, as well documented by the Standard Poodle Project, narrowing gene pools, as an outcome of breeding to win shows does create health problems. http://www.dogenes.com/poodle/poodle.html The Frenchie fad makes it clear that dog shows' emphasis on conformity to a standard appearance, and propensity to exaggerate of the demarcations of that standard, isn't the whole problem. Frenchies of no particular pedigree are in high demandand sell for big $.

It HAS begun. A few European countries have regulations limiting the extent to which bracyhcephalic traits are permitted. And I haven't heard anyone speak favourably about line breeding for many years.

https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-023-00126-z Concluding paragraph: The time has come to examine all breeds and dogs in the light of current science, morals, and ethics; to look at aspects of conformation, genetics (e.g. coefficients of inbreeding), health and welfare and ensure that future generations of dogs will be healthier and have better welfare. Any approach taken should not be about vilifying the past. Progress can only be achieved if we are armed with the right scientific evidence – together with a healthy dose of common sense—and if kennel and breed clubs work together and collectively and collaboratively with veterinarians, researchers, and legislators.

Posted In error

If it's similar in dogs and humans, I don’t think it was the second variety. My mother had an attack of "acute glaucoma". It came on very suddenly (over a few hours) during a family reunion and she was in horrible pain, intolerant of light and sound. They did a minor operation to create drainage and she was fine thereafter (no medication other than post-surgical stuff) but the doctors said she came very close to loosing her eye.

No personal experience, but years back I used to go to a wonderful paid membership dog park. There was an elderly pug who had had both eyes removed when quite young. The old girl happily walked the fence line around the 13 acre park, off lead, sometimes without her owner. She didn't have prostheses.

I have two problems with genetic profiling related to health 1. It's not regulated or patrolled AT ALL. There's nothing to prevent inaccurate results or inaccurate descriptions. 2. Prevalence is rarely reported, and testing for genes known to be part of the cause for polygenetic conditions (eg hip/elbow dysplasia) are hard to use effectively. The companies tend to spew out results on things they can test for, no matter how rare (eg narcolepsy) while providing little helpful information on common problems (eg allergies, temperament faults). Yes, do the testing, but don't let it fool you into thinking it's a recipe for breeding healthy dogs, and beware of false readings.

I'd say Embark did well. The article would have been more useful if the samples submitted were from mutts coming from regions dominated by breeds recognised by kennel clubs and mixtures of such breeds. The companies should probably add a disclaimer saying their model was created using dogs from such and such a region, and their confidence in results is lower if the dog came from regions including land races not included in the creation of their model.

Whew! It would have been humiliating to rack up a big vet bill for an eye booger! That was an impressive one.

Gold morning to you. Don't know what you're talking about. Which advertisements? Where? If you mean DOL you can select the state. Some breeders don't like posting puppy photos...the little guys change so fast! And usual photos don't really tell you that much unless you're buying for colour. For some buyers, it's enough to know the kennel name or see the sire and dam's pedigrees

BBC News - All aboard the Alaska pup bus...https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64346501

I suspect contact allergies when itching is in paws, belly, throat and chest. (My itchy boy dives into green thickets that may well contain Tradescantia). Base of tail, I think fleas. Food allergies, not sure. Ears, paws, everywhere? Thoughts?

Falling dog prices will do more to reduce theft than any legislation

I'm in NZ, no snakes. No 1080 in the area. No cars. Good swimming for dogs.

Depends on the park. We walk a normally deserted river bank with lots of bushland. It's designated off leash exercise area. It's one day in 20 that we meet others dogs. The general understanding is that dogs will work it out. So far the worst that has happened is that my relatively timid girl ran off. I searched for awhile, then went back to the car. She was there and the car was well scratched from her efforts to get in. A crowded city park would be a different game.

Can dogs smell time? Just ask Donut the dog https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/12/22/1139781319/can-dogs-smell-time-just-ask-donut-the-dog?sc=18&f=1001

Not to mention the likely problem of sampling bias. Quite likely 4Paws got replies from a relatively large number of people who had problems.

A photo would help. I don't understand the **. UAP is a bad elbow condition. No is what you want. Both elbows 0 is excellent. https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=7259286&pid=14365

How do you define backyard breeding? Some lovely, kind people want pups from a much loved, and quite healthy family dog. And then there are oops litters. Some AKC breeders breed for extreme conformation, many sell pups from high maintenance sire and dam, with health problems that don't get listed, such as food allergies. Others have long offloaded pups to pet stores. Pedigree dogs are a minority in the USA. Sure, there are people who breed indiscriminately with the intent of making money. But I wouldn't entrust any legal system to separate the wheat from the chaff.

https://thesciencedog.com/2022/12/16/are-there-benefits-of-insect-based-dog-foods/ discuss availability and reviews claims. were it available and not overpriced, I'd give it a go