sandgrubber

A few notes: Unstable temperament seems to be pretty common in miniature poodles. No decent Lab breeder will tolerate it. In my experience, with Labs it doesn't matter much whether you have two boys, two girls, or a girl and a boy. Labs do vary in temperament, some are more active and boisterous than others. Some easily become fetchaholics, others see no point in retrieving (at least if it's not a real animal). A few even dislike water. Dog aggression, human aggression, nervousness, and fearfulness are things breeders select against very heavily, and consequently, they are not common. Naughtyness is generally tolerated . . . and very common. If you visit a litter right after a big feed and the most boisterous pup has a very full tum, you may conclude that the little demon to be is a couch potato. It's wise to listen to the breeder's advice on pup selection cause they see the pups 24/7 for eight or more weeks.

White marking was apparently very common in the lesser St John's dogs -- which contributed heavily to the Labrador breed. It was mostly chest and paws. The English tried to breed this out but did not totally succeed. A small white mark on the chest is accepted in the breed standard, and I've never heard of a dog being disqualified for white hair between the pads. The collar markings you show are not normal. Here's a good article on the genetics of white marking. (I love the spread of white animation). http://www.doggenetics.co.uk/white.htm#series Quoting: Whichever white pattern a dog has, its white will always follow the same rules of spread. White starts on the farthest "edges" of the dog - the tail tip, the tip of the muzzle, the paws and the tip of the breastbone. This is known as the "trim" pattern. From there it spreads to cover the muzzle and forehead, the front of the chest, the lower legs and more of the tailtip, creating irish spotting. Next it spreads round from the front to the back of the neck, and creeps up the legs and tail. On a piebald dog, only the head, back and tail base may still be coloured. The back colouring is the next to go, followed by the tail base, then the face markings. The ears will always remain coloured unless the dog has a very high amount of white. The ears are generally the last part of the dog to turn white.

Three Labradors, the oldest (spayed female) just turned 11. I close the doggy door at 8 to 10 pm and open it at 5 to 6 am. Haven't had an accident since the puppy was about 10 weeks old. The old girl shows no interest in going out when the doggy door is opened in the am, and think her latest piddle is generally on or before 5 pm when we go to the mailbox, so I'd say she can hold it for well over 12 hours. The younger dogs go in and out and I can't keep track . . . but a lot of their pee-ing is marking. p.s. Water is always available to all the dogs.

As part of the no crate minority . . . I see no reason to introduce crate training here. If your pup is non-destructive and relaxed with freedom of the place, he or she will be fine in the car without confinement, and more comfortable unconfined in the apartment than confined. If you're worried about safety travelling, you can work on things with straps and / or barriers, or simple training to keep the dog in the back for times the car is in motion. Crates are a PITA. They make it hard to vacuum or mop floors. They take up space. My dogs are much happier on the couch, where they can snuggle up and get their butts scratched!

Possibly, possibly not. Investment in excellent bloodlines and health testing does make good business sense . . . if you're aiming for the high end of the market. Satisfied clients are good business, at least if you're in it for the long term. There are all sorts of breeders.

"Territorio de Zaguates" is a No-kill-shelter in the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica that provides home, food, vet care, exercise, recreation and affection to over 700 stray dogs, victims of neglect, abandonment and abuse. (Came across this in the Terrierman blogspot. Wish it were in English.)

Kennel cough vaccinations are NOT good for three years; probably not good for even one year; and like flu shots, if the strain going around is not one covered by the vaccine you use, they may not work very well at all. When I had a boarding kennel (in WA) my vet suggested telling people that the optimum time for KC vaccination is a few weeks before going to the kennel. Nor is heartworm good for more than a year. I'd avoid the heartworm shot altogether and go to a monthly dose of something such as HeartGuard.

The article said the dogs dug under the fence. It's a bit much to expect dig-proofing if the animals are in a decent sized enclosure. Shame on the council. If these dogs have been reported for killing livestock before they should not be roaming free . . . and their owners should be paying some hefty fines if not loosing their priveledge to own dogs.

Talk has gravitated toward Labs. What do people think about pugs and bassets in the show ring (the study found them worse than Labs . . . both are relatively short coated).

Horrible story. Poor kid. Not clear to me whether Housing or Animal Services is more at fault . . . but it's astoundingly stupid that the dog owner is still allowed to keep dogs.

Exaggeration. I was one of the people who protested. Without feeling that particular dog, I would not be able to say if it was overweight. It's true that many flabby Labs show up in the show ring, but it's also true the combination of well sprung ribs, not much tuck up, and a thick coat may make a Lab look fat when it's not. It would be interesting to know if the study results would have changed had the authors actually set hands on the dogs or done some sort of analysis that actually quantifies the amount of fat present. My old girl LOOKS fat. She has saggy boobs and a thick coat, and a lot of bone. But if you feel her ribcage you get the sense that you're running your fingers over a washboard.

as Granpa used to say: "A fool and his money are soon parted." (I've been a fool myself, a few times). At least no dogs got hurt or abused and they traced down the alleged seller.

Has anyone ever seen any research on exercise and old dogs? The doctors are forever telling us old farts that exercise is good for our brains and our bodies, and that we should challenge ourselves more than we do. Wouldn't surprise me at all if it's good to keep an old dog exercising . . . and that some of them would live longer and healthier lives if we didn't let them turn into couch potatoes. I'm 66 . .. last year I took up running a couple miles a day. Wasn't comfortable at first, but it's done a lot to reduce my aches and pains.

In my experience, kelpies can be remarkably good jumpers. It may require more than a 1.8 m fence to keep a kelpie in. I'd be cautious about invisible dog fence. If she gets out she'll get shocked trying to get back in, which wouldn't be good.

Pet-I-Supply.com is selling standard meds at discounted prices internationally. Apparently they ship from the UK and Australia. They will sell Bravecto without a script. Call me a cheapskate, but I'd rather pay consult fees for three healthy dogs to get scripts. Has anyone used them? Is there reason to fear that they're a company selling counterfeit meds?

what is fex?

+1 The poll forces inconsistency. If you say never, you still have to say when your dog stopped using a crate etc. I tried leaving the second two questions blank and got an error message.

Berners have a bad habit of getting AWFUL cancers. Chessies are hard dogs, not for beginners. Whatever the breed, if you're going to get a pup, training the kids is important. I had one Lab pup I sold to a family with small kids. They allowed the kids to play run-chase games with their puppy and got into a mess with a puppy that nipped and kids that encouraged nipping by running away and screaming . . . which the puppy thought was a wonderful game. Those needle teeth aren't child friendly, and most gun dogs are mouthy.

Not sure what it's like in Oz these days, but in the USA I'm finding that there are various good fish-meal based dry foods on the market. Not too expensive. My dogs love them, results in great luster in their coats, and it's sooo easy compared to dealing with fresh and/or frozen fish. (Now using a salmon based version of ProPlan).

We're having a bad time with fleas. Our local population has gotten resistant to Frontline and related chemicals, and to the Soresto flea collar. One of my girls gets seizures from synthetic pyretheroids, which rules out Advantage and a bunch of other treatments. I can't get diatomaceous earth to work very well. Spinopsid-based meds aren't recommended for dogs with a history of seizures. I've been going over the girls with a flea comb and being totally grossed out by the number of fleas I find. Has anyone succeeded in reducing flea population by regular grooming with a flea comb?

My Labs are happy to eat pumpkin raw. You just need to slice it pretty thin. I sometimes peel pumpkin/winter squash before cooking. I just aim the peeler for the floor and the dogs clean up. Actually, they eat all cucurbits (squash/pumpkin/cucumber family) raw.

So is Haribo. It's no longer on the market. After going viral on Amazon the price went sky high. Then no more. http://camelcamelcamel.com/Haribo-Sugar-Free-Gummy-Bears/product/B008JELLCA But if you want something exotic to poison your dogs, Amazon does sell a nice dark chocolate covered bacon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YSRKL8W/ref=ams_at_4918087722616_B00I5NL9KO

Xylitol is considerably more expensive than cane sugar, so it's most likely to show up in specialized foods such as sweets for diabetics or sweet health foods that advertize fewer calories and better for dental health (eg., gum). If you're like me and buy el cheapo p'nut butter, you're unlikely to encounter the stuff.

The few difficult clients are the worst part about running a boarding kennel. Far worse than picking up poohs. Another way to handle the 'outside of hours' problem is simply add, and make public, a hefty charge for after hours pickup . . . as many vets do for after-hours emergencies. If someone has a good cause and no money, you can always make an exception (and thereby appear as generous). But it's surprising how willing people are to do a schedule work-around to save $100!

Sorry to hear Ebony has problems. My 10 yr old Lab has been on PB for four years to control mild focal seizures. She 'went' epileptic after a cluster seizure episode brought about by synthetic pyretheroid flea control meds which she licked off of a puppy...she was treated with the same stuff. This first episode was terrifying: the convulsing was so severe that she flipped from standing to lying on her side, and this went on for half an hour before a vet identified it as poisoning and advised me that thorough washing to get rid of all the flea meds might bring it under control (it did). The seizures afterward have been short without severe symptoms like loss of consciousness, incontenaence, etc. She just tenses up, especially in front legs, loses coordination and lies down; she also stares. They put her on a fairly high dosage initially. I have halved that twice, and now she just gets a half a tablet once a day. On this dosage she still seizes once or twice a year, but I can live with that, especially as, these days, she wags her tail throughout the seizure. Every case of epilepsy is different. Not all end out with such an easy management regime as mine has, but many end out with stable solutions that allow the dog to live a normal life. It usually takes several months to work out the correct dosage. PB isn't the most harmful drug around, but it can do damage over the long term at higher doses. Once you get control, you may want to work with your vet on experimenting with lower dosages.