sandgrubber

I got a big scare with this present litter (9 pups) when mum, a first time mum, showed extreme distaste for cleaning their bottoms. I went through two rounds of stimulation with a warm cotton wad and cleaning up the mess. Time consuming and not pleasant work.ddfsfs Then I went web surfing and found a great tip on a South African bulldog breeders' site. Put margarine on the pup's anus and the mum will go for it. I tried this, using butter cause I don't stock margarine. After two rounds of supervised bottom cleaning and a bit of supervised observation, mum is now cleaning bottoms like a pro.

It sounds to me like the kid is being trained to fear. She probably gets positive reinforcement in the form of comforting when she screams and acts like she's been hurt. Sad, and counterproductive. She is old enough to understand a little about dogs' body language and know what is an attack and what is just enthusiasm...even if the enthusiasm spills her on her bum. When I was five, I got a good bite on the face when I did something stupid -- probably hair pulling -- with an Irish Setter. Not only did I not get sympathy from my parents, I got scolded, and given a couple stitches. Didn't lead to a phobia.

It also depends on the task. I've seen show handlers with an amazing ability to get most any dog to stack and go through its paces . . . but they'd have a hard time teaching 'gee' and 'haw' or correcting aggression.

Not sure but I think DURING whelping may be different than pre- or post-. Don't some sources (including Myra) say a hit of Ca stimulates contractions? I used the old vanilla ice cream between pups trick this last litter, and ten pups were out in less than 8 hours. No clue about whether the ice cream worked, and if it did, not clear whether it was the Ca or the sugar did the trick.

I doubt there is AN optimum. I think most of us have a few guidelines, but the best solution will vary depending on the bitch and her condition, the litter size, what you feed normally, and how things seem to be going with the litter in question. BARF feeders may do nothing other than change quantity. Most people feeding dry food shift to puppy food around the time of mating to up the calcium, protein, and fat amounts in a balanced way. Some add bones and/or dairy to further up Ca and protein. As with any diet question, it's essential that you adjust, depending on condition...and what seems to be working at the time. Eg, if poohs get too soft you may have to experiment a bit to find a balance that works better. It's worth reading the thread on calcium....whatever one does needs to preserve balance.

So sad. RIP, little one.

Thanks, korbin. Just the one. I hope it's not a one-off ... we need this kind of information being repeated, again & again, to the public. There's some more things that could be added on.... like further spot-on US research & also info from medical sources. Hope this is the beginning of information with a lot more substance.... than chasing dog breeds or sizes. Yeah, we all know that responsible management of those types of dogs will reduce attacks, but what they are missing is that you can't make pig hunters out of any dog, you can't make protection dogs out of any dog, a dog must have the genetic capabilities to either be trained to attack and fight or attack and fight instinctively and the point is, the same owners with dogs that don't have the genetic capabilities for unprovoked attacks, these horrific incidents wouldn't happen You could have saved yourself risking concussion if you'd read both the SMH article (with link provided by korbin) & what I said in telling about it. The article sets out the interacting factors which shape a dog's behaviour....provided by the AVA. And that includes genes. To reinforce that point, I wrote about the person who makes the decision about selection for breeding: They (i.e.the SMH) have an excellent article pointing out owners (& the first owner who does the breeding) largely shape how dogs turn out. I read Korbin's link that I responded to? Sure Melz, so when you get a Labrador working in front line defence at the police K9 unit, then we will continue the discussion on genetic predisposition :D It's interesting that Chessies are high on the list for number of attacks. Not a common breed. Gun dog. Not generally favored by yabos,

Bonza's count stands at nine. Three black boys, two choco boys, three choco girls, one black girl. All ok, possibly one more to come. Pictures after I've had time to clean up a bit. Very easy delivery, and mercifully, started at 11am ...done at 4:30 pm, that's if there isn't an afterthought pup. All look healthy. Number ten was born dead two hours later. Bonza took a dislike to cleaning the pups. I did this manually a couple times...slow and messy. Then I found a bit of wonderful advice. Put a bit of butter on the pup's anus and mum will lick it clean. Sure enough, it works. One more sleepless night, but I think it's sorted. Bonza seems to be doing her maternal duties without buttering the pups behinds.

Every litter my girls have had follows the same pattern. They get huge and do well until a few days before the due date. Then, along with the temperature drop and a mad urge to dig....and sometimes a mad urge to hide away in some place, like under the house, that is not where I want a litter born, they pant and pant and pant. This makes it hard for me to sleep. So by the time the first pup is born, I'm dead tired. My girls like nines and tens, so the full Whelping usually takes 12 hrs or more, by which time I'm far from peak performance. I feel bad complaining about lack of sleep, when the bitch is panting and contracting and pushing and generally having a heavy time. But on the other hand, it would be good to be clear headed and not in a sleep deprived haze when the time comes. Does everyone have the same problem? Are there ways to make things work better?

I hope lots of DOLers from NSW will share their opinions with their representatives on this. Change is long overdue...not just in NSW.

Congratulations. Like Brintey's Leo girl - another litter of 8 born ont the 8th of the 8th :) Oh wow I hadn't clicked to that!!!! That is fabulous! Congrads! What big uniform looking pups, and what a tired looking mum! Here's hoping they will soon be in a whelping box and mum perked up a bit. At least it looks like she's accepting them with no problem. So I presume one will be named Octavia?

Agree'd 100%! Regardless of what the child did ..if the kid needed hundreds of stitches then..."this was a mauling"... it wasnt just a quick snap to say stop standing on my Paw !! Kids can be pretty awful. I've often retold a story that a vet told me. Family comes in to pts the family Labrador cause it bit a kid. After the green dream is administered, they find several staples through the poor dog's ear. PTS may be appropriate, but it would be good to hear the full story before forming an opinion.

Blackjaq: The thing I find horrifying about the Fila is the fact that the breed standard (CAFIB) prescribes unprovoked aggression toward strangers, and the pick of the litter, for a CAFIB breeder, will be a pup that snarls at strangers by 12 weeks. In my opinion this justifies an import ban, particularly given that we're talking about 50+ kg dogs. I wish there were a simple way to identify and restrict breeders, in any breed or of X-breeds, who deliberately breed HA dogs. This could happen in many breeds. BSL is a clumsy and ineffective way to go because aggression can be heightened or dampened in any breed by selective breeding...and may occur unpredictably in many breeds through non-selective breeding. As for why there aren't many reports of Fila attacks. I can think of a few reasons: 1. In many of the countries where Filas are allowed, a rich person's dog attacking a poor person is not considered headline material. 2. In countries such as the US or Finland, where Filas are permitted, they are still quite rare. I suspect they haven't become popular because they are just too hard to handle, they are expensive, and for someone who wants a macho dog, it costs a lot more to maintain a Fila that a pit bull. There may also be a class thing. The Fila has traditionally belonged to rich land owners and used as a weapon to control the poor. That doesn't have a good feel in many sub-cultures. Getting back to the main topic . . . it would be interesting to know more about the origins and temperament of the attacking dog.

Do some searching on Fila brasiliero CAFIB temperament test. You will find that biting the judge is expected, and accepted behavior. Judges generally know better than to touch a fila, and avoid getting bitten. But no penalty points are assigned for doing so. "The temperament-test of the CAFIB for Filas shows us the following: the at least one year, but preferably older dog, will be put on a long lead provided with a tether. The owner has to step aside a few metres. Then, a person will energetically approach and threaten the dog with a stick and protection pad. The ideal Fila will, while absolutely still, focus on the attacker until he exceeds the distance of about 1 or 2 metres, then the Fila will attack while he jumps straight up to the person directly and wholly. The fila doesn't step back, never looks back to his owner and is not influenced by the protection pad, but attacks the person from above. Usually the person and the dog don't have contact. Therefore there is no biting involved - except when the person involved has come too near and will hold out his sleeve for his own protection. The whole exercise called "attacking" is therefore for a very short time. Only the reaction of the dog is wanted. The reaction ought to be hard, ought not to show any hesitation and has to be focused on the attacker as such. A good sort of Fila has this behaviour inbred in him. This is his character and doesn't need to be trained." from http://www.mindspring.com/~anableps/Image%20Pages%20folder/TTBR.html or The feature that perhaps is at first sight the most apparent in a Fila's temperament is the "ojeriza" to strangers (ojeriza - sharp aversion). On the contrary to other puppies, a Fila Puppy is not inclined to relaxed playing with anyone. He attaches himself quickly to those with whom he lives but is, however, from his earliest youth suspicious of persons he does not know. Suspicion may make him irritated and annoyed and to some extent even make him growl with a certain amount of aggression, but yet without sufficient self-confidence to attack. In the course of his development the aversion against strangers will become more and more apparent. Already as a puppy the Fila will clearly show his displeasure if a stranger would try to touch him. At about the age of one year the Fila would attack any person unknown to him who would try to touch him. http://www.fila-brasileiro.org/fila-brasileiro-temperament.html Both of these are from dedicated pro-Fila sites. You can also find some U-tube videos of dogs going through the Fila temperament test.

You think Qantas is bad....try DeltaDelta no longer accepts snub-nosed or pug-nosed dogs and cats as checked baggage. Certain breeds may be acceptable for transport as cargo via Pets First. Snub- or Pug-nosed Dogs American Bulldog American Staffordshire Terrier American Pit Bull Terrier Boston Terrier Boxer Brussels Griffin Bulldog* Chinese Pug Chow Chow Dutch Pug English Bulldog English Toy Spaniel French Bulldog Lhasa Apso Japanese Boxer Japanese Pug Japanese Spaniel (Chin) Mastiff (all breeds) Pekinese Pit Bull Pug Shar Pei Shih Tzu Staffordshire Bull Terrier Tibetan Spaniel Snub-Nosed Cats Burmese Exotic Himalayan Persian

I'll probably get roasted for this, but my impression is that the cocker spaniel is one of those breeds where temperament has suffered mightily as the breed went from working to show as a dominant mode of selection. My mum, born in 1923, was brought up with clockers who were used as hunting dogs and pets in Minnesota. She much lamented changes in the breed brought about by showing. I seem to remember reading a few studies out of the University of Cordoba showing some really ugly temperament faults in the breed. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/05/25/2579884.htm So...it may not be the breeder in particular but a general slackness with regard to breeding for temperament within the breed.

The most critical stage for exercise is before the plates close, usually before 7 months. Gradual increase of exercise thereafter is generally beneficial.All the researcher result I've seen say that quality of exercise is more important than quantity. Twists and turns at high velocity can be damaging. Lots of running on pavement can be bad. Straight moderate walking on soft surfaces can do little harm. So...where possible run on grass or sand, and be aware that playing ball may be more of a hazard than walking/running.

I'd strongly recommend the three books by Myra Savant Harris. She is an RN by trade but was brought up in a dog breeding family and breeds dogs herself. Can't agree with everything she says...eg, her version of pack structure is full of mythology....and I wish she gave more references. However you can't do better for hands on experience in both the canine and human reproduction fields...and for transporting ideas from human to canine repro. She is firmly anti-Caesarian, and gives good advice on techniques solve problems such as the stuck puppy, that often drive people into the vet for an emergency C-section. If your local library doesn't have the books you want, PUT IN REQUESTS!!!!!! It's the squeaky wheel that gets greased. While previous generations had more hands on experience, they also accepted much higher rates of puppy, and bitch, mortality.

That would be the Fila Brasiliero, originally bred for hunting big game and recapturing run-away slaves. There are two registries. One has tried to tone down the aggressiveness. The other tries to retain it. In the latter registry, dogs are not faulted for biting the judge at specialty shows. And, yes, there are many people who think this ban should be lifted.

Nostalgia isn't so helpful. Breeds came out of land races, and there was selection for type when the registries were created and closed. Before that, there were no prohibitions on crossing types and creating new types. I would imagine that before, say, 1850, dog types, shapes, and conformation were in constant flux. Dogs are not precious antiques, to be maintained in original condition. Original condition is a myth. Most dog occupations have dwindled to near nothing. Pulling carts, baiting bulls, and catching fish that slipped a barbless hook (for the St. John's dog) are no longer employing many dogs. Small herds of sheep and cattle are scarce. A sight hound used for game would soon be shot. Hunting of upland birds or waterfowl is hard to find in Australia. The derived dog sports: retrieving trials, sled races, herding trials, require a big commitment on the owners' part, and will never be widespread. Even ratting and hunting of small vermin are largely displaced. Pig and rabbit hunting, and perhaps livestock guardian functions, are alive and well. We need to work more at seeing that the dogs we breed are good for the functions they will serve. In most cases, the goal should be producing healthy, well-adjusted pets (companion animals, if you prefer).

I've not been posting here as US litters aren't so interesting if you live in Australia. But WTH. Bonza is due on 10 August. Xrays show 8 to 10 pups. Not expecting a milk shortage, she's dripping a bit already.

misplaced post....moved to Litters due in Ausust

Anyone want ammunition for the discussion of why to buy from a legit breeder. I came across three good articles in Forbes Magazine, written from the perspective of someone who started with a rescue dog and had problems, and then got a pup from a good breeder, with great results. See http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2012/02/17/how-much-is-that-doggie-in-the-window-the-surprising-economics-of-purchasing-a-purebred-puppy/ The first article links to two other articles, both good material.

I,ve been reading Myea Savant Harris' bok, Advanced Canine Whelping and Puppy Care. She recommends use or something called Fertile Focus as an alternative to program testing. It allows monitoring estrogen levels using saliva and a microscope http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/B000S2O1CI This is marketed for women monitoring their cycles. People reviewing it in Amazon say it also works for checking sperm motility. Has anyone used this approach? There also seems to be an option for monitoring LH based on strips in urine. Would this work for dogs? http://www.amazon.co...ef=pd_sim_hpc_2

I sense a pattern. In this case, like the 2 yr old who was killed a few years ago, and the Ayen Chol death, the owner wasn't around and dog care was left in the hands of someone else. Advice on management of large, potentially dangerous dogs doesn't usually include advice on how to care for them when you leave town. Pet sitters or leaving with a relative seems to be a dangerous option.