sandgrubber

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.

If those factors were 'secondary', then every big dog would 'kill' or seriously attack. The evidence is that most don't. Go look at the scientific studies. Studies looking into aggressive behaviours in dogs of all sizes & breeds & mixed breeds at the University of Cordoba found that human factors in what people did or did not do, in managing and training their dogs, was the key factor. Their conclusion was that people need to socialize & train their dogs. But they acknowledged some could have issues like neurological problems. One factor that came out as more linked with development of aggression... was small size. Yes, small size. Because owners didn't see the necessity to train them & also because they are more likely to be pampered & spoiled. Yet small size dogs can do serious harm to the statistically most vulnerable age bracket.... babies, toddlers & young children. Because the child's face is on a level with the dog & their finer skin is very easily injured. Mita, could you please provide a fuller reference for this study. I tried looking it up, but it's pretty hopeless to find a paper just knowing the University name. The closest I came was a paper based on an owner survey using an opportunistic sampling strategy. This came out putting breed very high in the list of factors correlated with aggression. See http://www.medwelljo...aa.2009.336.342 If this is the study you're citing, its methods are weak. It has been widely picked up by media, but I don't think the results have been accurately reported.

Don't know if you can buy these in Oz, but a company called Little City Dogs has started selling the generic equivalent of Capstar (and Revolution) for much lower prices than the brand name. See http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_19?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=little+city+dogs+capstar&sprefix=little+city+dogs+ca%2Caps%2C1004 < $1/capsule if you get a bottle of 100.

Most breeders would eliminate a dog or bitch with a high hip score, even with no clinical manifestation, even if the bloodlines ran good hip scores. What you describe is much worse than a radiographic only case of moderate HD.I would not breed or use such a dog. If I did so it would only be a test litter, to be carefully monitored. You can, presumably, rule out environmental factors, because you don't have other dogs with the same condition...so there's a strong possibility that the condition is genetic.

Here's the rationale (which I don't believe, but the GSD people take seriously). "The gait, which describes movement, is called the flying trot. The German shepherd is supposed to have a far front reach as well as great rear end extension. This produces a dog that glides across the ground, covering a large area in few moves, which is the right movement for a dog keeping a flock of sheep together. In fact, the whole visual picture illustrates the qualities necessary to do their intended work. Large, strong and fast might simply state the breed's physical attributes." from www.stevediller.com/articles/german_shepherd.pdf‎ Seems to me that kelpies do a great job of keeping a flock of sheep together without resorting to a strange gait that seems to be gliding.

The official standard for GSD quality comes out of Germany, where they have selected heavily for the 'flying trot', and accept the sloping back that goes with it. Loose hocks are not supposed to be part of the picture, but they often seem to be introduced when breeding to meet the show standard. See, eg., the example video clip at http://www.caninetrainingsystems.com/product/V-GSD-5/The-German-Shepherd-Dog-the-German-Way-Set Fortunately, there are many GSD breeders who aim for a squarer, more normal-looking dog. They just aren't winning in the show ring.

Good questions.I Having spent some years managing a boarding kennel and seeing dog after dog with skin problems, I wish more breeders considered skin problems in their breeding programs. Chronic skin problems can be as much discomfort and expense as HD or epilepsy! I haven't had to deal with this one as the dogs I've owned personally have had no allergies...not even flea allergy...and I've never had a report-back from a puppy buyer reporting allergy problems. In theory, the genetics of allergies are tied up in the MHC/DLA and problems are more likely if there is a lot of homozygosity in this region. Ie, inbreeding (including line breeding) is likely to result in more allergy problems. I've seen no hard evidence saying this is true.

I'd like to see evidence that they work first. Notice there were 0 reviews with the posted add. If a dog can get its elbows over, or hits with enough forward momentum and the right angle, it's over and out.

Reasonable request. Looks like you got what you asked for. For me, the bottom line is it doesn't hurt to ask.

The article says Wooltana St.6 Wooltana St sold in May for $1.25M, 11 Wooltana St. Is listed for $1.59M. It's a short street near Manning Rd, the Canning Bridge, and various parks. Most of us couldn't afford to live there.

I'll bet KAIT8 is one of those stations where every day is April Fools Day. Here's a clip from some discussion of their morning news anchor : 11 OMG, that Anchor Christina on KAIT8 just laughed when talking about Mrs Schmidt (fallen cop's wife) before the video come on. WTH! Did anyone else catch that this morning? I'm calling them today and complain about this. That was just wrong. I don't see what's so funny about a year anniv of the death of ANYONE! KAIT needs to fire that dingy blonde and get someone in there that doesn't act like alittle schoolgirl. How unprofessional is that? WOW, this makes me sick. What a slap in the face that was!

I should have put that differently. I meant to observe that aggressive escaping dogs aren't just a bogan phenomenon.As for fines, $10k is a lit easier to swallow with an annual income of $100 or $200k than it is with an annual income of under $50k.The dents in the top of the fence in the video show that the dog had been attempting the fence for some time. Leaving such a dog in someone else's care while going overseas is extremely negligent. The kid could easily have been killed. Reading subsequent stories, between hospital costs and lost time at work, the owners' irresponsibility has cost tens of thousands, perhaps over $100k, not to mention pain and suffering.

horrible! I hope both father and son recover well. Isn't that an area of million dollar plus houses? Not the usual place for a dog attack. $10,000 is an inadequate fine, and jail time should be considered. If reconstructive surgeries are required, the medical bills alone, are likely to be several thousand. The video suggests that the dog went over a high (1.8m?) colorbond fence that many of us would have thought adequate.

Yes. See http://www.havaneseforum.com/archive/index.php?t-12210.html Not sure if it has gone through drug trials for ticks, but people using it seem to find it eliminates ticks. There has been some scientific testing and the active ingredient in Comfortis has proven effective against some ticks. Here's an abstract from the journal Veterinary Parasitology. "Comparative efficacy of spinosad with conventional acaricides against hard and soft tick populations from Antalya, Turkey http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/19446398 They concluded: "Our results showed that spinosad would be a useful addition in a tick control program as an alternative for pyrethroids and organic phosphorus acaricides against both tick species."

Yes. See http://www.havaneseforum.com/archive/index.php?t-12210.html Not sure if it has gone through drug trials for ticks, but people using it seem to find it eliminates ticks. There has been some scientific testing and the active ingredient in Comfortis has proven effective against some ticks. Here's an abstract from the journal Veterinary Parasitology. "Comparative efficacy of spinosad with conventional acaricides against hard and soft tick populations from Antalya, Turkey"http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/19446398 They concluded Our results showed that spinosad would be a useful addition in a tick control program as an alternative for pyrethroids and organic phosphorus acaricides against both tick species.

Double post....oops!

Dog friendly jobs exist in Australia. I sold a pup to a message therapist who worked for a high end gym in Perth. She was allowed to take her dog to work. Dog friendly corporates are rare in the US, as they are in Oz.