Sandra777

Could well be freezing overnight - last year was OK but two years ago we woke up to set off home on the Monday and there was ice all over the car - thought our days of that were gone :laugh: Usually a fun weekend, be prepared to be exhausted...

I would assume then that you have dogs who have more than one or two pups on average As someone has already said - 6 litters of 1 or 2 is a totally different thing to 6 litters of 10, or even 4 or 5. OP - if your bitch is healthy and in good condition I wouldn't mess with her hormones. Even if you decide after this litter not to breed from her again and do have her spayed, IMO you're better off giving yourself options. Going forward maybe a crate is a better option than gates that can be left open/climbed - afterall it's only for a few days that you really have to be ultra-careful. afterall it's only for a few days that you really have to be ultra-careful. Really??? I had a bitch locked away for the 21 days... Maiden bitch. Maiden dog. I let them out late on day 21, kept a good eye on them, nothing. Went to the village and came home to find them tied. I was only gone maybe 10 minutes. I rang the breeder of the dogs and informed them. They both asked whether I wanted the mating - I said it would be a possibility depending on relevant health tests. (Both needed to have CEA DNA testing and hip scores to be done as both were potential carriers). We waited 28 days, ultrasounded. Gave the Alizin (two injections 24 hours apart). She passed one faetus. Aborted the rest. She was later bred from by her breeder with no complications. I now lock my girls up for 28 days. I know other breeders with females who also have stood on day 21 or later. I would be looking at alternative securing methods of bitches in seaon after this just the same. Yep - so your bitch stood late. She was *probably* only fertile for those few days. Yes, the very occasional one is fertile for much much longer but in almost all case the actual window when they are able to conceive is only a few days - be that day 1 to 4 or day 21 to 25 doesn't alter that fact. I have had a bitch conceive to a single mating on day 4 and another to a single mating on day 19. Nothing new under the sun!

There could be a very good reason she uses Advance - ask her! I know next to nothing about growing giant breed puppies but I do know that growing them slowly is vital and it is highly possible the brands you perceive as better than Advance are actually very bad for giant breed pups. TOTW is extremely high protein I believe? This could be a major issue with a Dane pup...

x2 - the breeder should be the one telling you exactly how to raise the pup to be the best dog it can be. If they're not giving you this assistance then run away - very quickly!

Personally no, but I know of some breeders that do have these sorts of expectations. However unless they're prepared to guarantee the show potential puppy (ie replace it if it doesn't fulfil it's early potential) then I don't see how anyone can insist that the owner must get the dog's title by a certain age - it may be that the show potential pup grows into a dog that has no chance of ever gaining it's title regardless of how long it's shown. I prefer to place my pups in the best home for that puppy be it a possible show home or a pet home. If I have someone I think will make a good owner and they are interested in showing they will get the best pup I can provide for them which also fits their lifestyle (won't place a pup in a home not suited to it's temperament regardless if it's show or pet) I prefer to sell males to novices. None. My first dog was my first show dog. He was extremely successful and is behind every dog I have now - 34 years later. Never too soon. Some breeders may prefer to breed only once every couple of years and in some breeds this is common (breeds hard to find homes for), so if you don't make your intentions clear very early in the piece chances are someone else will be in front of you for the limited number of show potential pups available.

White Rose is at Walloon about 10 minutes west of Ipswich. Gets lots of good reviews on here.

Yes a crossbred factory farmed fluffy.

Eye certificates are handwritten. I include all health certificates in puppy packs regardless - even if it's ignored maybe one owner will mention it to a mate looking for the same breed and slowly the news will spread :D

Ask the breeder to send you their diet sheet so you can get ready before D-Day (or is that P-Day :)) Assuming they are ethical breeders and either experienced or have a good mentor, the diet they recommend will be the best place to start and you can change it later when you figure out if it suits your pup and your lifestyle.

Pyo I have known :) 5 year old, had had one litter & missed on previous heat (to a dog with poor semen quality & count) had been mated (different dog) & scanned as pregnant. Speyed (1kg ueterus removed from a 14kg bitch so pretty serious). She's 9 next week and no tumors. 1 year old maiden bitch, treated with ABs, went on to have 6 litters. Had benign mammary tumours which developed when she was 9. PTS at 13 - stomach cancer. 11 year old, had had 4 litters. Treated with ABs. She was on one of the injections (probably Depovera, it was a while ago), increased the frequency of the injection to three times per year. No tumours. PTS at 14 after breaking her pelvis leaping to catch a sparrow (which she caught & ate) 8 year old had had 2 litters but only ever conceived 2 pups each time.... Speyed. Had mammary tumours removed at 9, one malignent, rest benign. PTS at 14 - lung cancer (we smoked) 8 year old had had 3 litters (lost the entire first litter "fading puppy"). Very mild infection, could have been treated with ABs but no reason to so was speyed. No tumours. PTS just before her 16th birthday, just generally unwell and life no longer good for her. Other info.... The 1 year old was the grandmother of the sire of the first 8 year old. The two 8 year old's had the same dam who cycled every 3 months and lost two complete litters to fading puppy syndrome. The only daughter of the first 8 year old had three pups in her only litter, all fine. The second 8 year old had 2 daughters who were bred, one lost part of two litters "fading puppy", the other had three litters all fine. The second of these bitches was speyed at 8 and is now just over 13 - no tumors, the first was speyed at 5 and last I heard (2 years ago @ 11) was fine - no tumors. The only other bitch I have had with tumors was a daughter of the one who broken her pelvis. She was speyed after three litters (no issues at time of op) and developed very large but benign tumors when she was 11. PTS at 14 with fluid-retention issues. These are all Staffords, which tend to be considered 'prone' to some types of cancers & growths.

Had about 1/2 and 1/2 do it over the years. I don't believe it's something they learn - well none of the dumb half here learned it anyway :) Funniest thing is give them the lid off the ice cream container, some don't care but others put their foot on it then freak out about stuff on my foot mum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Much smaller breed but I had a Stafford swimmer that was very flat chested, it took until he was about 12 weeks old to come back to normal.

Some do some don't - and sometimes they don't start until day 2 or 3 so don't assume too soon :laugh:

OK - so lesson one, ignore what the 15 year old in the pet shop tells you about the health care of your puppy :D If it's food allergies it could be anything in the diet he's reacting to - was this the diet advised by the breeder? If it's contact allergies it could be absolutely anything in his environment. If it's just a reaction to being fire-bombed by chemicals then you just have to wait and see. I would suggest a bath in mild hypo-allergenic shampoo (oatmeal is generally considered very soothing) to get any residue of the flea shampoo off him just in case this is it. Does he have any lumps bumps or spots on his legs where he's chewing? It could be he's just feeling a bit unsure of his new environment and this is a displacement activity (a bit like a kid sucking it's thumb) What is the "pet mince" - some of them are full of all sorts of rubbish. Personally I would feed human grade mince to a puppy with itches. Avoid beef as this is a fairly common allergen. Unfortunately chicken is becoming a common allergen too. Use ONE protein source and see if this alters his reaction in any way shape or form. Can the puppy milk, puppies don't need milk after they're weaned. What do you use in your home to clean tiles/blankets spray on the lawn, spray on any surface he is in contact with? As for jumping on the sofa - persistence & consistency is about all that will work. You must have a very short couch if the pup can jump on it already :laugh:

Could be different Aldi's have different products but the roo meat in bags in our 2 local Aldis are both mystery meat. It used to be great - the last lot I bought made the dogs vomit up lumps of stuff that looked like plastic so I got some out, washed off the bright purple/red dye and what was left looked, yep like lumps of plastic. It's in a dark pink 3kg bag, can't remember the name know, but it sure isn't roo meat!

You washed him in flea shampoo AND applied a pour-on - er, don't recommend you ever do that again! What's he being fed? The obvious question is did he actually have fleas? - Had the breeder treated him for fleas? What with? Have you spoken to the breeder about the itching? What did they suggest?

I'd prefer to see more red meat too. Pet grade chicken mince in some cases can be just about all fat with the trimmings, skin and the frames being the major ingredients. IMO it's not a no-no and ours get a fair bit of it, but there's not a lot of actual meat in a lot of it :)

It's used in the UK on "dangerous dogs" - certainly seems to work.

I had a scan done on one of mine at 5 weeks and it showed she was having three pups - four turned up. So don't count your chickens yet :)

To the tabloid's "surgery" can include the application of a sticky plaster if that's the spin they choose to put on it. Not implying this is the case here.

:thumbsup: Smart guy!

My brain is still trying to process the idea of a dog's ribs protruding through it's flanks :D :D

Neutered dogs can and do mate. AFAIK the implant isn't intended to make a dog impotent but temporarily sterile. Nothing on earth will prevent some dogs wanting to mate.

Good work :)

x2 A bitch goes through virtually the same hormonal changes after her heat whether she's pregnant or not so to cut off this process without good reason can do very odd things to her. Some really don't seem to change at all, some change a lot. If she was my dog I'd wait for about 3 months, about half way though the "probable" heat cycle so her hormones are at their lowest levels. Of course then you run the risk that's she's one of those lovely creatures that comes in season every 3 months :laugh: