Sandra777

First few feeds are scrapped beef - cheap cut of meat scrape off the meat with a knife, leave the fat and sinew behind. Probably 2 or 3 feeds of this 1 x per day before they get mince meat. Depends on the litter and the mum. Usually around 3.5 weeks, a bit later if there's only a small litter. If they don't want to eat the first time I usually skip a day then try again. The pups will start to eat solids when they're ready IME I never "take" mum away. She is free to sleep away from the pups from day one, about 3 weeks they're usually happier to sleep outside in the sun for an hour or so than go back inside to the babies. From about 6 weeks the pups are away from mum full time except for 3-4 play times per day - if the bitch wants to go back in with them though she is free to do so.

Adults need to understand this as much as children if not moreso. Why are schools having to teach these things? Why aren't parents doing it themselves? Ignorance is bliss as they say... x2 When I was a kid if we bothered the dog or cat and got bitten or scratched we got a smack to go with it. If we went in the paddock and got kicked by the horse we got two smacks because the horse was more valuable than the dog or cat. When we went to our cousins farm we helped muster sheep and when we were old enough we were allowed to go out on the "wild" cattle muster (some of them were genuinely feral, some not so much). If we got in the way of the working dogs, got butted by a ewe or run over by a stock horse we got told to 'get the hell out of the way'. Animals weren't little furry people 30 years ago...

Why do they not want another Whippet?

I do weightpull with my Stafford and to see him use his nails in an attempt to get extract traction is certainly amazing - similar to your photo but waaaaaaaay slower :laugh:

Why can you not return one now you realise you have made a major mistake. In fact since you bought them from someone who obviously doesn't care about the welfare of their pups (or they wouldn't have sold a pair at 6 weeks to a novice owner....) I would suggest you return BOTH and demand your money back in full - all you are doing by keeping them is encouraging this puppy farmer to breed again. So they have been to one class or do you take them more than once a week. It certainly is a great idea that you are taking them separately Sounds like perfectly normal puppy behaviour to me.

They're 9 weeks old, they would have been to puppy school what - once? How "recently" can this have started - given that they are only 9 weeks old????? Ditto persephone, need more information. What were they like in the litter - have you ended up with no 1 & no 2? Personally I would leave them to get on with it, pups this age often have spats and it settles down within a day or two usually. 2 Sibe puppies, you're a very very very brave person! Edited when I re-read the original post which clarified they are littermates

How about a lower prey drive Stafford? Go with what you know :) The one thing that would cause major issues could be getting a "lower prey drive" dog and the current dog teaching it how much fun hunting is.... seen that a fair bit

Not sure about the soft crates - but fold them up and slide them somewhere like in the mattress cover (if you're bringing that much stuff??) and they may not even be noticed, but if they are and the inspector's find a single dog hair you would likely be up for other charges (min fee was $90 4 years ago). When collecting dogs in Brisbane we only have to go to one place to pay the inspection fee and get the dog from there too, but I don't know about Sydney... The charges 5 or 6 weeks ago were about $130 for a single dog (under 20kg, no idea if that matters for these fees)

We had a similar issue - the blankets in the crates with the dogs were ignored - dog blankets & coats that came later with our household goods were treated as if they had bombs, drugs and typhoid. We chose to have them destroyed as this was the cheapest option - if I'd thought about it I would have thrown a few more in the crates with the girls, including the really nice driazabone coat one of them had won just before we left NZ

AFAIK there are no complications. We arrived 4 years ago with 3 dogs and have brought another 3 over since, never had a hassle. Can't say the same for NZ customs - they certainly are a nightmare

7 or 8. These x-rays always freak me out - looks like something out of Alien :)

Wow, what a lot of stuff this poor pup has been through in the ONE week since you have had him. New home, leaving littermates, being molested by a stranger with clippers.... Give the little guy a break! The "breeder" didn't do the basics of coat care or grooming training so you'll have to. As everyone else has suggested, start small, make it fun and have patience. It would take a couple of weeks to get him comfortable with these things, in the mean time you'll just have to cope with it if he doesn't smell quite how you want him too. You could try wet wipes or just a warm damp face cloth if you really need to clean something off him. Totally agree with the person who said that buy stopping when he "flips out" you are just encouraging him to do it. No you don't have to be harsh, but be firm and above all, gentle.

I've had the same problem with Black Hawk with some of mine, vomiting, huge runny poos, stinky farts and the most gross body smell. All of them get fat and stodgy on it so it doesn't show it's head in this house unless someone wins some, then it's kept for puppies (who seem to do great on it). Edited for punctuation - vomiting huge runny poos sounded gross :rofl:

A purebred dog has two parents of the same breed. A pedigree is a record of ancestry, it doesn't mean the ancestors are the same breed. A pedigree purebred has both :)

We have four. Do they work - no idea. One of our bitches has been bitten twice, once by a brown the second time by a black. Since we got the repellers we haven't seen a snake, but we didn't see either of the ones that bit her - not until after the fact. A friend has half a dozen across the back of their property and hasn't seen a snake since they put them in, they used to have "lots" passing through Another friend has found a large brown sunning itself right underneath a functioning snake repeller. In the big scheme of life they don't cost a lot and if they deter half or three-quarters of snakes then that's all we can really expect in nature IMO. They're not a substitute for proper maintence, clearing 'hiding places', keeping rodents away etc...

AFAIK it's only if a member's dog is used in the cross breeding that the state body can take action. So if she bred a whole bunch of dogs and transferred them to the husband's name then there's nothing to report. But if any of the dogs being used are in her name, then she is in breech of the COE. Next thing to do would be to prove it...

Of the earth terriers, yes. As already mentioned, Staffords, Amstaffs & Bull Terriers don't take part. I have had one judge ask me to bring my very dominant male Stafford out to spar, I refused, when he demanded I walked out of the ring. No, pups shouldn't be included if there is an adult involved, but two similar aged pups can have a little go and usually end up wriggling and laughing :laugh:

The size of the crate would depend on how much room you have combined with how long you intend to use the crate. If you don't plan on crating the dog as an adult and only want to use the crate to help with the house training, then there's probably no need to buy a crate big enough for an adult. Honestly, with an adult the bigger the better (within reason :laugh: ) The cheaper crates could be poor quality or they could be good quality without the markup. If you don't intend to move the crate around and fold/unfold it constantly it's not such a biggy really, but if it's going to be travelling a lot I would definitely buy the more expensive version whether this is online or in store. The advantage with buying in-store is obviously you can check out the quality. With a smaller dog like a Boston you want to check things such as the finish and the make of the hinges and clips - you could probably stint on the strength of the actual wire itself (which saves weight and cost)

x2

Thanks for the link

Might look you up for next time! (There is always a next time :D )

Good thought - we're not far from the Gatton campus :-) Can you tell me how to contact the right people?

I urgently need some contacts for a dog sitter, for the 13-15th of September we're just West of Ipswich (Qld). Would have to live in, quiet secure neighbourhood :)

Why is it an either-or thing? A good dog must: have the correct temperament for it's breed, be healthy, be physically capable of performing the function of the breed (so a Peke & a Border Collie don't have to have the same physical abilities), must fit (insert % required) of the breed standard. This last one is the point where compromises can be made - because there's always something that needs improving and it's up to the individual breeder to decide what of those points are acceptable to them personally. Me, I have very definite physical things I won't do without on a Stafford, and other things I don't care either way - but the first three things are absolutely non-negotiable to me.

Too young, much too young. The fact that this "breeder" would even suggest it proves a) they care nothing for the welfare of their puppies b) they don't know anything about caring for puppies and c) they refuse to follow the COE. Can you give me any reason why you want to give your money and risk your heart with such people? Choose another breeder!