Sandra777

Need photo Fits the breed standard - exactly what does this mean to you? The number of Staffords in NZ with correct fronts is very small (and I am not speaking from photos ) No such thing as a dog of any breed which fits the breed standard in all ways (not even those rare blues )

Maturity (you're boy's only young isn't he?) genetics good food and walking. If the dog has short upper arms and/or straight shoulders the last thing you want to do is add muscle to it so consider your own dog before you do anything and always remember a lot of judges really don't have any idea what a Stafford is meant to look like so don't believe everything you are told whether they're a judge or not

It's easy to make the right decision with hindsight, but I cannot believe that someone would allow a pup to get that sick without it occurring to them that it was critically ill and even if they couldn't take the poor thing to a vet themselves, make some sort of arrangement for SOMEONE to do so. Yes work can be difficult for some to organise around - my workplace makes it simple, I know not everyone is that fortunate.

Huh?? - how can you sell someone a dog and not know where they live? Ok - perhaps they have moved in the meantime..... IMO the bitch shouldn't be taken somewhere, they should find someone who knows what they're doing to come to the place where the bitch is most comfortable and settled - her home. Cannot believe how people continue to breed without having the faintest idea of what they're doing, makes me sooooo angry. Tell them to buy "The Book of The Bitch" and have a read up.

Why would you pay anything at all for such a diabolically mixed up mutt? In a way I can understand the price tag for SWF's, people think they're cute (I'm not one of them ) but Pom x GSD x Kelpie

I have used a citronella collar on four different dogs. On three it worked brilliantly, the forth would bark until he was soaked in the stuff and really did not care. If they work they do so very quickly and IMO with much less fuss than a lot of other methods. Only downside, not much use if the dog learns when it's on and when it's not, or even better when it's on and working and when it's not (run out of spray or battery). Also, no use at all if there's another dog with a collar chewing fetish around....

My Greyhound was an extrovert - race bred but raised with Staffords, she was dynamite! I wouldn't say I've met a lot of sighthounds but few of them have been timid - many are definitely aloof or reserved or snobby as someone already mentioned but I've met more timid gundogs than sighthounds!

I would put up a visual barrier and see how it goes. Shade cloth might look the best as a temporary solution but it might not help as the other dog will still be able to see through it so perhaps you'd need to use something solid - cheap sheets of hardboard, particle board type thing. We live next door to a dog that does this too, our dogs have learned to ignore him, except when he charges the fence growling and snarling, that's too much to expect any dog to ignore Fortunately the side of the house where he lives doesn't seem to be their preferred place, they certainly aren't scared of him but perhaps think that because everytime they reacted to him we told them to get away so they've generalised it to the whole area, not just the area right near the fence? What does the neighbour do while their dog is carrying on all day?

My dogs are in dog runs - 2metres wide, 4 metres long, in a corner of the yard which is away from either neighbours house and garage, away from the rear fence (over which is a reserve) and back from the front fence. They have kennels which will keep them dry but not really intended to keep them warm or cool as they're not out if it's cold (as in below 5 degrees, freezing for Queensland!) and if it's stupidly hot they're inside in their crates in the aircon. I have always kennelled my dogs when I am out. If I'm going out for 1/2 an hour I will leave the oldest one outside for that amount of time, but the rest are either kennelled or in their crates. Reasons.... 1) They're Staffords. If something happens to get them over excited and they started fighting when no one was home to intervene one of the dogs would almost certainly die. 2) Any dog is capable of having a brain storm and deciding to give fence jumping/barging/digging a shot, especially if there's something exciting happening at the neighbour's place. They get out, they get on the road, they die (Staffords don't understand anything can hurt them, especially a mere car ) 3) Nutters abound. Opening a gate just for the hell of it is the least they could do. I don't worry about people climbing over the fence, all that would happen here is they would get licked to death, different breed could have a different result though. I worry about someone throwing something harmful over the fence (we live next door to a problem dog, nutters can easily get the address wrong )

Like them a lot for covering all manner of sins on a close coated dog that likes to run through things instead of around things, wouldn't have thought they'd be the right thing for a long coat though - as someone else mentioned, very heavy product! Not really much different to the olden days when we used liquid shoe nugget for the same job

I'd wait, no reason to over tax his system with chemicals.

I can't figure out why it has to be made so complicated. The minimum number of challenges you can make a grand in is 40. Why not just have you can be a grand if you can make 1000 points in 50 CCs or 55 CCs. If they're All Breed BiS 25 pointers or Speciality Show 25 pointers doesn't matter. As for dividing champions and grand champions into other classes. No. a) if they can still compete for the CC against all the others it only gives a lazy or incompetent judge a good hint about which one to put up. b) if they can't compete for the CC then all it does is create an assembly line situation for champions, hop on one end, get off the other when the guy in front of you is finished. Sorry, too much obsession with titles IMO. I think it would be a great idea to recognise a dog or bitch who produces the goods. Perhaps a percentage of the pups produced though rather than an actual number (eg just say 50% of a bitch's progeny - then it doesn't matter if she has two litters of 15 and produces 15 champions or one litter of 2 and produces 1 champion). OK - I have no idea what to do about uneven numbers in this scenario :D

4 Babies here last night - Diva wasn't due until Wednesday 3 dogs, 1 bitch all dark brindle YIIPPPPPEEEEEEEEE!!!!! We really want a boy from this mating. Nope, no pictures - no charged batteries

White Rose at Walloon gets lots of recommendations on here. But as daisygirl said, you'll be lucky to get a booking anywhere you'd actually want to leave your dogs this late!

No probs - will let you know about the postage!

First in best dressed Let me know a post code and I'll find out how much postage I have to gouge outta you on Monday

My old digital camera will be going to the recycling bin in the sky on Wednesday if no one wants it Fuji Finepix S3000. Has to be getting on for 8 to 10 years old. 6 x optical zoom , 3.2 mega pixels ( ) 16mb card 128mb card Software Instruction book Has the screw on ring to attach additional lenses Does 30 or 40 second video No batteries Works 100% perfectly, just old and obsolete Anyone interested?

Was there any discussion about spaying her, aborting the pups without spaying her or what would happen if she became the proud mamma of 15 puppies with 15 different sires?

I had a bitch who used to act as if she did't know us if we went away for more than 3 or 4 days. Our explanation was that she was snobbing us, but I doubt dogs feel the need to play mind games She could be confused about the changes that have happened over the last month and unsure about her relationship with you now. You possibly smell different having been in hospital and this may remind her of something unpleasant she experienced. Just act normally and I'd be confident she'll come around quickly. Hope you're feeling better!

That's my point Sandra. Breeders generally breed to keep something for themselves. Buying from someone who shows where you do, you're likely to be up against the breeders pick pups. Its not any dirty dealing, just the reality of competing against the person who bred and picked what they wanted before selling on. Huh? I sell pick bitch because I want to keep a dog and that's BAD news for a newby?? Surely the logic applies regardess of where the pup comes from then - a breeder will only ever sell the second (or third or fourth) best pup - which means the second or third or fourth best pup goes elsewhere and competes with the first pick pup from other breeders. Perhaps in breeds where it's practical to house a dozen adults it's different, but the majority of Stafford people have very small "kennels".

Glad I'm not in your breed PF Didn't actually suggest they buy local just educate themselves locally but if I have a litter and have a couple of show potential pups, I'm happy to sell the other one locally where I can keep an eye on it rather than sell it a million miles away never to be seen again. I have a bitch from my last litter and her sister lives literally 3 minutes drive from me and we show against her all the time. So far, she's kicking our butt I have a litter due next Wednesday and am desperate for a dog from this cross (sure way to make sure it's all bitches of course!), if there's a top notch bitch I'm hardly planning on sending her to outer mongolia so I never get to see her again! ETA: and if you plan on showing good Staffords, going to a speciality will only make you very angry and depressed you when you go back to the all breeds arena in Qld - what wins under those that know the breed bears little resemblence to what wins at all breeds up here!

What happened to the dogs you showed previously? I wouldn't be recommending that most people attempt a Stafford and an Iggy in the same household.... When I said there's some good breeders in Qld I was meaning that you need to be able to physically go to someone's house (for preference) and spend time talking to them, examining their dogs and discuss the pros and cons of the dogs in front of you. Unless you fancy a prolonged road trip (which maybe you do! ) IMO you need to start close to home, especially with a breed where you don't know the ins and outs of the bloodlines you want to study.... You don't need to end up buying from these people, and the good ones will direct you to other breeders who have dogs more like what you are looking for if their type isn't what you like. First thing you need to decide is what type do you actually prefer...

Don't buy a dog because you want a show dog, buy a dog because it's the dog you want to own - even the busiest show dog isn't in the ring for more than an hour a week, what do you do with it for the rest of the time? Sounds like you've got this one sorted but I do suggest you find out a lot more about the breed before deciding it is the breed for you. There's lots of narking and nit picking and people not being honest with themselves in any breed, but if you ignore the person with the most to say and make a point of hanging out with the people who don't spend their entire time at the show running everyone else down but laugh and have fun and enjoy being with their dogs and their friends, then you're probably ahead of the game As for standing out - well having a good dog, well trained, well conditioned and handled well is always a helpful :D You will probably find it quite difficult to buy a show potential puppy from an ethical breeder - there's not many breeding at the moment because of the difficulty in selling pups due to the blue craze and the explosion of BYBs, so be prepared to be patient and if you hook up with the right people you'll learn a lot while your waiting. There's some very good breeders in Qld, and unfortunately a large number of very bad ones

What sort of tips are you looking for? Best advice would be go to a few shows and avoid talking to the person who has the loudest voice, they're invariably going to be the one who knows the least ;)

Personally I don't worm at all unless there is evidence through a fecal count that it's necessary and no, I don't as a general rule worm an in whelp bitch because I've never found evidence it's necessary. I don't supplement calcium prior to labour, but you really do need to base your decision on the breed, her family history and the advice of her breeder who (I hope!) knows the ins and outs of the history of her family. As for worming after birth, again unless you have some sort of evidence it's necessary, there really is no rush that I can understand. Worm the pups at 2 weeks, worm the bitch the following day has been the way I've always done it. I only use pills, never pour ons for any of mine - Endoguard, Drontal, just rotate them IMO. With pups usually the things you want to worm for are round worms rather than anything "complicated" like hydatids tapeworm.