Sandra777

Should be fine - mine are fine with them.

Your post is about changing the standard by which dogs are bred and judged and gain titles. If you have no interest in showing why do you care what the breed standard says? There have been many thousands of blues bred in Australia and the UK in the last few years yet you can count the number who have won anything in the show ring, let alone gained their title, on the fingers of one hand. Do you honestly believe this is ONLY because the standard requires a black nose? Blues have won in the UK. Blues have won in Australia. Blues have won under specialists in both the UK and Australia. The standard says nose black yet these dogs still won...... so where do you really think the problem lies - with the standard's odd requirement for a black nose regardless of colour which is obviously not strictly adhered to (otherwise no blue would ever have won anywhere) or perhaps there is some other explanation for this almost total lack of success? When the majority of people who breed blues get their act together and show they actually want to breed good quality healthy Staffords, then perhaps they will get support to have the standard changed.

Yep - feel your pain. Just another example of poor dog ownership on the part of the parents.

I think you would be less confused if you had actually read and understood my original statement instead of taking one part and using it out of context.. my original answer to you was... I would have a look at the blues which are champions and study their actual virtues. Then have a look at their show record - have they ever won in top company, have they ever been placed at a breed speciality, what is the standard of competition they have been shown against. The fact that a dog is a champion is really no reflection on it's actual quality. The bolded bits are the really relevant bits to the point I was making, not your fixation on titles

That's an interesting statement - just what is the point then of these competitions if the achievements and wins mean nothing, being no reflection on a dogs "actual quality"?? Obviously you have very little experience with conformation showing. Attending dog shows is about comparing your dogs with another person's dogs through the use of a judge who (allegedly) knows something about the breed. I never said WINS meant nothing I said titles gained don't necessarily mean the dog is the bees knees. Me - I'd rather own and breed from dogs which are consistently placed under breed specialists in the best of company. Whether these wins and placings lead to a title is pretty much irrelevant to me. So me thinking that wins and achievements in the show ring leading to a dog attaining Championship status, indicates that a dog can't be completely woeful, automatically means that I have very little experience with conformation showing - nice. What I originally said was that there have been some blues titled so they can't all be completely woeful, not that they must be the bees knees or top quality - just not completely woeful. No need for judgements of my experience based on that statement. Believing that a dog can't be completely woeful and still be a champion does in itself indicate a considerable lack of experience.

That's an interesting statement - just what is the point then of these competitions if the achievements and wins mean nothing, being no reflection on a dogs "actual quality"?? Obviously you have very little experience with conformation showing. Attending dog shows is about comparing your dogs with another person's dogs through the use of a judge who (allegedly) knows something about the breed. I never said WINS meant nothing I said titles gained don't necessarily mean the dog is the bees knees. Me - I'd rather own and breed from dogs which are consistently placed under breed specialists in the best of company. Whether these wins and placings lead to a title is pretty much irrelevant to me.

IF I found a good quality blue I would use it in a breeding programme even though it's blue nose is not strictly speaking in the standard, so this is not a reason either. I would have a look at the blues which are champions and study their actual virtues. Then have a look at their show record - have they ever won in top company, have they ever been placed at a breed speciality, what is the standard of competition they have been shown against. The fact that a dog is a champion is really no reflection on it's actual quality.

I think you will find that the PRIMARY reason why ethical breeders shun blues has very little reason to do with the colour of the nose.

Mystiqview - I think Logan has very recently revamped their dog laws, especially in relation to CCCQ members. Jeanne - check out their website as suggested but check that you are getting the updated info. Logan's probably too far out for you anyway, but you never know

Pretty much what mini girl said - different councils different rules. Brisbane City Council is apparently pretty easy to get a permit from if you are a CCCQ member and live in a suitable place. I think 4 is their limit? Puppies are meant to be registered at 3 months until then they don't count. Ipswich on 2000 m2 or more is up to 4 dogs with no permit. Less than 2000m2 is 2 dogs and I don't think permits are too hard to get provided you are a CCCQ member - again 3 or 4 would be their limit Registration fees vary from council to council, no life time registration up here (ETA: for entire dogs) it's an annual tax

Yes, one quite near - but it'd be a chilly day down below the day I go there!

No experience with CKCS but with bull breeds an undershot jaw virtually never corrects itself and I would be sending the pup back for the breeder to take the risk if you are serious about showing. Examine her premolars - if they lineup correctly you have more chance of her mouth coming right.

Sorry. I just don't see the point. If the stallion was such a fantastic sire he would have produced sons and daughters better than himself - so use them instead. Using animals from the past and using the same animal endlessly (which is what cloning and breeding from clones is) means you haven't progressed. Disclaimer: in breeds with tiny gene pools and major genetic issues I could see the appeal in using genetics from known clear stock no matter how old they are!

Never actually changed breeds as such, but I have had other breeds apart from my main one (Staffords). If you know you're in a position to do what the 'new' breed needs (in my case one was a heavily coated breed) and it's a breed you click with - then it's probably the right time to do it. Any reason you always thought this breed wasn't really for you - reasons that might turn out to be valid in two or three years - or did you always just think you knew the breed and it turned out you were mistaken? This would be the only thing that would make me think again, but if I was just wrong about the breed and now have the right information then I'd go where my heart was leading.

Try to figure out WHY he's barking before worrying about how to stop it. What sort of barking is it - continuous warning barking or more a 'hey where are you' bark? What is different about your yard once it gets dark - bats arrive? neighbour over the back lets their dog out? neighbour's kids start playing in a room near your fence? Someone's cat turns up? Without knowing why he's barking or even what sort of barking it is, no one here can even hazard a guess at the best way to stop it.

Inside, no reason to antagonise the neighbour and if he's not been left outside for more than a couple of hours, who knows what he (Archer, not the neighbour!) might get up to. Confined inside so he can't trash the place and left with his toys he should be fine. Another word with the neighbout might not hurt either.

What were they doing to her when she was crying? Did you actually see what was going on when she was crying? As for what wasn't done, give them a call and mention it. You should have mentioned it before you paid and took her away so they had a chance to rectify the issue but I can guess that you may have had other things on your mind right then

Oh, OK - ANTI-yeast tablets is bit different to the original post in which you stated the dog was on yeast tablets

Mange is caused by mites. Why is the dog on yeast tablets? Increasing the amount of yeast in a system usually only makes skin issues worse. The fact that it started on the face and legs suggests it is likely mange but unfortunately skin scrappings don't always help. It could be sarcoptic mange - do they have contact with foxes or places foxes could be? This is a common source of sarcoptic mange. Have they ever had anything like this before?

Here in Queensland sometimes there is no General Specials judged at open shows - so if you win Best of Group or Puppy of Group or whatever you don't get to compete for Best in Show or Puppy in Show etc, don't know if this is the case in NSW? Apart from the championship points as already mentioned this would be the only other difference between champ shows and open shows. Good experience and not very expensive!

She's booked in for a chiro visit on Wednesday but she really isn't acting like a dog with a pinched nerve (had one of those) bad enough to cause the severe reaction she gets - but that said she is a real woozy about pain so it could be something very minor causing a major reaction or it could be something more severe which only occurs occasionally (well twice so far!). Will certainly keep you posted. She is getting electrolytes with her evening meal for now as that's a simple place to start. Unfortunately picking up everything she might eat but shouldn't isn't an option unless I cut down the neighbours trees and kill all the birds she attracts to her garden, so if I eliminate everything else and it still happens I'll go back to my original guess of a simple stomach ache. Dogs!

Yes - only 1st degree inbreeding is not allowed - father-daughter, brother-sister, mother-son. The mating you describe is linebreeding and not incredibly close at that IF the dog in question (the common ancestor) is an outcross to everything else in the pedigree.

Thanks fifi - that's certainly one to consider. She has always been one for bursts of rapid exercises followed by heavy panting. Curiously I dremelled her nails two nights ago which she hates with a passion (goes absolutely rigid and basically shuts her eyes and thinks of England ) I can't remember for certain if I did them a day or so before the previous incident. Increased stress levels is one of the things mentioned in the quick google search I did. Love the DoL brains trust!

Father-daughter, brother-sister and mother-son not allowed without permission. No rules on line breeding, only in breeding ;)

What causes the cramping though? Electrolyte imbalance is the simplest explanation I would think? She does tend to be fussy about the water she drinks (unless it's a muddy puddle of course - they're always OK)and does pant a lot even in this weather as she charges around like a nutter and works very hard on her walks. Any harm in giving electrolyte's when there's no proven issue?