Sandra777

Phone every vet you can. Phone the secretary of every breed club you can think of, the foster mum can be quite a lot bigger than the real mum at a pinch Phone every breeder you can think of Best of luck!

Limited camping is allowed for certain events. Camping is allowed over Easter for example, not sure about when else. Would pay to phone Dogs NSW and ask?

You have just described the Staffordshire Bull Terrier temperament to a T except for the piece I have bolded. ' Similarity between Labradors & SBT - both have been cursed with a fabulous temperament which is totally misunderstood by people who assume that the well bred, well trained ones they see are just born that way. I agree with whoever said a Labrador puppy and a young family (novice/uninformed owner) is a recipe for disaster. Labs are perceived as being perfect dogs because of the well trained ones people see via Guide Dogs etc.

Not at the nearest PP store for sure. They are not generally medium sized and as for non shedding and even temperament :rolleyes: ;) Because as well as the non shedding medium sized even temperament myth, people believe the ''there's no such thing as a bad dog'' myth. Sorry there are ''bad'' dogs born - genetically programmed to be hyperactive, reactive, nervous and unreliable (as well as to shed and be enormous!)

Chicken thigh including the bone or just the meat? If she eats them bone and all then I wouldn't worry about her at all.

But just what niche is that? For a dog which is perceived to be non-shedding and isn't, calm and intelligent and isn't, healthier than either parent breed and isn't? If you want a ''non shedding'' breed which is larger than a Bichon but not a Standard Poodle then what's wrong with a Portuguese Water Dog, Standard or Giant Schnauzer, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lagotto, the list is pretty extensive. What is wrong with them is the general public doesn't know about them! Appologies if this is going OT but I don't know much about many of these dogs mentioned either other than most are non-shedding. What are their tempraments like? Would they be a match to people who are looking for a labradoodle (I know that labradoodles don't exactly have a standard temperament but I guess I am trying to say are they biddable, happy go lucky family dog similar to a labrador). The Labrador x Poodles I have met have been, without exception, crazy nasty b*****ds and two were very keen on biting the children that were present. Biddable and happy go lucky - not a chance! Neither did they LOOK much like a Labrador (one actually looked like a Bouvier) and neither would I say the average poorly bred Labrador is invariably a good family pet any more than the average poorly bred cross bred "doodle'' Portuguese Water Dog - intelligent, think for themselves and adore being with people. Need a job, no different to any other intelligent dog - such as oh, let me think, oh yes a Poodle or Labrador. Standard Schnauzer - perky, intelligent, confident. A bit more "dog'' than a Miniature Schnauzer, a little more aloof perhaps?, but IMO more sensible and more trustworthy than the average pet Mini Schnauzer because I think too much of the pet Mini market has been acquired by BYBs. Giant Schnauzer, not a dog I would recommend to the sort of person who believes a Labrador x Poodle is going to automatically be biddable and happy go lucky similar to a Labrador. Soft Coated Wheaten is a Terrier through and through, Kerry Blue even more so. Fabulous dogs in the hands of the right person Lagottos are often described as intelligent and calm natured but being intelligent, again would not be great for someone who believes a Labrador x Poodle is going to automatically not shed and will behave like one of those mythical biddable Labradors. ETA: just an aside. ALL DOGS SHED. Even the great Labrador x Poodle sheds. EVERYTHING WITH HAIR WOOL OR FUR SHEDS! Even sheep shed.

It could well depends very much on the history of your bitch's family. Go back to her breeder and ask them for her family's history. I have been breeding Staffords for over 30 years and have two quite distinct experiences. One family, going back 6 generations has never needed a caesar. My other family are quite different, some do some don't. All up probably 1 in 12 litters over the years has been a caesar, just off the top of my head. Generally speaking if the bitch has a caesar I won't breed from her again, unless the caesar was because of a puppy laid incorrectly, so this would cut down my numbers a fair bit. The two bitches I have bred from after a caesar on their first litter both whelped normally. One had a third litter normally too. Do you have an experienced person to help you? It's always better IMO to avoid an ''emergency'' situation with a caesar. Line your vet up to do the caesar earlier rather than later is my way of thinking - no point being able to ''boast'' that the bitch whelped naturally if half the pups died before they had a chance and the bitch is absolutely exhausted and unable to care for the pups properly. ETA: Cost - have at least $2000 set aside. I have never paid more than $1100 and that was a shock, but I know of other Stafford breeders who have paid twice that recently. Ask your vet for a price and for a mobile number you can contact them on regardless of the time of day.

Not knowing your specific experience perhaps a generalisation is not appropriate but the vast majority of people I have dealt with over the (many) years who end up in a huff and saying we're a bunch of elitist snobs HAVE been told why good breeders care about where their puppies go - it's just they don't want to hear that they're not suitable owner for the breed they have in mind (or a pet rock in some circumstances) or they aren't allowed to breed from their PET ONLY puppy or they can't have xyz colour with abc markings just because they want one. I'd explain it this way. If you want to buy a fridge that will keep stuff cold, by all means go along to your nearest discount retailer and buy the cheapest one they have. Set aside a similar amount because in a couple of years time you will no doubt be buying another one. If you want to buy a fridge that will look good in your kitchen, has good technology inside and will either stand the test of time or be covered by a proper warranty, then do some research, check out your brands and choose the best brand for your purpose and price.

Have her tonsils checked

But just what niche is that? For a dog which is perceived to be non-shedding and isn't, calm and intelligent and isn't, healthier than either parent breed and isn't? If you want a ''non shedding'' breed which is larger than a Bichon but not a Standard Poodle then what's wrong with a Portuguese Water Dog, Standard or Giant Schnauzer, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lagotto, the list is pretty extensive. What is wrong with them is the general public doesn't know about them!

I have owned bitches which have never been spayed and others which have been spayed quite late in life. I have had ONE bitch with mammary tumors and these were easily dealt with and did not recur. Seriously, you need to know and understand the risk of mammary tumors in your bitch's breed and family before you worry about the "risk'' at all. Some breeds have a bad track record for cancers and some families within those breeds have a worse record for mammary tumors than other sorts of tumors. To me, the risk of spay incontinence would outweigh the risk of mammary tumours and I would never recommend anyone get a bitch pup from me spayed prior to her first season.

Coffee splunk. That gave me an image of a dog in camo gear toting a machine gun

Difficult one as even 0/0 parents can produce severely affected pups. HD is not purely genetic, a huge part of it is in how the pup is raised. An experienced PennHip vet can palpatate the hips at this age and gauge laxity and give you an idea of what may be ahead. If I was in your position I would seek one out, as well as researching very carefully what you need to do to raise this puppy so nothing you do contributes to whatever genetic baggage it has. You may find it easier to return the pup, but there is no guarantee that if you buy a pup from 0/0 parents next time you're going to be any better off than you are now.

Bundy's mum - you will find there are moves afoot to make the minimum age for flying 12 weeks, which is stupid because of the fear period factors but doesn't surprise me as I've always thought that those people who want to make out they care about our dogs more than we do don't know squat about dogs at all.....

Be careful about running in to the first fear period.

I've sent a few pups interstate and never had an issue until the last one when Dogtainers managed to not make the booking despite having the credit card details and having confirmation from both me and the new owner of the date and flight needed. Worked out in the end but the new owner ended up having to pay for a puppy crate they didn't want and an extra $20 freight bill. The pups have always arrived perfectly happily and well. I tend to send them closer to 9 weeks than 8 weeks but don't know this makes a huge difference really. BUT! I haven't flown one in Australia anywhere they've needed to change flights. Did do so in NZ and never had an issue, but the temperature usually isn't an additional worry over there! I have always taken the pup to the airport myself but we're not far (about 1/2 an hour) and it's really very simple - but if you're hours away it may well be a different issue.

$25 for a fecal count here, way cheaper than filling up dogs with unnecessary chemicals and the results for the last 3 tests have all shown they would have been unnecessary chemicals.

You don't treat with intestinal wormers as a precaution - they only work against worms the dog actually has at the time. Why not find out if they actually have anything to treat before you even start? Heartworm, totally different story. I use dimmitrol monthly chews and find them very cost effective (up to 20kg version for my 5)

You seem very wound up about dog wormers - have you had a fecal count done and found out if they even have worms?

For the first few days (assuming mum is still fully participating in the feeding ) I'd give a ball of mince - human grade - about the size of the pup's muzzle. With mine I actually start with scraped meat (they're smaller than Labs) but the same sort of amount. Once everyone is eating happily up the amount slowly to something about the size of the pup's skull. I never feed sloppy food to pups either.

Yep - a lot of mine do this on their first and sometimes even second heat, then come in properly about 5-6 weeks after you already thought they did.

This is something I never knew, after going to shows for 3 years, one of those showing my own girl, I only ever saw dogs entered into one class. I'm gathering it's not a common thing? When looking at the beagle results from crufts, I noticed there was a dog that was entered and placed three times. He came 2nd in his first class and 1st in the other two classes. But can I assume because he was a beaten dog in that first class, he couldn't go in for the challenge? Is this a common thing? I can't say I've seen it in our breed. I just thought if a dog was entered, it was into one class and that was it? Think you can't do it in Qld Erin. Could be wrong as I've never actually looked in to it. Yep, if it's beaten in one class even if it wins every other class it's entered it can't compete for the CC. Quite common to enter multiple classes in the UK, but woooo the cost!!!!!

Get a softer sort of bone with plenty of meat on it - chicken thigh would be good. Sear it very lightly in a frying pan as this helps release the flavour a bit - even add some butter to make it more tasty. Cut the meat/skin in towards the bone so there's plenty of places for her to get started. Wait until it's cool or you'll put her off even more then give it to her in a quiet place and leave her to it. Chances are that to start with she may not eat the bone, but learning to rip up the meat is a start.

Nope, can't say I've ever had that problem. Dogs fed mostly/completely on dry food them given chicken including the fatty skin could well have problems due to the fat content - if they were given a fatty lamb bone the same thing would probably happen. Some dogs are allergic to chicken even though it's usually touted for allergies.

No experience with this (don't do cats) but I'd say from an animal's perspective a Bull Terrier is a pretty distinctive shape - perhaps Squid doesn't recognise other breeds as being dogs at all? Be interesting to know if a cat that lived with Boxers freaked out at the sight of a Greyhound but was OK with Bostons & Frenchies!