Janba

I have 1 dog with an excellent recall - about 99.9 % reliable even with distractions like bitches in season and the same with an emergency stop that has come from sheep dog training. The others recall and stop is not quite so reliable as his hasn't had the same level of training. Both have a good stay. I have always believed that my dogs need a reliable drop and stay so that if something happens (like separated by a busy road)I cann drop them and tell them to stay and go and get them. My last dally (RIP) was no where as reliable as the borders so was only allowed off leash in places it was safe.

I would like to be able to get to another herding trial and get a pass over 85 on both A and B course. If I do that Cole will be eligible for both his Grand Herding Champion and his Versatile Herding Champion. I didn't manage to trial this year and probably won't next year either. H.Ch Cole Laird of Night of Ohutu HXAs HXBs HSAd HSBd (imp NZ)

CL is non treatable, is inherited and fatal. It is a horrible disease and one that the DNA status of all breeding Border Collies should be known before they are bred from. I don't know if a DNA test is available for breeds other than Border Collies. http://www.bccnsw.com/cl.html

Sorry to read this, Run free Angel

I will second this comment.

What about the dalmatian gene mutation that makes them unable to metabolise purines and ;lead to uric acid bladder stones and gout? It is not a modern example but shows the outcome of breeding with affected and carrier dogs as there is now not a purebred dalmatian worldwide who is not homozygous for the mutation. The only exceptions are the back cross dalmatians where a pointer was introduced in the 70s to reintroduce the normal gene. http://www.luadalmatians.com/ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107071818.htm

The FB link goes to the group (Adelaide Malamute & Husky Owners) of the man it happened to posted in not a shared post, and has a lot more detail. It is frightenong that someone could be so brazen in the attempts to steal dogs.

I have 2 breeds that shed. The BCs shed as they change coat and of them sheds hair by hair son lots of sweeping and vacuuming, the other sheds clump by clumps so I just pickup a clump as I see it. The dally shed 52 weeks of the year, the white hair sticks to anything dark and the coloured hair to anything light. Do I care - no because I love my breeds and the compensation for owning them far outweights the bit of extra housework.

Maybe it is just doing some training after all anyone can train, they just can not enter ANKC tests and trials. The person insisted that the poodle was competing officially. Weird. I only just read this. There are no poodles competing in ANKC trials in NSW and I haven't seen one at training - though I haven't been to evey training day. There was a joke going round where we called a shaved almost totally black working BC a labradoodle. The dog is a purebred standard poodle. Think it is shown too as she said something about it herding in its show clip. Definitely not competing in sheep herding - its not allowed. They may be doing treiball which can be called ball herding but its not an official sport yet.

Maybe it is just doing some training after all anyone can train, they just can not enter ANKC tests and trials. The person insisted that the poodle was competing officially. Weird. I only just read this. There are no poodles competing in ANKC trials in NSW and I haven't seen one at training - though I haven't been to evey training day. There was a joke going round where we called a shaved almost totally black working BC a labradoodle.

Pauls premium kibble at $25 for an 18kg bag (meat as main ingredient and nothing artificial which is 1 bag per 3 weeks in winter and 1 per 4 weeks in summer. Approximately 100gm of wet food a day at an average of $1 a day - eggs, sardines, dog roll, meat etc;. I also go through 1 10kg bag of winning edge 2 x 2 biscuits every 2 months which is similar to Box 1 but cheaper. So for 3 dogs approximately $15 a week in winter & $17 in summer. ETA Heartworm is valueheart bought on special normally for about $18 for 6 tablets. Worming is a tablet the same as drontal but costing $1 per tablet to do a 10kg dog. Flea treatment is the same chemical as advantage but costs $1 per dog per dose. My dogs are all in the 20 = 25kg range If I wasn't currently so poor my feed of choice would be VAN as for the short time I fed it the dogs looked superb.

I know a border collie that plucks grass as she works and she does it at other times as well. When working it seems to be a mixture of stress and excitement and at other times, such as dinner time, it is excitement.

He is a dalmatian and dalmatians can be the greediest dogs on the planet - worse than labs and I have lived with both. I had one that learnt how to open the fridge and I had to put a lock on it to stop self service. After 30 years of living with dallies it is habit that anything that is not appropriate to disappear down a dally throat is high or behind a closed door. He is also still a puppy. Have him checked out for any physical problems but you may just have a greedy dal. Be careful about the amount of beef you feed him because of the purine levels particularly in a male dogs with their narrower urethra. I feed red meat a couple of times a week and the rest chicken or fish. I agree with the others and do activities with him to stimulate his mind and tire him out. Dallies do have active minds and will find things to do like eat if not mentally stimulated. ETA I only give Mishka about 100g of red meat when she does get it.

Janba...can you tell me the name of the product you are on please :) Rose-Hip Vital with GOPO. The human formula is the same as the dog one except it comes as a capsule as well as powder.

I haven't had a dog on it but I take it for my bad knees. It has worked wonders and I no longer wake in the middle of the night in pain and can kneel almost pain free for the first time in years.

I agree. Cole would rather work sheep do anything else but being allowed to work sheep is a reward that comes from me.

I've trained border collies in both tracking and when sheep are around the nose never goes to the ground. Dogs do and can differentiate between different ativities. ETA I have also done obedience, tracking and the games you describe with my dalmatians and have never had a problem with sniffing during obedience. You need to make the work rewarding in itself. Sniffing can be displacement activity from confusion or boredom.

The ANKC does ahve a have a Canine Health & Welfare Committee and I know it is active. State CC should also have working parties or committees. One of the problems is that ANKC registered dogs only account for about 20% of the dog population in Aus so for an Aus wide health data base you would also need to enlist the breeders of cross breeds etc who probably don't care. The ANKC probably isn't interested in the health concerns of the crosses either. There are plenty of breed specific databases and plenty of breed clubs thgat push health education to the general public. I know my BC club pushed genetic testing and disease awareness to the public recently regardless of whether theyb were looking at ANKC registered dogs or not after the recent cases of TNS & CL affected BYB BCs.

I love DOL when it decides to go for someone DogsAndTheMob is OK and probably a lot more knowledgeable than a lot of DOL members

I would too with the choice of dogs used for breeding and it is still the case in many working registries. Te original border collie registry - the ISDS - predates any KC registry for the breed by 50 or so years and it is still the largest BC registry and the ISDS dogs are still bred for ability. You can trace pedigrees further back than the official stud book but the are farmers records. One of the reasons I've been told why the ANKC doesn't recognsise the ISDS is that they don't have a breed standard but generations of breeding for ability produces a dog that is obviously a BC. Almost every other KC recognises them and will register them on their equivalent of the MR. I would think that official working records of some of the hounds are far older and that they are still bred on ability in many countries.

I don't know about the first breed standard but I would think the first pedigree dog would go back to when people first started recording pedigrees for their own breeding records which as HW says probably predates Christ

If asked I'd happily give them out, I've nothing to hide I just don't put them in the puppy packs. I guess it's because not one breeder I've ever brought a dog from did so I didn't think it was all that important. My latest pet puppy people didn't even care about the pedigree papers or even want to see the health tests I think it depends on the breed and the health tests. BCs have 3 DNA tests and I have done 3 clear to carrier matings so sighting the clear DNA test is important.

I give PDF copies of Cole's health tests to breeders enquiring about using him (who I would let use him) and to some people who have enquired where they can get a pup by him. I also assume that people who use him give copies to their puppy buyers.

My dogs hip and elbow scores are handwritten on the printed forms and signed by the scorer (Wyburn) not typed onto the form. All his details are also handwritten on the score sheet by me and it is signed by me and the vet taking the Xrays.

Curash powder is soothing and can be put on from a distance = the cream is a bit harder. ETA just read about drying out. I use it for a lot of things but have both forms. Maybe be a bit careful with the powder. Cold calendula tea is also soothing and can be sprayed on.