whippets

Anyone know of a good dog behaviourist in Melbourne? appreciate it

Anyone know of a good dog behaviourist in Melbourne? appreciate it

If I knew how to make hair grow I would make a cream sell it to bald guys and be a multi billion-aire

plenty of show tips on Youtube.....for free

I've had my fibreglass whelp box since 1986. Wouldn't get anything else. I just wish the sides were a little bit higher as the pups escape from 3 weeks of age onwards. I like that the pig rails are removable on mine.

lots of people have had issues with FX. I'd personally go for a Davcar.

Nothing worse than seeing 2 70+ year old ladies going fist to cuffs over who had the best fruit cake.

The Cake Ladies at ag shows are the worst!!!!

Getting back to dogs:

1/ It's harder to keep dogs now with all the council bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through. Alot of breeders have thrown theirs hands up and given up.

2/ Face judging is and will always be around. But with that being said, get yourself (or breed) a great show dog and it will win.

3/ We live in PC world. Some people get overly sensitive about the tiniest things.

4/ If you really know what kind of person you are, any crap that anyone else says should just wash over you.

Gee the PIAA certainly have their own head firmly implanted into their own ass.

Yes. the formula is

(required strength / stock strength) x (stock volume / 1) =

you need to convert them both to the same metric weight and volume. (ie: can't use grams and kg's)

Some pups go through a second fear period somewhere between 8 and 16 months. If it's that, I'd spell her until her she comes out the other side of that.

It would depend on breed when we had afghans we found that you never left them at home at age as that is when you could lose them totally.

I agree. I spelled out a whippet for 6 months and he never came back. A gorgeous looking dog ended up in a pet home

I've seen people wear "earthy browns/oranges/ochres" with the blue cattledogs and it looks quite nice.

amen

that there's no such thing as a bad anaesthetic, only a bad anaesthetist. They agreed that the best anaesthetic is the one that the anaesthetist is most familiar with. Obviously there are times when a different drug may be preferred, but I'm speaking for routine surgery in healthy animals.

The best anaesthetic is actually one that is given by someone who is knowledgeable with the latest drugs and techniques. Anaesthesia is becoming safer and more minimalist every day in humans.

IF you own a sighthound don't let a vet get anywhere near your dog with any kind of barbituate.

looks like a reaction to a bite. Poor thing Hope he gets better soon

I'd be going to another vet. Dog surgery shouldn't come with "side dishes".

There is a difference between treating animals as products and running a breeding program as though it was or is a business. I treated my rescue as a business but that didn't mean that I looked at the dogs coming through as commodities or 'livestock'. They were real life little Pugs that had their own particular needs and I cared for them and re-homed them in that way.

Talk about get hung up on a the word "trade" and "business".

By and large, purebred breeders are a dying breed. I think this is partly because of the out of date views and a refusal to see life in any other way.

Breeding isn't ever going to be easy. Not only do you have to understand the science behind what you are creating and developing, but you also have to understand the basic business principles of pricing, marketing and sale.

You can tie yourself in knots all you like about the words trade or business or any other word, but when it comes down to it, you are actually selling a product that the market wants to buy. If we want to show that purebred dogs are superior, than we may need to look at different approaches. The same ol' same ol' just 'aint working anymore.

what a load of rot.

Kind of funny getting business lessons when I am 3rd year B of Commerce "marketing major" (B of Nursing as well but that is irrelevant). Just because someone doesn't share the same view as you doesn't mean they are wrong. Purebred dogs are superior and many breeders (me included) work damned hard to find the most suitable homes for their dogs. That is the difference between breeding dogs as a hobby and running a business where the end result of target marketing is the sale. If you can't clue in on that gem you never will. I wasn't put on this earth to meet the increasing demands of the consumer by breeding dogs. It's a hobby. With that said I don't have dogs sitting in my backyard weeks on end because I can't find homes for them. Never had that issue.

If potential puppy buyers go off and buy a BYB dog or pet shop dog well that lays on their shoulders. I'm sick to death of people blaming registered breeders for their choices of buying a BYB/pet shop dog.

Which of these statement is true?

Potential puppy buyers are impatient, with unrealistic expectations, lack knowedge and are unsuitable homes

Breeders have unrealistic and hidden expectations of puppy buyers and since being burned by time wasters in the past now refuse to extend common courtesy to strangers.

Put "some" in front of each of those statements, and they are both true some of the time. There are very few absolutes, and on both sides people are on a spectrum of expectations and communication skills. Which will only end in frustration if only one person is communicating.

I know most breeders put their hearts and souls into the puppys they breed, and they are right to vet homes and make as sure as they can the pups only go to suitable homes. I feel honoured by the two breeders who initially didn't know me from a bar of soap, but at least responded to me and let me start the conversation. I appreciate the breeders on here who do respond to emails and telephone calls because I've experienced stone cold silence 50% of the time.

It doesn't have to be a Yes. It can simply be "No puppies until next year" or "Can't promise a purple male with white paws, let's see what hits the ground and talk then". " Or "Sorry, these pups are only going to show homes, try XYZ breeder who might have what you are looking for.

Unless breeders want to keep all the pups they breed, or they already know everyone they will sell to, they have to deal with the public, as ugly and stupid as people can be. A percentage will actually be the perfect home. But

And unless puppy buyers are willing to settle for poorly bred, profit driven imitations of what a dog should be, they will have to accept that there are criteria to qualify for ownership and that you can't always get what you want immediately. Just let us know what the critera is and adjust our expectations.

And respond to emails and return phone calls. Assume every message could be a good home. Courtesy even for the time wasters who have done no research.

So if we agree we all want the same outcome (healthy registered puppies in good homes), how do we move forward from the blame and finger pointing?

What can breeders do, and what can puppy buyers do?

Excellent post.

I have very strict criteria for homes, purchase agreement (which includes desexing) which is very fair. Some (and I've said this from the word go SOME) potential puppy buyers are so egotistical and pretty much throw a tanty when they don't get what they want or I refuse to sell them a dog. Makes it even worse when they go somewhere else and buy a puppy that is left alone for 7 hrs a day (a big nono for me) with no companionship. So because they are able to get a dog from somewhere else I am, of course, the big bad mean breeder with unrealistic expectations.

I don't run this as an animal business....my dogs are more than just mere "livestock"......and if "some" puppy buyers view the purchase of one of my dogs compared to buying a fridge or cattle for the back paddock.....then yes please, go somewhere else.

With that said I have wonderful puppy owners who frequent with emails and photos of their dogs sprawled out over the bed. Owners like that are gold.

well I'm sure you don't mind putting pups on "layby" then. That is non-refundable

the trade? The sooner pet buyers realise that ethical registered purebred breeders are NOT businesses the better. If that drives the pet buying people to BYB and/or pet shops.....well so be it. The disgusting conditions that these dogs are raised in and the little thought involved with BYB dogs can lay on the shoulders of pet buyer who is to tight to pay a deposit on a pup.

Ingrid just likes mingling with the celebrities. That is about as far it goes. Like everything else in life, the brainless sheep of society are more than willing to follow her.

Yes my dogs always try to get into the kitty nuggets. They also like rabbit M & M's.

It is the worst part for sure. In the 20+ years that I've bred dogs some of the people you have to deal with is quite incredible.

Unfortunately the breeder baggers that get on here don't see this side, think that everyone else is like them and we live in some kind of Utopian dog breeding world

and GayleK I didn't say "ALL" .......you did.

and on the other side of the BYB coin...

- Some potential puppy buyers are not willing to wait for a puppy. They have to have it NOW.

- Some don't want to wait so they go buy a BYB from the local paper then call me for advice on a pup they bought that is deaf.

- Some potential puppy buyers ask to put their name on your list, want weekly updates and then forget to tell you that they bought a pup 3 weeks prior, when you have held one for them, and knocked back countless others that are more than willing to give a pup a good home.

so....no wonder some breeders can be grumpy shits.

Exactly..

Such a comfort to potential puppy enquirers to know they are going to be treated as if they are any or all of the above, before they even make contact.

Yeah, it's no wonder they go eslewhere.

Yes tyre kickers and time wasters can go elsewhere.

and on the other side of the BYB coin...

- Some potential puppy buyers are not willing to wait for a puppy. They have to have it NOW.

- Some don't want to wait so they go buy a BYB from the local paper then call me for advice on a pup they bought that is deaf.

- Some potential puppy buyers ask to put their name on your list, want weekly updates and then forget to tell you that they bought a pup 3 weeks prior, when you have held one for them, and knocked back countless others that are more than willing to give a pup a good home.

so....no wonder some breeders can be grumpy shits. :D

If any potential owner did any of those things then they obviously weren't the right home to begin with and I don't think you can be a grumpy old shit for that! Find another excuse hey? ;)

hey I didn't say OLD

and on the other side of the BYB coin...

- Some potential puppy buyers are not willing to wait for a puppy. They have to have it NOW.

- Some don't want to wait so they go buy a BYB from the local paper then call me for advice on a pup they bought that is deaf.

- Some potential puppy buyers ask to put their name on your list, want weekly updates and then forget to tell you that they bought a pup 3 weeks prior, when you have held one for them, and knocked back countless others that are more than willing to give a pup a good home.

so....no wonder some breeders can be grumpy shits.