dancinbcs

Probably best to go to an agility trial and let her meet some of the dogs and their owners after they have been in. Grooming of a Border Collie, Aussie Shepherd or Golden Retriever is not an issue. They are all fairly low maintenance coated breeds but whatever she gets, your daughter should be made to understand it is her dog and she has to do the routine washing and grooming. There are plenty of kids that age that do all the grooming for a dog and it helps them understand that with the pleasure of dog ownership, comes the responsibility to care for that dog.

It could be that a dissolving suture has not dissolved as it should and is causing a reaction. I had one with a wound that kept opening up and closing again for over 6 weeks. One day when it opened again I noticed a piece if white about 1cm deep into the wound. With a very steady hand and forceps the vet managed to grasp the offending piece of suture that turned out to be nearly 3cm long and pull it out so the wound could finally heal.

They are used in handlers because once trained by an adult they are very reliable. They need a very strong leader to do the initial training and are not a breed I would consider suitable for a child to train. Kids need soft biddable breeds that won't challenge them so BCs, Goldies and possibly Aussies would all suit and be able to do agility. No matter what breed the OP gets they will have to protect it from the boisterous Dobes as a puppy to avoid injury.

It is against forum rules to post that link.

Are BCs 'playing' dogs though to go with the dobes? The ones I've seen at the park and herding have been quite aloof and just focussed on their handler - are they different in their home environment? Aussie shepherd sprung to mind for the agility, not sure about the lure coursing tho. A Border might play with the Dobes or it might just ignore them. They do prefer their own breed to play with and do not get on usually with terriers, especially the bull ones but often are happy to play with some other dogs. Some really don't play even if they live with other Borders. It is more an individual dog thing than a breed issue but above all they will want to be with the owner so will bond well with a child who trains them.

If she is keen on the lure coursing a Whippet could do that and agility. If she is leaning more towards agility a Border Collie would be perfect. I rarely recommend my own breed but they are easily trained by kids from that age if they are from a dog savvy family who are used to a demanding breed,

I bet the VCA said that the average minimum price was around $1000 and that would be correct. There are still some breeds that sell under that price and some over but for most breeds it would be a good approx starting price.

Has the vet considered Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease? The main symptoms are pain and inflammation. Osteonecrosis of the femoral head of young, small breed dogs (LCP disease) was first described in veterinary literature by Tutt in 1935:[23] he described the disease, as did Waldenstromin (1909) in humans,[24] Toy and small breeds, particularly Toy Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Jack Russell Terriers, and Dachshunds can be affected. LCP disease is an osteonecrosis of the femoral head in small breed dogs, usually those weighing less than 12 kg. There seems to be no sex predilection in the dog as contrasted to humans, in whom an 80% male incidence of the disease is evident. As in children, however, the condition is usually unilateral, with only about 10% to 15% incidence of bilateral disease. The age of onset varies between 4 months and 12 months, with a peak incidence at about 7 months.[25] The pathology of avascular necrosis followed by revascularization and bony remodeling of the femoral head in the dog certainly suggests a vascular etiology even though the cause of the condition is not completely understood.[26] Hip pain is usually seen by the age of 6 to 8 months.[27] The disease is bilateral in 12 to 16 percent of cases.[28] X-rays are necessary to make the diagnosis and show increased opacity and focal lysis in the head of the femur, and later in the disease, collapse and fracture of the neck of the femur. The recommended treatment is surgical removal of the head of the femur, but conservative treatment (rest, exercise restriction, and pain medication) may be effective in a limited number of cases (less than 25 percent, according to some studies).[28] The prognosis is excellent with surgery.

Never let dogs with white bellies sunbake like that. They can very easily get serious skin cancer.

Sometimes they do one long cable stitch that is anchored at each end and has to be removed and sometimes the stitches disolve, so you need to ask which was used. Either way the puppy should still be kept quiet for 10 days and the wound kept dry.

Ring around some of the more prominent and therefore larger show kennels. Most run on dogs for show and then place some as they sort out what they want to keep after they have shown them for a while. Young adult Labs are very popular so it is common for Lab breeders to do this. Ex show dogs have the added benefit of being well trained and socialised. Also try the breed clubs. They might let you advertise in their newsletter.

Such wonderful news that Henry is home with you. Now you know what the difference is in dealing with a reputable breeder. I know Henry will bring great joy to your family for many years and don't forget help with training, etc is only as far away as a phone call, email or message on DOL. Do keep in touch with Rowan as he will be very keen to know how his first litter of puppies grow.

If you can keep her safely confined then I prefer them to have a season first and spey around 12 months. If you do let her have a season and she is accidently mated, you can still spey her a week or so after her season. There is no need to have an unwanted litter. The benefits of desexing outweigh not having it done and even breeding bitches are usually speyed after their last litter. The only real decision is what age. Oh and find a better vet. Routine speys should not have complications and the scar should fade to a fine line. If you tell us what area you are in we can suggest good vets close to you.

Also note that Milbemax and Interceptor are exactly the same drug.

Quakers Hill have a good reputation with repro work so should have a good ultrasound and experienced vets.

I would be at the vets tomorrow. Eyes are an emergency and can get worse very quickly.

If your vet is really experienced in palpation they can usually feel them at 3 weeks when they are little round balls. Ultrasounds are better done at about 5 weeks so you get a better idea of numbers.

Most mature entire males should never be run with strange male dogs, desexed or not and the kennel is stupid and irresponsible to have even tried it. In a family or regular playgroup situation the dogs work out the pecking order or do not get on and have to be separated. The only thing the vet will suggest is to desex him so don't bother with that advice if you want to show him. Do not allow him the opportunity to hump males and if he tries it with females not in season they will most likely put him in his place and teach him some manners.

Strange that there are different regulations in different states. No age rule here in NSW for males unless they are from a breed that requires hips/elbows done first. Apart from that there is no reason that there should be an age limit. Using 8 month old dogs was common when I first came into the dog world in the early 80s. Dogs started early made the best and most reliable stud dogs. They rarely had problems getting matings in those days when everything was bred earlier.

Why would you desex her? If you get the teeth fixed she can still be shown.

A lot of adult dogs do not "play" with other dogs. There is nothing wrong with them but they just prefer not to have other dogs in their face. As to the lack of progress at training, you need some private lessons with a really good professional trainer to assess what you are doing with the dog and why she isn't responding. Different dogs may require different training techniques. All dogs can be trained but not all are cut out to be obedience trial dogs no matter how hard you try. What breed of dog are we talking about? You may in fact be what is making the dog anxious with your body language or training method so you need someone experienced to watch you with the dog and work out what is going on.

My vets recommend when they turn 6 months as the time to remove any retained baby teeth. My last puppy lost his last two canines at 2 days before and 2 days after he turned 6 months, just avoiding having them pulled out. Give lots of chews, play tug and wriggle the teeth as much as you can and most will come out as the new tooth comes through.

:thumbsup: If the treatment works the tumour will probably not completely disappear but it should shrink and remain dormant. Fingers crossed he keeps improving.

Use shavings, not sawdust which will get in there eyes. Shavings like they use for stables are great and I would never go back to not using them. The other benefit of shavings is that flies do not like the smell so a fly free puppy run. Pick up any soiled or wet patches throughout the day and once a week sweep it all onto a tarp to throw out or use as garden mulch. Then disinfect the area and put down a fresh layer. The shavings coat any poop so the puppies never get any on them and it is easier to pick up.

I don't have any photos but have had a close look at webbed feet in the past and they are very different to a normal dog foot when you spread the toes out.