dancinbcs

Hopefully she will get hungry when feeding puppies but I have known one BC bitch that didn't. Always an extremely fussy eater, she was worse after whelping. The litter had to be weaned onto Di-vetelact once they were standing at about 12 days because she wouldn't eat enough to produce milk. Nutrigel constantly made her produce just enough milk for the first week or so but not after that. She produced a lovely litter so the breeder tried again and this time was prepared to force feed her. She force fed for the first week and the bitch realised that she had no choice so eventually scoffed the food before it was forced down her neck. She went on to have a third litter and by then worked out that she had to eat what was given to her.

Even more important is what you achieve with your own dogs. Most well respected trainers started off making their own dog an Obedience Champion or trained with military or detection dogs, so have a proven track record in their ability to train. Achieving success with dogs of different breeds is also important. Theory is all well and good and everything you learn will make you a better trainer but nothing compares with actually being able to put that theory into practice. Work with as many trainers as you can, pick their brains and look at all training techniques, icluding things like TTouch as well as more trraditional training.

Silver marks on the teeth are usually from them chewing on metal, like aluminium or steel bowls or wire fencing. Have a good look around and see if you can find anything chewed.

Raspberry leaf is to help with whelping, not pregnancy and can bring on a premature birth if given too early. I have never been game to use it but if you can find someone that uses it successfully on little toys, be guided by them.

I have Border Collies as of course you know but I also have the Wicked Whippet. Two TOTALLY different breeds and BOTH mesh well with us. I couldn't imagine living without either breed. Why on earth would that be hard to believe? I adore my hairy dogs but I also adore the sleek lines of my Whippet. I love both breeds equally. Better add breeds I covet: Pomeranians (thanks to a very generous person I co-own two of these little gems) English Pointer Afghan Standard Poodle West Highland White Terrier Akita American Cocker How's that for variation LOL The Whippet doesn't count as another breed because they fit in with whatever other breed they live with. I bet yours thinks it is a Border (a spoilt bed warming one) and I know another that thinks he is a Japanese Spitz. I think most people could live with a Whippet no matter what other breeds they have, because Whippets seem so adaptable. Would you really want to live with the other breeds though ? Ok maybe the Poms, because they are so cute and so small they hardly count when adding up dog numbers and of course Standard Poodles are smart like Borders, but an Afghan or an Akita ? I think it is great to handle other breeds and get to know them but living with them is another thing altogether.

The more time you spend with dogs the shorter the list should get. Some of those lists are incredible because the breeds are all so different to live with. You need a breed that suits your life and abilities, so I find it hard to fathom why anyone would want complete opposites in temperament, trainability and looks Over the years I have looked carefully at a few different breeds, then discarded each one as a possibility and still have my original three breeds on my list. There may still be a Poodle one day, but I am not fussed on having to worry about clipping and scissoring. Love the breed, just not the grooming. So my next dog will either be yet another Border Collie or eventually a Japanese Spitz which has been my smaller, easier breed of choice for many years. There are many other breeds that I love to admire but have absolutely no desire to own one.

No idea on websites but a book all breeders should have is this one Available from Dogs NSW The best way to learn though is to have an experienced breeder work as your mentor for at least the first couple of litters.

It doesn't make any difference if it is an offlead area or not. All dogs must be under effective control and that means being able to stop them approaching any human or animal that doesn't want to be approached, even in an off lead area. One of our local offlead areas has a path running through it that is used by lots of walkers and cyclers. Just because it runs through an offlead dog area doesn't mean that people using the path should expect to be harassed by dogs. There are no signs on the path to even tell them it is an offlead area because it is not their responsibility to stay out of the dog's way. It is up to the owner to keep the dog away from anyone or any dogs passing through. Who knows what has happened to the guy who did the stabbing before. He may just be a nut or he may have been a victim of a dog attack before and carries the knife for self defence. Dog owners need to realise that there are plenty of people who are terrified of dogs and they have just as much right to use a park, even an offlead area, as everyone else without being harrased by dogs. Also many of them are particularly scared of bull and guard breeds. If you are going to own a big or tough looking dog, no matter how friendly it is, you need to realise that lots of people are still going to be very scared of it and react badly if it runs up to them.

Survey 1. What are your thoughts of animals in pet shops? Cruel Comments:_Puppies need space to run around not be confined to little boxes with no exercise and nowhere away from their bed to toilet. 2. Would you consider buying an animal from a pet store? No 3. Have you ever brought an animal from a pet shop? No 4. Why did you get the animal from the pet shop? N/A 5. Did the animal live with you till the end of its life or still is living with you? N/A 6. If you answered No for question 5, do you know what happened to the pet? N/A 7. Reason to give the animal up. (circle answer) N/A 8. Do you know where pet shops get their animals from? Yes 9. Does it make you concerned? Yes 10. Do you think Pet shops are better than shelter pets? No Why/ Why not? _Pet shop puppies are only bred for profit with no regard to health or temperament. Good shelters carefully assess pets before placing them. Reputable breeders never supply pet shops because they choose the homes where their puppies end up, with great care. 11. Have you ever brought an animal from a rescue shelter, group or qualified breeder? Yes -ANKC Registered reputable Breeders 12. Were you happy with the animal? Yes 13. Did the animal live with you till the end of its life or is it still living with you? Yes

Well said. All giant breeds should have acceptable hip and elbow scores before breeding and any problems in the releatives should have been discussed before you bought the puppy, especially as you already know the breed. After all that, bad hips and elbows can still happen sometimes. No breeder can guarantee that it won't happen and diet is such a big factor that they cannot control. The diet you fed to another of the same breed may not have suited this particular puppy. Even with smaller breeds HD and OCD can crop up out of nowhere. I once saw a GSD with hips so bad he could hardly walk and every dog on his 4 generation pedigree had an A grade for hips. Sometimes these things happen and it it no one's fault. With hips and elbows the breeder can only breed with animals with good scores and cross their fingers that the puppies don;t have any problems. If however the breeder has bred from dogs that have not been scored, have bad scores or it is line breeding to a dog with bad scores then they have a liability to take the dog back and refund.

I wouldn't risk a puppy school at a vets unless there was no other choice. Much safer to find a trainer that runs a private indoor school. I can recommend Camarna at Austral run by Luci Ellem. she has a purpose built building for the puppy school and it is a great course.

:p Better go buy something for dinner...dont think the OH would be too happy at Indie getting pork steaks whilst he gets a toasted sandwich lol. He will still be chuffed though, just better make something to rival Indies dinner lol. He would have kept eating by the looks of it but dont want to let him eat anymore today....ok 3 pork steaks isnt exactly keeping it small but couldnt help giving him them when he was managing to eat and keeping it down. First time Ive managed to feel his stomach in a while, so nice to feel a firm waist for once. HUGE thankyou to all of you for helping me out with him and all of your kind thoughts, greatly appriciated! Julzx Great news. He seems to have turned the corner now. I would be offering small amounts of food several (3-4) times a day if he keeps eating. His stomach will have shrunk after not eating for so long so large meals are probably not a good idea. He is however going to need a lot of food to regain that weight.

Most Border Collies are smart but sometimes.................... Persistant stick fetcher

Glad they have ruled out all physical causes, so now you can just concentrate on trying to get him to eat. I suggest you try Lyn at Alternative Therapies and see if she can help with his emotional recovery and to boost the appetite. I am also guessing that it isn't just grief. Sometimes an older dog will actually control what a younger dog eats so Bonnie may have been giving him permission to eat. Now she isn't there to tell him to eat, so he doesn't. If you want to try rabbit, Bush's Meats (I think or the one next to it) in Macarthur Square usually has them in the freezer. Can't say that I have seen them any more local than that recently but will keep an eye out.

Owned and successfully shown, bred and trialled Border Collies since 1983, breeding and handling numerous Champions and Obedience titled dogs, a Grand Champion, and a couple of Best in Show winners. Also dabbled in agility, herding and tracking and now occasionally handle Japanese Spitz. Dab hand at puppy stacking so am often asked to help assess litters and stack them for photos. Served on the committees of All Breeds and Breed clubs, with over 25 years devoted to the hereditary diseases sub-committee of the BCC of NSW, which has been instrumental in having two DNA tests developed for our breed. My main dog interest is health and genetics. Written published articles for dog magazines, educating breeders about DNA testing, BC grooming and Traditional Chinese Medicine for dogs. Previously worked for the AWL on reception at the main shelter in NSW, one of the original pet food warehouses, a grooming parlour and have instructed in obedience and show handling. Currently working as a Pet Educator and completing my studies to become a Web Designer.

If you decide on frozen it could may not work if the owner doesn't already have some on ice. Some older dogs do not have semen that freezes well and it is usually recomended that you take semen to freeze by 7 years if possible. Other options are fly with the bitch and organise the mating yourself at wherever the dog will be or if you know the stud owner well, offer to fly him over and board him for free while the owner is away. No idea with chilled semen as I don't know anyone that has used it successfully or otherwise. Results with frozen from among my friends seem to be about half and half, completely successful or just as often, missed or singleton puppies.

Lots of regular showies travel 5 hours or more each way just to go to dog shows, not to mention yearly visits to interstate Royal shows, so driving that far to pick up a puppy is considered "normal". What I don't understand are the people that expect the right dog to turn up on their doorstep. I once had a puppy buyer enquire at Sydney Royal and I told them that there were puppies available in Canberra (3 hours away). They said no thanks they would wait for a litter to be born in their suburb. No doubt they are still waiting about 10 years later because their are no breeders of our breed in their suburb. ;)

That's my next stop tomorrow avo. I took him to my old vet before as they were the only ones open after 5pm. I know there is a good vet around here somewhere, Canley Vale I think but no idea which one. I'll try googling later on. Vet check again tomorrow and I'll grab the nutrigel whilst I'm there. Just don't know what else to do with him? Canley heights Vet Clinic is the other practice owned by Austral Vet Clinic that so many of us (breeders) use. If possible try to see Jim, Terry or Bill. They are all very experienced vets. Definitely use nutrigel and just wipe a finger full at a time onto the roof of his mouth if he won't lick it himself. I have also used Di-Vetelact made up thick like cream to keep a dog going when it wouldn't eat, but would drink. Food wise the one thing I have found, even the most reluctant eater cannot resist, is cooked, boned rabbit. At this point it would be worth a try. Other than the suggestions already made, anti-depressants are likely to be needed or as a last resort try to borrow another dog for at least a few weeks.

Christine Zink said the same. And still it falls on deaf ears. Do you know if she is referring to the American show gsd or German showline ? Both types look very different from the original dogs but also from each other, still showing structural extremes. American show lines. However the problems she identified are here too. thanks. She also mentioned German show lines as having a completely different lot of structural problems to the US dogs.

There is almost always an outbreak among the show/obedience/agility dogs after Sydney Royal and I have a 10 year old with it now after going for the breed stall on the last day. She is on manuka honey and cough mixture and is starting to improve after just a couple of days. I don't vaccinate for KC and this is the second or third bout of it for this dog over her lifetime so they don't get lifetime immunity but do fight it off easier. The other dog I had with me at the Royal the same day hasn't got any sign of KC. It is rarely very serious, more of a nuisance than anything having to quarantine them for a few weeks.

It constantly amazes me too that so few owners seem to have any idea about correct movement. The one very basic principle so many seem to miss is that in most breeds, a gaiting dog, should have the diagonal legs strike the ground at exactly the same time. This means that any photo that shows just one foot on the ground is completely wrong, no matter how much extension the dog may seem to have. At the moment of suspension, all feet will be off the ground but when they touch the ground it must be with two diagonal feet at the same time to be balanced movement.

Thank you for bringing your babies along to be picked to pieces. They are a lovely litter overall but with a super standout boy. Good luck with him.

I would just go with Proban for that area.

What area are you going into ? There are only ticks down the coastal region (up to about 10-30km from the coast) of the eastern states and in odd pockets further inland. If it is a low risk tick area then Advantix or Frontline is usually fine but the Advantix has to be applied fortnightly for a few times before entering the tick area. Frontline works from the first application. If you are going to a definite high risk tick area then go with just Proban. It is the only thing that works against ticks that get into ears, mouths, etc.

No dog should be offlead near any other dogs unless it can be immediately recalled to keep it away from those other dogs. A dog park does not give a dog the right to approach another dog or person unless it is invited to do so. It doesn't matter if the dog is aggressive or friendly, an unwanted approach can still be seen as threatening behaviour. Off lead areas are to allow dogs to exercise offlead and if they are fenced, to allow dogs to exercise without fear of them running on a road. Somewhere along the way it has become accepted that they are a free for all and that is not correct. If you cannot prevent your dog approaching another, it shouldn't be off lead, anywhere.