blackdog

Wonder if your vet agree with the "chopping" terminology? The desexing is generally done at 8 weeks rather than 6. Whenever you sell an entire pup you have to consider that it may end up in a puppy farm, regardless of how well vetted the puppy buyers are. Great that you're helping out with a litter and mother. Rescuing a dog isn't always convenient but I do believe it is the shared responsibility of all breeders. Dear Pointeeblab - Actually most vets won't go near EAD (early age desexing) of puppies. It is not supported by AVA nor was it found to be justified in a report commissioned by Qld Govt by Dr Linda Marston (Monash Uni). It is a valuable "shelter management tool" where litters of unowned puppies are surrended. But for me to have a baby Lab desexed (and still ready to go to new families at 8 weeks of age) desexing would need to be done at 6 weeks. That allows for sufficient recovery time post op, wound treatment etc. So yes - chopping is a really accurate term - removing the entire reproductive system of a baby bitch is MAJOR Surgery. Oh and just BTW - if that baby puppy dies whilst on the table who's to blame? Will the do-gooder, tree huggers come and wrap an arm around my shoulder and comfort me in my time of loss. No way in the bloody world. And just in closing - my responsibility is to my dogs and my clients - something that I have done very successfully for 30 years. It is NOT my responsibility to rescue dogs at all - but in cases like the Wondai seizure I am more than willing to help. Which is exactly why LRCQ Inc runs a Rescue & Rehome Service. "Here endeth the first reading".

The Labrador Retriever Club of Qld Inc "Rescue & Rehome Service" has been approached by RSPCA Fairfield to assist with the fostering of a number of Labs and litters seized from the Wondai property. A brief RSPCA training and assessement session will be required prior to fostering - this could be coordinated as a group session via the Lab Club. If you reside in SE Queensland and can assist by fostering a litter until 8 weeks of age or an older Lab for an indefinate period please contact so you details can be added to the list of possible foster carers: The President LRCQ Inc. Ms Di Rapson [email protected] I can't do a thing about taking a dog or puppies. I moved to a smaller property a few weeks ago and can no longer do rescue. I took on my last rescue lab and rehomed him a few weeks ago. However, I do now live within 5 minutes of the Fairfield shelter so have volunteered my services there wherever I can help out. For those who have an opinion about the RSPCA, I care not for politics but for the dogs. I will not with hold the help I can give to the dogs because of politics. Blackdog, you have a lovely big area to foster a few labs now don't you. Every breeder should be participating in rescue. If a breeder has ever homed an entire puppy then they may well be partly responsible for some of these dogs. The purebred dogs in puppy farms have to come from somewhere. Yes - but my property is comfortably filled with our own Labs thanks very much. And fostering the adults could be for an indefinate period. But I have volunteered to assist with one of the litters + mum. And as for "every breeder" being responsible - well I'm not just that into desexing baby puppies. Hard to get my head around "chopping" into a 6 week old baby.

Others may be interested to note that Queensland Govt recently introduced a new piece of legislation called the "Companion Animal (Cats and Dogs) Bill". It goes into a whole heap of different requirements the most significant of which is the requirement that all puppies and kittens must now be microchipped prior to sale. But - there is aslo an interesting new definition of nuisance dogs. Now we are all aware of Dangerous / Declared dogs but in Qld there is a new "Menacing" dog definition. Would certainly apply to every unfortunate dog confrontation that is being described here I would think.

The Labrador Retriever Club of Qld Inc "Rescue & Rehome Service" has been approached by RSPCA Fairfield to assist with the fostering of a number of Labs and litters seized from the Wondai property. A brief RSPCA training and assessement session will be required prior to fostering - this could be coordinated as a group session via the Lab Club. If you reside in SE Queensland and can assist by fostering a litter until 8 weeks of age or an older Lab for an indefinate period please contact so you details can be added to the list of possible foster carers: The President LRCQ Inc. Ms Di Rapson [email protected]

Attention : ALL RESPONSIBLE LABRADOR RETRIEVER OWNERS / BREEDERS

Firstly, it's a cross so nobody can give an estimate on what it should weight - it depends what it's crossed with. If it's crossed with a great dane then it's gonna be much bigger than if it's crossed with a JRT. Secondly - black ones don't weigh any different to any other colour purebred lab. A lab would be about 5kg at that age but this dog needs to be assessed on the correct weight for its structure. Hi - Sorry I could have explained that better couldn't I! Million things going on at work. It looks for all the world just like a lab puppy. Definately not crossed with a JRT or a dane, or wolfy, or a peke. Apparently 3 pups were for sale, and this one was half the size of both her brothers. She is only 2.5kgs at 10 weeks and it has me quite worried. Apparently she is quite vigerous but tires really easily. I haven't even gone there yet about hips, elbows and eyes! Best to be getting this little girl the best nutrition possible at this stage. Thanks for giving me the estimate of a lab - its a good starting point. Garloch. Hi Garloch - I've always used 1kg per week of age as a guide. At birth a well covered lab puppy will weigh about 500g. At 1 week old it will weigh about 1kg at 2 weeks it will weigh about 2kgs and so on. This rapid growth rate usually continues until about 16 weeks after which the weight gain slows gradually. Between 16 & 20 weeks (4 - 5 months) there is steady (slower) weight gain but the puppy will go up on leg. This will continue until about 9 months of age where a young Lab should have made size (height) and will weigh about 30kgs. By 18 months of age most labs (if raised correctly) will have reached their usual adult weight of around 35-37 kgs. You are quite right to be concerned about the cross-bred puppy. Even if it isn't a pure bred lab 2.5kgs is very light on indeed. And I'm wondering if her lack of growth and tiredness may not be an indicator of something more serious. Heart defects can often present in the ways you describe. Hope it works out for the puppy's sake.

Any breed standard it is always open to different interpretations by different people. But if one reads the Labrador Retriever breed standard one word keeps cropping up - BROAD. Nowhere does the standard say anything about fine, snipey, tall, sloppy topline, exposed ribcage etc. It would be a worthwhile exercise for all to read the breed extension (you can find it on the ANKC website). The extension was written to assist judges and breed enthusiasts to better understand the breed standard. It does this by "interpreting" some of the terminology and putting words and descriptions into laymans terms. The Labrador RETRIEVER was never intended to race around madly, crashing thru undergrowth, leaping fences and swimming expanses of water the width of Sydney harbour. Most Labs in the UK (for 100 years) have been used to simply pick up at a shoot. Picking up is very different to the work that other gundogs are expected to do. Some breeds flush game, others point game, some will spring game - all are expected (and can) mark and retrieve game. But somewhere along the line trial enthusiasts began trying to get their Labs to be great all rounders. Labs are not built like a GSP or a Weimaraner or a Viszla. The desire to breed a faster, leaner more enthusiastic Labrador began in England in the 1960's. One retrieving kennel in particular began winning all of the trials with labs that resembled Black Kelpies. Sure they were fast and tenacious - their retrieving instinct was incredible. But very few readers would realise that the owner/breeder of these particular dogs had 12ft high fencing at his kennels. The dogs were mad - almost impossible for others to control - but boy could they compete at field trials. In my opinion that is not the type of labrador as described in the breed standard!!!!!

If the dog is a pitbull (and not a pedigreed, registered Am Staff) then I don't like your chances of having the dog moved anywhere. Certainly if Qld authorities believe that the dog is a "declared breed" he won't even get to leave the Airport this end. And given that Tassie has now fallen into line I would even doubt he would be accepted for shipping in Hobart / Launceston.

Hello there - well what an exciting time you have ahead of you. Personally I wouldn't recommend getting two puppies at the same time. We often "run on" two puppies from a litter but we separate them around 12 weeks of age. Each baby goes in a separate run with an older bitch (which is something that I'm guessing you're unable to do). As a breeder and exhibitor of Labrador Retrievers for almost 30 years I'd like to correct some of the advice being offered. You don't mention where you live but I would strongly recommend that you construct a secure "outside" run / kennel area. Labs originated in Newfoundland and they are easily able to withstand quite cold temperatures. Two puppies together in a warm "hammock bed" housed in a draft free outside "kennel" is quite acceptable. If the kennel were to be a 5' x 5' garden type shed (with the door divided in half to allow you to close up the top half at night) that would work well. If off that you constructed a 6ft high galv mesh enclosure / run with a concrete or paving tile floor you have the complete set up. Secure during the day while you're out, safe and warm at night, easy to clean and hose out in the mornings. Position it so that the run gets morning sun, daytime shade (for summertime weather) and make allowances for waste water runoff. Good luck and have fun.