The Spotted Devil

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them? It's only very limited at the moment. First litter are in their new homes. Give it time. So how did they get them in and get them registered with the ANKC? They went into the UK first and even competed at Crufts. Was a big story a few years ago. So came in as imported from UK or USA. I'm not really up on the details as I don't breed them, just have a strong interest. To have a dog on a special diet for its entire life to prevent a simple genetic health issue is just crazy if there is an alternative.

Great news - how do I go about finding a registered breeder in Australia who is breeding them? It's only very limited at the moment. First litter are in their new homes. Give it time.

But the Pointer genes did make it into the Dalmatian gene pool and, in fact into Australia via imported semen. It's a fantastic thing to happen for the breed and I, for one, would only buy a Spotty dog from a breeder committed to the LUA gene.

Cuuuuuuuute!!!

Agree with Kavik, trying to tease out internal motivations are generally a waste of time that is better spent dealing with the behaviour.

Same.

Probably also worth noting that Australia has the 2nd highest number of dogs per capita in the world. When dog ownership is so common (and seen as a right rather than a privilege in some cases) there are bound to be more issues. That and the idea that a dog plus backyard negates the requirement to exercise and socialise.

Ha ha - same with Springers - all disappearing in opposite directions hunting seagulls, rabbits, fish...

hahaha, I always say things like that. I didn't know they came in that lovely silvery colour, and how exciting to be surprised with 3 more puppies than you were expecting. contratulations. Thank you. They are not supposed to come in that lovely silvery colour but pet people all love that colour Eyes have started opening and they are fat little babies Meh. A good dog is never a bad colour :D

Personally I wouldn't BUT my dogs are sports dogs so I like them to relax when I'm out and play awesome games with ME in training. I'm horribly risk averse too so my adults don't hang out together until I'm confident they will sleep the day away rather than wrestling and possibly getting injured. That said I put a lot of time and effort into my dogs and, when I leave the house it's like "thank goodness! Now we can get some sleep!!! :laugh:

I certainly don't look down on mutts doing any ANKC sport they are eligible for! Agility, obedience, tracking! As far as I'm aware the Trick Dog title is like Flyball and Noseworks and is not certified via ANKC.

My youngster only does it when she's bored - take her out and train for 2 x 5 min sessions and she's much better.

I haven't any experience of the course. Anything that encourages positive interaction between dog and owner is definitely a thumbs up from me. Not that I'd do it mind you but I'm not your average owner I guess and my lot do tricks as part of body awareness for agility anyway. My puppy classes LOVE getting their certificate and I know a few get framed and put on the wall.

Chopped raw chicken necks are da bomb :D Raw chicken hearts go down well here too. Yes it's a bit messy but that's what soap is for. Otherwise I throw plain chicken breasts on the coal Weber when we are having a BBQ, use cheese and 4 Legs.

the AVA still states:...'A booster vaccine should be administered approximately 12 months later' ...http://www.ava.com.au/sites/default/files/documents/Other/AVA_vaccination_policy.pdf ...and here http://www.ava.com.au/policy/66-vaccination-dogs-and-cats Yes a booster should be given 12 months after the puppy shots and then every 3 years thereafter unless you want to titre test. Maternal antibodies and all that. Parvo is rife in some areas still.

Poppy gets excited when she sees Aussie Sheps as we did herding at an Aussie Shep breeders place So Aussie Sheps = SHEEP!! Pavlov's always on your shoulder eh :D

Well, gee, Willem. You totally nailed it, there, and really burned me in the process. Excuse me while I rethink everything I thought I knew about dog training. I'll be in my ivory tower playing checkers with pigeons. And here I was thinking you played chess with chickens...

Thanks for posting sars. Very simplistic solution that doesn't actually solve the problem - why not engage and educate the public, volunteers and staff for a start. There's so much good stuff that can be done! My other concern is ranger training. I cannot envisage a scenario where a scared and cornered kitten capable of inflicting such a bite wasn't giving off warning signals. The whole incident could have been avoided with a better understanding of feline behaviour.

I only ever use a front attach harness when I walk Em around bird life as sometimes she completely loses her head and nearly hurts herself on a regular collar. The predictive nature of the harness means she goes off her NUT with excitement when I get it out because it means "oh my Dog! BIRDS!!!!"

No, they are not, actually. For that to be true, the behaviour that precedes "no reward" would have to be suppressed. And in fact, "no reward" itself would have to be punishing, which would be challenging, because often the dog doesn't know when that is going to happen. Many of us do not even signal when there will be no reward, and many of us are using variable reinforcement schedules, so the dogs are not especially bothered by "no reward" in any context. What is actually taking place is DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT. i.e. some behaviours are reinforced and some are not. If I reinforce lifting a paw to chin height but I don't reinforce lifting a paw to chest height, then lifting a paw to chest height is not punished. It declines simply because it's not being reinforced as much as higher lifts are. Otherwise, I would have a hard time getting any paw lift, let alone the high ones I am after. Thank you for taking the time to actually write that out as I couldn't be bothered The misinformation rage... So strong... Ironically, I'm not going to back up my assertions with credible sources this time. I'll just pers. comm. my behaviour analyst friends. :D :laugh:

As a rule Pugs moult as badly as my Dalmatian....sooo many people don't get that. The babyish features seem to attract people too - similar to Spaniels.

No, they are not, actually. For that to be true, the behaviour that precedes "no reward" would have to be suppressed. And in fact, "no reward" itself would have to be punishing, which would be challenging, because often the dog doesn't know when that is going to happen. Many of us do not even signal when there will be no reward, and many of us are using variable reinforcement schedules, so the dogs are not especially bothered by "no reward" in any context. What is actually taking place is DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT. i.e. some behaviours are reinforced and some are not. If I reinforce lifting a paw to chin height but I don't reinforce lifting a paw to chest height, then lifting a paw to chest height is not punished. It declines simply because it's not being reinforced as much as higher lifts are. Otherwise, I would have a hard time getting any paw lift, let alone the high ones I am after. Thank you for taking the time to actually write that out as I couldn't be bothered

I have no issue with animal welfare legislation based on sound science. But then, I'm a scientist. BSL as we currently know it is not based on science but scaremongering. Code of Practice for the Breeding of Animals with Heritable Defects that Cause Disease: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/pets/domestic-animal-businesses/breeding-and-rearing-businesses/code-of-practice-for-the-breeding-of-animals-with-heritable-defects-that-cause-disease

Have you watched the video TSD? I don't think the OP (the one linked to) was trying to say using rewards isn't effective or doesn't work, I think he was saying the opposite. It was highlighting the hypocrisy and areas for concern in what is a completely unregulated industry. No I haven't huski and fair call absolutely! BUT it's a selective quote and in the hour that it takes to watch the video to gain a full understanding I'd rather be working through my agility handling course videos and actually be training my dogs :laugh:

Fact is in Victoria one breed of cat is not able to be bred - The Scottish Fold or more to the point cats with that type of ear. Doesn't matter who breeds them its an offence under cruelty laws. The legislation in that state is already in place and they only have to put a tick in a box to ban some more physical features or add diseases .The only thing stopping them so far is that these breeds are so popular and the public aren't yelling loudly enough yet to have it stopped. Once it reaches the point that tail docking did or puppy farming in the public arena its going to be very hard if not impossible to stop. If all the CCs are going to base their argument omn is "its not us" - no hope. And that legislation is spot on. They are not a breed that should be perpetuated.