Gayle.

I got two adult dogs from interstate.....the first I saw when I collected her from the airport, the second I met at a dog show and brought him home from there. There were no problems with them coming into the established pack, we just introduced them through a gate first then let them have a play in the back yard. The newcomers hung back for the first few days but it didn't take long for them to become part of the gang. Neither of these were ex-show or breeding dogs, one had been returned to the breeder twice for various reasons and one was rehomed to me as the previous owner (who wasn't the original owner) felt the dog was more suited to the lifestyle we could provide. The dogs we already had had come here as 8 week old puppies. I would not have a problem taking on a dog from interstate sight unseen as long as the person doing the rehoming gave an honest appraisal of the dogs temperament and experiences. However, if I wanted a very specific breed and type of dog, maybe from particular lines, I'd get a puppy.

Not sure why breeders don't answer blocked numbers, that just seems silly. If they don't like who's calling, they can just hang up. Dog shows aren't the friendliest places on earth, but if you're brave, it's somewhere to at least see the dogs in the flesh and maybe talk to a breeder. What breed are you looking for? I'd buy out of state, aside from my first Aussie, the rest came from interstate and it wasn't a problem at all. What state are you in?

My young boy is a bit bouncy, but the others are absolutely fine. Dusty pretty much ignores them but will go through her whole repertoire of obedience if they feed her treats, Ripley wants to play, play, play and Shae will quite happily lie there for ages while they pat her. Isaak is fine with bigger kids but he's a bit over the top for toddlers. When Benson was alive, he was similar to Isaak, so maybe ask breeders for their recommendation for a puppy that's suitable with kids. Bensons father was very bouncy, so odds were he was going to be too. My sons girlfriend has 4 little girls and her second one, an 8yo, would LOVE to own Ripley because he will play soccer with her til the cows come home. We live on a 3/4 acre property, we have all manner of weeds and seeds here and everything just drops out. Occasionally I have to untangle one of those velcro-like burrs from behind an ear but not often. Their coats are really easy care, and they are a lot less work than they look.

I can tell you about Aussies.....most of them don't require much grooming, a thorough brush once a week and a bath once a month would be plenty for a pet. They need their paws and behind their ears trimmed from time to time but it's quick and easy. Exercise requirements vary but I've had 5 Aussies and none of them have been over the top with needing constant exercise. A 30-45 minute walk a day would be plenty along with some obedience or trick training, as long as you include them in your family. I have one bitch who'd happily forgo any exercise if she could just lie at my feet all day. Aussies are a breed that thrives on doing stuff.......doing activities with you and for you. They are generally good at dog sports and most love being involved in something like that regularly, My older bitch came to me this year having been a family pet and never having been involved in anything doggie. I introduced her to some sheep and her whole world came alive. At the age of 5 1/2, she obtained her first two herding titles in quick succession, and I'm sure she'll get many more with training.

What breeds do you love and why wouldn't they be suitable? A breed that you love and that you think you can make work is better than a breed that's perfectly suitable but you don't particularly like.

Health testing doesn't guarantee your dog won't die early of a disease. It only reduces the likelihood of the dog developing a hereditary condition that can be tested for.

I wouldn't bother asking the dog show questions unless you're very au fait with the dog show world. A championship title might sound impressive, but it's less impressive when you understand that the dog might never have beaten another dog to get it. And that is quite likely to be the case with a rarer breed. Even some popular breeds are very under-represented at dog shows and there may only ever be one or two shown at a time. Last week I was at a dog show and there were no kelpies and only one ACD, and no one would consider them to be a rare breed.

Yikes, I couldn't bring myself to do that. Its a factor but only one of them. I do agree finding out at the end they wand $3000+ a pup changes a lot of plans. It might mean budgeting another year (or more). I think I'd freak out breeders staring with that question more than I already am! Isn't that one of the first things you need to know when you're buying something though? If I'm looking to buy a car, one of the first things I do is check the going prices for the make and model I'm interested in and if it's out of my budget, I cross that one off the list. I know breeders don't like to put puppies in the same category as other "purchases" but the fact is that they need to be paid for and the person thinking about buying one needs to know they can afford it or are prepared to pay that amount. I really don't get the reluctance to advertising prices. It would save breeders having to deal with those "How much?" emails they all seem to hate and it would save potential buyers having to ask the question.

Isaak is like a black tri sheep......he munches his way around our property, chewing on all types of grass, and when I'm weeding the garden beds, he's right there sampling the clumps I pull out to see if there's a new taste sensation there for him. The other dogs like to have a bit of a munch on fresh, young grass from time to time but they don't show the dedication Isaak has to the cause. One side effect to be wary of though..........I was taking Isaak to a dog show and we got stuck in traffic in Melbourne. He was snoozing on the back seat and all the windows were up. All of a sudden I smelt this horrid smell.....a bit like really strong cow manure. It got worse and worse and it lingered for ages. Each time I wound the windows down and got rid of it. the smell would come back again. It was Isaak FARTING in his sleep......he had a belly full of grass and he was quite happily releasing the gasses while he snoozed.

The first question I'd ask is "How much?" I know that's not a popular question with breeders but if the cost is too high, there really isn't any point asking anything else. I wouldn't want to waste my time and energy investigating a breed and whether it's suitable for me, only to discover it's out of my budget. I did that once (with French Bulldogs)....spent a few weeks researching them, reading websites, profiles, looking at photos, learning as much as I could about them, then finally started contacting breeders with an initial introductory email. I finally had one respond to me and rang her, only to find the price was way above what I'd budgeted for a puppy, so all that time and energy (and emotion) was wasted. If breeders aren't happy with being asked how much their puppies are, they should put the price on their website or in their ads.

if the breeder has a website, you might find the answers to a lot of those questions there. And the rest could be answered in general conversation. I had a half hour chat with a breeder on the phone one night last week and he answered a lot of those questions without me even asking them. While I think it's a bit full on, I've seen similar from breeders to potential puppy buyers though, and from rescue groups to potential adopters. So it works both ways....while the breeders and the rescue groups want to ensure they're selling to the right people, buyers have a right to ensure they are buying from a reputable source.

Banjo for the Kelpie (he's gorgeous, by the way) and Paddington for the staffy.

I just tell him we're getting another dog. Seeing as I'm the one who pays for them, trains them, does dog sports and shows with them, grooms and exercises them and cleans up after them, he doesn't really have much say. He does own one of the dogs though.....our newest resident, Ripley is his. Our beautiful boy Benson, who died in July was my husbands best mate so when Ripley came here, he kind of gravitated towards my husband and they've been pretty much insuperable ever since. He does love all the dogs though. I've just told him I'm thinking about getting another show puppy next year and he didn't really bat an eyelid......just asked what we're going to call it.

On the days I leave Dusty inside, I don't leave anything for her to chew or play with. She doesn't chew things when we're home so I can't see her doing it when we're not there. And she never plays with toys.

She has newspaper she can use. And her hanging on is a lot better than her getting pregnant or her having her stitches ripped out.

My husband puts newspaper down for Dusty as he's the last to leave, and he let's her out for a wee before he goes. But she's never toileted in the house, she just holds on til we get home, then bolts out the front door as soon as it's open and squats on the lawn with a huge sigh of relief. She's been inside for up to 10 hours without an accident. At night they all come in around 6pm and don't usually go out again til around 5am so they're all capable of hanging on for a long time.

My dogs are outside during the day when we're at work or not home, no matter what the weather. They have a big roofed area to shelter under, outdoor beds and plenty of shade during the summer. The only one who stays inside sometimes is Dusty when she's in season, and now because she has stitches in her side where she tore a hole in herself. We don't block anything off, just put the bin up because she likes to sort the rubbish for us. She just snoozes on the couch though and has never destroyed anything or peed anywhere. I could probably leave Shae inside with the same result but not the boys. I don't think Ripley would destroy anything but he would hate it. He likes plenty of space to move, he's always running or pacing and he'd get thoroughly bored. I don't allow them to come and go ever. They are either inside, or outside. If they choose to go outside when we're home, they stay out til I decide they can come in. I don't give in to pleading looks or sad faces at the window, and when they are in they are expected to be on their best behaviour.

I didn't say there was one dog, I said there are a number of dogs in our group who do a lot of winning (at group and show level), and win at various shows, under a variety of judges in their home state and interstate. They are beautiful dogs......not just run of the mill beautiful, but once in a lifetime examples of their breed.

Double post.

No. I'm hopefuly getting another puppy to show next year. Don't know when. Don't know where from. Don't know what colour. I do know the breed though. And already we are trying out names, making lists, crossing off ones we thought we liked but now don't, suggesting names to each other in the middle of conversations etc. Not sad at all. In fact I'd think it was just good planning.

Well, that's not true in at least one case I know of. I've never seen the dog/face plastered in any magazine. Just the regular small pics of group wins that appear in every Dogs Vic magazine but they aren't submitted by the owners of the dog. They are just show results.

There's a lady at my obedience club with 3 Gordons and they are just the most gorgeous dogs. Hers are beautifully behaved but they are her whole world and she spends all her time outside of work doing things with them, training them, enjoying them etc. And I have a feeling that's the key.......all that attention, all the brain power she expects them to use, all the focus on her gives her three lovely mannered dogs. Even her youngest one, the last time I saw him he was around 12 months old and he was an absolute joy. Bouncy and active, but he was a good boy when she asked him to be,

I have got a dog (rescue dog) who is quite aggressive to other dogs when she's on lead. If they come into her space, she snaps at them very quickly, often too quick for me to react and she has connected and drawn blood. She also displays fear of some people.....it took me a while to figure out it was men in broad brimmed hats. So I manage it by protecting her from dogs coming into her space and by asking men approaching to take their hats off. It's not fair on her to expect her to be on guard all the time when she's on a lead, as her owner, it's up to me to provide an environment she feels safe and relaxed in.

it has been a good topic ... Like you Mandalay I will often do 1 show on a weekend of 2 or more ... I have many other things to do than spend all my weekends at dog shows. I do of course enjoy showing (and with some success ) .... but again like you i find that face judging is far more blatant than it used to be ... and voting with your feet doesn't seem to work. I have seen the same judges get appointments from their mates over and over again despite drawing terrible entries. Who's accountable ??.... sadly no-one !!! I got told once that it's really rude to show up on the last day of a 3-show weekend. And yet I often only show on a Sunday because I have other things to do on Saturdays and I work on weekdays, so Sunday is generally my only free day to go to a show, and if it's the last day of a 3-show weekend, then so be it. It's not rude, it's just a time constraint.

In our group, the same dogs win most of the time and they win under all different judges, they win at Royals, they win at specialty shows, they win in other states......they are simply really beautiful dogs.