Andisa

Good luck getting through - as a groomer I see a few people who breed their fluffies - never about the money - just because they love them. It is usually once they get a vet bill or the mum wants to be part of the family and not stay with her pups that they will think otherwise. I show them my vet bills - no one believes me until they see them - "how can it cost that much". Some times that is all that is needed other times they either have a good run of luck - but something does go wrong and that is usually what it takes. It has to hit home that is costs them more than they get back. Some times their precious girl just doesn't want to be a mummy so they either raise the pups the hard way - hard because most don't think to learn first what happens if it goes wrong or they let them die. One of my clients - a really lovely young couple - spoil their dogs a lot. While it frustrated me heaps I offered to help if they needed it, they did ok 1st time - but second time she had them in the middle of their $5000 brand new mattress - cost a pretty penny to have that cleaned and they threw out the bedding. Lost 2 pups straight off because mum didn't break the sacks and only had 3 left to sell. Then the shock of all was she took them to the primary school for show and tell at 5 weeks old and sold them at 6 weeks - they had enough. It's been over 18mths since the last litter and I think they have learnt it's not worth it now. Other clients it seems takes them a couple of litters and at least one decent vet bill to discourage them from breeding their fluffies. I refused to groom for one family when the dog they planned to use was a nasty piece of shit - told them if they desex him I will groom him but will not touch that dog again until his ball are off. Another client wanted to breed her fluffy - they are lovely people - but the bitch is a nasty little shit at 3.5kg she is the worst behaved dog I have seen. It only took a couple of conversations with them about why breeding with her was a very bad idea - and they never have. 6 yrs later no puppies. The winning argument with her was "what did anyone do to you to end up with a dog like her - why would you do it and what would you do if everyone brought back a litter of nasty little bastards - what will you do with them" she thought about it and told me I was right - she didn't think about it like that and both her and her husband agreed it was not worth it. That bitch is so nasty she is sedated before I can put one hand on her - even then she will still have a go at me, the owner sedates her and stays to help as I can not do her on my own. This is one f****d up dog. A trip to the pounds and open up papers to show her how many fluffies are already out there - ask her if she will keep them all if she can not find homes for them. Make a list of expenses and call a vet and ask how much to have to have a emergency c section if something goes wrong - how much for vaccs and microchipping them. Cost of a milk replacer incase mum has no milk. Tell them they will have to be with her when she whelps because first time mums need to learn how to be mums - it comes naturally to some but not all. List the objects to have on hand for whelping and estimated cost. Assk her what books DVD's has she read on breeding dogs and what she will do. Discuss diet. Good luck but at the end of the day they will not listen because "nothing will go wrong". OT- when I was having my 1st baby I said to my sister - I am only having a baby - what can possibly go wrong" - I went 12 weeks premature and boy did I learn just what can go wrong - 2nd baby was 8 weeks prem.... Problems can happen to anyone - just because most people can have babies without any issues - bitches with puppies - cats - kittens ect - it is all pure luck..Just because someone may have problems doesn't mean "you" will - but it sure makes you stop and think when it does happen to "you"...

Sorry, forgot to answer fully. I disagree that oodles are "tailored to size and shape". I believe that the people who are producing them have nfi, nor any care, and are breeding what they have- for the money - and not caring about what they produce, or whether they are suitable. Not tailored at all, simply produced in a random way. People don't understand the inherent dangers of crossing dogs with obvious differences such as skull shape, tooth placement, coat type etc never mind less obvious with different drives and characteristics. People who buy the crosses often have problems, but think that is normal. today I groomed a xbred oodle - have been doing this dog for 6 yrs, since she was a pup. For 6 years I talked about this dog being a cross breed with her owners and for 6 years I have told them that there is not such breed as their XXoodle. Today they told me about how well bred she is and her parents are from champion lines...today I explained again about where their pup came from and about the likely living conditions the parents lived in.... Today he said that she is becoming lame and showing signs of ageing...I reminded him that 6 yrs is not old - if she is lame it could be a number of things - simple or something serious starting. I reminded him that since his pup was bought from a puppy farm the chances of the parents being of any quality is pretty slim and even more slim of the chances that either parent had been tested for anything. Today I reminded him of the "lucky dip" he did on the day when he bought a dog from a puppy farm. I told him that his dog is one of the nicer oodles I have been grooming all these years - many people have not been so lucky. While his dog has a wonderful temperament and until now has been pretty sound many are not. AND today he told me again about how lucky they have been because his breeder has bought such lovely dogs..... What hope is there when people after all this time still don't get it....they believe all the crap they are told - even after the puppy farm story on TV (he saw it) they don't think it is so bad and that their dog never came from a place like that..then tells me that his breeder sells pups all the time to pet shops..... What hope is there?

Gee - looks like I am the odd one out. I make an effort for friends when they come and stay and never had any problems. So what if the dogs don't have full access to the whole house for a few days - they survive. I have more than one dog - most are large and I would never turn a friend away - I would do what is necessary to have a bloody good time with my friend and her toddler. When my friend comes over from SA (she has my daughters rooms) and her 2 children (last time they were here - baby and toddler) and my daughter slept on the floor in my sons room. We had less dogs then than we do now - but it was 1 Rottweiler and 1 pug at the time. If they came back now they would have the same room and I would be keeping the dogs in my room so they could have access to the toilet during the night. Baby gates and crates - supervise or separate dogs from visitors is not hard and the dog will get over it. ** runs off to find that flame suit...

That's good to read - I would imagine the first thing they will recommend is raw natural diet and supps. with physio. Good luck and hope you have a more positive report from them than the 1st vet and fingers crossed no invasive surgeries will be necessary.

Regardless of price they have been very handy. I have extended the rabbit pen (only 1 bunny) so many times now it is 13 panels long - and still growing. When I first bought them they were under $20 - last time I think they were about $28 - $29. I suppose they could vary a $1 or 2 at different areas - who knows. I seem to collect them though.

They went up a while ago and average around $30 now.

love it.. I have a dog here who was returned - he HAD no desire for treats - nothing. He spat out everything - so had to think a bit harder... TOYS really turned him on - so toys it was - tug games - he LOVES tug games..next step was feeding treats to the others and he watched how much they loved it and in the end he knew he was missing out. So in a few weeks he went from not wanting treats and spitting everything out - to wanting treats and eating anything that was being offered - watching for the next bit. Stinky foods work best.

So do I but some people must think it does not apply to them I have even got "no puppies available" on my breeder profile and web page but still get enquiries wanting to know if I have a litter at the moment if not when. Well apart from the usual bogan comments the worst shocker for me was when a bloke rang me DAILY for 3 days and all 3 calls I told him I do NOT have a puppy available to him. He didn't stand a chance as it was but when he asked if "it" had a tail and I said yes - all RoTTWEILers (correcting the rockweelers) do now since the tail docking laws were changed - no docking allowed - well he told me that's ok - "I will take care of that". I had a panic attack and asked him what did he mean by that. Said he would deal with it himself - said no one would know. By this stage I was about to drop on the spot feeling sick with visions of what he must have meant. I told him that ANYONE with eyes would know if a dog has a tail or not - he went from bad to worse with every comment - told me that no one would see the dog. He was going to lock him in a yard - no one would know he was there. So after finding words to say - I told him for the 3 days to piss off - I have nothing for him and I was making a few calls to other breeders - which I did. He wanted to get a pup - (mine was about 4-5 months old at this stage) CUT OFF ITS TAIL - HIMSELF and lock it away - a yard dog. That still makes me sick thinking about that call. Then there was - "ok - I will take the pup off your hands for you - and will pay you next month"...."it's ok - you can trust me." yeah - like that would happen. After having 2 Rottweiler litters I have to say talking with pug people was so wonderful. Only 2 that worried me so told them I have nothing left. I have a young Rottie male and had to sort out the dog dealers at this age. This dog is not advertised - only listed on my webpage and I still get interstate calls about him. I have a local home lined up for him now - just getting his hips done first before letting him go. Thankfully it is a very long time until we will have another rottie litter available - but dread the thought of dealing with those types again.

I agree with this. I have a bitch that had UI (twice) - call the vet now and tell them where your at now - don't delay. If in doubt go to the vet is the best advice I can give. I don't know how many times I have called and said this is probably a stupid question - but - and not once did they make me feel like it was. Good luck..

Wazzat - Sitstay is easy to use, even I can do it. http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servle...1&langId=-1

I have only had one other dog scored before so it is still new for me too. I can only imagine of all the hoops you have had to jump through bringing your dogs in to Australia, I for one could not do it. I wish you all the luck in the world with them. This is a link to Pipers results. It has her pedigree, hip/elbow, eye and mouth certificate. edit to remove link has been viewed

Fantastic set up and I totally enjoyed looking at your website. Your dogs are wonderful and to see your photos has been an eye opener. Got to ask you about your bikes though - where did you get them from - not having anything to do with sledding I have never seen them before. Great site. Well done..

Thanks Wazzat - that would have been great but Rottie have their own paperwork. I have just sent off my dogs details and hopefully I will get the necessary paperwork back next week and will have them done asap. They have their hips / elbows, mouth and eyes done at the same time. Will get the DNA done while there too. Looks like I am up for an expensive week. Plan was to space them out but now the pressure is on to have them done together.

Thanks for posting this here. I better get organised fast as I have 2 Rottweilers that need doing asap. Off to the Post Office to have the paper work sent to me. There goes one week... *just hope that my bitch does not come in season a bit early now.

Thanks for the lovely complements about Hamish, he is still a young fella so I can only hope he continues to improve. Erny - in this pic he does look ok, but he was a bit thin, his ribs, hips and spine were easily felt and most of his ribs were easily seen - must have been good lighting not to pick that up. He is filling out a bit more now, but could easily turn to fat if not careful. He is a different build than Pink - she is a "little" bit heavy right now and it doesn't take much for her. Thankfully I found his favorite foods and he is no longer fussy bugger.

Well that sucks - at least they are now taking the dog back I suppose. Are your friends getting a FULL refund? Sure hope they do.

Deb - Not the best photo (bad angle) but will have to do..he was still to lean for my liking in this one.

This rope was bought from a pet shop and has had a pretty hard life - is over 2 yrs old now and has lasted well. Not the best pic of it being used but most of them are blurred being flicked around.

Thanks Deb, he has matured a bit since being home, but I keep looking at him wondering how long he will keep his ears in the right position. (fingers crossed they stay nice) I can't put more pics on here now - I had to get James to do it for me. Having issues with photo bucket so he used picasa 3 and I don't know how he does it. There are some pics of him on the website and his profile on DOL. They were taken at 16 1/2 mths old, he was still a bit light in condition for my liking but other wise looks ok. Will up date the website soon with new pics of him.

Short version - Hamish - entire male Rottweiler who has small ears, when he was young they usually did their own thing. His left ear was ok but his right ear has a crease, he has small heavy set ears and a simple tweak will keep his ear in the correct position. When he left home around 4 - 5 months old his ears were sitting ok - not fantastic - but ok. Pink had similar set ears, (but better) hers are good now. Hamish came back home at 15 1/2 months old and one ear was sitting correct but the other still had a fold. When he came for visits both ears were still doing their own thing and I did tape him while he was here and shown his new owner how to tape them and how to massage. He only did it a few times then gave up. I have been feeding my dogs a raw diet for several yrs now and when Hamish left home he was put on RC, he did ok on it. But when he came home his teeth were in terrible condition - very yellow. His mouth looked like it belonged to a much older dog, not a young dog. The day he came back he was put back on my diet - was not an easy swap but he eventually did change over. He has regained the weight he lost and doing very well. Best of all was the improvement in his teeth. He now has perfect white teeth that looks like a young dog again. BUT the biggest bonus I have noticed is the way his ears have been sitting lately. He will be 18 months old next week and I had well and truly given up on his ears sitting correctly. Since I was so keen on cleaning his teeth up I made sure he ate lamb bones everyday and I have to wonder if this has worked the muscles in his ears as well as his head while eating bones. He is a slow eater - so no gulping, he can take hours to eat a lamb neck so I would imagine his muscles are working over time while eating. Is it possible that by eating bones every day for the last 2 1/2 months has strengthened the muscles in his ears - making them sit correctly? Anyone think this is possible at his age? He has gone from this: He used to hold his ears in this dicky position a lot of the time. Can't really see the other ear is good but this is how he used to hold his right ear almost all of the time. To this: His ear was tweaked for this pic but this is what he is doing a lot of the time now naturally without being touched.

Congratulations on the new arrivals, look forward to seeing lots of photos. eta: Can I please request photos of mums head too. I love the look on their faces, very content and proud once they have their babies and the look of "had enough" just before the pups are born. I love the belly shots but the whole picture looks fantastic.

I was thinking it was a puppy but sounds like it is a young male. I can not believe the breeder does not insist the dog is returned - less than one week. Less than one week is not enough time for the dog to settle in but sounds like your friend may not be able to cope with the situation. How much thought was actually put in to this? Was it even talked about what happens if the dog is not suitable? Rehoming a dog should be just as important as finding a home for a puppy - but the difference is the personality of a dog has already developed and extra care should be taken when looking for that home. Sounds like some people are not so fussy about where their pups / dogs end up. Sad situation for the dog and those involved. I have rehomed a young adult before and it was made crystal clear that if for any reason things don't work out she comes back home. Same deal with the male who was returned 2 months ago. I want them back so I can spend time with them, then I can be sure that the home I find is a suitable home. Good luck - I hope the dog can be returned and your friend can be let out of the agreement.

So sorry for your loss Dotty. Rip Ghurkin - a short life but a very full life. (like so many - seeing your name I didn't want to look)

Anyone looked at the current March/April issue of Dogs Life? Puppy Mills Pedigree Dogs Exposed Should pups be sold in pet shops? Dangerous breed laws. I used to get this all the time but got sick of the crap in it, but thought this issue might be worth a look.

I see where your coming from but in the real world it is not a good idea. No way would I take my puppies to a pet shop to be overwhelmed by who know what - imagine the risks they would be exposed to. The pet shop in Fountain Gate Vic - Pets At Home, tried this - had breeders in with their adults trying to educate the public - didn't work for a few reasons. The problem is THE PEOPLE. They want to see puppies and kittens and buy them on impulse - it makes them feel good - even if for just a little while.....responsible people don't do that - they plan ahead...there is the difference. Having said that - I know a lot of people mean well when buying a pet from a shop but even then they know it was the wrong thing to do - so they try to make themselves feel better by saying it was a "rescue". I hear it often being a groomer - many people who impulse buy are nice people - they just get sucked in, they are not necessarily irresponsible people but make irresponsible choices and that is what the pet shops and puppy farms are counting on...