poodlefan

Oh that's hilarious - I also sometimes tell Elbie to grow a pair and my OH has to remind me that we've had him desexed and then the guilt sinks in Thing is my dog is supposed to be a hardy, tough working dog. We were warned before we got our dog that kelpies could be aloof, didn't really want affection or human closeness etc. Hmmm. Sorry to hear about Charlie's backbone. Eek! He does so well though! Whoever told you that about kelpies probably forgot to mention that any dog not socialised to accept human company is unlikely to seek it. No pet Kelpie I know matches that description. Elbie ain't a kelpie anyway. He's crossbred and IMO he's got a few breeds in him. I'd say you've got some [over] bonding issues. You could implement a program to decrease Elbie's level of anxiety when left.

All the love in the world is no substitute for knowledge. Its all fine when a dog is bright and shiny and you can see the dollar signs above its head but when reality sets in... I'm not a breeder either but wouldn't even ATTEMPT to whelp and raise a litter without a top notch mentor. If these folk are newbs to the breed and taking it in a direction that's not in its interests, they're hardly going to have experienced SBT people falling over themselves to mentor them.

Do it before fellow agiliteers cringe when they see him unsound but still trying to please you.. I've seen a few sad cases like that. Continuation on an unsound limb is only going to compound his health issues as he ages.

Could be lots of things: * poor whelping/puppy raising husbandry * big headed pups causing difficulty for the bitch * failure of the pups to thrive. BUT if it keeps recurring, and they're STILL breeding in the same manner, its hardly in the interests of the dogs.

Wait for the therapist's opinion, but I'd say you're right. A chiropractor would be a good person to visit also. Agility is a front end sport and he sustained a serious front leg injury. If he's starting to refuse jumps something's not right. It will probably be bone/tendon issues, rather than muscle that are causing the problem IMO. My guess would be arthritis either in the leg, higher up in the shoulder or the spine. If he's not on joint support already, I'd be starting him but sounds like it's time, to retire if he's no longer enjoying himself.

One other thing. DON'T let her sleep when you get home from work.. keep her awake. She's not a baby anymore. Her need for sleep is declining. So she's looking for stimulus. If she's sleeping all the time you're at work (which is highly likely), then you need to keep her awake more when you're with her.

How much are you feeding her? Is this all she gets? How are her teeth?

Buy a metal crate. How much exercise is she getting outside your home each day.

I'd never say scientists no nothing about dogs. As with all academia, the higher you climb the ladder of research the more and more you know about an increasingly smaller field. Scientists have knowledge but they certainly don't have a monopoloy on that. Translating that knowledge into practical applications can stretch quite a few academics. Law is no different.

Work to live well. Volunteer to enhance your quality of life. I recall Dr Reiner Klimke (multiple Olympic gold medalist in dressage) being asked what would be the best advice he could give to any aspiring young dressage riders. "Go out and get a very well paying job" he replied wryly. Dr Klimke was a highly successful lawyer. Most work with dogs won't pay a reasonable mortgage or put your kids through uni. A good career will do all those things and you can do volunteer work with dogs.

Phew!

If you want hope of ever earning more than a minimum wage as a kennel hand or walker, I'd suggest you train for a dog related job eg. Groomer Trainer Dog Handler (police, Customs, AQIS etc) Vet Nurse Vet Canine Chiropractor Do you currently have a dog? Joining a dog club to train can open a lot of doors.

Trisven: Sounds like Sam Field? She had successful obedience trialling Irish Setters before making the switch to Australian Shepherds. She is also an obedience instuctor and judge. I know Albury runs a couple of agility trials a year but have never heard anything about agilitytraining. The club will be the folk to tell you.

If the dog is quiet inside at night, it wouldn't be high on my list to figure out why he barks outside. Keep him in. Where you sleep him is up to you but keeping him quiet would be my priority. He's safer that way.

I did a full agility class on a broken ankle.. it only hurt a lot later

Some of us know of situations with very different outcomes. The worst dog fight I have ever seen was between two male SBT littermates. They did not live in the same home. It happened at a dog training club.

Rushed? No But most posters think the dog should see one.

Two male Staffords..

I'd not put anything on the skin without knowing the cause of the itching. What breed is the dog and what is it fed? Dietary insufficiency and allergies are two possiblities that spring to mind.

Tilly: Attach it to the outside of the gates.

Hmmmm male SBT pup and male Labrador. Get the boundaries on this pup from the beginning Dee al.

My friend's GRs don't seem to smell more than other coated breeds. They sleep inside. I wonder how much diet, grooming and lifestyle impact. Feed any dog canned food and it will reek IMO.

Corvus: I seriously wonder why more aren't completely insane.

Rumour has it that mating of very white particoloured Whippets has seen deafness crop up in the breed. There is a definite link between black dogs and increased risk of some cancers and between black and tan dogs and susceptability to parvo. And of course the lethal white gene crops up in merle to merle matings.. in dogs and in paint horses. Poodlefan I am interested in this bit. I have a staffy who is black with minimal white markings. I don't know her full history but I doubt she came from a registered breeder. She was diagnosed with cancerous tumours about 3 years ago. They have not been treatable and they are everywhere all over her body. These have not negatively affected her in any way. A couple of months ago she was diagnosed with mammary cancer. Again no treatment is possible but she remains well. She's almost 16 so her quality of life is very important to me and her level of health and activity surprises me daily even though I know that will change at some point. I'd never heard about the link between cancer and black dogs so would be interested in what kinds of cancers are likely to see if she fits the profile. Off the top of my head, the main two are bone cancer and Haemangiosarcoma - but I'll post up some links when I get home.

I guess someone would have to work them to know......... My breeder thinks they should be able to do all things goldies are meant to do. But I guess if they end up in homes like mine, you never know if they can work or not really. As the working gundog folk can tell you, what breeders say and what their dogs can do aren't necessarily one and the same. I'm no expert but I gather a lot of dogs have lost the appitude and drive for field work. I'd say many Golden Retrievers have probably lost the ability to work all day in the field.. they're too damn solid for a start. Working line Labs and Goldens are far finer than what you see in a show ring.