poodlefan

Its a bit like lumping recreational fisherman under the same code of practice as long liners really. ;)

Is the thing under his eyes eyestaining? If your gut is warning you off listen to it. If you decide to proceed, ask the breeder for a written health guarantee and take out pet insurance. Take your pup directly to your own vet (NOT the breeder's) for an independent health assessment. Things can and do go wrong with litters but not every pup is necessarily going to be adversely affected. The smallest pups at 8 weeks often don't stay that way either.

Most walking is done offlead. When onlead the two older boys have harnesses (not corrective ones), the girl wears a flat collar and the Whippet wears a martingale collar.

Not for having "border collie like" temperament. As an owner of a Whippet and Poodles I can tell you that training a Whippet is not at all like training a dog whose main aim in life is to be with you and to please you. Howie the Whippet loves his ball and loves to fetch it but only if he feels like it.

His loss

"Good around children" will be a matter of socialisation and training. Many pups are boistrious, even if they do grow into level headed dogs and it can be a bit challenging keeping them under control but separation and management are the keys. I'd suggest you get out to a show in your area and meet all three breeds. Personally I think they have quite different 'vibes'.

The other thing to remember is that distance matters in this process. Start with feeding Gussy some distance away (say down the end of the hall) and reward only the behaviour you want with Myrtle. I've had a behaviourist explain how they used a strange person with a curtain to start a very long desensitisation process for one dog .. just a glimpse.. reward focus and work up. Opening and closing a door might work for you. Time and distance need to be worked on slowly.

I'd consider those three breeds quite different in temperament and exercise needs. What attracts you to each breed and what are you looking for generally in a dog? * are you willing to take the dog to formal obedience training for at least a year? * how much exercise will you provide an adult dog? ** how much time are you willing to spend grooming a dog each week? * are you willing to pay for periodic professional grooming?

I'd await veterinary advice but the quality of food he's getting may not be the issue here.

Ask yourself what happens with visitors when you aren't there. It might be different. Personally I think only a complete fool would enter a yard with a Bullmastiff present whether or not its barking. Hopefully BM people will be along to advise you but I'd enjoy the fact that you've got a dog that looks the goods with a friendly nature.

With a program of desensitisation and reward for ignoring the cat? Very good! I'd start with dog in crate and cat loose in room.. reward for focus on you. Progress to dog on lead, then dog loose and cat in crate etc. A good trainer would be the way to go.

And I've repeatedly pointed out that the inference you've chosen to made from the comments isn't necessarily accurate. If, by your reasoning, Mr Linke chose to imply that CROSSBREDs could have been responsible for attacking the maltese, why don't you consider that relevant? Sorry, but I find your logic on this one unfathomable. With 50% of dogs in this country being crossbreds, that's a heap more dogs included as possible culprits than the two breeds named.

And I'll always be ringside to give it out of respect for the dogs. I don't really factor in the ego boost to the owner that the author of that piece seemed to need. I really don't think folks should kid themselves that the dogs will find the event itself makes them "feel special". They are on an outing. Some have had time being groomed. They are for at least a few minutes one on one with their owner, they're probably being baited or fed and it is the owner's attention that is the reward IMO, not applause and a prize. When people say their dog "really enjoys the show ring" I think they should pause to break down why that might be and I honestly don't believe most dogs give a toss about ribbons (unless they get them as tug toys). My initial post in this thread was to warn against anthropophising the event (as the author of the post had done) and to point out that oldies should be made to feel special EVERY day. I don't think of that as a particularly tough position.

He implied nothing of the sort. You're inferring a great deal. And once again, you've selectivey quoted him and left CROSSBREDS out of the equation.. you can't have it both ways.

Moselle: Your average member of the public would be hard put to identify more than 10 purebred dog breeds I reckon. Most wouldn't know the difference between a pitbull and a pachyderm - and the media's mislabellng of photos as 'pitbulls" doesn't help. Which was the point I believe Mr Linke managed to make to most people it seems.

Moselle: Your average member of the public would be hard put to identify more than 10 purebred dog breeds I reckon. Most wouldn't know the difference between a pitbull and a pachyderm - and the media's mislabellng of photos as 'pitbulls" doesn't help. Which strangely was the point I believe Mr Linke managed to make to most people it seems.

Same except mine have access outside 24/4 via a dog door.

I would think the intent would be to stop byb puppy farmers hiding behind a web address or a phone number with no real way of determining where and in what conditions the puppies are actually being bred and breeding stock kept. I have been told (have no direct proof or experience) that some operations have more than one supplying "breeder" who breeds relatively small numbers in rural fringe areas to funnel into a single supply chain. It would be very hard to monitor health and welfare of dogs in those type of situation. I belive there was a report in one of the Sydney papers along those lines too but I cannot remember which. I am not saying I agree with the address issue but I believe this would be the intent. I agree with PF though that I think there are privacy issues here. I can understand why the regulators would need to have addresses. Why they need to be publicly available, making breeders sitting targets for theft of dogs and pups, beats the hell out of me.

Unless the RSPCA or whomever is administrating this proposed legislation can provide a very clear reason as to WHY licencee addresses would be made public, I think it would breach state privacy legislation. I'd certainly be ramming that point home.. what public benefit stems from publishing names and addresses??

How old is the "skinny" Lab? How "skinny" is he really.. can you see his ribs and vertebrae?

How old is Osca? My poodles get Artemis Small Dog Seniors as part of their diet. The kibble size is very small.

For aggression I'd recommend a professional but in the meantime, separate them for feeding/bones etc. By separating I mean separate rooms or crates.

Perhaps because from a temperament perspective, not even an avid Grey fan would say they are at all like a Border Collie.

Smart as a Border Collie.. people focussed... likes games but smaller package? Miniature Poodle!

Clearly I don't think any part of the statement is detrimental Moselle.. and clearly I'm not alone. Like others here I have absolutely no idea what you're seeking to prove with this poll or any of your statements on this issue. As it stands "staffies" and "mastiffs" are not likely to end up the victims of BSL in the ACT.. and that will be due in very large part to the actions of the gentleman you say has a "lousy" way of warding off BSL. Once again, another who seeks to "defend" breeds, shoots themselves in the foot in the process. What part of Mr Linke's failure to support any kind of BSL aren't you grasping???