poodlefan

Sounds to me like the only "outbreak" has been in awareness amongst formerly uninformed dog owners. No wonder so many people fail to take the risk of this disease seriously and buy unvaccinated pups and/or fail to ensure their dogs immunity. And its the dogs and the remainder of dogs owners that pay the price for that.

Do you guys use electronic timing gates down there Ness?

On the other hand, if a competitors dog doesn't like my hat, coat or the fact that the gazebo side protecting the scribes' table from rain flaps in the wind, I call that tough bikkies. :D

As a lead steward there's no need to be that close to a dog. I stand off and let the competitor hand the lead to me.

I wonder if he suffers from a residual pain level that flares occasionally. Dogs are very stoic about masking pain as a rule.

At 16 weeks, Riddick appears to have missed out on a lot of experiences during his first critical socialisation period. I would follow the advice here and start adding visits to the program once he's confident meeting new folk and dogs at home. Keep him away from public offlead areas. You simply cannot control the kinds of dogs he's going to meet in them.

To get a good finish on a Westie you would strip the coat, not clip it. I own Andis clippers and like the fit in the hand and the fact that as a sealed unit, it does not require servicing.

Unless you want your dog to be fearful of new places and people, I'd strongly recommend you make an effort to get it out of the yard and about the place on a regular basis. Dogs need the stimulation of the new sights and smells that walks give them. Its not just about the exercise. I would strongly suggest you visit a dog show and Groups 1 (Toys) and 2 (Terriers) to see these dogs for yourself. Hard to explain but I'd describe the temperaments as very different. Terriers tend to have more of their own agenda, which when you consider they were bred to think for themselves when hunting is hardly surprising. Both of these breeds are popular and there are some unscrupulous types breeding them. Choose your breeder CAREFULLY. You might also like to visit the threads for each of these breeds in the Dog Breeds 101 forum here. Lots of good information there.

Help us out by telling us a little more about yourself and what sorts of characteristics you're looking for in a dog. Both look "cute" but thats about where the similarity ends apart from size. CKCS is a toy breed, its a small spaniel that retains some instinct, tends to be very people focussed, often soft in nature and has a silky coat that requires regular brushing to keep tangle free. WHWT is a terrier, developed to hunt and kill vermin. They tend to be independent, feisty and their wire coats require a fair bit of stripping to look as good as the ones you see on breeders websites or the My Dog ads. They can be challenging to train and feisty with other dogs. Both breeds can be active and thrive on regular long walks (when grown up). ETA: Based on what you've said in the previous post, I think the CKCS would suit you better. However there are probably a heap of other toy breeds you might like to consider.

How many stewards are in each ring? Some have time keepers, scribes, lead stewards and marshalls (who organise the competitors into sequence) in each ring. In others lead steward/marshall may be combined or timekeeper/scribe. Let competitors catch their own dogs if they piss off. Grabbing a strange dog by the collar (if its wearing one) or the scruff of the neck is inherently risky. Wear waterproof gear. If you're juggling leads and perhaps a clip board, you won't have a hand for an umbrella. You should get a briefing. Ask questions if you have them. As a lead steward you would normally be the person who tells the scribe (recording results) the competitors number. You'll probably need to keep an eye out for dropped bars and to help change heights and courses. Ask about how to adjust equipment if you're not sure. Don't allow yourself to be pushed around by the handful of competitors who may try it - your primary responsibility is to run the ring the way the judge wants, not how the competitors do. Have fun! No better place to watch agility than in the ring as a steward.

What attracts you to each of these breeds? They are VERY different in temperament.

Get some professional help. Holding a dog still by the collar and forcing him to confront what he fears may trigger him into defending himself. There are methods to build confidence that are less confronting than that. Where did you get your dog from? I would make no assumptions about abuse. His fear could be caused by lack of exposure to men or simply poor nerves around folk with deeper ("discipline") voices and a larger physical presence than he is used to.

So how is mere size a better indicator of suitabilty?

I can only interpret it as "anti-purebred". The fact is that some folk only want dogs of a particular breed. Why insist on making it more difficult to connect these folk with dogs needing homes?

Buying BYB and petshop dogs supports irresponsible breeding and exploiting dogs for profit. I don't see that as anything like being in the same category as a buying a responsibly bred pup from an ethical breeder. Some folk like rescue dogs. They like saving a life. Good for them. Others, including me, have quite particular needs and aims for the purebred pup they buy. Vive la difference. While Pet Rescue persist with their utterly inexplicable (to me) policy of refusing to list dogs by breed (since when is size an indicator of temperament, grooming needs or energy levels?) then finding rescue purebreds is made just that bit more difficult.

I don't think there is any overlap at all between the agiliteers and the flyballers at our club. I think the dogs handle both sports. I think sometimes its handlers that have difficulty switching between the two.

Wouldn't an ultrasound solve the riddle?

No. Next question?

Drive unsatisfied is drive frustrated. Not how you should leave a dog. Mr Joffrey (old style horse trainer) used to talk about the importance of STOPPING training when things were going well. "End of Lesson" for a new behaviour mastered or an improvement in technique is a reward itself. The pressure to perform is stopped. I like to finish with a game or just turning dogs loose for a blat and a play.

I was thinking about the solids as I wrote my post Whippets but I think its important to preserve them. I hear on the grapevine that the preference for flashy marked dogs is seeing more white appear and that deafness is creeping into the breed. Putting the odd solid breeding into the lines may help prevent that. They seem to crop up in plenty of litters still so you don't seem to need to breed for it. Non-whippet specialists don't tend to like the fawns (which Howard is) or unusual markings. They seem to like Irish marked brindles.

Colour breeding (breeding specificially for a particular colour) is a highly controversial practice in many breeds and is frowned on by a lot of folk. Why? Because generally, those who breed for "rare", "unusual" or "new" colours, choose colour and ONLY colour as their test of a good breeding prospect. Issues like temperament and conformation get put to one side and most of the progeny tend to be lesser examples of the breed. Among colour breeders there are pioneers and profiteers. How do you spot a profiteer? They expect you to pay $$$ for the coloured pups. If someone expects you to pay a premium for the privilege of a lesser quality dog of a particular colour, my advice would generally be to run a mile. Its not just Staffords. Red poodles have followed the same path. The quality of many early red dogs was crap and their temperaments were dodgy. Things are improving but not generally at the hands of the profiteers. There is a saying among dog folk that "there's no such thing as a good dog of a bad colour". By the time you've found pups from health tested parents of good temperament and chosen a sound happy pup, the colour of its fur should be a minor consideration. It's only "fashion" that makes a particular colour popular and we all know how breeds have paid the price for popularity in the past. My Whippet Howard was not a colour I'd have chosen but the breeder said he was the best dog in the litter. Now that I've got him, I LOVE his colour!!

White tailed spiders can produce that. only in humans though as far as I am aware. I sooo hope that is the case. Please let us know how it all goes at the vet APBT Off topic (now) but no, I've seen a similar reaction on a horse. :cool:

Agree ...Poodlefan hits the nail on the head and speaks like a true professional. Everything I was thinking, just written much more eloquently than I could ever put it. 'Cept I ain't one. Not a professional trainer anyway. That's another thing the Delta advertising glosses over. My dog training club has been training handlers and instructors for over 50 years. All those training are volunteers. A significant number of those years have focussed on positive training methods We've had delta trainees who were not club instuctors ask to use our handlers for their practicals (ah, no). Some of our instructors rung rings around many Delta graduates. Course certification doesn't guarantee quality. Anyone familiar with Australian Standards would tell you that

GREYHOUND. Seriously why do you think we have dozens of breeds? Different breeds suit different people. Maybe I can narrow that a little. If your primary requirement for this dog is that it wants to be with people, then IMO you should gravitate towards breeds developed to work with or spend time with people. Toys, Gundogs, Herding Breeds and those Non-sporting breeds developed as companions would be the direction I'd head in. If you don't want "crazy high energy" you've ruled out young dogs of many breeds and probably some of the working breeds all their lives. Some gundogs need a fair bit of exercise too,

I'm not sure this is a great idea. One pup is a lot of work. Two pups, one of which may not have been well socialised or that may have some 'baggage' is going to be even more work. I thought you were going to wait for at least 6 months between pups? Personally, I'd be making it more like 6 years. Two young dogs can be a lot of fun. Two old dogs can be a lot of A size imbalance between pups could lead to the smaller one being injured too.