poodlefan

Share your pain. Put the rangers on speed dial And walk at really stupid hours of the morning. Fewer dickheads then.

I got an unsolicted phone call from a Lab bitch owner when my Mini poodle boy was entire. My friend rehoming a brown mini poodle boy found people quickly lost interest when she said he'd be desexed before he left. I'm no fan of early desexing but I can understand why breeders of the popular puppy mill breeds would do it.

Busy roads are your friend. Only the seriously stupid will walk a dog offlead along one.

.Ummm...most people just want to buy a puppy, not a lifelong relationship with it's breeder. Mentoring for show puppies, yes maybe, but mentoring for pets? Why? To answer all those questions that puppy buyers who are new to dog ownership have. A cursory glance at the "Puppy Problems" forum will demonstrate what the need is. This forum has been providing support to puppy buyers without a supportive breeder from the get go.

Dems nasty dogs those Whippies!! :p It is like someone throws a switch when prey drive engages though isn't it - even stationary, their whole demeanor changes.

Some of us believe that there are worse fates than death for a dog. I am one of them. No one can say for certain what quality of life these dogs will have. How can you rehome them when you have no clear idea of what their needs will be? Comparisons between the situation for dogs and humans is irrelevant. The sooner that's grasped, the better.

:p It sucks doesn't it.

Go to your local dog park a few times, stay outside and watch. Dog parks differ. Some have their own unofficial rules that are enforced by users. Others are free for alls and one user can make it hell for others. Warning signs to watch our for include: * any new dog entering is mugged by others at the gate * owners congregating and paying little or no attention to dogs * big packs forming and belting around with no intervention from owners * lots of rough play * any words like "let the dogs sort themselves out" * several dogs chasing others into fences or ganging up on one other * smaller dogs being bullied with no intervention by owners I'd be wary of taking a pup. You cannot control other users or their dogs and your pup could have bad experiences or be hurt. Personally I'd be joining a dog training club and allowing your pup to socialise there.

What else do you think The Ark meant? :p If The Ark choses to explain her comment, that's fine by me. Until then, I'll be inclined to take it literally. If a breeder choses to keep a pup because it's not suitable for rehoming or a rescuer choses to keep a dog that's unsuitable for rehoming so be it. When they judge others for doing something different to what they choose to do, then it can be offensive, whether intended or not. And what you keep vs what's suitable for rehoming can be quite different. That's the crux of the debate in this thread.

Have you considered that the Ark implied that many breeders would kill "pet quality" dogs? The idea that "many breeders" consider pups not worth showing or breeding should get a needle is offensive - or it is to me. Comparing those dogs to the pups in this thread is ludicrous.

PD, Poppy must now be quarantined too. She may not contract parvo but she may be a carrier. That means that ideally she should not leave your yard and should DEFINITELY not have contact with dogs for the next 21 days. Sometimes the people banging on about quarantine here are proved right. So sorry that's the case here. I'll count some blessings that Huey never made it onto a plane or a public dog transport trailer. I'd not be counting on any support from the rescue. They may shove their heads in the sand. Hopefully not.

So can Lab/poodle crosses. We see pretty full on examples at our dog club. People who have no idea about dogs have plenty of options when it comes to getting a dog they have no idea how to raise or cope with.

I don't have an issue on principle with "inside only". What does tend to concern me is that people make a decision to confine their pup inside with full knowledge that removal of sunshine and the opportunity for free exercise during the day needs to be properly compensated for. Most pups aren't at the risk of theft that I think some folk consider they are.

The poodle has already been used in the development of an FCI recognised breed.

How do all the "inside only" pup owners ensure their pups aren't Vitamin D deficient? How do you manage your penned pups for sufficient free movement to ensure adequate muscle development?

That doesn't cover dogs on laps. How anyone who "loves" their little fluffy could drive with it on their lap is beyond belief. In a crash the airbag in the steering wheel would kill the dog and potentially embed it in their chest.

Exactly how Im feeling. Have you contacted any interstate breeders yet?

A dog that will never eat or drink unaided. A dog that will never urinate or defecate in a designated place without assistance and will need to be cleaned every time. A dog that will never run, dig, or swim. It will never greet you at the door or gate, fetch or play in any meaningful way. A dog that is defenceless and helpless without human intervention. It could not be left alone for long. A dog that probably could never be kennelled and would be a real burden to anyone who had to mind it. That's not a dog to me. And that sure isn't much of a life. Agree with the posters who said the humane thing would have been PTS at birth. I have no doubt this level of disability and helplessness will attract a certain kind of owner. They'll pride themselves on 'saving' them. Lets hope they're in it for the right reasons and for the long run. But lets not kid ourselves that they're really getting a pet. What they they are getting is a living breathing animal whose deformity will make it extremely vulnerable to abuse either intentional or otherwise. Pity has always been a very poor reason to obtain a dog. I worry that these pups will be used for attention seeking purposes by people who will fail them in the end. I hope to hell neither of them have luxating patellas. Arguments comparing these pups to babies are fatally flawed. An entire welfare system exists to provide support and care for parents and children with disabilities (such as it is). There is no comparable system for dogs. All they'll have is an owner. No checks, no respite care, no assistance. The whole thing is grotesque. The only reason I'd apply to take on one of these pups is to do what should have been done for them at the get go. Give the poor buggers their wings.

Not all clippers require servicing. Andis Clippers are a sealed unit and don't. I'd suggest you go to a decent sized pet store and ask to handle a few pairs. How they feel in your hand is important. You also will need a set with blades that can be changed. I like Andis Clippers - they run pretty cool and they don't need to be serviced. But what people like tends to be an individual thing. I'd be sticking to Wahl, Oster or Andis and not even considering anything other than a good quality unit. Often the clippers marketed to pet owners are next to useless.

Anyone who's had horses knows about how they 'demand' food. Throwing feed bins around tends to be a bit of a hint.

God forbid we should feed an animal when its hungry! My old boy stares at me when its approaching dinner time. If that doesn't work he barks at me. And I feed him because he's old and he wants his dinner. Not everything an animal does is a quest for dominance. The sooner people start judging relationships holistically rather than looking at every behaviour as a potential sign of 'dominance' the better. You'll know soon enough if the boundaries of the dog/handler relationship are eroding.

Tenterfield Terriers would probably be the breed most recently recognised by the ANKC. I'd love to see the Murray River Curly Coated Retriever make that jump too.

A 9/10 score isn't catastrophic. Keep the pup LEAN, don't over exercise her and wait and see. The weight is crucial. If you can't feel rib with the flat of your hand diet her now. You may be worrying over nothing. I'd not be desexing before 12 months either.

The best advice I can give you Perth Girl is not to limit yourself to WA breeders. Even on the East Coast many of us buy from out of state. Don't let distance stop you from finding the right dog from the right breeder. It's not something you're going to have to do often.

If any of the DDs is going to make a registered breed it will be the Lab/poodle one. Bear in mind that it won't be done with F1 crosses, they'll need to agree on a standard that doesn't allow such a wide range of features and they'll need to change the bloody name. I'd hate to think that the development of new dog breeds is over. If people want to do the hard yards to develop and register a new breed then I wish them luck.