RuralPug

I feel that the tiniest toy bitches should be desexed before the first season. Most tiny toys are fully mature at 10 months anyway and the risk of attracting a larger male to a female in season is not worth the extra hassle. Even the larger toy breeds (Pugs, Cavaliers etc) do not seem to have maturity/growth problems when desexed before the first season in my experience. Medium, large and giant breeds are the ones that really benefit from tubal ligation - absolutely no chance of reproduction and correct growth hormones until maturity.

Allowing dogs in your care to breed indiscrinminately is surely neglect as much as not ensuring veterinary care and proper housing and nutrition. I imagine that in this case "not desexing" is a shortcut way of saying they are breeding indiscriminately but I do agree that using that shortcut term may set a dangerous precedent.

Midniara is the DOLer to ask. Although she is flat out lately and hasn't a lot of online time. I'm not sure if you could get a Mal coat from a Groen x Terv - if that is correct and all pups will then be long coated, then naming the variety is surely easy. Any all black offspring would be classed as Groen, sables with a black mask will be classified as Tervs. I'm not aware of any other allowable colours (but I'm no authoriity). Don't let puppy coat length confuse you - the full coat with come with maturity. EF typos

OK understood, but most carpenters and builders can work in uPVC as well as timber and it is certainly available in Australia, most commonly as vinyl over-cladding but some of the tougher ones are used in in new constructions, both externally and internally - just google some of the distributors of Altro and Formplex etc. They can put you in contact with a local installer who would no doubt have suitable offcuts to purchase plus some joiner ends etc. which would could be made up to your design. I imagine a few phone calls or emails should be enough to ascertain wether that would be a considerable price reduction than shipping the finished product from the UK or not. Plus it's nice to buy locally if you can and if it is exactly as you want. Just a suggestion - let us know how it turns out. :)

Can he ask around locally for a handyman/carpenter? Chances are that he can get one made up and cjoose the materials finish to boot....

Start by using a mobile groomer so that you can observe methods etc. Always clip a dry coat - bathing can be before or after. If the coat is very matted, do a rough clip before then bathe, blow dry thoroughly and complete the clip. It is better to clip on a table or bench - the dog is more likely to stand still if he cannot move away. A dining table may be too large. A sturdy garden table with a non-slip mat might work if you can't purchaqse a grooming table or sturdt crate or show trolley. (Plus your back will not take kindly to bending over backwards.) After getting the mobile groomer to show you the tools and the methods, gradually purchase what you need to clip at home.

LOL It is not the confinement itself that is stressing them, though!! Imagine if they had confinement stress on top of vet stress - which does happen. Ask any vet tech...

The main reason for penning and crating puppies is safety and not letting them develop bad habits when unsupervised. Additionally confinement training while a puppy has these other advantages: (a) the dog will not suffer stress from being unused to confinement later if confinement becomes necessary at the vet, boarding kennels or if you have tradesmen in and out who may leave door and gates open, (b) you have a safe place in which the dog will be happy if you wish to use power tools or potentially dangerous gardening equipment in the yard or house without worrying if someone is going to open the back door and let the dog out into danger, © you are able to entertain family or guests that are dog phobic, (d) I have known a number of over-the top, under-the fence, wire-climbing, levitating extreme Houdini foster dogs over the years. It may be coincidence, but no matter how much enrichment and house access was available to them, they were just not comfortable with confinement. In cases where I could ascertain their puppyhood, I found that there had nor been any attempt at penning or crating as a puppy. Obviously missing out on confinement training as a pup will not always lead to Houdinism, but it needs to be considered. Those owners who are home with their puppies most of the time and who don't use pens or crates but DO use mat training I consider as accustoming the pup to confinement, even if the walls are invisible. Edited cos ity is bloody frustrating to peck at the keyboard with one hand whi;e the other is in a sling and mistakes get made

I've never had any problems combining raw with kibble. Wild dogs don't sort their food into digestion rate groups before eating and they don't have problems either. Just be careful to feed the puppy a growth diet until at least 6 months (being a mini - larger dogs meed growth diet longer).

So who pays the kennel costs for the seized dogs whilst a Parlimentary committee wades through the process and then presents its recommendations? Councils won't want to foot the bill. I am glad that it is getting sorted, but if they hadn't rushed into this knee-jerk legislation through in record time in the first place, they wouldn't have to sort it now. not to mention there wouldn't have been loss of innocent canine lives.

If it is openable, like a key ring, then it is a split ring. If it is solid or welded shut, then it is a round ring. Round rings are stronger, but you have to braid the cord around them. Split rings can be threaded onto the cord after braiding. You will find heaps of them in large hardware stores like Bunnings, in the chain and rope aisle, or buy online.

I just want to say that I'm so glad that common sense has prevailed and this thread is up and running again. Val you are a saint without doubt. Bless you! Sad to see that lactating bitch in the pound though...I hope she is not a surrender but a stray who gets to go home soon. Thanks so much for all you do!

If she gets the runs on the raw, change what type of raw you are feeding until you find the one that she digests best. It could easily be the level of fat or rich marrow that is causing the runs with her. You are using chicken, change that to raw meaty lean beef or roo bones and see if that makes a difference. Chicken and lamb RMB usually have a high amount of fat in this country. You may need to experiment a little before you find what does work for her.

Many places sell a 10kg box of carcasses - the number of carcasses in the box will vary due to their size but probably averages about 25-30. How many carcasses or portions I will give for one meal depends on their size - small dogs may get half a large carcass for a meal, or even a whole small one. The Mastiff cross usually gets three or four.

What is even more confusing is that there is no one-size-fits-all "best" diet. There are dogs that having been fed raw all their lives, have developed protein allergies that now make their owners' lives a living hell. There are dogs that cannot tolerate grain, or develop intolerances to it. There are dogs that seem to do brilliantly on poorly and cheaply produced supermarket kibble plus a few table scraps. Others may thrive on one brand of food, but do poorly on another when the food seems to be of comparable quality. For hundreds of years, my ancestors fed their herding dogs a bowl of porridge a day and the unwanted parts of the sheep when one was slaughtered every month or so. They wrote how well the dogs did on this diet, but didn't think to mention that the dogs also caught and ate rabbits and other small game several times a week, which made a substantial portion of their diet! So what is my take? Base your dog's diet on what they do best on, but be sure to frequently include small amounts of other types of food to keep their system up to the challenge of other foods. If you do this in their youth and middle age, then hopefully you won't get dietary intolerances in their senior years, even if there is a family history of it in their lines. So my dogs are fed mostly raw, but they do get a grain based kibble for about 20% of their diet. I try to vary the raw a fair bit, both between red and white meat and fish and high-fat meat and lean meat. They get the odd whole raw egg, shell and all, too. Pureed fresh green veges with cooked pumpkin and my few beloved supplements of kelp, apple cider, coconut oil and parsley. The odd bit of fruit and some storebought treats in moderation. And occasionally they might even get "take-away" in the form of Nature's Gift canned food which is in the pantry for emergencies. On the whole, they eat much better than I do! :)

You can try that approach, but it may not impress. You are more likely to succeed by suggesting co-ownership with the breeder and campaigning the dog or bitch extensively before considering breeding. Tell them you are looking for a show dog and might be interested in breeding some years down the track once you are an experienced exhibitor. The only way you are going to earn that trust, in a breed which is rife with BYBers and cross breeders, is as has already been said to demonstrate commitment over time. You have already researched the breeders with the lines you are interested in, find out the shows they will be attending and be there as well. Someone who turns up week after week to shows will become known to those breeders as someone worthy of consideration, and joining the breed club in your state and attending their meetings and functions won't hurt either (just beware of factions within the club, sigh.) Be prepared for your first offer of a show quality specimen to be on breeder's terms, which can entail a lot of things, learn the pitfalls there also.

From the sound of that coat I actually wouldn't clip her, I would be looking to get as much undercoat out as I could while retaining the top coat. So I would recommend a good undercoat rake, used at least weekly so that all of the loose undercoat is stripped out. The first time you use it you will most probably get a pile of fur nearly as big as the dog! If at all possible, invest in a force blow drier which will dry your dog thoroughly after swimming...although you would be unlikely to find a second hand one for under $100. Possibly a high powered human hair dryer with a concentrator attached might work, although a large dog would take a looooong time

Royal Park is near the city. That is the nearest train station to Melbourne Zoo. Close suburbs would be Parkville, etc.

My rule of thumb for training treats in small breed puppies is that the total treats given in any one day should be less than 10% of the total daily food intake. So make a pile of the average number of training treats she would get in a whole day and put it next to one of her meals. If she is being fed three times a day and the treat pile masses less than a fifth (20%) of that one meal then you will have no problems. But if the treat pile masses more than that, then you have a puppy filling up on treats which would explain not being hungry at mealtimes. Solutions include decreasing the size of each treat by whatever ratio is needed, trying to reward her with play (tug toy or similar) rather than a food reward, or simply replacing the actual treats with tiny portions of her ordinary meals and including those in her total daily food allowance. It might also pay to check back with the breeder about the total DAILY food requirements that she needs as she grows. It is not unknown for new puppy and kitten owners to mistakenly feed the entire daily amount in each meal, three of four times a day and then worry about why so much is being wasted! And can we please have some pictures of your new cutie pie? Pretty please?

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but I've always wondered why, over the years, Labrador Retriever has become just Labrador while Golden Retriever is still commonly a two word name? I don't mean to those that have and love them, to whom they are labs and goldies, but to the general not dog-savvy public? Any guesses?

Sometimes puppies will lose appetite when they no longer have the competition of litter mates. If you don't want to be lumped with a fussy eater for the next 15-odd years then you are absolutely going to have to stop the "trying all day' bit. Dogs will not starve themselves to death unless they are really ill. Stick to the feeding times and foods as advised by her breeder. Put the food down for 10 minutes each mealtime and then pick up anything that she hasn't yet eaten and don't offer her anything else at all until her next mealtime. She should have access to fresh water all day, but not access to food all day. She may miss a meal or two when you start this, but soon enough hunger will creep in and she will be devouring each meal as you put it down. If, after a few days, she is still leaving food, then you may be giving her too much. If she starts to look terribly thin, then maybe a vet visit is in order, but my bet is that after a few days of the 10 minute meal times, she will eagerly scoff whatever you offer. Good luck and let us know the result.

Sorry but don't let either of your dogs dictate their diet! Believe me, the corgi cross, will not allow himself to starve to death just because the food on offer is the wrong flavour - eventually he will eat because he is hungry. Put the food down for 10 minutes only. If he doesn't eat it in that time, take it away and don't offer anything else until the next feed time. Personally, I would encourage you to go raw or BARF and yes, you can put a little kibble in their diet as well. If your dog has been itchy on wheat based kibble, then of course go for a grain free or unusual grain kibble. :) ETA - the Nature's Gift canned food is just as good and better value than the individual portions. It is the only canned food that I have in the larder for emergencies.

Most councils will have a list of the approved authorities on their websites if you look at their domestic animal registration requirements. :) ETA _ I call them the "Department of Constant Name Changes" and EVERYBODY knows instantly who I mean!!

No matter how good natured your housemate's Kelpie is, I would not be leaving an 8 wo puppy with him for 8 unsupervised hours. Baby puppies don't have proper dog manners yet, and if she does not know to respond to his "hey, that's rude! Stop it!" warnings then they may escalate to the point where he feels that he needs to hurt her to get her to understand the lesson. Some dogs are great at safely teaching baby puppies manners, but not all dogs are. So I would be perhaps making a small barricaded part of the back yard that is her place outside while she is little - can you extend the pen somehow to do this? - for daylight shifts and enclosing her in her indoor crate for night shifts ( and perhaps asking housemate pretty please to give her a toilet run early in the morning, or late at night so she is not holding on for a whole eight hours...

OH STAN! We wuv you Stan - you never fail to entertain! Sorry he stressed you out HW! We mostly get copperheads here, so I sympathise with the terror that dogs could get bitten. I have lost two cats to snakebite here and now have strictly indoor only cats... I have never yet lost a dog to snakebite, although some came really close following a large mulga when we were stationed in Woomera in the 1990s. Those mulgas were unlike any other snakes I have ever encountered as in breeding season they would range really widely and become quite bold and sometimes ludicrously aggressive.