RuralPug

I think you might find that an aussie could be harder to get as a show pup than a BC - most of the breeders seem very intent on keeping breeding stock under their own control and generally sell on limited. This just seems to be a problem with may breeders these days - like they are scared of letting others in....... which is such a shame as it is harder for new people to get involved for the future. Only the buyers can fix this limited register nonesense and the way to fix it is not to accept limited register pups, don't buy them and the breeders have no option but change their ways. If the breeders can get away with these stunts, they will continue to pull them and it's up to buyers to sort it out instead nodding their head allowing breeders to restrict their rights of owning a pedigree dog. I disagree ab. The kind of breeders who don't give a damn where their main register puppies end up are really not the kind of breeders I want to be buying a show quality puppy from at all, or any puppy for that matter. If breeders are putting potential puppy buyers through hoops and taking damned good care not to place top notch potential breeding stock with unknown strangers, then I feel those breeders are much more likely to take care with health testing and thoughtful breeding/rearing for quality etc. And that is the kind of breeder I would want to buy from.

Yep, I think we all agree that this is not going to stop winning dogs with hereditary conditions being using for breeding by those who simply don't care. That's because we are in the know about these things. It has to be a PR exercise and surely it is aimed at the general public. To my mind, it is throwing misleading information at Joe Bloggs in much the same way that the animal libbers do. Someone, somewhere seems to have decided in a small way to fight fire with fire, is how I see it. Do you think it will be effective is helping to convince Joe Bloggs that pedigree dogs are not the completely disease ridden crippled creatures that recent AL publicity has made them out to be? Or do you think it will have little or no effect?

I agree that it is a pointless exercise if you assume they are trying to test for all hereditary conditions. Hopwever the article did make it clear that the vets would only be looking for easily visible stuff like lameness, severe ectropion/entropion, inability to exercise reasonably without breathing distress, etc. My assumption is that it is more of a public relations exercise with the KC saying "look our winners don't have these conditions". They are trying to support their breeders I believe. The question I am asking is do you think this is a right way to do it or not? Hmmmm, and maybe some judges do need their eyesight checked?

Some breeds are popular with pfs and bybs and breeders therefore have to try a lot harder to screen their puppy buyers and be wary of main register and entire requests. It can be a minefield, depending on the breed...meet the breeders, attend events sponsored by the breed club in your state as well as shows if possible. I assume you are looking for a border collie to show?

Full story here: Crufts news Selected excerpts: Ronnie Irving, Kennel Club Chairman, said: "The majority of people involved in showing dogs, including the 15 high profile breeds, are doing a good job in moving their breed forward and many judges are ensuring that health is paramount when they judge. This work should be applauded and recognised. "Sadly though, a few judges in some breeds simply can't or won't accept the need to eliminate from top awards, dogs which are visibly unhealthy. Neither we who show dogs, nor the Kennel Club which must protect our hobby, can reasonably allow that state of affairs to continue. I hope also that monitoring the results of this exercise may even, in time, enable us to drop from the 'high profile' list some of those breeds which prove to have a clean bill of health. "This move, along with the other health measures that we have put in place will help the Kennel Club to ensure that the show ring is, as Professor Patrick Bateson said it can be: a positive lever for change in the world of dogs." Professor Steve Dean, Crufts Committee member and Senior Veterinary Surgeon, and a member of the Kennel Club General Committee, said of the new requirements: "The guidance which we will issue to Show Vets will focus on clinical signs associated with pain or discomfort which will come under the main headings of external eye disease, lameness, skin disorders and breathing difficulty. The show veterinary surgeons will be looking for signs such as ectropion, entropion, corneal damage, dermatitis, breathing difficulty on moderate exercise, and lameness. The fifteenth breed is the Chinese Crested where the principal issue will be the presence of skin damage arising from hair removal and thus signs of clipper rash or chemical insults to the skin will be looked for. "It is not intended for the vet to act in any way as a show judge of conformation. Veterinary opinion will only lead to disqualification of a dog from further competition where there is clinical evidence of disease. Perhaps the only arguable exceptions are ectropion and entropion as both are conformatory defects of the eyelid, but both conditions are closely associated with chronic conjunctival inflammation or corneal damage and thus they will be disqualifying signs in their own right. "By giving dog exhibitors and judges 12 months notice of the intent to have a veterinary surgeon examine the Best of Breed from each of the high profile breeds, we hope that judges will ensure that only healthy exhibits will come forward. Therefore the number of times dogs are excluded from the Group following veterinary examination should be minimal. For some of the breeds this will still be a huge challenge but the intent is to improve the overall health and welfare of dogs and if this measure helps achieve this then it has to be a step in the right direction." The Kennel Club confirmed that the detailed regulations to give effect to these new moves are currently being developed and will be published in due course. 1. The fifteen high profile breeds are as follows: Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Bulldog, Chow Chow, Clumber Spaniel, Dogue De Bordeaux, German Shepherd Dog, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pekingese, Shar Pei, St Bernard, French Bulldog, Pug and Chinese Crested. 2. Show vets will be given clear guidelines on the issues that need to be considered in deciding whether or not to allow a dog to proceed further into the Group competition. The vets will be directed only to prevent dogs from going forward if they are suffering from some clinical problem which obviously adversely affects the dog's wellbeing. They will not be permitted to exclude dogs merely for aesthetic reasons or because of exaggerations alone, unless these are causing the dog some adverse clinical effect on its health or welfare. So if I'm reading it correctly BOB winners only will be tested only after they have been selected by the judge and the award will be withheld if they are disqualified by the vet. Big incentive for the judge not to overlook any of these conditions. Animal lib in UK is saying it doen't go far enough ( gee what a surprise there). So do you think that ANKC should put a similar scheme in place? Why? (Or why not?) Edited left out the word "not" ooops!!!!

You could start by attending shows and meeting breeders there. Breeders who see that you are committed enough to regularly attend shows without a dog may well be more inclined to consider you for a potential show quality pup. There are lots of other factors, but that might help. And of course you would be getting to know and be known by the breeders and you would be able to see up close and personal the dogs themselves. Better to get to know the show scene before you get a show pup.

Puglodge are you a member of the Pug Club of Victoria? If so, contact the Secretary and ask if there are members in Shepparton - she would be able to ask them and report back to you where they take their pugs. If not a member perhaps you might consider joining? The Secretary is active on DOL and might dob herself in with luck! Right, Jane?

I for one think that neuter classes should be offered at every show. I wouldn't be upset though if desexed dogs were permitted to show against entire dogs. I agree that conformation judging is against the standard, not for breeding ability or even breeeding potential. It can help in choosing what to use for breeding, expecially if you get to see several animals form the same lines. Personally, I believe that if every monorchid or cryptorchid male was desexed then they couldn't be bred from and so eventually they would be born less often. (Yes, I know the bitches carry it too). Right now a fair few of them are tucked away in breeder's backyards or petted out on breeding terms and they are BRED FROM. Better IMO to desex them and have them flying the flag for your bloodlines in the show ring. I think the argument that due to hormones and coat desexed bitches are unfair competition is laughable because plenty of non-breeding exhibitors give their bitches hormones to prevent them coming into season so it is happening anyway. I am also one to believe that neuter classes at every show would encourage new exhibitors (who may later escalate to purchasing entire animals for show). But I can't understand those who accept the use of product without qualm but jump up and down and scream at desexed animals being shown in the entire classes. Both equally break rules and therefore are equally unethical.

Return struvites are due to bacteria in the bladder getting out of hand and causing stone formation. You can feed a struvite prone dog a normal diet (raw prefered, but what ever your dog does best on) if you feed supplements to combat the bacteria, cranberry is an excellent one, especially when combined with supplements that acidify the bladder such as ACV and ascorbic acid (Vit C). Be aware though, that you MUST wait until any course of antibiotics is completed before starting cranberry as it can interfere with some medications. The ph strips are an excellent way to monitor the acidity levels.

Mind has gone blank..I think a black mini poodle was BIG...seem to remember one in the BIS line up...I think...

I loved the Ernie cheer squad waving their banner!!!

Congratulations! He looks the part too!

Ummmm...what about porky pies we tell the public 'cos we have just about had it with ignorance? Picture this...Royal Show, years ago you were on display all day for a very long day...(still on display but not such a long day these days). You ate your lunch feeling like an exhibit in the zoo. Anyway, to set the scene - a group pf Pug exhibitors wearily perched on their folding chairs, a few had had a celebratory drink or two, it is early evening. Pugs were not that well known in the 60's and 70s and all day we have had comments like "Oh, look, little bulldogs!" "Smooth coated pekes, are they?" "oh, don't they look [insert inane adjective here]" etc.etc.etc. One breeder, when asked for the umpteenth time "Oh, how do you get their faces so flat?" lost it. She put down her glass of white and said with a perfectly straight face "Well, when they are born we take a puppy in one hand and a good solid housebrick in the other..." and mimed a smashing action. "Ah, yes, that's right! Takes a good steady hand too" said one know-it-all in the crowd, nodding wisely. We all just totally cracked up! So norty I know...but god it was funny!

Ankris Krisan Drewkris Krispaws Watome has less letters than Awatome and sometimes there are advantages to being at the bottom of the alphabet! If you ever breed something other than a herding breed it might not be so apt though! Walkon is another. Would still make sense outside the herding breeds, too.

Will be there for sure, enjoyed this year's one! Dredged up some pics from it: Various DOLer's were about: area set aside for flyball demo was hard to find though. I'm told it will be centre stage this time, hooray! The mini horses will be back. Tack for these would be too small for most giant breeds of dog! Tollers vs goats And assorted celebrities flying the flag for their breeds: :D

Congrats on your puppy!! Come and join us in the Pug thread!!

10 cent piece sized spot on a baby is far too big for the show ring IMO, sorry. Personally, I would call that a mismark and would be looking for a pet home for any puppy I bred with a white chest mark of that size. Others may differ, but most judges wouldn't. Many of them find judging blacks harder work than judging fawns, but they can spot a mismark without trouble!! There are some nice blacks about, but it is hard work to educate the judges LOL!

You really want something that reflects YOU, or how you want to develop your breed(s). The shorter the better ('cos you can attach longer names to it). Some people use names (e.g. names of their two children squashed together) or place names (twisted version of where they are living). AS you already know, some will use a mix of their current dog's names.Others use a word from their non-English speaking background. Some make up a word out of whole cloth. So if you want us to suggest something, we will need a bit more background to make it relevant to you. Describe yourself in 25 words or less!!!!! You will need about half-a-dozen suggestions, you won't always get your first choice.

If the white spot on a baby puppy is bigger than the bed of your smallest fingernail, then it will always have some white there, and it is not preferred. Smaller than that and it may well disappear. I don't like white on my blacks. I also don't like white chest spots on fawns either, but I see a fair few around...

Don't panic. She can be trained fairly easily (don't try clicker though ) and most clubs should be able to adapt their methods to a deaf dog. Just ask around the clubs near you. The important thing to do is get her focused on you, so that she will watch you for signals. You will need to use touch or vibration (foot stomp on floor etc.) to get her attention at first. Still use voice when working with her - not because she can hear you, but because most people have clearer body languauge when they are speaking at the same time. I have no idea why that is the case. If she's like some deaf dogs I've known, when she is feeling naughty she will deliberately look away so as not to be told what to do!!!! If you start a thread in the training forum, you should get lots of advice.

It's okay to let hin swim as long as he is dried THOROUGHLY afterwards. If you can find something (maybe a furminator?) that will remove most of his undercoat while leaving the outer guard hairs in place it will much reduce the chances of a moist spot remaining and blossoming into a hot spot. If you are having high humidity there, vigilance is really your only hope. Go over him minutely at least twice a day or if you see him scratching. Finding a tiny hot spot before it blows out and treating it instantly with an anti-fungal astrigent (Listerine will do in a pinch) will mean you don't get the full-blown ones.

LOVE THEM! LOVE THEM! LOVE THEM! Only the Dremmel ones, can't say as I've heard any good reports about the little Reject-Shop-only-does-pet-nails style ones. The Dremmels do LOTS more than just doggy nails - you will be empowered!! Get the extenda lead add-on thingy (technical name! ) or buy the Bunnings Ozita version, which has the extension thingy in the kit. (Ozita better on the wallet also). I clamp the motor housing to a bench and use the extenda thingy to actually tackle the nails - so much more flexible and light, plus the noise stays stationary if the dog is a tad nervous. Easy to use? Oh yes, once you've trained your dog to get accustomed to them, they just relax and even snooze while you are dremmeling! Here is a excellent tutorial site. Go to DoberDawn.com and click on "How to Dremel Dog Nails". I won't put a link because she changes providers sometimes...

OES? ETA - because you said it was pastoral. Actually I thought it was my beloved Mastiff (breed developed by Romans in Britain) but that's not pastoral...

I am so slow but Akita??

Mine find the getting of and eating of food addictive activities. ROFL Sorry, couldn't resist. Not helpful I know.