RiverStar-Aura

I run a small terrier but because she's measured at 275mm, she's above the cutoff for 200 height (270mm). Funnily enough she's measured at 270mm in ADAA! Ss it is, she gets to run with shelties and I don't mind too much because 200 is such an insulting height. Kirah likes to think she can jump 600. I do agree with the sheer volume of 500 dogs though. I have a friend who runs a gorgeous English Springer at 500 and there's just no way he can match the speed of the kelpies or border collies. My Zeus is fine at 500 as he's quite lithe and speedy -- if only I can teach him to stop running off at the start! I'm not actually sure how you'd go about spreading out the 500 height. The only thing I could suggest is perhaps change the heights by 30mm for example: 200: Up to and including 300mm (up from 270mm) 300: 301mm up to and including 395mm (up from 365mm) 400: 396mm up to and including 485mm (up from 455mm) 500: 486mm up to and including 575mm (up from 545mm) 600: 576mm and over I don't know. It's not really an easy one. My only other option would be to have the 400 height fit all dogs up to and including 400mm to see if that helps spread the dogs out. Or just ban BCs and kelpies from entering! ;)

I am so sorry to hear of your loss Kirty. Champa looks like he had the most gorgeous, gentle and fun-loving soul! All those photos he has that goofy, happy grin, just like he was enjoying his every minute of life. RIP Champa!

Awwwww! He looks so happy and pleased with himself. :D

Also, wouldn't the breed need to be recognised by the ANKC to be able to legitimately breed from them? I don't know the answer, which is why I'm asking.

Cool. If you PM me your address I can post it to you :D

Do you have a prey drive on a stick toy? I have the awesome one from K9 Pro in the boot of my car I'd be willing to donate to Willow if you'd like. It's pretty much brand new as my guys just have no interest in it so would be more than thrilled to pass it to a pup who'd get some use out of it. :D

Was I the only one who noticed the mixer was a Kitchenaid only not badged?? :laugh:

I love the fat cat and the fridge. To eat, or not to eat!!

Purty. Purty Flower. No, no. That's not a flower, he's a little ... That's alright. He can call me a flower if he wants to. I don't mind. :D I'll stop quoting Bambi now!!! :laugh:

I loved how the cheeky Ronin waited until Tigger went behind the shed before making his getaway!! He's a sneaky one that Ronin. You'd better watch out Tigs!! :laugh:

Those two gorgeous goofballs never fail to bring a smile to my face!! Thanks again for sharing their delightful and special bond! :D

They are beautiful photos Perse! There's a certain amount of beauty and desolation in them that I find mesmerising. It certainly helps having a gorgeous backdrop to work with too!! :D I just LOVE that tree stump!

If you're going to look into Aussies (terrier) you will definitely need a much higher and secure fence. All the Aussies my family have owned have been able to spring the height of a 6ft fence easily and if we hadn't got on top of it, they would've scaled it for sure. They are fantastic, robust, little dogs with a whole lot of attitude but I would be worried about your native wildlife. Kirah is a fantastic bird and vermin hunter: she's killed mice, lizards and multiple birds (luckily she's only managed to get Indian Mynas but also one native wattle bird ). Their prey drive is strong and it's hard to teach them that certain birds are fair game (pests like the Indian Myna) but that the natives are off limits. They love the outdoors and Kirah loves to spend her day fossicking and snuffling around our back garden -- I'm not sure why, but all my Aussies have done it. I think they just like to stick their noses into things!! Aussies are also very inquisitive and like to help their humans out and just love to be around people in general -- basically they like being involved. They're good watchdogs but in my experience, as soon as an "intruder" heads down your driveway it's all about "ooh boy, a friend". Poochie (the Aussie in my signature) would've licked a thief to death and then helped them get away with the TV and riches!! :laugh: I believe Aussies are a hidden gem in the dog world -- but they're my heart breed and I couldn't imagine life without one, or two, or three ... Possibly ten!! They're generally quite a healthy breed too with very little in the way of genetic issues -- luxating patellas are the only major not-so-common issue I can think of. The very best thing about them though is their size: 6 to 10 kilos depending on lines, which means they're good lap dog and cuddle size!!! :D Just remember not to be fooled by their small size, they have a personality as large as any German Shep or Dobeman!!

I've just recently done an overhaul of my dogs' treatments. Up until maybe 18 months ago they were both given the annual heartworm injection until I did some reading and decided to stop using it. They now get Valuheart monthly and I feel much better about my choice even though they'd never reacted to the injection. I treat on the first of each month as I find it easier to remember than every six weeks, plus I'm in an area that sees mosquitos all year round. While I was still deciding on which treatment to go for I was giving them Interceptor monthly. I settled on Valuheart as I don't believe in needing to worm my guys monthly as I like Drontal tri-monthly for that.

I can't help but think I'd be an utter jerk to you too if this is your attitude. If you can't be bothered to put the attitude and pettiness aside and talk to your neighbour about the dog then you've been given your answer.

There's so much stuff we need to be wary of as dog owners! I'm just glad that peanut butter isn't a huge part of my dog's treat diet --I gave up on Kongs years ago! When it comes to their diet I'm of the opinion that the least processed the better (same with humans I guess). I'm lucky that I have a local health food store who makes their own peanut butter and package it straight from the press -- no additives at all.

I'm not at all surprised by some of the breeds on that list: Norwich, Skye, Glen of Imaal Terriers. Norwich Terriers have very small litters and struggle against their more popular relation the Norfolk Terrier (which have drop ears). Not sure why because I find the prick ears of the Norwich far cuter!! Skye Terriers I've always dreamed of owning ever since first reading about them in my favourite book of all time, Black Beauty. Again, they're not so popular but I think they're gorgeous little dogs. Glen of Imaal Terriers I'd never even heard of until reading through the breeds list on DOL. I think there are only 2 in Australia and I can't imagine there being many more in the UK..

That makes sense RP; not being a breeder I didn't even think about using dead stud dogs. Is using them a common occurrence? The dog in my eyes would have to be truly exceptional or have died at a young age. Breeding is a fascinating subject to me; there's so much to learn and know about the breeds and genetics. I truly have an appreciation for all the wonderful breeders out there!

Since I've been entering my dogs in official agility competitions, I've been paying more attention to other entries and trying to work out what all the titles mean. What I've noticed is that imported dogs have IMP <country of origin>, which makes sense but the one I find baffling is the AI listing. Why is this information added to a pedigree listing and does it make much difference whether a dog was mated naturally or inseminated? I'm going to assume there is a reason for adding it, but I don't know what it is.

From my memory of the rules the phrase 'distracting the driver' stuck out. Technically the dog can do whatever as long as it's not distracting -- which opens a can of worms because what might not be distracting you, the police may deem distracting. Zeus loves the front seat so I tether him in the back now so he can't jump over. Kirah loves the back parcel shelf so I tried tying her but she was still able to back up the seat onto the shelf. She now travels in her crate.

I'm crossing my fingers then too Huski. She looks lovely with her face as it is now!

It took me ages to figure out why Zeus had all of a sudden started barking around 2am every morning. I started keeping him a kilo lighter due to agility and the poor guy was cold regardless of the 50 plus fluffy blankets he has in his box. He has a fleece coat and every night I say 'where's your warms?' and he stands to have it put on. Quiet nights for over 2 years now :) They do very quickly learn behaviours that garner a response. They're buggers and Ernie is no exception :) Too smart for his own cheeky good!

Glad I'm not the only one who gets told off in training for revving my dogs up. I've been encouraged to have a tugging dog for agility and my terrier Kirah is an awesome tugger. When we were practising tugging I was told off by the trainer because I was aggravating the other dogs in the class who saw Kirah as prey. Umm ... That's not my fault, surely. Huski, will Blaze lose a lot of her black face? I hope she keeps it because it's stunning and cute. It looks like she's put her face into a pile of ash! :D I struggle teaching Zeus to stand on things as my younger brother trained him to 'push it' so he thinks everything I want him standing on is for whacking around with his front paws. :/ :laugh:

But again, isn't this just one of those things that shouldn't be left lying around? To just "not expect" a 9 year old dog not to eat something is wishful thinking. My way of thinking is that if you don't want your dog/child eating/destroying something, don't leave it lying around -- even in containers because they are easily broken through. I was linked to the article via Facebook and I'm just so glad the little girl has pulled through her surgery. Don't even want to think about how tricky the 2 hours was for the vet. I hope she makes a full recovery and never gets into the sand again!

I may be being super dense here -- or missed it completely -- but is there a reason your girl has to attend the party? What would happen if you left her home alone for the evening or is the poor girl just ultra stressed regardless? I do commend you for putting your girl's needs first -- and no, you're not being strict/rude/whatever. Those who are suggesting it are just jerks.