Dogsfevr

Did the vet check tonsils?? Bowen treatment can help stimulate appetite in some dogs (not all) Are the lines known for good eaters?? Has she had a season yet??? I agree with others stood pandering to here,to be honest at present she better off eating what she likes & finishing it than learning to oturn her nose up at food & win the battle. Fussy eaters tend not to do well with alot of change Does she like being hand feed??Maybe grab one of the other dogs who is food driven & try & encourage some competition eating when feed from hand . Turn it into a training session where she is being rewarded with food.

The fact is being a champion is part of the process in many breeds that can/could enjoy a 7/8 yr career. It has been said that if your first dog isn't winning why should you get rid of it to get a better one.well the same applies to those with a winning dog,why should they retire or make life easier for others if its there only show dog ?? Many dog people aren't breeders & show 1 or 2 dogs through a full show career & then when retired look at a youngster to bring up. For me a good dog can easily be shown till 7/8 yrs . I don't breed my setters,i show them if good enough till 6/7 years old older if possible. I generally have 1 or 2 dogs going each time ,if they don;t make the grade then they are retired because as owner/handler it is up to us to present an example that meets the standard as close as possible I say those who think it should be made easier are welcome to come live in Perth,NT & Tasmania & maybe you will have a new appreciation of how much easier you have it or can have it . Or maybe someone would like to do 4 or 6 day drive with me to find comp east or pay my $360 excess bill for my 1 dog to fly?? The system works for the whole Australia & infact its us smaller states or isolated states that that drool over the opportunities those in SA (they can easily drive) Vic,NSW,ACT & Qld have for showing . Even if people in those states chose not to drive a few hrs down the road to cluster shows is far more doable . The reality is very few people would dream of attending a show in Perth because its too far or cost to much but this is our reality The other thing is why would a breeder then sell a good show prospect to a state where there is no comp if it couldn't title .?? The whole make it easier is a slap in the face for judges & a slap in the face for those people dedicated to showing there chosen breed irrespective of numbers

Did this nice, honest genuine family conduct any health testing to ensure that you don't end up with a puppy that has an inheritable (and preventable) health issue? Have the parents been DNA tested for Progressive Retinal Atrophy? Do they get annual eye checks? No unfortunately they didn't. I also didn't feel it was appropriate for me to ask them to get these tests done as i'm sure it would cost money that they wouldn't have wanted to spend. They did say however that both Mum and Dad have always been in fine health and the pups whom owner's they are still in contact with also reprot no issues with their "pups" either. All i have is their word and the answers to all the questions i had for them... Having said that though, are there any particular tests (for this breed) that i should be asking my Vet to perform on my little one when i take her there? The bolded bit is the simple answer . Yes Miniature Schnauzers do suffer from Health issues . All breeding stock should have yearly eye clearances from a specialist eye vet plus you can test DNA for sector 1 PRA. This isn't expensive just people breeding for the wrong reason.Many of us are also testing pups for CHC between 6/8 weeks They don't even groom there own dogs so there knowledge as breeders is very poor. Your pup is going at 6 weeks,getting vacc the day before & then the stress of it going to new homes at such a young age would be a massive concern especially if the pup reacts to its vacc. At 6 weeks there not on full solids & still feeding from there mum (unless she is unable to feed )so you will be spending alot of time educating this pup to maybe eat correctly especially if they haven't weaned it. There breeder support will be minimal considering they haven't health tested for some serious issues that you could pay the ultimate price for. Are they microchipping the pup at 6 weeks?? We breed/show Minis & all our stock are eye checked yearly & we now our lines & which to avoid . Our pups go with there first full groom so they experience a pleasurable groom with people they trust & the fact they get hairy quickly & you need to wait until fully vaccinated . There ears are plucked as well . In the crucial few weeks of pups in there new homes & the breeders won't be there to assist with any queries you have or concerns that the breeder should deal with after all you are paying for the pup & the breeder after care. Keep in mind the vet will not discuss the parents history due to the privacy act unless they have approval from the breeders ( well a good vet wont). Sadly Mini Schnauzers in Australia has a massive number of BYB now & the breed is suffering for it & the exact reason all our pets must be sterilized because they will put any dog & bitch together & have no clue on there lines & whether compatible or lethal They don't health test yet breed a very sellable breed sorry it is for money gain at the pet buyers expense otherwise they would be spayed & family pets .

She still looks to have lots of dead coat, The coat kings don't always seem to suit all coats. I prefer using old blades (but not an option for everyone) have the best success in stripping spay coats out with them Spray wise i like Crown Royal but like all things it is the painful trial & error method. You could use a slick & easy stone to pull the dead coat but as you say the oldies can get grumpy I do alot of stripping of coats whilst in the bath lathered up

What do your groom her with?? Do you stripped out the dead coat ?? Most silicone style sprays are part of a maintenance routine & you need to wash it out . You groom alot of spay coats & whilst they can knot more the tools can also make a big difference

Out of curiosity if they made it easier to title with Champions separate & you titled your dog the easy way would you then show it in Champion class or not go further ??

i did show for many years without winning a challenge .One dog i owned won 46 RCC in a row . All of us where new exhibitors once,we all did the hard yards & lost ,no one expected to just walk in & be winners,we all took the good with the bad & we made sure we learnt . As i said before people have no idea how easy it is to show dogs these days compared to the 70/80, & even the early 90's. Back then we showed against dogs who where bigger winners than are seen now most in todays terms would be Grands multi time over but no one cared they where just a titled dog & your aim was to beat them or certainly improve each time. Some dogs should never win plain & simple & many owners can't accept that they are being beaten by a better dog one that is closer to the breed standard. If people don't compete then there not learning & not getting out there to win ,you can't blame the Grand Ch for ever & if the title never existed they would be just simple champions

now that's a different story the topic started with the question about a "Champions Class" .... I responded in the negative so as not to "cheapen" our titles... if you were to ask about a "Gr Champion Class" then my answer might be different..... LOL .... and this is not because I can't beat them .. I have 3 Grand Champions here with me now. I would not object to having them shown in a seperate class and still go on to win Breed etc but maybe not collect anymore points. Wouldn't that be fun Challenge line up Grand Ch winner Champ winner open aust inter junior puppy minor or Best of winners/champ winner /Grand Ch winner competing for Best of Breed :D I too have had no issues beating Grand Ch & beating the best on my trips east & to be honest beating those wonderful examples is the icing on the cake.Nothing more exciting than winning a spectacular open class against a line up full of Grands & then to go on to win the breed. I also have Grands Ch /BISS & BIS winners all owner/handled .I am not a judge/breeder just someone with a passion

But the reality is you would still have to beat the champion to win the breed. If it is to be done the US way the CC winners still have to compete against the Champions to be breed winners or are people expecting the champion class to not be allowed to compete at group level?? Everyone goes on like beating a Grand champ is impossible Why,The dog doesn't have on its head " im a grand Champ" but once placed in Champion class the judges will certainly now which dogs are titled & which aren't so then those CC winners will have to compete against the Champion class Also keep in mind if you title at 12 month your dog will have to compete in champion class not say junior You very immature animal & not coated animal will be competing against animals in its prime just to win the champion class & have no avenues to go any further . Didn't Sydney Royal actually do the Champion class a few years back & people complained because there young dogs had to compete in an age class they weren't ready for?? Then people had issues if owning 3/4 champions having to find suitable handlers because you couldn't split the classes??

Well the Royal Show schedule is out & us gundog folk have been split over 5 days

We haven't had that happen like that ,if your really concerned & the plan is to mate her i would be getting a swab done .

But we also now in the US they will enter scrubbers to make a major

I wouldn't dream of putting an 8/9 week old cocker in a PP20

Personally i would hire a crate & then buy a crate in Perth that will best suit it as an adult. I would think as an adult & comfort wise i would go PP50 size as an adult but it depends if you want to have a solid crate or fold up ?? Fold up will give you options to take it with you easier ,solid is more harder to accommodate.. I saw the PP50 the other day & there a good new size just wish they would invent a crate the was the next size up from the sky 500 but under the giant size

This is key to learning about your dogs coat & this will come with trial & error. I practice on practice days never show days . Hot towel all over can work a treat . Certain sprays can worl well over just make the coat heavy crap looking. I bath my long coats the night before ( i start late as i like them to run all day & generally finish midnight ish) in the morning the coats are tied up or the pee band is put on then sprayed blow dried & look a million bucks, alos lucky i live 5 mins away & we have the yard set up for wet/damp am so it doesn't affect the coat if the weather is good

Might help if you say what breed,some salons can be better at breed specific or certain features. Good salons can vary from good basics to good breed specific

[ Most breeds don't have breed clubs & not every state has breed clubs .Breeds clubs will only hand out names of people who are members ,not every breeder joins there breed club so doing your homework is still important. When it comes to being a breeder your dammed if you & dammed if you don't.Where often expected to have the magic hat to pull out puppies,sexes, colour & when each person wants there,s. If you have too many litters your a puppy farm,we don't have enough litters its the breeders fault for not meeting the demand. i know that you, jodie, weren't actually saying that we buyers didn't have busy lives either, but i just want to illustrate that some of us buyers may have time for a puppy but that for a breeder to expect us to go above and beyond, to make it almost a part-time job to prove we are worthy of a pup is pretty elitest IMHO. If i sell a puppy i expect the owners to make time & yes you do have to prove your worthy & i would expect any great breeder to do this.Why would a breeder sell a pup to an unsuitable home?? & then get bagged for selling to whomever with no thought??

Some of the wosrt encouragers of BYB/DD are vets. In our breed we have a massive number of vets breeding for the pet market ,one was very proud to inform all it paid for the kids private school. Last week alone we had 3 vets wanting a breeding bitch . Not one asked about health testing,lines or the likes just wanted a bitch

Contact the Bullmastiff Club & see if they made special arrangements to have the breed judged close to the national date >>