Jaxx'sBuddy

yep scissor here too and i clip from top to bottom not sideways so the nail doesnt get squeezed

that is facanating and it makes sense too, i learn something new every day, ty. eta could the food fed to a dog make a difference to the acidity levels?

Yes but this is people looking after other peoples children not their own. excellent point. if parents have 10 children there is no ratio of parent to child that is legislated or expected.

i would think that would be very unusual. most people are allergic to dander and or saliva which all dogs have

she is instigating the contact and by nuzzling she is demanding the pat. if it was me i would up my leadership and use NILF with her until she realised she didnt control the action. i am sure others with more training knowledge will come in with good advise.

this is also true for humans so we all need to look after our gums to increase our heart helth.

x2

The reason why puppyfarms, BYBs and pet shops are able to get away with it is because of people who won't wait for a puppy. I waited for four months for a wheaten puppy but I lucked out in meeting a breeder who had just mated his dog. No guarantee of getting one, put on a waiting list, interrogated, and observed, and there aren't a lot of people who are prepared to go through that. Unfortunately, 'I want it NOW!' and 'Gimme' are well entrenched in our society. Agreed. But I am also unsure, SP, where you get the idea that breeders think 'companion animals' are a bad idea? After all, breeders will keep 1 or 2 pups a litter for future breeding and/or showing, what do you think happens to the other puppies? The breeder can't afford to keep each and every canine they have bred so these others go to forever homes; first and foremost as pets although some owners go on to show, train in obedience, agility, fly ball, etc. Dogs are not plasma TV's which we should be able to buy by the dozen whenever the hell we want. They are living, breathing creatures with needs - I think if you aren't prepared to wait, or prove to a registered breeder/shelter/rescue group that you are the right owner for a particular dog, then you aren't being responsible in the least. The average pet store, BYB or puppy farmer doesn't care whether you are the 'right' owner, they generally give the wrong information and they don't give a damn whether a dog they have sold will end up dead or abused. This is the main difference between an ethical, registered breeder and a pet store who sells live animals/BYB/puppy farmer. As many have said before, owning a dog is a privilege, not a right, and if there are 250,000 or so dogs being put to sleep a year then there is definitely more supply then demand! not really. there is more supply of dogs with mixed breeding that i wouldnt want (no offence but nowadays i need to know what my puppy or dog will grow into) there is not enough supply of some breeds of pure bred pedigreed dogs

NO, but I expect if a vet has a strong opinion against any practise to do with dogs, they should at least know the total aspect of what it is they find so abhorrent. Afterall their profession is based on the accumulation of knowledge and lifelong learning. spot on, its the assumption that gets me, the assumption that someone (a breeder) has done something illegal and the assumption that the tail has been docked. it would have been better for the vet to hold their tongue and do some research rather than try to be the expert. pretty ignorant imo

Can you provide an example? I was thinking of the whole crossing with poodles thing to make a dog for people with allergies. Practical crosses - not just to make them look cuter. And that is the only example I was thinking of but there could be more? Bad example. Most poodle crosses shed and many folk have allergic reactions to them. As a "practical cross" its been an abject failure. Guide dogs got out of the crossing business because they could not stabilise the low allergy wool coat. Not that the oodle breeders will tell you that. What's wrong with the low allergy breeds we now have anyway? i agree bad example but what about the example of dogs specifically bred as working dogs that have an purpose?

OMG I Do! Far and away the majority of puppies produced from the breeding plans of registered breeders wind up as loved companion animals i.e. pets. It is not realistic that all ANKC registered puppies are retained by breeders or sold to conformation and dog sport exhibitors. Even the most magnificent Grand Champion showdog is a pet first and a showdog second. There may be exceptions but I'd warrant they are very, very few. There are enough registered puppies produced to meet society's needs for companion dogs. If you dont' agree with this, then why not support registered breeders most of whom actually believe in and adhere to their State Canine Authority's Code of Ethics/Practice for members. i respectfully disagree. my breed that i love is a Boston Terrier and if i want on from a reputable registered breeder i may have to wait for up to 2 years before a puppy MAY become available.

does it really matter? I am sure people get what the dog is by the so called stupid name so where is the problem? Yes it does The problem is that this forum does not promote cross breeding, like it or not, your pup is a cross bred (but Im sure a very cute one). Now because this forum doesnt promote cross breeding we arent allowed to refer to designer breeds by their silly made up names, your pup is a Labrador x Poodle, you wont have any problems on this forum if you call him this, if you insist on calling him a Labradoodle you wont make many friends Blunt and to the point I know, but its better being out in the open now, you will get a lot of very good advice from the people on this forum so please dont let comments about your dog being a cross bred drive you away , we are not pure breed snobs dont get me wrong, heaps of people on here own cross breds and love them just as much as their pure bred fur kids As for the smell a few people have suggested clipping the fur around his muzzle to help keep it clean, Id probably do this Hi I am not arguing that he is a cross breed at all, more the fact of the name we call them thats all As i said forum rules are forum rules i would advise that you edit your post to reflect your cross bred dog and that will save you a lot of issues.

does it really matter? I am sure people get what the dog is by the so called stupid name so where is the problem? others have said it

greytmate would a solution be to have bitches on grass/dirt unless they were in whelp then they would be on concrete until the pups were old enough to run on grass, ie after vac's?

if the dog chews too fast then freeze the frames before giving them. thats what i did to stop my oldie vaccuuming them up!!!

That's interesting, because I didn't think that anal gland expression was a conscious, voluntary thing. I don't think scratching up is entirely conscious either, but dogs do that after territorial type poos. I don't have any more information, it is something I heard years ago that the release from the gland is associated with territorial marking and that dogs that didn't poo out of the yard were more prone to blockage. I can't even remember if it was a study, but I do remember it seemed a credible source. And I did have the experience of my own dog who at first would never poo in public or mark territory and the vet emptying the glands. Then we never had a problem after she started pooing in public, although she was never a dog to be territorial about it in the way that some dogs are. It could be a coincidence. Just worth mentioning seeing as we are discussing the topic and its possible causes. If I owned a dog today that never pooed in public, and it needed to have its anal glands expressed, I would try to train it to poo in public and see if that worked, rather than putting my hands anywhere near my dog's bum as a first resort. Wouldn't you? this does sound logical. all my dogs have pooed in public and no ag problems

Does the same apply in all breeds if the tail has been banded?? I know that banding is more likely produce a naturally tapering tail end in some breeds, the ones I banded always did anyway. nope ellz you are right, banding would give a different result from docking and banding would most likely give a more tapered end. the hair grows different though i think. its hard to describe but i think if the tail has been banded or docked the hair at the tip grows differently in the us the breeders i have talked to have reported docking happens they never talked about banding. ets i am now curious and will ask them but for clarity no reputable breeder would dock a Boston Terrier

well not totally accurate...... they dock bostons when their tail is longer than the standard. it is easy to tell a docked bostons tail from a natural one...the natural one is a bit pointy at the end and the docked on is blunt. this can be a problem in the usa but not from registered breeders ets a corkscrew tail would never be docked because it is so short you would be docking into the spine which is not a good option

i have a boston terrier. they have a gene that gives them a shortened snout and a very short nub of a tail...no docking required.

another good one

totally agree. i believe registered breeders have a right to make a profit.

i have had 2 desexed bitches together with no issues and never any fights. i was quite careful about matching the temperments though

+2 x3

it is also about our relationship with dogs. not individually but as a society. we have values that we put onto dog breeding that we dont for say pigs, or sheep or cows. i dont think this is right personally as i think all animals should be well looked after and slaughtered properly. in fact if this is done the procuct is superior.

and breeders must not breed from dogs with known genetic problems which i think puppy farmers do?