Jaxx'sBuddy

Part of the issue for me is that all of their ideas and codes seem to come from what is best practice for boarding kennels. You know places where dogs stay for short periods but surely dogs who are there for ever need different environmental conditions to remain healthy? definately. boarding a dog for 1 week it much different from boarding it for a lifetime.

thats O.K. But if a breeder has - lets say- a thousand dogs and they regard the health and welfare of their dogs,breed them in good conditions with human interaction is that O.K.? Steve this is an extremely good exercise because so often we know something is not right but it is difficult to express why it isnt right. this makes us think Ill take time out to explain a little. Until I attended the seminar at Monash Uni and heard Kate Scoffeld speak regarding her puppy farm and the group she has put together to bring them in with a voluntary code of practice I had certain ideas and beliefs about puppy farming. It made me see that some of the solutions being presented not only wont work but have the potential to make more dogs suffer rather than less. With this new information Ive studied the current paper circulating via the RSPCA to regulate breeders and I personally think its missing a very large chunk of what its going to take to help the dogs caught up in all of this. I was very upset by what Id heard and kept poor Lesley up all night yelling about it and that feeling hasn't left me. Something needs to be done but we need to pull it ALL apart and re think what we have come to assume because thats not really whats happening and if we will simply watch on as more and more dogs suffer. Im tired of having to go in and fight against legislation thats being tendered that makes little real sense that gets through anyway and Im after us as dog lovers with no hidden agendas but what is best for dogs to make some suggestions and fight for realistic reform ourselves. ty Steve i will do some research on this as i want to educate myself. i do not like assuming things i would rather know the facts.

ok thinking about it more i believe it is about enrichment of the animal. if someone has thousands of dogs that is ok as long as each dog was enriched to an acceptable standard...and that standard must be defined.

Thats good - except that current papers and state codes of practice push for exactly the opposite. They dont want free range dogs they want them in pens on concrete. Over the last 4 weeks a rescue group in NSW has been closed down because they didnt have concrete pens - all else was good except they had the dogs "free range" Can registered breeders be puppy farmers? and that is just crazy

Thats good - except that current papers and state codes of practice push for exactly the opposite. They dont want free range dogs they want them in pens on concrete. Over the last 4 weeks a rescue group in NSW has been closed down because they didnt have concrete pens - all else was good except they had the dogs "free range" Can registered breeders be puppy farmers? unfortunately yes

thats O.K. But if a breeder has - lets say- a thousand dogs and they regard the health and welfare of their dogs,breed them in good conditions with human interaction is that O.K.? Steve this is an extremely good exercise because so often we know something is not right but it is difficult to express why it isnt right. this makes us think

ok so lets look at it as though it was a farming/husbandry practice. we dont want to eat caged eggs because: the product quality is not as good as free range eggs the caged chickens have no enrichment throughout their life their diet is not as natural as free range chickens we want to be green and animal friendly and animals should not suffer unduly to provide us with food the meat product quality is not as high as free range chickens which have been fed a suitable diet the death rate of caged chickens is much hiogher than free range chickens the health problems of caged chickens are greater than free range chickens. change caged chickens for caged dogs and the result is the same. if all those tv chefs can go on a free range chicken campaign then we can do the same for puppy farmers vs registered breeders.

i am so not sure about this. pts may have been kinder. what life will this cat have. the owners will have to be very careful to watch the cat cause those legs could get caught anywhere and may even get stuck. i hope it is an inside cat that only has access to a secure run outside

hmm good point. how would i check? An animal that has an issue that needs to be looked at will have any or all of the following; *constant seepage from the sac *swelling or pain around the anus *continual but dragging These signs can also indicate other things as well however such as worm burden, allergy and yeast or bacterial infections. ty. as i worm regularly i would expect any of the above to be a result of the ag's. however, to be on the safe side i would always take my dog to a vet if it did have any of the symptoms,

in my experience and with my vet clinic, they try as much as possible to keep costs down and it seems your clinic does this as well. i think most do the right thing by the animals to be honest. there may be a few who gouge but i havent come across them.

hmm good point. how would i check? I let the dog tell me. Scooting bottom. Beginning to pay too much attention to butt too often. They would be a couple of signs that I'd look for. I haven't ever had a problem with any of the dogs I have had, including those who were 'family' dogs when I was young. I might be getting my boy's anal glands checked soonish though, because he hasn't been eating his bones; his stools have been soft for a bit too long and because his butt does seem to periodically irritate him. But if they aren't built up, they aren't getting expressed. Let his own body do that. ty i will keep a look out for that

hmm good point. how would i check?

for sure...i will just keep doing what i have been and hope it keeps going well

i know. i have a curious mind so i am thinking why this is. my dogs have always had bones, some have been working dogs as well so maybe the exercise helped. all my dogs have been fit and not over weight maybe this? mostly fed home made or raw food i dont know but i am surprised at the amount of dogs that dont naturally express their ag's

maybe i was just lucky with the dogs i had but none of them ever had impacted or abscessed ag's. i wonder what makes the difference.

i agree. i have had dogs over many years that have never needed their ag's expressed/

i think crufts has made a point that this year they will not tolerate dogs being dyed...will try to find the article eta here is the article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/738...in-make-up.html

CW_EW you and boyfriend are AWESOME the way you both look after Charlie. he was so lucky to get to live with you!!! i am so happy he is doing so well :D

i would never take a small puppy to an off leash park, the risks are far too high

my oh my, he sure does and the waists are thinner too.

dont go to an off leash park if your dog doesnt recall effectively

I was just going to add how for me it's always the SWFs with small dog syndrome which used to annoy my dog. I read somewhere that picking them up in situation like this may reinforce small dog sydrome? I used to do it out of instinct, just in case the other dog tried something funny, but someone once told me not to. I think the same person may have told me that when an SWF starts barking at another dog and the other dog comes running up, to not pick them up as well because it reinforces that too? Not quite sure how true this is, but thought I'd ask anyway! I'd rather have a dog with "small dog syndrome" than a dead dog. I will continue to pick up my small dogs if I can. A dog displaying fear aggression requires protection, not tough love IMO. x2. i believe that it is our job for our dogs to know we will protect them. i think this makes them more confident and not pushy or aggressive.

you need to be a bit careful with a soaker because if you use a soaker and spray the owners you could get charged with assault....

have you had a look here? http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breede...C&Submit=Go

i tend to start by saying "i am not sure if you know this but when you are out your dogs bark a lot." they might not know their dogs bark if they only bark when they are out