RubyBlue

My entire boy gets targeted also. So much so that he is now not so relaxed about encounters with unknown dogs and I monitor the situation very carefully. Previously he would just ignore dogs charging and mounting him but now he won't allow a dog who's trying to stand over him to approach his rear end. So far he hasn't been bitten but I have. Ian Dunbar gave an explanation of desexed vs entire dogs that stuck with me. It was that desexed males still know they're males but smell like females to other dogs (kinda like they're dressed in drag). You can have a bunch of desexed males together and they all think they are the only male surrounded by a harem of females. When an entire male comes around one/some of the desexed males may get cocky (as to date they think all other males have avoided going near his females) and he may challenge the entire male. The entire male can't figure out this particular girl is being such a bitch.

You will be told what to do by either the people running the trial or the judge. Just tell them that it is your first time :) I'll see you there.

well this makes me feel a bit better :) keep thinking entering Dyson was a mistake....

I've entered both in Rally Novice. Milly should be up to it...as for the nutcase...well he seems to like the signs...keeping his attention on me, without bait, in the excitement of a trial.... all in all it could make for some interesting spectator viewing.

Ill keep an eye out for you. I will be the person being towed around by two black labs.

Congratulations Rantino (Leanne). I think I met Gidget (and you) at Gippslands trial. Congrats also to Lisa and Tamika and to Pirate on your success. I've had a great season too - Milly got her Tch at the beginning of the season and Dyson got all three titles, gaining his Tch in the last trial at Ballarat. Bit nervous about starting track and search but am looking forward to seeing everyone again next year.

The breeder I referred to is Not in SE QLD. You can probably find brindle-marked Labs in all states.White on pads is much honored. The first dual champion Lab, Banchory Bolo, had white spots in his pads and passed the trait on. Seehttp://www.lorkenfarms.com/banchory_bolo.htm My last boy had bolo marks :)

Excellent article. Don't just look at the pictures, read the text!!! There's an excellent discussion of the history of the retriever breeds with respect to coat type. I did read it. :) Very interesting. That was very interesting. Thank you for putting that up. I still think (given the expense of importing dogs into Australia) that the odds of a breeder importing a dog unaware of its pedigree and propensity to produce dogs not to standard would be very slim. As said before, occams razor says the bitch is a crossbred and given that curly coats and flat coats are not as common as goldens the bitch is most likely to have golden in her. I once saw a couple with what I thought was a yellow lab and a small black flatcoat, turns out both dogs were littermates and lab x goldens.

Hmm sounds interesting. ... maybe... only $20... probably.... Ill make a decision tomorrow - but I suspect it'll be a yes.

Hmm I use the sandpaper attachment on my labs and press fairly firmly. It usually only takes a second or two to have them at a good length. Both are black dogs with thick nails so I'm just guessing at what is a good length but so far (touch wood) its been working.

Do you plan on having the dogs travel in the crates as well as waiting or their turn whilst the car is stationary? Do you need to be able to set the crates up outside of your car too? Airline crates would probably be the safest in an accident. Wire crates would provide the most ventilation and allow for visibility whilst driving. Have you considered getting a tailgate barrier and effectively turn the whole car into a crate? One or multiple crates will depend on your dogs and what you are doing?

Might be worth having a look at 'db scooters' in melbournes eastern suburbs. Dave can custom make one for you and in theory shipping should be cheaper. Any reason a bike couldn't be used? At least initially.

It seems that the north eastern suburbs are a bit isolated as far as this stuff goes. I've been to woofpurneigh a few times and its great, but its the drive that kills me and the reason I haven't been in ages. With an absence of friends with available pools, I am seriously considering in investing in a decent sized circular pond that I could walk or swim the dogs around in. For my dogs I am looking at something fairly large so am saving up, but for a small dog you could probably manage this quite feasibly. There is a discrete place off Elizabeth st in Doncaster (or Doncaster east) that sells molded plastic ponds that to me certainly seemed suitable. If I was doing this as a form of therapy for my dogs rather than for conditioning then I would be initially consulting a canine physio to make sure that they are doing the correct sort of exercise and are not in fact making the condition worse. If you chose to go down this path then you also would need to be aware of water temp and cleanliness, and depending on the size of the pond potentially a pump and filter.

To be honest, I'm surprised she survived in a horders house. Maybe she has such a will to live that it is worth them devoting resources to her.

Wow - someone needs to have their meds adjusted....

No Poodle X Labradors are not cobberdogs now . Cobberdogs are the result of breeders who are attempting to develop a new breed by using several breeds of dogs to achieve a large group of dogs which will be able to be recognised as a breed in its own right with predictable characteristics. They did this by using a pedigree system. The stud book is still open and they have the ability to infuse the breed with dogs which have no relation to their stud stock to include in their breeding program but they don't. They dont because they have been testing for,watching for all diseases known to occur in any of the foundation breeds and eliminating them from the breeding program. They have been selecting for animals which have particular temperament and personality suitable for assistance work which will not shed and which wont require the level of grooming which is usually required for non shedding dogs. They have been testing for 27 different genetic diseases and havent seen any of them for 7 generations. Every time they go out and introduce a cross breed they have to start again with no real knowledge of what they may bring to the gene pool - no knowledge until it turns up - of what they will need to test for and work to eliminate into the future. There are hundreds of people world wide working toward being able to show this is a predictable recognisable breed and if they all decided tomorrow to chuck in a cross breed without having to justify why they wanted to do that it takes the work done back generations. Breed clubs of any breed are in the same position. As a registry if the ANKC listened to individuals or splinter groups and simply stuck in new things into the breed standard or added to or took away registration requirements just because someone wanted to have it done a different way it would be anarchy and it's why they only listen to the breed club. Surely you're not suggesting that breeders should be able to cross breed without a good story about why they want to, what they hope to achieve and how it will be managed or criteria to fit ? Any breed club can approach the ANKC and have permission granted for them to open their stud book ,I am aware of two breeds with open ANKC stud books right now. Currently in the UK every breed has had its stud book opened and dogs are able to be entered if they fit a certain criteria and that is probably the future for the ANKC too. The ANKC allow stud books to be open, they allow crossbreeding, they accept new breeds into their registry but they dont allow you as an individual breeder to simply decide that you will take a different breed here or there and put it in the mix without having to tell them why and how. This is why the code of ethics is worded the way it is and why purebred breeders are against cross breeding in their breed unless it is sanctioned and goes through the system. Now why the ANKC haven't come out and said this when it is being slammed for closed stud books is beyond me but for anyone including the RSPCA or a Uni professor could believe that it would work by just willy nilly allowing every body to chuck in the neighbours dog rather than having a system in place to ensure it doesnt do more harm than good and that we are still left with specific breeds rather than generic dogs makes no sense either. Fact is the ANKC stud books are closed but the system is in place to allow the stud books to be open for any breed at any time. They could simply say all of their stud books are open if the dogs being added fit the criteria - same thing just sounds different. Could you please fill me in on how that worked with the bob tail boxer and urinary crystal free dallys (I'm sorry for my ignorance of correct terminology here). My current understanding was that both these attempts failed even though they were successful in producing the required dog and all dogs from those lines have been removed from the KC or AKC breeding/showing register. Please correct me if I am wrong I haven't read anything on it for several years.

I have two labs and could not imagine having any less. There are 4.5 yrs between them and although my older one is well trained she is easily led. The two of them together can cause a lot of havoc. I could not imagine having got a second before the first passed the magical 4yr old mark. That said neither of my dogs could be counted as calm. So if you go for two lower drive ones you might be alright. The other thing to consider is their combined weight and pulling power when walking them. Combined, mine weigh more than me which can make things difficult.

http://www.windchill.com.au/collars.htm#Limited Something like this perhaps?

This. I have a friend who was looking for a puppy. I found some breeders on dol for him to call. He said there was only one who he spoke to that he didnt find rude to talk to but she wasn't planning on breeding another litter for a couple of years. He ended up buying one from a byb. My impression from talking to him now is that he wouldnt bother trying a registered breeder again. He says that he just wants a pet and try as I might I can't get him to understand the importance of health testing. He simply doesnt understand the difference between products, and really you have to already be in the know or lucky enough to know someone who is to be able to find and get a good purebred dog.

It seems a lot of the people who race eurohounds or other hound type dogs in harness have a similar problem. You may be able to find something on the sledding sites that'll suit your needs. There is (hopefully) an example in the link below. http://www.sleddogcentral.com/features/products/howlingdog_hound.htm

Im part of a state affiliated club. I looked at a couple of private clubs but found that the cost, plus the "this is the way we train" approach and the fact that the classes were geared towards people who wanted pets rather than were interested in sport really turned me off. I felt very patronised at one club after refusing to 'correct' my dog for breaking a stay after they tossed a ball in front of her. I like that there are so many different options and people with experience at the state affiliated clubs. My club still has the overarching command correct praise sequence but most instructors use more of a lure and reward approach. A lot of people use clickers or some kind of marker as well as nrm and some of the more serious competitors use drive training. I feel that any problem I have I am likely to find someone who has dealt with it before. Plus membership is cheap.

Oh man!!!! Oh that'd hurt big time. Cows are nasty.

Thanks. DD - we were in a paddock with a huge number of sheep body parts. She started off really really well she even picked up the bag with the article before I'd opened it and was headed off to the start! Once I'd got her back and let her sniff it she just headed straight out. First corner was a bit of a mess. She found a sheep leg (which I initially thought was an article until I looked closer ) then kept wanting to go back to finish it. I screwed up and didn't trust her indication at the corner, she indicated it a few times and I had a fairly good idea it went left but she was also pulling hard to go right (back to the first lamb leg) and there were bits of carcass I could see to the left too so I wasn't sure that she was tracking - hindsight tells me I should have gone with it anyway. The rest went really smoothly.

She finally did it!!!! After two years and several health and training setbacks I got my first Tracking Champion yesterday!!!! Dyson also completed his test 4 yesterday. Two for two :-) it was a very good day. It was a day for the black labs at the GSD trial yesterday with 7 in total, 5 entered and 4 passes. Good luck to all those competing today.

Pepsi