alpha bet

Our vet will often use a couple of different scanners.... he says sometimes he cant find a chip but then changes to another scanner and it beeps away no obvious reasoning to this.... so obviously there can be hiccups and some vet clinics only have one scanner. Question : If you have to re-chip a dog do you have to notify Dogs Vic and have their registration paper changed?

With regard to whether you are required to provide access to your property..... If you think that safe and reasonable access is an urban myth.... you may be in for a big surprise. The following is legal advice received in victoria ...... could have minor differences in other states but I would be very surprised if there was a huge difference. Remember Courts can take a different stance as to whether you would be prosecuted or whether someone can be sued because of an action. e.g. If someone happens to trespass on you land it is not usually viewed as a crime but as a civil wrong and you could sue them for such even if no damage is caused. However to bring action you have to show that you have a right to exclusive possession etc. and that they did not leave when asked. A sign saying "Trespasses will be prosecuted" is incorrect as any 'prosecution' can only occur if a crime is committed while they are on your property. Also note that there are some Officials who are entitled on your land even without your permission. Police - either with a warrant, or in the motion of making an arrest, stopping a breach of the peace. Meter Readers, Council etc. - provided they show proof of identity are allowed onto your land for specific purposes related to their job. Fire Brigade - necessary to stop a fire including deliberately damaging property. Doesn't mean that you cannot lock your front gate, hence people have to come back time and time again.... or issue a notice for you to provide access. However if anyone can open a gate and walk up your path to your front door and then gets bitten by your dog.... you have exposed yourself to the risk of someone deciding to sue you. So the signs you put up.... they may mean nothing.... they may cause problems.... they may conflict with your Insurance Company..... Remember you can usually obtain free legal advice thru the Law Institute or even a quick chat with the Insurance Company can help define things further.

Rebanne, Have a question do you pay two full stud fees - one for each sire........? If so would seem to be a bad economic decisions after all the bitch is the one who actually will determine the number of pups and with progesterone testing we can choose optimum time.... so provided the first stud dog is firing and you have a couple of matings you should get the best outcome... With two sires you are unlikely to get more puppies.....?

One thing to remember, is that the public have the right to safe access to your front door...... yes even the mormans..... So there can be a big difference in where your dog is should they give a person a hard time.... if they run out and bite someone coming to your door (or even just charging) then a bigger chance of being liable than if someone jumps over your fence into the back yard. There can also be a difference whether it is daylight or night...... Claiming trespass can be a difficult defence as you have to tell someone to leave before it is classed as trespass....!!!!! So the best thing to remember is have your dog contained to your backyard..... leave safe access from your door to the road.... if your dog has access to the front yard then you need a secure fence with a locked gate and an intercom... anyone wanting access to your door has to ring the bell and talk to you before they can enter....

Indigirl, The information about vaccinations have changed a great deal - Any vaccination given to the pups will only take if the Maternal Antibodies are low enough - thus a vaccination at 8 weeks may have no effect, hence why we need to repeat at 12 weeks and then just in case - again at 16 weeks.

Don't really see the point in having two sires of one litter - after all if I use a stud dog I really like the idea of having multiple pups from the one litter to get a broad range to see what has been produced. Generally I won't leave more than 8-9 pups on a bitch (i prefer to cull and allow the pups the best chance to feed easily - also like to keep my bitches in great condition throughout the whole process). Couldn't imagine having to source 11-14 homes for pups at the same time.... let alone put in the socialising work we do.

Rang these guys for the swab kits and received back in the mail within a week. Was planning on having one bitch swabbed by the vet at her next visit and then sending off for tests... after all $135 for the whole lot is a great price - less than half the price of Animal Network.... although a little concerned about some of the comments made here about not receiving the information back which would be a real bummer not to mention being out of pocket and having to pay for retesting. Would be great if they are good because this is a very cost efficient way for testing thus might encourage more breeders to test all their stock. Anyone here who has used them very recently - what is their experiences.

A very complex question ? As some here have mentioned the so called "fear periods" don't always appear (personally feel the future research/studies will drop these generalised periods) .... after all there are so many factors that must be taken into account when considering the individual pup... 1. DNA of the parents - helps setting the temperament of the pup 2. The diet and lifestyle of the bitch during pregnancy and the temperament and experience of the bitch 3. The comfort level of the bitch during whelping and first few weeks - this is an individual thing, some bitches prefer to be in the home and actually do prefer to have other dogs around them. 4. Diet and social program given to the pups from the 3 week plus - including the interaction with other dogs 5. Experience and commitment of the breeder 6. Experience and confidence new owner 7. Follow up program between breeder and owner We have a long standing breeding program which has incorporated a complex social program for the pups - Was lucky enough to have a great mentor back in the 80's who provided access to many different breeders and learnt a great deal listened/watching to experienced breeders for their advice however have also prepared to adapt and develop to the dogs needs. We don't let a pup go before 8 weeks of age (prefer 9 weeks) and ideally prefer to have them placed with their new families by 11 weeks this allows the family to begin the bonding process which the pup is still seeking the maternal figure... sometimes if family are away or for other circumstances they are with me after 9 weeks we ensure pups have individual activities and even sleeping away from the other dogs to help them build their independence from the dog family and to the human.

Constipation can be a common problem with feeding older dogs bones. My old shepherds would be given plenty of charchol biscuits to keep their teeth clean and rarely be given any bone - on the odd occassion if they went to a friends house and found a bone to chew I would let them have this as a treat but then ensure I added extra oil to their diet for the next couple of days to ensure they kept loose. However I would also recommend you put the old dog on the Vets All Natural diet which will process thru her system much easier - and pumpkin does work very well.

We do grooming here at the kennels and often have people request full clips for borders and aussies. We recommend that they do a belly clip, inbetween the back legs as well as under the armpits for dogs with thick low tails we also clip slightly a bit under the tail and around the anus to reduce the risk of anal problems .... A bit like having a hunter clip on horses during the winter, clipping off the sweat areas. This gives the advantage of clearing the areas where grass seeds or ticks can hide but still leave the dogs with the protection of the coat for insulation. Some of the dogs we have been clipping this way for the last few years seem to have adapted very well to this method and it makes it much easier to manage the heavier coated breed as well as cleaning dogs down before they come indoors.

Glad to see there are many here giving their dogs the opportunity to run off leash on a regular basis. There is nothing as mentally healthy for a dog than to have a chance to behave as the dog they are and for most dogs this is only really possible when they have a chance to explore new territory in their own way. When I lived in the suburbs my dogs always had a few times a week out and about and even tho these days my dogs are running most of the day on the farm, I still ensure that I take them out to different locations 3-4 times a week for off leash play in different areas. With all my years of working with families and their pets - our objective is to help them build a connection with their dog which allows a fun healthy social life - ideally most dogs need 2-3 times a week where they have the opportunity to run, swim and frolic at their own pace, especially productive if they have the chance to do this with other dogs. Unfortunately with the restrictions that start to come from local councils etc it can be difficult for many families to find these opportunities, so a big pat on the back to those who make the extra effort.

Take him off all / any dry food and go to a complete natural food - should see improvement in the coat within 2 weeks. Plenty of advice about raw diets on DOL. Adding more chemicals of any description can just add to the problem. If the vet recommends an all dry food diet, then find a new vet..... remember most vets are like a GP they are not feeding specialists.

Also if you get a chance see if you can see some pups from the dog from previous litters. Even speak to the bitch owners who have used him and how they found him and how they have found the pups. Some breeders are really forthcoming and open about their dogs, others say everything good about theirs but nothing good about others..... but you can work it out. I prefer to always meet the dog and if possible spend some time observing them - when I was overseas I took the chance to meet some of the kennels to see some of the ones behind some of the lines which was a great resource, also means you get a feel for the breeder. Found one dog I would loooove to use but feel that the costs to import semen is just to prohibitive.

Litter of aussie shepherds - Just mated my blue girl Killer Queen to our black tri boy Hagar the Horrible. We got a successful AI on Friday and then a 20 min tie for natural mating on Saturday, so have very positive feelings.... "touch wood" Looks like we could have babies around xmas day..... our first Alfoxton to Alfoxton which is a bit special for us.

An interesting study done this year..... 15 pet dogs and their handler used in this study. A fenced yard with nothing in it except a plastic witches hat at one end (no dogs had been into this area) - at the other end is a pole with a screen set up so no vision to what is happening behind.... owner walks in with their dog and ties the dog up to the pole..... owner then walks over and plays with the cone for a few minutes. Owner then leaves the witches hat and collects dog and leaves the area and takes a walk. 20 minutes later the dog is brought back to the enclosure and a second person takes the dog into the yard and stands at the pole.... handler then lets the dog off the lead and says "go play" (or something of that nature) and then ignores the dog... Surprisingly within a few minutes - the dog goes and plays with the cone... Same thing happened with 12 other dogs.... remember they had not seen this action before and where not given any instructions by the owner and the handler just really released.... just goes to show that the majority of the dogs are likely to learn just by watching.... There was also another study (Fugazza & Miklosi- Eotvos Lorand University) which worked on similar responses but the dogs were taught to wait and watch - very similar results..... Interesting thought....

This is a very good question and often a topic that is not treated with enough importance. It is not uncommon to see how some dogs (and also kids or even adults) seem to become targets of particularly rough play or bullying. Trying to understand why can allow owners to avoid problems and to thus build social skills to overcome the bullying. When I started running classes nearly 20 years ago there were no off-lead dog parks (well not officially anyway) but then there was not really the need for them. However as our suburban areas became more compressed dog owners have limited opportunities to give dogs the chance to do what many dogs love best - run, swim and play and generally more fun if they have four legged friends. We have been running social classes for years to help families learn how to socialise there dogs under different situations - In fact what we have is a private off-lead dog park, the only difference is - I set the rules..... In fact I always say that I'm the biggest bitch in the class - this allows us to control the environment to keep things safe. Over the years have learnt a great deal and perhaps can offer some insight - excuse a long post. First - we have to accept that some breeds have different ways of playing which can be too strong for other breeds (remember there are always individuals within breeds who don't fit the mould - so please do not take offence). Rough play is common with breeds such as staffies, huskies and many of the bull breeds..... e.g. Watch how a male husky tends to lean his head over the wither of other breeds, the husky is pushing to see what goes and if there is any fuss from the other dog then he is ready to react and often can over-react.... the same is often seen in the staffy where they love to run and charge and being such little bricks they can easily hurt another dog just by running into them. These types of interactions are likely to cause problems this does not mean they are vicious it just means that these dogs need to learn how to play with softer breeds of dogs. Second - Just as we have rough house breeds, we also have softer breeds. They are easily fussed and ready to panic, thus they tend to over-react.... these guys need to toughen up somewhat - and learn not to be the princesses. Both of these points boil down to the fact that many humans do not understand their own dogs..... or else don't see that this is their problem as they think their dog is in the right.... just as we see with parents in the playground...... If the human doesn't have understanding of dog social skills then how can we expect the dog to. Third - some dogs are not built to deal with the rough and tumble of the dog park.... they are just too soft physically or mentally. Personally - at times I come across dogs who seem to be pretty easy going and happy to play with many dogs and yet will be victimised by some individual dogs for no apparent reason. When we look deeper we need to understand how dogs see things.... I have my own opinions built from years of experience and some of the research coming out now seems to support some of my observations. e.g. Research coming out from the Hungarian Family Dog Project has shown how dogs have the ability to read even a slight change in the humans eye direction even if the face is kept still. Roger Abrantes has also mentioned how facial expression is important to the dogs - consider how foxes have almost no face changes, they have little need for it as they are solitary creatures, whereas the wolf who is a social pack animal has an abundance of expression. The same applies with our domestic dogs. However some breeds have limited facial expressions due to the exaggerations of body features. The sharpei with abundance of wrinkles is hard to read, the short nose breeds who huff and puff can give a false impression of high stress energy. Dogs with all black faces or thick wavy hair will be hard for other dogs to interprete. Have also found that dogs who stand up tall on their toes (danes, huskies, standard poodles and the like) will often bring out nervous energy from some dogs and hence can seem to be targeted..... a bit like the aggressor hopes to get in first before that big dog scares me...... Remember behind every bully you will always find a bit of a coward. Not all dogs should go to public dog parks - but dog owners should - if you have a dog who has social problems you can learn a great deal by going and sitting and watching the other dogs play and yet maintain an emotional distance from the play. Or try and find a school that offers the chance to learn hands on.

I run a boarding kennel and training classes, country area with loads of bush and various grasses, chooks, cows etc..... my 4 dogs mix with the lot.... and always had to keep an eye on the fleas - would apply the spot on types each month thru the summer months and then less in colder times - been here over 20 years. Interestingly enough for the last 12 months I haven't had a problem.... spot on applied last december and not again till may and that was because we had a litter of pups and just as precaution, still watching now to see when i need to apply. Nothing has changed except the diet that I am now using..... Don't know if this is the reason but perhaps it is worth considering the diet the dog is on...... obviously my diet has suited the dogs better and perhaps has improved their natural antibodies or such like..... coats definately thicker and glossier and poos firm and dry and easier to pick up. So perhaps think about the diet and exercise as well as other methods such as bombing or spot ons.

When you say his allergies are back with a vengence.... Please describe..... more details needed. It is easy for a vet to just generalise and say he is allergic to some unknown plant.... but has he had any testing....

Kate, Talk to your other neighbours to get a good picture of whether your dog is barking or not.... There is nothing wrong with a dog barking for a few minutes and then it settles, however if barking loudly and constantly then you are meant to take action. Most dogs who are walked and allowed to spend time inside with the family don't spend the day barking - unless there is something on the boundry that is causing problems. Ideally create a buffer zone between your dog and this particular neighbour's fence. About 1.5 metres using star picket and chicken wire you can create a vegie garden area - thus if the neighbour is out there stirring the dog up on the other side of the fence your dog is back some distance and gets bored with this silly game..... One option - You can also purchase ctv cameras very cheap these days and allows you to set up and monitor the backyard for periods of the days movement and sound.... this will give you a good idea of the true happenings. Another thing worth doing is having a notepad in the kitchen draw.,.... keep notes of anything unusual - e.g. write down time and date of when you are away with the dog or if home sick from work etc. Also note any time she actually complains even if complaints are not about the dog. You will be surprised how useful it can be to track back even for a year or more of any problems with these sort of neighbours. If council comes knocking at the door you will be prepared. (in theory they will request a complaint in writing from her as well as she will be advised to keep a diary of the problems) Your diary and her diary will likely not match... most people are lazy and don't keep accurate diary and she is likely to make up some times or dates - if they see she is lying then she can be seen as unreliable...... just a complainer.

If you contact the German Shepherd Club in your state they can tell you what litters are available or pending. They usually have a puppy listing Person who will help you. You can also contact the German Shepherd Club in other states that are convenient for you to get to..... It is actually pretty rude for breeders not to at least send a reply - especially if you do give a bit of information about yourself and your family because this does show that you are interested...... Don't worry about whether they are show lines or not.... just meet the mum and find a dog with a good attitude.

There was a young cocker spaniel who was training in class. He only had one ball so they had him desexed and when they went in to find the other ball - next they found ovaries.... so he had pretty well both sexes. So he ended up having all removed..... Lived very well and no health problems.

So is the list for all training facilities including private school or just the Obedience Clubs....

We do security fencing - and a quality dog run with light gage galvenised mesh and full size gate can cost $1,000 to $2,000. Dependant on size. For a new prefabed run run that size you would pay over $800 for the panels and shed (depending on quality of the materials of course). The ropes dont appear to be structural in any way they are just holding the panels to the shed. Perhaps this means she moves the shed from time to time. If the materials are in pretty good condition then it would be expected she would get nearly half the price..... so it doesn't seem an unreasonable price However something is only worth what people will pay.......

He is meant to be a diplomat..... this means he is meant to know and understand the situations he is likely to encounter due to the differences in culture. It is common for dogs to transfer ownerships when people are transferred around different countries. This guy would know it is not unusual. He is just being an asshole..... Surely he should be a "diplomat" in this situation. The Vet took the money for services - there is no mention that the Diplomat signed a release form to have the dog put down.... what if the vet had put the dog down on the advice of the maid and turned out there was a miscommunication - bet the bloody diplomat would have sued the vet for putting the dog down then. Damm Diplomat should have got off his ass and taken the dog himself.

The trend nowdays is that many of the newer larger kennels are being built in industrial zones..... the zoning then doesn't allow to have any premises or even an overnight caretaker but I think you would find that the clients might not actually be aware of this. Staff get in at 7ish in the morning and are usually gone by 7 or so at night.... Thus most of the kennels don't have staff wandering around for 12 hours or so. If they did you could double the price of boarding immediately, Hanrob already charge way more than many others. Local councils are making more difficult to get boarding kennel licenses so I doubt many new ones are being opened on private properties. Nillumbik, and Hume councils in the north of vic are basically no go zones for new kennels and even trying to squeeze out the older ones. What surprises me in the States we saw many doggy day care centres that also offer an overnight service for those who get called away..... Pen free system of boarding where dogs are left together with bedding etc. However the staff go home and only have a CCTV system in place. Even if there was a problem, is anyone monitoring the CCTV 24 hourly and if so to respond could still be 30-45 minutes...... I am sure that most of the clients just assume that there is someone there overnight...Even at vet practices with dogs being held overnight usually don't have staff in attendance 24 hourly. They just have spot checks. Realisitically anyone who you might have come to pet sit at your home or else to send your dog even with a nanny service is likely to be out and about for part of the day, either they are working (sometimes part time or mobile grooming or even just shopping etc)..... sometimes a pet sitter might be out overnight.... would you expect someone to house sit and not go out for 4-5 hours for a party? Many people own dogs and go to work for 10 hours a day, if not longer, and dogs can have the same problems during the day that are possible overnight. If you work with animals you have to accept that sometimes s#*t happens. 18 years of running my own small boarding kennels I have seen many things - I've had dogs die (A dog can bleed out in about 20 min with bloat) - dogs give birth (oh no she's not pregnant just tubby) - dogs abandoned (yes some people are assholes) - dogs arrive matted and underweight (again some people are assholes) - dogs stake themselves running in the paddocks (same as they can in their own backyard) - old dogs have strokes - dogs can have fits (you only know if you see it) - Freak storms can cause panic in dogs and they will climb high fences and run or throw themselves against the walls. Check out the facility from the dogs point of view.... what do you want for your dog and what are you prepared to pay?..... then be realistic about the risk........ MOST who run kennels are not just about the money, they genuinely love dogs and want to do the best by them.... seek whatever system suits you and consider not the business but the people who actually look after the dog.