alpha bet

Yes we said that and its working well. It won't work as well until its official shown on the pedigree certificate..... then it is open for everyone to see and not the ability of the breeder to pick and choose if they are going to advertise the results. At the moment the hip/elbow scores are sent to the Assoc before the dog or bitch can be used however the result is not added to the certificate....

Dogs are in season and continue to be in season after a mating.... For many bitches a season is 21 days or even more and mating could be about day 11. Not uncommon for bitches to still be flirty etc. - but it is important to know if any prog tests were done and what were the levels. One of the things with horses is that they can cycle during mating season every three weeks or so and then have a mating, if they are pregnant they don't cycle again. If they do cycle then they are not pregnant.

Most likely not. However at a conference on breeding one of the labradore X poodle breeders in NSW stated she does hip elbow scores on all her breeding stock and had been compiling the research. The breeder is actually a Vet and when asked who assessed the xrays or saw any of the stats she failed to respond to that question.

One thing that would be really useful for breeders in this day and age. Is if the official pedigrees showed the official hip and elbow scores as well as DNA testing. The show titles are subjective and can often be achieved by a handler who campaigns a dog heavily around smaller shows till eventually they gain the required points for the Champion title. Even the Instinct Testing is not a true test of how good a working dog is (for example) a Herding Instinct does not mean the dog is actually going to have the true working ability... Agility titles show a dog with a high drive.... an individual thing that might not be desirable with some breeds. In reality it is far more useful to breeders to see these health testing results made official - and five generation pedigrees would provide more information to search thru.... I would much rather see a pedigree certificate full of low hip/elbow scores than just the Show Champions. To aid breeders to more forward and help prevent breeding some of the health issues starting to surface - pet homes can now face operations of $3-5,000 - double and triple the price they paid for the dog. If we start to push the health testing then we can educate the advantages of this to the public and start to combate the byb and puppy mills over these health issues - but only if it becomes open and official. Information for Inbreeding, linebreeding, outcrossing is assisted by having the health testing.

Back in the 80's when I started out - breeders then talked about inbreeding (often referred to as incest breeding) as when you mate parents to children, or brother to sister and also half brother to half sister. Once you went the next generation - for example - a grandfather to the bitch now we were introducing other lines within the breeding - this was referred to more as line breeding. However in the German Shepherds there were lots of bloodlines available so generally you didn't see line breeding closer than 3rd 4th and 5th generations. There were often bloodlines that were proven to be good combinations and these were often used and line breeding was conducted on these at the time. Probably most of the GSD's of the 80's and 90's would have had Phal and Ingo linebreeding combinations as these two dogs were very influential at the time. In response to your question about one breeder close breeding and having the same problem with multiple young dogs should show this breeder that regardless of the lines.... these dogs are probably not good to be breeding with.....

Just had the little struggling pup pts..... He was still kicking along for 5 days and his mum was doing her best to keep him warm and cleaned but even with some bottle feed he hadnt gained weight. So 9 pups for us - 5 girls and 4 boys - pretty good result really.

I have a couple of long term clients (run training and boarding), they are both single people and don't really wish to leave their families with these decisions, They have made notes in their wills that I have decision rights on their dogs - they asked me first - and have stated they are happy for me to either re-home or pts - they have even allocated money in trust for their dogs longer term care. I felt quite honoured they trusted this on me.... we have discussed options... even that I could long term board some of the older dogs a bit like a retirement home... we are only a small kennel and have lots of shady paddocks that the old guys could laze away the day... Have sometimes wondered if I get to the stage I wish to stop running the ordinary boarding that perhaps I just transfer to a dog retirement home.....

Pups born 5th April - 11 pups but one stillborn and I do have one boy who may not survive. So at present 5 boys and 5 girls surviving. Size of the boy was similar to others at birth but seems such an effort to feed and takes a great deal out of him, we are giving him some extra feeds but I guess nature will take its course and decide for us in the next 48 hours.

or neglected or belonged to an owner who didn't deserve to have it. I'd sue the pants off someone if they kept an animal of mine The cat wandered in - for all the couple knew the cat might have stayed from the previous owners. 7 years ago many didn't even know about microchipping and even now it is not compulsory thruout most countries or states... 5 years of care says this couple had strong reason to believe the cat was theirs.

Even tho she is due in 3 days - abelly full of puppies doesn't stop Giget from playing ball in the dam

Talk to your Boarding Kennels - mostly they havent changed the system because they don't know and havent bothered learning more.... If everyone starts to query and even copy the Statements of Dogs Vic and Govt Websites then perhaps the boarding industry will start to take notice and this will filter through. We use the new system in our kennels and have done for the last two years.... I keep telling clients to query their vets and now some of the vets are starting to change their recommendation. Sometimes you have to force their hand to change. Same with the obedience clubs who are too lazy to keep up to date.... push it...... they will change. Hopefully then we won't be vaccinating dogs just for convenience. ps... there is no such thing as a tri-annual vaccination - all the c3 vaccines are viable for three years it is just the companies using old labels.

Read Jean Dodds information on vaccination. This is probably the most recent research available. There are eight strains of kennel cough.... vaccines only cover two..... Also she states that the KC vaccinations only have an expected life of 6 months.

Animal welfare could easily take this concept much further - after all we know how fanatical some of these guys can be and we also know PETA's attitude to us even having animals as pets. How would some of the breeders and showies here like to become their target - have a drone buzzing overhead checking out kennels - snooping to see how many dogs in your yard and how big your exercise area is. How would you feel if the local dogooders decide to start a complaint campaign with your local councils or even worse, perhaps they feel the need to climb your walls and 'rescue' dogs from your backyard. There is a famous speech from Pastor Martin Niemöller we should all consider his wise words. "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak out for me."

Good Idea Rosetta - this is probably really what she meant......and be truthful .... who here hasn't done the same as she is complaining about. Try on shoes, check out the product on the shelf and then order online.... I've done it.... bought Advantage for $6.30 each instead of $18 at the vet...... with half a dozen dogs I'd be mad not to try and find cheaper options. I worked in retail for years... damm hard to keep viable and the only way is to specialise however now even the supermarkets are getting into these areas.... even looking at the screen for Dogs Online - VAN rolls is now available at Woolworths!

My brothers dog in sydney came down with similar thing just over a week ago. Specialist at Bondi has diagnosed the same thing as Coonhound Paralysis (idiopathic polyradiculoneurit) This is a totally new thing for me..... they were about to put her down as local vet couldn't work it out and she was having trouble breathing and seemed extremely distressed. Generally more from racoons and skunks - but there is a questionmark over whether it could be from eating chicken or even if a side effect of vaccination.... unfortunately not enough research to know more.

Have been using the prog test for last 4 litters - certainly makes things easier to know when best to arrange mating - especially when stud dog is not at your doorstep and some bitches can have short seasons. We usually do 2-3 tests at about $40 each, results done in under 2 hours at Craigieburn - Do these tests because I get the optimum time and when you pay $1200-1500 for stud fee, I want the best chance so figure spending $120 on testing is good value in the long run. Does sound like your clinic is quoting on the wrong test and you should find one that is quicker and perhaps even does their own.

We accept the three year rule or the titre tests at our Boarding and also in Training classes..

Vets All Natural has been around a long time - this was designed by Bruce Symes, a vet. In America Wendy Volhard has a diet which appears to be of a very similar nature. Both of these guys have been researching continually and perhaps could easily be seen as the experienced specialist in this field - these were in the days many years before Eukanuba or Science Diet was every on the shelves of the Vet Stores. In the early days these 'specialist' have both spent many years never making any money on the feed but working to improve their knowledge and to pass this on. Perhaps now they will start to receive some rewards financially as well. So who do we believe, these guys,who have dedicated themselves for many years or your local vet who might be well meaning but is really more like a GP..... or the pet food manufacturer ? Many Vet's can't even keep up to date on what is the correct vaccination even tho the AVA has advised. Personally happy to accept that VAN and Volhard have given me ample information to trust their judgement and I also feel confident they will continue to provide information for the future - surely I can also trust they have added the right balance of minerals etc so there is no need for me to spend further money on the latest trent.

So next vaccination is due at 13yrs of age. after 10 years old no C3 vaccination is required. Interesting to also note Dr Jean Dodds research states that - The Kennel Cough vaccination in the C4 & C5 are only valid for 6 months therefore her recommendation is that should you feel you need to board your dog or place in a higher risk environment then vaccinate for this shortly before. Also pregnant or lactating bitches should not be vaccinated. All vets should have received the information from the AVA so really they have no excuse to tell the public any different from their own governing body. I have had some vets tell clients that a tri-annual vaccination is available but more expensive, this is bull@t as the same vaccine is used. The main problem for the public is that often boarding kennels and dog clubs still ask for an annual certificate - those who do request annual vaccination are not current with their information and they should be advised of this. Even Dogs Victoria published an update not that long ago.

You don't mention much about the dog, age, breed, temperament type, other dogs etc, all this plays a role in how to approach this issue. One thing I will say is that it is very common to overwork a dog, especially in the early stages. You need to build the focus at the dogs level..... not us humans preconceived ideas of where you should be at.... I have often watched people teaching their dogs to WATCH - holding the food to their face and repeating WATCH WATCH WATCH.... the dog getting bored and starting to look for any possible distraction. You might need to consider just gaining the focus, reward and then walk away.... don't try again until the dog actually approaches you indicating he is waiting to start again.....

We run off lead social classes for dogs and have been doing so for over 10 years - I know I'm going to get a lot of owners here upset - however there are breeds that are harder to socialise than others (there are always the individuals within breeds who fit outside the norm). Huskies and staffy breeds are the two that require more monitoring in class than others. Huskies in particular are always in the face of any new dog joining the classes and take longer to get them to settle and adjust their play to suit a wider variety of dogs - they prefer to have the play rough and at their level.... running into and leaning over the withers of other dogs is common. It always surprises me when I go to dog parks that owners of huskies often seem to think their dogs are fine and just playing - yet rarely do they seem to have much control over their dogs. When you watch the other dogs and owners there is a very different story, often people suddenly pack up and leave. Don't assume that the play will sort itself out.... some dogs (particularly huskies) need to learn respect and their owners need to learn how to control their dog.

All looking good here - Giget scanned with 7 or 8 pups which is really cool - she certainly looks big enough for at least this many. Pups to be born between the 3rd and 7th April..... Was thinking of having an xray the week before, last litter she had 7 but one of the girls was only half the size and didnt survive, at least with an xray we would have expected this. Wondering breeders find the xray information useful.

Make a consideration to the direction you place your pens......and consider planting decidious trees on the sunny side..... Trees create much cooler shade for the dogs as they love hanging out under the trees - Ornamental Pears are fast growing and give great shade after about 3-4 years - for the initial period till the trees grew we just ran cheap shade cloth over the top of the runs to give some shade area for summer. My outdoor runs get the afternoon sun - which is shaded by the trees in Summer but then because they are decidious the pens get a much sun as possible in Winter which really helps to keep the pens clean and dry. Our outside area of the pens are made from Lilydale Toppings (white gravel type sand) the dogs love to lay on the warm sand in winter and isnt as hot as concrete for summer. The wind, rain and sun aide to clean the sand naturally and droppings are easy to collect instead of mushing down on the concrete. Dogs also prefer to go to the toilet outside on the sand. We also have soaker hose run along the end of the fence and on hot days turn this on for about 20 minutes before the dogs come back in and this mists the pens and cools everything, also leaves the sand moist for a long time. We are also lucky to have placed them where they get a good breeze thru, I can open the door at each end on warm days and really helps to vent the pens which means we don't have strong smell. Best of luck.

Vets All Natural Roll is at Woolworths. But we have changed over to VAN's Complete Mix and Kangaroo Mince.... various dogs doing very well including our brand new litter of pups.

Three, but about to run on a fourth pup from the next litter. But I work from home and take different dogs out and about at different times, so each spends time one on one with me or others in the family. Mine are about 3 years apart in age - think its important to put a great deal of quality time with each pup in their first 12 months - we never run two pups of our own at the same time but often have different aussies Ive bred coming back to stay so sometimes we might have 6-7 aussies laying around the loungeroom.