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SAS... noI have nothing to do with them .... not that has anything to do with my comments... I would say exactly the same about someone making comments about any business.... in fact it is very easy to see who I am.... just check my profile.... my website is there.... I have nothing to hide - however I do note that there are many here who are anonymous and have very little information on their profile....

On the subject of pricing of a pup.... I use the formula that my initial breeder mentor gave me.... Charge the price for a pup of one weeks wages of an average middle class family - which is one full time wage and one part time (e.g. a teacher/police etc earn around the $65,000).... this currently works out at $85-95,000 thus around the $1,600 or so. The reasoning for this is that it is a big enough price for people to stop and consider whether they are serious about getting a dog but not out of the price for the average family. also the cost of buying a pup would be about the same price as the upkeep of the dog for the first year. Works for me and have used this system for the last 20 years...

One thing that breeders will need to remember is that there is the chance for puppy purchasers to start to claim back from breeders for health problems... Remember that the legal system in Australia deem puppies as a product... hence to some extent there is a requirement for a warranty. If the purchaser wishes to make a claim thru Small Claims many of the breeders MAY find themselves having to reimburse for expensive operations or having to take dogs back and refunding.... or at the very least having to attend the Small Claims Tribuneral and justifing their actions. As this is the case then the breeds who have these severe health problems such as the Frenchies will need to cover their backsides some how... This fact should be pushed more by the ANKC to ensure that breeders are aware of the need for health testing. After all if you sell a pup and there are health issues that can be tested for and you don't... then the courts will question WHY? There have already been a few cases presented to Small Claims and in one case someone claimed a Pet Shop sold a cross bred dog who didn't grow up to look like the same type of cross bred puppy the purchaser already had ??????? apparently she bought the second one to breed with the first and was disappointed that they were not of type. Food for thought!

This is a question many members of the public would like to ask... and I have to say with some of the breeds you do think, they are going to sock it away.... especially if you consider some breeds might have 10-12 pups and charge $2,000 to $3,000.... not uncommon say with German Shepherd Dogs. So for the public eye that is perhaps $25,000 income from the bitch.... and then on Dogzonline there are currently 69 litter notices for Australia which does seem like there could be a lot of demand..... I breed Aussie Shepherds and we average litters more of 4-6 pups and generally sell between $1500 & $1800.... In our breed if a litter was even average 6 pups you have to remember that the sale of one pup covers the stud fee.... one pup covers the Vet Fees... one pup covers feeding and registrations..... one pup is often not sold and retained for potential breeding down the line. So this only leaves two pups for potential to cover other costs such as the DNA tests, eye test, hip shoulder X-rays which comes to perhaps $1,000 once off per dog. Then if you want to get import semen this covers to a few thousand dollars before you even see if you can actually get any pups.... So if the public really want to do the sums..... then a breeders hobby with perhaps even 2-3 litters per year might actually make $4,000 over the year .... IF your lucky and have good size litters and no c-sections or strange health problems.... such as a stud dog dying from snake bite (vet bill $2,000 conservatively).... then there are travel expenses for stud dogs interstate.... running a car to go back and forth to locations.... whelping boxes... scales... premium mince for puppies... advertising..... registrations/membership..... vaccinations..... etc....... etc..... etc.... etc.....

We run group classes... further away from you but we also are starting a monthly Workshop on a Sunday for people who live further away. This might be a program that can help you and your dog build confidence. Welcome to ring if you have queries.

Mrs RB - You can look up the business Facebook... "Alfoxton Dog Centre" you are most welcome to share the info and anyone is welcome to email and I can forward the form and booking slip if needed. If there is a demand we aim to run these workshops every month with different skill levels and provide the chance to build stronger and stronger skills. We can work with people who are general dog owners but also dog competitors or dog professions for e.g.. Have had enquiries from a few dog walkers who wish to attend to build their skills to deal with different hazards. We teach people how to deal with many different scenarios.... we operate with different paddocks all 6 foot high cyclone fencing and can start out at the pace that works for the individual. One big objectives is to create discussion for methods of how to deal with people who don't follow the rules... It is more about teaching people how to foolproof themselves and their dogs so that they can cope when things DON'T go according to plans... Even those who might have dogs who are likely to be Dog Aggressive and would not take their dog to a park.... might find they can learn some ways to avoid bad situations or deal with the unexpected.

Another big risk is the lack advertising to the general public and perhaps more important the lack of understanding of many within the Veterinary field.... mention the MDR1 and many vets give you a blank look..... Even if your affected dog eats Cow or Sheep manure where farmers have wormed stock with Ivermectin..... remember many are not even aware their dog might be affected... even farmers don't realise and have had their own dogs poisoned.... Currently there is an Aussie in USA on Facebook who ate sheep poo and is undergoing physiotherapy to allow her to recover... will take months and has cost them over $20,000 so far. So although the drug might be fine for some things.... to create the type of reaction means that more care and education should be available.....

Not uncommon for your pup to develop some issues at this stage... so don't think of this as a bad sign otherwise you will end up increasing the dogs anxiety... Instead think of this as just a stage in her development and she needs some time to adjust. We all agree that socialising is important but just need some care to ensure that this is done correctly for the stage you at dealing with.... difficult for many to understand after all - Correct is a subjective term. Your puppy school might be good and able to deal with this, however this is generally outside the scope of the normal 'puppy' school and you may find many trainers and dog enthusiasts just start quoting much of what you will read online and whether they have a true understanding or the experience to help is another thing entirely. We deal with many dogs of all ages and it is important that the approach used suits you and your dog. I notice you are in Victoria and if you wanted to ring and chat in more details I am happy to help (my profile has further details to contact myself)- there are many question needed to be asked before advice should be given.

Often problems that develop in the dog park are because of the public generally not understanding how to fit in. Doesn't mean they are bad people or bad dogs, they just need to learn. It is better to try and help other learn how to improve and not to get to emotional about things.... We run our classes around this and so we can offer the service to others who live further away we are running Workshops to build these skills. Hopefully no one minds me posting this here - but it is a big problem that is a frustrating situation for many people and perhaps we can help. I will email Troy to get approval to start a thread just for discussion about the workshop to answer any questions.

It can be a risk to most of the herding dogs.... GSD, OES, Border Collie etc so not perhaps such a wonderful discovery

Yes Vets love to push the dry food..... try not to fall into the trap....it is really just the whole pet industry out there pushing to convince the public that they do it better but really it is just all market hype. I have had a GSD who had a similar problem... he was a dog who was prone to chewing bones up to nothing and hence was prone to blockage... so he rarely got bones but I did give him a lamb flap every week which kept his teeth in great condition. However I also added oil to his diet on a regular basis to help keep him lubricated. Back then he was on dry food and chicken loaf but we have learnt a lot more about the diet after going to the States and seeing how the independent research stacks up against the marketing. One thing we were told was that Older dogs do start to have trouble processing a lot of bones... so cut back once a dog is over about 6 Nowadays we feed Vets All Natural with 100% Roo Meat which we source from a local roo shooter - as many of the pet shops call it roo when it could be mixed with horse or other. we only pay $4 per kilo and it is beautiful clean meat -(contact me if you wish to get some) but we also like to add extra fatty meat as the roo is perhaps too lean so we look for cheap cuts of lamb or beef as well. The other thing I am looking for is organ meat... heart, lung etc .... but wanting to find it in a minced block as I hate handling it. We also add leftovers from our table as well as yoghurt and fish. Try not to be conned by the marketing of the commercial foods... really they are just producing a product to make it convenient so the public think they are giving their dog the well rounded diet.

I just don't see the point in trying to keep a dog from enjoying the activity of playing with other dogs.... 10 month old - just a baby in many ways... at this age we should be encouraging out dogs to get out and have fun... with us and with other dogs.... Remember a 10 month old dog is not dissimilar to a child of perhaps 4-6 year old - would you seriously expect a 5 year old to sit for an hour and pay attention to a book instead of going out and playing on the swings and slides....? Humans have such a tendency to want to micro manage their dogs (and often their kids) - work with the dog to enjoy the time out playing and incorporate games that your dog can run back to you and play a game for a few minutes then they are free to move back to social play. We run classes for dogs of all ages... of which the majority of the class is held OFF LEAD....Never have any issue with getting dogs (AND PUPPIES) to learn how to focus on work at hand... as the humans getting better at their skills the dogs spend more time focusing.

The best thing is to go and see for yourself... kennels should allow you to come for inspection by appointment.... don't look just at the pretty reception and colour co-ordinated walls... or the show kennels... Have a good look around and consider from the dogs point of view.... you know what will make your dog comfortable.

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It might not be a case of finding a good reference.... By this time of year you may actually find it difficult to even get a booking for xmas... I suggest you start ringing around at once to find somewhere otherwise you might find it very difficult

Actually thought this was an interesting survey where they seem to have a grasp for what information might be needed to consider for any regulations

Vets All Natural .... is still Australian Owned and Australian Made..... So I am still happy.

Any pup who is truly a 'runt' will fail to thrive.... usually starts off behind the others from birth and then struggles to keep going... but if something is actually wrong with the pup they will struggle continually and at 6-8 weeks will still be struggling... Breeders have a tendency to tube feed or bottle feed and continually try to boost the pup along... sometimes this can mean we have unhealthy pups making it to the point of someone wanting to home the pup which perhaps is the wrong way to go. Personally I leave the pup for the first 48 hours... if they are struggling still and cannot feed of mum then I put them down especially if the mum seems disinterested in the pup - even if it was the only one in the litter I would still put the pup down. If however they are showing some fighting spirit and trying to battle for the nipple I might supplement feed them a couple of times a day to help them along. But even if they did make 8 weeks and were not thriving the pup would no way go to anyone... they would remain with me until thriving or I make the decision to put them down... As a breeder I must be responsible for the health of my pups, they need to be bursting with health to head off to new homes. I know I am going to cop flack from many of the breeders here but I will state....."Nor am I interested in breeding with dogs who have issues that make birthing difficult and generally require c-sections.... or a breed that requires the pups to be separated from the mother and only have supervised feeding" ... there is something wrong with a breed who cannot reproduce without consistent help these breeds need to seriously look at what they are doing and decide what is better for the health of the dog and change the standards to allow for a better structure of the dog.

We feel it is important for people to learn how to behave with their dogs in public... These days with smaller backyards and less places to give your dogs room to stretch out and be a dog it can be difficult and confronting for people as to how to cope with others. There are other facilities like Kepala... we run a training school which is set up like a private dog park.... we teach people how to socialise their dogs and how to build skills to be safe in off leash areas or walking in the street.... We have an indoor training room, outside all weather training ground and we have security mesh paddocks.... We have been considering running some one day workshops on the weekends for the people who live further away.... www.alfoxton.com.au

We do the 3 yearly ourselves and then with the dogs who come for our training classes and in the boarding kennels we hear many different stories. We have three local vets... One vet practice who begrudgedly agrees to it..... when we push for it... Another local vet practice seems happy to comply and one of the vets at this clinic automatically gives a 3 yearly. Whereas the third vet flatly stays with annual.... We always give the training people a copy of the AVA recommendations and explain they have the right to ask for three yearly or the option of changing to a vet who will meet their needs. We accept the 3 yearly or titre testing in the Dog Centre and when staying in the Kennels.

You have doubts... and they do sound legit.... There is no problem asking for your deposit back... particularly as you have now found out there is a hernia... which was not originally known about. The breeder is likely to just refund the deposit and sell the pup to someone else... you are then free to go to a breeder who you feel more comfortable with... after all this is a long term decision... and you want someone who is able to support you more long term. Don't be afraid to ask just step up and take charge.

Not really appropriate to discuss the pro's and con's of a company online.... EVERY business will have their knockers.... There are trainers here who are regular posters on the forum... but this does not mean that is any recommendation to their efficiency. Exactly the same as there are trainers who are not part of Dogzonline clique - hence do not get recommendations.... You can always discuss or watch sessions and make your own opinion.

One thing I do find with the Golden Retriever is that they can be a bit slow on developing new ideas ... you need to hasten slowly with the goldies as they get tired and collapse - physically and mentally. If in a class and he wants to flop to the ground and won't walk on the lead - step to one side, let him have some time.... after 2-3 minutes then ask again... good chance he will be willing to continue. Always look for the times he seems to vague out and stop and relax before asking again. Don't try to compare your dogs progress against other dogs... the working breeds will race along learning new things and looking for the next but your Retriever is likely to get a bit confused if you try to add too many things at once. Relax and have fun.

Raising your puppies curiosity is terrific.... give him space to stop and watch others... if you can find a class where they are teaching puppy tricks or puppy agility games then your pup will watch the others and then venture forward as he wants to join in. Ring around different trainers in the area.... find the trick game classes and you will move him forward... Just remember it is common for dogs to go thru a couple of fear periods - often somewhere around 9 weeks and again around 9 months... if he looks like he is getting worried, give him space and the time to decide to try again. Dogs are great observers - dog parks can be a great place once your dog has confidence.... and if you have fenced parks nearby you can always take your dog to the park but stay OUTSIDE let him watch and give him time to become curious.... If you see someone leaving who has a calm relaxed dog ask if you can let their dog meet your pup. Once he gets the idea that meeting dogs generally is great fun he will learn to deal with the occasional bully.

The attack itself doesn't need to be a problem long term... however it may have happened as your pup was heading into the initial fear stage which is common for the average pup at around 9 weeks or so. Hence it needs to be addressed quickly before it becomes your pups habit. I also agree that you need to find an alternative to the 'obedience club' you are currently attending.... This club is not addressing the situation and perhaps they do not have the right environment or the experience to deal with these issues. At this early stage of training - you are not trying to teach your puppy 'obedience' - this would be like trying to teach a 2 year old human to stand in a line or sit quietly in class, much of what we would expect of a 5 or 6 year old in primary school. - Pups of this age cannot create a structure of obedience - instead the Puppy Classes should be much more about building the bond with the handler and introducing pup to different concepts of using his body as well as coping with different personalities of puppies in an environment that allows him to have some space as he rebuilds his confidence. If you cannot find the right class what you need to find is people with good relaxed dogs who are pretty neutral - this means your your pup might initially be reactive but the other dogs will just ignore his bad behaviour and allow him the chance to work out they are not a problem, but in fact he might enjoy the interaction. What area of Vic are you in - Perhaps there are local people here who run classes that might suit.