Lhok

Helping a family member doing some research on Dachshunds and several of the breeders they have linked me came from Facebook and a couple from Gumtree. I have already told them about the various kennel clubs and Dogzonline to help them find a breeder. Another thing is that they are getting confused about just how much money they will need to save up for I believe they are looking for a standard long coat but I have no other information other then that and I'm not very knowledgable about Dachshunds either. I've also been burned a couple of times by various people in helping them look for a dog too so I'm more then wary about all this. --Lhok

Hi I've been doing some research lately into looking at breeders and sometimes in their ads they have CF registered breeder and no more information after that. Does someone have an idea as to what CF means? Thanks --Lhok

How active is active though? My husband likes these little guys but I don't think I could cope with a dog like Corvus' Eric but more to the point I don't think my husband could as it would be his dog. --Lhok

The tick season in our area is from Oct to April or anytime it rains which is a lot of the time. The vets where I used to volunteer at were told that Proban can cause some respiratory problems while under General Anesthetic and that we should ask if the dog is currently taking Proban before surgery. Not sure about the prolonged use effecting organs though. Our Flea treatment begins with Capstar, then fido's rinse then after 3 days I put on frontline due to my dog having issues with comfortis We also treat the whole house with flea spray and wash the bedding in hot water and put some fido's in the wash with it. Not sure if this is helpful or not but fleas are annoying little things hope you get it sorted quick --Lhok

I'll be going along, not sure what days I will be there I just want to meet some lovely puppies It's just up the road from my town of Coffs Harbour Can someone let me know when the Akita's will be on what days? My husband would like to know if there will be any Pyrenean Mountain dogs there or Swedish Vallhunds. Thanks --Lhok

I don't understand the whole save a life at any cost mentality. More to the point I really don't understand why it is justified as more humane when questioned. Not having a go at anyone, it's just something I have seen at vet clinics I have worked at as well as reading articles like this one. It has always been my understanding that there are worse things for animals and humans alike then dying. --Lhok edited to add, what happens when the animal grows to full maturity? can't red kangaroos grow taller then most 6ft men and weigh around 100kgs?

I have had working English Springer Spaniels, and if I could have gotten them docked prior to working them I would have. Out of the 3 that we have had over the years for hunting rabbits, foxes and birds (grouse) 2 of them have eventually had to be docked due to tail injury. When the tails were first injured we asked the vet if they would dock the tail after hearing all the problems that can come from trying to set a tail but they wouldn't. Eventually though after 12 weeks of bandaging and setting the tail got a putrid smell and then had to be removed. Those two dogs have what we call "phantom tail" syndrome and don't sit properly anymore. They also don't like anyone touching their stumps which makes grooming their back ends hard. --Lhok

Feral pigs cause heaps of damage to the native scrub land, they aren't "wildlife" and should be removed where ever possible from the wild. I believe baits and traps to be worse then hunting pigs with dogs. Baits kill indiscriminately and traps stress the animal till it vomits, hurts itself or kills itself trying to get out. I can't talk for all pig hunters, but the dogs I have seen used are only used to track, flush then to bail up the pig so the hunter can get a clean shot at the pig. All pigging dogs I have seen out in the field have had armour on as no one I have had the experience to see hunt wants to lose a dog. Yes like all things there are people who do some horrible things and they shouldn't be allowed to continue but the people who do it with everything in mind should be allowed to continue. --Lhok

Poor dog :D RIP puppy Thankfully though a kind person found you and took you to the vet for treatment even though there was nothing the vets could do for you. Hope they find the people who did this to you --Lhok

The fence is really old, not something I would have the greatest of faith in, good enough to hold my dog in as she is only interested in eating bones, lying in the sun, pooping and peeing in the backyard. I do understand that these dogs might be uncomfortable in the environment, and I do understand that dog's will bark, but the behaviour that is being displayed has gotten worse which is why I thought I might ask the collective DOL brain trust as to what we can do about the situation. --Lhok

The dogs don't normally live next door, they only come up during the school holidays while the daughter is here. I will let my parents know they will need to talk to the neighbor's first before they do anything else. Thanks --Lhok

Every school holidays my mother and father have to put up with barking dogs. These dogs bark at everything and the owners do nothing about it, They also charge the fence and growl at anyone who is walking around the backyard. Today I noticed the dog having a go at my dog who lives with my parents at the moment and due to the old fence managed to nip my dog on the nose. My mum went to block off the gap in the fence and was also almost nipped. The barking is so bad that when we are talking in our own house the dogs can hear us and then they bark at us. What are we to do? We can't complain to the local council as the dogs belong to the next door neighbour's daughter, it is driving us batty! My mother and father don't believe talking to the neighbours would achieve anything either. Thanks --Lhok

Do they drool a lot? They look lovely though --Lhok

How are chows in regard to getting along with other dogs? Some books say they are very dog aggressive and others say it is a socialisation thing. Thanks --Lhok

taken from Ninemsn: NSW coalition pledges funds to RSPCA The NSW coalition has promised 7.5 million to upgrade a dilapidated RSPCA building in southwest Sydney, if it wins government. Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell toured the animal welfare organisation's Yagoona premises on Thursday to see first hand the state of the 40-year-old facility. The ceiling near the operating theatres had recently caved in and many of the 800 animals housed at the facility were living in outdoor shelters that were outdated and without air conditioning. "What the RSPCA does is important," Mr O'Farrell told reporters. "It's important ... because this is about animal welfare. "But it's also important ... because of the interaction between pets and owners in so many circumstances." Mr O'Farrell said the RSPCA received less than 1.5 per cent of its $35 million annual operating cost from the NSW government and raised the remainder through fundraising initiatives and community support. RSPCA chief executive Steven Coleman said the organisation has pleaded many times with the state Labor government since 2008 for extra funding but was unsuccessful. "When it rains here, it's a mess," Mr Coleman told reporters. "There is panic amongst the staff, there is panic amongst the volunteers. "The RSPCA has never received that type of commitment before. "This is a last-ditch effort to try and save this building." Mr Coleman said the RSPCA would match the Coalition's funding commitment with another $7.5 million. The total amount will fund a new vet hospital at the site, an education centre, a community pet-friendly park and will pay to replace the older animal shelters. In the 2009/10 financial year, the RSPCA cared for almost 50,000 animals.

A lickylean of Akitas A roll of Kelpies due to every kelpie I have ever known tendency to nick off and roll in goodness knows what. --Lhok

Yes she can target with both front paws and her nose. I will also look into getting a copy of that dvd that Dxenion mentioned too. Not sure about trainers in my area but if anyone could recommend a trainer in the Coffs Harbour area I would be greatly appreciate it. Thanks --Lhok

What training method are you using at the moment? Praise and reward when calm or looking at the pram. Probably not a good description. I have never done any clicker training with her so wasn't really sure how to start. Thinking I should maybe get a trainer to come and have a look but again not sure. --Lhok

Hi A bit of backstory here, my 10 year old dog hates things that move on wheels. Over the last 2 months I have been slowly trying to get her accustomed to baby things as I am due in early July. So far we have been improving but in the last week and a bit she seems to be going backwards in training rather then forwards. We originally started at 15 paces away from the stationary pram and moved slowly until we hit 5 paces away. However I noticed that if I move her forward she goes into avoidence for example:not looking at the pram, turning her head away, licking lips and making a horrible pongy smell. But when I move her back to the previous comfortable distance of 6 paces away she still displays the same signs. What am I doing wrong? She is fine with the cot, bassinet thingy I have and she loves all the sniffing all the other goodies I have gotten so far for the baby. I would love to be able to have her come along on walks with baby, husband and I without her being so far away. --Lhok

Had a friend with a Sun Tzu cross, worked out he meant to say Shih Tzu and not the author of the book "The Art of War" --Lhok

While helping my friend do some research on the breed I found a little piece of information that I found to be interesting. It stated that they are very clean dogs and some dogs need privacy bushes else they won't go to the toilet in the yard if they can be seen. Is that true? --Lhok

A friend of mine watched the ad and went to the local RSPCA shelter looking for the dog on the ad, when she couldn't find that type of dog at the shelter she later rang me up and asked if I knew where she could get such a "glamorous" dog from. So I think the whole thing was a bit lost on her I'm now trying to educate her on Afghans someone care to help me with it Also that carlton draught ad was awesome and I "think" the bank world ads are for the ANZ, if it is they should have just stuck to the falcon ads they ran for their credit cards. --Lhok

Here's my dilemma After having a long debate between myself and my husband we have decided to get a dog/puppy in the later half of the year. The breed we are looking at getting is an Akita, and due to some threads a while back we aren't quite sure when would be a good time to get in contact with breeders. We don't want to be seen as tyrekickers but we would like to know more about the health of the Akita in Australia in particular due to everything I have been able to get my hands on so far is mostly concerning the breed in the UK or America. I have been to some shows but I prefer not to approach people due to them looking so busy. So do you only contact a breeder when you are looking to buy a puppy or adult dog? Thanks for your time --Lhok

My brother is in Sydney, I will ring him and ask him if he would, He works through the day though.. Will need to find out where they are located. I would travel down in a heart beat to help out but I'm not allowed to do much due to problems with my pregnancy. Please feel free to pm and I will call him if you haven't found anything. --Lhok

I agree about the smell Espinay2 I raised a kit from 3 weeks old till he died of cancer at the age of 8 also called Basil . While domesticated ones would be a bit better I would think regarding the biting and hunting instincts I don't think I would ever class them as a pet. They are too adaptive and clever and once tamed they have no fear of humans. Looking back on it, it makes me sad because he had to live in a pen, granted it was huge with lots of hidey holes and small tree he could climb if he wanted to but still it was a pen. I was the only one who could pat him and pick him up I had a pair of old "fox" overalls I used to wear while in the pen as my mum hated his smell. --Lhok