megan_

Danes aren't in danger of becoming extinct are they?

I think choice did some testing and found that VIP had waaaaay more preservatives than advertised on their packaging (as did most "fresh" pet foods). I use 4 paws and it has ground bone in it, so I wouldn't cook it up. That said, it does look appetising!

But most of these are required if you even only have 1 puppy? Only some of them were culled, not the whole litter.

Re: coming out of the eyes, your eyes (I think it might even be the tear ducts) are connected to your nasal passages. If you have cold, hold your nose, blow and you'll see what I'm talking about!

frothing can just indicate a lack of oxygen

Nic B - have they been reported to the police for fraud then?

Most breed standards don't go into a lot of details about temperament though? The ones I have read might have a few words at most and then they're open to interpretation. There is usually a good page or two describing exactly how the dog should look, ears should fall etc.

That number on her sleave could be for any dog sport - I certainly don't do agility for my ego. We're going training tonight and I'll only get to bed after 11pm. I do it for him.

That is fraud then. Has anyone reported them to the police?

Sorry but I'd give this breeder a miss. In some states all a breeder needs to do is pay a fee and have a main registered dog to be a "registered breeder". It doesn't mean that they are ethical or know what they're doing. Dodgy breeders like to ship them off young to save them 2 weeks of cost and the cost of vaccs, worming etc. There are plenty of fantastic stafford breeders around, there is no reason to settle.

You met a person doing LAT "in the wild"? How fantastic!

We don't know that , do we ? ..... They say they are a registered breeder, but Dogs SA doesn't list their prefix. Romanas website: http://polarbearkennel.webs.com/ (complete with pics of an "oops" litter!) I know nothing of this breeder but just because someone isn't registered with Dogs SA doesn't make them a backyard breeder. There are other pedigreed registers out there.

I think the complaint is that SUP could be interpretedas supplementary to non-showie people. That is what I thought it stood for when I first saw it. SUPR would have made more sense. Not a big deal anyway, dogs don't care about titles.

way to join and kick people in the shins. Dogs aren't allowed off leash in children's play areas in most councils. No wonder some kids are scared of dogs when d*ckheads think their dog has a right to jump on everyone.

I think BAT is far more advanced in the US and you don't find many trainers who know a lot about it in Australia (even fewer than those that know about LAT). I find the concept interesting and could see how it could work. One issue with traditional classical conditioning is that the dog can learn "if I stay calm the threat stays". Often the threat outweighs the reward, even if they do take it. I think I accidentally taught my girl this lesson. I incorporate some of the principals into my training now, but they aren't formally BAT. For example, I do LAT, but I make sure not to "push my luck" and I try to keep stressful sessions very short and sweet (you behave, the threat goes away). I use LAT because I had the resources to learn it, but if I had my time again and had access to a trainer who was experienced I'd most probably try BAT as a first port-of-call, with LAT as a back-up. I imagine you'd need to do it in a fairly controlled environment though, which can be very hard. For example, if your dog was scared of men, you'd need to ensure that you could remove your dog away from men. This is very hard to do in a park/in public with people wandering around.

But this group rehomed a dog with no temp test and misled (either deliberately or by accident) the new owner re: the dogs needs. I would never return a dog to a group like this. Things might work out fine but there is a high risk that the dog would go back on the rehoming merry-go-round.

I think you have a number of options. If Eric was my dog, I'd either try to rehome him myself or PTS. It will be hard given his issues, and you'd need to be 100% upfront with someone, he might suit a home that had someone there full-time. You really need to think about whether he is rehomable. I'd be getting a qualified behaviourist to make that assessment, including getting advice on what sort of home would suit Eric. Then have another think about whether you can meet Eric's needs. If he is rehomable, I'd make sure I found someone myself. I'd advertise on PetRescue (a rescue group could put his ad up). If I couldn't find the right home for him, hard as it may be, I'd PTS. What I wouldn't do: * Send my dog to the RSPCA. Don't know where you are, but in Vic this is basically the pound. Chances are Eric would be PTS there, alone in a strange place. I could never do this to a dog, I'd rather take them to the vet myself and hold them while they slipped away. * Personally, I wouldn't ever take my dogs to a no-kill shelter either. I'm sure there are some nice ones around, but again, I wouldn't want my dog warehoused for an extended period of time. If he has genuine separation anxiety, a shelter could be hell-on-earth for him. There are people who will tell you a dog is for life. I believe this most of the time. However, a pet should add value to your life, not take it away. Sure, there are always hard times, but you shouldn't have to dread coming home to your dog.

Even with a non reactive dog I cross the street. I don't know of the other dog will lunge etc. Not risking my dogs to spare someone's feelings

I can sort of understand the attitude. When I want to do something differently I discreetly say "I've been taught that a bit differently, is that okay?". Pointing put how the club doesn't follow SG's methods might seem like a criticism to them. Can you go to club and just modify the exercises you do (eg they run over a a frame, you just do the end behaviour with a target)? With my next dog, I'll only go to a club to use their equipment and get my dog used to the setting - I won't actually follow their training plans.

I believe they are not a rescue group, unless I have confused them with someone else. They post ads about dogs in the pound, collect donations for the dogs that they don't even have. I'd advise this person to contact the pound, get the paperwork and give feedback about this group.

This is already the definition. Where would this leave a lot of sighthounds and other breeds with higher prey drive? All of my own greyhounds would kill a cat if they got the chance but they're certainly not dangerous dogs so far as public safety goes. Prey drive and aggression aren't the same thing so lumping them together is very unfair.

Michael ellis' DVD's are very good. They focus on foundations and motivation.

The minister has already rejected it!

Are there any health tests for pols? I'd also want a breeder who recommended a pup to mr based on temperament. Not keen on those that just let you pick from ads. She might nit be like that though.

The puppies papers only come after you have it. The ad says you can get copies of the parent's pedigrees beforehand via email. This is normal and recommended. Nothing wrong with advertising in the trading post - it is where a lot of people go to buy a dog. That said, pols are popular so there are some dodgy registered breeders out there. I'd follow SSM's advice and ask for breeder recommendations...just be prepared go wait.