SpikesPuppy

Try finding a qualified judge who is also a genuine specialist... Sure they exist but they seem to be far and few between- plus there is the cost involved, our club can simply not afford the thousands it costs to bring a judge in so we often have to 'share' with other clubs often resulting in perhaps a group specialist but not a Border specialist. Or the judge may agree to come over for minimal cost (such as half the airfare or something) as maybe a favor to a friend but if that were to happen, I have no doubt the friend would not show Plus, in many European countries the dogs are heavily worked and shown less often which is another reason I believe for few specialist judges. To get back on topic- what I am trying to say I guess is that we have very few specialist judges to show under and I feel it is unfair to expect people to miss out on exhibiting under such a judge purely because they are on the club committee.

Double post

I started with a not so great male- he is nice and has had some decent wins but he's no superstar!! And I accept him for what he is and still show him even tho it's often just giving points away but he loves the ring and I love showing him. Anyway my point is- by showing him and not giving up I not only learnt a heap about ringcraft and handling and about the breed (grooming etc) but I was also able to demonstrate that I was committed to exhibiting and was rewarded with my fantastic bitch who has become the foundation of my kennel. People had and still have their opinions of him an I am well aware of his faults, but I shrug it off and keep plugging away he was 4 and a half when he titled, with 9 points under a breed specialist mind you, but I am so glad that I persevered with him and very proud of our achievements. Even if you have a GREAT dog, other exhibitors will find something to pick on I agree tho it's not a nice way to treat a newbie but then it's not a nice way to treat anybody!! IMO your friend should talk to the breeder as well as critiquing the dog based on the standard, preferably an extended or illustrated standard (one that explains why each point is important in relation to the original purpose) and then decide if they are indeed happy with their dog representing the breed. The important thing tho is to be HONEST when doing this. I can honestly say that based on my interpretation of the standard, I am proud of my boy and believe he is a very nice example of his breed. BUT he is not the best and that is okay too but I believe he fits the standard well.

Love love LOVE this breed they are amazing in pictures but to see them in real life is just breathtaking!!! I love their size and their shape- they are so solid but agile and athletic at the same time. They are on my 'one day' list preferably when I am living on acreage they can bay!!! Supposedly the Border 'singing' stems from their relationship with the hounds. I have a heap of pictures of Borders hunting with he hounds- will scan them and share soon

Good lord of all breeds, too!! I feel sorry for Labs with their 'perfect' stereotype, so many people just don't understand that they are an active, strong large dog- they don't come settled and obedient!!! The fact that they only want chocolate is an issue too for me- the whole thing just reeks of the picture perfect white picket fence, mummy daddy and 2 kids scenario which we realistic folk know doesn't just magically happen I sold a puppy to a family with a 3 yr old and an 18 month old- at first I was wary but the family were doggy people and were up for the challenge a terrier pup poses. So it can definitly be done but, and I mean no offense here to your friend , but this family just is not ready for a dog, let alone a bouncy big puppy (of course there is also the dietary needs of a large breed puppy plus risk of bloat etc). If they were to get one I see nothing but disaster

I have 3 Border Terriers. My male is noisy and always has been. He also has a horrible, high pitched bark. My adult bitch is quiet, she barks when she has too but that's it. She has a low bark and a deep growl. Her 5 month old daughter is so far proving to be the same- she has just learnt to growl over the past week or two and it's low like Zivas So I agree that you can have different levels in the same breed, even same lines.

Rough collies require regular grooming and if outdoors will collect lots of matts and burrs. Overall they are very much family dogs though and should be with their people as much as possible (obviously it is okay for them to be outside when the family is not home). They also come in a smooth variety which requires very minimal grooming - but again, they are FAMILY dogs. We own a smoothie and she is fine in the yard when we are at work but must be inside when we are. I generally recommend males as pets- in my experience they are more easy going/ less moody than bitches and easier to train. Eta- wheatens require very regular grooming to maintain their trademark soft coat. Do consider the Border however if they are willing to allow the dog to be part of the family- easy to groom and burrs and the like don't tend to stick in the coat. For example my puppy was thrown into a mud puddle this afternoon by the smoothie, half her body was covered in mud. Once the mud dried, it brushed out with a stiff bristle brush in about 30 seconds. It's like Teflon

I'm talkingmore about any legal repercussions when I say I don't agree with minors being responsible for the animal and anything it may do. My opinion has nothing to do with how they handle the animal But yes, being rural does have different rules and legal requirements. I also don't agree that formal training is necessary in all cases- many of the best behaved dogs I know are that way because the owner is a clear and concise leader.

IMO no child under 18 should be allowed to walk alone with any dog, just in case there is an incident with thedog or a fight etc. If the dog were to be more inside than outside (ie; with the family) I would suggest looking at the Border terrier 4 of my 6 pups went to families with kids- the youngest being 18 months and the oldest 18 with quite a few teens.

There were a few weeks when I was doubting my decision to keep the pup I chose... She was ace at 8 weeks though then a few weeks after her debut looked so awkward!!! Even had a dipped topline. Now at 5 months I'm happy with her again just keeping an eye on the mouth, and expecting her to go trough another ugly stage shortly but I think she will be okay Also was looking at some picks of my older girl as a 'teenager' about 7-12 months old and my goD she was HIDEOUS!!!!! But at 3 years she is still improving and just went BISS a few weeks ago. Mums collie (smooth) is almost 2 and IMO won't be mature until at least 3 years old. From puppy to junior class in particular she was REALLY akward, all legs, no depth of chest etc. Ick. Hehe I have seen the bitch lappiemum was talking about and within 2 weeks even she has changed again, for the better!!! I don't understand the idea of giving up on babies and youngsters unless they are males with no balls or are too big for the standard. Even things like cowhocks can improve or disappear after a growth spurt or with different conditioning. There is a saying that the best dogs are the ugliest teenagers

I can't disagree with this My girl was the runt in a litter of 7. A few weeks ago, at just 3 years of age, she went Best in Specialty Show - and only 5 mnths after her first litter of 6! And part of me also wants to agree with the litter myth- after having her babies, she has changed and become a happier dog - more confident in herself and pre-litter she was a slug in the show ring, now she prances about as if she owns the place!

Unless the dogs need the kibble- I'd tell them to suck it up and go without if they don't eat their breakfast. They will work it out eventually that if they want their breakfast, they must eat it without any 'extras'. Our dogs are on a mainly kibble diet and unless they are ill, if they don't eat it, they go without. They get extras (yoghurt, leftovers, tinned fish, cottage cheese, whole raw egg, 4 Legs, Natires Gift tinned etc) sometimes, as well as bones, chicken frames etc but they also eat plain kibble. I refuse to have fussy dogs in my house (illness or age is an exception).

Problem with doing this (although I agree with you on principle!) is the vacc card then only lasts for the 12 months and thus is useless for things like obedience clubs, groomers etc. Wyndham vet in Werribee will do the 'off label' which is the regular 'annual' vaccine signed off for 3 years (the only thing is you will need to have the Kennel Cough vaccine updated at least 2 weeks before putting the dog in a kennel, but IMO if you aren't going to use a kennel facility- don't bother with the KC vaccine). Agreed, mine will get done if/when being boarded. And if you enter comps then you need to... but just for house pets, in my opinion, it is not needed. I haven't vaccinated for KC in the past 6 years, even my show dogs. I know few show ppl who do it. Kennel Cough is generally such a mild condition that is simple to treat and the vaccine not only doesn't cover most strains but also has been linked to more severe cases/bringing about symptoms as a side effect of the vaccine. had one dog get it, she was 6 months old and had been vaccinated 3 months prior. She picked it up while being desexed (shelter pup who I adopted at 14 weeks then had neutered at 6 months). Treatment was cheap and easy. Yep there are severe cases but talking to vets and dog people the general consensus I have found is these are either already vulnerable animals or those who have been vaccinated. Besides, the new AVA regs state that the vaccine only lasts approx 6 months and they recommend only having done 2 weeks before the dog needs it for it to have the beat protective properties.

Problem with doing this (although I agree with you on principle!) is the vacc card then only lasts for the 12 months and thus is useless for things like obedience clubs, groomers etc. Wyndham vet in Werribee will do the 'off label' which is the regular 'annual' vaccine signed off for 3 years (the only thing is you will need to have the Kennel Cough vaccine updated at least 2 weeks before putting the dog in a kennel, but IMO if you aren't going to use a kennel facility- don't bother with the KC vaccine).

In cases like that there just needs to be a bit of policing as the whether or not any committee members are 'friendly' with the judge. If someone knows them quite well, then scrap that judge and move onto the next one on the list. I know someone who isn't even on a committee and a judge came down here who she had bought a dog off many, many years ago. She didn't show under him on the chance that if she did win something, it would be the talk of the show that "she owned one of his dogs" Fairly small breed community worldwide - if we want to have a breed specialist judge- they are going to know people and dogs. So it's quite tricky really, and I suspect the same applies to many other breeds. I also think it's a little bit of an insult to the judge and their own integrity (or opinion of) to make the assumption that they cannot look past the handler on the end of the lead. One benefit I guess we have with regard to being a small club is that our shows aren't typically a huge deal, there is no 'schmoozing' or celebration/social events to go with the show etc. And we do have a non-exhibitor collect the judge pre-show if they cannot make their own way (sometimes we 'share' a judge with other clubs too). As I said earlier in the thread (and you highlighted regarding the lady who didn't enter for fear of backlash), I believe there are always going to be 'reasons' why so and so's dog won - if it's not because the handler is on committee, then it's because the handler is best mate's with the judge's mum or some other ridiculous reasoning. Losers need to make themselves feel better by placing blame or passing judgement rather than looking at what's on the end of their lead or taking a moment to asses their presentation or grooming skills etc. Of course, some underhanded judging surely does happen but all you need to do is put a big X next to that judges name :D I really do think it's a bit of a minefield and am glad there are no blanket rules regarding committee & entering/showing because as demonstrated by this thread, there are so many variables!! I agree though with your comment that if someone on committee is really friendly with a proposed judge, that judge needs to be scrapped (and would assume same would apply if said judge were known to be friendly with someone who would be likely to exhibit at the show (more of an issue for a breed specialty i imagine), but it would be equally unfair IMO to schedule a judge despite the knowledge that, for eg, a prominent person in the breed would be unable to enter or possibly feel uncomfortable about entering under due to their 'connection'. Maybe judge's should be allocated randomly

I know some vets can be pretty set in their ways but have you tried showing your vet a print out of the AVA vaccination teccomended protocol??? Sorry can't help with vets as we use one in Werribee.

Lol re:shrinkage!! But I can see a definite difference in your boy's head shape, I have seen others that are similar and of course te baskeball heads I mentioned- I think the moderate headed dogs are much more impressive, they will always look a bit like a caricature IMO but the basketball heads just look tragic. I also try to imagine a dog doing what it was bred for, whether or not that job isnstill appropriate and well, I cannot see any of today's BBs being physically capable of taking on a bull??? Or is today's bb more of a companion/show animal derived from baiting stock?? What should the ideal BB be capable of? (in theory) ;)

Your dog looks very different to several I have seen in the show ring- yours has a moderate sized head, for one thing. I have seen many who look like they have a basketball in place of a skull, it's round and half the size of their body :D

I just checked the catalogue for our recent breed specialty and if we excluded committee members from exhibiting, we would have had a grand total of 17 dogs entered! Being a small club with relatively few exhibitors (although individual dog numbers are growing), the majority of our exhibitors ARE committee members. Of that 17, only 4 dogs were owned by Victorian non-committee members, and the rest interstate dogs :D

They are gorgeous ;) Congratulations. Am looking forward to seeing them grow via DOL I finally got to meet my first bi-black in the 'fur' last night at show training, they really are something different :D

What I don't understand is the benefit to the breeder in not supplying the LR papers??? You've already paid to register the dog... what's handing over the papers going to do?? If you feel the buyer is going to pull some kind of dodgy on you - refuse them a puppy ;)

Well, I had planned to order my table from Petz Central today but stupid work STILL has not paid me my training pay ;) :D so it will have to wait for a while now. Not happy. Thanks for the info though guys!!

I had a gorgeous pink elephant that I found for Ziva when she was a wee pup (back then, she was known as the Fearless Elephant Wrangler ), and somehow, it lasted through her puppyhood and was then only brought out on special occasions. When she had her own litter, her babies grew up with it and played with it, slept on it, chewed it etc but it still survived UNTIL somehow, sometime 3 weeks ago, someone found it (it was kept up high for safety) and TORE IT'S EYES OUT!!! It had giant, embroidered eyes, and all was intact after the mauling except the gaping wounds where each eye should have been :) I was so upset, it was meant to be a family heirloom :p ;) Okay, seriously, it was upsetting. And there was nothing we could do but lay Elephant to rest

Which Eagle Pack do you use? Pet Stock in Old Geelong road usually have the basic varieties and some holistic and Best Friends in Point Cook have it too, but don't seem to stock many of the giant bags. There is another pet store in Deer Park (off Ballarat rd) that has a small range but are pretty good about ordering it in ;) Sorry for the OT I haven't yet tried Artemis, feed Eagle Pack (usually natural but have had my puppy on the holistic anchovy - because I could lol, unfortunately can't really justify the cost for all 4 dogs!!), but Artemis sounds pretty good on paper. If it becomes more readily available I'd give it a try