SpikesPuppy

I have a sign that says "Border Terrier" on it. I also have signs on each dog's bench stating their name etc. Their prefix is 'Glenbogle' and people ask/think the breed is a Glenbogle Or they just see 'Border' and ask where is the Border collie???

Ok, my error, however if you enter a speciality show, why don't you have specialty judges? This is a very poor refelection on the management/committee of your breed club. If a specialty judge cannot be obtained, what's the point of having a specialty show? If they are not specialty judges their critique is not worth the paper it's written on so why would any exibitor 1-2-3 etc bother to stick around for a critique that is of no value. May as well just stick to all breeds until the club can get it's act together. Not all clubs have the luxury of money or large memberships? Our club usually sub-contracts from one of the other shows on the same weekend as we cannot afford to cover the costs of a judge on our own. With a rare breed, too, where everyone knows everyone, there is a real risk of people not entering if a certain judge is booked, because the winner is often evident before the show OR several exhibits are ineligible because of stud dogs etc. That's even more reason to stick to All Breeds, there at least you stand a chance and the result is not always known unless you continue to come up against a magnificient speciem of a dog. The specialty option is in my opinion a NO BRAINER, a complete WASTE OF TIME, and a WASTE OF MONEY & EFFORT. Maybe it is for you, but for me I enjoy the day because I get to see dogs of my breed that don't usually show, or come from interstate, I am supporting the breed club, get to hang out with fellow exhibitors who I otherwise don't see and have a great lunch etc. Naturally, I wish every specialty could be judged by a genuine breed specialist but hey, reality can be a bitch.

Have you thought about one of the silky type sighthound martingales? Or a regular martingale with soft/smooth edges on the nylon. Also a good quality rolled leather collar might work. With my Newf, I used a 'fur saver' correction collar (the ones with the rectangle links rather than round). However he was very obedient and it wasn't used as a CC.

The problem with herding dogs IMO is they constantly need to do something and in my (limited) experience with the smooth collie, they require you to tell them what to do, as opposed to terriers or utility breeds (which I'm more experienced with), which are quick learners but also very able to think for themselves. I've not had a gundog but I am imagining (hoping??) that they are more like the utility/terriers and NOT like herding breeds LOL. I can't handle a dog that needs me to think for it

I think people confuse 'calm' with 'lazy'. Also with some breeders aiming purely for a massive size their dogs do lack the necessary agility Beautiful photos :rofl: though I am now sitting here with tears streaming down my face- I miss my old boy so much. ETA: the running shot reminds me of what I used to love doing with Spike. It would totally freak passers-by out but I would walk away from him at the park, then call him and he would come BOUNDING over, flews flailing, looking all the world like a grizzly bear, then he would ram into me and I would fall at the same time (stunt fall never had an injury), then he would lick me and flop down beside me with a big stupid grin on his face.

IMO breed numbers should be scrapped and the BOB pointscore should be more like the Rising Star (set number of points for a particular win). Say, BOB 6points = 1 point. 7-9pts = 2pts and so on. That way, no one gets points they didn't earn and you don't have to go chasing up catalogue numbers

Why can't the breed be in Australia? It may not be recognised here but it could have come with it's family

Curly coats have been on ANKC for many many many years White shepherds ANKC Mini Foxy yes as a Tenterfield Terrier(there is a group that still stay as the mini foxy so no there not ANKC American water spaniel is AKC & easily placed on ANKC if imported here The White Swiss Shepherd is now ANKC recognised, however there are still many breeders of White Shepherds (NON-ANKC) and there are at least 2 (I believe) White Shepherd clubs in Australia. To be ANKC registered, the dog must have at least 5 generations of White Swiss Shepherd in it's pedigree and no GSD.

SP I'd like to raise the RSPCA as an item at the upcoming DogsVic AGM - I will forward you my proposal to read maybe you will second it I am very interested to read it When is the AGM???

Ok, my error, however if you enter a speciality show, why don't you have specialty judges? This is a very poor refelection on the management/committee of your breed club. If a specialty judge cannot be obtained, what's the point of having a specialty show? If they are not specialty judges their critique is not worth the paper it's written on so why would any exibitor 1-2-3 etc bother to stick around for a critique that is of no value. May as well just stick to all breeds until the club can get it's act together. Not all clubs have the luxury of money or large memberships? Our club usually sub-contracts from one of the other shows on the same weekend as we cannot afford to cover the costs of a judge on our own. With a rare breed, too, where everyone knows everyone, there is a real risk of people not entering if a certain judge is booked, because the winner is often evident before the show OR several exhibits are ineligible because of stud dogs etc.

As a pet owner I can see where slk is coming from in a way. My last SBT was an 18mo failed show dog, and while he may have been socialised perfectly well for the environment he was living in, that wasn't the case for my household. That's one of the benefits of getting a puppy isn't it? That they can become a perfect fit for your home and routinues? If you want a puppy, get a puppy Not everybody wants to go through the housebreaking, teething, destructo-dog stage etc. Especially busy or elderly people (and some people just don't enjoy puppies) My dogs, as Ellz' are are PETS FIRST and showdogs second. My mongrels/pet shop dogs were raised on the same super premium foods, given training etc. It takes ALOT of effort to have a dog that is happy to travel, be handled by various people in various outfits (some clothing judges wear is ridiculous!!), happy to sit quietly in the crate or trolley etc. Many show dogs also attend events the regular dog cannot- such as The Pet Expo, Royal Show etc. I'm not saying the purchaser should be grateful as such, but they are, in many cases, paying for a dog that has had the 'hard work' done. At the end of the day, if you don't think an older dog is worth what the owner is asking for it- don't pay it. I say the same thing to puppy buyers who baulk at the price. If you don't want to pay it, then sorry but please go elsewhere. I have not rehomed a retired show dog, and I don't intend to do so anytime soon, but if I did, it would break my heart and it would not be a decision taken lightly. Someone I know recently homed one of their retired show dogs- the person enquired about puppies, there were none on the ground but they wanted to meet the dogs anyway. The adults dogs loved these people and they the dogs, one of the young adults was offered to the people and they jumped at the chance. A few weeks later, they returned and now own 2 beautiful, healthy retired show dogs (who were not going to be homed but the home found them, if that makes sense). Some breeders rehome too willy-nilly IMHO, and these people don't appear to see their show dogs as pets, but like I said, mine are. They are my babies at the end of the day.

I got a couple of questions wrong- one I felt could have gone to 2 of the 4 answers, I happened to pick the wrong one (The question was "When do you begin socialisation?" and I put "At birth" where the correct answer was "Once all the pups are vibrant and mum is relaxed" or something. IMO every experience a puppy has is a form of socialisation I don't see that I was *wrong* as such with that answer (and certainly not unworthy of dog ownership!!). The other question I got wrong was the code of ethics re: how many sucessive litters a bitch can have, I had a brain fart and ticked "Not allow a bitch to whelp more than 3 times in 18 months" instead of 2 times I don't do well in exams (even open book), I have brain farts often I find multiple choice particularly difficult as it gives my brain too many options and a chance to doubt my answer I would prefer to have had to attend a breeding seminar personally.

They don't quite do the fur cloud (except for the twice yearly blowing). See if you can meet any before ruling them out maybe?? Boxers I imagine would shed all year roud like Dobes- short prickly hairs LOL. But no undercoat.

Have you ever shown a dog? The amount of effort that any ethical breeder puts into rearing, training and showing a puppy is incredible. IMO anyone who gets a young 'failed' showdog at puppy price is getting a bloody bargain!! In many cases the dog will be crate trained, lead trained, impeccably handled & socialised, toilet trained, have at the very least basic manners, will be trained to stand for grooming etc. Not to mention the cost the breeder has borne to raise the pup on a premium diet, vaccinations, worming, heartworm treatment etc. Price to be negotiated is another no-no in advertising for me- you get the idiots who just want a cheap pet hassling you. IF I were advertising an older dog I would either put the price I wanted or say Price on Application.

They blow coat twice a year and shed somewhat all year 'round Can't compare to a Pei though as I've not had much to do with them. Otherwise they fit the bill.

IMO I would NEVER advertise a dog as free or cheap. This is just asking for trouble. However, I would not be adverse to advertising the dog at a certain price and then, once vetting the prospective owner, giving the dog to them or for the the cost of desexing (if I were rehoming a retired pedigree), or free.

We rarely have a breed specialist judge our shows Out of the 6 I have entered, only 2 had actually owned/bred the breed. And with regard to my 3rd out of 3 critique, as I said earlier, it was clear the judge (not a specialist) was not keen on my dog from the moment we walked into the ring and the critique had not one nice thing to say about him, I am aware we pay for the opinion, and I am definitely open to the bad points of my dogs, but the critique was just depressing and full of negativity and truly I felt as though I had wasted her time and would have preferred she had refused the 3rd place. The fact that he is listed as having won 3rd place (1-3 are listed in my breed because of the low numbers), when he clearly in her opinion was not a good example, is wrong IMO. I don't mind coming last, but if the dog is that awful- refuse the award.

If anyone involved in pedigree dogs still believes it doesn't affect them they have their heads in the sand. Likewise, it wont be confined to Victoria if the RSPCA get their wish. The fact that it is legal, for example, for an RSPCA officer to seize an otherwise healthy, clearly well looked after puppy because it had it's tail docked at the appropriate age (the Bulldog type on the RSPCA program), without a warrant is absolutely terrifying. I wish I could do more right now but honestly, I have no idea where to start? The best I can muster at the moment is sit here at my computer in fear. If anyone has any suggestions on who I can write to or something I can DO please share. However, the other part of me feels that if the breeder DID break the law (and you cannot argue that the tail docking law is not well known, unlike the debarking mishmash), then they have not only done themselves, but all pedigree dogs a huge disservice. I am pro-docking but there are legal ways of doing it. Hopefully this breeder used one of these loopholes.....

Ah yes, I was thinking that Miss Orange may be a handful as she gets older. If she doesn't like something- she lets you know it at first I thought she was sick or there was something wrong but no, I'm pretty sure she's just a bit nuts lol. And it's okay if she is as I have the perfect home lined up for her LOL (had terriers before and don't mind a challenge lol). I already have one stress head (Caber) so crossing my fingers she doesn't turn out to be the show prospect I love Mr Green He is SO confident (He was the one who before he was fully born practically swung around and attached to the nipple), and he is always marching (well, crawling) off on his own little adventures, yet he loves to cuddle his mum. He is just a calm, chilled puppy who is very self-assured. Roger sounds like my Blue & Purple - I don't think they are the brightest sparks and they prefer to wait for a free boob than argue about it. Ziva has already 'escaped the box' a few times (she's young, she wants her life back!!), and I try not to laugh but the way the pups just lay on the vetbed, sort of stunned for a second and then blindly rush around, you can hear them saying "What happened?? WHere'd she go?? MUUUUUUUUUUM". Fortunately none of them scream when that happens yet. I am taking notes, to help when placing them in their homes but also for my own records, as this is a side to dogs I've never experienced before! It really is amazing that at such a young age they have so much personality. The only thing I hate is the amount of time I've wasted :rofl:

I really should be in bed, but I get mesmerized watching Ziva and her babies. One of the 6, Miss Purple, woke first and let out a squeal- Ziva obliged and lay down. Soon after Miss Purple attached herself to a nipple, her siblings followed suite. One by one they crawled over (somewhat resembling unshelled turtles ) and after some shoving, each has now settled for another meal. I am amazed and amused by their different feeding styles- Miss Yellow, for example, is particularly fond of laying on her back looking like a drunk, while Miss Orange is a bit of a stress-head at meal time and if she is last to the party, squeals and squawks until she finds a teat, she then proceeds to pump at the breast with her (giant) paws Mister Blue is another 'pumper' wheras Misses Pink & Purple are gentle kneaders (like a relaxed cat). Mr Green (our BIG boy) is the casual, take your time type, just relaxes and lets the milk flow As an aside, they are 8 days old (coming upto their 9th day), and all but 2 have doubled their birthweight (a couple hit the milestone last night ) . The remaining 2 are only a few grams off so we are very pleased. Ziva is doing a marvellous job, although getting her to eat for the first few days was a chore- but she's got her appetite back and then some thank goodness! Definitely enjoying several meals a day

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww so cute!!! I reckon you'll know the right one There will be one that stands out in some way for you. Otherwise- put them in a crate, run to the opposite end of the yard, have someone open the crate, call them and take the one who reaches you first

Keep at it My girl also likes 'Nutrigel', we have never used it before but someone suggested having it on hand and I'm glad I did- at the very least it made me feel better knowing that she was getting some nutrition!!

The RSPCA also has no one to answer to if accused of misconduct etc. Police officers can be found guilty of misconduct, corruption etc but the RSPCA does not (from my understanding) have any form of Internal Affairs/investigation. ETA: Basically, if you feel you've been done wrong by the RSPCA, you have to fight your battle on your own.

With regard to a handful of dogs having adverse reactions to ice..... I have heard many stories of dogs choking to death on chicken wings/frames/chunks of meat/various raw bones and so on and so forth... for every thing we enjoy givng our dogs, people will always bring up a negative however it is good for people to know the risks so they can make an informed decision. I agree with Gretel- overheated dogs should not be given ice (Just like an overheated human), but I see nothing wrong with an otherwise healthy dog enjoying an ice cube or licking a frozen block. Each to their own of course and it should be done with thought and care. I always thaw their food out throughly though, and sit it out of the fridge for 10-15 minutes before feeding it to them, I don't like serving them an icy meal.

3 of 3. In that case, I don't think it's so bad..... the judge may have said something to the exhibitor while judging it etc. My dog was 3rd out of 3 last specialty and I stayed for the critique- I regret wasting my time now as the critique was very negative (not ONE nice thing said about my dog... IMO if my dog was that bad she should have refused to place him) and she was clearly not interested in him as soon as the class entered the ring...