SpikesPuppy

I think the cropped ears on Dobes, Danes, Boxers (especially Boxers), look absolutely ridiculous. But although I don't agree with the operation (I feel it's uneccesarry risk with anaesthesia), I don't mind the look of dogs like the AmStaffs, Neo Mastiffs etc where they are cropped short. I just thing the looooong thin ears look stoopid & not at all noble or intelligent. The old Dobe crop was nicer...

In Borders, the muzzle breadth should be felt- there are some very snipey muzzles carefully hidden with profuse furnishings ;) Likewise, my bitch has a deeper stop than I would like, so I carefully groom the hair so it appears smooth and sloping. However a judge who knows their stuff will feel for the correct depth. Have had a critique which mentioned something about a perfect stop.... I know exactly how carefully that judge looked :D Tail length also- some new exhibitors especially don't groom the end, and can leave upto an inch of hair after the bone, giving the impression of a long tail when in fact it's quite correct. Tail thickness is also important, and is another MUST to feel, if it's not thick, it's useless as a handle????? I find Collies & Shelties with wide blazes look slightly off in the face, wheras mum's smooth bitch who has a tiny strip of white, I think looks a little too narrow- I would still like a little bigger head BUT the proportions are correct and when you feel it, it is, IMO, correct. Ness also has a very nice (IMO) shoulder, but on her show side, her white markings make it look very straight, wheras, on the off side it looks perfect LOL. Profuse coat on the rump of a dog can also give the impression of being bum-high, but if the judge feels that it's only hair, they can make a more informed decision. So many reasons why touching the dogs are important IMO.

ATTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!! That poor bear

No debate from me... I wonder if the council can be held liable if something happens to the very young pet whilst going under this forced operation???

the whole 25 Shes a monster but shes my monster and I love her and Im rapt with how shes going That is bloody brilliant Give her a big cuddle from me!!!

But owning coated breeds & those who do also now that coat can make an appearance of faults on the move so time must be spent to go over & ensure what you see is correct . Coats that are a marked differently & even certain markings can change the who perceived visual & one must make an effort to make sure its a fault or not. Go watch coated breeds & you will be amazed at what you see & how fooled one can be without touching I have always wondered if you shaved some of the top winning coated breeds how 'perfect' their actual conformation was Not that I'm doubting them... I just think it would be interesting. Speed at which dogs are moved can also hide or exacerbate faults. I imagine that Rottweiler & GSD specialists are very passionate about their breed and know the ins and outs of what makes a perfect GSD or Rott, but all breeds/group judges are NOT specialists in many of the breeds they end up judging and IMO can be easily swayed by flashy coat or eyecatching movement, but if they took a moment to touch the dog they could find structural faults which may alter their decison.

So how many points did she get???? I am SO HAPPY for you, she is a lovely girl

they are beautiful! You are so much better organised tham me And I love their names Can you tell what coat type they will be yet?

Bite? Testicles? Coat texture? Etc. I much prefer when a judge asks me to show my dogs bite.......too many times I have had experiences and have heard complaints about rough judges or apprehensive judges make dogs uncertain of this. Testicles are a given.....although to be honest, in some cases its pretty obvious that the dog has 2 testicles of similair size. Coat texture a brief touch if required for the breed............ Grand total the judge if required has touched your dog for less than 20 seconds........and then only if required!!!! Not in my breed... the pelt needs to be lifted off the dog's body, the texture must be felt and undercoat checked, bite needs to be examined, head needs to be measured (poor or clever grooming can alter the appearance), pads must be felt for thickness. Ribs need to be spanned (requires lifting the dog's forequarter off the table), tail should be measured. The smooth is similar- head should be measured (markings can alter perception), tail should be measured, undercoat should be checked etc. There will always be exceptions for some breeds..................... And you learn something about another breed every day...... I am of course, speaking in regards to "in general"....... and I have to ask ........how often is all that checked/measured in your general all breeds show??? Unfortunately, not often enough but that's beside the point. There are many factors that should, IMO be taken into consideration in every breed. ESPECIALLY coated breeds- sur ethe dog may move or stack well etc but how do you asses the true lay of should or turn of stifle if you can't see it and don't feel it??? Most breeds have proportions mentioned in their standards and size etc.

Bite? Testicles? Coat texture? Etc. I much prefer when a judge asks me to show my dogs bite.......too many times I have had experiences and have heard complaints about rough judges or apprehensive judges make dogs uncertain of this. Testicles are a given.....although to be honest, in some cases its pretty obvious that the dog has 2 testicles of similair size. Coat texture a brief touch if required for the breed............ Grand total the judge if required has touched your dog for less than 20 seconds........and then only if required!!!! Not in my breed... the pelt needs to be lifted off the dog's body, the texture must be felt and undercoat checked, bite needs to be examined, head needs to be measured (poor or clever grooming can alter the appearance), pads must be felt for thickness. Ribs need to be spanned (requires lifting the dog's forequarter off the table), tail should be measured. The smooth is similar- head should be measured (markings can alter perception), tail should be measured, undercoat should be checked etc.

When Caber was a puppy he went to puppy school with a pup that was from a pure Beagle and a Beagle X mini Poodle. To me, the pup looked pure Beagle and had the coat of a beagle etc. I saw no MP anywhere. Maybe a little light in bone for agood Beagle but still. I would have picked it as a BYB Beagle.

The judge did not examine either dog (I don't think??), how do they know the bite is correct? Texture of the coat, temperament????? In our breed things like pelt/coat, head proprtions & stop, bite, pad thickness and spannability are extremely important and cannot be 'seen'. They MUST be felt.

That is disgusting : Should have said something loud like "Excuse me, sir, I don't believe you have judged all the dogs in this class fairly" Wrong, wrong, wrong.

He was increadibly handsome....but dont forget Miss Smelly Ali coming RUBOB to the beautiful boy (gotta get my brag in ) Also lots of Powerpaws breeding so a good day for us all OMG THAT IS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy to home, yes, But finding 26 GOOD homes, its gotta be hard hasnt it? I was speaking to my boss recently (she was a dane breeder) one reason she gave up was because it was way too hard to find decent good homes. But Danes have large litters and are very large dogs requiring special care (slow growing, large enough house & car, finances to feed/medicate the dog, ability to deal with a short lifespan etc). I wouldn't have thought homing Danes & pugs would really be comparable? I'm not saying people should be breeding so many dogs but it could be worse and theoretically, if the breeder is otherwise ethical and responsible, it's 26 pedigree Pugs getting homes instead of the puppy farmed ones. Well, the care is not comparable (althou pugs do have special needs to, after all they are a brachy breed) but finding good homes for a large litter of danes vs find 26 pug good homes I think is comparable. I dont think it matters what breed it is I get the impression that finding good homes isnt easy. I get your point thou, but how do we know they are good breeders breeding health pugs, there are some dodgey buggars out there that are doing NOTHING for the breed, so yes 26 babies at once worries me. There is maybe two breeders I know of who may occasionally have that many pups and whilst I dont like the idea they definately do a good job at breeding and raising their pups, so if it is one of those (or someone similar) then I guess people purchasing from them is better than purchasing from a pet shop. I know we don't know if the breeder is a good one or not, but at the same time we have no proof that they are 'dodgey' either I don't think that 26 responsible homes (possibly reducing that by a few if the breeder was keeping one or two??) would be that difficult to find expecially if willing to freight.

At least there will be a good chance of a DOLer getting the fringie Nikki....................................................... ............ WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS?????

Easy to home, yes, But finding 26 GOOD homes, its gotta be hard hasnt it? I was speaking to my boss recently (she was a dane breeder) one reason she gave up was because it was way too hard to find decent good homes. But Danes have large litters and are very large dogs requiring special care (slow growing, large enough house & car, finances to feed/medicate the dog, ability to deal with a short lifespan etc). I wouldn't have thought homing Danes & pugs would really be comparable? I'm not saying people should be breeding so many dogs but it could be worse and theoretically, if the breeder is otherwise ethical and responsible, it's 26 pedigree Pugs getting homes instead of the puppy farmed ones.

Are Pugs still popular/easy to home? I guess if the homes are there and the bitches are bred carefully and everything is done 'right' then it's not the worst thing in the World? At least puppy buyers would be getting healthy, well bred Pugs rather than pet shop crap?

Please elaborate your logic. Not clear what you are saying. I think what Steve may be saying is that you are all asking for regulation on what should and should not be bred- just because YOU don't like these crossbreeds/mixes you don't think they should exist. Is that not a form of BSL??? (Steve, correct me if I'm wrong but that's how I read it :D )

Don't bother- you're all gonna get your asses kicked by the BT :rofl: I pity the poor judges :D :D

As for irresponsible breeding- just because someone is CC registered and breeding papered dogs (even if they are show champions) is NO GUARANTEE that the breeder is ethical or breeding healthy pups. All these people are doing is ruining the pedigrees that many others have worked their asses off to stabilise. What hurts me the most is seeing a poorly bred Border Terrier or any other pedigree that has been poorly bred or bred only for the money etc. Obviously I don't like to see any dog that is suffering (especially through poor breeding), but to see, for example, many of the BTs in the UK (where they have recently become the must have dog) who do NOT conform to standard and worse suffer serious health problems that the responsible breeders are trying to eradicate or at the very least, reduce. To see pedigree dogs so poorly bred puts a slur on ALL pedigree dog breeders. Because people who don't know better focus on the negative aspects rather than the positives, as well as the media etc (Look at the PDE doco- that showed a very minute handful of dogs which had problems... but look at the impact it has had!!). GayleK- with regard to sporting dogs- many successful agility/obedience/flyball dogs came from shelters and pounds- in some cases as adult dogs where they were chosen because of the drive they showed as adults.

Woo hoo go Willow!! What a clever girl :D

Can someone tell me if the expemptions apply to DOGS that are VCA registered but owned by non-members/breeders??? I have a puppy enquiry and the home sounds fantastic BUT if it's going to have to be desexed prior to 3 months of age I wont sell the pup to them. Harsh, I know, but I will not allow my babies to be put through that until AT LEAST 6 months of age (preferably 9 months or more). As for desexing- from now on, I am only planning to do it if required for the dogs' health or when the dogs is older to reduce the risk of testicular or mammary cancers. Keeping an entire dog or bitch honestly is not that difficult if you are prepared to make the effort ;) And IMO it should be upto the owners to decide whether they do it or not. Frankly, the irresponsible ones who don't register and allow their dogs to roam aren't going to register the dog in the first place so, um, who is this going to help??? It will only affect those responsible owners who have researched desexing throughly and made the choice based on said research to keep their pet entire. And yes, what does this mean for breeders who place breeding dogs into pet homes??? And what about people who want to show but are not breeders?

Under the law, my girl would actually be a DD- she killed one of my pet rats She has also caught and killed wild mice... I believe the law is "ANY animal".....

We have found the Woofbix from Big W to be okay. Just basic but good for a snack. Never remember to pick up the box of 2x4's lol though we used to get them all the time If the dog doesn't like the hardness, soaking them in a little water helps, or we sometimes used pet milk. Oh and don't try to break them in half. OUCH!!