SpikesPuppy

The more I read the more I want OUT of this state and out of the bloody country. Who's with me??? We can pool our monies together and buy an island paradise..... We own one of the biggest, most loveable idiots of a dog. She's a nutcase, when she sees someone, she doesn't rush them (Unless she knows them or they call her), but she crouches back, curls her lip (in a grin NOT a snarl... she's a smooth Collie... it's what they do!!!), and her ENTIRE body wriggles and her front paws dance on the ground. Occasionally she "woo woo woos". She LOVES people, even if they are across the street they get this greeting. I understand some people may find it frightening but she is kept on a tight lead so unless the person came within a foot of her they wont get jumped on. Unfortunately, under the proposed law- this behaviour could be misinterpreted as rushing She IS being trained to be more relaxed around strangers (but to those who know her- too damn bad haha), but it's taking time because of her enthusiasm. My Border terrier also loves people... he doesn't jump on people unless they say hello to him (or they visit the house- in our house, you're gonna get bowled over. If you don't like it- f-off). But if he sees someone he fancies, he dances up on his hind legs. However he is under control, on a loose leash- he's just showing off his trick. I fear that this too could be seen as rushing by the wrong person. How dare a dog be well socialised and happy I am fortunate that he is quite reliable at coming to heel and dropping, even when excited, although he is usually dancing on his toes, even if laying down The thing is, who determines what exactly rushing is??? Is a happy dog who wags it's tail and grins at you (Collies, Dallies, Aussies are particularly known for this display) considered rushing?? Or does the dog have to exhibit dangerous behaviours??? Is a Chihuahua who rushes someone going to be treated the same as a Rottweiler who does this??? Or a Golden Retriever etc. Or what happens if a small child rushes at your dog and it jumps up on them in greeting??? Or it gets a fright and swings around etc.

Nannas- I have no idea what you are going on about??? If people didn't breed pure bred dogs you wouldn't have your pure bred pit or your pure bred AmStaff?? So what you got them for free... they are still (if as pure as you say) the product of decades of hard work and careful breeding. If you like mongrels- go buy mongrels????? I am not strictly opposed to cross breeding if it's done as described in the OP - health testing, careful choice of parents, lifetime support from the breeder ETC. It's not my place or right to judge what other people do... however I do think that the breeds used must be chosen carefully and should have similar construction and temperaments (ie: we had a Whippet x Kelpie and she was psycho. A rescue but even so- you would look at her and could see that she was never sure if she should be soft like a whippet or game like a Kelpie. It was a little scary). Also the false advertising that implies you get '50-50' or 'all the good points but no bad points' of both breeds is WRONG!! In principle, I think the idea of the Labradoodle is fantastic- yes you can use a Standard poodle as a guide dog, but I believe generally their temperaments aren't as reliable for the job as the dopey Labrador. So the idea of a dog with the temperament of the Labrador but the coat of the Poodle is fantastic... honestly, I know the first litter was a failure but I wonder why they didn't continue with the development of the breed and breed enough dogs to ensure true to type breeding of what they wanted??? The Black Russian Terrier is an excellent example of a created breed- likewise the Cesky Terrier and even the Leonberger (though this one's a stretch... bred to look like a lion to match the Leonberg coat of arms LOL). I also believe that in certain cases, cross breeding certain pedigrees has it's benefits- especially if it is done to eradicate or reduce health problems and strict records are kept, or in cases where breed numbers are numerically small or closely related. Also, interbreeding of some varieties is still permitted, although not in all countries. Hey Nannas- what did you dog's cost you from the pound?? One of our show dogs was $400... half the pounds charge $300!!! However with our dog we have complete family history, full back up from the breeder, a healthy & happy well socialised dog..... I'm not saying that people shouldn't buy from the pound or rescue dogs but to automatically assume that because a dog is pedigree it will be expensive is plain WRONG!!! My pure bred from the pet shop cost $800... same as my first show dog... my second showdog was less than that Yes, $1,000 or more for a dog seems a lot of money but it shouldn't take long to save up and there is always rescue if you don't want to pay that much. But I challenge you to find a designer mongrel in a pet shop for less... and with lifetime support

Sorry about your little girl But for the other 3!!!

We could all promise to attend LOL. Let's see we have dogs from grp 7, 5, 1 and 2... just need a few hounds, working and gundogs lol.

Yellow having a drink Purple girl Pink & Blue- haven't got any good individual shots yet

Yep- big fathead is a boy I call him 'Pac-Man' lol. He is so funny- I think he will be a handful when he grows up as soon as he was born he was making his way to the nipple okay, maybe not but that's what it looked like. Thanks, Gaela! I am very pleased with how she is doing, it was hard work getting her to eat while pregnant sometimes but the persistence paid off! Everyone has put on weight again They are keeping me way too busy lol. They don't do anything but they are so fascinating! Pile o' puppy (Yes, Yellow is the smallest, but she is doing well, was born at 125g and was 160g at this morning's weigh-in). Fathead (born at 222g, is now 279g ) Our biggest girl, and the last-born (was 202g, now 252g).

Photos are coming Just uploading them to photobucket now - in the meantime, here's another family portrait:

Every so often I get a big stick and sweep it under the couch.... usually find at least half a dozen tennis balls or other toys under there

Aww Guinness. Lovely name for a black dog ;) I can't wait to meet him. Caber says thank you for the compliment! I would love to bring him out more but he gets so stressed when I leave him alone etc it's just not worth it- at home he is relaxed and just sleeps I am happy to help out if I'm there (though will have to learn how to handle a spitz!!), Borders don't ever seem to clash so I'll be free.

Ooh I think I know who he's getting his pup from One day I will get my blue & tan Smallest girl (yellow) weighed in at 125g Largest boy (green) was a whopping 222g All have eaten several meals, and currently resting with full bellies keeping a close eye to make sure the little ones don't get pushed out by the bigger kids- everyone has worked out the suckling now (fave sound atm is that slurp they make when they grab a teat :cheer: ). Everyone has commented on Ziva's post-whelping condition, and the condition of the pups, so I must have done soemthing right LOL.Just gotta keep Ziva's condition up while they suck the life out of her ;) She has been SUCH a good mum- very attentive to their cries and wellbeing but not frantic or stressed. So very very proud of her. I was gonna do individual shots today but honestly, can't be stuffed. So tomorrow morning will do those during the weigh-in. First pup arrived at 2:56am..... last pup at 4:35am. 5 were head-first and one was feet first. HUGE thank you to everyone who's offered advice and support to us- you can't imagine how invaluable it all has been. Special thanks to BB - couldn't have done this without your help I owe you a drink ;) Now for the fun part- watching them grow (and then drive me mad ;) ). I can see why they are called 'time wasters' by so many breeders- you just sit there for hours at a time watching them squiggle their way around, climb all over their siblings and mum, occasionally make little noises and squeaks. I have already worked out their "mum, I need to go to the toilet" squeak lol. soon as Ziva hears it she promptly aids that puppy and all is well.

And the second "muuuum, what are they??" lol. I will get some individual pics later Everything about them is perfect and so amazing. I love them.

Okay, just few pics seeing as you all have been so patient This was one of the first 'family' photos I got- please excuse Ziva's expression LOL.

I tried to reply much earlier but the computer went down on me before I got the chance to post We have 6 puppies- all grizzles but a variety of shades The xray was read wrong unfortunately and there were only six puppies (not that I mind but there were some dramas to ensure 100% that Ziva was not keeping one in). A little scary when you think there may be one left in there!!! Anyway, everyone is all doing well now, and each pup has had a few feeds- naturally some are more apt/enthusiastic about it than others but all are now latching on. I will post pics soon - just getting things organised before I do it. I really need sleep ;)

Hi guys- rang the emergency vet after number 7 didn't show up promptly, however Ziva was very relaxed and settled so they suggested we wait and see our own vet when they open (8:30), however of course not to hesitate to come down if there were any issues. Asked me heaps of questions LOL but nothing gave them any reason for concern so I am trusting them as well as Ziva. They think the xray was misread. Ziva has toileted and is now very happily nursing/resting with her 6 little munchkins (I am more then happy with 6!! And 4 girls wooo hooo although most of the pet people wanted boys ). Thank you so much everyone for your support, it has been a great help (and I have to say, the birth went so quickly and with no issues that the 2 days of total boredom were worth it LOL). Such an amazing, exhausting experience. Wow.

Just prior to 2:30am, Ziva's water broke (on my doona, never mind! That's why Dog invented the washing machine ). At 2:58am the first little girl entered the World. It is now 5:53am and there are 6 new little Border Terriers in our family 2 dogs and 4 bitches We were expecting 7 so keeping an eye on her and the clock, but at the moment she is very settled & peaceful. Everything happened so quickly and so smoothly (touch wood). Very proud of my girl, even though she kept us all waiting so long!!! I will post pictures later today As for colors, I think all grizzle & tan but I could be wrong (got the blurry vision thing happening )

Reminds me of the horses, Octagonal & his son Lohnro. Absolutely beautiful I'm not a breed expert but the dog looks more like an AmStaff to me?

I don't wanna post 'cos I don't wanna get people's hopes up I feel bad for pre-empting but in my defense I'm very excited So far, she has asked to go out for wees a few times, and her vulva looks to be swelling (though that could be wishful thinking on my part. Ha!), been panting on and off, little bit of clear discharge..... House is quiet now- the only light on is the laptop, so hopefully that will help get her going. She is also completely off her food now- even warm chicken wasn't good enough! Mum's in bed and I'm here eating pizza. I'll give her til midnight lol then I'm going to sleep (she will sleep with me on the stretcher so if anything happens I wont miss it!!). ETA- I will change the title when something actually happens

Sorry!! When things *actually* happen I'll call you, don't worry.

Had some pizza for tea- with enough left in the fridge for after I swear I am going to look back on this thread and think OMG how stupid was I to think *that* was a sign of whelping Every little thing is like "okay, is this it??" HOWEVER I think something positive is on it's way... just did her temp again and it's risen since this afternoon She has also been drinking water here and there and has eaten a bit of boiled chicken (some Borders have been known to eat while whelping ;) ) but refused it when I offered her some as a peace-offering after the temp. taking. She is now wandering around the whelping room, digging then sitting down then getting up and digging again etc. Hopefully soon In the meantime I am getting lots of uni reading done BTW is there an overdose limit for Rescue Remedy?

I don't want to think how much money I spent on trying to find something Ziva liked Eventually I found that she liked PRIME beef mince (it comes ina roll like the dogroll, basically fresh ground beef). She really liked that So much food was 'wasted' on her LOL though the other dogs didn't mind getting her leftovers My sister discovered Prime made in our old home town. Got some to try and its fantastic not greasy and they love it. Very similiar to the Ecopet roll apparently. We got some samples from the Geelong Royal - they make 2 types, the fresh/raw beef mince and a beef & veggie cooked roll- our guys like both but for the past week Ziva has only been eating the mince with her kibble (maybe she likes the fresh blood?? LOL). Did they have a stand at the Geelong Royal??? Have not seen the raw one only the cooked. They did, it wasn't that well signed but it was near the chicken coop that was being raffled (behind the group 2/6 ring ) I will show you what it looks like whenn you come over (if it ever happens ;) ), it doesn't have preservatives like the 'fresh' pet meat does and it freezes well

I don't want to think how much money I spent on trying to find something Ziva liked Eventually I found that she liked PRIME beef mince (it comes ina roll like the dogroll, basically fresh ground beef). She really liked that So much food was 'wasted' on her LOL though the other dogs didn't mind getting her leftovers ;) My sister discovered Prime made in our old home town. Got some to try and its fantastic not greasy and they love it. Very similiar to the Ecopet roll apparently. We got some samples from the Geelong Royal - they make 2 types, the fresh/raw beef mince and a beef & veggie cooked roll- our guys like both but for the past week Ziva has only been eating the mince with her kibble (maybe she likes the fresh blood?? LOL).

That's a pretty big assumption to make. Not an assumption at all, a question. Unlike many on this forum, I try not to make assumptions. The op has a lot of threads asking about breeding. Seems a lot of questions about issues which are not relevant to the purchase and keeping of a pet puppy, and I would like to know why someone who is purchasing a pet is asking as many or more questions about breeding as about pet keeping! Ever heard of curiosity???

As you should be He is one handsome boy

I don't want to think how much money I spent on trying to find something Ziva liked Eventually I found that she liked PRIME beef mince (it comes ina roll like the dogroll, basically fresh ground beef). She really liked that So much food was 'wasted' on her LOL though the other dogs didn't mind getting her leftovers ;)

What is his name??? And how does Mr Ikon like him? Such a pity that they are reconsidering the Greensborough member's comps I always had a great time! Always fun to show without the pressure that a champ show has. And lots of time to catch up with people And somewhere for poor Caber to strut his stuff