pip1981

I for one and most of the breeders I know are people, just like you who love dogs. We are not in business. We have a home and family and live just like you do. We also happen to have spent many years learning about our breeds. We do other things with our dogs and that is what got us interested in the breed. We breed because we want to try to breed a better dog, and most of the time it is to breed a better dog for ourselves. Now I ask you, to ask yourself, would you like to have the RSPCA doing inspections of your home? Would like your family to go through this? Looking in your back yard or at your bedroom where your dog sleeps? Inspecting your kitchen for hygine as this is where you dish up the dogs dinners? The neighbors are looking out the windows wondering what is going on. Maybe they bring the TV guys to see if they can get some prime time footage of a 'bad' breeder? Would you like to have to produce on demand worming records for 3 years, the days you bred a bitch 2 years ago, complete records on weight of every pup in a litter 3 years ago? Would you like to have to prove everything you have done with your dogs to promote their health and safety? Would you like to be liable for criminal prosecution, jail and or fines if they find something they do not like? In NSW if you do not have a bowl marked for each 3 week old pup you have broken the law. If you have your pups in your bedroom for the first 2 weeks and the whelping box is 1" too small, your guilty of breaking the state breeding act. And then you go though all this and take such a big legal risk, knowing you will end up loosing money (because you always loose money breeding a litter). Does this sound like something you would want to do? If they bring in a law like this, then I will stop breeding. I can store some semen and maybe send a dog to NZ. Have it bred over there and get my pup from my own bloodlines from the litter. Why put myself through it, when all I really want is my next dog..eh? BTW I have around a 2 year waiting list for my pups, they are very well thought of and all go to the very best of homes. These are the folks who will be really hurt by this, if all the small breeders like me just stop breeding. But you will have what you want, you can all go get your pups from one of the big breeding establishment that is monitored closely by the RSPCA and government. My bedroom whelped litters will be a thing of the past. Just a memory of the good old days when people not businesses bred dogs. I really don't care any more, I am tired of trying to make people understand. To those who say if you are ethical then what do you have to worry about? The answer is nothing, as I would not put myself through it. Leave dog breeding to the big companies that are experts at passing inspections and meeting state laws and have lawyers and big bank accounts to deal with it. Wonder how much these professional puppy farm bred puppies will cost then? BTW I had a look at someone's (a breeder) web site who is promoting this. They have puppies for sale on their web site, pictures and all. Which is one of things that 'ethical' breeders should not do and they need to make a law in Vic to stop it from happening. Where is their waiting list? Go figure. Ok, I now understand that some of the rules you, as a small scale family breeder, have to comply with are somewhat unreasonable, thank-you for your response. However, they wouldn't be enough to stop me doing something I was passionate about, and I would be content to allow inspections into my home, if it meant that not-so-ethical 'in the home' breeders were found out, and I was helping protect the welfare of dogs other than my own. I hope you continue to do what you do, as this is the only kind of 'situation' I would like any future pups from (other than rescue). As far as I understand it, many of the attendees of today's rally want to abolish large-scale operations, so for you to make out that we should be 'happy' because that is where we want our puppies from is offensive. exactly... YAY!! Well done!! And you're welcome :D

This is a completely innocent question for those breeders who are concerned about any change in legislation or tougher administration of the current legislation. In all honesty, I am not well researched on the legislation, but I would like to know exactly which rules registered breeders would like to be 'exempt' from? In point form, black and white, brutally honest, what exactly scares you about it all? I mean specific points. I might be dumb, and no I haven't read a lot about it, I just want to put a stop to puppy farming! I want all dogs, whether they are bred from or not, to have the life our dogs have, being part of a family/pack, in clean safe environments. I would have thought 'ethical' breeders would want the same? Can someone please clarify this for me? And for the record, yes, I'm proud I attended today! I honestly felt everyone there had dog's welfare at heart, and that is all! Some speeches even mentioned registered breeders in a positive manner, and I didn't hear anything to the contrary.

What a fantastic turnout for a fantastic cause!! I was so excited when I first saw just how many people and their dogs were on Parliament steps when we arrived. Hopefully this is just what was needed to get the ball rolling, and help people SEE what is really going on... It was a very emotional rally, and I can't imagine what those of you who work and volunteer in rescue go through emotionally, every single day. I really admire what you do, and thank you for helping those who can't help themselves! bertandsally: It was a pleasure to meet you and your doggies, in the lift of all places...lol (how did you go finding your car afterwards? hehehe)

Hey SamMan, give some Sardines in Oil a go. I mix them in with kibble so that the oil coats in all, they love it! Maybe an egg every now and then would be interesting, or some plain natural yoghurt. I also like to give my girls chicken wings, they have a bit of meat on them, and all the little bones help keep their teeth clean and sharp. And since your boy already gets chicken mince, why not try some other meat occasionally. Maybe even kangaroo mince if it's not too rich for him. Now, when's the last time anyone saw a pic of your handsome boy?!

Great photos spitzbaby! I especially like the ones of Kairu with Echo and Alera, so sweet. I actually bumped into her yesterday at my work! I'm such a duffa, I forgot to look at her ring...lol. We will catch up properly soon I hope. I'm not really sure. She looks pretty fluffy to me at home and to the untrained public Just at Kepala with all the other white fluffies you can see the massive difference in coat. Seeing she's already 14 months, I doubt the outer hair will grow any longer. Pip was saying she might just have a shorter coat, I tend to agree. Variation within a breed maybe. And I can never get her as white as the other Sammies (although she was pretty much as white as they come when I got her). It seems her coat is not as teflon-like as others too. Pip, do Dakota and Tika still have a bit of mud on them? Buffy still has a bit which if I don't comb it'll probably just stay there. LC, I'm no expert, but like Keroppiyo said, I really do think Buffy just has a shorter outer coat than your average Sammie. Dakota's coat is longer than average, but not very thick, so it sits pretty flat. At least Buffy's stands out from her body like it's supposed to...lol. I guess they are two perfect examples of variation in the breed. And neither of them are like what you see in the show rings or in pictures. Keroppiyo, I think Buffy's coat may be slightly harsher, and that's why is holds the dirt better. Dakota's does too, other non-Sammie people think she's clean, when I know full-well that she is grubby. All the actual particles of dirt seem to fall out, but the faint stain remains. Maybe you can ask for advice/products on how to get Buffy white again in the Samoyed thread, I'm sure Kelza and Bindii would have some suggestions. As for the Kepala mud, I think it's a special kind of sticky black mud, lol. I haven't given the girls a brush yet, and Dakota definitely still has some on her, no other dirt sticks to her like that stuff. Tika's pretty clean, but she didn't play as hard as Dakota. Speaking of which, I really should get that brush out now....

Looking forward to your pics too spitzbaby!

Fantastic photos Keroppiyo!!! Love them, I'm a little biased, my girls are in quite a few of them...hahahaha. I love the real close up of Buffy walking toward you or your OH, and the pic of Buffy and Dakota 'kissing', or that's what I'll pretend they're doing Hehehehe And of course, who could not love all the pics of Kairu, awwwww.

Thanks Erny, this does make a lot of sense, and would definitely mean that my CC is far too long. I will speak with my trainer about this at class on Saturday morning. I was told the correct size of CC is approximately the width of your fist on the bit that attaches to the leash (about 4") if you can understand what I mean. Put the CC on the dog and hold the leash end up and put your fist against it, should be about fist width long, assuming of course your dog doesn't have a skinny neck and massive head PS Erny above expalined it far more eloquently than me Thanks Kempe. She does have a skinny neck under ALL that hair, not a big head, but the hair does indeed make it harder to get tight fitting things over her head, so I might need a little more than 5-8cm excess. Thanks again guys, we can return to topic now

lol, thanks tlc, i've already PM'd, but ok, just for you! Erny-I think I would need to show you, to explain how I was 'trained' to use it...lol. As far as my limited knowledge is concerned, the CC does come to it's resting position, as in, it releases and the length drops downward. And, even if the chain itself was shorter, my original lead would have been too short, because when my dog was closer to me, I had too much length in the lead to 'correct' her with a 'sharp tug' as I was 'trained'. I brought this to my trainer's attention and they instructed me to create a shorter lead by holding the lead about half way down. They didn't mention the CC being too long. I hope I'm making sense. But, like I said, I'm very new to this, and only going by our trainer's advice. I have done no other research on the use of CCs. And now, I'm a little confused... and now I have to go to bed, I'll check in tomorrow...

That implies that you are using the excess of the chain as part of the length of the lead? And it also implies that the chain is never completely in its resting/release position? Or am I misunderstanding you? The chain should not be so long as to giving you any issues, regardless of your lead length. I'll PM you, so as not to hijack the thread :p

I see you there Keroppiyo!! :p pics???

Hey LC, sorry, I did get your text, told myself to reply later, but I forgot Don't hesitate to ask next time ok I'm glad you and Charlotte had a good day anyway! I really need to catch up with Jess myself actually... oh, and that "lap dog" weighs just under 100kg apparently, and he's recently lost weight!!

Sorry - this is not what the thread is about, strictly speaking. But it is important that the check chain fits your dog properly. A chain that is too long affects correction timing. Perhaps you're already aware of that, Pip1981 but thought I should mention it in case you aren't. Thank-you Erny, this makes sense, and my trainer hasn't mentioned this yet (but I've only attended 2 group classes). I just assumed medium would be the correct size because it said so on the packaging...but maybe it is too long, I'll find out. I haven't had any issues using it, providing my actual lead is short enough. Thanks again. Our obedience school always said to remove any other collar and have the check chain on it's own or it doesn't function properly I was told this too. I was also told that having a collar and CC on could be dangerous, as the CC could get caught up in the colllar.

Great pics Bindii!! must be all that ferret food..lol, silly duffa

Kerropiyo- did you remember to take your kebabs? I'm so sorry we missed them, they looked delicious too

hahaha, you were right about Dakota being the one with the mud on her face! the first one is Tika, and that pic just reminded me to remove her collar, so thank-you!!

I have only just started training with a medium sized CC on my Samoyed, but it's quite long, I think it would just fall off her if I left it on without me and a lead at the other end. However, if she is off lead I have the advantage of being able to grab her by her coat if I really need to, so can easily get away with no collar.

Hahahaha, that one is my doofus, Dakota! Nice pics MM

Well my pics are going to look sad after those spectacular ones!! hehehe, but I do have a funny one of a little lap dog... This is Belvedere Gorgeous Kairu Alera being gentle with the teeny puppy

Hey guys, I haven't got much to add, uploading to photobucket now, but please feel free to add your pics in the meantime!!

Thank-you too!! We had a great time! The girls are all tuckered out, Tika's a bit sore, but I'm sure she would agree that she'd rather not stay home and miss out. Thanks for coming! It seems Ben enjoyed himself, and I'm sure his behaviour will improve with time. Although, considering you have no history on him, I think he's doing pretty well! I'm sorry if some of the dogs were a bit full-on with your girls, I noticed they were a bit unsure, which is understandable, being surrounded by some fairly large dogs. Maybe they will get used to after a few visits too...hehehe. Hope to see you all there again one day Well, another meet has been and gone, and I think we all had a great day! The weather held off for us which was lovely, and we all enjoyed a yummy BBQ as cooked by LabLoverTam! I'm sure we would all agree that gorgeous little Kairu (3 m.o Jap Spitz) was the star of the show today, and for such a little boy he handled himself so well. Thanks for coming along spitzbaby and Kairu! It doesn't look like anyone has started a photo thread as yet, so I will do so over in the photos section...not that I have much to add. As usual, I'm relying on the rest of you for great pics!! Already looking forward to next month!!

Oh My Dog!! You actually posted!!! Can't wait to see you and Chloe tomorrow!! No probs! Sorry you can't make it AnimalMad, we'll look forward to meeting you in November! Sorry you won't be there SM, but good luck for Bronte girl tomorrow!!

James Bond, we'll look forward to meeting you. Spitzbaby- hope you can make it...btw, my girls are vaccinated, and yes, I'm fairly sure most Kepalarites would vaccinate. Pointees- we will miss you all greatly, but I know how you feel, that's why Tika's coming even though I know she'll probably be quite stiff afterwards. Have a good weekend

Thanks Souff, sounds like a nice simple solution, will keep it in mind

Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for you helpful comments. I will definitely keep it all in mind, and refer back to this thread if need be. Funny thing is, I haven't seen her lick once tonight! I will however, be keeping a close eye on her, and if it continues, off to the vet we go.... Thanks again