Tapua

Stop reading what the Yanks say - nothing wrong with it - it just not very usefull. I love GSD's and I have owned a few over the years. I personally like dogs to have a purposefull life and I choose to breed Labs primarily for the purpose of service dogs. However not all make the grade and or not needed for service training at the time. So with that in mind I condition and socialise my pups intensley as babies and I am very very careful with the 'pet' people who get my dogs that they understand that the pups are bred to be stable and intelligent - which mean they will get upto mischief and find ditractions when they are young. My puppy buyers are well informed about the stages of developement and while I do my bit as a breeder (ENS,Sound tapes, kids, socialisation, Car travel & enriched environment)in the first 8 weeks I expect them to do their bit. So Dree let me ask you what I ask my puppy buyers. 1: Why do you want a GSD? 2: What is your vision of the dog you are wanting as an adult temperament wise? 3: How prepared are you to put the time in as a youngster - training, socialising, conditioning the pups behaviour to fit into your life? 4: Do you know the NILF (Nothing In Life Is Free) principle of conditioning behaviour? If not read it - wether you want a loving family pet or for your dog to also do something distinctive ie: obedience, show, service dog. You have to live with your GSD and IMO any dog I live with must fit into our life and our routines and be content with that. I have pups I have bred 'come home' for a visit or break - mostly service dogs while their handlers are on leave and within minutes they are settled and fit into the routine here because it is consistant, predicatable and of course for them familiar. NILF is the basis of all my conditioning and I consider a must for any pet owner to understand.

Samuel Lard Arse ESQ is officially 1840g - he is going to Jenny craig soon! Cant really justify it though since I am not actually feeding him anything. Dang lara's milk must be good.

Yep a P30 will transport an 8 week old Lab home very comfortabley :)

Sammy ESQ update - just got home, Pete has been Labby sitting and Lara has been churning out the milk Sammy is 1570g and his eyes are open. He is looking more like a boy - he has dark eyes BTW - they all have. :)

lol absolutely Lab tested :)

Ah Sapper Dapper Doo - I hope Nads is OK and his baby boy will always be with him but I know you look after Sapper beautifully for Nads. Sapper is not related to Sammy at all. But his mum Tua Tahi has a superb temperament she is a Delta Therapy Dog and works with me in the NSW Gvt Responsible Pet ed program. Here is a picture of Sapper aka Dimples as a baby :) Wasnt he just the most adorable baby

Is your 8 week old a Lab too?

Nope scales arent broken lol I re-set 4 times cause I couldnt believe it As I said in the emial it is not important, the main thing is that they are gaining weight lol. Once they are on their feet they start to burn weight and they become a tad more shapely :) Though maybe 'Buddha' isnt such a bad idea he si a chunky boy.

lol I am starting to realise how excited she is. Lab hair of the vet bed - I brush Lara alot the day before and a couple of days after whe whelp that gets rid of alot of hair and the vet bed gets thrown in the washing machine daily - its more like how do I get the Lab hair out of the washing machine. lol The poor machine has to have an extra rinse after the Vet-bed to get rid of the hair. Katdogs Sammy is now 720g - he is officially a lard arse :) The pups btw are not particulary big IMO they are heavey - so I guessing they are laying down good bone. Lara's milk must be very good.

Katdogs cracks me up she is such an enthusiastic person. Here are some pics from the maternity ward - Lara is doing very well she is a gentle and intelligent mum who keeps her kids very clean. The pups are well and started ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) for those of you who don't know what that means it a process of handling the pups in a way that increases the neural pathways in pups and is done between day 3 & 16. The litter are being played sound tapes,has already had the vaccuum cleaner around them - essential given how much hair Lara has dropped!They will live in the lounge and deal with lights, noise, TV, and us. Ill let you know what happen as time progresses though their devlopemental stages. I do the same for all our litters. My priority with new owners is they they learn and enjoy their pup and put the time into the conditioning and training to create a great companion who is a joy to own and live with. Any ribbons in any competition is a bonus but definately not important to me. Katdogs will be a great Labby dog mum. About 4 hours after they were born This morning - day 3

Ive had a long conversation with my Labs that ANYTIME they find money - bring it to mummy I showed a $5 note to my girls ... which the baby promptly tried to eat .... mmmmm bit more training needed I think

My goals - in breeding are health, temperament, type/conformation. I aim for intelligent dogs hense the ENS & enriched environment. I prefer my dogs went to purposeful life ie service dogs, guide dogs, ada, aaad, sniffer, obedience and last is show. I am not suggesting anything wrong for showing I just feel it isnt enough - many show people live busy work & family lives and while they dearly love their dogs I find the washing, travel, crating as their 'quality time' with their owner is not IMO enough for the dogs needs. But please this is only my opinion. I do compete in speciality/Royal & Nationals and have placed in all. I dont plan to breed the next winner of the Lab National - but I dont plan to breed ugly dogs either! I will compaign a worthy dog for its championsip but I feel Grand and Supreme Grand championships largely pointless for my goals. I prefer not to title puppies young - I have seen too many in various breeds title at 12 months and younger only to either fall apart structuraly as an adult or become sour because they are campaigned to the point of distress. I love dogs I am intregued by canine behaviour, I like well conformed dogs in the same way I like well conformed horses, cattle and sheep but its physically healthy dogs & balanced temperament in canine behaviour I am most interested in. Not traits that can be reliably assessed in a show ring.

This is what our relationship with dogs is all about IMO. So precious because so many of us who love and deeply care for our dogs know how humbling our relationship with our dogs is and that relatioinship is to be treasured. Dogs are the only mammals I know of that actively seek out our company, their trust in us is wholehearted if we allow it. God bless the man or woman who recognises the gift to us our dogs are. This relationship is truly blessed.

Today tonight SA contact form ( SA Only) http://www.todaytonightadelaide.com.au/ A Current Affair contact form (National Coverage) http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/feedback.aspx Media support will be respond to this.

THANKS MEGAN FOUND IT :)

Hi Guys I am looking for a straight forward explaination about the NFL training principles I saw one posted by I think Peresphone ??? maybe but danged if I can find it. Can peresphone repost the link she put up again. I want my puppy buyers to get a copy cause when I try to explain the principle I woffle too much. (like I am now) :) Thanks

To be fair I (IMO) dont think the check chain was even mooted as a fix - he was more into the pushing education. Which I totally agree with. Teaching people how to walk a dog without pulling - it has to be taught. I personally love martingales as a safe option for most dogs in public but I wouldnt hesitate to use a check chain on a strong unsettled dog I havent personally trained it would give me good control as the handler of the dog. The guy who owned the dog was a total tool - young, male, boof headed bogan. He needed an education program big time!!!!!!! and a ban from owning a dog until he had an education program. I gaurantee from the look of the dog collar that dog only ever pulled and he thought it was normal to walk a dog that way!

Yep about to suggest the same - my black girls are far more intimidating - my yellows are all bark & fart. Black dogs worry people I think it is the colour predjudice agains blacks. I never thought my Tua was protective till one night someone tried to climb the front gate and my big black girl I have inside when the O/H is on night duty shot out the back door and roared at the intruder before I had my feet hit the floor. I now feel very safe with my Labs when Pete is away - day or night. The same bitch is an accredited Delta Dog & School education dog. Totally temperament tested and stable.! Blacks shed less hair than yellows.

Ditto I am with Shellbyville - I am happy for anyone to ask questions I applaud your intentions even if the execution in writing is missing the mark IMO. I would probably ring you if I got such a long winded email and run through the questions with you - answering all your questions via emal would be like writing an essay which is going to be marked. I would also ask you to visit my kennel - its easier to alleviate your concerns if you can see the set up and not rely soley on written discriptions. May I suggest you ask a few breeders if you can meet them at a show and or visit their kennel if they are comfortable with that. As a breeder I want to get to know you and check that you are what you say you are too :)

Chihuahua/Rottweiler. Chi Rotti X mmm speeking as a breeder thats a legistical excercise either way if dad was the Chi - you go stud, if dad was a Rotti mmm cant see it myself. Though I have seen a GSD bitch back up to a JR called 'Rocky' who stood on the back steps to achieve the height - funnyest thing I had ever seen.

In country NSW Woodstock near Cowra about 3 hours from Sydney we have 1 acre and 2 bedroom house.

OK we need a break and we havent been away together on our own without the dogs for 4 years and we need a break. So where do I find a responsible house sitter - I need one in June for about 4/5 nights. Where can I find someone and what is reasonable to offer as payment. Any suggestions. We have 8 dogs to care for 5 adults & 3 puppies.

Like fat little butterballs. Is it hard to tell them apart? Yes & no ... having a doodle helps obviously Very even litter though

And this one too :)

Well mine are 3 weeks and have gone from little lumps to big barking eating pooing happy lumps :)