Starkehre

Dyzney as a baby and a 9 year old.

Great photos everyone This is Seven as a baby and young adult. In the baby photo she has her sandpit sand all over her nose :D

EIC has a genetic marker and there is a test available for Border Collies. I have previously has this genetic test done. That said I am unsure of the code of inheritance

The joys of owning/running an online store It can be really frustrating sometimes. And though sometimes customer do have legitimate complaints, it is amazing how challenging it can be dealing with customers when they communicate from behind a keyboard... many seem to have computer cahoonies / keyboard warriors. The most common issue we have is when customers inadvertently enter an incorrect bank account number and their payment gets bounced back to them... and they don't check or realise. I certainly won't try to speak for the lovely lady whom I know that operates Whelping Supplies... but I do know from our point of view, we do our very best to do the right thing by all our much appreciated customers. I have dealt with whelping supplies several times and believe they do exactly the same and are reliable, prompt and professional. I am sure your issue will be sorted out once she returns from a well deserved break.

Or perhaps if they weren't members themselves, they quoted the member number on the pedigree... belonging to the breeder or previous owner? Either way, if they are members (breeder members or not) they are in breach and if they are not members they are being dishonest saying they are. Non members breed pedigree dogs all the time. It's not illegal, just very disappointing for the breeder, the breed and pedigree fanciers. Non breeder members that do it should be struck off, it is against their COE.

Added, I find the above method of fencing works the same as a hot wire. Just gives the dogs a whole new attitude and respect towards the fence. They may trot toward it if occupants on the other side arouse them, but once they get there they just switch off immediately in a calm fashion.

Agree with the others, put up a temporary Bunnings mesh panel fence. I had a fence runner/barker a while ago and what we did is go one step further... with the mesh panels, we had them quite excessive, as in extra panels so they could fold a bit back and forth (concertina). So not only does this mean that you can make the fence line zigzag, but you can move it slightly every now and then, just to make sure the dogs never get overly comfortable with it. I find dogs that run fences are usually more confident and likely to do so it when they trust the fence is not going to move, they trust it is permanent and they become familiar with it. If it is moveable, less rigid (even slightly flimsy and would move if they touch it) and more crooked it really kills their drive and anxiety to perform their ritual. Also setting it up this way means that you can keep it really close to the existing fence, in fact some parts can still even be up against it or touching and still be just as affective. This way you'll only lose a few inches of your yard here and there instead of a huge chunk. :)

Agree with the above. SM, I don't think you did any thing wrong either, think you're doing a wonderful job with Ernie and your willingness to learn and improve your training skills and ideas is wonderful, a real credit to you When we encounter people, dogs and people with dogs at the beach we frequent, we use these opportunities as scenarios to proof our dogs' recalls, stays and impulse control. We will and do allow the dogs to approach certain dogs and/or people once we have had time to assess the situation/signals from said people/dogs, if and when our dogs have shown us that they have either come when called or remained by us when cued to. If all participants seem friendly an willing we will then give a cue for our dogs to approach in a calm and friendly fashion. Under no circumstances are they permitted to do so until such time. So basically, social moments are always monitored, controlled and by our say so only. How long did it take for you to get this level of control/bond with your dog? Any tips? We currently have 3 dogs. They are all different. My oldest girl is 100% reliable and has been since she was around 4-5 years old. She will recall under high distraction running towards distraction from any distance from me. 6 year old male is also pretty good, but some dogs push his buttons so we don't like to test it too much, but his recall and impulse control has been excellent for around 3-4 years. My youngest girl is 2. Her recall is excellent under almost all distractions but the further away she is from me the less reliable it gets, so we continue to proof at shortish distances, gradually working it up to further distances. She will call off people much better than dogs as she does value other dogs quite highly, particularly sexy boys :D What I find I do with my dogs is when I am with them whether we are doing fun outings or more structured training, I am always training them. So even when they are released to have some free time, it is short lived as it gives me another opportunity to practise a recall or a distance down etc. Then I'll release again. I find this method of raising my dogs works for me because it speeds up the bond, respect and level of training. The dogs are always happy, enjoy the training and rewards which makes them more of a joy to take out. I would say that excellent reliability in all situations can take years sometimes, depending upon the owner and the individual dog. However getting a dog to the point where it will remain close enough to you for you to be in control, to be able to monitor the situations as I described in my first post can take a few weeks and can be achieved with a pup. I go out with treats or a fav toy to assist in the beginning. In fact I still take treats when I go out in social environments, even with adult dogs. Allowing the dog to have short bursts of free time (not too far from you, only a couple of metres) and then recall for treats or play while there are no distractions are a great start. Then over time build up distance, length of free time and distraction. Each to their own of course and I am aware that I own a breed that requires a lot of structure and firm, consistent leadership.

Agree with the above. SM, I don't think you did any thing wrong either, think you're doing a wonderful job with Ernie and your willingness to learn and improve your training skills and ideas is wonderful, a real credit to you When we encounter people, dogs and people with dogs at the beach we frequent, we use these opportunities as scenarios to proof our dogs' recalls, stays and impulse control. We will and do allow the dogs to approach certain dogs and/or people once we have had time to assess the situation/signals from said people/dogs, if and when our dogs have shown us that they have either come when called or remained by us when cued to. If all participants seem friendly an willing we will then give a cue for our dogs to approach in a calm and friendly fashion. Under no circumstances are they permitted to do so until such time. So basically, social moments are always monitored, controlled and by our say so only.

I hear your pain Jules. Does sound rather stressful. I don't know if it is luck, our breed or good management but ours simply do not bark or whinge when we leave or arrive. They are trained from day 1 to be comfortable and confident in their own company and that we are in charge of everything. Yes, they spend a lot of time with us and with each other, but only when we are completely convinced that they are doing so because we want them to, not because they need to. Whenever we happen to chat with our neighbours (small blocks, high density) they always say that if they had never seen us with our dogs out the front, they would never even know we have them, they are so quiet. When someone knocks at the door, we will get an alerting "woof" that's it, no more. We say "thank you" to let them know we are onto it and they are fine with that. Our dogs don't bark with excitement, we discourage that behaviour, so it just doesn't happen. However they will bark on command, but we only use this in training, not as an alert or excitement game.

It is also a very good idea to ensure you purchase from a breeder that is not only a member of their state CC but also a member of at least one of the state Rottweiler clubs. This will mean that the breeder is bound by the more stringent ethics imposed on them by the state breeds clubs rather than just the fairly lax COE of the state CCs. I totally understand you not wishing to buy a puppy on breeders terms, I would be the same. That said, there are plenty of puppy buyers that are more than happy to have a puppy on terms. There are many reasons why owners might go for this option, but it doesn't suit everyone. So at the end of the day it is between the breeder and new owner to decide whether or not they are right for each other and the contract/terms is suitable. I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with breeders selling puppies on terms provided the owner is fully aware of the terms and happy with the arrangement. It means the dog gets an opportunity at living perhaps a more rounded, fulfilled life in a pet home when the breeder may already have their house and hands full. Better than breeder hoarding. As long as the puppy person is not being "stitched up" then I see no problem. And even then, it is up to the puppy person to go in with their eyes wide open.

Kamui, the Rottweiler Club of Victoria is holding a Rottweiler Specialty Champ show on Feb 27th - March 1st 2015, at KCC Park. There will be many reputable breeders there - locals and interstate. You could come down and have a look at dogs/puppies and have a chat to some breeders. There is likely to be approx. 140 Rottweilers entered so there will be plenty to see. I agree Rakaaz is a kennel I would also suggest, but there are also other good breeders. I wish you all the very best and are more than happy to chat all things Rottweiler if you wish to contact me via PM

Lorello, that is wonderful news Let's hope the platelets can continue to increase and you don't have to start down the transfusion path.

Oh bugger, just got all excited about this and read that a dog cannot donate if they have travelled out of their state... or at least that is what it specifies for Victorian dogs Sorry would have loved to have helped. I own an older dog that has received several transfusions years ago and we would love to give back now with our younger one.

Lorello, I am so sorry to hear your girl has been diagnosed with this dreadful disease. I have experienced IMT twice (both with my Rottweiler bitches) which is fairly unusual considering it is not overly common, though also not that rare either. It is an extremely serious disease that can be very difficult to come back from once platelets are dropping to the numbers your girl has. That said, there is hope. I have one of the very few survivors of IMT that had the worst case that all the specialists that saw her (and there was at least 10 of them) had ever seen. 6 years on and we still have her... we were very, very lucky. Sadly my other girl didn't make it. Both my cases were IMT without IMHA. It can be a long, emotional, demanding and expensive road to recovery if you can get there. I wish you every success with your girl. If you need someone to chat to, please feel free to msg me.

Dogs understand context very well. These sorts of comments are thrown around often regarding all sorts of disciplines ruining others... Herding dogs can't track, too much stock in paddocks. Show dogs shouldn't be taught to sit, cause then they won't stack properly. Can't do agility with herding dogs because agility is pointing, herding is blocking. It all absolute rubbish. If a trainer/handler is good at what they are doing then the dog should have no issues adjusting to doing any amount of different disciplines simultaneously. I've always mixed disciplines and never had any problems. In fact it is a great way to test your training skills :D

It looks like so much fun CC. Friends of mine are regulars at the West Coast lure coursing, mainly running Boxers (plus the odd Frenchie or Rotti added to the mix). I keep meaning to take Bruno for a try, haven't made it there yet. And the Rotti would be Haley's Chaos. I know he is doing really well and they are having a blast :)

Can highly recommend Nekhbet

Ox cheek..

Rottweiler Club of Vic (RCV) runs obedience classes down at KCC Park on a Wednesday evening, 7.30pm kick off. They have broken up now for Christmas, resuming 1st Feb 2015 Open to any and all breeds and the classes are just getting better and better. We have a new head instructor down there now and quite a few really switched on volunteers that are trained in their positions. It's a fun atmosphere, lovely people and quite a few different breeds are there. If you want more info, visit www.rottweilerclubofvictoria.com Also (slightly OT) for anyone further north, the RCV is now holding classes again at Calabria Club at Bulla grounds on Tuesday nights at 7pm. Still 2 more training nights this year and then resuming 27th Jan 2015. These classes are being run by K9IQ for the RCV and once again open to all breeds.

I have a small business card size laminated printed note kept in my wallet stating who I am. It goes on to explain that in the case of injury/accident to me, that my husband can be contacted. In the case of injury to both myself and my husband, we have x amount of dogs at home. Who they should contact to arrange for them to be looked after. Then it goes on to say if we have both died, so and so should be contacted regarding each dog and which ones to be humanely euthanased by a qualified vet as soonest possible. I keep this card update as our dogs pass away, age or new dogs arrive. I must say it is difficult when we don't have any relatives or friends that we can readily rely upon to take care of our dogs according how we see fit.

When I started with show Borders in the early 80s it was very common for show and working dogs to come from the same litter. My first bitch came from a rural kennel that were 2nd generation showing dogs and poultry so they showed their dogs and sold the rest of the litters to local farmer to work. Pet Borders were pretty uncommon and most not used for work or show were obedience dogs. Long before the ANKC started registering Borders there were working registries for working sheepdogs and this is where the foundation stock of the ANKC dogs come from so they are the same lines. Over the years the working owners opted to only register with one of several working registries or not register at all and many of the early registered dogs have a lot of unknown dogs behind them which may have been any sort of working sheepdog. Early in the 20th century BC and Kelpies were crossed here to get the best working dogs and the progeny registered as whichever breed they most resembled. In the US it is more common to find a mix of Border and Beardie if you go back to the same era and probably a lot of the unregistered ones behind the US working dogs were early Aussie types too. You can find Kelpies behind pretty much every ANKC Border and most of the working lines too if they are from lines going back that far in Aust. The working dogs split into general farm dogs and three sheep trialling dogs and the two are very different with the trial dogs being much stronger eyed with a very particular style of working. The same happens in working Kelpies. The serious triallers imported dogs with this particular skill to breed on from as there is little practice for this type of dog on a typical Aust farm that differs so much from the British Highlands the dogs originated from or the NZ high runs where the breed is also used. There has been much transmigration over the years to and from NZ as well. If you breed only for working ability, breed type is easily lost but most working them don't care as all they want is for the dogs to work. Similarly if you breed for breed type first with a closed registry which the ANKC dogs became, you will get a very set type but working ability will lessen in some lines as some dogs without working ability will be bred and perpetuate the problem. All borders should show work instinct and most still do even if they lack the style of a 3 sheep trial dog. Working or show bred, you still get the odd lazy dog that really isn't interested in running around much but in the working lines, those dogs do not get bred from and in fact many are shot. Borders should never be bred as pets even though many are pets. It is their unique nature that should appeal to any owner. The long coats are a hindrance with grass seeds in particular so working long coats tend to get a rough haircut but the coat never grows thick when a dog really works so coat density isn't an issue. In the UK many of the working trial dogs could still step into any show ring as a lot of the farmers there treasure the look of the breed as well but here the attitude seems to be that they cannot work if they are also beautiful which is just crazy. There are now quite a few recent imported dual registered ISDS/ANKC dogs and their progeny working here that will hopefully be bred into the show lines. Now there are also specialised agility lines bred for jumping ability which is not required in either a show dog or a working sheep dog. They are a very versatile breed that can be adapted to many uses and specialised breeding enhances these abilities. If you wanted to you could breed for them to retrieve or lure course as well as some dogs will do these things. Above all they should all look like one breed in basic structure and the best of all registries do share the same basic sound structure. They should be moderate in size, and bone and have the ability to move with stealth and that requires a lot of balanced angulation at both ends. They should be sound coming and going and all move with their head down at a trot. A very distinctive breed feature. They all require a fairly wide skull for brain room, eyes with good forward and peripheral vision and ears with some lift to be able to hear well. Where each type differs is in leg to height ratio and how much body they have with the agility dogs being longest in leg and lightest in body. They all need to be longer than tall and the structure above the elbow should be common to all with a long ribcage to allow for plenty of heart and lung room. Apart from our ANKC breed standard that has missed out on many of the colours (which we are trying to fix), colour and markings don't matter in any pursuit. There are no prescribed markings for a Border even for the showring but the Irish spotting pattern does breed fairly true most of the time. As all the original ANKC registered dogs were rough/long coats and they cannot carry smooth coat, smooth was never included in the ANKC breed standard. There is currently some push from the sheep triallers to have it added in now to allow for smooth coated imports and that may go to a vote in the future. It doesn't matter what breed, when you breed for any purpose some traits, not required for that purpose will diminish. So if you breed for work, type will suffer in some dogs, if you breed for type working ability in some dogs will suffer. If you breed for colour and markings, everything that matters will suffer. Even if you try to breed out a health problem everything else will suffer. Excellent Post!!!

I was noticing that too Allerzeit. Had me a tad blown away. Yes, nice to see people are growing fond of our magnificent, loyal and versatile breed... and being DOLers, they will be great owners too :)

Good point. It is not easy. Some breeds do or at least try to. They have specialty shows that require more proof of temperament. Not enough breeds unfortunately. I think it still all falls back on the breeders. The judges can't be responsible for breeders breeding with dogs that possibly shouldn't be bred from. They make the decisions to breed. It is about their ethics, their ability to objectively critique their own dogs.

I actually agree with you for the most part there, so probably didn't explain myself properly. I actually used it as a way of trying to explain why there is such a big divide between the lines :) I'm not sure what it is like in other breeds for this, so can only comment from the BC point of view. An example of what I mean by an aspect of the breed would be ear set. Sheep couldn't really give a rats what the ears look like on a dog, so for a working person that is the last thing they would look for. However, if the ears are pricked (allowed in every other country but ours) then the dog technically doesn't tick all the boxes and shouldn't be bred from. Never mind that it is the best worker produced in years and has structure and temperament to die for, its ears are wrong. Or perhaps it has a white spot on its back, or it has hardly any white on it at all. To me they are trivial things, a border collie is more than that. In the ideal world, a border collie would never be bred from unless it had the instinct and ability to work well. That will never happen though. Most breeders do not have access to sheep or the time to work their dogs on them. Instinct is not a requirement in the show ring, they are not judged on it, so the dogs are bred for their appearances and movement. Breed for a few generations and unfortunately you lose a lot of the instinct from your lines. It will still pop up here and there, but if it is not focused on then it will filter out. I don't agree with this, to me a BC is a working dog and that is not a box that can be ignored. Its why our dogs are always coming from imported lines, we want a dog that has retained that instinct and ability. Then, we work the dogs and determine whether or not they are suitable for breeding. Not every puppy in a litter will be a great worker, so breeding without even considering that is something I can't quite fathom. I hear ya DC. I know why and how it happens. I still don't agree with it. Non herding breeders can go to the effort to source sheep or other stock to ascertain the level of instinct on their dogs prior to breeding them. I know that is only a small indication of true working ability but choosing not to do so is just that, their choice. It might not be easy but IMO breeding say BCs without testing this would be a huge error. and equally on the other side of the fence choosing to ignore ear set (though clearly a cosmetic fault only) as well as other structural or cosmetic faults for me is still not the right thing to do. Once again, just my opinion. City breeders can source sheep/cattle to work if they put in a bit of effort. Country farmers can source dog shows and judges if they put in the same effort. No excuses. It is simply their choice and passion. No excuses.