LizT

Or some attack trained Chiuahua schutzhunds!!! A whole bunch of 'em. Seriously, it's a low act though. I had some girls "accidently' let one of my horses out of my paddock when they decided to take a short cut through my property and the horse barged past them as they were going through her paddock gate. Twits. Fortunately she stayed on the actual property. I found her raiding the feed shed!

Yes, Vet said "It could be kennel cough" ,so he was ushered in and out a side door, but as his coughing is already easing up, and the gagging has ceased altogether, the Vet said it was likely he had something lodged in his windpipe and is dealing with it himself. He hasn't coughed now for the past hour but is on a course of antibiotics just in case. So that will deal with KC if it is (but I don't think so) or the risk of an infection from a foreign object (more likely scenario). To be on the safe side he is in isolation and not allowed to play with the 'girls" (Cavaliers) until I'm sure it's not KC. In any case he seems to be coming good and enjoyed his outing this morning as we stopped off to get some horse feed so he got to go for a drive! So easily pleased.

My 4 y.o. male GSD is coughing suddenly as if trying to dislodge something stuck in his throat. We are off to see the Vet now. He is not distressed but I don't think he can manage to dislodge it (if there is anything there??) and I don't think there is anything I can do to help him. He has been chewing a marrow bone so I don't know what it could be unless it's a segment of that?? Poor Clancy.

So the Showing will start BEFORE the public even get in?? Mixed emotions about that! LOL !

There is one more issue to consider. Any bitch kept by a rescue for only a couple of weeks and rehomed undesexed may be pregnant. No adoptive family should have have to whelp and raise pups from a rescue bitch. And it happens. All it does is deter others from adopting - word travels. Absoutely right, My inlaws adopted a lovely Miniature Daschund from a pound several years ago. She was thin but soon began to put on weight, had quite an appetite...and six puppies quite unexpectantly one evening.

When I got my 3rd dog permit (GSD) the Council said I needed permit first, then only the dog applied for is covered by the permit. The Ranger came out to check our fences, saw two old little dogs, saw we were on acreage and no problem. What really p****s me off is that around this area there are so many people with 'several' dogs, I doubt they all have permits. I know of many people who NEVER EVER register any of their dogs. One lady I work with has even had her dog picked up by the Council several times as it is a 'houdini hound' and because he is mcirochipped gets brought back home- NOT REGISTERED- NO FINE OR even a WARNING!!! I know so many people (particulary renters) who don't register any of their pets and therefore seem to have three or four dogs and cats.

Aimee, my first Baby is 20 in May and is 6ft 4 inches. He spent a lot of time in our bed and the dogs slept in their beds in the laundry at that time. I have two other babies they are 17 and 9 now. My current dogs often sleep on my bed during the day as I am a shift worker but they sleep in their own crates at night as it was getting crowded and they chose not to hop on the bed during the hot summer nights. I think they found our body heat too uncomfortable. It's great you'll have an area to keep off limits for baby to have floortime. Very important for development and fun to boot!

I imagine there will be a sprinkling of all the usual suspects!! (ie. Most breeds would probably have some representation, though I don't think entries are very big??)

Thanks all, guess I'll just pop everything in the ute as per usual! 9.00 am Now that sounds better! Thanks again for that one.

FIrstly congratulations. I had indoor/outdoor dogs when my first child arrives. Personally if you plan to have your child in your room with you and you breast feed (hope you choose to ) it probably isn't a good idea to have your dog on your bed now. There will be times when you are so tired you'll pop baby into bed with you, pop her on and you'll all fall asleep. Not a good idea to throw a dog into this mix. It will get quite caotic and hygiene (Cavs shed something chronic at times) is very important for a new born. Night feeds will wake your dog and she/he would probably sleep better in a quite out of the way place. No need for the whole household to be awake for the 3 hourly feeds and changes. Oh the fun part! Make sure dad does his bit though! When you bring bub home let your dog hav a sniff and smell her/him. Include your dog in family time in the lounge room/family areas. Let her come into your room when you go in there and have the dog involved in outings and walks where possible. Cavaliers are lovely family dogs but be careful when baby gets mobile. The dog may get cornered or hurt by bub and could retaliate and even hurt your baby. Even the most tolerant breeds should still not be left with young children. And never trust ANY dog alone with a small child, no matter how trustworthy they are.

Just wondering if anyone knows what the deal is with regards to 'setting up"? Are we under cover ie. Horse tie up stalls, do we need Gazebos etc? Noticed that Saturday is an 8.00 am ringstart. Yawn.

Also notice that rings start at 8.30 am.

Sad but true. I work for Australia Post and I see a fair share of Letters from Veterninary Clinics sent back marked "return to sender" no longer at this address. I'm sure they are bills as most send cute postcard type letters for vaccination reminders.

If only there were an ethical way to breed Mogs!!

It's the same with kids. It's not always the parents fault if the kid turns out to be violent or aggressive.

LizT we were told she was desexed, and she hasn't shown any signs of having a season and she has been with us since April last year. But she was used to make lots of cross puppies and if she is desexed (which i think she is) then it wasn't until just before we got her.. Oh the poor girl, I didn't know she was a rescue girl. Good that they desexed her so that she wouldn't be at risk of being used again. Yes I understand, my Vet told me that desexing only protects againts ovarian and breast cancer if done before the first season. So that even though a bitch is desexed she can still have mammary cancer. Not that desexing is a guarantee or not desexing them means they 'll get it either. Let's hope for the best.

I don't think separating them would be off much help. So many times I've heard people suggest company for the lone dog who barks?? I had a similar problem many years ago. Our elderly neighbour complained that one of my dogs barked insecently when I was at work. Turned out it barked at him while he stood one the decking of his two story home overlooking our yard. What did he expect? Of course my dog would bark at what she considered an intrusion into our property. I had to keep them indoors during the day, fortunately they were small dogs and they preferred to be indoors anyway. Hmmm perhaps the dogs had set this up with the neighbour??

Cavvy love being channelled your way. Good luck sweet girl. Was Porridge desexed? I went through this with my Border Collie/Heeler X a few years ago. She was 12 and had to go through a hysterestomy and major masectomy. She recovered well from the surgery but passed on a few months later from a stroke. Who knew.

I think this is also true for humans! Get a footy team or 'gang' together and they definately behave differently to being on their own As much as we 'modern' humans think we understand nature, we really will NEVER know what really goes on in any animals brain, or understand the infinately many and small signals that we do not even see. Please dont compare a pack of dogs to a football team, dogs are infinatley more intelligent True, dogs are way more intelligent but you have to admit many team sports are a perfect example of "Pack mentality"!!

My Cavalier girls always get excited whe nthey see another Cavalier atteh park and HAVE to say hello to them!! Also they get very excited when they see a German Shepherd as we have one and they think it's their mate. Not always able to say Hello to every German Shepherd they meet but they would like to!! They met a bunch of youngsters socializing at KCC Park recently and were very happy to talk to the babies, didn't know that came in ther size!

Growing up I only ever had mixed breed dogs (Free) and Moggie cats (also free). My father would never spend money buying a dog or cat!! Always a puppy being given away by someone. My first pedigree dog was a miniture Poodle that I paid for when I started work at 16. He was the equivalent of a weeks wage but most definitely worth it! I now have a unregistered German Shepherd. A beautiful farm bred dog that I bought locally. 2 lovely Cavaliers both registered. A ginger and white male cat. I've had a ginger and white all my life. Always with the same name so this one is Bini the 6th. Weird huh? A Tabby Male (my husbands cat ) ex feral. A purebred lilac Burmese. Bought from Breeder (Registered) ex Show Male that retained his testicle and was given to me. Lovely boy. Can't believe I forgot th horses!! Purebreds TB's (ex race) and Arabian. Partbred Arabian Pintos, 15/16th Arabian but you won't find a Purebred Arabin Pinto of course. (the Pinto colour came from a Shetland Pony 3 generations back. Arabian/Welsh Mounain Pony Cross from two purebred parents. Cross breeding Arabian into many other breeds has been the foundation of many a new breed today. Also the infusion of a bit of pizzaz into existing breeds.

Yes, the reasons are not alway logical or simple. I even had an aquaintance who stated "that a horse would not turn nasty unless it had been mistreated at some point? I knew this animals entire history. Even her breeder and my friend asked me why I had not put her down sooner? I just felt I owed it to her to try to help her. And it so true that even dogs (and other animals) that have been badly treated will respond to kindness and learn to trust and forgive...eventually. And often although shy and fearful are not necesarily aggressive in any way. Sure these are the animals you try to place with appropriate families, or people just in case but overall they don't seem to hold any resentment and are often even super friendly?? Maybe it also about personality too.

Who 'smacked' your dog??? Me! as she was very naughty chasing a little dog and she wouldn't come back when I called. I wouldn't come back either if I knew I would get smacked when I did. Without sidetracking this thread in to who and why of the smack, I can you can assure all it was the first time ever. Done in frustrating as it happened last time we ran into this little dog. A 35 kg gsd chasing a mini foxie. We have builders going up & down our track which is shared by 3 properties driving like it was a freeway regardless of wildlife and if they had ran in front of one of them it would have been the end of one or both dogs. Yep, dogs are like children, very frustrating but don't hit in frustration. You'll feel bad and your dog will feel confused. He/she will only remember being hit when it came to you. There is no recall about being hit for chasing little dog fido down the trail. Your dog wont associate the crime with the punishment unless it's an instant response. I know, it's hard to praise your dog when you've been made so angry by it's unacceptable behaviour. Don't give your dog the opportunity to chase another dog if at all possible

My sister lost her beloved male stafford to a brown snake and just could not bear it, so went out and bought the first male pup (that looked like Pappy) that she could find... Buddy was a cute puppy but by the age of about 20 weeks, he was shaping up to her female stafford.. I mentioned that at his young age, I thought that was very unusual... The female put him in his place but by the time he was 9-10 months old, he was bigger than her and would not take it lying down. He attacked her and then she backed down... They also had another pup (sharpei x mastiff, Tex) and Buddy used to beat up on him all the time... Very rough play to the point where the other dogs got hurt (a lot).. Fast forward to when he is 14 months old and he bailed my sister up in the yard, so she finally had him desexed (I told her it may not make any difference to him and I think he has something wrong with him)... 3 months later, my niece was calling to her mother and Buddy had her cornered and growled at my sister when she tried to move him.. She called her husband and the vet and the dog was put down an hour later in their back yard... To this very day I believe that Buddy had something wrong with him from the start.. He always walked around with his tail in the air, he would walk past you in the lounge room and look sideways at you and growl, he constantly hurt the other dogs and he always looked like he was ready to have a go at anyone or anything... I wished they had done an autopsy on him to see if he had a brain tumour or something because I really don't think a dog that is loved and cared for, just 'turns' on its owners for no reason... I had a beautiful purebred Arabian mare that I had known from birth and owned from age 3 who had always been a very sweet mare albeit a bit headstrong and difficult at times. She was never treated harshly but with patience and firmness as required. At about age 10 she started to display aggressive behaviour that had not been evident before. Long story short (yeah I know there's no such thing) through a long process I found she had a hormonal imbalance that we were able to bring back ito balance with the help of a Equine Naturopath. I had been planning to breed her before the aggressive behaviour began and then was going to sell her but felt she was my responsibility and as she had attacked me a number of times already I had to handle her in a very careful and specific way, for example she always had to be tied when being brushed or rugged as she would turn to bite if she wasn't. Friends had offered to give her a 'retirement home' but I was afraid she would hurt someone. One day I was just standing in the paddock a few feet away from her, contemplating her as it were, when she suddenly bared her teeth and ran at me! I made myself large by putting my arms up in the air, slightly crossed and yelled at her, she turned tail and ran off but not before aiming a kick at me as I flew between the wires of the fence to get out of the paddock (didn't know I was that nimble!) Time passed and she seemed to improve a little, bit by bit. One day my daughter, who was 12 at the time, was patting her in the paddock and the mare seemed happy in herself, my daughter commented on how much sweeter the mare seemed again and stepped away from the horse. My daughter was so chuffed I guess at how she was now able to pat the mare and decided walk back to her and give her another pat. DISASTER. As she walked towards the mare the horse reared, then bared her teeth and ran at my daughter. Frightened my daughter turned to run away, the mare grabbed her by the shoulder (fortunately it was winter and she had a bulky parker on) lifted her into the air, shook her and dropped her to the ground. The horse reared up as if she were going to pound this child into the ground, I screamed as I was running towards them, so the mare seeing me charging at her ran off. The child was shaken and bruised but otherwise okay. The mares problems were then fixed with a .22 Z in the forehead the next day. I know that had she been a dog she would have been put down at the first sign of aggression. I tried everything I could think of, at a fair bit of expense for two years. I only came to my senses when my daughter was attacked. I often wonder if there was a tumour or something like that wrong with her. An autopsy was out of the question as it would have cost too much and not changed anything. Someone asked me recently if I still had that grey mare. No, I relpied "she went mad and we shot her".

I'm pretty sure Dr. katrina was eluding to the fact that the so called "Designer Dogs" are free from "problems" ONLY IF BOTH parents are health checked and Free of problems also (As per what resposible breeders are trying to achieve with purebred dogs). Only problems was "they ran out of time and she was cut off at that point so it left the impression that these dogs were "free of the problems some purebred dogs have". Not a good outcome unless Mr. or Mrs. 'Getting ready forschool/work' were listening VERY carefully to what was said. At that time of day...I doubt it.