lappiemum

We may be in Sydney sometime at the end of the year too, if you want to meet a cream boy

Tasha is definately the more active of my two, has a lot more energy and is very much a go-go-go kind of girl - although having said that, she does love her cuddles and wakes up anyone who is still in bed in the morning with wet ear licks......! Tasha is very, very smart, but she does have a softer temperament, being a girl, if that makes sense Then there is the Boof, my big boy. He is definately more laid back, and a bit more of a lazy boy - he'd like to stroll over the agility equipment rather than take it at breakneck speed like his sister (he does, however, part take in morning zoomies very happily!). He has been more stubborn to train at times, but we now have an understanding - that is, Mum is Boss. Now all is good!LOL

We get it in Melbourne's west. Very good stuff, and our suppliers are excellent - recommend it def!

Sounds like she is doing well....!

Love the pics LC - Charlotte looks like she had the best time ever!! Is she feeling better now??

ofcourse you do!

Yep, they are doing lappies. Yes - jsut spoke to them.... way grooveyness!

According to this month's National Dog magazine, they are do a breed feature next month which includes both Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds. I'm double checking at the moment, but if that are inlcuding lappies, keep an eye out for the magazine (if you don't get it already!).

OOHHH - I get it - thanks!!LOL

ok, i'm a bit slow - how do i do this vote thing again?

We feed ours on proplan, which is one of the more expensive ones, but we are quite happy with the quality and they really like it. We stick to the salmon, as it really helps with their coats and doesn't have the corn fillers. We did have them on the natual for a while (half/half to see if they liked it) - their preference was definately for the proplan. We buy ours in bulk (17kg bags) which lasts us several months. Its far more economical if you do it that way.

Suen- Welcome to DOL. A few questions to start with: Is this your first puppy? Is your puppy allowed inside the house? Does your puppy go to puppy preschool? Have you done any basic training with your puppy? Do you know about crate training? What interaction does your puppy have with others? Is he/she alone for long during the day? What routines do you have? What info did you get when you bought your puppy? (and do you have any support from the people that sold you your puppy?) Oh, and pics are a must!

Gawd, $100 less for papers - and she's a registered breeder....... Isn't there something in canine authority rules in QLD/NSW (not sure where she is registered) about registered breeders selling unregistered pups? Could be yet another nail in a coffin....

I'd investigate crate training (I love my crates!!LOL) - it will help establish boundries, make your puppy feel secure and safe (the crate is actually her den ) and allow you some peace and quiet! But remember, never use a crate as punishment - it should always be positive. There are lots of good books and advice out there on crate training - including here on DOL Mental stimulation is a biggie - even when they are puppies! Basic training is the best place to start - never very long, but often is my moto when dealing with puppies! Also, buy some interactive toys - and kongs are very, very good - they will keep an inquisitive puppy chewwing happily for hours! (you should see my dogs with their kongs - they will keep going back for days once I'v filled one with liver treats!!LOL). A romp in the back yard is fine, but they do need to see the outside world - even if you just do a short walk around the block that's a whole new expereince. One word of caution though - as you puppy is still young, don't allow them to say hello to strange dogs (or eat wierd stuff off the pavement!) etc until they are over their vaccinations - and for the same reason, I'd definately avoid dog parks (not my fav places anyway, though!) Some basic rules and boundries are important too, as you need to establish that you are in charge (not the puppy!) - so always remember that the puppy is watching you to see if you are (in its eyes!) and effective leader. Again, there is plenty of advice out there on dog training and understanding canine behaviour. If you need info though, pm me and I'll send you a pdf link of some puppy training booklets I have. Always remember that your dog is a dog, and you can't expect it to behave or be like a person. Dogs interpret things in dog ways, so its up to you to learn about how dogs view their world - and us! And welcome to puppyhood!!

She is treating you guys like your her litter mates, and wants to play. Quick questions: Are you crate training? What exercise is she getting? What mental stimulation is she getting? What boundries does she have?

Karen has been recommended to me by our breeder. We will be going up there in Dec for a hipscore visit.

love the piglet pics...... Have already told the OH that one day we'll be getting a pug to run rampant with the lappies. Told him he doesn't get a say in it either....LOL

not true - even if I was not a DOL person I reckon I'd be able to spot a lappie!!! LOL

Hi Helen- In Australia, the system used to grade hips scores (known as the BVA/KC) is also the system used in Britain, Ireland, and New Zealand. The process scores each hip joint based on the severity of changes of 9 specific morphological radiographic criteria. Each criterion is scored from 0 (ideal) to 6 (worst). The final hip score is offered as the sum between 0 and 53 for each hip joint and as the sum of both hips (0-106); so to give an overall rating, so a score of 2/3 will be an overall score of 5. Scoring is done by 3 panellists out of a group of certified radiologists or small animal surgeons jointly. In Australia, the commonally accepte hip score average for the breed is 13; although some breeders and countries (such as the UK) place it at 14. As always, the lower the better. Hope this helps - are you looking at becoming a lappie person?

so sorry. it doesn't matter if they are old when it happens, we still love them. Meet Jasper at the rainbow bridge

Rexiam - I should mention too that some people have noticed that their PRA dogs have an increase in the 'shine' of the eye at night when the condition starts to develop. Again, it may or may not be relevant to you - I hope not.

Hi Rexiam- Re PRA: There are a couple of different types of PRA. PRA causes degeneration of the cells of the retina, leading to blindness. It can develop either as early onset or late onset degeneration; early onset tends to affect breeds like collies, great danes and min schnauzers - it can occur as early as 6-8 weeks. Generally, dogs that are affected will be blind by the time they are 2-3 yrs old. Late onset (which is the PRA that has been normally seen in Lappies) usually happens around 4-6 yrs (usually first seen as night blindness), but may be spotted by a vet opthamologist at 18months. This affect breeds such as brittanys, labradors and akitas. There is a version of early onset PRA that causes day blindness rather than the night blindness - this happens in Alaskan Mals and min poodles, and can present in the mal from 6 weeks to 6 months, in the min poodle by 3months of age. These dogs may be clumsy during daylight hours, and affected by strong lights. They tend to sleep during the day and be more active at night. Borzois and greyhounds have their own types of PRA - in the borzoi their eyes are affected unevenly (more often with males than females); in greyhounds is develops at 12 months and only affects males. All PRA is inherited via autosomal recessive genes, which means that a dog needs to have both of the affected genes to be likely to develop the disease. Dogs can be carriers of one of the affected genes and never develop PRA, it is in the mating of carrier to carrier that the resulting litter is at risk genetically. In your case, it may be a number of things - I would certainly get your lab tested and (if possible with your breed) get a PRA test via DNA (I know that we can do this with lappies, but don't know the situation with labs - although there will be others here on DOL who will know). If it turns out that your dog is PRA affected you will need to notify the breeder (if possible). PRA affected dogs need to be carefully monitored health wise, as the PRA can also lead to a number of other problems such as glaucoma and uveitis that will need treating early. Hope that this is NOT the case with Chuzzy.

reposting my entries...

Don't forget - he only a baby!! Mine are 18months, and I'm still waiting for my boy to grow some brain cells!!!!

I think you can blame a rash of TV adds in the 90's for that... shame, cause SharPeis are a lovely breed and deserve the best....