aussielover

Kelpie cross poodle That would be an odd looking mix. I just see a fluffy kelpie It might confuse the sheep they are meant to herd though Really don't think that cross would be suited for a guide dog.

Dusty is gorgeous! Shame she failed as a show dog My labrador is definitely more active than my aussie was. Which is funny because people always think herding breeds need a tonne of exercise and that labs are lazy dogs that you can throw in a backyard or they are lovely quiet, calm guide dogs who are perfect

I generally do not believe in medicating animals for mild behavioural problems. I would not choose to medicate my own dog for a mild behavioural problem that could be fixed by a behaviour modification program and with the help of a good trainer/behaviourist. We are seeing an increasing number of clients requesting medication for so called "behaviour" issues, which generally tend to be hyperactive, understimulated young dogs. We would always recommend a behaviourist over medications, but some clients are not prepared to, or not capable of implementing a behaviour modification program. In these cases, I would rather prescribe drugs than have the dog dumped or surrendered or even PTS as a young, hyperactive dog (often problem barkers, destructive etc) is not likely to find a new home easily However in some cases of extreme fear aggression or anxiety, I think medication can help put the animal into a better state of mind to gain the most benefit from a behaviour program.

Thanks guys! I thought it sounded like an old wives tale! I think it probably has more to do in the flexibility of the ligaments and muscles of the hip, rather than the hip structure itself. I was also told (by a vet!) that squiffy sitting was a sign of HD, which I think, in combination with other signs like bunny hopping, difficulty jumping etc it probably is, especially if they sit off to one side. I think in the absence of other signs though, it probably just means the dog just likes sitting like that or is lazy lol. We were always told in obedience and for guide dogs that sitting like that is unacceptable, they should be in a perfectly square sit (I guess coz it looks better?>)

I just go by how a dog does on it. My puppy was on pal for a few months (she was recommended by her vet to go on this due to tummy problems), but then started to eat poo. A change of diet to advance (not a super premium) stopped this. she is actually now just on a food allergy diet trial of just pumpkin and roo (which she loves!). Most people we speak to don't seem to notice a difference between hills, eukanuba or RC. I would prefer to feed raw but some dogs don't do well on that either.

Echo's bed looks very comfortable!

Crash is very handsome I'm sorry you lost your doggies so young I prefer to titre test rather than vaccinate (after the puppy shots and 1yr booster). Rimadyl isn't though to cause liver cancer (as far as I know), but when used inappropriately it can cause liver failure. If the dog already has liver cancer or any sort of liver problem, them it can certainly exacerbate the problem, and unfortunately it has killed dogs (as have other non-steroidals when used inappropriately). Checking the liver (and kidney) function before administering NSAIDs is ideal, and an absolute must in sick and elderly patients. I hope you can regain your trust in vets, and I am glad to hear your lovely boys hotspots are getting better ;)

Wizzle- yes Mindy was rejected from guide dogs due to her allergies. My mum likes her now (though not as much as she liked clover which is understandable- I think clover was her heart dog). We saw the dermatologist on tuesday, she thinks mindy has atopy. We are currently doing a food trial- roo meat and pumpkin, quite hard to only give her these two things as she is used to getting scraps and treats and bones. I need to find somewhere that has roo bones. Next step is an intradermal skin test. All turning out to be very expensive, even with discounts! But she is definitely worth it I felt bad today, last night mindy kept barking during the night. I kept telling her to shut up and ignoring her, only to come down this morning to find that the front door was left completely open all night!!! I think she was trying to tell me last night and i ignored her At least she didn't run away or anything!

I think it depends on the dog. Many dogs would be fine in an apartment provided they get the right exercise. I currently have a small yard and I think my lab would love to have a bigger yard. Luckily we live next door to a large off leash park, so she gets to run around there at least 3 times a day. My Aussie would not self exercise and was always by our side, even when we had an acreage so she would have been absolutely fine in an apartment so long as she got her 2 walks a day (for at least an hour each). My Lab enjoys nosing around the yard, chasing birds, cats, possums etc and digging up stuff and splashing in her pool, so I think for her, she would at least need a small yard.

Ask her! Califronia Dreaming...do you know that means? no

Do they need to be ANKC, or AKC before anyone can like them, find them attractive and wish to own one?? There are a few breeds overseas I really like, I do not however have the cash to bring one in. Me too!

I am merely enquiring about her use of the term miniature husky and whether she does health tests. Surely, most people would agree with the importance of health testing in breeding dogs? Are these dogs like the mimi aussie shepherd or north american shepherd in terms of recognition as a breed?

All dog breeds are designer breeds, you just were not there trying to smack them down at the time the breed was being developed. I'm not trying to smack the "breed" down, but I am against poor breeding, which designer dogs generally have. What health tests is she doing? If she really is in it to promote the breed, why advertise is as a mini husky? I don't really see how a mini husky would make a particularly "ideal companion" (as stated on her website). Huskies, miniature or not are often best placed in experienced homes that can provide them with work of some sort. Huskies are working dogs that quite often end up in pounds, due to people buying them as companions and not being aware of their high exercise and training requirements. btw she does have a spay/neuter contract and a reasonable application form, so perhaps she is trying to do the right thing I would guess this gal just really likes these little dogs ( you know the way you like your breed) and it never occurred to her that she had to live up to your expectations nor does she likely know anything about the DOL inquest taking place. I would call her up and interview her about all of your questions, gather all the answer to all these things you are suspecting her of. Then come back and make a full report for everyone in Australia to read and comment on. Please make sure you detail all of dog breeding her values. Please also compare and contrast theses with your values. Then everything will leave the arena of nasty gossip and you can delve into legal arena of character assignation. BTW, this gal might have some money to throw around, might be something consider. whatever....

All dog breeds are designer breeds, you just were not there trying to smack them down at the time the breed was being developed. I'm not trying to smack the "breed" down, but I am against poor breeding, which designer dogs generally have. What health tests is she doing? If she really is in it to promote the breed, why advertise is as a mini husky? I don't really see how a mini husky would make a particularly "ideal companion" (as stated on her website). Huskies, miniature or not are often best placed in experienced homes that can provide them with work of some sort. Huskies are working dogs that quite often end up in pounds, due to people buying them as companions and not being aware of their high exercise and training requirements. btw she does have a spay/neuter contract and a reasonable application form, so perhaps she is trying to do the right thing

Yeah, I work at a vet clinic and I'm a vet student at uni. A few other vet students bring their dogs to uni, especially now we are out at camden, its a bit more relaxed there. It was really good for her guide dog training (not that we have to do that anymore!) Poor Ava, at least she has Satch though. That's why i am thinking of getting another dog, to keep Min company when i get a full time job. I know ppl on here think that its generally a bad idea just to get another dog to keep the current one company. But I really feel, for some dogs it is beneficial and a good thing :D

hard day at uni: hard day at work:

Thanks KumaAkita and KTB! They look like really nice vets. I will have to see if they are one of sydney uni's vet partners that accepts student interns though. Canberra seems like it has lots of off leash areas and is pretty dog friendly. I'm actually thinking of trying to get a job there when i graduate. Mindy is a really funny looking lab, she looks more like a field-bred lab imo. Which I like, Im not too keen on the current show labs in australia, they are too heavyset for my liking... Doctor mindy!

I don't like it how she advertises them as miniature huskies on her website. It has a bit of a designer dog ring to me.

I often find that people think that it ridiculous to have to take treats to the park or that my dog isn't properly trained because i take treats to the park. However, whose dogs end up running off and not coming back when called??? and whose dog ends up pretty much always coming back and doing what the owner says?.....

Hey all, I have a question for the canberra people- which vet do you use/recommend? I am thinking about doing a placement at one of the vets in canberra and want to know which ones are good! All the puppers are looking gorgeous! Lillistar- I would get another lab or aussie as some breeds don't seem to appreciate the lab play style and you want your pups to play together well. I'm thinking about getting a second dog also, I think Mindy would quite like it, we have babysat other peoples dogs before and she really likes having a friend and even shares the bed with them! I'd probably get an adult dog though probably a rescue from lab rescue or GR rescue or maybe even the pound (though some ppl here are very critical of pound rescues so not sure about that).

I prefer females, but would happily get a male if it was the right dog for me. I currently have a female, but she gets on well with all dogs so sex wouldn't really became issue. I don't like male dogs who constantly want to pee on everything, but I suspect this is more a training issue. I also don't like how some males pee on themselves (bad aim lol). I have found my female dogs to be easier to train and they seem more obedient, but I know some people find the opposite.

Yes breed matters, otherwise you may as well just get any old breed, cross-breed or mix. I don't really think a lab could make as good guard dog as a GSD, if you mean bitework is involved. I'm sure it could be done, but there would be fewer labs suitable for this purpose than GSDs or mals or other typical police dogs.

No but dog and humans have very similar physiology. Here is one that is relevant to dogs: http://www.littleriverlabs.com/neuter.htm quote from article:

Hard to convey your tone but what do you mean EVEN pound animals? I was responding to post 22 where it was said it didn't really matter how a dog from the pound grew as most of them were mutt's and no one would know if they grew differently from early desexing. so I mean exactly what I said. If it's only a matter of the end size.......and I believe it would be mm's rather than cm's, why on earth would it matter to the owner of a mutt? Or the mutt itself? For the record, growth is governed by the pituitary gland, not the reproductive organs. The sex hormones feedback to the pituitary gland http://ezinearticles.com/?Growth-and-Sex-H...&id=5420655 http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Doi=152867

She doesn't have any real issues, just a few minor things i'd like to fix: she is not good to walk on the lead- once she sniffs something its really hard to get her to move on and she will try to drag you to the spot. She is ok if you correct her or ask her to look or go forward before she puts her head down to sniff but its kinda hard to be on the lookout all the time for possible smelly spots! her recall is good, but not perfect. I'd say its 95%, so a lot better than most other dogs, but i would prefer if it was 100%. she is scared of kids and will bark at them. She is getting much better with this and even approaching kids with her happy "wiggle body" but sometimes she still barks at really young kids (like toddlers) if they run up to her. she barks at night if she can hear someone in the house wandering around. I'm undecided as to whether this is a good thing or not- in a way its good because i know someone is wandering around my house during the middle of the night, but I also keep getting woken up and lose sleep! These last two problems lead me to believe she has some fear issues, she is also overly submissive to other dogs, even SWFs, in fact she is particularly scared of small dogs. she is scared of kittens too! I'm also interested in drive training so hopefully steve will be able to explain it to me and we can see if Mindy would be suitable. I also want Mindy to become a delta therapy dog! Her puppy school trainer thought she would make a good one because she is pretty calm but I have my doubts- she isn't too keen on kids and she doesn't appear to enjoy being patted by adults (maybe her allergies?). we'll see, the puppy trainer said they don't have to enjoy it, but they have to stay calm and still and tolerate it, which she does.