Mrs Rusty Bucket

Maybe a better option would be a sort of once off deposit - eg pay $250 once - and if you get your dog desexed later you get it back (or credited to future rego for the annual rego states), or you forfeit it if your dog has an oops litter and then they insist on desex or another deposit (bigger this time).

NILIF http://k9protraining.com.au/2007/03/07/nilif-nothing-in-life-is-free/ its yer choice http://dogsthatlisten.com/tim/ The whole Tim Ferris podcast interview with Susan Garrett (and lots of games for training the well behaved house dog) http://tim.blog/2016/11/14/susan-garrett/

sparkycat - you'd be happy to know that my neighbour registered her cat - tho I thought it was the same neighbour who said she never would because council didn't do anything for cat owners. Maybe she changed her mind for some reason. Frankston council in Vic brought in something like this - I think the breeder permit was very expensive - $250 instead of $50 for a desexed dog. http://www.frankston.vic.gov.au/Our_Community/Animals/Pet_Registration A friend said SACA membership would get you an exemption from the compulsory desex - but if the dog is a mixed breed farm dog - probably not going to be able to join the dog to SACA until it is desexed (eg my plan is 18 months old or so). Friend also thought that mandatory desex was beyond Council legal powers. ie Ultra Vires. Hasn't stopped Mitcham council tho. There are no enforcement of Local Govt Act police to make sure Councils obey the law. There is ICAC but getting them in is more expensive and not as straight forward as calling the local cops.

This is the Kikopup (Emily Larlam Dogmatics) playlist for puppies... It's very helpful on how you train and why you train what you train... and reward based (minimum fallout from mistakes). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF26FD559887E7EA4

if the door is glass - you can masking tape paper or cardboard to it to block the view. Most important thing - careful what you reward. If you let him in while he's scratching - you will get more scratching at the door.

This looks a bit like you just did to him what he did to the cat... Ie biggest meanest critter gets the biscuit. I would play lots of treat games or give and geddit with toys and food games - with just you in a space with few distractions for a bit. And then I'd see if I could get one cat to act as a distraction (chuck kitten biscuits at it?) and the play the give and geddit games with your dog. Work on distance to distraction... ie start off at a fair distance but where he can still pay attention to you (pay attention to how far a cat needs to be when approaching for him to give it the stiff eyed stare, and then curled lip... that's the edge of your envelope in that environment. And then you can stretch the envelop by playing games closer or further away. I also sometimes play games with treat rewards using chippies - if dog does something I don't like - eg grump at another dog or cat or human... I don't scold - I eat the chip, loudly and with enthusiasm. You still need to be far enough away from the distraction your dog can still think and isn't completely over excited. So your dog needs to think about you eating the chip instead of him. And what does he have to do to get the chip?

he could be teething. I would be putting a little bit of vicks vapour rub on the bookshelves (near but not on the books) and i would be giving him black kongs with food frozen into them or a little bit of vegemite or peanut paste wiped inside. He's coming into the dog version of adolescence - how you treat him now will affect him for the rest of his life. He may also come into something called "a second fear period" where he's scared of things for no apparent reason. http://k9protraining.com.au/2005/10/17/puppy-development-schedule/

Hi all Just wanted to let you know about a sneaky clause in the Mitcham Council (SA) dog and cat management plan - they want to have mandatory desexing for dogs and cats from 2018. Personally I think this would be bad for an agility dog. If you don't desex - you have to registerer as a "Breeder" whether you intend to breed or not. This is a link to their survey which doesn't mention anything about mandatory desex. But there is an open format field that you can raise your objections or you can write a free format email. You can (anyone anywhere) submit on this until May 29th COB. http://www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/dogandcatmanagementplan

I think I'd keep all the font at the bigger size - the smaller font stuff is a bit hard to read and I have to zoom the page - being old and all. Even tho I've got my bifocals on. You could indent it or italic it to make the quoted bit on the main puppy page clear if you wanted. And just wondering (wandering thoughts) what "WAC" means... Keep thinking "knick knack paddy wac give a dog a bone... "

I guess that would separate the newbies from the savvy breeders... Cos i guessed that "imp" might mean imported and not small fairy goblin mischievous creature. Still could not guess what LTV means. When I google "dog LTV" I get something about vertebrae but not sure how that applies in this context or if it applies. Does the sire have it or is he clear? And if that's the case - why is there no code for clear of hip dysplasia or healthy score or something. And I'd count myself as one of the dog obsessed (but more so with training than breeding or dobes specifically). I also wasn't entirely sure if the sire was here in Oz with you (ie customers could meet him and see what he was like beyond a photo), or if it was imported semen and AI litter. Jargon is always fun. Does BC mean Border Collie or Blind Cross? Blind cross is an agility handing move not a breeding accident... I'd just put a short paragraph to explain about ears and tails - on the puppy page. And maybe even have a check box on the enquiry form to say that people understand that surgery on dogs to alter tails and ears for cosmetic reasons (aka docking and cropping) is illegal in Australia . Some breeders also put something about the breed - what their lines are like - what kind of person the breed might suit. The explanation might go there too. Most of the "tyre kickers" won't read it (cf responses to women's profiles on dating sites that suggest the men do not read what the women wrote at all). The ones doing more serious research might. I guess I'd have a page that answers the FAQ you get that you'd rather not be answering over and over as a way of separating out the more serious buyers or somewhere to send people back to if they ask the same old same old. But I guess there is a balance or limit somewhere or you end up with a website like woodhaven labs or ruffly speaking or even Jane Killion pigs might fly - tho I think she's more about training people to train dogs than breeding. So bottom line - changing the website a bit might help a few people, but will it help the ones who want a dobe that looks like the ones from Magnum PI - probably not. If only we could fix "stupid" (as featured in your sms conversations).

I blame boo and pistol. Or Depp's shoes. Rabies would be worse... but at least there is a vaccine for that.

They were discussing this on talk back radio this afternoon. The Veterinary School at Roseworthy is doing research and wants to hear directly about any cases - especially in South Australia. One lady called in to say her vaccinated adult rottie died of it. So you're not completely safe if your dog is vaccinated. She didn't say where she was, or where her dog had been or have any clues about where it is in SA. I guess if your dog gets any symptoms (the runs etc) get to a vet and get tested. My dog has the tri-annual vax due for booster next January - so I hope we manage to avoid it. It's very scary - given the (regular) parvo areas (Salisbury and Elizabeth) are also where a lot of agility comps get held.

MonElite I had a quick look at your puppy page - I can see why some people would be confused about docking and ear cropping - as one of the parents features this - I'm guessing that's because the father is from OS. And you have one puppy that has been legally "trimmed". I think it might be helpful to add to the page that docking and cropping is not legal in Australia and you won't be helping buyers get their dogs done. And maybe add that the legal puppy is also imported or had an accident that resulted in... or explain it in a way that people won't want to "try this at home" but can understand how you have one but don't normally. All the puppies are gorgeous and mum looks very tolerant and forgiving with the ears on... I can understand why you're getting all sorts of enquiries. Hope you find the right homes. Also you put "show" and "competition" on the list together - does that include competition like obedience / agility / IPO ? Not that I'm thinking of getting a puppy at the moment or a dobe but obedience/agility/IPO are the dog obsessed people I know. I love the videos you made. Have shared them on FB...

Did you read the gum tree pet policy link. Registered breeders are meant to provide evidence to buyers - including membership numbers and licence details. Whether they are ANKC or registered with something else. If you asked the general public what they thought a registered dog breeder was - I think you'd get a description of ANKC whether they knew the name of it or not.

Lol. I was lucky - the flip top bin attacked my dog as a puppy and she's given it plenty of room ever since. Tho I don't put anything yummy like the smoked salmon packet in there. Those go directly to the sulo bin outside. Evil hound has always respected the sulo bins too - I don't know why.

yes but you have to meet a bunch of criteria described in the link. Like provide your ANKC controlling body membership number to a would be buyer so they can check. And microchip and vaccinate (but I think all the dog sellers have to do this now)... And then you have to meet the ANKC code of ethics. I have noticed more ANKC registered breeders advertising but as best I can tell they say "ANKC registered" and are very specific about what you get regards paper and puppy. I don't think that's what happened for OP. The gum tree ads where it just says "registered breeder" and doesn't provide any ANKC stuff like membership number or prefix... those are the ones "Registered with council" not ANKC and may or may not be puppy farms. Personally I think that people who think they are buying from a registered breeder - expect ANKC registered and papers and all that. So it really helps if the ad is clear. If the ad is unclear - I wonder what else they're avoiding telling us that we'd want to know.

A lot of them aren't on the web or even here... https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breeders/american-staffordshire-terrier.asp If you know what state she's supposed to be registered in - you can phone that organisation eg DogsNSW or DogsVic and ask them to confirm the breed prefix and litter registrations and maybe contact details. Ie each breeder to be registered has to pay an annual fee and they get a "journal" which lists all the registered litters.... and new breeder prefixes etc. But it's still very paper based. They have to pay another fee to get listed on the organising body's website. Hence a lot list here instead (cheaper - basic listings are free). And strangely a lot of puppies come with fleas. I think most of the flea treatments are not suitable for puppies (under 6 weeks) or lactating bitches (mothers) - tho you think the breeder would make an effort to keep the environment clean and flea free. But all it takes is one cat to jump the fence and share - tho what flea ridden stray cat would jump in with Amstaff - I don't know. ANKC registered breeders - are not immune to flea ridden puppies unfortunately. And some think you can vaccinate with homeopathy - which is very scary. PS the puppy should be microchipped. That should help Dogs Vic or DogsNSW look up the puppies if you have the chip number. You may need to get a vet to check, but you need to see the vet about vaccinations and flea and worming plans anyway. And if you want to get pet insurance it's a good idea to get a vet to do a general check to avoid problems with denied claims cos of "pre-existing".

WA? I haven't used any of these people. I have seen them recommended on various forums. I have heard Kathy on the radio answering dog training questions from the public, and I liked her answers. Kathy Kopellis McLeod http://kathysdogtraining.com.au/ Sonya Bevan Behavioural trainer (doesn't run classes but could make recommendations) http://www.dogcharming.com.au how to choose a trainer http://k9protraining.com.au/2002/04/07/how-to-choose-a-dog-trainer/ http://www.apdt.com.au/trainers-directory/how-to-choose-a-trainer.html Apdt - has a trainer directory so you can search by location and for classes. Any of these should be able to recommend someone in your area if they aren't right for you. And vets often run puppy pre-schools or could recommend classes. and you might also be able to find an agility club that does puppy classes.

This may also be fraud. You could ask your local consumer rights organisation. You would need a copy of the gumtree ad and anything that supports that he described one thing and provided another. Fake papers would be good evidence. Usually when they say "registered breeder" on Gumtree - they mean with the local council and gumtree sets a max price of $500. But if they are claiming ANKC registration - there are a number of requirements they must meet and provide to any buyer. So you could also report them to gumtree. https://help.gumtree.com.au/AU/articles/en_US/KB_Article/What-are-the-Pets-Policies-AU?vgroup1=PKB&c=PKB%3APolicies&vcategory2=Pets&s=

my accountants - have never let me claim anything related to playing and umpiring hockey - they regarded that as a hobby... and as best I could tell - so did the ATO - despite the fact I was making more money at umpiring than I was in the business they did allow me to have an ABN and claim. Weird. If you have dog breeding and showing related qualifications eg tafe certificates in animal husbandry and you made more than you lost - maybe that would be a business? I would get a second opinion... http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/finance/when-does-a-hobby-become-a-business-20131007-2v48s.html There are a number of relevant pages on the ATO website but right now it seems to be broken.

I dunno if these breeders did the right thing and were misunderstood or there was some miscommunication or they were dishonest about what they were offering. I don't think I'd put a deposit down with a breeder I didn't know at least face to face or was friends with someone I knew face to face and I could go see their place and meet the parent dog and see the puppies. But then again - every time I visit my country cousins - they know about some over excited border collie puppy that needs a home... Or kelpie... or mix. And there's one lady at dog club that has a ready supply of fosters... so I probably wouldn't be putting down giant deposits on a pedigree show farm dog... Well there are a couple of lines I'd consider - but I know the dogs and breeders - not well but face to face. And they probably wouldn't need to ask for deposits... ie they'd have so many would be owners lined up that if one dropped out (ill health or whatever), there'd be 10 more queued up that they know face to face. So many buyers behave badly - I suspect these outnumber the breeders in terms of treating puppy buying the same way they treat buying a lawn mower... walk into 6 shops - and then buy off the net and never let the other sellers know they found their product elsewhere.

Border Collies for starters... Also Weimeraners, Great Danes, Deerhounds, Koolies... Yeah I can see a misunderstanding between breeder and would be buyer here - if you said you wanted a female - then... they might only have two females - but lots of males. Given ANKC breeders are supposed to be breeding to improve the breed, and have homes lined up for all potential puppies - ahead of time... then it's rare you get to choose which puppy you get at all, unless you have already established a good relationship with the breeder. I know someone who got told they were getting a puppy and then suddenly - that there were no puppies available - and later got told that there were health problems in the litter - which is extremely off putting. We still don't know what happened, only that no puppy from that breeder for my friend. But I can imagine if the breeder was dealing with sick dogs and puppies - they would not be at their puppy buyer consoling best. They'd have other priorities.

I would also check out the agility competitions or herding competitions... There's a massive agility (and obedience and etc) competition being run in Mt Gambier over Easter. And there will be agility all day at West Beach on the 29th April. There are some breeders that also do agility - but anyone with a border collie at an agility or herding competition would be worth talking to. A working line border collie might be more robust than a show line one - tho there are some breeders who do both - that's what you want - someone who keeps good records of what pairings they do (pedigrees) - and also selects for robustness, strength and ability to do what border collies do. There are some really nasty hereditary diseases border collies can get like - exercise induced collapse, or Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome (possibly the worst one - your puppy will die young) or adverse (death) reaction to common flea treatments. And both parents can seem fine but if they're both carrying the wrong gene and it doubles up - the puppy will have the disease full blown (not just a carrier and unaffected directly). Always ask to see the testing results for the parent dog choices - in writing. Eg photocopies. Border collies can be a lot more demanding than Golden Retrievers. Border collies like to have a job to do all the time. And a bored fit border collie can cause major problems at home. So it really helps if you are into daily trick training and exercise. Wearing their brains out with learning new things is more important than taking them for long runs but long runs are also important. Ps have you looked at "Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers"? They also can have their health problems but the ones I see around (Agility competitions etc) seem healthier than the golden retrievers I see around.

In SA - the ANKC breeders have to list their litters with the SACA journal. So there is a written record of how many puppies are in the litter. I think it is possibly fraud to make misleading statements about how many puppies in the litter and what choice the would be buyer has. But if you went to civil court - to claim - they like to award what the fraud has cost you - so how has this made you "out of pocket". Punitive damages are mostly a USA thing. So are damages for "emotional distress". If they are ANKC registered - there is a code of ethics. I couldn't find anything specific about misrepresenting how many puppies are in a litter. There is something more general about not bringing the ANKC into disrepute - which this kind of behaviour - could be argued makes all ANKC breeders look bad. But was it an ANKC registered breeder or just a breeder registered with their local council (also known as a "registered breeder"). This would be in direct breach of quite a few ANKC code of ethics and some states (NSW?) companion animal breeding laws. Hopefully very few ANKC breeders do that and they all get reported. I think Uni NSW is collecting data on hereditary diseases by breed and vets can report their findings to that - including a dog's genetic ancestry (pedigree). This might be worth doing. Summaries by breed and by disease used to be available online but they don't seem to be at the moment (LIDA database).

for a lab - snuffle mat (make sure what ever you put in this is deducted from the daily food ration). bob a lot (for dry food) hide the stuffed kong (ie stuff a kong with food and freeze it - normal wet food is ok, I use a bit of kibble in the bottom and then kibble mixed with yogurt if I haven't got any of my home made dog food). This: