Leema

Anything less than $130 is good! It'd be awesome to have back to $100 a night, but I'm realistic.

No I haven't - cheers. ETA: Okay, there is one place on that thread, but same kind of price as the one I currently am using. So additional suggestions welcomed.

Each year I go to dog shows in Canberra. Last year, the place we normally go to upped their price from $98 per night to $130 a night. It was renovated and nice, but I just want a place to sleep! Any suggestions on dog friendly accommodation (i.e. dog is allowed inside) in Canberra, Queanbeyan or surrounding area?

I've added some of the dates (i.e. the ones when I don't have something on already!) in my calendar so I might come visit some of the days - especially if I'm passing by.

This is exactly what I mean. I have a link to that site on my website, but not in my resources for puppy buyers. Duh! Thanks.

At the moment I'm collating a list of resources for puppy buyers. I have some bits and pieces, but surprisingly less than I expected. Just wanting to see if I missed anything obvious. :D What resources (websites, books, etc) would you recommend for a new puppy buyer? Besides DOL, of course.

Clover had two boys and a girl. :D She ate most of the "Select" puppy can food today. Yesterday, she ate some of the puppy roll with mince mixed through... I think she likes slightly cooked mince (and this was microwaved). Will continue to experiment. But I'm happy with what she ate this morning! That was ample. Thanks for the many suggestions.

Went to vet, nothing wrong. Fed microwaved 'puppy roll'. Ate a few mouthfuls with enthusiasm, then no more interest.

Had an interesting conversation with someone the other day, and they were telling me different state bodies have different minimum ages for the breeding of a dog (male). Curious, I tried to find what it is in SA, and couldn't find anything. I assumed it would be in the code of ethics and, indeed, this is where the age of a bitch is specified... But not a dog. Is there a minimum age in your state and in what documentation is it stated?

Thanks for the suggestions, Cockerlover. Bought 3 brands of can food and a 'puppy loaf' just now, so will try again at dinner.

I just tried the old competition trick, feeding both dogs side by side. Worked! But off to buy some wet puppy food now and see how we go. Thanks for your suggestions.

She was vet checked Thursday afternoon (after giving birth Thursday morning) and all was okay. She will eat... Tentatively... If I encourage and/or hand feed.

Clover had her (and my!) first litter on Thursday. She ate well Thursday and Friday, and Saturday morning, and now is seeming less-enthused about her meal. I am feeding her soaked Advance puppy dry food with a little mince stirred through. Is there any suggestions on something nutritious that I could try to con her into eating?

Thanks! Just what I was looking for.

I am expecting my next litter around the 10th/12th of this month. Much excitment! I've heard much along the regarding neurological stimulation of puppies. Could anyone provide reading material regarding this? Cheers.

If this is any use: my dogs are 6-7 kgs, and eat 1-2 chicken wings a night. Chicken wings have a bit of fat on them, though (from the skin). I believe there is a % you're supposed to feed (i.e. % of your dogs weight), and I'm sure someone can chime in with what it is soon enough.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Current owner is still able to care for the dog at this stage. This is all planning for when the time comes.

I doubt she is chipped. She is not registered or desexed. (I would of course do this before rehoming.) My plan was to chip/register/desex (vet records) as a Boxer x Staffy.

Long story short, I have a friend of a friend who, due to illness, is likely to be going into aged care (or even passing away) within the next year. Friend-of-a-friend has a lovely American Staffordshire, unpapered. Apparently this dog was rescued from a fighting scheme. Regardless, this is a lovely dog and I would be willing and able to rehome and foster her. However, I am very concerned that this dog may be declared a pit bull, with a) implications for me rehoming her and b) consequences anyone who may choose to adopt the dog. I would like to help this dog, but I need to consider what's best for all people involved. There are no family members which can take this dog on. What would you do? Any suggestions? I am in South Australia.

Your link goes to a bunch of dogs. Which one are you referring to specifically?

May be me being blind, but where it the petition for SA?

I have not read everything in this thread, and I'm unlikely to actually make a reply after my post. (If you have anything you would really like an answer to, please PM me.) But here is my suggestion. My suggestion is that breeders become responsible for their puppies for the entirety of their lives. As in many states microchipping is currently compulsory, and it is likely to make its way into other states as time progresses, I think this is a great way to monitoring dogs throughout the entirety of their lives. All we would need is, in the CAR database, for an additional field, 'breeder', to be added for every puppy. In this way, dogs are permanently linked to their breeder. This means that, if that dog ends up into a facility (i.e. a pound), then the breeder can be responsible. If a facility fails to find the owner of an animal, the breeder would be contacted. The breeder would have the opportunity to receive the animal back (administration costs only), or else pay the facility a fee and allow the facility to receive ownership for the animal, and consequently rehome it (or otherwise). I argue that this is a suitable solution as it would mean that: a) Responsible breeders have the opportunity to get back any animal that, unawares to them, ends up in unsatisfactory care. b) Breeders may be less likely to have litters if they are concerned that their puppies may cost them a fee if they end up in inappropriate care. c) Breeders will seriously consider the homes in which the puppies end up in, as securing a 'forever home' first up would ensure no fees later down the track. d) Pound-like facilities would also have monetary benefits as a result of this proposal. I don't believe tougher animal welfare standards are necessary. These standards are already adequate (though poorly enforced), and any changes to these standards only make things more demanding for breeders who recognise legislation. I don't believe additional licensing (of owners or of breeders) is feasible. There would be lots of administrative costs associated, and obviously there would be people who would 'slip under the radar'. The beauty of this suggestion is that, as far as I'm concerned, it is only unscrupulous breeders unconcerned with their animals welfare which would object to this proposal. As a future breeder, I would LOVE to have the opportunity to get any animal I bred back out of a pound-like facility and rehome them myself. There would be no additional restrictions or legislation to be enforced, just an extra field to create on the CAR database. Pound facilities would not have a hugely additional workload - instead of calling two phone numbers when a microchipped animal enters the facility, they would call three numbers. The main kink in this proposal is that individuals would be able to sell animals which are not microchipped, as I am sure they currently do. There needs to be more policing of microchipping. This is a difficulty. One potential solution is to educate puppy buyers the importance of microchipping, and emphasising ideas such as "you wouldn't buy a vehicle without a warranty, so why would you buy a puppy without a micrcohip?".

Just trying to get my head around this I am not being a smart-arse, but is this the temperature the dog lives at or the outside temperature? If the dog lives inside where the temperature is never under 14 degrees and meets a mozzie which has been outside in the lower temperature there won't be a problem? What if the mozzie has been inside and not in under 14 degrees conditions? (How long will a mozzie live inside anyway? It's the temperature that the mosquito lives in. More simply, if the mosquito has never been cold (i.e. <14C) then it could be carrying heartworm. If the dog lives inside, then it's unlikely it will encounter a mosquito anyway. The American Heartworm Association is where I got the information from, by the way. But it seems they have changed their site significantly since last time I visited. I am not sure if their advise has been modified. http://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary...guidelines.html

She is booked in for an ultrasound November 11th... Suspense is killing me! ETA: Thanks for your input. I'll worry a bit less.

This is my first litter. Clover, if pregnant, is either 1-2 weeks along. She has become significantly quieter... She is 'not herself'. She still likes eating, still likes playing fetch, still likes going for walks. But at the moment she just isn't as enthused about life as she normally is. If she wasn't suspected-pregnant, then I would take her to the vet - the change in her personality is so strong. But I'm not sure if it's normal for a bitch to have such a change. Could you please share your experiences and advice. Thanks.