LisaJ

Many years ago I took my then dog with me when I went overseas for an extended period. He loved going for bike rides and needless to say he came with me everywhere I went. When we got back to Australia my bike here didn't allow for a basket on the handle bar so he got a basket on the carrier behind me instead. He liked both ways of travel, I preferred having him in the basket in fromt of me - better communication possibilities

Do you know where the photo is taken? Which country? Berger des Pyrenees a Poil Long or Pyrenean Herdingdog for the one to the left.

There are a few good walks in the escarpment between Bulli pass and Mt Ousley. This is also a popular area for off road bike riders, the motorised bikes you can hear long before they are close to you, the push bike riders you don't know about until they are right on your back. Lots of wallabys, echidnas and deer in the escarpment, I have also seen some goats there. Oh and of course ticks, so tick prevention for your dog is a must.

thanks that site is very helpful You would be better of looking up or contacting MAF NZ, AQIS only have the information of what is required to import a dog to Australia, MAF can tell you about the requirements for importing a dog to NZ from Australia or any other country. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, NZ. I am sure can find it if you use Google. When you transport a dog by air you pay for volume and weight. You need to know the exact size of the crate the dog will fly in as well as the weight of the dog+crate and any bedding if the dog has any bedding in the crate. If you have this information the airline/freight company can give you an accurate prize.

If puppy is asleep the legs belonging to the puppy will also be asleep :D But seriously: Your puppy might sleep in a position restricting blood supply to her leg/s.

The information I found stated that they are banned in official competition not for general use. The info you found is wrong. I am Norwegian, I know the rules. Perhaps you yourseld mis-understood the rules. I googled them just before I posted, to make sure they hadn't changed. I'm sure you appreciate that it's not easy to find information on these laws - I've been searching all afternoon and haven't found anything to support prong collars being 100% illegal in the countries mentioned. I'm not saying you are wrong, but the information is not readily available or easy to access. Anyway - as per my previous post. Whether prongs are banned in places outside of VIC is quite irrelevant to the big picture. Sorry, didn't mean to sound harsh. I do understand that it's difficult to find info on it, as I googled the same thing last night and found nothing. Earlier today I googled in Norwegian and found more useful info. Huski I understand you want as many tools as possible available to all of us for training/assisting/guiding/correcting/use-any-word-you-see-fit our dogs. One day any of us might own a dog who will be best helped by us using something less "conventional". Victoria has taken the stand to ban prong collars. Victoria is not the only place prong collars are seen as undesired. Sweden and Norway has taken the stand to ban the use of prong collars on dogs (not illegal to sell in either country), wouldn't surprise me if the other Nordic countries are the same. Until your Swedish and Norwegian is more fluent you just have to trust that Fuzzy82 and LisaJ not only have the language and research skills they are also honest in relaying the latest information. You find a lot of good information and research papers if you are multi lingual. The common choke chain causes more damage to dogs than the prong collar. I can't remember if I saw that research paper in English or German. Your original post has generated a lot of replies. That is GREAT!!! Dog training isn't one-size-fits-all - dog or trainer. Most of us have a preferred one though.

;) Really? Thanks for letting me know, can you direct me to some more information? Victoria is not the only place on earth with prong collar bans. Here is a link - not in English http://www.djurskyddet.se/media/17084/hundhalsband.pdf Google translation can be great, often hilarious and frequently "up the wall" . Lots of back packers in Qld who can assist with translation I am sure. Come on, I can't read that and from the sounds of it neither can you. You said above there are entire countries that have banned prong collars, if that's true, surely it would not be difficult to provide a list of which countries have done so. ;) I have absolutely no problem understanding every word in the linked document, I am sure you can read it however the comprehension might leave a few sections up in the air. ;) The ban of prong collar use on dogs have been in place in Sweden for a very long time - decades. The entire Sweden - not just one province/state/area/landskap of the country. So - Victoria, Australia is not the only place with a ban of prong collar use on dogs.

Only in Victoria (the only place in the world, AFAIK, that has banned them). FYI There are places - actually entire contries ;) where the use of prong collars on dogs is banned. Really? Thanks for letting me know, can you direct me to some more information? Victoria is not the only place on earth with prong collar bans. Here is a link - not in English http://www.djurskyddet.se/media/17084/hundhalsband.pdf Google translation can be great, often hilarious and frequently "up the wall" . Lots of back packers in Qld who can assist with translation I am sure.

Have you asked the Vet you use for your animals. Some years ago when I needed a heatmat at short notice our Vet was happy to lend me one.

Only in Victoria (the only place in the world, AFAIK, that has banned them). FYI There are places - actually entire contries ;) where the use of prong collars on dogs is banned.

Good that you got the wound seen to WoofnHoof. The canines (teeth) can tear muscels and cause damage you don't see initially. The vet who stitched up my dog (after meeting with big cranky dog) 20something years ago told me this. I hope the vet visit didn't hurt too much - in the wallet

Herd immunity is an unproven idea. Much reduction in disease over the years can be equally attributed to better care, nutrition and hygiene. Vaccinated dogs can and do still die of Parvo. Just like people wearing seat belts can and still do die in car accidents.

There may be a risk both ways - to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. ;) Somebody old and wise once said: "It is those who vaccinate who protects those who doesn't." I don't ever want to see any dog with distemper or parvo, least of all any my own dogs. I titre test and the Vet we use is very supportive, and very interested in the results. Titre testing over 5 yrs in a multi dog household gives him lots of information.

I am sure you saw this paragraph of the standard too: Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. And these paragraphs (also from the standard) that - to me - makes them such special and lovely dogs to live with: Characteristics: Appearance and expression denote a watchful, alert, energetic dog. Temperament: Friendly, active, eager to please. Cheers

Hi Roguedog Here is a link to the ANKC breed standard for Swedish Vallhund http://www.ankc.org.au/Breed_Details.aspx?bid=153. Troy has copied it in "Breed 101". Since you will be showing your bitch in Australia not much need to read up on the FCI breed standard. Have fun Cheers

White paw or paws ok. Quote from ANKC standard: white markings are acceptable, but never in excess of one-third of total colour. and quote from FCI standard i.e. standard from country of origin: White is permitted to a small extent as a narrow blaze, neck spot or slight necklace. White markings are permitted on chest, fore-and hindlegs, but white socks may not extend above upper half of leg. Edited cause I had to go looking for exact wording used in Swedish standard and other FCI countries. Cheers

Lhok Swedish Vallhunds have active and inquisitive minds, they love to be around people and in particular their owner/s. Anything new must be investigated and they like to "supervise" their human/s in most tasks the human/s engage in. They can also be taught to "help" by staying put on their mat/bed or where ever you think their "help" is needed. Some Sw Vallhunds have a bigger thirst for action and interaction than others. In the country of origin it is a very popular breed with people in or close to retirement age. Mature age people in Sweden are just like mature age people in Australia, some active and some not so active. Talk to some breeders, get to meet a few different dogs. No matter where you are I am sure the meeting of dogs can be organised (might take a bit of effort and time though). If you and your husband decide this is the breed for you the breeder will help you find the puppy with the right temperament for your family. When you get a puppy you shape it from day one to understand and be content with the routine in your household. Cheers

Roguedog What do you want to know about the Swedish Vallhund standard? I have good knowledge of the standard we use in Australia as well as the standard used in country of origin. Cheers

None of my dogs are "certified" therapy dogs, they just know (with some guidance from me) how to behave when we visit my elderly neighbours and friends. We have a few friends who are well into their eighties, a visit from my boys and girls is always appreciated. My dogs also visit people with special needs, they are always "considerate" and gentle in their approach, it seems like they take cues from the person they are interacting with how much of the devil within they can unleash. Some of the people my dogs visit have what most think of as unusual behaviours. Many years ago at one of the state royals I got talking to a young boy (about 11ish), on the way to the doggy toilet we stopped to let him pass and he wanted to know what breed my dog was, his name, how old etc, etc. I could see he was itching to give my dog a huge cuddle so I asked if he wanted the dog to jump up in his lap (the boy was in a wheelchair). Yes he would like that. My dog jumped up and landed soft as a cat in his lap. The boy was beaming and my dog melted into his arms, looking so at home. After some minutes the boys mum reminded him that they had a lot they wanted to see at the show, maybe he should let the dog get down. When he continued on I heard him tell his mum "This is the BEST EVER show I have been to." Made me feel the same way actually. This is the same dog who went 8-900 meters out in a paddock and brought back a herd of 30 something young cows to me when we visited friends in the country. No training, no instructions from me. Just a calm and confident dog, proud of himself after the job was done. Had I only had a more competative nature he could have collected a few more agility titles. I like to train but competition is not my passion.

That is an amusing clip. Danish flags on the benchtop in the background. The dog on the right is a Broholmer, a Danish breed. Not all that meny of them in Denmark and of course even fewer outside it's country of origin. Nice dog from what I have heard.

As far as I know Sweden is not an "advanced" country when it comes to A.I. and frozen semen. The Swedish Canine kennel club's regulations are not particularly pro A.I. or frozen semen. So no real incentive to be up there with the latest or greatest nor opportunity to get a huge amount of experience. IF I considered importing frozen semen from Sweden I would do some thorough research on their collection/freezing methods, success rate etc, etc. Possibly even have the dog collected when/if he travel for show/recreation to another country where frozen semen is more common. Even if it is "just" semen you are importing the cost still climb high quickly and you want to have the odds in your favour.

Q1 Look up Wollongong City Council's website for off leash dog beaches/places, there are arial photos of all the places and you can judge if the proximity to roads etc is what you and your dog is comfortable with. What is your dog's recall like? What if a rabbit is about - Little Austi beach is a rabbit beach, well actually not on the beach itself but in surounding bushes and shrubs. Q2 Lots of ticks, some kind of tick prevention is strongly recommended. Give one of the local Vets a call and ask how many tick patients they have had in the last week, that will give you an indication.

Blueboy Look in Yellow Pages, call the boarding kennel/s and arrange a visit. Ask questions of importance to you and your dog. Will your dog be running with dogs s/he doesn't know? Feeding? What? How often? Grooming? If breed of frequent grooming. Vet attention if required? Anything else you think is of importance. Personally I prefer a boarding kennel where I am welcome to see how my dog will live whilst s/he is boarded. Not all boarding kennels allow you to visit the kennel area. Good luck finding a place you are happy with.