freundhund

Both the Petbarns in Alexandria have gone downhill, they do not stock the range of products that they used too. I am glad to see that I am not the only one complaining about their lack of stock. I have also sent them a couple of letters in desperation but haven't had the curtesy of a reply! So if any one knows a reasonable petshop in the inner west I would also like to know of it. Thanks

The shortage of Rabies vaccine is due to the Australia and New Zealand governments being asked to provide all available vaccine to Indonesia to help as people are dying due to an extreme rabies outbreak. Rabies vaccine apparently takes a while to produce, apparently stock is sent to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the Northern Hemisphere's summer when the rabies level drops there. Also the number of laboratories licence to produce rabies vaccination is limited, as all rabies vaccines have to be protected from become "biological weapons". The research my daughter has been doing has also been held up due to the shortage of rabies vaccinations, this is why I am lucky to have the information.

Hi Brennan's Mum What you are doing isss great but what a lot of people tend to forget is that dogs brush against walls. So every 3 months I get very brave and use Sugar Soap (available in Coles or Woolworths or Bunnings) to wash the walls down with. I only wash from about waist high down as I have GSD's and this helps eliminate the last of the smells. I also wipe down the front of all the wooden furniture the dogs walk past as well. Hoe this additional tip works for you. Cheers

The German Shepherd Dog League of NSW is pleased to announce that their merchandising for the 2011 National is now available. Please visit the Link below. German Shepherd National 2011 Merchandising.

So far mine have ignored the citronella collars which go on before they are put out for a loo stop.

Could be Ian Erskine, Ffiona from Ffire photographers, husband. Try contacting Ffiona at Ffirephotography I will send you her mobile privately. Ffiona is a fantastic photographer and I know she showed her Weimaraner at Hillsborough on the weekend.

LOL, I have a backyard, with 6'+ Colourbond fencing around it. My guys have just decided to bark at the cat that saunters along the nextdoor flat roof deliberately taunting the dogs. What frustrates me is dogs go for two, one hour walks a day, plus go out for obedience training, up the street for a coffee walk ie I go and have a coffee at the coffee shop, up the street to go to the shops. Out for a drive in the car, of to the beach for a swim, lots of time with me doing things. BUT The minute I put my guys out for a loo stop they start barking at this cat. I have tried spraying the cat with water but I am at my wits end, this has been going on for the last week. So sorry to hyjack the thread but please could someone make some suggestions.

I am concerned also about how rescue operations choose applicants and suitable dogs. Yesterday when I went to training, there was an incredible agressive Chihuahua, to the point it was lunging and snapping at people and dogs!!!! If it had been a GSD, Rotti, Malinois, Dobe, Flat Coated Retriever or any other of the large breeds it would not have been rehomed. My next issue was that the person who had "rescued this dog" was herself so extremely aggressive she was not helping her dog at all with her own behaviour. I got screamed at and told I didn't understand that this was "a rescue dog", and that it hadn't had the nice, "priviledged" upbringing that my own dog had had. As far as I am concerned someone with this persons temperament and behavioural issues should not have been allowed to adopt, and the dog should not have been adopted out either. I was concerned that a child at the obedience club could potential be bitten by this dog.

Hi to everyone living in the Marrickville NSW Council area. Henson Park has been for a long time a dog friendly park, it is only used in Winter by a football club. However, Marrickville Council was looking to make this park designated official off leash dog park. Henson Park is a very large fully fenced park which is absolutely great for dogs. The meeting on when the council votes will be sometime in the next 2 months, there is no official date as yet. Council has been advised by the football group that they are not happy with the park being designated an off leash park due to the amount of dog poo left by dog walkers. (Not happy that some people are not picking up.) So if you live in the Marrickville area could you please fill out the questionaire that is on the council website. see right hand side. Marrickville Council Questionaire Also please send NICE, POLITE letters to the council person in your ward encouraging them to vote infavour of Henson Park becoming an off leash park. Many thanks to all those that can assist in a positive manner.

One thing that I feel needs to be mention, some bitches can have strictures just inside their vulva's. I would recommend you have your bitch checked by a vet to make sure she doesn't have a stricture. If she has a stricture it possibly might need to be nicked so your girl can be mated. Basically as I understand it a stricture in a bitch is somewhat like a hymen in a woman that is hard to break, the male's penis is not strong enough to break the hymen and it requires a vet. Good luck with your breeding.

I gather Rocky is not desexed? Which is great as he needs his hormones to complete his growth, however, I believe that he is now of an age where his hormones are starting to come into play and Rocky believes he needs to raise his position in the pack hirachy, (not on). Being in WA if you can contact Honey Gross-Richardson who is involved and has had GSD's for 30+ years she is a very experienced person and could possibly put you in touch with or help you with sorting Rocky's issues out. I have to agree with everyone who has suggested professional advice, as the scenario's need to be looked at by an oursider who can read the body languages or all parties involved both 2 and 4 legged. All the best in sorting out Rocky's issues in the future.

I am horrified at the thought of people not being allowed near my puppies until they are 6 weeks of age. I have always allowed visitors at the whelping, last whelping I had about 15 people including 6 teenage girls in the kitchen watching the whelping. The 6 teenage girls were there specifically, I had rang their mothers to let them know that their daughters could come and watch. (Whelping had been discussed as part of sex education to them.) My vet dropped in for a coffee, mothers stayed for a while before leaving their daughters, other friends called in, my bitch was very happy to have the company, my other dogs came in and out of the house as usual. Over the years I have had 10 bitches and never ever had a problem with them having visitors during and post whelping, in fact I have found that a number of my bitches have wanted to show their puppies of to visitors racing out to the visitors tail wagging and racing back to the whelping box looking over their shoulder to make sure they are being followed. For me the socialization factor for the puppies far out ways the worries of germs being brought into the house and infecting the puppies. I have also had a visiting bitch in season for a mating with a litter of puppies, mum didn't worry and the visiting bitch didn't have an issue with the puppies. Good luck with your decision either way with how you raise your puppies.

From my understanding the pseudo narcotics have to be imported from the USA or Germany, under licence. As far as I am aware the only people in NSW that have these pseudo narcotics are the Police Dog Squad and the Customs Dogs Squad. Sorry I cannot help you with any other information.

Last time I got a male rabbit desexed it was at Sydney Uni, they had a vet visiting from England and he offered to desex my boy as a lecture. Last year my friend had her rabbit desexed this time an American visiting vet. Apparently rabbit desexation is not actually in the curriculum and Australian vets are not routinely taught to desex rabbits due to rabbits still considered a pest. So as a previous member has said you do need to ring around or find out if Sydney Uni will desex your rabbit for you.

Congratulations on the arrival of your new born. Now wait until you are away from the baby (who is supposed to be sleeping)you are in another room when the baby wakes up and cries, if your boy is like mine he won't let you ignore the crying baby. You will have to check it because your dog will become the world's biggest nag. Mum can't you hear the baby, mum, mum as you are nudged and cajolled into the baby's room to stop it crying by your new four footed nanny.

Hi ash&elar As an obedience and show person, a lot of show dogs have very little training. The dogs only know what you see in the show ring run around on a tight show lead and to stand. I have found that sometimes show dogs don't evern really react to their names. What I would do would be to train her as if she was an 8 week old puppy and start right back at the basics, you will find you will progress faster with your girl as she will think, but pretend she knows nothing it is so much easier. Good luck with your girl's training.

This is a topic my gynacologist, a couple of other doctors and I have talked about for hours. Normally we talk about this when my friend the gynacologist rings me and says "I had another woman come in today and ask about the dog/cat and when she has the new baby, I gave her your phone number. Can you give her the TALK". I have a talk that I then give to pregnant women about how to bring up the dog/cat with the new baby. Now to answer your question, I don't know how common it is but I see a lot of it. I think it would/could be a good anthropological<sp> study. I also feel that in years gone by that men could see a woman's nuturing ability with how see was in a tribe or a village and that nuturing an animal in today society has taken place of nuturing other children in a tribe/village. I don't see this as guys realising that this is what is happening or women either, I think that it is part of our makeup/chemistry/brain/hormone but it appears to be something a lot of couples almost need to do. Hope that makes sense.

I am another one with Ellz, I would suggest you contact your kennel control and ask for a list of solicitors who are interested in dog cases. This helps as normal solicitors, ie OH are not really up on dog law etc. Also a letter from a solicitor normally sorts the wheat from the chaff, ie those that are trying things on to see what they can get out of you!!!

Yes, microchips come out in newly done puppies, my vet had to microchipp one of my puppy's in the surgery 4 times before the chip stayed in the puppy. The microchip popped out, straight away, by the time we had done the whole litter, we rescanned and found this puppy had lost the microchip. Another dog I own has its microchip in its elbow. I was at a talk on the weekend given by a vet, who told us it is illegal for a vet to double chip a dog, there is a large fine!!! Also the vet commented that quite a few dogs lose their microchips. Please advise your puppy buyer that microchips do fall out as puppies play and mouth each other.

My boy is a 35 kilo GSD. He just pushed and pushed against it for some reason, never did this in his Vari crate. I also have the black wire crates that I have brought from the show buses/vans which he has never bent, but the Savic for some reason bent at the front door, and the base as well.

Flat collar for walking to and from the park Check chain for basic obedience A German metal show collar with windpipe curve for show training A tracking Harness for when we practise tracking No lead when we walk the bush track, but I always have a lead in my hands in case of people on the track or aggressive dogs.

Hi Sticks I wouldn't get your boy desexed until 15-18 months. I am attaching a link to a site that gives a lot of reasons for older desexation. Reasons for later desexing. Basically there were studies carried out in Europe and the USA in the 1980's and 1990's which showed that dogs desexed around 15-18 months were more mature mentally due to having correct progestrone levels in their brain. Dogs desexed at around 15 -18 months of age worked better as guide dogs and police dogs. I personally would wait with my own dog until 18 months, but that is because I believe it is better for the dog healthwise.

Hi I was offered a Savic cover when I brought my Savic crate, it was only light weight plastic, like the material used for lightweight plastic shower curtains, I decided againsted it. Not sure how I feel about my Savic crate, I have found that the metal bends very easily. My husband has had to brace the base. The plastic insert cracked and broke very easily. I can only use the side gate as the front gate has had to be permanently attached with D clips as my male GSD was able to barrel straight thru it.

You and only you can really make the decision. This is from someone who replaced her dogs that died when her youngest child was 6 months old, my second child was just 2 and the third was 4. But in saying this all my previous dogs had done competition obedience 2 having achieved UD titles. Also I tended in those days to be fairly organised, not like now days . It tends to depend on you as an individual and how much you feel you need the dog and how you will cope.

Can we add to the list of chewed items, Power bricks still plug into the wall, Ironing cords ( no ironing for a week, this one not to bad) any thing in the way of electrical cords!!!! Lounges Carpets University assignments Text Books Coffee table books (brought back from Europe) Any dog mat (the more expensive the better) We don't discuss leather gloves, still to angry!!! But best of all any toy of twenty plus year old daughter!!!!!!!! Who of course has decided she hates this particular dog!!!