stonecutter

I hoped to see the mats at Spring Fair today - but not there - will have to check again tomorrow

Oooh nice - I might have to pop down Friday so I can get a look before we show on Sunday

Does she get play time with you in her doggy yard to she knows it's a good place? Is there fun stuff to do? I started by hiding treats around the dog run, now we have a sand pit that has treats dug in when we go out.

Wow that is a large yard When pup is old enough - is the plan to fence off part of the yard so she can have an outside area during the day? I'd be worried about the parvo risk in any yard or grassed area until she's had her 2nd vacc (unless you can be sure the area is safe)

Would a registered breeder/exhibitor allow the use of their stud dog for someone who just was after a pet? I wonder if the bitch was mains registered? All seems a bit crazy!

Alec - I can't answer the first - but a question about your 2nd - is the yard secured and fenced? How does the stray dog get in?

Congrats!!!

Is there a DOL signal/secret code word to identify other DOLers? We'll be there Sat to watch agility and Sun to show.

Do you have a gazebo? If not, you should be able to get an undercover spot in the big shed (so I've been told) I'm not showing on Sat but we are going to the double show at EP on Sunday - glad we have a gazebo with walls - hopefully it won't be too rainy

There has just been a huge discussion on this matter here

From what I can see, pembrokes aren't in the Spitz group under FCI http://www.fci.be/nomenclature.aspx

Alec - she should hopefully grow out of the tear stains - most JS do

Alec - 1.5 cups a day sounds like quite a lot - is this what your breeder recommended? As a guide, Ziva ate about 3/4 C per day until she was about 4 months old - now she gets 1/2 C and 1 small chicken neck (it's also a premium kibble, which you often feed less of)

Thanks oakway - we have seen Peter Schofield before (doggy muscle/tendon guy) I will give him a call on Monday and book an appointment

Home from the vet - after a thorough check there doesn't seem to be any bone or tendon damage - just a soft tissue injury. So no long walks (we ususally do a 20 minute walk in the morning and 35 minutes in the evening, on both footpaths and grassed areas) - she doesn't need to be crated but is on something similar to neurofen for dogs. They said to give her one table of the anti-inflammatory for 4 days, if she's still limping then we'll need to bring her in for an x-ray. I have no idea how it happened - she runs like crazy in the backyard - sometimes playing fetch she actually bowls herself over

Thanks all! After only seeing it after she woke up from a long nap, I saw it again today after a play session in the backyard where she was chasing a ball. Afterwards she was definitely limping and staying off her left front leg/paw. We'll be off to the vet tomorrow to get it checked out.

Hi all I've noticed just recently that when my pup gets up from a long sleep, she sometimes limps a little - like one of her legs has fallen asleep - is this possible? After about a minute of walking around her movement is fine and I haven't seen the limp at any other time.

Welcome Alec! She looks adorable Our girl also had tear staining at 8 weeks, though when she came home at 12 weeks it was gone. I've read about ACV - tried putting a drop in Ziva's water but she just wouldn't drink any. Apparently feeding tomato paste also works (though I haven't tried it myself) I was also told to stay away from feeding beef as that is meant to make things worse. Feel free to drop into the JS/Samoyed thread

Can someone correct me if I'm wrong, is this anthropomorphic behaviour? (ie stating that dogs need "love") I love my dog, but I cannot guarantee that my dog feels love for me. I know she feels bonded to me (as the one who provides food, shelter and play time) - but is that the same thing? I know there's been threads on anthropomorphising dogs before - perhaps that is what drives the "small number of litters" idea? We're considering dogs to be like humans?

Are you going to puppy pre-school? Ziva is fearless when it comes to meeting new dogs - but some pups who were a bit timid, after the 4-6 weeks were quite confident in meeting adult dogs.

Why would they be more expensive? I've seen people who breed 'for the pet market'only who charge an arm and a leg for crap quality pups when the ethical breeders are charging much less. Some breeders may take advantage of limited supply by increasing prices to match demand - not all of course. And I am asking about responsible people who breed good quality, not 'crap quality', pups. I don't wish to offend anyone, I am genuinely trying to understand. I personally have never bred, or intend to breed any puppies, so I am not running any personal agenda, but I am wanting to purchase a well bred, healthy puppy in the next couple of weeks. Bjelkier - rahrah summed up what my thoughts might be - that for some (not all) economic theory would win out. But you're correct - a lot of JS pups in pet shops/trading post are the same price or more than from a registered breeder.

Hmm - good point - I hadn't even considered that. Thanks - I did not know this

Thanks Miss B

So, if you are an ANKC registered breeder, then breeding primarily for the pet market or to make a profit is an unethical practice, regardless of the size of the breeding operation. Thanks Allerzeit - how does the ANKC actually enforce this? How do they determine if someone is breeding primarily for the purpose of improving quality? I see deregistration of prefixes in the monthly gazette - but no explanation of why. Could this particular piece of the code be actually encouraging puppy farmers and BYBs?

Following on from this topic http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/224391-breeder-or-farmer/ I was debating with someone the validity of larger scale registered breeders. The previous topic had plenty of interesting POVs with the care and health of any animals being bred being of utmost importance. The person I was debating with stated that breeding should only happen for the "betterment of the breed" - but who decides that? To really be breeding for the betterment of the breed, should an expert decide? Would each breeder only be allowed to breed their best bitch? "Betterment of the breed" seems to have so many different interpretations. If that means a limited number of pups produced - would this push some dog buyers looking for a pet only more towards BYBs and puppy farmers? Would it be better to have some breeders who have a larger scale operation (for example, they might not work and raise pups full-time) who are registered and covered by ANKC and state-body rules? And therefore subject to their rules and regulations? If a breeder is raising pups for mostly the pet market (those people who currently buy from a BYB or pet shop) - and bitches and pups are well looked after, they see a reputable breeders vet for health checks, pups raised in a home environment and the breeder is "full service" (takes back pups for whatever reason their owner wants to surrender them, is happy to consult on behavioural or health issues, is ready to take a pup out of a home if they are unhappy with how they are looked after, etc) - but on a larger scale (for example, more than 10 litters a year, but within ANKC breeding ethical guidelines) - is there a problem? Is this person a BYB? People also talked about breeding "for profit" - what if breeding in this way (on a larger scale) provides the person a basic standard of living? Not swanning around in a new car or designer duds? I ask because many Jap Spitz pups are turning up on Gumtree and pet shops from BYBs (and also Chevromist PF) - is it preferable to have a registered breeder with health tested animals and bound by ANKC/state operate on a larger scale? (Obviously some will state that the best option is for only small family based kennels/breeding as stated in the original topic I linked - but I would appreciate opinions on BYB/PF vs larger scale registered breeder)