stonecutter

Thanks Mila's mum :) Speaking at council can be full of perils as you get a time limit then they cut you off - I've seen an important issue impacted by poor speakers I'm sure the speakers will do an excellent job - hopefully the councillors will listen (I've seen nose picking, talking to other councillors, talking with other council staff and playing on phones while people have been speaking about a motion

If anyone is going to the meeting and would like to speak - you need to be at the Council chambers at least 30 min prior to register. If you just want to attend, you don't have to be there that early. I'll be lobbying my local councillor - I strongly encourage others to do the same :)

It doesn't matter how much you love this bitch and how good her temperament may be, she may not have the conformation to be a brood bitch. Why would you de sex on vets say so when the vet may not be fully qualified to diagnose this condition. Maybe if you told us how this bitch has been fed we may be able to help you more as diet plays a big part in the bone development. :) You can't show her in neuter class!!!! She has a fault that without repair would be disqualifyable. That means that you have surgically altered the dog to make it be able to show, against the rules and ethically wrong. Im really sorry for you, you are going to have to come to the same realisation that we did with our bitch that had the same problems. She too was bought as a foundation bitch, and we were devastated when it occured, but you have to come to terms with the fact that her show career no matter what class is OVER, as is breeding her, and as you are getting her desexed you are being responsible and realise this. We have known of situations where a responsible breeder has replaced dogs that have the same issues, and your breeder may do the same, and give you the chance of your breeding and showing dreams, but with this bitch its game over. I'm only new to showing - is it the part in the Diseases and Abnomalities (Section 17 in the Dogs NSW rules on shows) that says "normal development" that this is covered under? (where you mentioned it is against the rules) It explicitly talks about contagious diseases but nothing like this. Does this mean that every exhibitor should be able to produce a certificate that the dog is clear if it is common in the breed?

Melstar - I definitely recommend getting a specialist opinion. And regarding tests - my girl came from parents who are both grade 0, no problems with grandparents or other offspring - but Ziva has a mild case of LP. After doing an extensive family tree - I found a bitch whose siblings had very bad LP and have passed it on (I think I went back 4 generations). So sometimes it's just bad luck - thankfully we never wanted to breed, so after she got her Ch title, we had her desexed. But Z's breeder definitely wanted to know.

Thanks Bjelkier :) I thought we were a reasonable distance back, but maybe my eyes were deceiving me :)

Thanks Rebanne :) We've only been showing for 9 months and it's never come up before.

Can someone clarify the ettiquette of dogs around the ring? We were at a specialty show over Easter to cheer on a friend and take photographs. So when it was time, we set up about 2m from the ring rope. My dog was lying on the ground in the deep grass, facing away from the ring chewing on a stick. While we were watching - an exhibitor pointed at me, then gestured that I needed to move further away from the ring - mouthing "move the small dog". The exhibitor looked quite angry. We moved back another 2m, Ziva then laid back down and kept chewing on the stick. Some other exhibitors told me I shouldn't have moved, it was the exhibitor's job to keep the attention of their dog in the ring and my dog wasn't doing anything to draw attention to herself. We've been at all breeds shows where I've seen plenty of dogs around the ring - so I wasn't sure on what the correct ettiquette is. Can anyone shed some light on this?

This is called "topping and tailing" and is quite common in many breeds. Many, possibly most, American Cocker handlers do it. Also, if you watch many breeds, their handlers will use their tails to make them "pull into" a stack and then maintain tail pressure to encourage them to lean into their fronts to give the illusion of a good topline. Thanks ellz - none of the dogs ever looked distressed or even bothered by it :)

I've often seen Lhasas and Shitzu's adjusted by holding the head and tail when on the table and stacked on the ground.

Thanks Poodlemum :) I think I'll be bringing more gear to the royal than usual shows :laugh: Is it ok to bring foldup chairs? I'm bringing my grooming box, trolley, a chair to sit on and an esky with food (all stacked in my trolley or on top of it!)

450mm x 190mm I think. I made mine A4

Do you need a special ticket to park in this carpark? I am going to help a friend show, but we are arriving from Brisbane at 7:30am and going straight to the Royal. Is this a general public carpark, or is this just the exhibitor one? Thanks. Exhibitor parking had to be pre-booked and paid with your entries I believe. There is also public parking that must be pre-booked at least 7 days in advance according to the website http://www.eastershow.com.au/info/parking.aspx

What day are you on? If you like you can drop by and borrow Ziva's (as long as we get it back for Tue 10th)

Ziva's is done :) I spent a few hours on photoshop and was thoroughly confused - 3 emails and less than 30 min later and my cousin (who is graphic designer for a living) was on the case and voila! Big thanks to WhiskedAway for a look at some samples that Ziva's is based on

Thanks Jumabaar and Nevafollo! I was very confused :) Rebelsquest - I'm not sure about entry before 9am. What time do people recommend turning up to the grounds? Is it a slow process to unpack cars and then move inside? I'll have 1 trolley, 2 dogs. Another question for the experts - I'm transporting a dog in that belongs to another exhibitor/breeder - so he's not on my bench slip. Will I have any trouble getting him in? He's entered & would be listed on the exhibitor's sheet?

Poor Panda hope he recovers quickly - Ziva sends spitzy bops :)

Tickets can be bought at the gate. Check with your workplace union (if you have one) - mine is selling tickets adult $31.50 (usually $36) and all others at a discount (except seniors). I think I'll need to buy an extra ticket for hubby since I've only entered one dog.

We walk/run in the dark - but if I'm feeling lazy - we spend a good 5-10 minutes in the backyard with a flirt pole and Ziva is pooped! :laugh: Bought mine from K9Pro :)

I believe there's a washing station at Rouse Hill Town Centre - but I'm not sure it's big enough for wolfhounds

Thanks Ellie :)

Great question Elise - same one I had and am very curious about :)

Hi all - does anyone have any info on the conditions of the grounds at Camden Ag Show? I've heard the grounds are not fabulous at the best of times, but with the rain we've had, I'm wondering if it's become a mud pit.

What about companion dogs? The Jap Spitz was bred as a companion and house dog, thought to have originated from the grosse spitz that, from memory, barked to alert of incoming people towards their home. My dog certainly does that! :laugh:

Curious about this, how would she manage if you had leave her in a boarding kennel or in hospital at the Vets? I'm not sure. She'll be going to a boarding kennel when we go on a month's holiday later in the year. I figure she'll get hungry enough and get used to a new way of feeding :laugh: She is happy staying with friends or people she's met before - so hopefully it doesn't cause too much of a problem. We've got an appointment to meet the lady that runs the kennel so that it doesn't create too much of a shock.

I must have the only dog that does the opposite. Ziva was hand fed by us as a puppy as part of her training, and is used to taking food from the hand. So she won't just eat food unless she's working for it :laugh: She also won't eat out of our sight. I can leave her a bone when I'm at the office for 10hrs on a particular day. She'll hide it somewhere until I come home and will only eat it in front of me. Is this strange?