Sometimesnotoften

This is why we have all of our contracts drawn up by a lawyer and signed in front of a JP. Because you never know who will turn on you when you never expected it and try to strip you of the only thing protecting your puppy. You dont have a baby and then offer it up for adoption citing "we sort of knew it would cry but we had no idea it would be THIS bad!" or maybe you do, "we had it under duress, I mean we had the sex and then we were FORCED to have the baby". Shame the pup isn't human, you'd still get your rebate then.

a bit like their " brindle" pugs and their "blue" Weimaraners and their 'silver' labs Goodness what next,Tiger striped Dalmations.Anyway i did have a link to another forum ,but i took it off due to the rules.A person on there was saying that she mated her pure breed Goldens,brother and sister,and all the pups were black.So i guess her dogs had a recessive gene from a flat coat.It was also suggested it was due to the parents being siblings.Would this have anything to do with it,like pupps having a double dose of the recessive gene.Just got me wondering. and the Panda Shepherd

As someone who has been the owner of the dog who has rushed and bitten I would say the best thing to do is complain to the council. Long story as short as possible our dogs were in our front yard with the gate open (SUPERVISED!!! We never have them out free if they are unsupervised). We live on acreage and people often cycle up our road for recreation. Two of the dogs went to chase a bike and were immediately called back, one stopped but the GSD didnt. By the time the OH caught up she was heading home and the bike was gone. The next day our GSD was seized by the council, and we were informed she had bitten him. This had never happened before, she was very well trained but as she aged her general disposition was going south and we had been discussing what we should do with her about it (as obedience training was no longer enough). The bite was bad but not serious. We chose to have the dog was euthanized as a result, and of course we were fined. Honestly I am glad he reported us. Otherwise we would never had known she had digressed to biting and the next time it could have been much more severe, or a child I was horrified she'd bitten in the first place. We made sure he was informed the dog was PTS so he would no longer fear cycling down our road. I think by bringing the council into the equation it takes all fear and risk of personal harm to you and your dog away, it holds the owner of the dog duly responsible and allows them to make a decision on how they will handle their dog in the future. Being confronted by an authority makes them realise it is a SERIOUS issue and not some nag with a dog who needs to harden up or not walk past their garage! We were dealt with very well by the council and were not spoken to badly because our dog had done wrong, but if we had've been arrogant I think it would have been a different story - so often the punishment will fit the crime and the attitude behind it. I think you should still report the Rotty, if not for you but the next person who walks their dog past that shop - they might not be as lucky!

In addition to these questions - I was hoping people would list their dogs/ and or bloodlines they have successfully imported and Reg'd so we can all keep track of bloodlines already in the country. This may aid to keep variance in the lines as more and more people bring dogs over.

Even having to do a rabies jab it is relatively simple. A Vet who is approved by our Government will carry a Rabies Vaccine, a Vet who is not approved won't, from what I found exporting last year. The Vaccine is expensive and expires quickly, so not all vets carry and administer. For those who carry and administer the vaccine they seem somewhat savvy with the paperwork that goes along with it, and if they are not what I have found is that they will make themselves savvy before you arrive. Choose a good Vet that you trust and you should have minimal issues.

Yes! Last year they forgot to put up the barrier in front of us on the second day - a member of the GP walked up to a friends big GSD, pointed her finger right in his face and started yelling at him to sit! She's lucky he's a sweetheart and didn't bite her hand right off! Hehe!

What area of Victoria are you in?

Happy to put my White Swiss hand up if your into the challenge of ONE colour that in pallet terms is not even a colour! Hehe. Your finished portraits are lovely. How much to you charge for the finished product? Would be nice to have one of each dog in the house

This is a really interesting point. I don't like it, during the winter indoor shows there is sometimes barely enough room for the competing dogs let alone add ons. But I did agree that pups from interstate breeders etc, there to visit parents and the like would be a nice exception if the dogs were healthy etc. My thoughts after this weekend of showing have been should "Showies" be forced to pass a basic dog handling course before they can enter there dogs? This is only because I saw two separate incidents of two different exhibitors of different breeds wallop (and I mean really give it a good go) their dogs over the head and more inappropriately the eyes. It was absolutely disgusting behavior by both exhibitors and while one was in reprimand for abhorrent behavior (as a result of a lack of training) the other owner taunted their dog in a disgraceful manner until out of fear it nipped back and then proceeded to belt it over the head and eyes repeatedly. I was appalled. Which brings about the issue of should there be dogmanship training for exhibitors like there are exams for breeders?

I am interested to know how PennHip is perceived by the general public? Has anyone used ONLY PennHip on their pups and had an adverse reaction by the public, not understanding how to interpret the scores? And also when explaining the system to people, do they question the integrity of the comparative system? Having worked in a Vet clinic the medical opinion seems to value PennHip results much higher then conventional HD/ED scoring (unless it is repeated every 2 years of life of a breeding bitch - which of course most breeders do not do) however the general response from people does not seem as excited about it. I wonder if this is because it will expose faulty hips moreso and breeders are worried, or because the comparative system is always subject to change and the public dont understand how to interpret the score and are then reluctant to trust them? If you plan to use PennHip do you then make sure you do both systems? I want to use PennHip but am leaning towards the conventional method first and follow up with PennHip - so I can offer both systems of scoring.

Do you know the experience behind Rawlinson? Or can anyone compare the experience behind all afore mentioned testers? I have used AVA and was unimpressed with their testing method (random testers with random experiences) and have been recommended Rawlinson. It is good to hear people have had good results - this bitch is very important so money is not an issue (nor is turn around time so long as it is not unreasonable) I just want to know the expertise of who I use is of a high standard. (I will also follow up with PennHip eventually, however PennHip often needs explaining to those not in the know and is based on a comparative system. Hence why I would use standard hip type scoring initially/ as well)

Hi All, I am involved with Shepherds, however we are reaserching smaller dogs for my step brother in my Fathers home. Do the Spitz shed a lot of hair? And also how are they as a family dog? Any information in regards to temperament etc would be greatly appreaciated. Thanks

I don't see admitting that perhaps a different home might be better for Harper as "giving up". I see it as doing right be the dog. Patricia McConnell once commented that there is no shame in rehoming a dog to a home that suits it better than yours. I think there's a lot of wisdom in that statement. I've said it before but at risk of repeating myself I will say it again. I rehomed a dog when he was 9 years old. I should have rehomed him when he was 6 months old when it was obvious that he was a poor fit for my family, my existing dog and my lifestyle but I was so conditioned to thinking that once my dog, always my dog that I forgot to think about how what I was doing was so wrong for the poor bloody dog. Tigger is a much, much, much happier dog now that he is not mine. Sure when I see him he is happy to see me and not too nervous (he was a seriously nervy dog) BUT he is constantly on the look-out for his real mum. Broke my heart to "admit defeat" and rehome him until the first time I saw him with his new, real, mum and then I realised that I had, finally, done the right thing for him when I found him a new home. That poor dog was truly stressed beyond belief living with me, I was stressed living with him which made him MORE stressed, which made me MORE stressed etc etc etc. When I first read that quote of Patricia McConnell's I was so relieved. Couldnt agree more. There is no shame in moving a dog into a different home if you do it properly (as you have). Doing the right thing by the dog is certainly not giving up. Being abstinent about making a bad situation work is worse on the dogs nerves and your own. People who make a relationship work 'for the kids' dont necessarily do the kids any favors now do they - its all the same. He can most certainly feel your anxiety and its making his own much worse. Your receiving some good advice by people that obviously know you, you are very lucky. Those who know you well may be able to guide you better in finding your true fur partner. Good luck.