JRG

trim the hair off from his belly (if he has any) and where the pee hits. IMO it is the hair that retains the smell

The Purina Pet Life ones were freebies with two bags of food not all that long ago. Very easy to fold up and carry. Can double up as a trampoline if necessary!!

one of my favourate baby pictures. Pat setting off for his forever home

I have an old girl who will be 14 in May and has been partially paralysed since she was 18 months old. She has no feeling in her back legs and finds it hard to balance herself when she is stationary but she still keeps plodding on and is an inspiration to everyone who knows her. Here she is with her family - daughter, grand-daughter and great-grand-daughter taken just 6 months ago

I have done this for a long time and have had no problems with health and happiness. I do notice that as the dogs get to 12+ years old, they tend to find the unsoaked kibble more difficult to eat but I think that is a problem of old age rather than the mixture of food.

Rubyroo - don't want to upset you , but what exactly is the trial Club proposing to do? In Victoria if numbers have been quite small, we have often had the Novice and the Restricted judged by the same person. Not sure how they organise it but I am sure TSD can tell us.

Always good to hear how pups you breed are getting on. I love the photos of the pup and the family growing up and it's even better when someone contacts and says "I was brought up with one of your dogs, now I am married and would like one for my family"

I just tried Natures Gift "Nourish" Kangaroo and mixed vegetables. Not seen it before - it says it is "semi moist. Soft and Chewy" Spy ate it straight away - almost unheard of!

I always reply in the same vein : "Thank you for your interest in. . . . . . . Depends what pups you want."

I think that dogs do not recognise dogs of a different colour as dogs, and certainly, as Mrs RB says, things that are different- people wearing hats or flapping coats etc upset them Maybe she thinks that spaniels have no legs because their legs are white etc who knows what the world looks like from a dog's perspective.

I agree with you Juice, BUT the OP has to start somewhere, and, if she wants to do well in the show ring, she would be advised to at least start by taking a look at the type of spaniel that is currently winning

If you go to the home page of DOL you will find links to Breed Points Score competitions from previous years. Have a look at them and see who has been winning in the ring recently. Find the dog(s) you like and start from there!!

I had a spaniel bitch that used to see ghosts. It was very spooky as she would watch them walk across the room and reach out with her nose to sniff their aura as they passed. She could also tell you exactly where visitors had been, if they had sat in a chair etc without ever seeing them She used to freak me out at first but I got used to her in the end and thought that she just had en exceptional nose as she was a super working/hunting dog.

Practical advice needed? Mine would be - wear your old clothes and get up and personal with the adult dogs as well as the pups. It is always tricky when people come as a family to see pups, I really like the adults to come without the children first so that I can talk to them and let them see the positives and the negatives of owning a spaniel before the children get all excited over the pups. Agree with the others - not a good idea to go with the computer matching service and definitely see as many adults and pups of all ages before you commit to anything.

We use the SnuggleSafe heat disc which can be heated in the microwave. Not soft and snuggly but not chewable and a good temperature all night. They last for years and you can even use them yourself!!

Pay a visit to your local Op Shop - a lot of children's toys do not have squeakers (health and safety) and, at the op shop, are much cheaper than dog toys. Choose the ones that do not have tiny plastic pellets for stuffing or "hard" eyes. You will be able to discard if necessary without breaking the budget and can afford to replace them every week

Nothing that squeaks here either!

Thanks TSD Go Em! keep squeezing through the cat door just to stir things up!

gremlins - sorry no video

One little black cocker pup + one cat

I suppose it would be possible to get an odd one with what would in effect be spina bifida. The spaniel that I saw (in NZ) had no movement in it's tail, just a 'blob' - a bit like a Manx cat tail

If it was a person you were referring too, I would say cramp of the short muscles in the foot particularly since it goes away when you stretch out the toes.

I use them sometimes. Need to make sure that the bed has "legs" ie is up off the floor so that they do not sweat. I also got more holes put in the base to allow the bedding to breath otherwise they become very damp very quickly.

I have two - if you need them just PM me We are about an hour away from Werribee

My understanding of the situation is that the puppies must be registered by the person who is the registered owner of the dam on the day the pups are born, in the State of residence of that person and in that person's prefix. That is, if I am the registered owner of a bitch that whelps in NSW, I have to register the pups in my kennel name in my State (ie Victoria). I am technically the owner of the pups and no other person can register the litter.