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In dallies we only have 2 real choices, and I love both. I will have both one day :D You might get the odd lemon, tri or brindle dally but that's rare in Aus and they aren't bred for. Im a sucker for a merle dog though, specifically aussie sheps. I saw my first ever red merle aussie the other week, I got so excited. It's just an amazing colour configuration. Maybe I like weird patterns. In whippets (which I've looked at a lot because my workmates between them have 3) I prefer solid blue, fawn or parti with no brindling. I do not like brindling really at all. My in laws dog is a staffy x and she's black with brown brindling and I just don't find it appealing at all. The whippets belonging to my workmates are solid blue, blue brindled and fawn brindled. Out of every brindle I've seen, the fawn brindle is the prettiest, but still I prefer the solid every time.

Just want to clarify that Im not importing a dog. As much as i would love to. What I was saying (and I think I didn't explain real well) was that I want to import LUA semen, use it over an aussie bitch and hopefully end up with a LUA bitch to start my kennel with. All of that would be up to chance, as a LUA/HUA mating would result in a 50:50 LUA/HUA split and then the male/female issue. As such, it would be a few years away yet!

Thank you everyone for your input. I only had this thought today at lunch, of importing LUA semen and hopefully having a bitch from said litter. Before today, it was a hope that someone else would do it, now Im determined to do it myself. I had to convince my husband, and myself, that we could make it work and as he has spent about $4000 so far on camera gear for HIS dream, I think that it is only fair that I spend up to the same amount making my dream come true. Im so happy that Dotdashdot kennels may be here sooner than I thought.

I am from Coffs too! Well...Mylestom but I work in coffs and grew up at the jetty.

Hadn't seen her previously, but just had a look. She is gorgeous, especially love her spotting. She is a very different type to the Westminster 2011 dally RuBOB.

Ah that stuff about the 50%/50% I have read somewhere before, that's why I wrote happy to be corrected, because I had a feeling that there was something else. But testing is definitely not hard, couldn't be as difficult as BAER testing (as in, I have to travel 5 or 6 hours north or south to have potential pups tested). I would love a US holiday...hubby does want a US trip for photography too....this could work! I have heard that dallies have a different reputation in the US too. It is strange that blue eyes would be permitted. They are gorgeous, but deafness is prevalent enough to want to avoid anything associated with it. As far as type goes, I feel like a newbie. I know what I like when looking at a dog, though I feel that there are definitely others that are much more experienced and would call upon them for opinion. Cleo has a LOT of the American lines in her, at least on her sire's side anyway. Can't remember coming across a UK champ at all.

is it easy to test for LUA? Dogs are either born LUA (low uric acid) or not. Until the pointer backcross many years ago, all dallies were high uric acid and this leads to stones. The only boys I could use would have to be descendents of the backcross project. As far as I know (happy to be corrected) all offspring from a LUA dog will be LUA. (That's what I get out of this study anyway, from a quick skim read http://www.thedca.org/LUA/InheritanceHUA1938Trimble.pdf )

I live on the mid north coast of NSW (a para tick hot spot) and I will only ever use Advantix. Frontline is next to useless imo, I work in a pet store and the amount of people saying that it doesn't work is amazing, despite doing all that Merial tell you to do. Advantix is definitely the most popular product sold here, that said, it is NOT 100%. It's good if the dogs are swimming, just don't get wet 24 hours either side and DON'T use soap/detergent to wash the dogs. Could also use a tick collar, but Im always hesitant to use one of those over a spot on.

That is true TSD. Im sure that other people on my dally group would possibly import too, we are all willing to go in together. UK is an option too, from anywhere where the dogs would be guaranteed ANKC acceptance. I knew the AKC and KC are. I have no idea about how to actually get what I want to happen, to happen, but I'm sure that there is a wealth of knowledge here and on my group, and elsewhere, that I can tap into. I'd also need to actually choose which dogs would be most suitable to be sires. I too am glad this is being discussed, and it is definitely gaining momentum. Goodness, what will I do though when I don't have a dog's diet to be pedantic over?

Yes, I not only have an area in the yard that can be divided (gets use already when I want to feed my dog a bone or use her kong wobbler and I don't want the other dog to get her food) but I also have a kennel run that is very large. I have learnt a lot from this fantastic forum =]

Thank for the opinions so far. I may ask on my dally group as well, there are several breeders on there that may also help.

I would just like to gain some opinions from the wider DOL community. In the future, I plan to show and breed Dalmatians. I currently just have Cleo my nearly 2yr old desexed bitch who is working slowly to her neuter title, but we also live with my in laws who have a 7-8yr old staffyX bitch who is also desexed. These two get along fine. As part of my future plans, I want to import semen from the USA from a LUA Dalmatian stud so that I can introduce help LUA Dalmatians to Australia (there are a few of us who want to do this, it may not specifically be me, but I will do it myself if I have the ability...and money). If this were all to go to plan, I would like to start my kennels with a bitch, not a dog. I've read the horror stories on here about bitches fighting to the death, and that is what worries me. I do have the facilities to separate the dogs. Do you think it would be feasible to add another bitch? (who would remain entire). I know it would probably change the dynamic between the current two girls. I would love some opinions, if it seems all too impossible, I will wait or even get a dog instead of a bitch if the opportunity was there for a LUA dog.

R.e the Large number of owners having said they had applied the products within 2 weeks, Im wondering if people realise that using soap shampoo washes it off? I only mention this because I've had a few workmates and customers not know this. I know my parents still use human shampoo and frontline. Luckily the dogs aren't washed often. I've also experienced a larger number of customers commenting on the products not seeming to work the same this year (all tick preventatives). It is a really bad year on the mid north coast this year

My wire crate is inside, but I make it cosy by having a nice soft mat in there. It's about 2 inches thick and not snuggly, so not hot. In winter, I have a snuggly round (leopard print) bed that goes inside (just!) Being inside, we don't have to worry about drafts, but we drape a light blanket over 2.5 sides anyway to make it den-like. Can't help with the noise issue, ours is on laminate flooring and Cleo wakes up, shakes, turns and goes back to sleep at 6 in the morning, I know because I hear it perfectly (can't see it from the bed). This is really the only time I notice though. Could take the tray out, but it's easier for me to leave it in.

Im so glad my vet clinic that I use has never tried to tell me or sell me anything. I made clear from the outset that I work in a pet store (that does not sell pups) and that I had all my plans for worming etc. But that said, I believe I am only one of a few in the pet shop industry that is anti-byb, anti-cross breed etc. I learn a lot from this place too!

When you have no one to hold the other end of the rawhide bone so you have to whine and cry and not eat it. When you're given a pig ear or rawhide treat inside, and you want it outside, but mum won't let you coz the other dog will steal it.

When we get itchy dogs in at work, I tend to recommend the anchovy, sardine and salmon Holistic select (had SOOOO much positive feedback from it!) but now that Earthborn holistic is available, I would also suggest that in either of the fish flavours.

Yep, I've certainly tried tolerating but the more I ignore the behaviour, the more worked up and inconsolable my dog gets. I've tried rewarding only good behaviour,but that doesn't work either. Cleo just knows that late afternoon means that food is coming at some stage and gets crazy over it. It's just who she is I suppose. And I must say that mornings are very different, she drools and droooooools (like you said voloclydes!!) but doesn't carry on the same.

Oh good! Im not alone! Cleo is just insanely food motivated, it actually bugs me, because I can't train her from about 4.30pm until she's fed. She runs to her "spot" whenever she sees me, waiting for food and from about 5.30 she'll whine until fed. I don't like having a whiney dog!! It's like she doesn't realise that food is indeed coming, i haven't starved her yet! And it's not like we have a set time either, any time between 4.30 and 8pm is dinner time, whenever we get to it. Tonight just proved her hungry dog silliness to me. I'm working on teaching "roll over", taught the basics in a training session during the day when she's sensible but then work on it more at dinner time before she's fed. First of all, she sits on her station (her bed) until called off, then sit, drop, roll. She does it well, and gets one kibble as a reward. without prompting, she returns to the bed (because she has to be on the bed before dinner is given) even though I want to try her roll over again. We do the come, sit, drop, roll and does a really good roll without much direction/hand cueing (using a kibble to direct her movements) so I jackpot and give her about 10 kibble peices. She totally ignores the small collection of kibble and runs back to the bed because she knows that on the bench is her bowl and she wants it. I know that trying to train her at dinner time obviously doesn't work for her, and I know how to work around it. Im now just resigned to the fact that I have a crazy dog between 4pm and dinner time.

Today I nearly lost my....well you know. We had a guy bring his little weim pup in. And I got to HOLD it! I love weims, absolutely smitten, but need to have a bigger property before we even look at getting one. Today was like xmas came early

I get so excited when I see pure bred dogs coming into my work (pet store)as mainly I see oodles. The ones I've only seen once or twice are -an akita -a dogue de bordeaux -neopolitan mastiff -tibetan mastiff x 2 (one newly imported) -toller -standard poodle not a long list, but I see many others that are quite common. Today I saw my first red merle aussie shep which had me SUPER excited, love red merles. She was a working line dog, so her body shape wasn't like the pics of other aussies I've seen, but lovely colouring. eta: and TWO OES!! Quite small under all that hair!

I had my girl desexed after one season. She was being shown, but due to some circumstances at the time, I didn't want to risk pregnancy and I was far too busy to give her the attention she needed in those 3 weeks like I had for her first season (wedding). As it turns out, she was desexed probably right before her 2nd season (vet's opinion, as she had vaginal bleeding the day after) but her attitude is the same, her energy is the same and she evens eats the same with no extra weight (yet!!) She also had no problems with the surgery or scar itself, all has healed well - this is 7 months later - and she is very much the same crazy dog I had before.

I use interceptor. Won't do the heartworm injection as I don't like a year's worth in one dose. Have to do heart worm though as mozzies (and sandflies) are terrible here. Very, very humid, perfect for paralysis ticks as well (so Advantix is a must too). I know Cleo gets bitten by mozzies too, poor thing has bites all over her head

Awesome questions. I was trying to think of some for you, but only just thought of one this morning (standing in the Big W photo lab, how random), breed names that are also locations or immediately derived from locations (Eg Dalmatian - Dalmatia coast, Newfie, Labs)

I feed Earthborn Holistic and barf patties. Won't say no to other brands, but this is my preference. I've had training by reps of some brands that I'll never touch though, I just refuse to give Cleo food with wheat as a major ingredient (excluding rare treats of course) Why? Im a fan of grain free, and after looking at all the ingredients on all the major brands, I just prefer earthborn over the rest. They have nice packaging too :D