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Also, what if she experiences PND? (touch wood that she doesnt) My sister did with her second child, and stubbornly rescued a pup soon after said child was born to replace a deceased dog and it made things doubly hard. The dog lacks most basic training (although I might add is fantastic around kids - rotti x RR) and I fear that it misses out a lot. If she is determined, maybe try talking her into just one, and then delay the purchase, even I with no immediate plans for children, would not get two pups together and not when pregnant with twins! It's the same deal with birds - get one and they bond to you, get two and they forgo you for their species (not a hard and fast rule but happens most of the time)

I fed my girl 3 times a day up until she was 16 weeks old, I think some people do it for longer though?

I'll just give my 2 cents on my breed, Dalmatian. Sure it's not a terrier, but I've had the most amazing experience with my girl. - low to no shedding........ she does shed a bit (worse now, just after heat), but its very short hair. Up until her heat finished she was hardly losing a lot. Brushing is minimal - short to medium-length hair...very short hair - social (people and dogs)........Cleo loves everyone! Dallies smile too, so you know she's glad to see you (or if she's done something she shouldn't have...) - easy to train/intelligent.........people who say dallies are dumb/nuts are silly. She learns SO quickly and really uses her brain (moreso than some other dogs i've lived with) - obedient ...........very obedient, especially to me, as her alpha. She "respects" what I say...but she knows who she can walk over! - moderate prey-drive.......she likes chasing birds, but nothing else really. I would call it moderate, she certainly focuses when we stumbled across a bird. - non-hyperactive.........definately not. Dallies have A LOT of energy, and Cleo would run all day if I let her but if we miss a walk - no biggie (she doesn't become destructive either). She also has a doggy friend that she can play with all day. Dallies also do well in agility (the Spotted Devil is one dallie owner doing well in agility). Size-wise, my girl is 7 months, 22kgs and 58cms. I don't expect much more growth. Other than that - mini schnauzers are WONDERFUL. My parents have one, he would be a fantastic agility dog but also so loving, v. low shedding (hand stripping and/or clipping required) intelligent (a little stubborn at times) and very social.

I certainly DO want her indoors ALL the time that we are home, and I look forward to teaching her house manners, but we are currently living in the in laws house and if we let our dog in, their dog would want in too and I'm not in love with that dog. I'm also wondering what is more alluring in the house - me or the treats in our room + the trash can. When she sneaks in and I see it, she attempts to go to them before me! Whatever it is, in a few months we will be moving into the converted shed in the backyard which will be a mini house and she will be inside with us then (staying outside if we are not home during the day). THanks for the help, I know it may sound like an odd situation that we have going on but it's all we can work with at the moment. When its my house, I will be able to have my rules (finally!) AND...This morning, after typing this post last night, she didn't whine!

Mine is just my girl's registered name (New Sensation) and her real name (Cleo). I like to think she'll be a new sensation in the show ring anyway =] Hopeful thinking!

I have a 6m old Dallie, and she's perfect in every way...except she whines a bit. At first it was like, ok she's a pup we'll ignore it and she'll grow out of it. And she did - in certain circumstances (she whines when I'm home on my days off, and I'm inside, or when me and OH are inside getting ready for work in the morning, Also when dinner is coming, although this situation is improving - it's like a pattern) She isn't deprived of attention - I spend a good deal of time with her, and there is someone home 90% of the time (living with in laws) even when I and my fiance are at work. I am clearly her alpha though, if given a choice she follows me, and she responds best to me and I've done the most discipline. She respects me (she never tries to sneak into the house with me, she gets in several times a day with the FIL). She has plenty of food. She has a doggy playmate She's very well behaved in all other respects I've tried ignoring it, its been going on for 2 or so months now. Any tips? It's not irritation but I would like to fix the problem so she can relax knowing that we are there.

I've heard the "main ingredient" line too (working in a petstore), I've also heard that it's the "greenies" (workmates term) blocking the importation of that ingredient or Proban containing that ingredient. Our last bottles of Proban have sold - it seems to be the only thing that no one complained about not working. I use Advantix, have never had a tick thank goodness, but we walk through a bush track to the beach which DOES have para ticks. Life would be lovely without those pesky ticks.

I'm lucky, I have a "well trained" OH. We've been engaged 2 weeks today and less than week in he "jokingly" said he would get me a second dal as a wedding present. I asked if he was serious, coz I want another to show with and he said yes =] He's a keeper!

Just to add - if the fleas aren't a worry, Interceptor is generally cheaper. Sentinel's flea fighting abilities are pretty limited - any eggs laid are sterile but the fleas themselves aren't killed. Just a tip =] I use interceptor and Advantix And I also never split dosage, know of a dog that died that way (spot on treatment)

My fiance and I had been researching and looking for a dal for a while and had been (and still are actually) in contact with a breeder that was going to have a litter around this time of year (we were looking in January). We got to June and actually had a false alarm with the bitch that was meant to have puppies suspected of coming into heat earlier than expected, but it was just a false alarm. That got us thinking, could we take on a puppy NOW rather than later? We had both got secure jobs, secure accommodation and were VERY happy in life (as happy as you can be without a dog) so a quick half-serious browse over DOL and I saw her. One little puppy left in a litter, had been going to a show home but was not any more, and the thing that tipped me over - she was born on my birthday. Everything fell into place and over a week later we had her! Would not trade her for anything, she is totally my girl and as it turns out, the bitch of the first breeder didn't get pregnant so we would never have had her pup this year anyway! This breeder is my friend now, helping me via email navigate the show world.

Maybe I'm an odd one. I'm 20 and just getting into showing. I guess you could say I'm not entirely new, my parents co-owned a lab bitch (and still do but she's a "pet" now) and she was shown a few times without success - but I still experienced the show world and understood a little (I was 10 at the time) Cleo arrived in June, having originally been destined for a show home, but now seeking a pet home. We had NO plans to show her at first but after a while I was like..."Hey she looks pretty good", she's very spotty (even for a dal) but her conformation is awesome (I think). We went along to a local show, there are very few in this regional town, and met a LOVELY dally owner who was so very kind and gave me fantastic pointers. She introduced me to the stewardess and got me to join the kennel club etc. By this time I was already a member of DogsNSW (hence how I knew about the show) Also, I've been in regular contact with a breeder whom we were going to get a pup off but the timing was off, she has been SO helpful in every single way and I can now call her a friend :D My fiance is very supportive of our new hobby but I must say that now the most restrictive aspects will be 1. Money, 2. Travelling, 3. getting time off work! 1-we are now budgeting for a wedding next year..and maybe a wedding gift of a 2nd dally =] We were also looking at getting a new car for showing. 2-Coffs Harbour isn't that close to a lot unless we travel to the NSW/QLD border or to Newcastle. Our first show together will be at Dorrigo in 5 weeks time. 3 - time off work means sacrificing money, its a vicious cycle and in my job, weekends are the busiest time (and worth more money to work) So everyone I've met so far has been lovely, I hope the next part of my showing career, the actual showing bit, goes just as well. I would love to see more young people doing it but my workmates just dont get it I hope to breed down the track with a bit of success etc and will hopefully get my family into it ;)

My parents clipped our lab for the first time several years ago as she seemed to be affected by the heat, it was not for tick reasons. Looking at her now you cannot tell that she's been clipped before and her coat is the same colour. It's not a complete clip, she still has a decent amount of short hair after its done (and her tail is left normal). On the other hand, a workmate clipper her border collie in summer earlier this year and his coat just isn't the same and he won't be clipped again. Again it was for heat reasons. Just letting you know what has happened in my experience, I don't know if I would personally ever clip a lab.

Just to give more feedback from a pet store perspective (mid north coast of NSW) we seem to sell mostly Holistic Select but after these current supply issues Advance seems to have picked up (maybe being Aussie...we can tell customers no supply issues!) Hills and Euk and RC are next. I'm personally not a fan of Hills and Euk. We've had amazing feedback from Holistic for skin issues with maybe 3-4 negative responses, but I myself am switching to BH (shhh don't tell my boss lol) but i'm currently finishing off big bags of Pro Plan and Holistic Select.

What colour is the packet? THe blue one is the small dosage, the green is the large dosage. For that weight range you only need one tablet from the green packet. Edit: they say give them one every time you see a flea on the dog. So check her again, if there are live fleas, give her another tablet. They're meant to kill all live fleas within a few hours (or less) I believe.

Im in Coffs (woo) I work at a pet store actually and of all the kennels we know of in Coffs, I recommend Katelybarn Kennels. The owner shops with us so we know what the dogs there are getting and she feeds them Eagle Pack Holistic (although I'm sure she'd feed your kibble/diet if asked to!) Myself and my workmate got invited out to take some photos but I have to work tomorrow now =[ Compared to other kennels in the area, one of which I did a work trial in (and was VERY unimpressed), it is great. ETA: the link lol http://www.localdirectories.com.au/Coffs-Harbour-Area,NSW/Katleybarns-Boarding-Kennels/profile/FJ1q

I've used Eagle Pack Holistic, Pro plan and now Black Hawk. She did go a bit iffy on the EP Holistic and Pro plan at one stage but loved her Black Hawk, so I'm switching to that completely now =] That said, she'll still eat Supercoat bikkies that the other dog gets.

Have you seen a Kong Tugga Wubba? My girl loved her first one so much I bought another one in a different size =] Just so we had a couple to throw around. I'm another for the empty coke bottle too - chuck a few pieces of kibble in and wala! It gets the biggest work out of all her toys but its not her that's the worry - its her "sister" Izzy, who chews all her toys...but avoids anything with squeakers. Cleo hasn't even destroyed a squeaky fluffy racoon toy I got for her! I'm lucky, the only thing she's really tried to destroy despite repeated spraying with a stop chew spray is a cardboard box that her kennel run came in.

I'm wary of any dog until i've established what's going on. I'm not scared/nervous or anything like that, just wary. The only time I worry is when unleashed dogs (any breed) rush me and my girl on a walk. If I see an unleashed dog ahead that I don't know I immediately leash Cleo, so she doesn't run off (6 months old). We've been rushed from 200m away before by a big dog (mixed breed) and the owners did nothing to come get him while he stood over her sniffing etc. I had to pick her up and carry her away for him to leave us alone and continue our walk.

I don't know a lot, but I will say that my pup came from Tassie and I had to register her with DogsNSW

I work in a pet store, there's a mine field for you! I'm a pure-bred/responsible breeding fanatic, I love mutts too and had a great rott x lab, but those oodles are another thing. Last year I worked in a pet store that sold pups, I was naive, and now knowing what I do I would never have gone in there. Anyway, I overhear SO many things that I must just ignore and bite my tongue (it'll fall off soon)...whenever people ask us about pups too I guide them to the RSPCA or this site for responsibly bred pure breds. Its all I can do for now!

I believe it is up to individual clubs, I know I saw something/some news about it recently on one of my dal websites, but can't find it now. This website below has a little bit about how the original dal backcross project had some dals pedigreed but then it was taken back...: http://www.dalmatianclubofcanada.ca/formsetc/backcross.pdf The original project (for those who may not read the pdf) had only 1 pointer and 31 dalmatians by the fifth gen. The dals currently being bred are 99.9% dalmatian which for the sake of urinary stones - I would happily put up with. I'm lucky to have a female who has a lower risk than males. I love that this project exists.

For me, it is important, but only in certain breeds. We had a kelpie x husky pup for 6 short months before she crossed the rainbow bridge and ANY breed with her brown/tan markings wrenches my heart, I love those markings and would buy another dog like it. I still like other kelpie colours though, I just have a preference for this particular type. In my own breed, like Horus said, marking are important (dalmatian). The colour not so much, I love b&w which I have, and would love a liver! The markings though, I would never go more heavily spotted than Cleo is, just doesn't appeal to me. She is more heavily spotted than we were looking for at the time though, so I've already been through the "if the most suitable puppy came up" option. That said, too lightly spotted isn't very nice either, a good spattering of spots is just right. I would also take on a blue-eyed dal if one popped up, blue eyes are a fault in the ring (which I am getting into) but they are so gorgeous, I couldn't turn it down. I would only take it if it popped up randomly/recessively though.

That's sad. A few weeks ago one of the other local pet stores, the only one that sells dogs and cats had my breed (dalmatians)going for only a hundred less than I paid for a purebred and papered bitch. They also had a "labradoodle" for $900 I saw a guy looking at the dogs and said quite loudly "900 for a mutt!" and laughed. Not only did they not spell dalmatian right (dalmatian like the coast in Croatia, not dalmation) but had no good info on their special dietary needs AND all the dogs had kennel cough. I will just mention that I HATE this pet store, and only go in there as I work in a pet store and they are our "competition" on other products such as frontline/advantix and other animal supplies.

Me again, after my very fun day at the show on Sunday, I've decided that its for me, but I would just like to ask/confirm something. I have a pup that will be 6 months by her first show, and she's a dal so non sporting.... When I see this in the gazette: Ring 1: 6-12 mths s/stakes, gundogs, working dogs, utility, non sporting, general specials does this mean I could do the S/stakes first, then wait and be one of the first in non sporting as I will be minor puppy and then if I win that, general specials? That's what I've surmised from reading this thread so far...please tell me if i'm wrong!!

Well I was informed that 1 ingredient was a carcinogenic. Last couple of meals Rosey has been turning her nose up at Science diet food... this morning she barely touch it and last night she left half of her dinner I might look at another type of kibble. Or is it possible to create my own diet with chicken pet mince, vegies etc? Take the Hills back to the pet store, its 100% money back if the dog doesn't like it. Maybe give it a few more days and then take it back to the shop saying you've given it a good go. I work in a pet store - they HAVE to give you money/exchange etc as they get a credit from Hills. Learnt quite a lot this year, especially about reading the ingredients list - grains in higher % than meat is a worry, as is the case with Hills and some Advance unfortunately. We've had great success with EP Holistic Select in store with skin issues, but I personally am switching to Black Hawk Holistic for my dal pup (won't be telling the boss that :D )