Weasels

Why are they removed?

Excepting that, just for the record, you point about them taking off the whole ear for the pit is incorrect. The crop you see on show Amstaffs IS actually the crop that was used on old pit dogs, when they were cropped, not all were... The hack the whole ear off thing is done by people that don't actually know how to crop, I.e. Backyarders. You are right in that they are normally done by twits with scissors and what they don't realize is how the head changes and grows as the dog grows. Most of the idiots were not going for whole ear off as the "look", they just did a botch job. They hack off too much ear, so there is nothing left when the dog has grown. Here are some photos of old Colby pit bulls. You can see the ones that are cropped have a crop that is the same as what is seen in the show ring, not the ear off down to the head. ETA: obviously I'm talking show dogs in the States, as cropping is illegal in Aus. Thanks ZA, informative post And to assess whether a dog has been 'hacked' I would also go by the precision of the cut, signs of infection, plus the context - e.g. environment of dog, disposition of owners etc. to narrow down a statistical probability. And these days I would think most dog fighters are backyarders, except maybe in parts of Mexico (?). And even if I was wrong, the consequences are zero since I couldn't do anything about it I also don't know of a situation where a full removal of ear is an acceptable practice, always happy to learn tho.

yes i could see i was being baited there. Ok then, enlighten me with a good reason for hacking off a dog's whole ears with scissors. I'm not talking about ear shaping or hunting dogs that are at risk of injury, since you can tell when someone's just hacked at a dog's ear inthe backyard to make it look all fighty. Also i've never even seen a pit, so i don't want anyone to think anything about them. I was just adding a historical (and in some places, contemporary) fact.

They cut off the ears at the head on pit fighting dogs so that the other dog can't get latched onto it and rip it off during a fight. What about the other dogs that have their ears cropped at the skull? Just victims of jerk humans that want to look tough ETA: i'm not lumping in cropping with unsanitary ear chopping here, although i'm not personally a fan of cropping and docking, it is nothing like the cruelty of crudely lopping off dog ears to fit a fighting-dog image

I meant dogs that fight in pits, not dogs that are pits

They cut off the ears at the head on pit fighting dogs so that the other dog can't get latched onto it and rip it off during a fight.

That's what I'm worried about, but at least we have some time before trialling starts up again! I think I got the better herding dog to handle with Weasel, but everything that causes Chess to struggle as a herding dog makes her a very talented agility dog, so we just work with what we got

I guess in basic, means when you are walking in a straight line (with your sheep and dog behind you) and your dog instead of weaving nicely behind you, "overflanks" by going too far wide, therefore your sheep instead of walking nicely in a straight line behind you weave. when trialing this costs you 1/2 a point per weave depending on the severity of the weave.. so ideal to iron out in training if you can.. I'll explain in picture if I cant you at training, else ask steph if you see her.. else I'll explain it better if you come to the General meeting.. Got it, thanks! I think I've seen Chess do that with Tom, possibly because she gets bored when everything is going smoothly (she also used to randomly charge the sheep to give her something to do picking them up again. A very 'kinetic' dog that girl). I haven't noticed it on the Weasel,possibly because when he gets bored he just goes and eats sheep poop until he's needed again.

OK thanks! I'd googled it but it still didn't quite make sense, but I think I get it now :D

SmoothieGirl sorry for my ignorance ( ) but what do you mean by overflanking? Circling or flanking at an incorrect angle?

I got a metal one from Better Pets and Gardens that has 'wings' on the stake and a moulded loop at the top, I then attached a carabina to the loop for 360 degree rotation. I'm not sure if they are in all stores but I got mine from the Port Kennedy store. ETA I think it's this one - Link

There did seem to be a lot of back-and-forthing! Sooty looked quite happy though (in a slightly muddy kind of way). Congrats on the title - I always like watching border collies but it was great to see duck herding as a bonus

Well after some confusion about whether we needed another PT pass causing some trouble, in the end both our kelpies ran nicely for their final PT I even got a nice straight walk-up from the Weasel to complete the penning We're pretty happy with them considering they were both in shelters less than a year ago! The only downside was that I forgot the camera

But I didn't think they were trying to force you to do something so much as just not letting you use their facilities (including instructors and the space they have rented) at their discretion? Which I would think is within their rights as they are providing a service. I expect if you rocked up drunk they would ask you to leave too, even though it probably isn't written you have to be sober to handle a dog. I didn't understand the bit about government departments, but then I rarely understand anything lawyers say ETA: sorry I don't know why I am making all these booze analogies this morning, especially since it's not even 8am here in WA

When I joined the WA canine association I remember there was a blurb about not using any physical punishment to correct the dog at any ANKC event, maybe it falls under that? I will dig it out to find the exact wording after more caffeine has been consumed. I did RSPCA basic obedience courses (since they were being held closest to me) and they were very clear in the first lesson that no chokers or similar were to be used or you would be asked to leave. It wasn't in writing but I am sure they would've enforced it. IANAL but I can't imagine a court would hear a case like this, it's their club, their rules whether written or verbal (like a pub having the right to refuse service to any individual). (BTW I have no personal opinions on pinch collars, but I've never been at a club where I think they would be accepted without at least some comments)

Oh no! although sorry but I did lol at your description ......

GayleK that is great, you should be proud! And good luck with your titles yet to come :D We skipped the HT cos our dogs work better with more space, so ours just have their instint certs. Hopefully by Sunday they will both have their PT - if they run as well as they did one their first pass should be no problem I joke that soon my OH will be the only one in the family that doesn't have letters after his name (not to his face tho.....)

You could move to sunny Perth! I haven't missed a dog-walking day all winter and only got rained on 2 or 3 times. Of course we are also on the tail end of the worst drought on record, but swings and roundabouts, ya know :D

I have 2 of the rogz double-ended 6-function leads, love them. When my girl is walking nicely i just clip the lead onto my belt loop to get a free hand, and it's so much easier for quick tethering. The Callicoma ones look even nicer, next time i need leashes i'll be getting those! Good find ness! :D

Oh my gosh that's a gorgeous dog! I can see why people would be butter in his paws :D

Don't you need a permit to own them in NSW?

This is awesome I was on the main street in Margaret River not long ago, while OH was in a surf shop I waited with my 2 dogs on leash. Next door was a bank, outside was an old working dog-type waiting for his master, off-lead. Even with my excitable young pair nearby, he still waited faithfully outside the bank (came over and had a sniff, but then straight back to the bank door). The dog was still waiting there when I left, checking every person as they left the bank to see if they were 'his' human. Lovely

The original article is available for free from the Procedings B website, so if anyone is feeling super-keen they can have a read :D Link - (will download a PDF in-browser)

Great, thanks! Just tests for us, not ready for trialling yet Maybe next year. ETA: yep I put AM test on the form, it says in canine news that one is Sue

I find enclosed dog parks to be largely populated by dogs that haven't had enough training (and sometimes socialisation) to be allowed off-leash otherwise. OTOH, in my experience open off-leash areas like parks or ovals more often contain dogs that are reliable and well-trained, with only a few cowboys who just let their dog off regardless. I have met some great ppl and dogs in these places