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Has anyone bought Black Hawk dog food from them before??? I really want to buy some, as the dogs loved the sample, but i just wanted to check and see if everyone got thier deliveries once they had paid thier money?

I hate this weather for the same reason : - ) for some reason they don't like the wet grass, and if they go they do tiny little bits and then feel the need to finish off in the house!!! Plus its like they get stir crazy!!!! i took mine for two walks today and they have played vigourously in the house and yet they still are awake! hopefully the weather will clear tommorow!

are entries still open?

I agree with all the above points. We own 3 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and they are definately spaniels first and lap dogs, way down the list. Im not trying to scare or worry you, but all six of our dogs refuse to use those fake grass toilets, even when they were trained from pups, and much prefer using the backyard to do thier business. They love running the perimeter of the backyard as well for some reason!!! Cavies are pretty independant, although they love human and other animal interaction (ours even sleeps with our cats) they can take care of themselves. What sort of crate are you planning to get? Although the soft ones look better for aesthetic reasons they can be easily chewed so i would recommend getting a sturdy metal one, which you can cover and make into a den for your puppy. I understand that u are worried about them being taken or scared. If your backyard is secure there should be no reason for this, but if you are concerned, crate training should help u establish specific times of the day that your pup will need to go out. As for being scared - nothing much worries a Cavie!!! but during puppy hood as there eyes are developing they go through something akin to 'night blindness' - its completely normal and doesn't last very long, but if you notice your pup becomes hesitant about going out in the dark, its because of this and it just needs some gentle reassurance! Good Luck with your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel! (and everyone's right - spoiling your dog in the first 3 weeks, even the first 3 days, will make the rest of your life a nightmare!)

I don't know whether my dog has really ever embarrassed me, usually its me that embarrasses the dog - like doing a sqaure instead of a triangle, not doing the trolley gate up properly and the dogs running off, etc etc. but my mum has a cavie that trys to grab the lead and walk itself, and if she tries to get the lead he puts on one hell of a fight. So usually the scene is my mum walking, frustrated as all hell, and the cavie marching proudly alongside her, lead in mouth.

when i first started going to dog shows, i used to call the maltese, maltesers. my mum and sister would hide behind me in embarrassment. for some reason i just couldn't understand that the plural was the same as the singular. Oh and i noticed that i may be saying the peke's the wrong way too, can anybody help, what is the right way to say pekingnese?

i really really wanted to, but lack of funds meant sadly ill be staying at home

i saw something at my last show that may be applicable in this case. there were four shows over one weekend, and for the first three shows there were over 20 dogs entered for the breed. a dog kept getting bob that usually always loses to an Australian Gr Champ. the Gr Champ was entered but was withdrawn for the first three shows for reasons unknown, but the owner was there with younger dogs that kept getting beaten. there was a great atmosphere seeing a dog that usually is always the bridesmaid win 3 best of breeds in one weekend, and we were all excited hoping that the fairly new exhibitor would secure four. However, on the last show, the Aust Gr Champion suddenly appeared and got the BOB. Why would you do that? Im not criticising just wondering???

Hi, I am relatively new to showing, only just starting about two months ago, however, I here all the time how hard it is for the local clubs to get help organising shows etc. I would like to volunteer my time, but am not really sure how to go about it. I don't really know how to contact the clubs and what to say. I have a couple of questions that Im hoping some of you could answer I live in the Central Coast/Newcastle area - what sort of clubs are nearby? What sort of 'help' do they need? How do I go about offering said help? Is it possible to be an active member of a kennel club and stay out of the politics? And some people have told me its a waste of time, as they don't want new people involved? Surely this can't be true? Please don't yell at me!!!

Hi I am relatively new to all this as well, and I found the lack of info available all a bit too much. Luckily my mum has been breeding and showing dogs for just on thirty five years so i pester her incessantly with all my questions. Basically, and this is as simply as I can put it. You have to win either a Dog Challenge (commonly typed as DCC) or Bitch Challenge (BCC) to get any points. To get a challenge you have to first win your class. You have to be out of Baby Puppy, and your dog older than 6 months old to be able to go into the Challenge line up. All the winners of the Dog Classes (Minor, Junior, Open, etc) go into one line up and the 1st placed dog gets the challenge points. They also award a Runner Up Dog Challenge, (RDCC) but there is no points for these. Then they do the same for the Bitches. The amount of dogs determines how many points you get. But basically the formula is 5 + 1 point for each dog that you beat in that sex, excluding Baby Puppy. Then the best dog and the best bitch run off for Best of Breed. (BOB) Then whoever wins that is called the Best of Breed, so gets 5 points plus one point for all the dogs that are there of that breed (excluding the babies once more). Your dog does not have to win BOB to get challenge points. Then they compete for Runner Up Best of breed, who also gets no points Then the Best of Breed goes into the Group line-up, and then you compete for Best of Group. If you win Best of Group, you then go through to Best in Show. Group and Show = 25 points. Everytime you either get a Challenge or a Best of Breed you get a certificate (there's one for Dog Challenge, Bitch Challenge, Best Of Breed, etc) and it totals the number of points your dog has won. You collect these from the show secretary usually at the conclusion of the show. (because the judge has to sign them). Keep them safe, (you'll probably treasure them as I do anyway) because once your dog gets 100 points you need to send them in to the Kennel Control with a form to get your title. Hope this helps. Its all a bit much but basically, you have to first get DCC or BCC to get any points. and then it goes from there. the most you can get is 25 points at any show.