Mystiqview

black pants or skirt can go two ways.... if your dog does not have a really good topline, a black background can blend it in.... Downside, is it can hide the profile. - That is if you are standing next to the dog and holding it. If you are standing in front of the dog - who cares. nothing is inhibiting the profile of the dog. Sometimes putting a colour behind a dog can also be useful - especially if the backdrop behind you is full of posts or pickets.

I did research before buying mine. I did read on quite a few forums and stuff the rubber backed one did lose its rubber backing. I have bought the green backed stuff. Not too bad. It does soften. My box is 90cm square. I ended up buying one large one and cutting it myself in half. easier to handle and change and the pups did not seem to mind. Easier also to fit into the washing machine. I have a really old 7 kg machine I have out the back shed for washing of dog and horse blankets. Picked it up on a kerbside clean up. Don't care what hair goes through it. LOL.

General rule of thumb - they should be down by 16 weeks, if not then your chances significantly decrease. (really they should be down or at least felt by 8 weeks) however I have heard them drop as late as 9 months. If I bought him to show, then I would definitely be concerned by now and be taking this up with the breeder. I would hold off on the DNA tests etc until you know about the testes.. If they do not drop everything else is a moot point.

Hi Cali, Yes I am aware of the research and have known about it for some time. I was asked if I had any dogs which could have contributed to the study. I have moved away from that line and so had no affected dogs that could have contributed blood samples. The bitch that had the condition was never bred. The bitch I had with the condition was going on 10 years ago and there was no test - the only reason I knew what it was due to the fact a friend with a working border collie had the condition. When my bitch started showing signs, I knew what it was. She was put to sleep about 5 years ago with massive cancer in her abdomen. There are those who will still ignore the condition in the lines and breed from affected animals. This may not be so bad in the future once they get the test, however I believe that until there is a test - same principle as we once used with CL - do not breed from affected animals. Some breeders may not know about it as it is often misdiagnosed.

Exercise induced collapse seems to be on the rise within some BC Lines. I had a dog about 10 years ago with the condition. I was told then "it's not in Bcs" when in fact it was showing up in Bcs in Canada in particular as they were also studying the condition in Labradors. I had a pup years ago which I put down at 4 weeks. When the eyes first opened, there was certainly an issue with one eye. At first I thought it may have been the third eyelid not opening properly. Secondly the pup had to be revived at birth as it was not breathing. Once he was walking, he was tottering around and listing to one side. I first attribute this to the eyes and just starting to walk.when it became worse, I suspected brain issues as he could have been starved of oxygen at birth and suffered brain damage. When they did a PM in him, the vet found the eye was deformed. It was not until some weeks later when I was talking to the owner/breeder of the grand sire that they said " oh, XYZ had produced that before". It is always amazing what you find out AFTER an issue crops up. If you knew of some of the issues, you may not have done the mating. Just after that litter of mine, a friend who had a sister or half sister with the same grand sire, had the same thi except all eyes of the pups did not open. We are finding more skin/immune disorders showing up - again in certain lines where people have doubled up on certain dogs. Whether they have ignored the advice from those who know or have not research enough their lines. I don't know. I certainly know some have ignored advice from breeders with the same lines who say "don't double up" on XYZ. Personally think some is ignored as a fad colour is involved. There are still many in the breed who will not hip and elbow score or eye test. One reason is because "it's not a breed requirement". Some will not DNA test although not many. Others will only use clear DNA dogs but still not hip/elbow score, eye test or BAER test - particularly if there is deafness or excess white in the line thus increasing the chance of hearing issues. Personally I think breeders should do all the tests available to them, even if they are not a breed requirement. At least then you have a starting point and a knowledge of what is there now. If something crops up in the future, there is a record that there was a problem in such generation. It may be linked, it may not be.. At least knowing gives a starting point. I think many newbies are not doing their research. I know it is hard for some breeders to be forth coming with admitting issues.... Some are and that should be commended and encouraged. At least get to know the good, bad and ugly of the issues in your line/breed. I also think any certified health testing that becomes available should then become mandatory and the results printed on pedigree certificates. Not to name and shame breeders, but to allow for better breeding and an openness to the good (and not so good) genetic traits of certain animals. Every dog will have both and good traits, and I don't advocate flushing the water with the baby, but at least this would allow an informed decision making process and a fair judge of the risks.

2nd this one.. Unlike many other dog beaches that only give you 50m or so to keep your dogs contained, this has up to 9km of beach at low tide. All the way from Bongaree to Worim. Just watch the blue bottle jelly fish at certain times of the year down on the point.

I am on acerage. So for me, as soon as a car can be heard at the driveway, I am on "who is it - watch" . Then as they are approaching the house ( you can hear car doors etc) I am the same and rewarding them for first being alert and them more if they bark or growl. By the time they see the person, they are telling them off. I finish with a good dog and then "enough". Rather than send to a crate ( I do have inside crates) I tell them to sit and wait. Once I greet the friend etc, then I will release them. This way they are not separated from people when they first arrive. Depending on the situation, I will either tell them to go to crate, lie down etc.. I used to have a protection trained dobe. In the beginning, this was the training he got before the official bite and yard protection training. Of course, it is something that is ongoing and is reinforced so my dogs do not become complacent to strangers. If there were some breeders you were particularly interested in, give them a follow up call. The worst they can say is "no they don't have anything now or anything suitable" .

At 8 weeks, it may be very difficult to say whether any pup has any "protective instincts". Protective instincts to a point can be trained into a dog and comes with trust. Get friends to sneak around acting suspicious while you are inside and you going "who is it" - Pretend there is someone there and rewarding the dog for first showing interest and then for barking is the start. getting friends to rattle windows and doors (while you are inside with the dog on a lead) and again training the dog to be alert. I have a BC here who is the biggest sook out. Her place is on the couch. I went through the above and she is a good alert dog. If we get a visitor, she is the first one to go to the door and tell you right off. She won't bite or anything, but she will certainly make a lot of noise and let you know someone is there. Border Collies are not known for their protective instincts. I would be looking for something with a good temperament. Having a dog, especially a GSD will make a lot of people think twice before entering. The person that broke into your house, may either have not known you had a dog, or secondly scoped it out enough to know that your dog is harmless and where the dog would be at any given time. Be careful also what you wish for with a dog that is prone to barking. It is fine line between barking to let you know someone is there and have a nuisance barker which will annoy neighbours and inevitably, attract council attention. At the end of the day, 99% of the time the dog will be a family pet and the temperament where it lives in a social environment is more important than that 1% where you may need it to be for protection. Don't necessarily go overboard with your questions and requirements in the first contact. I have seen on here (and been sent the essay), it can be too much to read and too much information right up. Breeders don't need an essay on the first contact. NEVER SMS asking about puppies. It's rude. Pick up the phone and give them a ring. Depending on where you are ringing, I don't necessarily agree about not leaving a mobile - if this is the best number to get you back on, then leave it. Nothing worse than ringing someone back only to constantly get voicemail. If you are local then certainly leave a local number. If I have to call long distance, the mobile costs the same to ring. Bring up the protection thing later after you have made a rapport with the breeder. They need to have puppies available first. Once they have puppies, then the nitty gritty of what you are looking for and individual puppy temperaments. I would keep your initial enquiry simple. I would mention you want a male, you have a desexed female and you have had GSD's before and you will do puppy/obedience training and you have the time/yard to give it. Mention you have X number children if relevant and ages maybe. Never say you are getting a dog for your children. Children are not responsible and while they will be an active part of the daily life of the dog, it is the parent that is responsible for the day to day care and well-being of the dog (health etc)

Thank you all for your suggestions. We made a decision tonight at the suggestion of an independent source. We have decided on "Save the Fraser Island Dingo Fund" They are in desperate need of a care facility as there is no such facility on Fraser Island. This ticks many boxes: the dingo is considered as Australia's only native dog (although some would dispute this), its endangered and threatened by many factors. Dr Alan Wilton whom many in the dog world know as being a prominent researcher and developer of DNA tests for many dog breed genetic disorders including the Border Collie also did a lot of work in genetics for the Fraser Island Dingo. We think that it is only appropriate that we help this group. Also as a responsible 4wd club, we go out to enjoy nature and if it is not looked after, future generations will not get to enjoy much we do now. Thank you again.

Thank you all for your suggestions. We made a decision tonight at the suggestion of an independent source. We have decided on "Save the Fraser Island Dingo Fund" They are in desperate need of a care facility as there is no such facility on Fraser Island. This ticks many boxes: the dingo is considered as Australia's only native dog (although some would dispute this), its endangered and threatened by many factors. Dr Alan Wilton whom many in the dog world know as being a prominent researcher and developer of DNA tests for many dog breed genetic disorders including the Border Collie also did a lot of work in genetics for the Fraser Island Dingo. We think that it is only appropriate that we help this group. Also as a responsible 4wd club, we go out to enjoy nature and if it is not looked after, future generations will not get to enjoy much we do now. Thank you all again.

I have also posted this into the rescue forum: My husband and I are in a local 4wd club. He is the sergeant at arms. Through fines for club members he has raised about $380 for the year. Money from the sergeants funds always go to a charity of the sergeant's choice. Through having animals ourselves and me being a breeder, we have chosen an animal charity to give this years takings to. We would like some suggestions on Good charities where the money given will be well and efficiently used. We would prefer a Queensland charity as we are based in Brisbane. Three we have considered ourselves ( in no particular order )are: Animal Rescue Qld Wildcare Australia Wildlife Preservation Society of Qld While all charities do good work and always need money and things, we want this money to actually go where it is needed the most. We are looking at animal related charity. It does not have to be dog/cat related as you can see we are also considering wildlife charities. Please when you nominate a charity, can you please give a brief description WHY this charity should receive the donation. Regards Tracie

My husband and I are in a local 4wd club. He is the sergeant at arms. Through fines for club members he has raised about $380 for the year. Money from the sergeants funds always go to a charity of the sergeant's choice. Through having animals ourselves and me being a breeder, we have chosen an animal charity to give this years takings to. We would like some suggestions on Good charities where the money given will be well and efficiently used. We would prefer a Queensland charity as we are based in Brisbane. Three we have considered ourselves ( in no particular order )are: Animal Rescue Qld Wildcare Australia Wildlife Preservation Society of Qld While all charities do good work and always need money and things, we want this money to actually go where it is needed the most. We are looking at animal related charity. It does not have to be dog/cat related as you can see we are also considering wildlife charities. Please when you nominate a charity, can you please give a brief description WHY this charity should receive the donation. Regards Tracie

Add to the list Hotnote. They are based in Western Australia and have produced some outstanding Agility dogs as well. Leanne does not breed as many litters as some other breeders, but has produced some Agility Champions just the same: Hotnote Just Jorja CCD CD ADM7 JDM9 ADO8 JDO8 SDM GDM SPDM HT (Agility CH 400) Hotnote As Good As It Gets ADM JDM ADO JDO SPDM SDM GDM ET HSAs Hotnote Redi N Daring AD JDX GD SPD AND BAD FOR ADAA Hotnote Electri Cute ADM, JDM, ADO, JDO, SPDM, SDX, GDX, HSAs Regardless of where you get your dog from. Some dogs who have done well in sports have come from parents without titles. The person sourcing the dogs has a good idea of what to look for in the next performance animal. A good breeder would be able to help you there, and especially someone who is competing in the field you are looking at. Again regardless, ensure the breeder does all the relevant health testing and be sure to research the lines for anything that maybe lurking in the background that may not have a test available or a particular line is prone to. This includes any hip, elbow, cruciate and other structural issues. The performance dog needs to be better conformed as just as well conformed as any show dog. A badly conformed performance dog is more prone to injury which can be expensive and not get you as far into the sport. Within every litter, you will get the extravert puppy, the mid rank puppy and the introvert puppy. This will happen in all litters regardless of what they are being bred for. Your first dog or two are your "mistakes" dog. This is where you learn to hone your skills, learn the sport and technique. After this, it gets easier as you know more and do not make the same mistakes (hopefully) as you were learning

Double post. Damn iPad

It also needs to be considered how that pup was raised. IMO do not think any animal should be in a pet store, maybe with the exception of fish providing the tanks are not overstocked and well maintained. Some breeders do not properly socialise their pups and there is also the predisposed genetic aspect. In saying that, if you were locked in a glass window with kids and adults banging on the glass, a small area where you are constantly walking around in your own faeces, for days or weeks on end, I am sure you would be stark raving mad too.

Yes!! One of my girls here loves people. Sit down and she is in your lap. There are two people whom she does not like. The first one is a male friend of my partner's. Just really barks and growls at Michael. He is a lovely man and really loves animals. The other was a female friend of my mother. She disliked her SOO much, she actually nipped at her ankles when she came in the house. Again, really was barking and growling at her.

At 12 - 14 weeks, it was common when I worked in the pounds for BYB breeders to dump any puppies that failed to sell. At 12 weeks, they require a second vaccination (if they bothered to do the one at 6 weeks in the first place, and many still refuse to microchip despite it being legislation) We did have one case of one man who dumped a 10-12 week cattle puppy bought from PP because it was chewing things and nipping the kids.... HELLO!!!!!! Brought in all the paperwork as well. That pup cost him $900. It was also a few days before school holidays. So my guess is they could not get someone to look after the pup while they were away - or wrong breed for wrong family. Either way. Very sad

Best of luck. I am sure it will work out. Just remember, sometimes all the careful planning can go out the window and it just comes down to Faith and luck. (or so the saying goes). Also listen to your gut feeling. If there is something that is not quite right or is pefect - listen to it. It may be right.

I had a phone call today from someone wanting to rescue a bc x springer spaniel 14 weeks from the pound. He rang to ask about the bc genetic diseases and whether this dog would be suitable. In short - I don't know. Too many variables. Is the individual animal high drive and from high drive parents. Both breeds can be very energetic and active. Why is the pup in the pound? I said from my experience as a LL Officer - pup is too old and was dumped there by "breeder" or person buying dog found it too this or too that. Better than an older dog who may have other harder to correct issues such as escaping. Chances of genetic issues or diseases - dunno. Depends on how good the person identifying the cross is, or whether the person dumping it at the pound really knew what it was crossed with. May be the best pup out. May be the worst. Told him about extrovert vs introvert in a litter - non breed specific. The good, the bad and the damn uglies about owning a BC. Told him if he was serious about the pup to find out the same info on springers. Told him if he was to consider a pedigree or pure bred bc what to ask for, what to expect in price variance and what testing should be done. Also said, if he was considering another breed to find out the same before settling on any breed or breeder. Warned him about colour breeders and practically puppy farmers. Even those who are registered and advertise on DOL with permanent ads. Unfortunately ethics do not always come with CCC membership. Do your research well. Gave him some names of breeders who do the right thing and have good health tested and healthy animals - not to mention ETHICAL. OP you have had JRT before, so hopefully know the good, bad and damn ugly of that breed. You have a BC and have hopefully experienced his/her good, bad and ugly behaviours. You have had the two breeds together so know they as a breed can live happily together. whether you choose pup or adult, just try to match their personality types and then hopefully you will just "know"

Puppies need to learn to respect the older dog. The only way they can do this is exposure to the older dog. In saying this, I am certainly not advocating aggressive behaviour by any animal. But some times puppies just need to be put in their place. There of course is also a time and place and a way to do this, and a offload dog park I don't think is the best place to do it, as there are so many outside and uncontrollable conditions which can cause adverse affects (including owners taking un necessary offence and complaining to council) My problem with many off lead parks, is many park goers think off lead is off rules and their dog can do just about anything,including hounding and annoying other park goers. I have had someone's dog constantly harrow one of mine to hump it while the owner thinks its funny and does nothing to stop it. And also had other dogs constantly try to dominate my dog/s while the owner sits on a bench reading the paper. There are other park goers who would not have the faintest idea about dog behaviour and others who think they know more than what they really do. For me when I have young puppies, I always like them to meet and associate with that cranky old fart. If the matriarch puts my puppy down by just growling and even gently puts them down a tittle more, I don't mind. Of course there are limits of what I feel is acceptable and and out and out "attack" is not part of it. But in my experience, many times I have not had the old dog go that far with a young puppy. I currently have five dogs at home. My old dogs tolerate puppies (good being a breeder) but when they are "telling puppies off" it is all noise and nothing more. Unfortunately, Some puppies need more than idle threats. Work with Steve. He is good and would give you good advice upon seeing your dog and reading its body language. We can all offer different advice, but to give you correct advice - the behaviourist needs to assess and see the temperament of your dog in action.

I don't necessarily agree point blank to any two breeds will not suit. I have owned and had, Siberian husky with a Doberman and a vizsla, then a border collie. I have had border collies with dobermanns. And of course border collies with Siberian huskies. Very good friends have mini bull terriers. And while I don't have this breed, my border collies get along very well with their current 5 month old mini bully pup. Another friend of mine introduced border collies to an older English staffy. Again no issue. Know plenty of others with mixed breeds (as in more than one breed or breed type) in the same household and have no issues. I think it is more important to match personally type of the individual animals than breed.

Regardless whether adult or puppy, this method of introduction is less than ideal. It can be traumatic both both animals. The pup has just had its whole world turned upside down by going into a strange environment, and the existing dog/s have had their world shattered by an "intruder" who being a new comer and a puppy (by the pure nature of a puppy) take away a lot of time they had devoted to themselves previously. When introducing another dog to the household (regardless of how many there are presently), each animal needs time to bond and know the boundaries of the other. Pups are more adaptable, but you cannot expect instant miracles with an introduction like that.

Regardless of pup or adult - you need a good matching process. A pup is more adaptable and generally is easier to settle than an adult dog. An adult dog may have more baggage and/or bad habits from its previous life and may take longer to retrain to make it a good contribution to your household. Personally I would be going with a pup or younger dog each and every time. I prefer to always start with a "Clean Slate" rather than clean a used one and then start writing on it. For me personally - I do not have the time nor inclination to go through a retraining process with older dogs. Been there and done that. Pups can be a pain the ass when they are going through their various stages, but that I think that is much easier to deal with than retraining an older dog with bad habits. As someone else stated, try the JRT rescue or even breeders who may have an older pup that did not cut the show ring and is now looking for a pet home. Even better if the breeder/rescue is local, where you can meet the new dog and maybe introduce your existing dog to the proposed new member. I could not agree more - WAIT until the right one comes along and not jump at the first or second one that is offered.

I thought it was relevant as the OP did mention they were new and did not know the average price of their chosen breed.

Black Hawk @ $95/bag (lasts between 4-8 weeks/dog) Marrow Bones @ $3 each - I cut them to cut lengthways and a dog gets half a bone a week Chicken necks - generally get those from Woolies/Coles so price is variable but think it is about $3/kg Fatty Human Grade Mince @ $5/kg - generally done as a topper to the kibble I buy the value box at around $30 Xlarge dentasticks and break them in half and they get those for treats - cheaper than buying size for the dog training treats is generally frankfurt sausage or similar