Mystiqview

For those considering those electronic/ultrasonic snake repellants... This was posted on a Show FB page today:

Some breeders are not the best when it comes to communication via email etc. It will not automatically mean they are bad or good. Just that they may not live on email/web or access it every day. How old are said puppies? I have a litter here now, work full time and am also heavily involved in a social club who is currently organising the annual gathering for all clubs. Yet I can find time to answer emails from people asking about my pups. Sometimes it is just a quick one back to say I have received their email and will answer their questions in more depth when I get home or in the next couple of days. But that is just me. I personally do not ask for a deposit until my pups are at least two weeks old. I advise any who enquire NEVER to pay a deposit on a pup that is not born yet. Personally I think it is rude to ask money for something that has not even eventuated. Even once they are born, so much can happen between birth and two weeks. And if the bitch needed a C-section, the breeder should have prepared for that in advance and budgeted for it just in case. If a person is local, I allow viewing of the pups after two weeks. I do a minor scrub down procedure before people are allowed to see the pups. (shoes off at door, scrub down face and arms and then use alcohol soap on hands before pups are handled). I also do not allow too many into the whelping room at once. Some breeders still very much cloister their pups until after the vaccination and some even up to when you pick up the pup at 8 weeks. This is the old "classical" view and some still stick to this method. Also in some breeds, breeders have had people in to view the pups, then to find a few days later their pups are stolen from their property, so can be a bit hesitant to allow strangers in. Even if the breeder sends you a copy of the certification, there is no guarantee that the certificate is right. Not wanting to cast dispersions to the breeder, but I have know cases where documents have been manipulated. Even if you get an electronic copy, I would hope the breeder offers you to show you the originals. Depending on the size of the litters and the largeness of the kennel - 3 litters in 6 months may not be excessive. Bostons may only have one or two pups per litter. (Not like a border collie where they can anything up to 15). I know some breeders who have three litters or month and constantly advertise on the DOL puppy pages their next litter - even before the current one are sold. Unfortunately to advertise on the DOL breed pages, a breeder only needs to have an ANKC prefix and breed ANKC registered dogs. Ethics play no further part in eligibility. Depending on the age of the pups, wait another week then ring her.

Whether the dog is bred for show or sports (agility, showing, herding or obedience etc). First and foremost they should be GREAT pets. They need to be happy, healthy and well adjusted members of the community. They should not be aggressive, overaly timid, and not be a nuisance to neighbors and other animals. With litters we breed, not all pups will make it into either the show or sporting field. Those that don't make it have to go somewhere and that is into a loving pet home where it should be loved and well cared for. There are some really great show or sporting potentials "going to waste" in lovely pet homes. Why? The sporting world in both fields are very competitive. There are some very shonky breeders there who do just breed for colour. Some do sports some don't. I have seen some dogs proclaimed to be excellent sports prospects with very bad conformation. A few have been chocolate, some Merle or other colours. Some have been from breeders who other members on this forum thread have got their dogs from. Some from others breeding for colour. Many colour breeders claim their dogs have excellent conformation. Some show breeders are the same - their dogs are the best thing since sliced bread. Some know what conformation is, others would not know conformation is if they tripped over it. A good breeder should be able to tell you the good parts of their dogs conformation and the parts that are lacking or need to be improved in their breeding program. Regardless of whether they breed for show or sport. A sporting dog should have equal or better conformation to a show dog as due to some sports such as agility there are extra pressures and demands on the joints and structure of the animal. I will disagree with Karen in that black and whites are healthier than their coloured counterparts based on colour. As ness has said, there are "new" issues appearing in the breed that have not been there before. Maybe they were, but through social media and research they seem to be more prevalent when they may not be. Cancer, auto immune and lymphoma issues seem to be on the increase as a breed. Immune issues are in the chocolate lines due to some people recklessly doubling up on certain dogs. In saying this, there are other issues in certain lines and it is often said "don't double up on XYZ dog too many times." There has been a great increase in those starting up breeding colour. One cannot escape that fact. The fact also that many of the colours are also not recognized in the breed standard is why more are in the sporting field on the limit register than in the show ring. People also want something different from the boring black and white. The movement started years ago with "Toby the Wonderdog" people wanted a dog, just like Toby. So the Chocolate fad started and that was the beginning of people breeding to cater to true demand for colour. Now it is coming across all colors as people want Merle's sables and reds and their variances. Any breeding program is based on the reason for breeding behind it. Fact is, a coloured dog can fetch twice the amount of a black and white. With reference to the comment of new imports coming in. Yes this is true- particularly from NZ. However it should be noted that many of the dogs being imported are from AUSTRALIAN LINES. (ISDS dogs aside). So while they are imported, the lines are not. There is some NZ lines in there, however we also have a percentage of NZ lines here too.

Feather Edge. I send mine down from Brisane to him

Paws, There are plenty of things you can do with your border collie other than enter into agility/obedience etc. There is also Dancing with Dogs and Rally-O competitions - these are based in obedience but are much more fun orientated than conventional obedience competitions. However in saying this - any sort of training/sport is as much fun as you make it for yourself and your dog/s. Also for mental stimulation - there are tricks and things you can teach your dog. This will also work the mental part of the dog's brain. Many tricks can be done from your armchair and it is your level of imagine that will stop you. Border Collies - like any dog needs to be part of the family. They do not do well being left in the back yard. My guys are very much a part of my family. We regularly go 4wd and camping and they most times come along and love it. Also when choosing your breeder - work out what they breed for: Those who breed primarily for sports/agility and high drive activities may not be your best choice if you are wanting a family pet. Plenty of show dogs also need to be family pets in their normal lives. Not all show dogs are kept in kennels. Many smaller breeders who breed a few litters a year, the dogs are family pets that also show or compete in other activities. Also within each litter there will be those who are much higher drive than their litter mates and a good breeder will match the personality and traits of the puppy with the family wanting the pup. A good breeder also will not sell a person a puppy whom they think they don't have one for. This is not necessarily a bad mark against the person wanting the puppy - it could be a simple thing of not having the sex or temperament the puppy buyer is seeking. As a breeder, I would prefer to say to a puppy buyer: "I have not one suitable for you and to try XYZ breeders" than sell someone a remaining pup just so they can have a puppy, knowing full well my remaining pup would not be best suited to the person's situation. To advertise on DOL puppy pages - a breeder only needs to be registered with their state controlling body. Ethics and breeding principles can greatly vary between breeders.

Is there a forum list for silkies, people who keep a database of pedigrees etc? A health committee? Google and see what you find out. Are there health tests for your breed? If so make sure you only look at dogs from lines that are tested. Some breeds I know are not as up on health testing as border collies. And even in my breed, there are breeders who will not fully health test their breeding stock. If the condition is in 20-25% of small dogs including your breed! then your breed needs a serious wake up call! and don't have the attitude oh well! it's in 25% of the breed it's too hard. Steps on a breed level should be started to improve this statistic. Do you have the money to pay for the operation again and again? If you breed from this dog, you might be up for it yourself or be forced to pay for it from a disgruntled puppy buyer who is facing it. Just because of one line in one pedigree being a top winning show line. If the line is unhealthy and may or may not involve a large name kennel does not mean that it's right if they are breeding with known congenital faults. They would be just as irresponsible.

Price can depend on a number of things, firstly if it's a colour, how much someone is willing to pay for that colour. Some colours can fetch anywhere up to $2000. Are they worth it? On a whole, I would say not. It would have to be one very special dog from some very special bloodlines and parent achievements to pay that much. A lot of colour breeders will charge different prices ranging anywhere from $600 for a black and white right up to $1800 for a chocolate merle. Again, some health testing like hip and elbow scoring may not be done. Some breeders I have heard, will not talk to someone about their dogs until a deposit is made. That is so wrong on so many levels. On average a well bred dog should be between $1000 and $1200. For a pet, I would not be paying more than $1200. If you are looking at a black/white pup, the nose pigment should be fully pigmented by 6 weeks. There are some breeders in SE QLD who are breeding black/white dogs with a lot of nose pigment missing. On a merle, it is accepted, however for breeding, it is considered a merle should still have full nose pigment. Some chocolates, will have missing nose pigment, but I would want no more than about 5-10% pigment missing. No colour is rare. All colours with the exception of merle is recessive. To produce merle, one parent MUST be merle. The exception here is where a red/white(sometimes referred as wheaten) is mated to a merle. If there is red progeny, it is possible it could be merle, as the red gene will mask the merle pattern.

NEVER pay a deposit on a pup from a litter that is not even born yet!!!!! It really is important to match the temperament of the puppy to that of the family that the pup will be going to. No use sending a quiet pup to a very busy and rambunctious household and vice versa. It just will not work. Most Pedigree dogs will be what as termed as "long hair" - medium at minimum. Most coloured dogs will generally have shorter hair (Still a medium length) than their black and white counterparts. Some lines are known for big coats whereas other lines have more a medium coat length. Some coats are dead straight and others are wavy. Bitches will drop coat before their season approximately twice a year, then again they will do a full coat drop after having a litter of pups. Males tend to drop their coat once a year on average. Manes on males can vary depending again on colour and whether their line has a big flowing mane or they have a denser thicker coat. If you are wanting colour then the mine field does increase further as colour is a fad in the breed and there are many breeders breeding and catering to this fad and are charging accordingly. You can easily pick up a coloured dog if you are prepared to pay for it. There are many who are advertising colour continually on the DOL puppy pages. If you go there and check periodically - you will soon work out who has near permanent ads up for upcoming litters and what colours will be available in each. A good breeder will breed for health, temperament and conformation first and if colour appears it is a bonus. When you start to concentrate a breeding program to only limit certain traits - then something else has to give. Often this will be conformation of the dog. Also look to the breeder websites if they have them. Have a look to how many dogs they have, what colors they have and what they do with their dogs. If they are just breeding and breeding, and have plenty of different dogs and colours, then you will soon see what their aim is for breeding. Lastly you should not pay more than $1200 for a dog - regardless of sex or colour. A good ethical breeder does not charge more for colour or sex. You would also want the parents to be fully hip/elbow scored, DNA tested/profiled and eye tested. Some colour breeders will say their dogs are clear via parent for CEA, CL and TNS. But will not complete the rest of the testing as no testing is compulsory in the breed. If you are wanting Chocolate or Colour - you may have to wait.

I have now contacted the breeder of the mother of my dog and she said that she had not come across this problem with her dogs and that she had bred a lot. She also stated that possibly not all people get back to the breeder re issues with their purchased dog either. Bold Section - This may be often true - even if the dog was purchased as a pet only. Some times people may be to embarrassed or shy to approach the breeder. Some things are just bad luck. What is "bred a lot"?? I would possibly also do some more research on eye conditions associated with the breed itself. Just because this one breeder may not have had it happen before, it may have been produced by a close relative in another litter. I had a pup once with a deformed eye. It was like the second eyelid had not opened properly. The pup also had a totter when it walked - at first I attributed this to me having to revive the pup at birth and may have sustained a brain injury while it was without oxygen. I put that pup to sleep at 4 weeks as I was not comfortable in sending out a pup with two obvious deformities/possible issues. A PM of the pup confirmed a deformed eye - not just the eyelid not opening properly. A few weeks later I spoke to the owner of my bitch's grandfather, who responded "Oh Harley had produced eye issues before, don't worry about it?" OMG!!!! Now quite a few more years on and a different litter by the girls breeder going back into the same line as her and there is a pup with wobbly walking and twitching, possible Ataxia..... Related?? I don't know. Coincidence? - Maybe. I no longer have that line. Personally - I wouldn't. You may not produce it this generation or the next... But it might be something that pops up way later down the line, and the person who has that pup, may not be as forgiving of the breeder.

I have noticed few of those type of pages turn up on Facebook "Pedigree Dogs for Sale".... from different authors. And very soon after that, 90% of the ads seem to be staffy's and other bull breeds. I dunno... Advertising such on Facebook still seems weird to me. I get the kennel or even breed like pages... but advertising litters on there just doesn't seem the same. I would prefer Gumtree to Facebook. Mind you I would also like to see Gumtree toughen up their rules when it comes to advertising dogs/cats in particular "Registered" - give it a distinctive definition. (Eg: ANKC{or similar body for working dogs} Registered, Only local council registered {where it is required by local councils} and then registered with the PIAA or similar.) Even if Registered Breeders need to include their Registration number in all ads. Also all animals to be microchipped as required by state legislation and again if necessary - include microchip numbers.

We were there for 10 days between Easter and Anzac Day and again for the Fraser island clean up a few months back. We headed straight up,to sandy cape to escape the Easter crowds. Saw a couple of dingoes, nothing to really worry about as they kept away from camp. There ranged between 5-7 vehicles in our party. Once we came down to Eurong and closer to the big popular areas, were the dingoes more bold. Mind you the popular areas were an absolute pigsty. Some people really should be ashamed for themselves. Scraps, toilet paper and other rubbish everywhere. One place positively reeked near a certain few Lava-trees. One dingo came right up and sniffed at the end of the swag. A few others kept circling. There was a group camp next to us, a surfie from Victoria with two English backpackers who give a whole new meaning to blond bimbos. We warned them to put their rubbish bin up on the roof of their 4wd and to not leave anything around camp as there were two quite bold dingoes hanging around. One of the blondes thought it would be good to feed them because "they were so cute and sooo skinny". We told them in no uncertain terms that it is illegal to do so, and they are also putting a death sentence onto these animals by feeing them as they will become bolder and may lead them to attacking another person or child later on. They kept going, "oh they look soo hungry and skinny" Stupid tourists who leave food out or feed the dingoes making them bold. Just wish they would "look and not touch" and think past their own noses. Unfortunate for this guy, but he also should of known better than to be wandering around outside the dingo fence by himself. There are plenty of signs around the island on being "dingo safe". Fraser Island is their home too, and they should be able to live in relative peace. Our 4wd club for the past two years have donated all proceeds from our "fines" totalling over $1000 to save the dingo fund.

Agree Huski. So many "old school" thoughts and beliefs still running rampant and being bandied around. The whole dominance thing is just one of them.

Alogard liniment is good for muscle sprains. Centrigen spray for wounds Dermaclens also a good wound cleaner. Vet wrap is cheaper than equivalent human wrap. Likewise, there are some human preps good for use on animals.

"Dominance" is not about dogs on beds, couches, pushing out of doors or even eating before you. It's rather simple, teach your dog some basic manners and give them consistent guidelines in which to follow you, they are fine. Some dogs may be harder than others to do this to. Not the fault of the dog, it's the fault of the owner in not providing clear consistent "rules" . Let a dog get away with what ever it wants to, of course it is not going to "respect" you. Unfortunately, there are many old myths that keep getting circulated. This is just another one.

I had an old Toledo. It used to get a little damp in there in very hard rain. The old Toledo was double walled and had insulation between the outer skin and the internal timber lining. It was also rusting inside out as water or condensation from dogs breathing inside and cold outside would cause condensation to form within the trailer. I had the same issue with the trek - more noticeable as there was no skin so the condensation would drop down onto the dogs. I have also had a Trek - biggest pile of crap you can waste your money on. Had to put a whole new steel subframe under it because it cracked everywhere and the suspension was about to break off it on both sides. When we found that - I only had just arrived home from a weekend away. I was fortunate that it had not happened while I was driving. It was only used a dozen or so times and only on bitumen. The metal is too thin and they just fold it then weld everything onto that with no reinforcing or anything else. The overall workmanship was also rough. When I approached them, they claimed my tyres were inflated too high and that had caused the fatigue cracking. Mind you, after buying the trailer new from them - I had to let the tyre pressures DOWN as they had inflated them too high. As hubby was working in a metal fabrication business at the time - only had to pay for the steel. If I had to pay someone to actually make that trailer roadworthy - it would have been better taking it somewhere for scrap metal and then not getting enough for it. However in saying that, by pure design - All dog trailers can and may suck water up through the vents in the doors or leak down through the whirly birds. They are not water tight. If they were - there would be no air getting to the dogs in there. All in all - I would still prefer a toledo over some other brands. They used (don't know about now) to be made solid and they seem/used to have better quality control than some other brands. Also look at Champion or Tricky Trailers if they are still around. They were made pretty well too.

That's correct Maddytheuma. To show you need to have pedigree papers on the Main Register and in your name. Purebred and pedigree can be greatly different things. A person can breed two pedigree dogs together and produce purebred dogs or they can produce pedigree dogs. The only difference is the Pedigree dog is from a Registered breeder with Dogs NSW/QLD etc and has a bred the litter under their breeder's prefix. A purebred dog may be from pedigree parents but the person breeding does not hold a Canine prefix with their state's controlling body. It is against the code of ethics now in ALL states to NOT sell pups with pedigree paper either on the Main Registration or Limit. Limit Registration shows the dog is a pedigree and can compete in all ANKC sports as a pedigree dog EXCEPT conformation showing and be used in a registered breeding program. If that was not done, then you may have no recourse. If you don't know the original breeder's name and prefix, there is probably not much you can do now.

Don't forget "registered" here can also be a "registered" breeder with local council. Anyone to technically breed dogs for example in Moreton shire council, you have to apply and be a registered breeder with them and hold a current breeders permit with council. These are renewed yearly. You do not need to be registered with dogs Queensland or any other group. Technically under council by laws, all breeders (whether registered with a Dogs Qld or not) must also have a breeders permit to breed. Otherwise any one breeding is against local council bylaws. If a person was advertising say on Gumtree, "registered breeder" can mean this and not registered with Dogs Qld. It is quite misleading. Just because someone sells a pup on either or limit or main register, does not stop an unethical person from breeding the animal. To breed a limit register animal purely means the pups cannot be registered with Dogs Qld. The parents are still pedigree, and technically so are the pups. They just cannot be registered as pedigree. If a true Dogs Qld member was selling unregistered pups, then it is against our COE and should be reported to Dogs Qld. You also MUST microchip all pups in QLD as per the Animal Management act 2008 before sale. A pup only needs to be 1kg in weight to be microchipped by law.

I used Advantix once and one dog had a bad reaction to it so I don't use it anymore Same - Mine developed a sore under where it was applied. Bayer tried to tell me it was a hotspot without ever seeing it.

I feed mine around dusk so anywhere between 5-6pm generally. I only feed young dogs/pups or pregnant bitches twice or more a day. The night food is only about a cup to a cup and a half of Black Hawk Chicken formula. My dogs weigh between 15- 16 for the girls and about 20-22 kg for my boy. They get bones a few times a week, and what other meat scraps when they happen.

I am Samford, Brisbane. Ticks don't let up all year round. Have been pulling 2-3 ticks a day off the dogs for the last couple of months. Gone are the days where they dropped off in the cooler months.

If they can't be bothered to do some basic homework on breed, breed characteristics or breeders, maybe they should consider a goldfish. No matter the breed or even the species, time needs to dedicated to the animal. Even down to what to do with the animal when they are on holidays. There is more to owning a border collie than just walking it daily. They don't necessarily need to be walked as much as provided mental activity during the day. A bored dog will be a destructive dog.

Look what I found in the Dogzonline list of registered breeders of border collies... who presently have puppies available. Exactly what I was talking about before... a registered breeder who makes it clear how their dogs and puppies are raised into a life that's the same as a loved pet dog. I wiped out the name of the kennels, so I wouldn't be seen to be promoting a particular breeder that I don't know in reality. But I dips my lid to this person's words Please - your friend really needs to research their breeder well. Same goes for registered or back yard. There is money to be made by breeding to fads, colour being one of them. There are some really great breeders who do all the testing and the dogs are family raised and those well, it would pay to do some good research on. My best advise is keep a good eye on the puppy listings - you will soon see which breeders are always having a litter and what they are breeding for and those who breed with the breed standard in mind and also do all the right things by the breed.

Can you place a wool blanket IN the trampoline bed? - Like those mats that you buy. I have done this and it works. I have also lined the floor of my outside kennels in thick rubber the type they use on horse float tailgates to stop the rising cold from the concrete.

Majority of the people are ok. Although from time to time when I forget myself and do go to a dog park, the number of morons are increasing. Have not been for a few months since the last episode. I have four dogs of my own, so if I do go to a dog park I bring my own established pack - another thing people need to consider if they have two or more dogs at home. Not keeping an eye on their dogs while there (reading the paper, on ipad or similar and not watching their dogs/picking up poo and not even bothering to get up if there dog IS involved in an altercation). There are a couple of decent sized Dog Parks near me over in BCC area that are very large, have a fenced off area for small dogs/puppies, agility equipment etc. The problem I saw for the most part when I did live in suburbia was you have the same dogs meet every day at the same time at the same park. A pack is eventually formed with the "regulars". A new dog comes in and is then met with a pack environment. Can be rather intimidating. Then you have those who bring their ball thrower, frisbee or favourite toy. Great to throw these when there are no other dogs there, but 9/10 get possessive of their toy and can be rather temperamental when another dog is either chasing them or chasing the ball too. A scuffle happens then all hell breaks loose "your dog bit mine". yadda yadda. Well HELLO for both parties! What do you expect! Dogs chase things - that is one of the function most breeds were bred towards for some purpose - hunting (whether it be to bring down or flush out in the case of terriers), herding, gathering (hunting - but picking up game) or sighthound. It will be great of those morons who don't think when they take their dogs out - If it is not social - don't take it to an all offleash park and let it bully/attack/annoy other dogs. Deal with the social issue on a quieter scale first THEN and ONLY THEN take it to a dog park, rather than subject other users to "your" dogs poor manners. And if "your" dog wants to constantly harrass another dog there (whether it be a dog wanting to hump everything while "you" stand there giggling, constantly harassing another dog by trying to dominate it etc) - maybe give it some quiet "out time". If you cannot manage it, then maybe take the dog to the park when it is not as busy. Last time I went to the Ferny Grove park, there were two huskies that were the most foul tempered dogs, that dominated and terrorised everything else. The owners (couple) would not intervene or stop their dogs and thought it was their given right that their dogs should "socialise" at the park and everyone else had to put up with their dogs behaviour. There were also two standard poodles who were the same, and after one had my dog pinned to the ground and I used the flat of my boot to get it off my dog, they screamed blue murder saying my dog was the one who "attacked" their precious poodle. (when my dog was on the bottom. There was also someone at a park years ago giving out laced (with ratsack)home made dog treats to dogs at the park (because she could not have a dog of her own)- know because close friend had their dog in the vet the following day for ratsack poisoning. Dogs parks are a necessary "evil" (although they don't have to if people are responsible) for those living in suburbia.

No one feeds my dogs except me and my family (and maybe a few trusted friends if out camping with the 4wd club - AND they do have the manners to ask first if ok). I have been to off lead parks and random dog loving people (some who don't even own a dog) come in and start patting and wanting to treat the dogs. Sorry. No go. First I would not feed schmackos to any living thing and secondly who knows what some sicko may have done to them first. Glad to hear you dog is ok These are reasons I really don't go to off lead parks. Too many random morons out there who have absolutely no idea about etiquette and correct behaviour for both human and dog. I am lucky to live on acerage and my guys all have plenty of room to run around and a large dam to swim in. My pet hate when I do take my guys out in public is those who think it is their given right for their dog to come up to yours "to say hello." without bothering to check if you mind if it happened.