becks

Roselines are great for more moderatly priced grooming scissors that are of a good enough standard to do the job well and last a long time - some of mine are heading for 20 years old!! While they aren't 'cheap' they are a good investment.

All you can do is follow the vets guidlines and they have to follow manufacturers instructions - so if anything goes wrong (and no vaccine is guarenteed 100% effective) then you are covered should anyone sue.

Jed, that was one thing I don't want, as I have the pups in the lounge and it has high ceilings. I had wondered if they made a stand for it as the whelping box isn't really high enough to have a light fitted from the sides of it. Thanks for the ideas - could come in handy if I end up with another winter litter!

I've never used one as I can't work out a way to hold it over part of the whelping box - what do you use and what is the ideal height to suspend it to?

I would think by week 6 or 7 they would want the bitch back so she can settle before getting to close to whelping - there really isn't much difference in care up to that point either.

welcome! easier way - just copy the IMG code straight to the post you are making!

No - Schnauzers are not terriers. Though they should be grouped with Pinschers if we are looking at historical development. Not sure why they were split up when group 6 and 7 were split here. While the split of LGD between groups 5 and 6 doesn't seem logical (and didn't to me either until it was actually pointed out to me recently) they are actually split more or less between the two groups in line with the FCI split between mountain type dogs (which we put in our group 6 and are in FCI group 2 along with Pinscer/Schnauzer type and Mollossoid type) and dogs from lower regions (in our group 5 and FCI group 1 which is sheep and cattle dogs). There is a growing movement atm to get the FCI grp2 split - as it is a very odd group with schnauzers/pinchers in the same group as the mollosers and it is a huge group (breeds like schnauzers are split by colour so instead of just the 3 sizes, there are 8 representatives in the group ring. I think if you look at any countries system for grouping dogs, there are some that stand out as being in the wrong place - but surely they can be moved if the breed clubs request it? I know the Giant Schnauzer (in UK) was moved from Utility to working group.

I love seeing Cazzies creations on FB - one day I will have my own!

How are you grooming the coat - is it being stripped or clipped? Clipped coats tend to trap the dirt and stripped ones are generally a lot better at staying clean and shiney. Any shampoo that doesn't have added conditioners work well, or a shampoo for greasy coats is also good for wire coated breeds. Diluting the shampoo so you barely get a lather will also help to keep the texture in a stripped coat.

Yes, that was why I asked. Can't see why it warranted such a strong reaction

Hollie Golightly

The short coats i that video look like the ones I have seen who have been stripped and are waiting to grow in new coat. There are a couple of dogs in the vid who have longer coats. If you look at the conditions the dogs are working in, very muddy, wet and some deep undergrowth, that all points to a shorter coat (long, dead coats being pulled out when pushing through the undergrowth), shorter coat is going to dry quicker, not hold balls of mud or snow, dense undercoat will keep them warm while the topcoat should be long enough and thick enough to keep out the weather as much as possible while also protecting them while hunting.

My younger Giant Schnauzer managed to do this to herself too as a pup, it also took a long while to go back to normal. Natures way of cushioning the clumsy creature!

you aren't comparing the same things when you look at grain free V normal kibble. You would need to remove the % of filler/grain and then recalculate how much protein would then be in that diet.

maybe because a black russian is a vodka and coke!

Spanish Water Dog. (yes spanish, not portugese)

So how many tests do you run on a 'just to see' basis? What tests are 'must haves' and which are extras that could be done?

I'd just suggest if they are worried about the other dogs to make sure they are already vaccinted to date and wormed/flead or to just leave those dogs at home for a couple of weeks - surely they could do that if they are that bothered by possible illness? Remind them it is good for pup to meet new pets and people, socialisation is very important too!

I would say that a coat is to short when it becomes sparse and you can see the skin through it or is to short to feel the true texture. 'Rather short' I would think of as being about an inch or slightly less, however having spoken with breeders, they say this coat isn't one that can be rolled so longer coats are often seen in the ring. For me, the texture and openess of the coat would be my guide for when that dogs coat was the right length or not. A hard coat tends to sit at a bit of an angle to the body, so a flat coat my not be the right length or texture. Smooth would be like any smooth coated breed. There is no comma to separate woolly and long, so to me it reads as a long and woolly coat. Above the topline to me says the tail is carried above a continuation of the topline (if you drew that line out further behind the dog) and the tail be carried with a curve towards the tip, if the tail was any higher, I would expect the standard to say the tail is carried OVER the topline (ie over the back/ gay tail). Shame there is no mention of tail set in the standard. It is good to look at old photos of the breed of dogs who were around at the time they were writting the standard as well as thinking about the dogs job and what benefit there would be to having each part of the dog as described. eg thinking about the coat - what sort of weather and terrain were the dogs hunted in? Did they need protection from cold, wet weather or hot weather? Were they working in open ground or in rough terrain with dense planting that could damage their skin?

Do you have any regulations to stop a bitch being bred after a certain age?

The lunch and dinner meals are OK, but I would ditch the milk meals, no wonder he is hungry! I feed my pups that age 4 meals a day spread out over the day, so they don't have to wait to long for the next meal ad get over hungry.

O poop, perhaps I have blown all my money now. That was my experiene with it, but maybe Boronia will have a better result, it seems to work for some peoples dogs.

You get solid black from black n tan parents? With shnauzers, if you mate b/s to b/s you can only get b/s (unless there is white behind each parent), you can't get solid black pups. If it is just becuase of the name, surely they could drop the 'black' part? I've always wondered why they have 'terrier' in the name as they don't seem to have terrier characteristics.

Sounds older then you describe, have you got any photos? Squeeling can just egg on some pups and make them more hyper, a deep sounding 'ow' and ignoring right away can be better. Also make sure pup gets plenty of nap time as over tired pups can be a lot more 'devil child'