Yonjuro

Yeah it is expensive so I feed in moderation. The trout I feed if Rainbow Trout, ocean trout is much more expensive. Salmon - yep that is a rare treat :)

My dog my choice When discussing breeding with various dog ‘owners’, I often hear the emphatic statement, “It’s my dog, so it’s my choice”. My answer to this is quite simply - no it’s not. It is not our choice. We take on the role as a guardian to a dog. We don't own them like we own a toaster or a car. Our role is to care for them, provide shelter, food, medical care and most of all to love them and protect them. Putting our beloved dog into a situation where they are forced to breed is fraught with danger. There are a myriad of health problems that can result. Quite simply, your beloved dog could die. An ethical registered breeder will only breed for the betterment of their chosen breed. Such a breeder will normally decide to have a litter when there is a need to. Not to pump out puppies in order to line their purses. Such a breeder will have done full research into the lines and will have vets test the sire and dam for heritable conditions. They will also be sure that the dogs are of great temperament. Said breeders will also thoroughly interview the prospective new family to ensure their suitability in providing the best home for one of their ‘babies’. Unfortunately not all registered breeders are ethical or responsible. However it is highly unlikely that any BYB (backyard breeders) will undertake any of the above tests. To the person taking on one of these BYB puppies, it means there is a far greater risk, that the joy of getting a puppy will turn into a nightmare when dealing with a dog with physical and or behavioural problems. If after all this then you think that you are very passionate about dogs and that you want to breed, then; join the breed club of your chosen dog, research all there is about the breed and then find an ethical registered breeder that is prepared to mentor you. One does not simply state that they are a midwife or nurse because they want to, they must study and gain qualifications in order to offer their services in a safe and professional manner. Dogs cannot tell us what is wrong so the role of the breeder becomes so much more complicated and vital in ensuring their health. To the potential breeder - Will you take back the puppy or adult dog if the buyer changes their mind, or if the dog has inherited a physical or behavioural condition resulting from the mating? Rescues and pounds are full of dogs such as these. Do you accept that there is possibility that the puppy you have helped into this world, may be euthanised because a person or home couldn’t be found to care for a dog with inherited conditions? Right now, backyard breeding is becoming an epidemic. Rescues and shelters are overrun with adult dogs that were once cute puppies. Many of us have unknowingly supported the proliferation of the problem by purchasing from sources far from ideal, but this is not about blame. It is about understanding and making an informed decision in the future. So what can we do? Firstly; we can rethink the idea of “my dog, my choice”. Secondly; we can stop supporting these backyard breeders and stop supporting pet shops that sell puppies and thirdly ; we can support the efforts of rescue organisations and responsible ethical breeders . Adopting a dog, providing a foster home or supporting financially or morally is where we can all start. It is my belief, gentle reader, that breeding is not a choice, it is not a right that is assigned to you, when you have a dog. It is a calling for a few passionate, caring and knowledgeable people. Breeding however, is not a calling for me.

Awww thanks DDD - much appreciated :)

Hahaha - yeah he eats better than me too :laugh: Great stuff I always stock up when I can get them for $11kg works out $3.50 a meal :-) Which is not too bad - but he is fed 2 meals a day :-) My average spend is around $8kg for human grade meats :-) He eats around 700g of raw per day - a little more quantity and fat when during sledding season and a little less in the real hot months. I could do it a little cheaper and still be very good if I needed to. But it has become a hobby that I am passionate about so I do get great enjoyment out of selecting and feeding him... and he is certainly not complaining :laugh: Rabbit for dinner tonight - woohoo :laugh:

Thanks so much Sars :)

Just took this vid yesterday of my 7 year old doing some training with Ronin :) This is the same dog that can pull my weight unaided on an upward gradient with me on a scooter.

I'm not surprised given the diets most people feed... If you take an average kibble and compare it to a properly thought out homemade diet then there's no comparison. But for anyone feeding raw you really need to put the research in to ensure you're covering all bases, same for us humanfolk - I was getting really tired for a while then realised I hadn't had much iron in my diet of late. A meat binge rectified it almost immediately :D It's so easy to miss something, especially when you're feeding a diet that doesn't vary much day to day. Agreed :) I rotate the proteins daily as I believe it gives a far better spread of nutrients and also limits the likelihood of developing an intolerance to a particular protein. I feed the following, Roo Goat Beef Fish Chicken Lamb Occasionally Rabbit Very rarely Crocodile My view is that you really need to be able to rotate at least 3 proteins, and more variety is better. Unfortunately some dogs have developed intolerance that make such a rotation difficult or very expensive. I think it is pretty hard to argue against fresh versus processed (same as with humans) but concede that there are some great kibbles around these days - Taste of the Wild, Canidae and Ivory Coat are probably the top three in my opinion that come to mind as I type :) I should also state that I am not trying to convince people that my way is best, different dogs may be on different diets or many different reasons :) Most people on this forum are also at the very enthusiastic end of caring for their dogs health too so there is no judgement from me.

Your comments didn't sound to me like you misunderstood my first post - you make valid points :) I try and feed 10% bone on average over a week. A certain amount is very much guess work as some meals are fed on the bone - 1/4 chicken with organs for example. And another day might just be muscle meat and organs without bones. My main concern has always been calcium phosphorus ratio. I also feel that gross errors in feeding can cause so many problems in later life. My previous dog was fed kibble with recreational bones. She went on a prescription Hills diet for a while, but that had no effect on the crystal formation. Bones + Kibble seemed to be where her problems stemmed from, plus breed and genetics I guess I am also not suggesting that bones and kibble is bad for all dogs, nor am I suggesting that prescription diets are bad or ineffective. I do however think kibble plus a lot of bone is bad - but that is an whole subject on its own :)

He said he rarely sees a dog with nothing that needs any attention, bloods, eyes, coat and weight. :) So perhaps I am overstating the blood results. It was something that I wanted to do due to the raw diet he is on. My own research is one thing but I wanted to have it backed up with something tangible. Being a predominately Prey Model raw diet, I really wanted to make sure I was doing the best for Ronin and not the best for my ego I am just fastidious to the point of being obsessed after nursing my previous dog through 8 of her 14 years with numerous complaints. I set out to research everything I could before Ronin came into my life and truly believe in being proactive - I am sure I could have done more for my old girl if I knew more at the time, and this makes me a little sad I also accept that he is young and therefore should be in good health a good breeding certainly plays a big part :-) I meet so many Huskies on a large group I am part of, unfortunately many similar aged dogs have so many problems, but I do hear some mind boggling diets out there - cheese and crackers being one

Nope, thats not true. I said that one should be careful about DI water and I believe it is one that needs vet advice. There are uses for it for sure, but many don't know that there are safety risks as well. That is my only point. It has nothing against you. My previous dog of 14 years had urinary problems and crystal and stone formation for a long time. Our vet didn't advise DI water, he advised to cut out bones (she was on a mainly kibble diet). I am talking about stones than needed to be expressed under aesthetic every couple of years from 6 years on. Adding water to the meal and taking out recreational bones saw the complete reversal of her conditions. I am not suggesting that this vet knew it all or was a specialist but he did extra research into it for us as it was such a protracted and reoccurring condition. You can take it personally if you must, but I did a lot of research on RO/DI water, as at one stage I was seriously considering getting an expensive unit installed. For what its worth I just use a Brita filter jug for most water for the whole family. But that is really just a taste and chlorine thing. In any case, I am happy to be proven wrong and if so will add the information to my knowledge base.

I am pretty sure that the idea is to reduce SOME minerals RO/DI or DI strip it all out and actually leach minerals from the body. This is definitely one for a vet to advise on, not the internet.

I wouldn't use distilled water without specific vet advice. It can strip minerals from the body. It is not considered safe for humans unless under specific circumstances. If using RO/DI water you normally need to add certain minerals to it to make it safe and palatable. :)

That is brilliant, I am so pleased for you

This is free download called "Before you get your puppy" is quite good by Ian Dunbar, there is also another free download called "After you get your puppy." Lots of great ideas on toilet and crate training amongst others. http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/BEFORE%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf

Thanks very much Westiemum :) Absolutely not worried about negative comments like the one posted. I am sure that anyone who knows me even slightly from my posts here knows that I devote an enormous amount of time to give my boy a happy, healthy and full life :) Oh and believe me, Ronin is quite the lounge lizard himself :laugh:

Such a terrible accident. I just chatted with my 7 year old about this just now. She said "wow, that is so silly, I would never do that even with a dog I know" She then said "does she get a silver or gold hand?" Now granted, my daughter is pretty dog savvy but she indicated that this was common sense not the extra education we give her about dogs

Its a pity, none of us have taken a video looking back on all the dogs and sledders at the start of the race. The dogs are super keen, so keen, they're singing (or my guy sounds like a cartoon dog barking, or a seal) and we have to have handlers holding them, because they are waiting not so patiently for their turn. They love it and are very excited to take off. :D Yep! I did some handling of the 2 and 3 dog teams on the weekend. The handling of one of the Euro Hounds almost killed me. They were both quivering with readiness - I have never felt anything like it. The whole body was so wired and all the muscles were twitching. I had massive lactic acid built up in my arms by the time they were off. The dogs go nuts with excitement before the race. One of the mixes in the 3 dog was just as hard to hold :D

Thanks Kirislin :) Yep, nearly missed a turn LOL. There are plenty of rules with passing but both sides are used. It is a problem when the person doesn't have the scooter behind the dog so most of the trail is covered. Dogs should also be trained not to lunge but we are novices after all :-) And yes I knew the dog that passed was coming as you need to call "TRAIL!" when you are around 50M away and then "TRAIL RIGHT" or "TRAIL LEFT" for which side you are going to go on. Person in front must slow down when the call comes and meant to pull over if their dog is troublesome :D It is called a 'sling shot' action as the dog being overtaken is slowed down so the other one can fly past and reduce overtaking problems. I think I wrote some other rules above :) We did overtake that dog a couple of times but that one ended up as the winner and season winner over the 4 sanctioned races :) I can assure you that there are some very unfit people - myself included :laugh: I was buggered afterwards and still have tight hamstrings LOL Thanks Jetson :) You get it much appreciated

2.4 km would be nothing to a horse pulling a kick bike and would more then likely get there much faster then the dogs :laugh: A mule on the other hand would probably not even walk past the start line because we all know how much they prefer to do what they want when they want to. Nice racing Ronin, love the burst of speed when the dane went past. --Lhok Thanks Lhok :) The other dog was a mix of greyhound, saluki and weimaraner dunno if there was anything else???- apparently a rescue from up North - I think sometimes referred to as a 'Roo Dog" :)

:laugh: Yep, poor baby... he really does have a sad and unfulfilled life with me

FFS Succinct Very true :laugh: Poor Ronin... having a such a bad time

Now you are just being silly... I never said it was an official breed of dog. A Siberian Husky is bred to run and pull. I guess agility, and lure coursing are cruel too ???Looks to me, like one happy dog doing what he loves! I don't know where you get the vibe of cruelty? If you watch the video closely, you can see the "driver" gives a big kick now and then to keep the momentum going. I know nothing about sledding, so my terminology is probably not correct. Lol. I love Yonjuoro's videos, because it gives me the opportunity to see these beautiful dogs in action. Thanks JayGee :) :) This response is for interested people :) Yes we scoot (kick) to help them along. There is very little resistance when inertia is broken - he can go from 0-30km in around 3 seconds with no scoots :-) We scoot to help through soft terrain and slight gradients. I have to ride the brakes if we go on a downward gradient. Vets and race marshals supervise all races and health of the dogs is the most important aspect, not winning. Thanks Kavik much appreciated :)

Now you are just being silly... I never said it was an official breed of dog. A Siberian Husky is bred to run and pull. I guess agility, and lure coursing are cruel too ???