espinay2

I provided a link earlier which sets out the 'new' Australia wide consumer law...

For those looking for green tripe there is also K9 Natural which sells it frozen raw or freeze dried. As Petbarn has now started stocking K9 Natural products (both frozen and freeze dried range) it is now much easier to get :). Edited to add: Oops should read to the end of the thread before I type :-/

This is a good guide to current Australian consumer law: http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/content/the_acl/downloads/consumer_guarantees_guide.pdf

So you lose the right to use your own trusted vet if a problem arises when you buy a dog from you as a breeder? Seems slightly unfair to me and I hope that's made known at time of purchase... It would certainly impact my decision. If you want warranty repairs done and paid for by the manufacturer you can't take your purchase to just anyone, you have to take it to an 'approved repairer' who is approved by the manufacturer to do warranty repairs. And you need to have it approved under warranty before you get the repairs done. If dogs are to come under the same consumer laws, why wouldn't the same apply?

Chris Christiansen Fusion Groom Grip. I have tried dozens of pin brushes (and own most of them....) but this is the one I use. Just love it and worth the money.

You may be surprised who uses AI semen.

K9 Natural Freeze Dried.

I teach classes, and believe me, barking dogs in the first class is not uncommon at all. There is usually one or two. Some can get very excited and over stimulated in a strange place with lots of strange dogs and people. As HW mentions, it can be very hard in a group obedience class to focus on one dog, though I try to give everyone some individual attention throughout the class. The first exercise I teach in class is paying attention to the handler ('look' or 'watch'). As mentioned, you need to teach the dog to focus on you. If the owners go home and practice the exercises, generally they will see improvements over the coming week. Usually by the third class (and often the second) dogs are more relaxed and paying attention to their owners a lot more. By the end of the classes, the dogs that were barking up a storm the first week are generally VERY different. Just needs an owner who will persevere. I once had a class that I swear EVERY SINGLE DOG in the class was barking its head off. Was VERY hear to even hear myself! (I have no idea how the owners heard me!!) By the second and third week, it was totally different. Turned out to be one of the best groups I have had. Definitely speak to the instructor at the end if you need individual tips. They are generally happy to oblige.

The 'standard reply' really is the way to go. I have a fairly lengthy one that I cut and paste (and adjust as necessary if they say or ask anything specific) and attach a copy of a questionnaire. It doesn't 'look' that generic when you read it but it does make life easier. It covers the basics of the breed good and bad (if you have been researching the breed you will know that....), my breeding plans, basics about a puppy (cost and what that includes - I generally give detalis for a pet puppy on limited register, what that means, and what is 'included' vacc, microchip etc etc etc), information about my waiting list and the attached questionnaire, and inviting them to get in touch with me to talk further etc etc. Sending out a standard reply is fairly easy and quick which is good as only a small number do tend to come back to you. But those that do come back you know are at least a bit more serious and you can then start a more serious vetting process with them and invest more time in them with meetings, phonecalls, more specific emails etc etc

Must admit I can understand a little of where SD is coming from. When I initially read your post, the way I read it you were after a stud dog...any stud dog. My knee jerk reaction was 'uh oh......' This may not be the case, but it is the way your post came across for me.... It is not often we see posts that imply 'my bitch is in season and I need a dog now' except from backyarders, so you may from that understand why some were initially wary. It is not often that a breeder with a well thought out breeding plan will be broadcasting for a stud dog in this manner (have personally never seen it actually). You have clarified yourself more since, but please understand that your initial tone may have had a few warning lights going off for some in the beginning. Many may just have been 'quieter' about voicing there inner reserves.

I buy martingales here. Very sturdy with good solid fittings. I like how they make them and price is very reasonable (particularly with the Aussie dollar looking pretty good at the moment): http://www.countrybrookdesign.com/

I often get comments in the ring from Judges about how wonderfully clean my dogs are compared to some others they have seen. I always think 'Really? It is not that hard.....' As for fleas, have to agree. Mega yuck!

Isn't it worth missing a show? The prog tests will not go unwasted. All the info you have on previous seasons can be useful when timing future breedings. Particularly when doing AI. It builds a picture of what your girl does that an experienced repro person can use to help you get the best outcome..

I find that comment sad. I have had 13 dogs over my lifetime, all pure bred, and 10 of the 13 have had no chronic disease at all with their first serious health problems occuring in old age. I have actually been very shocked when anyone has turned out to have an issue, it is so unusual for me. No allergies, no hip issues, no bad knees. But I agree it can happen to any dog, and no-breeder can guarantee otherwise. Although they can do a lot to reduce the risk they can't remove it. I found the article well over the top and dramatised, not suprising, that is what the media do. But at least it might make people think twice about claims that designer mixes are healthier than pure breeds. This. While yes, 'things happen', I would hate to think that someone thinks major chronic health issues are a given. Not my experience at all. I both like and hate the article. Like as it is an example that the mixes can be just as prone to issues (and that so-called 'hybrid vigour' in this type of dog breeding scenario is a myth), but hate for its media beatup and the holes in the story when it comes to the owner/breeder relationship. Owners should be contacting the breeder of their dog and at least keeping them informed from the beginning and not suddenly laying it on them at the end when they can do or contribute not much of anything. This has to be applied no matter what type of dog the breeder is breeding - whether pure or crossbred. We can't ask it for one and not the other.

Plush Puppy and Chris Christiansen for the most part, but I also love the Fidos Herbal Rinse. Just recently I have been trialling the Panagenics products and have been pretty impressed.

It really depends on the state you are in. WA legislates that an initial pet bond of up to $260 can be charged. In NSW and Vic it is currently illegal to charge a tenant an extra amount of bond because they own a pet. SA seems to have made some recent changes which allow for charging of a pet bond: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/realestate/new-laws-to-allow-renters-to-pay-higher-bond-in-return-to-keep-pets/story-fnczhk65-1226582276944 Not sure about Qld/NT as have not looked them up. Note that a bond can only be paid at the beginning of a lease and can not be 'topped up' or added to during a lease. So if you get a dog during a lease, the bond can not be added to. A bond however, is different from weekly rent and as far as I know there is nothing stopping a landlord charging a higher rent because you own a pet. Rent is largely market driven and there are no 'formulas' for calculating rent in legislation that I am aware of. An owner can charge higher or lower as they like. This site may have some helpful info: http://www.petfriendlyrentals.com.au/

The Pyrs love to run and also stand facing each other doing open mouth teeth displays and 'bitey face' games (think of walruses :D ). We have a GSD as well and he has a VERY different play style. Lots of barking and blocking and body contact which frustrates the heck out of the Pyreneans (though they are VERY tolerant of him getting in the way). We have a saying that the Pyrs speak French and the GSD speaks German :laugh:

Remember it is important that not only your dog has been appropriately health tested, but that any female that he is mated to has as well. Recommend not agreeing to any use of your dog unless a bitch owner shows proof to you of the results of the appropriate tests (and those test results are suitable).

Fabulous! and I love the names. A lot of meaning there....

While she is not food oriented can you change the way her normal food is delivered? For example feeding her out of kong toys etc rather than a bowl.

Pyreneans. Around 10kg on average at 8 weeks.

This. This is not unreasonable. What is unreasonable is to expect a dog to be 'fault free' like an appliance. We can't control DNA (outside of the tiny tiny part that we can do a DNA test for - in SOME breeds). We are dealing with living breathing things and just like human health and genetics, much of it is out of our control. We have as much chance of developing a 'fault free' dog as we do a 'fault free' human. Does this imply it conscionable to breed dogs with known late-onset illnesses that are likely to be inherited (eg, epilepsy, propensity to bloat)? A breeder can work to minimize risk in breeding decisions based on what they know. That intent is important. But they will never ever be able to eliminate risk. With a TV it is reasonable that a manufacturer knows everything about the product and how it works. You start from scratch each time to build it and don't use two previous model TV's to make it. There is an expectation that the manufacturer knows everything about every component in it and can make it 'fault free'. A dog is not a TV. As 'manufacturers' a breeder does not have total control of their product nor do they know everything about every part of a dogs DNA. We can work with what we know, but can never guarantee 'fault free' for the part we don't know.

This. This is not unreasonable. What is unreasonable is to expect a dog to be 'fault free' like an appliance. We can't control DNA (outside of the tiny tiny part that we can do a DNA test for - in SOME breeds). We are dealing with living breathing things and just like human health and genetics, much of it is out of our control. We have as much chance of developing a 'fault free' dog as we do a 'fault free' human.

Joking about this is very bad taste So is Monte Python. Huh? Humor, as a response to disgust, is a natural response. Think Dead Parrot. It's as stupid to slight people for making jokes in 'bad taste' as it is to make fun of someone for blushing. So if my friend got eaten by her dogs and someone cracked a joke about it then that would be OK? Just because people do it doesn't mean others can't be offended by it. The point is moot anyway as he said he wasn't being funny. How do you know he was joking? His dogs probably would eat him if he died and they got hungry. I was confused bu the huge grinning face and it came off as a joke. He said he wasn't so I believe that. Last thing I'm saying on the subject. :) For single persons that don't have a lot of family etc it is a very real fear that you will die and no one will notice for ages. Sometimes laughing about that is a defense mechanism. I will admit I couldn't help thinking about Bridget Jones' Diary and the 'Eaten by Alsatians' scene!!

Into Australia? Wonder how as I seem to remember from my reading of import rules that wolf hybrids were not permitted to be imported.