espinay2

What NOT to Do The most damaging forms ofexercise for a growing pup (particularly a large breed pup) are the following: · Regular use of stairs, in particular running up and down · Jumping from a height such as out of a vehicle, off a retaining wall or off a bed or furniture. · Rough play, such as body slamming, blocking or being rolled, particularly with a larger dog. · Long walks on lead, particularly on hard surfaces such as paths and roadways. Using stairs, jumping and rough play can cause damage to growing bones and joints as they cause the limbs to jolt sharply, which can cause tears and chips in the soft cartilage. These tears and chips can cause the bonesand joints to break down in parts and not form correctly as they grow. Long walks on lead wear the puppy out, can make them sore (even though they may not show it all the time) and does not allow the pup to rest when it needs to keep going until the end of the walk. The repetitive motion of the walk, particularly when on harder surfaces can also put stress on growing joints and ligaments, also causing them to break down. Pups may compensate for the sore parts if they need to keep going, which may then affect other muscles, joints and ligaments due to their irregular gait. So, how do I exercise my pup? The absolute best form of exercise for a growing pup is free running and play, particularly on an undulating surface (e.g. small hills and slopes). You can do this by playing with your young dog in the backyard and taking it to play in other safe offlead areas (be wary of some fenced 'dog parks' though as many dogs in those spaces are not often well socialised or controlled and may not provide your pup with a good experience – use your judgement when deciding to enter!). If you are unsure about taking your pup offlead, you can provide appropriate exercise by attaching along lead like a horse lunge line and taking your pup to an area such as a park or sporting field to play (I don't like 'flexi-leads' as they teach a pup to maintain tension on a lead and pull). You may need to drive them there if it is not close by. By using a long line such as this, your pup has the freedom to move and play, but can be more safely controlled if their recall is not that good. Remember to allow your pup plenty of opportunity to rest as well as exercise in a 'free' manner. Can I take my pup out on lead? Yes! Not taking your pup on long walks does not mean you never take your pup out on a lead. In fact teaching your pup to be on a lead and taking it out to a wide variety of places is very important. However, you should view these outings not as physical exercise, but as training, socialisation and mental stimulation. Take your young dog to places like the local shops, pet store, local school, sporting games and out the front of your house as well as to places like your local vet clinic, obedience club and other fun doggy activities (but of course wait a while before you do something like the walk part of the Million Paws Walk!)

Some good comments so far. A thought I would add is that I think the term 'temperament' is not always understood. What exactly is a 'good temperament' when it comes to breeding? As has already been mentioned you will have behaviour traits that are speciic to a breed. The way a breed is required to act and react in order to do the job it is designed to do. This is an important part of 'temperament'. There is also 'mental soundness'. By this I mean how the dog reacts to situations. For example how it responds to stress, or if it displays agression or shyness or fear that is inappropriate, out of character or a disproportionate response for the breed. Both elements need to be considered when making breeding decisions. But as mentioned, breeding is balance and I would not choose a dog based on just these elements alone. A 'nice nature' will not be worth much if the dog is in pain because of incorrect structure and 'breaks down' physically. A 'nice nature' is also not going to help much if it doesn't look or act like the breed is designed to when that is what you wanted and paid for. How a dog 'looks' can be just as important in lots of little ways too. If you choose a breed because it has tight lips and doesn't drool but the dog you get drools buckets and has saggy lips, or the 'easy care' coat is thick and cottony and takes much more work than in should, no matter how 'nice' the dog is, these types of things can sometimes be issues for owners. At the same time, of course, a dog the 'looks the part' is not going to be much use if it freaks at everything, for example, and/or does not have the behaviour traits that would permit it to do the job it was designed to. It is all about balance.

1 .I want to maintain balance. As many have mentioned, priority is to enjoy living with my dogs. Something I think that sometimes gets 'lost' when people start getting 'into dogs' and the numbers start to rise. I want to make sure I continue to enjoy them as part of my home, life and lifestyle which means I have to ensure that number stay manageable and that sometimes I have to 'limit' what I do and be sure I have other interests as well so that I don't lose sight of why I got the dogs in the first place. . 2. I want to understand the breed. I want to 'see' that instinct and functionality and see the dogs in action and understand how they work. I spend hours just being with the dogs (my own and others) and observing how they 'operate' and learning how they react and think. Hours researching and learning about how the breed works, how it operated historically (beyond the popular lip service potted history), how their structure and nature supports that function (e.g. WHY should they have a sloping croup or small low set ears, or the back of the skull is an oglive shape ). To me that is an important part of understanding the breed and determining what my goals will be. 3. A lot of lip service is often paid with lines like 'breeding for health, temperament and structure' etc. I won't use that line as half the time I am not sure people really understand what they mean by that when they say it. It can also mean lots of different things to diferent people. my goal here though is to understand what health issues are in the breed, to try to know to the extent possible how my dogs and their lines 'stack up' health -wise and to use the resources available to me to determine that. This means health testing and understanding what those results mean and using that information in my decision making. It also means looking to the overall health and wellbeing of my dogs through the best possible diet, exercise and lifestyle I can give them. It means understanding what makes a 'sound dog' in mind and in body and working to produce that. It means working to produce a 'unctional dog' (see goal two). 4. To teach people about the breed and how it is not just (or not even) a 'big fluffy white dog'. There is a LOT of misunderstanding about the breed out there and I want to represent it well. 5. To look ater the welfare and future of the breed. All the above goes into this one. I see my involvement as part of a long timeline stretching forward and back. I want to be part of the stream that carries the breed forward and makes a difference, not a murky backwater or offshoot from the original design and purpose. this means ensuring MY goals are the BREEDS goals and (as my motto says) putting the Breed before any thought of my own ego and design in being a 'breeder'. 6. while it would be nice to 'win' in the showring, my goal is not to produce a generic big fluffy white show dog (which is NOT what the breed is or should ever be), but to produce good, functional, traditional examples of the breed. If that results in wins, that is nice but my main aim when in the ring is for people to see the breed and to represent the breed. I am sure there is more, but that will do for now.

This article may help. 'Prioritising Genetic Defects' by George Padgett: http://www.lgd.org/library/PadgettDefects.htm

Took a very quick google search: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=428023

I have done x-rays both with and without GA or sedation. You do have to be confident that the dog will stay still. If they are doing a GA on an older dog, bloodtests are always recommended first before decided whether or not to put them under. The blood tests will provide info on how his organs are working to give an indication of any potential problems. They may also be charging for IV fluids which with an older dog will help recovery. These two things will often not be included for younger fitter dogs undergoing a GA. Cost will also depend on the size of the dog. Larger dogs will cost more.

You can order online direct from Stoney Creek. https://www.stoneycreekoil.com.au/ If you buy more than one bottle, put the others in the freezer as it will keep better (see their FAQ page) Keep the open bottle in the fridge.

Genetically, Radius Curvus can be associated with Chondrodysplaysia (dwarfism). BUT, not all cases of radius curvus will be as a result of this form of dwarfism. There appears to be more than one cause, with injury or incorrect diet (under or over supplementation for example) being others. http://www.cardicomm...dius_Curvus.pdf http://www.genetics..../index_eng.html http://pets.groups.y...es/message/5292 http://sonic.net/~cd...ther_breeds.htm Chondrodysplasia is rare in GSD (there is also Pituitary Dwarfism, which is different), but does exist: http://www.gsdcouncilaustralia.org/veterinary.htm#chondroplasia http://www.sid.ir/en...15920070411.pdf http://www.rhosyngsd...=article&sid=32 http://www.dogstuff....as_lanting.html http://www.rhosyngsd...=article&sid=36 Note that in humans there are known to be multiple causes: http://boneandspine....lung-deformity/

Talk to Cryogenes. They ship to and from Finland reasonably regularly and will be able to tell you what is needed.

Yes, photo was seen and liked by me too. It really just says everything Truly beautiful.

My dogs do wear collars - they are quite loose though and as a result I find they dont damage coat. I use a range of different ones - rolled leather (the ones I have are natural and unstained so nothing rubs off), mountain rope collars and my favourite ones are the 'big dog necklace' from http://www.bigdogleads.com.au/

Holistic is an approach to wellness, not a product. It is a way of looking at health, not the individual tools you use to manage health. No one individual thing can be, by definition, holistic.

Agree with this. It looks at the interdependant relationship between environment, mental health, physical health and social factors etc rather than addressing just the symptoms directly. Used in the context of a food it is purely a buzzword. And an incorrectly applied buzzword at that. They are basically using it to try an entice people who like the idea of 'natural' etc but really have no clue what that means.

while I do leave mine together initially (when fully supervised), it may be wise if you are not sure what you are seeing at first to keep them separated for most of the time until you get the hang of the process. Even if it is just via a baby gate inside and separate runs outside. While not always common, successful matings can happen early in a season if the bitch happens to cycle a bit differently. I know of a recent litter of 14 from a mating on day 3!!

AVA vaccination policy: http://www.ava.com.au/about-us/policy-and-positions/topics/veterinary-medicines

Phew! Have been on the edge of my seat reading this thread. Nothing like a good suspense thriller! Congratulations on a good outcome. Fingers crossed things go smoothly from now on (well we can always hope LOL!)

Available from where? In the US they often have a system of things available online via prescription. Not sure you can actually bring those things into Aust though due to our govt regs, import laws etc etc. Can you name a specific medication you are looking for?

Some vets will write scripts so you can buy from the chemist. Realise though that many human meds are subsidised by the Govt. You will have to pay the full price if it is for a pet - hence why it may seem more expensive.

The Sloughi is obvious - second photo. Is the first a GreyhoundX? No, they don't look alike to me.

Also as a general rule - factor in more for the purchase price of the dog than 'average' for the type of dog you are getting if you are doing import from overseas. Whenever the words export/import are mentioned the price of the dog generally will be higher than if you were a person buying a dog in that country. (not saying that is either right or wrong - just a common fact to consider in your calculations)

Make sure you have about $10,000 put aside. Should about cover it.

This. I too think it sounds like something lost in the translation. I teach all my classes that one of the 'rules' of teaching a dog to come when they are called is that you don't call your dog to you to do something they may not like as the dog may learn to associate coming to you with something unpleasant rather than something good (even if it is only some of the time as being random can make the negative response stronger). One example of something they may not like is being given a pill. If you want to do something 'unpleasant' in the dogs eyes (such as giving a pill), go get them rather than jeopardising your recall training by calling them to you to do it.

Greyshaft That was it!!

That court case was in fact won by the breeder because it was BEFORE the DNA test was available and it was the first reported case in NSW. That case prompted us to make sure we had a test so nothing like that would ever happen to any dedicated breeder again. Even though the breeder won it dragged through the courts for 18 months and the breeder ended up a few thousand dollars out of pocket. The owner ended up a lot more out of pocket as they had legal fees and all court costs. In that case the puppy was in fact 9 weeks, not 7 weeks like Bailey. The puppy became ill within a few days and the breeder did the right thing, immediately requested the puppy be returned for a refund, plus they offered a replacement puppy. The owners refused and went to SASH who ran every test under the sun, running up thousands of dollars in a few days. At that time TNS had been reported in the breed elsewhere but it was thought to be very rare, a bone marrow biopsy was the only way to get a preliminary diagnosis and it could only be confirmed at autopsy. thanks for that. My memory was rather shakey on it. glad you could clear it up with the facts.

I have an ezycoat and love it. Australian made and great after sales service for maintenance and parts (not that I have needed much). http://www.ezycoat.com.au/ I have an older model single motor dryer and around 10 years later it is still blowing as strong as the day I got it and great for big Pyrenean coats (I have done a few Newfies with them too and they are up to the job (Having groomed a lot of diifferent breeds and having the big dogs myself I know the big coats on the big dogs can be a little more challenging at times - smaller dogs like cockers or even border collies etc can often be a breeze by comparison just because of the sheer amount of dog there is to dry ;) ). They are more powerful than the Liberty (Or at least the one I had). They have an even more powerful single motor one now too which would be my number one choice for an economical but powerful dryerr that is likely to last years and years.