t-time

Are you kidding!!?? We are worse than GOLFERS!! There are now the hot weather policies in place...... and shows are *supposed* to stop when there's lightening but I've shown in 40 degrees, cyclonic winds and fork lightening so yes - worse than if we played golf! There have only been a couple of shows that have been cancelled due to hot weather but other than that, I can't think of a show which has been cancelled because of rain in recent years : D Was Bermagui a Sapphire Coast show? I heard from a friend that the Toys were literally WADING around the rings

I haven't checked Miss B but I'm pretty sure you'll find the lists in the November or December Dogworld

Except BMP didn't comment! Thinks you're hearing echoes LOL

I'm another who is SO OVERWHELMED to receive my Nomination (You SEE - a smiley emoticon just does NOT do it justice! ) I'm crossing my fingers I can make it down to Sydney but I just have to convince my partner first How do I put up a "nominee" banner thingo?

3 things: It's the judges' opinion on the day and Never give your opinion unless it's asked for and Always find something positive to say

Oh yeah!! It certainly cuts drying time in half (or MORE!) I don't know how I ever survived before I had a dryer!

Just curious about pellets vs straws MM - how much of a difference does it make to the "handling" of thawing and or use? Is it trickier and more fiddly with pellets? Sandgrubber, I did say it was my personal preference....I just ideally like to see a natural mating with as little human interaction as possible - simple and as Mother Nature intended. I have been down the repro road with more than one bitch and those attempts have also been (reasonably) successful - I have nothing against AIs if there's a reason to do it such as fertility issues or large distances between your bitch and the stud dog etc but as a general preference, you can't beat a decent natural mating ;) No progesterone testing, no bloodwork, no driving to the vets for days on end, no waiting for results, no transport arrangements to be made, no enormous vet bills - just NO FUSS!! Nor have I....why would there be??? And under those circumstances, I'd much rather AI as well! AIs certainly have their place in breeding and I know that Phil Thomas (repro guru whom I have used) states that his surgical AI conception rate is much higher than natural mating!

$300 is a great price!! Have you guys checked out the Dogz Online For Sale pages??? Good dryers come up approximately once a month There's a fab Oldfield dryer on at the moment for around $650 and they usually retail for a fair bit more! Poms NZ - I would imagine postage would be quite high to NZ. I remember when I got my (2nd hand) dryer and postage was circa $30 within Australia!!

PS. EDITED And ADDED to my post Please read my post again

You will find that good repro specialists will say they have a GREAT success rate with AIs. Maiden bitch or not shouldn't matter however imho, an AI should be considered "second best" if a natural mating is possible and achievable. If your stud is interstate I would weigh up which is best for your bitch and secondly the costs involved. Is your bitch ok being away from home? Have you and the stud dog owner discussed her upkeep and who is going to pay - she will be there for a few weeks? Will a stud fee be payable even if puppies are not produced via AI? (Sometimes you are paying for the semen alone) Anyway, to answer your primary question, a maiden bitch is just as likely to achieve pregnancy via AI as any bitch. ETA: Depends on the type of AI as to which semen will do the job - frozen can be surgically implanted at any time but if you are thinking of using chilled semen, there are timeframes involved with the shelf life of the semen which can be up to 10 hours (I think, from memory) so flying semen from state to state can damage semen making it nearly impossible to use chilled if you are too far away from the stud dog and vets who will inseminate.

I am interested in hearing the outcome of this from the OP. OP, can this potential puppy buyer explain why they think a "Spoodle" is the best "breed" for their situation? If we know the answer to that, perhaps we can make some other breed suggestions for her?

Absolutely! If your going to give a baby anything - a natural source is best. I actually add some Manuka Honey to food if any babies look a bit "off" ;)

I'm not trying to be cute here but how old was the Border Collie when you got him/her?? From the ages you've given, it sounds as though he/she was less than 8 weeks old. This would account for the quick bonding and also being the only baby in the home. :rolleyes: Your Ridgeback was 8 weeks?? and you've only had him for a week and a half? It would help to know the ages of the dogs when you got them and how long you've had them.

That's GREAT BMP! Not bad for your first year in the showring!

Me! Haven't seen you in AGES Mysticview!

Ummmm...I'm glad you are querying this.... Xray would involve anaesthetic and personally, I would be a little concerned about putting a 10yr old under! Also, yes - way more expensive! Why not an ultrasound? You can see a heart specialist and get the ultrasound for the cost of an Xray! :D

Thankyou all on these interesting points of view.

Not my bitch personally but yes, when the bitch was in season - absolutely no swelling - no discharge noticable and resulting litter of 6 pups! This was a bitch who always bled like crazy and swelled like an elephant! She is a little older and had whelped previously - everything "normal" except for this last year of seasons.

Thankyou folks! It's a curious situation in our breed as there *were* a number of health problems reported in this study paper and to be honest, they seem to have just disappeared?? The Havanese Club of America is incredibly strict with their members' health testing with yearly CERF exams, heart, liver function, thyroid, hip & elbow scoring etc so you would *think* that something like Distichiasis would be reported in eye exams....

Just wanting some info about distichiasis in relation to breeding and mode of inheritance. I'm aware it's quite common in several breeds. The reason I ask is because, Distichiasis is mentioned as occurring in Havanese in ONE US Hav health paper written some 10 years ago but the condition seems to have either been brushed under the carpet or not given any heed since. Those of you with breeds which suffer Distichiasis - is it a major consideration in your breeding choices? Do you/would you still breed with a dog who has had a known case of Distichiasis? Any good websites about the condition would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance

My grandparents had a Dane in the early 80's which had severe food allergy specifically wheat and they had to put him on a raw diet - he cleared up pretty much straight away after he was taken off commercial food. ;) I really don't think feeding raw has any effect on the tolerance to commercial food - there's always a dog who is going to get allergies.......also owners are becoming more aware of allergies in their dogs.

Where's the piccy??

Some of the stewards known to me don't bother to call my breed name any more they just say "SNEEZERS"!!!!!! I agree about Toy ring exhibitors even though I AM one! Nothing worse than waiting an eternity for the old dears to get one out of the trolley, put a lead on it, take it round the ring, go back to the trolley, take the lead off, place the dog back in the trolley, CLOSE THE TROLLEY!!, and then realise they have another dog to get out, SIGH, open the trolley..........you get the idea

Hi Amber, What did the vet/specialist say? Crossing my fingers for your first litter

Swimming for shoulders and exercise in youngsters Depending on his age, roadwork might not be a good option but swimming is fantastic and non-weight bearing.