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Just use an agent (dogtainers or Jetpets) and they sort out absolutely EVERYTHING for you including GST.

My satisfaction in being a breeder (or at least part of it!) Only just a week old now but his home is set - nearly 100%.

Oops.....nevermind - grammar is not so important

Yep Oakway - had to edit a post AGAIN before as I couldn't spell "litter"

Ellie - I'm so sorry...it was not my intention to upset anyone This guy is not out of the woods yet but he is shiny and seems very healthy so I've got my fingers crossed ;) I'm a firm believer in fate and sometimes these babies do go to the Rainbow Bridge despite our best efforts. I've had my share of those as well but you've got to keep your spirits up, hence this thread Thanks for the lovely comments guys.

I have had a TINY pup born in a litter where the biggest was 250gms and she was on 76gms - as an adult, she is now exactly the same size as her larger brother

Thanks Mita Also one of the reasons that I chose not to tube feed him - his Mum is still very involved with cleaning him and all the regular Mummy-love so I was hoping for a reunion and I got that when he started suckling properly which is brilliant. A lot more work though ;) Tubing is fantastic if you are having problems with the Mum but in this case, he just needed the extra care.

He's a little fighter for sure Doing very well and as of yesterday afternoon, he's back on Mum but I am still supplementing. It's really hard to sleep with a baby nuzzling your neck - always in the "half" sleep if you get any but it's all worth it Edited because funnily enough, my brain isn't exactly WORKING properly!

His Mumma still loves him but his his big boofy brothers are very greedy and they don't share

And another....

My life at the moment.... every 3 hours.... for the last 5 days.....

Totally agree Christina! Has anyone thought that the dogs are going to get dirty again if the house isn't clean?

Agree. JETPETS I found that it was actually way cheaper to go through Jetpets than do it by yourself. Dogtainers was also cheaper than DIY but a few hundred dollars more than Jetpets.

Correct I ended up with a very sick doggy when the said doggy ate blood & bone. If it's stinky, they will try and eat it - without a doubt!

Reckon it wouldn't be very economical to be feeding the Barf patties/sachets to giant breed dogs You could up their eggs each week - my 3 kilo dogs get a whole egg at least once a week and sometimes twice - once again giant breed so you could give up to perhaps 4 eggs each a week?? (Just an estimate) Sardines can be in vege oil or spring water and once again, my toys get about 3 sardines each in a meal once a week - I would imagine it wouldn't be a hard stretch to say that your dogs might need 2 tins each per meal? Like the other advice you've been given

I wouldn't be worried either :D BTW: Just so you know for the future ANYONE can start a topic in the Breeders Community - you can respond to the thread you start but you can't respond on threads you didn't start.

We don't have Cocoa Mulch in Australia ;) Coir bricks are fine as well - not poisonous - but they may cause bowel blockage if eaten. You can use any mulches really just wary of fertilisers and blood& bone products - the stinkier the better as far as the dogs are concerned! ;) Sugarcane mulch

I always let enquirers know the expected approximate price of a puppy so they are not too shocked. I let them know this is the average price for pup between "X & X" and they can call most breeders and find similar prices. I tell them to be wary of prices which are much lower as these breeders *could* be dodgy.

All you can do would be to get quotes from all the different animal freight companies but I'm pretty sure they would all be similar or MORE. :D You are moving to quite an obscure place so, like humans, the pets would all have to transit via strange airports as well. :p More handling and more flights=more money......... The Maremma would probably cost as much as the smaller dogs - ditto the Amstaff. How much did you think it would cost to transport pets to the Dominican Republic??????

Yep - I was going to suggest similar. Just purchase the "bigger dog" Advantix/Frontline and divide the pipette amount between the smaller dogs and use a bigger one for the Boxer pup or larger dogs when you need it.

All kudos to ReadySetGo Excellent advice. :D You can do the dogs, your can do the bedding but if you have a severe flea infestation, the yard, the bedding, YOUR BEDDING, carpets and dogs all need to be done at once. If you do ALL this and then notice a flea 3 days later, give the dogs CAPSTAR. A week later, do the whole treatment again. 99% sure you won't have fleas after that

TTs have grooming requirements which I don't think a 10 year old would be capable of which is the ONLY reason I didn't suggest one If an adult is happy to supervise grooming - even a clipped coat requires some maintenance - then a TT would be a perfect choice for agility. TTs are exceptionally handler focused (they are renowned for their loyalty) and also quite toy oriented - some like food and some don't. ;) Finding the right breeder is the key if you want a TT - "wary of strangers" are the key words in the breed standard and with the wrong breeder and no early socialisation, that breed trait does become evident. PM me for for more info - I am the Puppy Enquiries Registrar for the Tibetan Terrier Association Emm - I have PMed you :p

Chloe ROCKS! What about a Tibetan Spaniel?

Apart from the regular stuff- I send one or two pics of the pup each week but my info sheets and ALL the photos of the litter plus Mum & Dad all goes onto a USB for the new owner. I found my Puppy Pack folder was getting bigger and bigger and more & more time-consuming - let alone all the ink I used!! - so now breed articles, diet sheets, vaccination protocols, health testing info etc etc all goes onto the USB. Don't forget to give your Puppy Buyers BUSINESS CARDS! ;) Nothing promotes your breeding more than a cute puppy on a walk

I'll throw it right back at you and say what happens if you buy a *Lab* from a pet shop and it develops a hereditary disease? ;) Some breeders do offer health guarantees and some don't - so find someone who does offer money back for genetic problems. All registered Labrador breeders are required to have a certain level of health testing performed on the parents which is certainly not the case with a pet store or a pup bred willy-nilly in someone backyard because they thought the kids should see puppies being born or something stupid. Registered breeders have a Code of Ethics. The majority of registered breeders do want some level of feedback even if this means a Xmas card with a photo or a phone call every day such is the relationships I have developed with some of my new owners- and the majority of breeders most certainly offer you support if you are experiencing any issues with your new puppy. In fact most WANT to know if you are experiencing any issues. Once again, pet shops or Back Yard Breeders certainly don't give a toss once they've got the money in their fist and you walk out the door with the puppy. Yes, but we are not superhuman and we haven't got Xray vision We can only test for particular issues because in most cases, science hasn't figured out a way to make a genetically perfect canine (or pig, or horse or human) Breeders can only do their best to ensure healthy happy puppies. On the flip side, some could suggest that registered breeders breed their dogs for shows/competition...and the dogs that dont meet those standards are sold.Yep that's more or less correct but it's highly unlikely in most cases that an untrained eye would be able to explain what those differences between a show specimen and a "pet" actually are! Someone who shows or breeds for working dogs or agility are certainly going to try and breed for a great specimen of the breed for their own purposes. If you are only just beginning to look at purchasing a labrador puppy - try going and viewing a whole litter of 10 Black Lab pups and figure out which one is best. ;) Unless you know the breed inside and out, you wouldn't be able to tell. A fault for the showring could be something as minor as a mismark in colour on one foot!! Go and check out the Labrador breeders on the breed pages - there are a couple of hundred I believe - start looking at breeders closest to you - check out the puppy notices - find a breeder you get along with - ask about health guarantees but remember that nothing is perfect in life - keep going until you find the right breeder for you and certainly don't be swayed to purchasing the first cute Lab you see (an impulse buy) - they are hard to resist but with the questions you are asking I think finding the right breeder will be most important.