Bellebriar

Frank I have already PM you re your concerns with this pup. Here is Karen Hedbergs', (Vet North Richmond, and a very good vet) phone no 45712042. She is very good with eyes. You will probably find that your pup is not double pigmented (third eyelid is white not brown) this is not uncommon in orange roan cockers or any cocker for that matter. If you have concerns with this pup contact the breeder. As breeders we need to know (and like to know) if there are any problems with the pups that we breed. Feel free to PM me if you need more information.

Frank, Silverblue is correct, give the pup time Your pup will also be teething over the next month and his eyes will water and probably become loose but this will settle once his adult teeth come through. Pups are just like children and their mouths hurt just the same when they are loosing their teeth. Make sure he has something to chew on the help loosen the teeth.

I know all this too and I was really shocked when mum told me (I was OS when the classes started) that there were puppies younger than 8 weeks there. One of them came from what sounds like BYB, I don't think it was a registered breeder. Of course in QLD pet shops sell puppies as young as six weeks so some of them could have come from there too. Angelbundy the classes are held at a shop (doesn't sell pets just supplies). The people who work there are excellent, I was really looking forward to puppy preschool there as they are always so knowledgable and helpful. Bellebriar I have already found an obedience club that looks good if mum wants to do more training with Daisy. Heidley I hope the trainer will take on board our suggestions however I don't think she is the kind of person who will accept criticism seriously. However we will be talking to her about it, she is running two classes at the moment so I wonder what the people in the other class are feeling. Glad to hear that you have found Obedience classes, much better to go to these as most of the trainers have been doing it for years and are not in it for the profit but for the love of dogs. Good luck with your pup.

My first question is why are there 7 1/2 week old pups there :D They would not be fully immunized and they should not have left the breeders until 8 weeks of age When I was instructing with Hornsby Dog training club our puppy classes only ran for 1/2 hr and the pups had free play at the beginning of the class, in the middle of the class and at the end of the class. And if my memory serves me correctly they had to be 12 weeks old and you had to produce their immunization records. Even the advanced class only ran for 45 mins and all the instructors would have constant breaks for the dogs so as to overload them. I would be asking for my money back and finding an Obedience class run by a club.

I think a lot of people in my state rehome dogs that don't meet their expectations as working dogs, especially in the sheepdog trialling community. We've taken on a few dogs ourselves for rehoming to pet/sports homes, or working homes with different requirements (eg hobby farmers). Unfortunately not many sports people round here seem interested in rehoming at the moment, they all want working-bred puppies from breeders There are also a lot of "substandard" working dogs on local farms- as long as they don't do anything dangerous or costly, they just sort of hang around. I don't think many farmers like shooting dogs, unless they have a good reason. In general, I don't think many agility/obedience people move dogs on if they don't work out for sports. I've heard a couple of stories of dogs rehomed, but that's Australia-wide, and its more common for people either to persist with a dog that's not top-notch, to find something else the dog does enjoy/excel at, or to just retire them and keep them as a pet. Having over the last 30 years been involved in Conformation, obedience & agility I can say with out hesitation that just as much training is needed in a top show dog as is needed in any of the sports. Sure you can have a dog that just plods around the ring, but to see a dog who is realy intune with its handler is a wonderful sight. As for rehoming, yes we do, and the reason is that we keep on average more dogs, we can only run on the best for breeding. There is a saying in breeding that "form follows function" and if you loose sight of this as well as temperment then you loose breed type. It is far better to rehome a pup or dog into a one on one situation than to have them competing for attention they crave. We have done it quite a few times and have made some wonderful friends. We get emails and photos of the dogs that we have placed and are still able to play apart in their lives. IMO is would be selfish to just keep the dog in your yard when you attention is more focused on your showies, you are denying the dog the chance of a loving home and a chance for them to shine.

If you do the change gradually over a long period and only after the pup has settled into his new home and family and feels safe and loved you will not have any problems. We train all our pups this way and it is the same advise that I give to all my puppy people, and so far I have only ever had one person with problems and after talking to them I found out that they had the pup in with them all day, let it fall asleep on their laps then put it into its crate and put the crate in the garage. Needless to say the pup kept waking up in the middle of the night and howling. They then followed my instructions and everything has been A OK since.

I have had quite a few Cockers brought to me in a similar condition. I do my clips from home and only Cockers (as this is my breed) I charge $50.00 plus $10.00 blade damage, as I find it easiest to clip the dog first and then bath and do any touch ups after. The owners also get a big lecture and lesson on how to groom a Cocker, they are not a hard breed to look after and in MHO it is just being lazy not grooming them.

I have been using Optimum for about 6mths now (the dogs love it) & I am happy with the results it might cost more but you use far less. I have always fed chicken necks, wings, frames, mince, lamb brisket, yoghurt, eggs and oils. Then there is the diet that the dogs get for themselves which includes- lemons, oranges, grass, lilly pillies & just about any tree that is fruiting in our paddock and then the old bones that have been stored for a rainy day. My Cockers are all healthy with lovely coats & I never have a problem with teeth or weight and only visit the vet for their annual check-up and vaccinations. The only time many many years ago that I fed a dog on tinned food he ended up with a terrible case of the runs. I will be more than happy to stick to a well balanced diet, without too many additives for both my human family and my doggie family.