kelpiecuddles

A pink labradoodle? What they hell, so now she's painting them up like freaking easter eggs before she sells them and encouraging randaoms to buy them just because it's 'for a good cause'

In the Tas regs it actually talks about what should be done if a 'livestock' prize is unclaimed so sounds like there is no legal problem with it.

Damn straight it is worth it. Maybe nothing will happen to start with but if a pattern starts to develop and they get other complaints then they will act.

double post

I'm getting an unavailable notice now too but it worked before. Sadly legal and ethical aren't the same thing.

something I have already settled is that I won't accept something that causes health issues just because it's the status quo or generally accepted. Like you my breed of choice is sometimes met with controversy, there was a big hoohaa a while ago about dogs at Crufts with so much spare skin they couldn't see, etc, etc. No where in the breed standard for bassets does it say that they need so much skin that it renders them blind without surgery. Thankfully the Australian bassets aren't as bad as some of the lines over there and a sensible amount of loose skin is something i am aiming for. If there is something that is currently a known problem in your breed of choice, aim to fix it don't just accept it :)

Hi Haylz. I am also not a breeder but it's something I might consider in the future but thought you might be interested in the path I am following. I currently have a basset hound and a kelpie, my basset is from excellent lines but was purchased 5 years ago as a pet rather than a show prospect, as such she is desexed and i have no intention of showing her but she has made my mind up that this is a breed I do love. Currently I have been in discussions with a registered breeder and have arranged to take on one of her older neutered girls, she is currently being shown in neuter clas, doing well and I will take over showing her as her new owner. This will make both my bassets around the five year old mark currently. By the time Angelica is getting too old to be in the show scene any more I should hopefully be getting myself a bit more well known around the show circuit, getting to know a few of the breeders and showing that I am serious about the breed and commited to it long term. I'm going to keep an eye on the dogs around me while i am showing and get to know the lines and decide which ones I like and for what reasons. By the time my girls are getting quite elderly I will have started discussing with my chosen breeders what i am after and why and put my name on waiting lists. Then by the time my old girls are sadly no longer with me my pups should be heading towards an age where I can plan my first mating. Hope that helps some, sounds a little bit confused probably but I hope my theory is pretty good anyway. :)

I used to get Turkey necks from a Woolies or Coles over Heidelberg way, might have even been Greensborough shopping centre?? Might be worth asking your local supermarket if they can get them, they came in a prepacked 1kg bag.

I certainly still hear them around here at the moment and it's bloody cold at night. My car beeps at me every morning to warn me the road might be icy LOL

When it thaws it would go back to being pliable but while still frozen it would be brittle, same reason tupperware containers will shatter when you drop them straight from the freezer but bounce when warm.

I can't imagine eating my dinner frozen and I highly suspect my dogs would look sideways at me and walk away if I tried to get them to eat it that way LOL. What is the value of freezing it? I would have thought that you want the bones to break up in to uneven but not jagged pieces as the dog chews them, surely freezing would make them more brittle and prone to breaking in to sharp bits that are more likely to cause damage?

Colours are probably pretty regional I would imagine, around here it's rare to see a solid coloured dog. Went googling and found some pretty cute piccies of blue and tan kelpies :)

Black and Tan and red and tan are probably the two most common colours in kelpies. I wouldn't mind a blue and tan(recognised colour doesn't matter to me) as long as the colouring isn't associated with anything deleterious. I seem the recall blue kelpies can be prone to a genetic hairloss condition.

That's a great kelpie gallery, never really seen the bluey grey coloured ones before, really like it, do they come in a blue/tan point as well?

Just remember that he may get upset and he may carry on a bit but ultimately he will survive being left alone for an hour, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Nope, couldn't have it in my yard LOL

Bahaha, where the blazes does one get a pigs head?

They would work OK for my basset but my kelpie refuses to eat any chicken, I did once get her to eat a turkey neck when she was really hungry but she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it so I think she's a red meat girl LOL. They are currently having lamb flaps with their meal but they are still taking ages to eat them so i've started giving them their dinner next to thei beds in the evening and then they lie on their bed eating their bones so I can probably afford to change to something that will take longer if I'm sitting nearby so they aren't tempted to nark at each other(they only do it when they know I'm not looking LOL)

Just wondering what other feel are the best options for types of bones/foods to help give teeth a better chance at staying clean?

Or you have bats in the belfrey :D

Actually can I ask where his crate is in relation to the rest of the house? I have found it helps a lot in those initial stages where they are getting used to the crate if they can see you but know they are to stay in there, so any time you put them in their with the door shut initially stay in the room but go about doing something and talk quietly to yourself, praise pup verbally when they are settled. For example have it near the kitchen and while pup is locked in the first few times make yourself a cup of tea while they can see you, don't acknowledge carry on and the second pup stops, even just for a second lots of verbal praise(I don't even turn around, I just continue what I am doing but my verbal cues get happier and more praisey). First few times only need to be for a few minutes and then pup comes out. I also make sure I have taught sit at the same time so puppy sits while i open the door and gets a reward for that as well. As puppy gets better extend it by sitting on a chair nearby and quietly reading a magazine while you drink your cuppa :)

If you have to put him in it in the morning make sure he has something really high value like a bone or his favourite chewy treat(pigs ears, etc) plus his favourite toys to keep him company.

I'm not averse to a bit of destruction. Toilet rolls filled with kibble, masking tape over the ends and then wrapped tightly in a number of layers of newspaper are good too

In summer freeze some chicken stock in a water bottle(just half full) and they spend all day trying to get all the drips as they come out :p

Funny how it works that way hey 3labs. I always thought though that it might be like other peoples children, they always seem much more obnoxious than your own even if your own do the same thing LOL. I have a working dog but always felt I couldn't handle a lab but maybe the reality is that when we raise our dogs through proper training, etc to suit ourselves, they are more likely to fall in with the lifestyle we set for them and therefore our expectations of them and theirs of their owner are more likely to gel.