cowanbree

I have owned 3 Aussies and have to admit to not being an overly active person and find they fit into my lifestyle perfectly for the most part. If I want to go for a 3 hour walk they are fine with it but if I think it is too cold and prefer to cuddle on the couch they are also good with that. My first two were admittedly quieter than my current one who does require at least a ball game daily but I find them fun dogs. They are clowns and love a good game but my aussies run with my shelties under supervision who are a lot smaller than most children without too much trouble. I love the breed personally and find them much less intense than borders when I compare them to my friends borders who have to be exercised twice daily or life is unpleasant.

You could also look at an Australian Shepherd which has a similar look to a Border but in my experience can be a little less intense.

I have a friend who did this. Her dog wasn't entire so they removed the undescended testicle and inserted the fake one. It healed completely normally and I wouldn't have said it was any more traumatic than a normal desex. I always thought it felt a little funny, perhaps if he didn't have a normal one and a fake one it might not have been as obvious but it did feel quite different

I have a litter of shelties at the moment and have had many enquiries from people wanting to do agility, some serious, some just social but more than a few want to breed. It may be extremely closed minded of me but if the puppies I were selling were show quality and hence of sufficient quality to be bred they would be going to show homes. I am not interested in allowing dogs of my kennel name to be bred to pet quality dogs to produce pet quality puppies even if they do have performance potential. I believe in only breeding the best to the best and by that I mean the best temperaments, the best health results and the best dogs and if they are serious they will wait for a suitable dog to buy rather than just putting two dogs that are performing well together regardless of everything else.

I think people take it for granted that their dogs will always get on but sadly it doesn't always happen. I have had one very serious incident that nearly killed a gentle submissive wee bitch. I kept her and rehomed the other two dogs involved in the incident to only dog homes and everyone lived out their lives happily. I have a no tolerance for fighting esp amongst the bitchs as they tend to be more serious and bear grudges. Anything that doesn't fit in or cause issues is sadly rehomed for the good of all. I haven't had serious bitch issues for years but my entire male dogs do a bit of grumbling and hair pulling occasionally so they are only allowed together when I am there to supervise which for the most part works well.

As a sheltie breeder I know it is definitely true that the black ones are harder to sell. Could sell sables no problem but black tri males - no way. Who could resist these faces? I love black dogs so really don't understand it

I would buy her a kennel and pop it over there. At least that way she will have a warm bed. You can just say a friend offered it to you and you thought with the colder weather coming it would be ideal for her

If showing is going to be a focus it does limit the breeds somewhat. For instance in New Zealand I have never personally seen a Belgian that is consistently doing anything other than breed (usually the only one or at most 2), there are some great aussie breeders in NZ but you will have to wait a considerable period of time to get a show quality one. GSD are a breed worthy of consideration, we have some good breeders in NZ that will sell to show homes

If she wants to meet an aussie I think I am local to you (lower South Island?) and have an aussie and a tribe of shelties. Personally would recommend she skip showing (and yes I am a show person) and perhaps think about obedience/agility /rallyo. Breed showing is not for the faint hearted

I think a lot depends on the breed. I have heard wonderful things in some breeds but it seldom works in shelties. I know a number of people who have tried it and there are the successes are few and far between. Chilled semen does seem to work though

We have a DOL person who has done a dual mating, has field spaniels from memory. I think she got 1 from 1 sire and the rest from the other

I haven't but my friend did for years and thinks she had a better success rate than with a natural mating - no impact on litter sizes and she loved the no visiting bitchs. She did surgical implantation which I understand many aren't doing anymore.

I have to feed mine in crates and man is it a noisy time. Very exciting time

Debarking isn't a sensitive topic for me. I would rather debark than have to use a bark collar for an extended period of time. It is natural for a dog to bark and some breeds like my own are more prone to barking than others. By debarking you lower the volume and reduce the stress for everyone including the dog that is being constantly told off for barking - everyone is happy although it may still annoy your husband as they are still barking. Having said that there are ways to train and control barking without resorting to surgery. I have a water pistol inside and after a few squirts with it, my dogs are very quiet when my hand drifts towards it. For outside I also have a long whip that makes a very impressive noise when hit on the fence or table etc and instantly quiets the dogs. It also works just by picking it up, and pointing it at the offending party - they hate the noise. If you do decide to debark do your research and only go to a very experienced vet who has done many debarks - not your normal vet. Most people will travel many hours for a good debark vet as otherwise they don't tend to work.

Have you actually had complaints? I have debarked dogs in the past and currently own one debarked dog but would only do it if I really had to, not as a precaution. They can still bark but the tone changes and depending on the vet you use and their experience the volume is about 1/2 to 1/4 of the former volume. The most important thing for a successful debark is to only use an experienced vet.

Any update? Hoping all went well.

I adore the oldies but the last year hasn't been that kind to me as I have lost 3, soon to be 4. The first pictures is my gorgeous old cat Devon, 16yrs old and in end stages kidney failure. He has been an amazing personality, brilliant with the dogs and hopefully I will have a little time with him left even if it is just measured in days. This is him pictured last week. Then we have Millie who I lost last year at 2 weeks under 16 years. She is pictured at 14 yrs Finally Millies son Mac who died 6 weeks prior to Millie at 13 years old I also lost my oldie Cat Keriem but don't have a picture of her as an oldie. She was 15yrs

I assuming breeders who know you and Sophie have a fairly good idea as to the home you offer which is a little different. Personally I wouldn't want to buy off a breeder that didn't make me jump through hoops as it sends a clear message that they are not really that concerned about the puppies they breed. I can assure you for every great home enquiry I get there are another 4 that are rubbish and the only way that can be sorted is to ask question

Are you saying that you'd never allow your dog to be used to sire a breeder's first litter? Not 100%. Someone very new to the breed who has a litter in the first couple of years - probably not but someone who has been round for a while and I have got to know well maybe.

The most important thing to me is that I can trust them. I would only ever deal with someone I know and it would have to be someone with a proven track history for being a responsible breeder. By that I mean standing behind any puppy they breed, selling them to only the best and most responsible homes and doing all the appropriate health tests for the breed. Basically they have to be someone I would be comfortable selling a puppy to and I am very fussy abut my homes

My book canine reproduction specifically states that before I think 19 days and after 5-6 weeks the puppies are reasonably resistant to chemical so I think you are at least in with a chance. Horrible thing to have happen, hoping for a favourable outcome for all parties

I and all of my sheltie breeder friends have been using it for many years, have never had a dog react to it. Of course you are actually applying it to the hair, not really the skin

I have always used Cement powder and old engine oil and find it brilliant. It can be applied 2-3 days prior to the show and just flakes off the day of the show.

I find as my oldies get older I tend to stop taking them for walks with the main mob. They can't keep up which impacts on the younger dogs as the walks have to be slower and shorter and also to be honest they don't want to come. Instead they get other special times, more car rides, senior tootles to the mail box or just down the road and other things that are more to their liking.

I know of a couple of bitch's who have been treated successfully but I am given to understand it that they must be mated the next season and then desexed as once they have had pyo it will come back