ellz

Could be something as simple as dried saliva from mum cleaning them. If they're otherwise well, don't stress too much.

First and foremost I want to see health certification of the dog itself at the very least, but preferably his parents and grandparents as well. I'd like to know stud fee, amount, when it is payable and whether or not the dog is available for natural matings or if he is by AI only. I also want to know if there will be any terms and conditions such as restricted sales, number of puppies on Main/Limit etc. I DON'T care if such and such has a beef with whomever. I'm not going to inflame a situation but by the same token, I am not going to carry somebody elses' grudge for them so if they are going to tell me that I cannot sell a puppy to person X, then I'll use another dog. If somebody uses a dog of mine then I don't believe in puppy back situations. They can pay the stud fee and if I am interested in a puppy from the litter then I would hope that I can purchase one outright. Depending upon the situation, I may require all puppies other than those kept by the breeder themselves, or by other specific agreement to be put onto Limited Registration. I ask that I be notified of the arrival of the puppies, numbers, genders, colours and any neonatal deaths as well as any issues that may arise with the puppies as they get older. This is for my benefit because I want to know if my dog is throwing any particular problems that may affect his future as a stud dog or the integrity of the bloodlines.

Does it only happen if the water is cold? Have you tried her with tepid water? Some dogs don't react well to the sudden shock of cold water.

And attitudes like this are the reason that breed clubs fold. If people do not enter the specialty shows held by small clubs, they run the risk of not having clubs at all.

When babies of any species are sleeping, they're growing. Here are two of my babies sleeping peacefully....the bigger one is a yearling, the other a couple of months old and they are being watched by their "uncle". They'll often sleep more in warmer weather too. Just make sure there is a constant supply of fresh water available for when he's awake.

AEC's "opposition" do hold reasonably regular clinics here at one particular veterinary practice in Hobart but they are quite expensive compared to what I have been told AEC charges for the same service. At least it will give us some options anyway. It sux majorly not having our own veterinary opthalmologist here in Tasmania permanently.

If you mean the Belgian, it has more than one variety and the long haired ones have soft hair, as against not rough. A. LONG HAIR: The hair is short on the head, the outer side of the ears and the lower part of the legs, except on the rear side of the forearm which is covered from elbow to wrist by long hairs called fringes. The hair is long and smooth on the rest of the body and longer and more abundant around the neck and on the forechest, where it forms a collarette or ruff and a jabot or apron. The opening of the ear is protected by thick tufts of hair. From the base of the ear the hair is upright and frames the head. The back of the thighs is covered with very long abundant hair forming the culottes or breeches. The tail is furnished with long, abundant hair forming a plume. The Groenendael and the Tervueren are the long-haired.

Wasn't a Belgian Shepherd? Not Dutch I know but many people get their geography confused!

Too much grooming and trimming. Pandii wants wash n wear, or very close to it. Also very competitive in the show ring in Melbourne.

Quite possibly. I have to ask though....couldn't you have organised an earlier, or later flight? One that wouldn't see her flying in the middle of the day in summer? I live nearly 200 km out of Brisbane, cannot drive, and had to have a friend transport her. Incidentally she was given both food and water at 11.30. I understand your difficulty, but perhaps you could have still organised a better time for travel? If I had not had somewhere to stay overnight that was only 25 minutes from the airport, I would have had to leave home at 3am to get the puppies to the airport by 4.30am last Friday so I know where you are coming from but it was still worth it to have them travelling in the morning when it is cooler. I know your loss has been devastating but flying a puppy in the middle of the day anywhere in Australia really is fraught with difficulty. You'll know for next time though.

Quite possibly. I have to ask though....couldn't you have organised an earlier, or later flight? One that wouldn't see her flying in the middle of the day in summer?

If the testicle doesn't drop then it is pretty much essential that he IS neutered. That could be the only thing which saves his life when he gets older. I personally have had dogs from two different breeds which have retained a testicle until 9 months of age, but in my case, I bred both so keeping them to see what happened wasn't an issue for me. If you are considering showing, then regardless of whether he is the pick of litter or not, I'd be inclined to want two fully descended testicles at 8 weeks.

How old is he? Are you a registered breeder? Have his parents been health tested? And yes, if the testicle remains retained, he has a dramatically increased risk of testicular cancer.

Something is seriously amiss somewhere. I flew a puppy from Hobart to Cairns last Friday morning. She arrived with nary a hair out of place and a clean and dry crate. I had to get her to the airport at the ungodly hour of 4.30am to ensure her comfort on the earliest flights I could organise but it was well worth the trouble.

I can understand that would be very upsetting for all concerned but it may not necessarily be completely the fault of the airline. Which airline and what time of the day was the flight are the first two questions that need to be asked?

Well, she's got excellent taste cos I'm in love with them too!

I've often frozen treats inside a milk carton or icecream container of water. It can be a useful trick for a dog that doesn't drink as much as you would like (frozen chicken stock works well too) and is also a slow release boredom buster for a dog which would otherwise demolish a treat in a very fast manner.

This is the Cairns girl....Zarah. Her mum says she's such a funny dog!

Why would you offend anybody Pandii? Everybody has their own preferences. I love many breeds but there are some that I wouldn't own if you paid me. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate them, or respect those who DO own them. They just aren't dogs I could see myself waking up to every day.

Oh well, still two little boys here looking for homes if you know of anybody who wants one. One black, one very stripey brindle. They'll stay here until they are old enough for nursing homes if nobody wants them. :D The litter is being spread out with one girl in Cairns already, one in Melbourne and one going to Townsville in a week or so. I'm keeping two and have another going to his new home locally on the weekend IF I get my car back, otherwise it will probably be next weekend. I just had another call from the guy who is possibly getting his boy on the weekend. He's SOOOOOOOOO excited!!! AND I just got a really lovely PUPdate from the girl in Cairns with some photos. It's just as nice receiving the PUPdates from the breeders' point of view!

Beagles can be spectacular escapees and I wouldn't be inclined to trust their recall skills either!

I have to admit that my Greyhound is the most reliable to recall when we're out walking on the property here.

That would depend entirely upon the breeder/exhibitor. For my part, my dogs are pets first and show dogs second. I would rather have happy, healthy, temperamentally sound pets that I can take to a dog show than have show dogs that I can't live with.

I love Boxers as a breed but in my experience they can be very boisterous and they do shed, like most short coated breeds, bristly short hairs almost constantly. Like Staffords, they can tend to be juvenile until they are old enough to be senile with no obvious transition. Intelligent but very, very challenging. Excellent show dogs though but from a show point of view, VERY intense competition so maybe not a wise choice for a show newbie in Victoria. Same with Weis and Viszlas I would imagine.

Yes, we are human. BUT, the reality is that not every dog is happy in a large "pack" environment and sometimes dogs need more one-on-one than a particular situation is able to give them. And not all dogs ARE family members. Some dogs are quite happy living in a kennel. Some dogs live in a kennel but deserve a cushy life when their breeding/show days are over. There is only so much room on a couch. Not every breeder/exhibitor has dogs inside as family pets. For some, their hobby whilst it is a "lifestyle" as well, doesn't extend to having indoor animals, dogs on the bed and couch or other things that I, and you, and many others find quite normal and would be lost without. But that is their choice and I respect that. For my part, I have 6 adult dogs, 1 American Cocker puppy and 6 Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies (but will only be keeping 2 of those). This is a comfortable number for me to maintain and spend time with. I have recently rehomed two older dogs. Both of whom were incredibly sweet dogs and I loved them both dearly but neither were coping with the lifestyle here and with the full-on attention from the other dogs. I was fortunate that both have gone to the same home, albeit a few months apart and the second was an unexpected placement in that home and really just a trial because he suffers badly from separation anxiety and needs CONSTANT company or he howls, barks and scratches himself stupid from stress. This is a paste from an email I received from his new family just the other day.... <paste>thanks you for letting us have CAl. He is a delight and so at home, especially with Ali organising him. We changed his name as Cal was causing some bad memories coming to the fore, we could see his stress level rise at this name, so as he is Ali's chum, that is his name, Chum. He eats, sleeps and does everything else to order! He and John are great mates, and now he has successfully replaced Annie in John's life so all is well. Thanks once again for bringing him to us. He is a great Chum. <end paste> I really searched my soul before I discussed him with his new family but now I'm very glad that I did. He is happier there than he ever could have been here. It is a win-win all around.