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Lowchen! Don't have to have the show trim but their hair is silky and lovely to cuddle up to. Smart, funny, affectionate, energetic little cuddle bums. Also very alert and good little watch dogs.

(personal note......R.I.P. Marie, you'll be sadly missed in the American Cocker World) Kennel owner found dead Ekeby. The woman who owned a villa in Ekeby that Thursday morning was totally destroyed by fire, has been found dead. Police suspect no crime in connection with the death. The 50-year-old woman ran a kennel on their property. 13 dogs could be saved from the fire while the remains of two dogs found the remains of the burned low villa. On Saturday, the woman found dead in a place a few miles from the kennel. http://hd.se/bjuv/2012/05/05/kennelagare-hittad-dod/

What breed? Some breeds are best kept "lean" as puppies. Having a chubby puppy may be cute, but it can also cause untold damage to growing joints. Some breeders have different feeding regimes depending upon what they are feeding. If you are following a breeder's guidelines to the letter on type of food and amount, then they "should" know what is best for their puppies. If however, you have changed the diet at all, it may need re-evaluating to ensure that it is suitable for the individual puppy in both amount and frequency. Also, puppies SHOULD eat their food relatively quickly. The last thing you want is a puppy which dawdles with its food.

My boys are a Stafford and a Lowchen.....couldn't get two more different breeds if you tried! :laugh:

Different state controlling bodies also have different "internal" rules with regards to the taking of deposits. I think I recall reading something here in Tasmania along the lines of deposits must be refundable, however they are not to be taken unless there is a guaranteed puppy for the purchaser.

How can they do this if it is against the rules for them to not register all the pups in the litter? I was under the impression that in states where all puppies from all litters must be registered, that for breeds which have DQ colours, any DQ, or "non-standard" coloured puppy must be registered on the Limited Register and cannot be upgraded to Main.

Either/both. Can also depend on breed. I've had 4 heart dogs, 2 male, 2 female. Generally in Staffords, I prefer my cuddly, funny boys.

Really at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether it is hereditary or not. It is there. Therefore at this stage, the puppy is defective and therefore not fit for sale under "normal" circumstances. Heart murmurs are not uncommon in puppies BUT a reputable and responsible breeder would either keep the puppy themselves until either a clearance is given or the murmur is confirmed as being permanent and then THEY can deal with it accordingly, or, if not in a position to keep the puppy would place it in a suitable home (probably at little or no cost) with the promise of support with regards to medical expenses and ongoing assistance. Personally, although I hate conflict and don't judge anybody else who is like me in that regard, I would actually be "manning" up and saying that negotiation is NOT acceptable and that unless the deposit is refunded (and 33% is a hefty deposit by anybody's standards), then further action WILL be taken. And immediately follow through with a call to Fair Trading. Unfortunately, some breeders will bluff and bluster and most puppy people feel so intimidated that they back down and never get what they are entitled to by law.

My rationale: They are dogs, sh!t happens. It is the Neuter class. You want to go. She'll enjoy herself. Have fun and good luck and be sure to drop back in and let us know how you go!! :D

I've heard it is meant to be bad luck to change a horse's name but know of no superstitions surrounding changing dog names. I've done it in the past anyway although not often. Mind you, most of my dogs have never generally been called by their "real" name unless they are in trouble anyway so it wouldn't really matter if their names were changed :laugh:. For example, Roger is Woger, Dodger, Dogface, Buddy, Snot, Snodge, Snodger Dodger Dog, Boofy, Boofer, Sh!thead, Stripearse and Numbnuts! ;)

I doubt the controlling body will do anything. They generally do not get involved in civil matters. The purchaser should contact the Dept of Fair Trading for advice before they take any further action, including taking the puppy. The breeder is being an idiot in my opinion. They obviously haven't heard of Greyshaft. There are laws about selling defective goods (and in legal terms, despite being a living thing, a puppy is still "goods").

The OP is in a fairly out of the way area, I doubt there would be a vet who would assist. Most actually won't and insist upon AIs to make things easier for themselves. I have suggested some breeders to the OP but I guess it depends upon whether they are available or willing to assist.

Have you owned dogs before? What breeds?

Not the ones in Boat harbour I didn't, had to make sure I had transport first, I did email another breeder in my suburb (what are the odds) but no reply as yet. Will try and contact the other one in boat harbour this morning. Okay, will try and assist him a bit more, heck something has to work surely! I'd be ringing people, not emailing. Not everybody checks their emails on a regular basis and by the time they do, it may be too late. And I'd ring people first and then perhaps attempt on your own if you cannot get some more experienced help.

And did you end up contacting those people I suggested?

OK, to put it bluntly, a gentle but firm shove when he hits the jackpot may be needed. If you can feel that he is penetrating for sure (ie, you create a v with your fingers around the vulva and if you can feel the penis penetrating), then firmly but gently (and quickly) push him "home" with a hand on his backside and if you time it right, they should be able to progress from there.

And Friday is a very long way away in the scheme of things. A dog acting unpredictably with strangers, especially if some of those strangers are children is an incident waiting to happen. I would be keeping everybody except those who absolutely MUST interact with the dog away from it if you cannot get help sooner.

No it doesn't, but at the risk of offending you, it does make you guilty of generalisation and judging the breed and not the deed. Not every dog that has been bred for dog aggression in the past retains those same characteristics today and each individual should be taken on its own merits. I am far more likely to judge the people WITH the breed and before I will completely avoid a particular dog, I will watch the people who are supposed to be in control of it and engage (or not) accordingly.

You may need an experienced person to help. I see you are in Tasmania...whereabouts?

My Stafford boy now is THE consumate showman! He just LOVES it. His mother on the other hand HATED the ring with a passion and slunk around it as though she were being led to her execution. Had I removed her from the breeding program based upon show ring attitude, then I wouldn't have him and that would be a shame (in my opinion anyway). Show temperament is not necessarily characteristic of most breeds. Breeds call for specific temperament traits based upon their breed and the purpose of that breed. That we even get some breeds to perform remotely outside what their makeup tells them is a bonus. I don't count show performance (ie temperament) as a benchmark in selecting for a breeding program. If they enjoy it, well and good. If they don't enjoy it but despite not "sparkling" can still be found by judges and awarded accordingly then that is good enough.

Must say, if nothing else, there are some very interesting generalisations in this thread. And I have to say, not a lot of "judge the deed and not the breed" or "there are no bad dogs, just bad owners". Makes me wonder if it is even possible to educate some people or if BSL is going to be the end deal in the future because if people who frequent a forum like this aren't getting the message, what hope have some breeds got in the BIG picture?

To be honest, that is the first time I have EVER heard of anything like that with tubing and I have been doing it for many, many years as and when required. And to be honest, I prefer it over bottle feeding because of a) the reduction in air swallowed by puppies, b) the ability to be absolutely positive how much each puppy has been fed and c) the rapidity of it. Oh well, good luck with them anyway.

I agree with this, to some extent, but there are breed characteristics that don't suit me or my needs. Sure, you might find individuals within those breeds that break from type, but genrally speaking breeds have attributes that or may not be suitable for one's individual taste or needs. Breed characteristics may not suit MY needs either, but that doesn't mean that I cannot LIKE the breed or that it should be relegated to a LEAST favourite position.

To be perfectly honest, I'm a dog lover first and foremost. I don't necessarily have "favourite" or "least favourite" breeds, although obviously there are breeds which I choose to live with now or have in the past for various reasons and not necessarily because they're favourites or have been relegated to non-favourite status. I have met dogs from most breeds now and it's really a dog-by-dog situation. There are DOGS from some breeds that I really love, there are DOGS from some breeds that I really don't care for. But I don't think I could blanket wipe an entire breed, or alternatively elevate an entire breed to demi-doG status in a general sense.

Yes, however if I recall rightly, it's quite difficult to get an exemption unless it is for a really specific purpose. I think anybody applying for the exemption has to state a pretty clear case that a particular dog, or breed of dog is absolutely crucial to the purpose or breed.