ellz

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.

Here we go...from the ANKC C of E 15. A member shall not permit any of that member’s pure bred dogs to be mated to a dog of a different breed, to a cross bred dog, to an unregistered dog of the same breed, or to a dog not on the Main Register without the prior approval of the member’s Member Body. <end paste> <paste> http://www.ankc.org.au/media/scripts/doc_download.aspx?did=1083

I don't think it is legal anywhere under the ANKC Code of Ethics.

LIKE

Personally, even though they have a strong suck reflex, I'd be tubing them their Wombaroo. Sucking uses calories as does staying warm. So if they're expending more calories to feed and stay warm than what they are actually ingesting, you simply won't get weight gain.

Something to look at here is the difference between night and day toileting and YOUR actions. I'll bet at night when that alarm goes, you take her out, remain businesslike and "almost detached", tell her what to do, tell her she's a good girl and then take her inside and put her back to bed. Do you do the same during the day???? Or do you allow her to wander off, sniff and play and get distracted???? The thing about puppies is they are like human babies...they sleep, they drink, they eat, they play and after all of those actions, they toilet. Keep her confined to a smaller area, not necessarily a crate, during the day. Interact with her and watch her body language. If she has done any of the above actions, take her outside. If she starts to sniff the ground a lot or run around in circles, take her outside. Take her to the same area each time...don't stimulate her further by talking to her a lot, maybe just repeat the same commands for toileting...I use "wees and poos" and if you can make sure you're saying that when she does the deed, and then praise her loudly, with great animation and make a HUGE fuss of her once she has finished it won't be too long before she associates her actions with your command and your praise and will start to pretty much perform on command just to please you and get that lovely attention! Also, if you take her out, whether she goes straight away or not, you are committed. You've seen what happens when you give in first and bring her in...she immediately toilets. So you must time it better and when you take her out, you're out until she empties, then fuss as above and bring her in.

Kitty Crunchies are the 6th food group to dogs!! :laugh:

I make my own. Polarfleece and the heated warming cords that are used in reptile enclosures. Fraction of the cost and easily dismantled for washing.

Yep, have two well behaved entires now and my old boy was a gem. He had what I like to call a "stud nose". Wasn't even INTERESTED in a bitch, whether resident or visiting, until she was ready. Then he'd do the deed firmly but gently and give her a kiss when it was all over and then walk away and go and have a snooze. My current two are still largely unknown quantities although one has been used once, the week before he arrived in my home. He seems to know what a bitch is and what a juicy one smells like, is keen to do his job, but doesn't let his brain dribble out of his left ear. The third, well, for the amount of interest he has shown in girls, I'm starting to question his sexuality! :laugh:

I'll pass too....I have two entire males (a Lowchen and a Stafford) who get on beautifully...the last thing I need is a smelly girl throwing a spanner in the works! :laugh: Seriously though, although the "dog shuffle" isn't fun, it is doable. Crate training is essential. Vigilant shutting of doors and gates is required. Chlorophyll may help to lessen the smell. And if you do crate them, don't make the mistake of crating them in separate rooms....funnily enough, they usually settle far more quickly if the object of their affection is within sight, hearing and smell. Separating them can lead to the great crate breakout and lots of howling and moaning!!

I can't vote. The second category doesn't fit my criteria. Yes, I would show a dog with a slip or mild HD. In some breeds it cannot be avoided and in some dogs, the problem is so mild it doesn't affect them. I can name a few dogs in a couple of breeds which are multi BIS winners and their issues were not even discovered until the time came to think about breeding them and their hip (or elbow) scores came back as not-quite-expected. Which leads me to the second category. Would I show a dog which has been surgically repaired. No, but only because anything which is severe enough to require surgical intervention shouldn't be shown, not necessarily because showing a dog with a fault is wrong. Would I breed from such an animal. Most probably not (certainly haven't until now but don't have a crystal ball) but would depend upon the actual dog, the circumstances, the issue and the severity of the issue. Not every skeletal issue is hereditary.

Height should be 46-51 cms (18-20 ins) at withers...anything smaller than this is simply undersized, not a "miniature".

I agree wholeheartedly with Donatella. If you want a dog that will be with you "forever" (your words), then get a stuffed one. You are on the right track with going down the track of a reputable and responsible breeder, but even the best families can still have the unexpected occur. Health testing can only help weed out the obvious stuff but there are still man made issues to contend with and basic, good old "sh!t happens" type stuff. One thing I will say is that not having a particular colour in mind will help you greatly to get a nice puppy, as will having a gender in mind. My personal preference for companion Staffords is male, but that said, I've loved my girls too....they're just different. Don't isolate your search to WA. Transporting puppies these days is very easy and not as expensive as people think and certainly in the hands of the right people it is no riskier to fly a puppy from the Eastern States to WA as it is for you to drive to a breeder in metro Perth. I'm in Tasmania and have shipped dogs to literally every part of Australia as well as New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Keep doing your homework. If you should happen to decide you want a blue Stafford, don't be sucked into paying any more for it than you would for a puppy of any other colour. Ballpark range for an 8 - 12 week old puppy from health tested parents is around the $800 - 1200 figure, on Limited Registration (which basically means you are getting a puppy which forever reason has not been deemed suitable for breeding or for showing but which is eminently suitable for the more important role of companion).

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I don't have the same results with hot spots and apple cider vinegar. All of my waterbowls have ACV in them. It certainly helps with preventing burning of grass, smelly kitty litter trays, staining around mouth and "pissle" area and other things. BUT...I have literally just healed up a hot spot on my Lowchen's front leg, ACV certainly didn't prevent it!!!

From reading through the thread, the impression I get is that he has had an injury of some kind????

The 12 month shot is important. This completes the series of vaccinations that can set a dog up for a lifetime of immunity to some of the diseases vaxed against. And yes, it's not necessarily GIVEN at 12 months, it is approx 12 months after the final puppy shot which may be either 12 weeks or 16 weeks depending upon the protocol used by the individual vet.

The age is the age as at the date of the show. So because he is 12 months on the day of the show, or 1 year old, he goes into Junior.

Just an interjection here Rajacadoo-doo-doo (aka my Bondaged one)...not all breeders offer a return service. Some consider that they are offering a proven stud dog at stud so therefore a stud fee is what you are paying for the actual service, not the litter. Some offer a free return to the same bitch within a specific time frame. It really depends upon what was agreed upon between the parties so the best course of action is for the OP to contact the stud dog owner and discuss the situation with them. With specific regard to the questions asked: Can I get any of the service fee back? See above response. But generally....no. Has anyone had any luck with home AI kits? Have never used one but know of people who have had success, and others who haven't. It isn't generally the kit that is the issue, it is the timing and the individual dogs. Should I take her to a repro specialist? Your call but I'd rather see a natural breeding done first. Maybe next season to a different dog perhaps? Or a natural breeding to the same dog. What was the reason for the AI request by the stud dog owner in the first place?? At what age is a bitch too old to have a first litter? I wouldn't be leaving it much longer than 3 but have known of bitches up to the age of 6 being successfully bred for the first time. She took 8 months between her last 2 cycles is this unusual? Each bitch is individual. I had one bitch who went for three years between seasons and was bred successfully. If you do take her to a repro specialist they will be able to give you an idea of whether or not 8 months is a problem. I personally wouldn't necessarily be too concerned. But that's just me.

Thank you all. He was a lovely old boy. The vet was great and reminded me that I'd given him quite a few years more than he may otherwise have had. When I think about that, it makes me happy. I think there always comes a time when you try to ignore it, but you know that it is for the best. Fangle hadn't adapted well coming back to suburbia after a couple of years running on 25 acres and he really battled through last winter. So when it got to the point where he wouldn't even lift his head when the car pulled into the driveway and he stopped singing for his supper....I knew that it was time to start thinking about nicer places and easier times for the dear old man.

Is the colour an "undesirable" or a DQ? There's a difference. It's kind of like the old potato of blue, liver and black/tan Staffords I guess. The three are colours mentioned in the standard. Two of them, liver and black/tan are "highly undesirable", the other, blue, is accepted BUT because our standard calls for a black nose and the genes that produce the blue coat in Staffords cannot physically produce a black nose, it's a bit of murky grey area (pardon the pun). Anybody can show any of the three colours at their own risk. Some judges will put up blue. In GENERAL, dogs with blue coat colours or the blue with white are NOT the same quality as their other coloured counterparts and many also fall short in eye colour which is also mentioned in the breed standard so a kind of double whammy. On the other hand, I've seen liver and black/tan Staffords which are in my opinion exceptional type and more worthy of being shown than the vast majority of blues, but the standard means that only a very brave (or ignorant) judge will put them up. I have been beaten by a blue which I would have registered on Limited Registration and which I believe was desexed when it was older. At the time, I was rather miffed. Now I can laugh at it because the judge has shown her true colours many times since then. BUT, it was the judges' opinion on the day and apparently she either saw something in the dog which she really liked, or she knew the handler. Whatever..... I have no respect for people who will blatantly show a dog which does not conform to the standard in colour or certain other areas such as health or if the dog has been "fixed" in some way to enable it to be shown or to live a normal life. I have no respect for judges who do not judge to the standard, unless they can convince me that their decision was made for good reason. And in those situations it is often a case of "better to shut your mouth and look like an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all possible doubt".