ellz

Psst....BB, I assume YOU mean Dr Robert Van HUTCHISON, the Canine Repro Specialist from the USA? In response to the OP, these days, I don't think there is a lot of difference. Back when artificial insemination in canine reproduction was still a very new issue it was widely thought that the best chance of frozen insemination was in proven bitches. It isn't at all the case these days. Many people are having just as much success on maiden bitches as they are on proven bitches. Much of this is the advance in progesterone testing and a better understanding of the best days and times to implant.

If the dog didn't do ANY winning in a reasonable timeframe under knowledgeable, respected judges during a concerted show career THEN it could be considered to not be "show quality" and could be returned, as per whatever agreement was made for refund or replacement. As this dog has been shown and was titled easily, presumably with good breed competition then there is no doubt that it is show quality and therefore, the only argument the owner could have is that they don't like it. In that case....TOUGH!! Offer it back to the breeder at a reasonable price for the breed and get something from another breeder because I daresay the original breeder won't be too sympathetic. If the owner doesn't want to do that, then they sell it either to a pet home (desexed) or they sell it to another exhibitor who might be perfectly happy to have the dog either in the show ring or as a breeding prospect. The breeder has no OBLIGATION whatsoever in this case IMO. Except the right to be MIGHTILY pissed at the purchaser.

Yep...it's all part of the fun (and expense)!

FWIW Warley, I do agree with you. But as Aziah has pointed out, some things can be bred out and she could be a very honest type of brood bitch (depending upon her pedigree and what she's bred to of course), but those feet would be a non-starter for me from the get-go. And I repeat, it wasn't ME who gave the itemised critique to Ruger about the pup's feet. Ruger, don't take any of this to heart. Everybody starts somewhere and as long as you are learning and looking to improve, then you can't go wrong. And showing doesn't HAVE to be bitchy...like any sporting activity, you just need to choose your companions carefully and don't take everything you see or hear as gospel.

Yeah, I know. But sadly bad feet are in many Stafford lines and the more they are bred on with, the harder it will be to get away from them. I tried the "improving" bit with the import when he arrived but sadly, it didn't have much success. I wouldn't have bred on with him but I figured, like you, that it was worth a try especially as it had cost so much in time, money and angst to get him here. There was no improvement at all in the first generation, and in fact the long, weakened foot proved to be a handicap with two of his daughters breaking toes during normal activity. The second generation were no better either. He was never bred from again and from what I've seen of his daughters who have reproduced, feet aren't actually amongst the virtues of their progeny and grand-progeny either. Experiment FAIL!!

What are you feeding Ruger? What was the breeder feeding? Sometimes diet can help feet, as can walking on rough surfaces like pebbled yards and the like. This can help encourage the puppy to flex its feet, thereby increasing the muscling in the foot.

True, but sadly, not always the case in Staffords, Aziah. And being a fighting dog, feet are important. Many breeders discard a puppy at 8 weeks if the feet are looking dodgy. And for Ruger, get those toenails shorter, WAAAAY back as far as you can. The shorter the nails, the less the toes will splay with contact of the nails with the ground and this will help slightly as she gets older.

I was just told they appear weak, splayed, flat and left one rolling and turning in. And btw, that wasn't me who said that. I have a real phobia about feet, having had bad feet in an imported dog. They haunted me and I vowed I would never keep another dog with bad feet EVER!

Probably not a bad idea to also give a second choice in case for some reason the first is refused. Fantasia is quite a common one so it may have already been registered and would therefore not be available.

Very cute....but please, keep an eye on those feet......

I think in Tasmania you only have to register a membership in the name of the kennel, ie Ellz Kennels and then nominate the signatory members. And I think each individual in the kennel membership has to hold at least an associate membership to be able to sign. Mostly for indemnity purposes I think.

Angelsun here on DOL has GPs.

I'm SO glad I don't have to apply for another prefix for the forseeable future. When I first applied back in 1986, we only had to submit 3 and the one I got was my second choice (which I HATED with a passion).....Truyank. When I applied for my "own" prefix in 1996, I had to submit 5 and I got my first choice.....Ellz. I think I'll cut my losses and stay with that....my imagination isn't as fertile as it once was and choosing any more would probably be the death of me!

The OP is wanting to choose a registered name, NOT a prefix. You don't get to put your own prefix on a dog that you purchase. It isn't like horse breeding where you can pretty much name a horse anything, including your own prefix, despite not having bred it.

Just a little heads up...most Rescue Remedy formulations are alcohol based. This isn't necessarily a good thing for some creatures with certain types of anxiety.

SOME blue dogs can, Kerry Blues for instance but the gene that makes them blue is different to the dilute gene that Staffords carry.

http://forum.bullbreedsonline.com/index/

Occasionally if a puppy is very young and the opening is still small, a tiny hernia can be pushed back in and will sometimes stay put, but in my experience, this is a rarity. As your vet has advised, most repairs are done at the time of desexing, or some other surgical procedure. Just means that the puppy is only knocked out once instead of multiple times.

Incorrect....Day 52 would be the day you would get an xray done. Ultrasound is generally accepted to be best performed around the 21 - 28 day mark.

Interesting indeed. But the fact remains that the reply is still incorrect and potentially quite misleading. I really hope that somebody in the UK, maybe one of the clubs could take up the gauntlet here before too much misinformation creates even more problems.

Personally I would have posted it as a subject of its own in the Stafford Debate section. More of the "opinionated" folk tend to post in there.

I would strongly suggest you post this on BBO and throw it open for debate. And if you don't want to, I'll do it with your permission.

And again, it is genetically IMPOSSIBLE for a blue Stafford to have a black nose, no matter what The Kennel Club has to say about it. A dark slate nose can "appear" black but it doesn't MAKE it black! But gee, The Kennel Club has spoken so that automatically means that many hundreds of Stafford breeders and some highly esteemed International Geneticists must be wrong! And editing to add: I also note that nowhere in this missive does the BREED appear so in all fairness, perhaps you could post your actual letter/email TO the Kennel Club so that we can actually see that you were enquiring about the Stafford in particular. I should also remind you that whilst the reply you received is interesting....we are in AUSTRALIA and therefore whilst the Stafford did originate in the UK, the Kennel Club is not the organisation with whom we have affiliation.

I hear you. By nature I tend to downplay wins anyway. I'll have a teensy brag but usually put in how many were entered or how many I beat in a class or if there was only me for the Reserve or CC or whatever. I figure that if I don't, somebody else will and I'd rather it come from me than from somebody being a smartarse and trying to belittle me. doG knows I do that well enough for myself!

I hear you MM. That's exactly what Purple was like. We'd have a really good night and then she'd rally somewhat and have a GREAT day and hold her own or look like she was turning a corner for the better and then WHAM, she'd be flat again and looking miserable. I carried her in my bra for three weeks, feeding two hourly most of the time and holding her on the boob between times...or at least fending Bad Alice off so that Purple could GET some boob and mummy time. She was putting on weight, staying borderline hydrated most of the time and I really did think she was going to make it. Actually, I think if you search here for my posts from 27th October last year you'll be able to read about most of the things that happened....good and bad.