ellz

Have you got anything in rare blue? I've got a Staffy bitch and a Staffy dog so if you've got anything in blue, I could make a fortune!!!!! After all, they don't have to LOOK like Staffords, just as long as they've got a blue parent, you can charge a bomb anyway! This could see me becoming very rich!!! Especially if ReadySetGo is right and brindle is gonna be the new blue, cos my other two are brindle. I've got it made! But if not...I'll take one of those Teacup Alaskan Malamutes and one of the Teacup Ridgebacks because if I breed them together, I could make one without lots of hair which would be non-allergenic I'm sure.

I know exactly how the owners of this dog feel. And at the risk of attracting the wrath of DOL, I can't help but feeling a tad envious that Harry has managed to attract all of the publicity and financial backing that he has. My puppy was stolen from my property on the 10th May. She's a registered purebred dog. She was a show puppy and was to have been my future in the whelping box. I only wish that she'd had HALF the attention that Harry has received....I may have had her returned by now.

Another option, but not a completely recommended one is to purchase a top-quality bitch with good bloodlines from a recognised kennel (good luck there - that in itself is a dificult thing to do) and put puppies sired by your dog out into the show ring so that people can see what he is capable of producing.

Zoomies....Mad Ay-Rab style!

Here is one of mine from today....don't ask me what I was actually trying to shoot. But I like it anyway....

Something that occurs to me is that maybe my asking around about Dalmatian breeders has perhaps spurred the "original" breeder of the puppy into action and they have contacted the puppy person?

Beware of flying pigs!

But this isn't a change in the quality of the dog, it's a change in the quality of the home and management, major differences IMO.

Ahhhh - is that since it became compulsory here? Or has that been the case for a while. It has been compulsory to microchip for a year or so now. Not ALL dogs, that comes in in July NEXT year, but certainly for TCA registration all puppies must be chipped or they won't be registered.

Websites are a good starting point, but a schmick website doesn't mean a good breeder. What is in the shop window isn't necessarily what is behind the counter. A breeder can say ANYTHING on their website, but it doesn't mean that they believe them. Many will say what they think people EXPECT them to say. If you've been reading any of the threads in General recently, there is mention there of a breeder saying one thing on her website but apparently practicing differenly in real life. The best thing you can do is to meet the breeders, at the least talk to them on the phone. Establish a rapport with them and use your intuition to decide whether or not you believe in them.

To paraphrase a song "it's not what you do, it's the way that you do it".

There's another key that he did not come from a registered breeder or is not registered and was sold on. If he were from a registered breeder initially, he would have been microchipped prior to being TCA registered. So we are definitely looking for a BYBer it would seem.

Sensible breeders don't sell SHOW QUALITY puppies, they sell show prospects. Many don't sell puppies to prospective show homes at all because buyers have unreal expectations of what they purchase. Many think that if they pay XXX for a puppy then it MUST be show quality and MUST win and if it doesn't, then the breeder is at fault. I look at my puppies when they are wet. Some things don't change and are more easily seen wet and before you can confuse construction with animation. Things like head balance, length of neck, length of back, length of forearm and ribcage can be seen while the puppy is laying in your hands and these things won't change much with growth. I keep looking when they are up on their feet and moving around, how they hold themselves on the move, what they do with their tails and legs when they eat, drink and play. At 8 weeks, I make the first real "cull" (metaphorically speaking) and look at the puppies that I have identified as being show prospects for whatever reason and note which puppies will be going to companion homes. By the time they go to new homes at 9 - 10 weeks of age (sometimes a little later) I'm reasonably certain what I want to keep. I tend not to be too critical after that until mouths change - that can ruin the plans for many puppies. And in one of my breeds the ear fairy tends to be pretty brutal at teething time too. After around 8 months, I am then reasonably sure of what I have and could then be fairly confident in selling a puppy to a show home as a SHOW QUALITY puppy.

Restlessness and nesting can go on for days before the actual labour begins. One of my maidens nested every night for nearly 10 days prior to whelping and only started nesting during the day 3 days prior. A slight drop isn't what you're looking for. It'll be a massively noticeable drop to a degree or more less than the previous reading or the usual reading for that time of the day.

Yes Challenge is best dog and best bitch. It's 5 points plus one point for every animal of the same sex over 6 months of age. So in the scenario given above, it would be 5 points plus 7 because your own dog is counted in addition to the dogs beaten. If they win best of breed they get 5 points plus one point for every dog AND bitch over 6 months beaten, in addition to the point for your own dog. Group and Best In Show are a maximum of 25 points, again awarded on the basis of 5 points plus 1 point for every dog or bitch over the age of 6 months in the group or show. It is possible to NOT get a 25 point group, they aren't automatic unless there are a minimum of 20 dogs of age in the group. This is particularly applicable at smaller shows. Best In Show is usually automatically 25 points.

Points are only awarded for Challenge, Best of Breed, Best In Group and Best In Show.

I've just asked on facebook if any of my Dally friends know of anybody in Tasmania who had a litter about 4 months ago. I'm thinking it would be quite surprising if the puppy was from a registered breeder. Just a feeling...no real basis. I do know of somebody who had a litter, possibly around that long ago but she is located down South and it was most certainly NOT registered and was (I'm told) a 1/2 brother 1/2 sister breeding. 8 puppies I think and all sold off cheaply, as well as one (possibly both) of the parents......out with the old, in with the new! I'll let you know if I find anything out.

Shaar, it's a dog SHOW not an obedience trial! And NOBODY ever said that dog shows had to be fair!

My first time in the ring in the USA was in the group ring. My boss had 3 dogs in the group lineup so he and his wife were in there with me. I thought I had died and woken up in hell. I'd been in the USA for a week by then and this was my first show weekend and we were first group into the ring and NOBODY had prepared me for what was to come. I went over there thinking that some of our better known dog people played "dirty"....was I in for a rude shock. Some of the carry-on around the dog scene in the USA makes our more "assertive" handlers look like Mother Teresa! That said, I'd go back in a heartbeat. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!!!! Highly recommend it for any young person who wants to learn about dog shows via the saturation method!

If you want to talk distractions....try showing in a Group line up in the USA!!!! Never mind a dog barking in the ring as a distraction, try dodging the flying bait. Or gait your inexperienced dog amongst the leftovers. Not to mention the RINGSIDE barking, howling, hooting and carrying on and none of it coming from the mouth of a dog either!! Pro-handlers and experienceds owner-handlers don't pull any punches and neither do the spectators!!!!

Something to remember too as a handler YOU own the space directly in front of you so use it if you need to in order to create a buffer zone. And once you're all set up, don't be scared to move within YOUR little patch of ring to get the best out of your dog.

BAD BAD BAD idea!!!!!!! Very dangerous. I know that many companion animal owners do it as a matter of course....scrape off the bones after a barbie, throw out the roast bone etc etc and get away with it...but they're really tempting fate.

To answer your last question first....if you've got a dog which is a bit flat ordinarily, then ANY animation is good animation IMO, as long as it is appropriate. I've seen Beardies bouncing n barking, Samoyeds answering back, Toy Dogs yapping, Staffords yodelling. Most of the time, the judge laughs and so does ringside. So onto the first part.....all of the above would be appropriate at some time or another, just learn to pick your times. If the woman has an issue with your dog animating and vocalising, then she probably has a bigger issue with her own dog and should probably work on focus issues there rather than carrying on at you!!!! Just my opinion of course and no doubt there will be other opposing opinions so you just need to take what you are comfortable with and run with it! PS. Congratulations on your wonderful year and may there be many more like it!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/CAMEO-dog-cat-rotat...=item19bf1fc165

Ebay often have them too.