ellz

To be honest, the BEST dog showing car I have ever had is a 1997 Toyota Camry Wagon. Plenty of room with seats up or down. The aircon is the BOMB! And super-duper economical on fuel!!!!! Next best was my EL Falcon Wagon. Heaps of room, super comfortable for man and beast BUT would go past everything except a petrol pump.

Just another suggestion....I had a puppy a few years ago which I suspected may have had hydrocephalus. It turned out in the end that she had a porta-hepatic shunt. She was quite behind her sister in development but didn't really show any neurological disturbances until she got to about 6 weeks and then the difference in the two puppies was very apparent and she had started to have mini-seizures when she ate. She was euthanased then, she just wasn't absorbing enough good stuff to keep her growing properly. Editing to add photos...both girls at 3 weeks of age...spot the "normal" puppy

The Hickie family (Belmont) are true dog people. I have never used their facilities but would not hesitate to do so if the need arose.

It is always a pitfall that new owners encounter when they brush what they can see and don't get right down to the skin. Definitely teach the dog to lay down to be brushed. On its side is fine, then you can line brush (you might like to google this but basically you brush the dog from the belly up or back down - whichever is easiest for you - in layers/lines and making sure that every piece of hair is brushed). Get yourself into a rhythm of "brush comb", brush first and then comb. The comb will uncover any bits of hair that you've inadvertently missed.

UKC is classed as an "alternate" registry. It's not bad, but certainly it does recognise and register some breeds which are not recognised elsewhere.

Depends upon the breed. And as others have said, be considerate. Waving a bitch in season under the noses of the boys, whether intentionally or otherwise will do nothing to make friends! :laugh: Personally, I prefer not to show bitches which are in full standing heat but that is just me. Smooth coated breeds can look just plain UGLY when they're swollen and dripping (sorry to be so graphic), coated breeds aren't quite as nasty. Whatever the breed though, it is courtesy to mention to the judge that the bitch is in season BEFORE they start to go over the back end, lest they get a nasty and messy shock.

My long-coated puppies get bathed weekly from the time they're old enough to stand in the bath. Bathing won't hurt, just make sure you rinse properly.

Have a look at Augustine Approved.....

The only successes that I have had in treating car sickness were when the dog/puppy was prevented from seeing out of the window. A covered crate or as I used to do with one of my adults, a snood over his eyes. If you forgot the snood, you got a dribbling drool-puppy out of the car at your destination and there is only SO much you can achieve with potato flour! :laugh:

Wayrod told me just the other day that Brisbane are the strictest when it comes to enforcing crate rules. The other airlines tend to vary according to who is on the desk at the time apparently.

This. Bladder infections can also produce blood and a lovely aroma that drives the boys wild. Let's hope the vet knows the difference. Surprisingly, some don't.

This. Bladder infections can also produce blood and a lovely aroma that drives the boys wild.

What amazes me is that many people who own horses and dogs would never DREAM of leaving a halter on an unattended horse in a paddock, yet they're happy to leave a check chain on an unattended dog.

I have actually in the past swapped a kitten for a puppy! :) I had bred a litter of purebred, registered Burmese kittens and a breeder in my breed had a litter of American Cocker puppies which I admired. We were joking around one day at a show...."swap you a kitten for a puppy" type of thing and I nearly fell over when she actually asked what kind of kittens they were. Deal was quickly done and both of us were very happy with our transaction. But....that said.....I wouldn't just do this ALL the time. It was just a mutually beneficial agreement at that particular time.

Another vote for wayrod

Check chains are potential killers when used in the wrong manner by inexperienced people. Even a check chain being used for training can kill if it is put on the wrong way (one way allows self-release, the other simply makes the chain get tighter with pressure). A check chain should NEVER be left on a dog which is unattended. Far better to get a leather collar or even a strong webbing collar with quick release hardware.

Overheard today whilst watching the Golden Retriever judging....member of Joe Q public said to her friend "I had one of those when I was a kid, only he was black..........." I went shortly followed by

This. Although I do confess that an initial email which simply asks "do you have puppies and how much are they" (or similar) tends to get my back up a tad. Makes it seem like the ONLY interest is price and that isn't good either. Emails like this will generally get a reply along the lines of "how did you find my details and what is it you are looking for in the breed/breeder etc". IMO whether puppies are sold at 8 weeks, 10 weeks or however old, whichever vaccination comes "next" in the regime is the responsibility of the purchaser unless otherwise stated IF the puppy is in the hands of the purchaser at that time. If however other agreements have been made then that is different. For example my Stafford litter 3 years ago saw one of the puppies stay with me until she was 13 weeks old (my puppies normally go to new homes at 10 weeks) because her "parents" were on an "early" honeymoon overseas. I was happy to keep her for the extra time and didn't charge them board and when the time came to take her brother and sister (who I retained) for their 12 week vaccinations, she went at the same time and I didn't ask for, or expect reimbursement.

Sadly it is law in some parts of Australia now, so fraudulent numbers or not, they must be listed.

I made my collars myself by crocheting strips of chain stitch in various colours. It was also easy then to cut the collars off as they grew and replace with new ones (each one that was cut off was kept with the puppies "personal" papers and given to the new owners when they went to new homes). And of course the limit is only on the colours you happen to have on hand or can buy cheaply. The roughness of the stitches means that the collars don't work their way undone like ribbon can. The bitches didn't mind these at all. You can also buy readymade puppy ID collars in various colours. The choice is yours. I personally have never had much success with nail polish.

My puppies are all colour coded from birth. Everything they do or have done to them is documented on their own individual paperwork as "blue puppy" "pink puppy" etc. As they are microchipped, their colour is written on the microchip documentation and on the back of the spare microchip stickers in the same way.

As with anything it is about balance, feeding a whole egg (shell and all) is balanced. The old biotin absorption information has been proven to be largely incorrect UNLESS you are feeding a HEAP of egg whites by themselves (I'd rather make a pav with them! :laugh: ). I'm about to embark on the Augustine's Approved Diet with my Staffords and American Cocker. Am looking forward to seeing the results.

Any animals that I have will be cared for by my remaining family members (ie my children) if at all possible. If their circumstances don't allow it, provision will be made for euthanasia...without guilt or fear of recrimination. This is with the exception of my Stafford boy Roger who will be euthanased immediately upon my passing. He is too high management and too much of a mummy's boy to expect anybody else to have to deal with.

Agree with all who said they wouldn't worry overly much about it. A small umbilical hernia, and especially 1 in 10 wouldn't phase me one little bit. If on the other hand, it were half of the litter, then that would be a different issue. Quite often a small hernia is caused by mum ripping the cords, or by an over-zealous breeder pulling too hard on the umbilicus during whelping. Why would this preclude a puppy from a show or breeding future?