Lowenhart

I have used my leg/feet as a "block". One instance comes to mind is an Afghan puppy who started screaming (as they are prone to doing without justification) in a dog park. Two Staffies came a running and the puppy was picked up and my legs helped to disuade the dogs from jumping up to get the screaming pup. Worked until the owners showed up (the dogs had run away from where they were being supervised) and the dogs brought under control. BTW in this incident the "blame" belongs to myself and the Afghan puppy. The Staffies were not at fault and neither were the owners, no dog came to harm (I didn't out and out kick a dog) and I even apologised. Never walking an Afghan puppy in a dog park ever again. It was a close call and should never have happened.

Have you checked the anus? Made sure there isn't poo caught in the hair blocking the rear end?

ACES is an AVA/ANKC Scheme My local ACES vet charges $75, so be prepared for it to cost more than the $55 quoted by Elfin. The VCA lists a document related to ACES on their website: http://www.dogsvictoria.org.au/assets/aces...eady-jan-08.doc It has a list of vets in Vic that participate in the scheme. It also lets you know what to take with you to the exam.

When you go for eye certification (through ACES or not) they check for ALL kinds of problems, from the eye lids to the iris to the cornea. So if they are asking for "CERF" then you are looking for eye certification from a canine opthamologist. You might find 99% of the ones you contact are under the ACES scheme, and that can vary in price greatly.

I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis... I know how hard it is. My boy was on Feldene and held out for 15 months. We ended up with a prescription to get it dispensed from the chemist to save some money. Make each and everyday as special as you can. I miss my boy

Are you in Brisbane? My boy had the snot, sneezes and snorts. After messing around with xrays and antibiotics I went the whole hog and laid down the big dollars and got an MRI done at QVS. Nothing was found on the xray by the a regular vet, and when the MRI was done they also did a nose flush and biopsy. Nothing came back from the biopsy. The MRI however told a different and heartbreaking story. The tumour in his nose was so large that it had pushed the bony septum right across. The brain area was otherwise intact. I was shown a staffy MRI that was not that far from my boys - that dog was gone in a matter of weeks. But I got 15 great months. QVS are great people. The MRI is expensive but gives definite answers.

Sorry I have taken so long to answer this. No bone structure is not directly related to height. You can have both fine & heavy dogs of all sizes. Size of bone is related to the family, so those of fine bone bred to fine bone tend to produce more fine bone. There is also dwarfism in the breed, which causes shortened thick bowed legs in front and shortened thick legs in rear. This makes some small dogs look more hefty and robust.

Will have to wait until I go home and get some shots of it. I tend to crop it out of the photos of the dogs. But a couple where you can see it sorta: I can't tell you how old it is, maybe 3 or 4 years. It has flown maybe 15 times. I use it to groom at home so it's not in pristine condition. I painted the ply black to protect it and match the legs. The screws ontop are for the wheels, which I added after I did the pyramid matting. If I'd do it again I'd put them on beforehand and use the flat top screws. Here you can see part of the legs/wheels. The wheels got chocked up so they'd clear the folded legs. I have swivels on one end (the steering end) and straights on the other end. This is the straight end.

I made my own... Me and Bunnings came up with a table with wheels for approx $100. The most expensive part is the pyramid matting and glue to hold it on. I made it half "regular" grooming table size, and when folded up the wheels hang out below the folded legs so it acts as a dolly meaning I take it when I fly with the dogs. You should see me zoom through the airport with 3 PP40's stacked up on it . I bought the folding legs at bunnings, bought outdoor/marine ply and screwed the whole thing together. Then the contact adhesive on the top with the pyramid matting. It's light enough for me to carry, secure enough for me to fly it around Australia a couple of times over the last few years. I used thinner than normal ply which I got away with because the table is as long as a standard one is wide and the supports of the folding legs sit right in the middle. I can sit on the table without batting an eye lid, I have even stood on it. Perfect size for little dogs, just a smidge small for the Afghans but still do able in a hint.

Oh I should mention I use another collar on my "babies". I buy the suede buckle collars which kramar was distributing for a while there. They can be a bit hard to find without the stretchy panel, so if I see them for sale I buy up as many as I can I use these for lead training and puppy walking because they are lightweight and soft. Young puppies go to their new homes with their collar, to continue the lead training that I have started.

I use martingale style, flat nylon collars on my Lowchen. I especially like this style as it's easy to find the 'loop' bit when putting them back on lead after off lead training exercises. I would certainly not train for obedience/agilty etc on a show lead. I have not had damage from these collars, I've been using them for qutie a few years now and are my regular 'walking' collar for the dogs. I don't leave collars on the dogs when not training.

In this case they were, but not in every case. Lowchen can be 10-13 inches at the shoulder with plenty that are shown/bred who are oversize so you can see an even larger spectrum of size. I have had regularly coated littermates end up where one is 29cm and another 33cm. Their 3/4 sister is 26.5 cm. All allowable in the size range for the breed, all very closely related. An example are our "Ewok" Girls: at 8 weeks at 9 months, one is obviously taller than the other

Smooth coated Lowchen are purebred Lowchen with incorrect coat so they are registered as any other Lowchen is. Ideal price range? That is something that is very much up to the breeder. I have no idea what other breeders charge, I have never purchased a Lowchen from an Australian breeder.

Yes there is always a chance of Smoochen in any given litter, you can't guarantee that at some point a Smoochen will not pop up. As I said my male sired 38 pups, it was his 39th that was smooth. The dam of the litter was not related to him in recent generations (5 or 6). You can try to do the math, factor in if either parent has produced one before or has a sibling that is smooth. You can count the number of instances of smoochen in the pedigree, such as the old Tilcha bitch in Australian lines. It's hard as a lot of breeders hide their smooth pups. There is a lot of suspicion of wrong doing, "suspect breeding" and so forth and last year someone contacted me as the breed club were trying to remove the parents of a smooth pup from the stud book (read: removal from the main register) because these dogs had produced a single smooth puppy. It may be the only smooth pup they ever produce. It's not a terrible affliction to the pup, there are no real negatives. I personally avoid repeating litters that produce smooth pups and avoid breeding 2 known producers of smoochen together. Smoochen are put on limited register and live as someone's pet. Same Lowchen personality without the grooming needs. edit to make more sense.

I don't guarantee the shedding level of Smoochen I guess they shed as much as any 'feathered' spaniel type coat. I've found the amount of hair shed varies from Lowchen to Lowchen, I still end up going to work with hair on me from my non-shedding dogs.

It's generally considered hereditary, a recessive coat type that has been in the breed since the start of the modern breeding program (1940's & 50's onwards). So it's in ALL lines, to a greater or lesser degree.

I'm at times not particularly sensitive and I think if someone handed me over a dog to mind that was unwashed and smelly I probably would have said "Uh didn't get time to wash them?? Groomers on strike?" It's only a few more days, I understand the dislike of grubby dogs in the house...

Depends on the pedigree and how much the puppy fairy likes you. My Smoochen litter had multiple lines to an early Australian smooth bitch, but I factored the chance of Smooths to be low because neither sire or dam had produced smooth before and neither had smooth siblings. My math was obviously bad. http://www.lowchenworld.com/cgi-bin/pedigr...;db=lowchen.dbw This is a "reverse pedigree" of the early Aussie Smoochen. Six generations later you can see she is in a great number of Australian lines and she is there multiple times. It's really a roll of the dice. The uncle of my Smooths has sired 14 litters, in 4 or 5 countries totalling 39 offspring. He has produced 1 smooth puppy that ended up with some coat and 1 rough coated puppy. I know another bitch (not mine or related to mine) who produced a smooth pup in every litter she whelped. Her coated offspring were spectacular, beautiful coats and heads to die for. It maybe that a smooth is a 'once off' occurance or a regular thing.

To be honest, I'd stay curled up on the couch every morning if I had the choice Good on you for giving a loving home to an older dog For me, I'd probably cave and get Jessie a raised bed for outside - something that she doesn't have to climp/jump up on to but merely walk onto. But is soft and gentle on those old bones. Or an old couch just for her. For her joints you can pick up Glucosamine/MSM/Chondroitin powder to add to her dinner which should help getting around easier. As long as there is no forced exercise, if she is happy for a little run I'd say it's OK. I'd prefer the jog to be on something soft like grass, but if the spirit takes her to gallop abit - let her.

Ch Wanted Distant Shores (imp Fin/Norw) "BumBum" & Ch Lowenhart Axplosive Atom "Gupster" posing at the waterfront. "BumBum" leaping over 2 playful puppies "Gretchen" Lowenhart Kickstarts YourHart & "Heidi" Lowenhart KickUp The Heini. Lowchen love a little bit of adventure Top is "Gretchen" Lowenhart Kickstarts YourHart, below is "Bixley" Lowenhart KickIt ToMe There is a recessive coat type referred to as Smooth. Sometimes called Smoothies, Smoochen or Smootchen. These 3 are littermates, both sire & dam were beautifully coated Champions. L-R Lowenhart Blond Bombshel "MsMonroe", Lowenhart Bliss Bomb "Velvet" & Lowenhart Bomb Bastic "Tahtu". Velvet is normally coated and her siblings are smooth.

Photos: Some of our dogs back in 2006, all "Lowenhart" bred ranging from about 5 months to 12 years. All are decendants of the 3rd from the left girl. L-R they are "Juju" Ch Lowenhart Juju Jumpjet, "Tribbles" Ch Lowenhart I Love Trouble, "Acid" [12 years old in photo] Ch Lowenhart Mystic Crystal, "Speedie" Lowenhart Air Addiction, "Gupster" Ch Lowenhart Axplosive Atom, "Pash" Lowenhart JumpUpN KissMe, "Wikket" Ch Lowenhart Ewok Adventure and "Manyana" Lowenhart Wotcha Waitnfr. Lowenhart Adam Acrobat "Adam" being bathed as a baby. He has the most wonderful family. Ch Wanted Distant Shores (imp Finland via Norway) "BumBum" being a typical Lowchen goofball. Living with Lowchen. It's all toys and comfy beds. In the back is Lowenhart KickUp TheHeini "Heidi" and infront is "BumBum" Ch Wanted Distant Shores (imp Fin/Norw). Ch Lowenhart Mystic Crystal at 13 years old - still ready to play.

Don't revaccinate unless you can have the dog elsewhere for a couple of weeks while the immune system gets up to speed. Vaccinating knocks out the immune responses for a window of time, which differs from dog to dog. Most vets recommend a week. Personally I'd be getting the disinfectant that kills parvo (F10?) and going heavy with it on the property border (fence line) and out the front of the house and on the walkway/paths. I think bleach can also be used. Also if the neighbours visit - shoes off, wash hands with the disinfectant but still would not be welcome near the dogs, especially any very old or very young ones. It's scary and horrible for your neighbours.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Owner/Exhibitor/Breeder since 1989 - October is the 20th Anniversary of Lowchendom. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? The breed is European, said to be sourced from the Mediterranean merchant dogs (thus related to Bichon Breeds) and kept as the adored companions of the wealthy in German & France from approx the 15th Century to the end of the 18th Century. 3. How common is it in Australia? Between 60 - 100 Lowchen are born in Australia every year. 4. What is the average lifespan? Approx 13-15 years. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Despite their size and haircut, Lowchen are tough little dogs. Affectionate, at times pushy, playful and energetic. Whilst they do enjoy cuddles and quiet time they do need to let off steam. The breed has plenty of attention seekers and alpha personalities and some can require a stricter handling. A breeder should be able to inform potential owners of the temperaments of the pups and the softer/sweeter personalities are better for inexperienced dog owners. Males not used in breeding should be neutered at 6 months. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? At least half an hour of "hard play" a day. This is running, fetching, wrestling etc. A 15 minute brisk walk is nice but the breed does like to entertain with their leaping, bounding, bouncing antics. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes if the puppy is of the softer/sweeter/quieter persuasion. Not all puppies will be suitable and careful selection will make it easier. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Whilst not ideal, the breed can occupy themselves. Puppies MUST be contained in a safe environment as they will eat electrical or phone cords. Lots of toys and comfortable bedding is a must. Mature dogs generally sleep all day. 9. How much grooming is required? With any coated, low shedding breed, the hair is high maintenance. Depending on coat texture (it varies from dog to dog) the dog will require full grooms fortnightly to every 8 weeks. Brushing may be required daily but no less than weekly to keep the dog comfortable. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? I would not recommend the breed for infirm people unless it is a mature dog specifically trained. The breed is quite tolerant of children but care should be taken when the dog is playing. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? The breeds most common problem is Patella Luxation which affects a number of small breeds and crosses. The incidences of PL in Lowchen is not high but still occasionally occurs. Other known problems are Cataracts, PRA, Heart Murmurs, Autoimmune issues and Liver shunt. These are quite rare however. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) There is no compulsory testing of registered Lowchen. Many breeders will supply copies of parents "Clear" or "Normal" eye test materials. You can check that the breeder is providing test results to the Lowchen community at Lowchen World Health Database. I highly recommend that new buyers take their puppies to their own vet as soon as possible after purchasing the dog. The puppy should be given a complete health check, including checking patellas and heart.

He shouldn't be chewing from regular bathing, unless he has some sort of allergy/reaction to what you are using. One of mine doesn't like to stay clean for long, straight off the table from being blowdried and it's into the dirt. After show baths she is strictly supervised. If I have time, I prefer to bath the morning of the show - the dogs have a better finish. My mostly white boy takes ages to do so he is done the night before and if there is time his face is given a freshen up in the morning (I just wash and blowdry his muzzle coat). The girl I'm showing doesn't take very long at all, so if it's local or there are a tonne of dogs on before the breed then she gets bathed the morning of the show, otherwise it's the same bath the night before and facewash in the morning. Don't expect babies to be perfect, it takes time, diligence and patience to get them to do everything right. You don't want to break their spirit or bore them too early. For baby class at least, shows should be fun fun fun.

Black/Brown mud is OK on white coats. Red mud is bad bad bad. For 2 day shows I, at a minimum, wash faces inbetween or simply rewash the entire dog. I don't suppliment their food at all, just make sure I use a really good conditioner to keep the hair hydrated. On a white dog chewing is a no-no. Repeated licking of an area is a no-no. Blood, urine and saliva stain the coat. My dogs are not allowed to chew or scratch. If blood hits them anywhere it's straight under the tap. I let them play and get muddy though ;) Muddy - Clean - Muddy - Clean -