sandgrubber

I started a kennel from scratch in 2004. I'd suggest touring all the kennels you can to decide what to aim for and how to get there. Things to consider include (1) which style of kenneling you like (ie, group exercise vs complete separation of dogs, commercial scale vs more homey; full service with grooming and pet product sales, training, etc. vs simply boarding); (2) which seems to be working best as a business; and (3) which of the local kennel owners you feel you could get along with. Then go for a position in a kennel that fits your priorities. You're more likely to get hired if you can tell someone you like and admire the way they run their facilities and you want to learn from them. It's hard, when you run a kennel, to find the right employees. Lots of younger people love the animals and are happy to play with them, but when it comes to cleaning the kitchen, they're not so keen. If you can prove yourself responsible, reliable, and able to help with the full range of chores that have to be done in a kennel, I'd say you stand a chance of working your way up to some sort of management position. It's good to pick up the animal certificate IV, good to have some computer and accounting skills, but in my days of running a kennel, reliability, responsibility, and basic skill in handling animals were far more important than certificates. Unfortunately, wages in the industry are not good. You'll not find it easy to work your way up from employee to owner.

You can probably get an answer to this question by going to the blogsite and asking.

extracts, reposted from Roger Abrantes wonderful blog http://rogerabrantes...kki-tikki-tavi/ The Thai Rikki-Tikki-Tavi © Roger Abrantes . . . We all know Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the brave mongoose from Kipling's 'The Jungle book.' This is the story of Mah Noy, the brave dog from Koh Lanta Yai in Southern Thai. Koh Lanta Yai (เกาะลันตา) remains one of Thailand's well-kept secrets . . .. It is relatively close to the better-known islands of Koh Phuket and Koh Phi Phi, but is practically inaccessible, requiring two flights, a long drive, and two ferry trips. . . . Thai fisherman [of Koh Lanta] like to have their dogs with them for company and practical purposes. When I'm working in Koh Lanta, I always go ashore in the evening and stay in modest accommodation right on the beach. On one of these occasions, just before sunset, I was sitting in front of my bungalow, cleaning my equipment, when two children came along to talk to me, as always, curious about foreigners. . . After having washed my gear, I decided to walk the 30 yards up the cliff to grab something to eat, and the kids followed me. . . . Thai street food cooking and selling is a small family business and since dogs are part of the daily life in Thailand it is not unusual to see them with their owners at work. "Khun cheu aria?" (What's your name?), I asked the little boy . . . He told me his name, which sounded funny to me. Thais have all sorts of interesting nicknames, and they are especially fond of animal names. Elephant, shrimp, crab, fish, bird, duck, rabbit, turtle, and even chicken are common names—but I've never heard a nickname like this little boy's. It was then that his mother, Poo (Crab), the owner of the food booth, told me the story. Five years earlier, two days after giving birth to the now gap-toothed boy, Poo was cooking dinner whilst the family dog catnapped behind the cradle where her newborn baby was happily babbling away to himself. Thais usually cook outdoors. It's always warm and they don't like the smell of food indoors. The dog was typically Thai, of unknown origin, the size of a small spaniel, with an unruly black and white coat, and friendly, deep brown eyes. They had found him on the street a couple of years beforehand and had fed him. For want of a better name, they called him just (หมาน้อย), Mah Noy. He stayed around and finally moved in a couple of weeks later after conquering their hearts. The pressure of natural selection for dogs in Thailand is on kindness. The kindest dogs have a greater chance of survival and pass on their 'kinder' genes to their progeny. On that particular day, Mah Noy gave Poo such a fright she almost lost hold of her hot pan, which could have resulted in serious burns. The dog had suddenly emitted a deep growl and then in two agile, determined jumps, just missing the baby's cradle, he launched himself on top of a cobra, biting it firmly behind the head. Mah Noy (หมาน้อย), the boy, got his unusual name for a good reason. The Andaman Cobra (Naja sagittifera) is an impressive snake, measuring about three to four feet in length. The effects of its venom are devastating; it is capable of killing a human in 30 minutes. Poo was terrified, rushed to pick up the baby, and ran out of the front gate into the street where she began shouting for her husband. Na (short for Chai Cha Na = victory) came running to the scene and charged into the backyard to grab a spade. The cobra was lying a few feet from the dog, apparently lifeless, but, just in case, Na cut it in two with a well-aimed strike with the spade. Mah Noy looked up at him, gasping for air, and barely able to wag the tip of his bushy tail. Na understood right away that the dog was dying, picked him up and, holding his dog firmly on his lap with one hand, he rode his motorbike as quickly as he could to the local vet. On the way to the vet, Mah Noy peed and pooped on his lap. Na stopped to get a better grasp on the dog. Mah Noy looked at him, gasped for air for a last time and gave a final wag of his tail. Na understood it was too late for the vet and the strong fisherman from the South Andaman Sea began to weep like a child, right there on the side of the road to Klong Dao, in the fading light of the day on which he had come so close to losing his first-born baby boy. When Na got home to Poo and their newborn, they buried Mah Noy in their backyard and placed a yellow marigold on top of the grave (yellow is the color of friendship for Thais). That evening, they decided to call their baby boy หมาน้อย, Mah Noy, which in Thai means 'puppy.' edited by significantly shortening the introduction and giving copyright attribution. I highly recommend the original . . . and the blog in which it appeared.

Whoa! This place is full of genetics deniers. (I'm responding, not to m-sass, above, but those who have flamed m-sass) No question that the problem of dog attacks has genetic component. I don't mean breed-specific . . . I mean pedigree specific. Breeders of any sort who don't put temperament high on their list of priorities, or who deliberately breed for low bite threshold and high drive, produce dogs that are more likely to do harm. These days it's almost harder to find a goldie who is a natural retriever (and I don't mean tennis balls) than it is to find one who has deep problems with resource guarding. I've met more than a few dogs from 'herding' breeds who would be clueless faced with a flock or herd, but have loads of drive and are inclined to nip. You don't have to look too hard to find a conformation show breeder who will overlook unstable temperament in a dog with good show prospects. I know a show breeder who pts'd an imported show dog (titled, to boot) because the dog maimed a puppy. How many breeders would do this? I doubt it's more than one in five. It's unfortunate we can't know more about the dog who killed Ayen Chol. Who bred him? What were his lines? What happened to his littermates? I'm not saying that heredity caused this attack, just that the possibility should be considered. If some idiot breeder is placing mean, powerful dogs with owners who are not in a position to manage them, said idiot at least deserves to be named and shamed. The other side of the coin is that the management capabilities of the average pet owner have declined. Yards have gotten smaller. The number of homes with an adult at home during the day has gone down. Walking the dog has ceased to be a normal kids chore.

Thats because you dont understand that its isn't MY definition - its the definition which law makers and those responsible for the various codes etc use. We attended a round table meeting with many many other dog related groups including the ANKC, AVA, PIAA, AAPDB,RSPCA several states etc and there was a consesus drawn on what the definition was to be used Australia wide of a puppy farmer . I didnt much like it but it wasnt MY call. The fact that other people havent taken that on board and that their definition is different to that which has been agreed upon has nothing to do with me however, every time I bring it up as a way of explanation as to current events it falls on deaf ears and somehow or other turns into MY definition or some crap about me supporting puppy farmers.Rubbish. It simply explains why nothing will ever progress as long as this continues with most of the world believing a puppy farm is different to the other half and why when they deny buying from puppy farms they believe they are telling the truth based on the agreed upon definition. Actually, Steve, it's because when you bring up this definition of a puppyfarm thing it just obfuscates what people are talking about. I read it as a case of someone who wants to bring about change from the outside dumping on someone who has put in many years trying to bring about change from within the system. The situation doesn't require obfuscation. The definition of a puppy farm is inherently touchy and difficult given the various interests involved. The Animal Rights community wants to make it look simple -- but many of them classify a large fraction of pedigree dog breeders as puppy farmers.

Hard to evaluate without knowing what's in present laws, whether the problems are in the laws themselves, or in enforcement, what sorts of puppy mills are operating in New York, and who the legislation actually applies to . . . ie, how much it will force small breeders into using concrete kennels.

And then there's Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist (Dickens) “If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble,… “the law is a ass—a idiot. If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience.” I'm not quite sure what the 'bachelor' bit means . . . but the wish for the law rings true.

Good to hear a fair share of condemned dogs are winning their cases . . . and that it's costing government agencies big time to try to enforce this rediculous legislation Another absurdity, if you want a REALLY big, bad, mean terror of a dog to suit your macho style, you can cross a dog-fight bred pit bull with a large, aggressive dog of some sort, and come out with something that would pass the Vic standard. Am I right in thinking they still haven't released pictures of the dog who killed Ayen Chol? If, as commonly alleged, he was a pit bull x mastiff, it's quite likely he would have been too big to get nabbed under the Vic legislation. Even if you support BSL, you have to agree it is highly problematic when it comes to enforcement, and pretty much un-enforcable when it comes to cross breeds. Pseudo BSL based on appearance is just plain stupid.

I think you'll find oxygen can be purchased through welding supply places (If I remember right, Boc is a company that supplies gasses for industrial purposes in Oz). Oxygen isn't dangerous per se, but things burn better at higher oxygen levels and in some circumstances, oxygen may promote explosions. So you need to avoid flammable materials and anything that might cause sparks. As for making a tent, mask, or whatever, that's another question. p.s. I spent a year burning things in enhanced oxygen environments (scientific experiments) so I got to know sources of O2.

This topic has come up before, and I've posted this answer before. Get a pallet and some thrown out carpet from a tip, or recycling center, or curbside disposal. Cut the carpet to size and tack it to the pallet with roofing nails or carpet tacks. The dog will have a hard time destroying it, and if the bed does get destroyed, you will only be out a few bucks replacing it.

Correction: Sudden popularity, particularly combined with media hype, IS a curse for ANY breed. Labradors top popularity lists in several countries, and have held their place for decades. In Australia, SBT's are high on the list, too, and I don't see any media hype push behind their popularity. Not to say that there aren't health problem with Labs . . . or people denying health problems (eg, epilepsy and old age cancers). Not to say that SBT's don't have problems either. Point being, it's the craze that's the problem. Popularity may have a firm basis.

The sickos that give thumbs up to such displays on U-tube are as much a worry as the perps who post the vids. Btw, there are real people who are proud to call themselves cowboys. They can be rough, and many might use a rifle where the RSPCA would call in a vet to inject the Green Dream. But most of them would be disgusted by setting dogs on pigs to watch blood and gore. . . just as would their Australian equivalent, the jackeroo.

Labbies have a reputation for bad hips. No one can or should deny that hips can and should be a concern in any larger breed. But look at the OFA database. Labradors don't deserve the bad rap. They are #87 breed on the list, going from worst to best, and have more observations than any other breed. Poodle, a bunch of spaniels, pugs, GSD's, SBT's and various other terriers, and many many other breeds have worse hip score averages. Most Labbies DO deserve the reputation for being shameless gutsers, though.

Curious. The elite among working dogs are valued, coveted, etc. What do their breeding programs look like? Is it possible that the various apparently genetic diseases people have referred to above are coming out of inbreeding or tight line breeding? I though kelpies were generally tough critters with few health problems.

I don't mind them indulging in herbivore scat. Dogs will be dogs. But kitty crunchies are disgusting! Still, dogs will be dogs. My personal theory, which I can't get anyone to buy, is that they're enriching their gut flora . . . and pooh eating is a natural (and cheap) form of probiotics.

Interesting study that contradicts a lot of people's beliefs! Hope you don't mind if I quote another bit to encourage people to read it: "Puppies usually live with their mother at the breeder's for the first eight weeks of their life. Several factors related to the living conditions at the breeder's were shown to have an influence on the incidence of HD. Puppies born in the spring or summer and at breeders who lived on a farm or small holding, had a lower risk of developing HD. After about eight weeks, the puppies began life with their new owner. The opportunity to exercise daily in parks up until the age of three months reduced the risk of HD, whereas the daily use of steps during the same period increased the risk. Overall, it would appear that daily exercise out in gently undulating terrain up until the age of three months gives a good prognosis when it comes to preventing HD."

In the US, pig dogging ranges from mark and recapture sport where the pig lives to be hunted again to something equally as brutal as bear bating or pit fighting. . . . which have been banned for more than a century. Society still tolerates brutality toward pigs (and rats). So far as I know, our local pig hunters use dogs only to locate the pig (or boar) and get him in the open, where a rifle can be used. I have no idea how many blood sport types there are; I'd guess that they are a small minority, but there's plenty of evidence on U-tube that they exist, and that there are blood sport voyeurs to encourage them. I suspect that people who set their dogs on a pig end out with a lot of dogs getting killed . . . and very few rescued. Dogs used in blood sport are encouraged to tear their 'prey' to pieces, and are bred to take easily to such encouragement. The combination of low bite inhibition and great strength is a combination better to keep away from kids . . . unless the owners are extremely attentive and both dogs and kids are well restrained.

When I did tracking with the SES we had a veterinary first aid training session. The vet advised us about how to do an emergency job getting gas out of a bloated stomach by piercing through to the stomach with an ice pick or similar. I don't think I could do this, and think some people might do more harm than good trying. Wasn't sure if the vet was doing a wrong thing by teaching the procedure. Since then I have been curious to know if anyone has heard of success with a DIY emergency bloat 'surgery'. I know a person whose life was saved by a DIY tracheostomy done by her father, a farmer with no medical training, after a car accident . . . so I'm willing to believe DIY emergency surgery could be a good thing.

Seems to me that the first thing you need to figure out is whether the dog is barking at something, or trying to communicate that she feels left out and wants to get in (or it could be something else). You said your dog barked with tail up and aroused-looking. But what about the nose. Which direction does it point? Is she consistently going to one section of fence? If she's barking at something, there should be some focus on something she finds bark-able. If she's expressing frustration at being out, she may focus on the house, or bark in circles, but is unlikely to focus on some area away from the house, and will almost certainly be eager to come inside when you open the door. My Labs get 'no barkies' in a stern tone when they bark at wildlife or bark in response to other dogs barking. They've learned; now they woof once or twice, but don't bark in an ongoing and obnoxious way. I make sure to do this loud enough that neighbors know I'm making an effort.

Lab owners often don't get asked that question. People often ASSUME Labs are good with children, even children who do very stupid things with very stupid parents who don't supervise. Sigh!

I'm considering a very different option: GPS-based e-collar. http://dogexpeditionsystems.com/ If you accept e-collar thinking, this looks like a great system . . . I love having a warning zone as well as an enforcement boundary. It's great that, unlike e-fence, you don't have to bury anything and you can move the boundaries around . . . set up new containment if you take the dogs on holiday. Also useful to be able to track your dogs when they are loose. The need to recharge batteries looks like a pain in the posterior, though.

What's this about Americans keeping their dogs inside? Mine are free range, though they sleep on my bed . . . I'd rather not have them meet Mr Skunk overnight or do a big barky thing when a coyote comes around and annoy the neighbors. Most of the dogs in the neighborhood are free range. Sure, when you live in town and you've got a pit bull next door and a yappy mix breed on the other side, it's simpler to keep your dog in during the day if your not home. . . . and to bring them in at night. And as a breeder, I don't like placing pups with families that don't allow their dogs inside. But if you're getting the impression that all Americans keep their dogs inside and crate them during the day, you're reading the wrong forums.

And she's in Virginia . . . don't blame California. (Sure, we've got more than our quota of loonies . . . but this one doesn't belong to us) :D

The latest version of electric fence seems to be GPS controlled, hence requires no buried wires, and you can take it with you when you move, or go to a friend's place, or whatever. Unlike conventional e-fence, it lets you set up a warning zone within the boundary. Also works as an e-collar for training, and apparently, allows you to track your dog's whereabouts within a one mile radius. See: http://borderpatroltc1.com/ Sounds like a neat gadget that will probably be banned in many parts of Australia. Has anyone seen one in action?

Good on you for taking in older fosters. Epilepsy is alarming and in the extreme, can be deadly. But milder versions are easy to cope with once you get over the initial terror. It sounds like you have a good vet. I would take his or her advice. You've probably been told already, but many cases of epilepsy respond well to phenobarbitol (sp?), and though it's a controlled substance, it's cheap, and no harder to give than any other little pill. Monitoring pheno levels in the blood can get expensive, depending on what sort of laboratories are available in your area. It may be easier to start with the 'recommended' dose and decrease if symptoms are fully controlled . . . or increase if they aren't.