sandgrubber

Wrong! A proper gun dog is capable of lots of disciplined inaction, and is a dog you can live with between hunts. A lunatic is intolerable in a shooting environment. You must have an off switch. This sort of temperament is as bad as high hip scores and worse than carrying PRA. I would say you've got a poorly bred bitch . . . conformation has been put over temperament. Talk with the breeder . . . they need feedback. They may not be willing to do anything to help. But they should know. And you should not breed this bitch, no matter how quickly she gets her Ch. I'm tired of people talking about crazy, destructive Labradors. For someone who does time-trial based field competition, there may be some justification for having a high drive dog who doesn't know how to chill out. But such people should not sell their pups to the general public, or other unsuspecting people.

WA does the same thing. I was told it's a safeguard against lawsuits. Some people either aren't told or don't listen to breeders re Limited. Then the CA gets dragged into disputes because they wanted a pup they could breed or show. I agree that the safeguard is usually unnecessary. But it probably prevents many disputes.

Unfortunate the jail term doesn't apply to owners of dogs who kill other dogs. Does it? Maybe they should start adding jail terms for council members who don't adequately direct their ACO's to investigate complaints and see that problem owners and their dogs are better restrained. I sense most Rangers would do their jobs if they weren't charged with so many tasks that no one could do all of them.

Dog owners beware of deadly 1080 poison BY TRACEY PRISK 24 Oct, 2011 04:00 AM Veterinarian Geoff Freeth is warning dog owners to keep a close eye on their pets when visiting reserves following the recent death of a labrador cross.Dr Freeth said the dog, which was primarily treated by veterinarian Sara Biasutti at Canobolas Pet Hospital, died after ingesting 1080 fox bait while visiting the Ophir reserve, although it’s not clear who deposited the bait via a poisoned chicken head. “1080 is a fox bait that has low toxicity to native animals but is very toxic to canines,” he said. “There is a misunderstanding of 1080. “Conventional wisdom says that it is leached with one rainfall and it’s a fast acting poison. “Both are mostly true but not necessarily and that makes it possible for the dog that was poisoned to have picked it up beforehand or for the poisoned chicken head to have been carried into the reserve, especially by a native animal.” Dr Freeth said despite being involved in the treatment of some 100 to 120 cases of 1080 poisoning in the past 22 years, he’s only seen one animal survive. “It’s a nasty, nasty bait,” he said. “When I see one, for welfare reasons, I strongly recommend euthanasia as soon as it is diagnosed because the fitting is horrendous, especially when the success rate of treatment is so poor.”

I had a pup get under a fence and end up spending a night in the pound. His chip had migrated to his elbow. They scanned him, but didn't find the chip. Also check your paperwork and make sure the phone number and address on your chip registration is correct. Lots of people move houses and forget to update.

I'm thinking about moving and comparing dog ordinances in various California counties. They're quite different, one for another. I'm seriously considering Sonoma, specifically Santa Rosa (notable as the home of Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts). I found this in their code . . . think it might be a useful model Sec. 5-170. Mandatory Spay and Neutering for All Dogs at Large. Except as provided in subsections (a) - (g) below, all owners cited for dogs running at large for violation of section 5-115 shall have their dog spayed and neutered at the owner=s expense. (a) Dogs documented as having been appropriately trained and actually being used by public law enforcement agencies for law enforcement activities, or such dogs designated as breeding stock by an appropriate agency or organization approved by the director after consultation with knowledgeable professionals; (b) Dogs documented as having been appropriately trained and actually being used as an assistance dog, such as a service dog, guide dog, signal dog, or social dog, or such dogs designated as breeding stock by an appropriate agency or organization approved by the director after consultation with knowledgeable professionals; © Dogs documented as having been appropriately trained and actually being used by search and rescue agencies for search and rescue activities, or such dogs designated as breeding stock by an appropriate agency or organization approved by the director after consultation with knowledgeable professionals; JLB 78059.2 12 4/20/06 (d) Dogs certified by a licensed veterinarian as having a health reason for not being spayed/neutered; (e) Dogs which are appropriately trained and actually being used for herding of other animals, or as livestock guardian dogs, hunting dogs, or such dogs designated as breeding stock by an appropriate agency or organization approved by the director after consultation with knowledgeable professionals; (f) Dogs boarded in a licensed kennel or a business, which boards such animals for professional training or resale; (g) Dogs which are registered with the American Kennel Club, United Kingdom Kennel Club, and/or American Dog Breeders Association Incorporated and trained and kept for the purpose of show, field trials and agility trials. I like the idea of writing such an ordinance with lots of loopholes . . . so it becomes strong persuasion to keep your dog fenced, but doesn't result in automatic neutering of quality / trained / working dogs who accidentally escape. Also interesting how Sonoma has navigated the Pit Bull dilemma . . . "Pit Bull" means any Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or American Staffordshire Terrier breed of dog, or any mixed breed of dog which contains, as an element of its breeding, the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or American Staffordshire Terrier as to be identifiable as partially of the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier. pit bulls are allowed, but neutering is mandatory unless they are working dogs in official positions, like law enforcement, guide dogs, etc. There are lots of pit bull X's in the animal shelter. . . . roughly 1/3 of dogs in shelter. btw. the subsidized dog spay/neuter fee for lower income people is $20 in Sonoma County.

Interesting. I've always though all dogs got 'catch' without training. So Bonza's not unique. It amuses me more than it bothers me . . . it looks really dopey for a dog to get hit in the snout by a bit of flying cheese. But, hey, dopey is cute!

Well then the GSDCA site, and any Australia-specific sites, need to be pinned as well. Why not provide a link? Please explain, 'incorrect'. I'm guessing that you mean "not necessarily representative of Australian numbers"? All hip and elbow numbers are incorrect, cause if the Xrays look bad, lots of people don't submit . . . The OFA results are closer to correct than numbers someone plucks out of the air, and their discussion of the process of reading Xrays is, in my opinion, excellent. Does the GSDCA site give you the ability to chase down scores from ancestors and siblings?

Actually, there's a spread on the food addiction too. I recently visited a Lab breeder with eight dogs. All lean. I was shocked to find she keeps food out all the time . . . pretty decent biscuits . . . and the dogs don't eat more than they need. She has working hunting dogs with quite a mixture of pedigrees . . . including one little girl she called her Louisiana duck hunting dog . . . by size and build she could have been a kelpie. Apparently some people like a little dog who is keen and won't swamp the boat.

see also http://www.offa.org/index.html and click through various tabs to get explanations of hip and elbow scores, breed averages, etc. If your breeder is good, you may also be able to check up on hip, elbow scores, and possibly other by entering registered kennel name or registration number . . . this gives you data for the family too. THE OFFA LINKS NEED TO BE PINNED! THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE ASKING ABOUT HIP AND ELBOW SCORES, AND IT WOULD BENEFIT THE OPEN REGISTRY SYSTEM IF MORE PEOPLE WERE DIRECTED THERE FOR INFORMATION!!!!

If you want to read all about it go to http://www.offa.org/hd_info.html It's also worth checking on relatives if you can. Try putting the sire and dam's registry in on the following site and you may be able to pull up information back a few generations . . .as well as scores for siblings. A good score coming with a lot of sibs or ancestors with bad scores can be a worry . . . and a bad score from a family of good scores is a little less worrysome. http://www.offa.org/index.html I wouldn't get hung up on H/E scores if they aren't awful and you're not going to breed. Put lots of attention to temperament. See recent discussion of Lab puppy prices. Some pups are terrors. In my experience there's a strong hereditary component in this.

It might be a good time to put pressure on for some public consultation. Sounds like the legislation isn't yet cast in stone. Is there any chance of pushing to get microchips developed that include the breeder's identity . . . or creating a public registry so that both the breeder and the owner's names end up in the database and at least vets, ACOs and the RSPCA have the ability to look up chip numbers.

Think I'd reserve judgement until the details are published. Could be great. Could be hot air. Could be something that is going to cause a whole lot of trouble for ethical breeders as well as puppy mills.

How do they get by appendix 1 listing on CITES for the bengal tigers? I asked the same question myself. Perhaps the Trade part of CITES does not cover trade within national boundaries once the animal has ended out as part of a captive wild animal population? I've been trying to understand Ohio's animal laws. Seems that they amended to state constitution a few years ago in a way that sounds like it is protecting animals, but in practice, puts the responsibility for most animal welfare issues (including puppy farming) in the hands of a body that is dominated by agricultural interests.

Just heard and interview with an exotic animal specialist vet in Ohio. Apparently this has a particular history relating to animal auctions in the state, which has made it relatively likely that exotics will end up in Ohio, and end out auctioned to the highest breeder. The vet also said that there was a big upturn in problems with exotics after the show Animal Planet appeared on the scene. Amish influence seems to be a big negative, both in puppy farms, and in selling exotics. The Amish are also into puppy mill farming in a big way in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other states. In some ways I admire the Amish (they're pacifists, and many Amish groups still don't use electricity or internal combustion machines . . . they still drive horse carts . .. huge families . . . many wear only black and white cloth . . . farmers and craftsmen with strong work ethic . . . but many Amish view all animals in the same way that most of us view pigs. That is to say, they don't care if a sentient animal suffers and are more concerned with keeping the family farm and getting good financial returns from their small farm). In sum . . . sad that the tradoffs between multiculturalism, preserving the family farm, modern economics, animal rights, and all the rest resulted in so many deaths of animals.

1. I'd say the allergy thing is hard to predict. If a sheltie causes no reaction, many breeds, not just low-shedding breeds, may be ok. 2. For children, lineage may be more important than breed. There are hyper dogs in calm breeds and calm dogs in hyper breeds. I'd encourage them to consider doing a rescue through an organisation that allows you to take the dog home for a week and return it for an exchange if the particular dog doesn't work out for some reason.

Good account. I think all our breed opinions are formed by the dogs in our lives. There were five Labs in my childhood (two immediate family, three relatives). All calm. I've owned a dozen Labs. All calm as adults. A couple were affectionate to a fault (in my opinion, though others love the trait). Varying degrees of boister as pups, but settling down ~ 18 mo. All my Labs have had large fenced properties and other dogs to play with. They've learned to dig in the field, not the lawn/garden. My present Labs are encouraged to dig in the vineyard, where they are pretty successful as vermin control dogs. I have met Labs of the demon sort . . . we had a few who came to the boarding kennel. I think the calm/boisterous split comes from different people breeding for different things. When you breed for a dog who will work all day long in the field, and do well in time-based field trials, and have spectacular water entry, you tend to get dogs that are hyper . . . just as working kelpies tend to have high activity levels. I suspect that the split goes way back to the UK gentry, some of whom wanted dogs for hunt competition . . . others of whom wanted a token hunting dog who would serve as a companion in a stuffy and stilted culture that didn't allow expression of emotion or tenderness. In my experience breeding Labs, temperament has a strong hereditary component. If you find a breeder who actively selects for calm natures, you have a much better chance of ending up with a dog that is easy to live with. Ask about both sire and dam.

My 20 mo old Labbie, Bonza, cannot catch. If I throw a treat . . . easy throw . . . toward her face, she'll allow it to land on her nose with no snap and gulp whatsoever. Same with toys. Otherwise she's a pretty normal pup. All the dogs I've ever owned mastered the food catch. . . if I remember right, they usually get it down by around six months. I wonder if this means something about Bonza's vision. Perhaps she's farsighted and can't see the flying food? Ideas?

What like sending a text, come out come out where ever you are? If spellcheck doesn't catch it, it's not there.

Collars off-property are law in California. The collar must display a rabies tag. The tag can be traced back to identify the registered owner. Yes, collars are a hazard. But I'll bet if statistics were available, you'd find that they save more dogs than they hang. When I find a lost dog, I call the owner if it has a tag with a phone number. I call the pound if it doesn't. The pound is not no-kill.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't . The nanny state make too many rules and costs too much and steps on toes. Ohio, in this case, made no rules at all, and failed to protect. If Australia had 50 states, you'd have a much more interesting mosiac of over and under regulation. I'm not saying this is ok or good. I'm amazed that, despite the CITES treaty, an obvious whacko was able to purchase not one, but 18 Bengal tigers. This should have triggered a federal response, but it didn't. I'm sure the regulatory framework will be made stronger in the near future. Societies are pretty good at closing the barn door after the cow has gone walkabout. It's hard to get the balance between regulation and protection right in a democracy . . . as seen by needless killing of a large, but apparently uncounted, number of dogs who happen to look something like an APBT in Victoria. States rights are relatively strong in the US. You are out of line to decry the country for failure to regulate in one, or a few, states. p.s. If I remember correctly, California got strict at regulating 'exotic' animals in the 1980s when a few movie stars got some nasty claw marks from their pet ocelots.

To the original poster (=OP in forum jargon) If you want better feedback you're going to have to provide more/better information. BYB needs definition. What did the alleged BYB do? Why do you call them a BYB? In my book, BYB is essentially a slanderous term, thrown around because one guy disapproves of how another guy breeds. But when push comes to shove, we're going to be stuck with choices between relatively informal breeders who operate out of a back yard, and relatively formal breeders, who have a kennel of sorts. We need to get better at deciding what standard are acceptable for the back yard . . . and what are acceptable for formal kennels. Also need to get clear about the difference between 'pedigree' and 'purebred'.

I'm reminded of Christopher Robin and Edward (aka Pooh) Bear going bump, bump, bump, all the way down the stairs. Please tell us how this went. I hope, not down the stairs :D.

Many years ago I took on a tenant, two unit property, shared backyard. She had a young spayed female dobie. I had a young spayed female Lab (Lab X??? . . . rescue dog). Her dobie beat the sh#t out of my Lab in the first few days, with no worse costs than a little blood and a somewhat macerated ear. After that they were great friends and I'm sure both dogs benefitted. When the tenant eventually moved on to other quarters, my dog mourned the loss of her companion. I personally -- and there is no science to back this -- think dogs hate being alone and like company, even if it means putting up with a bit of rough adjustment. I have never found that having a second (or third) dog interferes with bonding of the dog to the owner. Of course, as others have said, it's not ok to take on another dog if you can't manage it. But based on a sample of one, I'd say that dobies like company, may be a bit dominant at first, but in the long term work out well being companions to both another dog and the owner.

Exactly what I was thinking, this thread makes labs sound like demon dogs ETA: Spelling Labs are not demon dogs. They continue to be preferred by guide dogs and by millions of families who are in the second, third or fourth generation of Lab owners because, apart from breeders who don't cull for temperament problems and people who buy family pets from lines bred for high drive, they are great with kids. You can't expect ANY puppy to know how to handle a mob of kids without supervision of both the dog and the kids. The biggest strike against Labs, in my opinion, is that people tend to think they are automatically 'nanna's' in the sense of the dog in Peter Pan. Sorry. No dog of any breed is qualified as a child minder. All dogs require supervision and guidance around kids. Not necessarily formal training. But somebody MUST set some bounds, both on the dog and on the kids.