sandgrubber

You can also train 'good hole' / 'bad hole' without a clamshell. In some places I've lived there has been a cool shady moist place that really suits the dogs on a summer day, and I've encouraged them to use it as a dig place. For the most part they stick to the chosen spot. One reason dogs dig is to stay cool in summer. Hard to fault a dog for doing that.

Given your great credentials with dogs, you might do as well posting a note on DOL asking if anyone plans to go on travel. Some folks have a hard time finding good house/dog sitters . . . eg, boarding kennel owners often don't travel cause it's so hard to find responsible people to look after the kennel. It's also worth putting an add on Gumtree.com.au. There are versions for most if not all capital cities and it's free to post. The rental market is pretty rough in capital cities and there are quite a few people looking to house sit.

Hard to say anything without knowing how they did the study. The author of piece I read clearly has an axe to grind. As a rule, when someone claims a scientific study proves anything, you can bet that the person knows little about science and has their own agenda.

WA doesn't require microchipping. I wouldn't support a requirement. The one time a couple of my pups got out and ended out with the Rangers, no one found their chips and called me. I called the rangers to report the escape and was told that they had the pups. My vet did a scan and found one of the chips was near the elbow. When I have chipped litters I find that many owners are blase' about transferring the chip to their name . . . and my guess is that many many people forget to do change of address on chips when they move. Chips are no panacea and I don't think governments should require them . . . nor codes of ethics.

Seems to me that whatever law gets enacted, it will be no better than its enforcement. The detailed nature of the proposed laws invites highly intrusive enforcement and in my years in Australia I didn't sense that authorities, in most locations, were likely to be willing or able to enforce such laws. I've moved to a county in California where we have manditory desexing, but breeders can get licensed to keep entire dogs with vet certificates. The law isn't used much and the vet I checked in with seems to be more interested in whether you give heartworm meds than anything else. The mandatory desexing rules are likely to be acted on if anyone is in frequent violation of dog laws (wandering dogs, dogs killing livestock, aggressive dogs not under control, dog fighting, etc.) Aside from these things, there's no enforcement and everyone seems pretty much to ignore the law. California and almost every county in the state are nearly bankrupt and people don't like government meddling. The numbers of dogs and cats in shelters has gone way down under these programs, probably because anyone can get a spey or neuter done for $42 under the subsidized scheme. I don't think there are any puppy farms left in the county... but I don't think that is due to mandatory desexing laws. I don't think I've seen a single oodle in the months I've been here (lots of chihuahua crosses, though). I don't think I've said this very well .. . but I do think there are much better ways to cut down on abuses in dog breeding than nanny state legislation. And I'm amused to find what seems, on paper, to be highly intrusive legislation works pretty well in practice here. . . cause it is mostly ignored.

Thanks guys. Interesting about prefixes being something of a free for all in the US.

I've arrived in California from WA bringing two MainReg bitches. I'm a bit confused about what happens with the paperwork. Does anyone know how it goes. I seem to find: 1. My breeder's prefix won't transfer and if I want to breed, I can register pups without a prefix . . . to get the equivalent you seem to need an established track record with the AKC 2. WA would like me to get export pedigrees, but the AKC doesn't give a damn about whether I have them and is quite happy with the original main register pedigree. Btw if anyone has ever wondered, dogs do suffer jet lag. Before the trip I've never seem any of my dogs (Labbies) sleep through dinner time, and they've been pretty restless at night.

I agree there's a need to be cautious about overseas sales. But blanket bans are not good. What goes around comes around. If I lived in the US or UK (not theoretical . . . I've just moved back to the US) I would hesitate to sell to Australia because it's a long ways away, they have lots of poisonous snakes, and quarantine can be awful for a dog. Australians depend on imports to enhance and expand bloodlines for many breeds. We should do as we would be done by.

My dogs are en ruote to the US from Perth via JetPets. Much to my distress, the puppy had a spill a couple days ago and did in her knee. Here's what the vet says after a second examination and looking at the Xrays. Bonza was still quite lame on the leg but almost impossible to keep from bouncing around, surprise!! The xrays showed a slightly bigger gap btw the tibial tuberosity and the tibia on the affected leg but it was not completely avulsed. However it is currently a weak spot so she could do that given the opportunity. Young dogs heal really fast, a fracture can heal in a couple of weeks opposed to 4-6 in an older animal. Consequently I would recommend 4 weeks of cage rest and walking. I am assuming she won't have many other dogs to bounce around with for a while so keeping her exercise steady should be easy enough. How would others interpret this? I think I'll start with little straight walks and gradually increase, and do everything I can to prevent jumping, running or sharp turns. I'd guess that swimming is ok. Does that sound about right?

I've had as many as five bitches, all entire, all Labradors. I have never had so much as a mid squabble, not even with seasons, pups, and whatever. To the contrary, they play well and fret when they are separated. They also tend to nurse one another's pups. I think there are a lot of things going on in how dogs mix . . . sex and desexing are only factors in a multi-dimentional picture.

I would talk with consumer affairs in both states. It's likely that you can claim 'defective merchandise' and take them to Magistrate's court to recover costs. Yes, it will be a pain. But slapping unethical breeders with costs and forcing them to take responsibility is better for everybody in the long run. That's why we have courts, Stonebridge

I basically agree. Dogs are unclean. They drag dirt into the house, and the bed if you allow them. They eat disgusting stuff with great relish. Etc. etc. I love 'em anyway. But I can't see the point of getting upset that some fraction of the people of some faith that I don't understand very well find dogs as pets intolerable. If they cross the line and try to impose their beliefs on others , they deserve a fight.

If guide dogs would allow such people to raise a pup, my respect for guide dogs declines a few notches. She was talking about this before she had a baby but when she realise that puppy must be inside the house.. she changed her mind. To her and her husband... dogs are strictly outside. No arguments. She is stubborn too so she won't bend on that. But, it's something I want to do... this can be my loophole of having 3 dogs (even for a little while), without the boyfriend getting all funny about it

I run a boarding kennel. Around 20% of our boarders are Labs. I agree that these people should not get a Lab pup. But my observations do not accord with this [below] post. Most of the Labs we get, like most of the dogs we get, are untrained or have had no more than puppy classes with little follow through on training. Less than 30% are overweight. I find huskies, goldies, and GSD's at least as bad for shedding. And I'd much rather deal with an ill-disciplined Lab than an ill-disciplined SBT, or GSP. As for socialising, I find Labs are THE MOST reliable breed in terms of getting along with other dogs. Ok puppies can be crazy. . . true of any breed . . . put 'em with other puppies or puppy-like dogs and you're fine. Please, no Lab bashing.

Depends on the girl and the situation. If I don't really care if I miss this one, I might wait until day 9 or 10 . . . especially if the girl tends to come on slow. If it's critical I might start at day 5, especially if another bitch came in earlier and the one I'm wanting to mate is likely to play catch-up.

Personally, I'd go to another breed. I am not willing to buy from a breeder who skips basic tests, for whatever reason. I will love whatever dog I get . . . and a year down the line I'd probably be glad I switched. I would also name the breed ... but I'm a loudmouth. All the hush hush stuff in the dog world does no good for canine health.

Easy problem to prevent. Just put a short spike securely in the middle of the dog/cat door . . .on the bottom. It will go between the animal's legs, but make the entry intolerable to human intruders trying to slide through.

If you want cheap/good dry food in Perth SOR try Advanced Pet Care in Naval Base. Their own brand is excellent, though the biscuits are too big for many small dogs . . . and they sell a 'mill ends' mixed biscuit bag for less than $20 for a 20 kg bag. They do custom formulations and most of it goes overseas. I think they make Natural Balance. Does anyone know if this is available in WA?

Hi I don't know Mt Lawley, but there are places on the river around there where dogs can go off lead. The dog park question has all sorts of angles and I think everyone has to sort it out for themselves. If there are irresponsible people around, with DA dogs, dog parks can get awful. But generally there is some time of day where the 'baddies' aren't around and you can work out a routine that lets you meet other dogs, play a bit, and have a run and swim. You'll find lots of good food options if you like raw stuff. Australia is awash in meat. I buy in bulk from an outfit that exports kangaroo meat and makes dog rolls (cooked stuff . . . kinda yucky but better than canned food). You can get good basic ground chicken for less than $1.50/kg . . . about twice that for red meat. Or if you're happy to pay more, you'll find frozen BARF patties, etc. in the chainstore pet/garden shops (CityFarmers and Better Pets and Gardens). Try google on the names in parens and you'll probably find some description of what foods they carry. If you go to the shire website (xxx.wa.gov.au, where xxx is the shire name) and find some search option, you should be able to find dog park information).

I have had a few litters with white spots, never Bolo pads. Great story btw. I find people like the white spot on pets . . . one family named the pup 'Stella' for 'star' (Spanish and other Latin languages). They were quite disappointed when it shrank down to a few white hairs

Tears come more easily than words. RIP godspeed It's wonderful to see all the support this community has to offer. Sounds like Jed has a long haul ahead of her. I'm in the midst of moving between continents and feel unable to offer much but a financial donation. Wonderful to see all the support the DOL community has offered. I hope, and expect, that support will continue to flow for many months to come.

I think that if you really care about your pups, you'd be glad to spend adequate time with puppy buyers . . . including time BEFORE decisions are finalised. It isn't nice to be put on the spot and have someone say 'take it or leave it'.

I'd be interested to know what messes people have gotten into by inappropriate use of oxitocin. I'm aware of a few pups who were whelped dead that would probably have lived if the 'final flush' dosage of oxitocin had been given when the bitch went into post-whelping resting state with a pup still inside. I have heard rumors of awful things happening from incorrect timing for oxitocin. Never heard any specifics. Note, vets do some awful things too. I know someone who recently took a bitch in for a C-section .. . and the vets LEFT A PUPPY inside her. She whelped it dead and rotting a week later. Fortunately, she survived. READ. My arrangement with the vet is that she makes the meds available. I call her before using it. She and I have discussed at length the protocols for administration. She recommends a low-end dosage. I'm NOT saying get oxitocin and use it willy nilly. I am saying it may save you the expense and your vet the hassle of a visit at 2 am. Also, the situation after the whelping is complete . . . but maybe there's still a pup lurking in there . . . but it's been 2 hours since the last pup . . . is safe. Yes. Caution is required. Some people have done damage to bitch and pups by using drugs wrongly. That has also happened with herbals, over-the-counter meds, and all sorts of other things. However, sensible people who are capable of keeping a cool head after many sleepless hours sitting next to the whelping box may still do well to gain access to oxitocin. Oxytocin given at the wrong time during whelping can cause untold damage to bitch and pups. It is nothing to do with the actual administration or dosage. It is all about timing and the average inexperienced breeder would not have the knowledge to use their experience to time it correctly without the supervision of a vet. In which case, best off to leave it to the vet in the first place. YOU may have the knowledge and I daresay that I would have the knowledge given my experience with whelping my own puppies and those belonging to other people, but many/most breeders would NOT and I have seen and heard of some pretty awful things resulting from mistimed hormone shots.

Lovely pictures. Thanks for posting.

You would have no trouble getting an exception for such a dog under any of the California mandatory desexing programs. It's something of a misnomer to call them mandatory desexing. They are usually opt out desexing schemes . .. where you are required to desex by default but can easily choose to keep a dog / bitch entire if you play by the rules.