sandgrubber

Side note on the Fila . . . if kidnapping of children for ransom were as prevalent in Australia as it is in Brasil, I would say was a role for such a breed. I would bet they are lovely to look at. They might out do some of the breeds used for security work. But I'm just as glad there won't be one next door. Taken from the breed standard for the Fila Brasiliero (as posted by American Rare Breeds Association) http://www.arba.org/FilaBS.htm Minimum weight for males 50 kg, females 40 kg. Test of Temperament It is compulsory to all individuals (after 12 months) in order to obtain a registered championship title. All champions must have a certificate of approval at the temperament test. This sort of test is made at all specialty shows. It Is optional at general shows, up the Judge's will, provided it is public and takes place outside the show ring. The trail includes: 1. Attack with a stick. The dog is supposed to attack in front of the handler, without being coached, and the exhibitor or handler will remain in his position. It is forbidden to touch or to beat the animal. 2. Shooting test. There will be fired blanks at a distance of 5 meters from the dog, the dog should express attention, show self­confidence and self assurance. During a performance in the ring the judge will analyze the behavior and temperament of the specimen, paying attention to his expression. During the temperament test the following should be observed 1. the dislike of the animal to strangers 2. the self­ assurance, courage, determination and braveness of each individual.

THIS POLL IS INVALID. If you vote NO, you find your vote isn't counted unless you check a box in the next section saying what your dog has choked on.

maybe because the greyhound is not a restricted breed. Isn't the requirement that they wear muzzles in public a restriction? It is unquestionably BSL.

I find BSL perplexing. I am glad Australia has prohibitions against importing Filho Brasiliero . . . given that they are huge and the breed standard specifies that they should be hostile to strangers. I have no doubt it's possible to breed man-killers and if anyone is doing this, as an individual, or as a breed, I think they deserve a kick where it hurts, as well as castration of their breeding stock. It gets much more confusing where some lines in the breed have been bred for HA or powerful and extreme protective behaviour. I don't feel it's justified to ban an entire breed because some breeders are bad eggs. Unfortunately, governments aren't good at finding the bad eggs. On the other hand, I find it very very sad that some breed standards prohibit the registration of some colours (white in boxers and GSD's) and many breeders systematically cull pups that don't conform to breed standards. And I find it weird that the BSL community isn't rallying behind such simple things as removing the obviously absurd muzzle restrictions on pet greyhounds.

I run a boarding kennel and am committed to allowing free exercise and mixing non DA dogs (provided they seem happier in a pack, which most do). For reasons of safety I avoid mixing large and small dogs, and DA dogs; most entire males, and very timid dogs are generally exercised solo. My biggest headaches are hole digging and fence running barkers. Short of burying grid mesh throughout the garden, I don't think there's a solution to hole digging. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions about how to deter fence runners. My typical fence runner is a young border collie who seems to feel it is his job to chase the fence line back and forth, barking all the while. Could also be a Lab, a kelpie, a GSP, a staffie, or some cross breed. The instigating dog may be chasing smaller dogs, or larger dogs. Often if I open the gate between the chaser and the chasee, game's over, everyone is fine, and the noise stops. edited to correct punctuation error

I find that Pyrethrum concentrate, sold as an "organic" garden insecticide, works as well as Fidos and is a LOT cheaper. Same active ingredients . . . Pyrethrins and Piperonyl Butoxide. I just make up a weak solution and spray it on with an old windex bottle. As others state, good as a supplemental control for fleas/ticks, but better to stick with one of the 'monthly' regimes as a main line of control.

I have always allowed my girls (Labs) to play a major role in raising puppies (from birth onwards). They are good at it. An older, well mannered bitch can be a great influence for a young pup. They do sometimes discipline puppies, and occasionally I even hear a yelp from the pup, but I find that a pup who has grown up with an older girl in charge tends to avoid many of the cute/obnoxious out of control behaviour for which Lab pups are known. The mouth-mouth game is absolutely fine, as are the various other games played with one of the two lying down. I agree with others about zoomies. At two, a Lab may have calmed down considerably and be a "responsible" family member . . . or may still be something of an idiot puppy. If your girl has turned the corner, I would say, be careful, but do let her have a role in the pup's upbringing.

I'm a breeder of ~10 years who shows only occasionally, but works hard when it comes to finding appropriate dogs and trying to improve the breed. . . according to what I feel is an improvement. Many of the points on the initiating list have been covered well. A few bits and bobs. How common? In 2008, 4264 pedigree Labrador pups were registered in Australia, putting the Labrador a little higher than the GSD and the SBT. Similar numbers have been registered in previous years, making the Labrador a contender for most common pedigree dog in Australia (to know what is most common, you'd have to know average longevity of different breeds and do a little modeling. Sadly, there is no reliable data on breed longevity). I think it is important to realise that the Labrador Retriever is, relatively speaking, a modern breed, and the establishment of the breed involved a good deal of cross breeding in the early 20th century, often with selection oriented to creating a dog who was a good hunting companion, but some selection oriented toward speed in retrieving competitions. Thus a lot of diversity remains in the bloodstock, and build, temperament, and health issues are quite variable. Even careful breeders with select lines sometimes get heads that look like setters rather than Labradors, coats that are far too soft or too thin for the breed standard, or wavy and oily like a Chesapeake, or even semi-brindled. I think we should regard this diversity as a positive. In Australia, hunting birds with a gun is a vanishing pastime, and the breed is loosing its calling. This tends to put more focus on showing for the 21st century interpretation of the breed standard. I suspect this is leading to a heavier set (which looks powerful, but may not be so good in the field) breed with broader heads.

I find a lot of pups make funny noises when they sleep. If the pup wakes up acting normal and there are no other signs of ill health, I'd say keep an eye/ear open, but don't worry.

A side note. Some dogs seem to love to dig. Don't let anyone talk you into getting a second dog to keep the first dog from digging. I run a boarding kennel in which we allow dogs to socialise. The dirt REALLY flies when you get a whole pack of dogs digging. You give them kongs/balls/rope toys etc. They drop the toy in the hole and dig all around it. I don't have a good solution for the problem. With my own dogs, I can train them to dig in one or two permitted places and not to dig elsewhere. But with the kennel dogs, I'm just resigned to them making messes.

I'm clueless about SA. But in general, I'd think it would be worth having a yarn with the Rangers in your Council. BSL generally works however the local Rangers interpret the law. It should become pretty clear pretty fast whether they are nice or nasty in their interpretation of the laws. And if they aren't nasty, your friend should be in a good position to establish themself as a responsible member of the community who has rescued a dog and is trying to do the right thing.

Ditto this advice. I clobber chicken frames with a meat clever for lots of small dogs in the boarding kennel . . . removing globs of fat and skin first. This generally results in very firm poohs, rarely soft/runny ones.

You might try switching to horse toys . . . eg, the Jolly Ball. No doubt he'll still chew up the handle, but the main ball withstands very hard use.

In general, swimming or working out on soft sand are used to build up leg muscle mass. Once strength is good and health is not an issue, exercises may go on to carrying, or pulling weight and/or going up steep inclines. I don't know about luxating patellas.

Applecross is good, especially for C-sections, prog tests, AI . . . gives breeder disciounts. Vets2U Mobile vets is good for simple things like vaccinations ... but no fancy equipment (Xray/ultrasound) or major surgery. Practical. Experienced. Out of South Lake Andrew Buchannan across from the Zoo is fantastic at communication . . . very caring guy. Knows his stuff. People speak well of Ranford Vets. I haven't used them.

0. Find a vet you can trust and ask lots of questions. KC . .. if you put your dog in kennels, many require or recommend KC vaccination. I have had puppies GET kennel cough from the internasal spray, so I prefer the combined injection route. heartworm . . . my vet says the monthlies, given every two months, are adequate. Easier than worrying about it. But ask your vet if he/she sees many heartworm cases. It will help you make the right decision.

There are lots of good vets in Perth. Pls be specific. Where in Perth? Ordinary vet? or a vet to deal with specific needs?

Please clarify. What does this have to do with the Pit Bull Ambassador's program? All I can see is that some judge upheld a publically funded shelter's right to do BSL, including euthanasia. As I read it, the legal ruling says they can PTS based on breed without behavioural screening. I think most of us disagree with that ruling. The kill rate is higher for APBT's at the shelter under discussion . . . but this could be because APBTS weren't being adopted, or because local BSL made it very difficult for people to adopt them.

I'd suggest doing a little reading on cholangiohepatitis and checking with your vet. From what I can see, it is not uncommon in cats, but very rare in dogs and hard to diagnose. It is not primarily a liver problem. Petplace states: "Cholangiohepatitis is an inflammatory disorder of the bile ducts and adjacent liver tissue. It is one of the more common liver diseases seen in cats and is recognized only infrequently in dogs. " It also indicates that it is a very serious disease, and full diagnosis is likely to require, among other things, a liver biopsy.

My veterinary home medication book says 3% or stronger (ie undiluted) bleach and IMPORTANT leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing off.

To answer your question about age . . . putrid is fine . . some dogs love it that way. After about 4 mo of age their immune systems can handle salmonella and other nasties. Some dogs will bury chicken carcasses for later consumption. Not good for the lawn but fine for the dog. . Lithified isn't good. No fossils. Nothing over 10,000 yr.

Actually, one focus of the Ambassadors program is to work with rescues orgs and shelters. A big problem in the US is that many shelters refuse to take pitties because of their reputation. Animal Farm, which runs the Ambassadors program, is joint sponsor of a program to educate shelters about APBT's. See: http://www.badrap.org/rescue/partners.cfm Note, I'm no authority on this . . . I've just taken a few minutes to scan websites on both sides of the issue. I conclude one side is a raving loony on the no-kill bandwagon and the other side is a broadly based, well funded, intelligent program dedicated to restoring the reputation of the APBT and ending breed discrimination.

Sit, Fetch, Stay Or Die is not what I would call a balanced headline, and it is a slander to the work of people who are working as best they know how to help a breed that they love. NW seems to be attacking, simply because the program is not no-kill. Have a look at this website (one associated with the ambassadors program) . . it offers well documented statistics to back assertions you make about pitties . . . their pass rate in temperament tests is higher than many other breeds -- including Golden Retrievers. Not loose number slinging. The tests are described and sample sizes are given. Lots of references are provided. They very actively and effectively work to bust myths about bull terrier types. http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/ I see NO evidence that the "ambassador's" program is judging APBT's by a harder standard than other breeds, or that the practice is one of killing all dogs that don't pass. It looks like they put a lot of effort into rehabilitating dogs whose history leaves them a bit unbalanced. Also looks like they put their money where their mouths are. Divisiveness based on unsubstantiated allegations is not healthy debate, and is unlikely to promote a good outcome. "We must all hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately" -- Benjamin Franklin

I just did a Google search on Pit Bull Ambassadors. The program is NOTHING like the slanderous article posted suggests. See http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/topic....=1&topic=13 PLEASE don't slander rescue programs until you've heard their own description of their programs. Don't pick up some extreme no-kill person's writings and pass it on uncritically. Most rescue programs are backed by caring, dedicated people who are, on the whole, helping the type of dog they tend to work with. OK. You may not agree with everything they do. PLEASE don't call them killers because they cannot save all the dogs that come their way. In the APBT case, save your venom for those who are fighting dogs, formally, or just for the 'fun' of seeing their tough guy draw blood; and for the breeders who aim to strengthen, rather than weaken, the unsociable temperaments that arise from breeding dogs to fight; and for the others who give the breed a bad name. Everyone seems quick to praise Ceasar Milan, and to agree that pitties are not for everyone; and few would disagree that some of the pitties who end up in rescue have ended up with some bad habits that aren't going to be corrected without help from a skilled owner or trainer, or both. It is unrealistic to expect a shelter with a lot of pitties and limited resources will be able to rehome all dogs. It looks to me like these guys are doing a fine job of making the best out of a bad situations, and helping to bring the APBT out of the legal pit it's been thrown into.

1. Accept a friendly stranger; 2. Sit politely for petting; 3. Appearance and grooming; 4. Walk on a loose leash; 5. Walk through a crowd; 6. Sit, down, and stay on command; 7. Come when called; 8. Reaction to another dog; 9. Reaction to distractions; and, 10. Supervised separation. I bet the majority of dogs owned by dolers would fail those. 1) Fair enough. 2) Do they train the dog to sit "politely"? 3) So they only adopt out good looking dogs? 4) Do they train the dog to do this? 5) Fair enough, but this is a training excersize. 6) Do they train the dog to do this? 7) Do they train the dog to do this? 8-10) not enough info. That's a very shallow list of requirements and any organisation which uses those 10 points to temperament test can not be considered reputable. If someone wants to run a rescue, and use those as guidelines for releasing dogs then they need to train the dog to perform in the expected fashion, if they don't, they're killers. That is a list compiled by someone who is hostile to the program and seems to have been phrased to play into prejudices, not to tell the reader how the screening works. . . . The author doesn't say whether they train the dogs or attempt to correct behavioural problems. If a hostile observer described one of the better known temperament screening procedures, I could imagine the list might look similar.