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sandgrubber

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Everything posted by sandgrubber

  1. Now if there had been a flushing dog in the mix it would have been bedlam :-)
  2. I have stopped breeding. I never liked shows. When I was breeding I don't know how many times I was accused of being a byb because I didn't show. (I did do health testing and was selective about temperament. I generally used studs with both showing and working credibility). The snobbery aspect is real.
  3. Anti-purebred thinking goes WAAAY back. My mum was born in 1923, my dad in 1918. Mum like purebred working dog breeds, at least some breeds, but believed show breeding had ruined rough collies, cockers, Irish setters and various other breeds she had loved as a child. Dad (a doctor) was all for mutts, accepted the concept of hybrid vigor, and detested line breeding /inbreeding. Most of my friends have had it out for poodles because of the fancy cuts and elitist attitude that seemed to go with them.
  4. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/dogs-may-use-earth-s-magnetic-field-take-shortcuts Experimental evidence that dogs navigate using inbuilt magnetic compass as well as noses and eyes
  5. Back when I lived in Oz, I knew a few breeders who have several litters a year and didn't list on DOL because they always had long wait lists. I presume this is still the case, and that there are several dozen such breeders. That would bring the puppy count up substantially. I agree there is a scarcity problem (and a snobbery problem), even if there are a lot more than 2500 puppies on offer. But it would be good to see the actual numbers. Isn't ANCK publishing registration data any more?
  6. That holds for any dog you adopt. So many dogs are left by their lonesome and never allowed to learn to interact with others.
  7. No extraordinary risks. As others have stated, there's a small increase in risk of mammary tumors and pyometra. Having litters is natural and three is not excessive.
  8. Those scores are no worry at all. At $4k, make sure you are getting what you want. Ask about other health factors. Have genetic tests been done? Are the bloodlines clear for epilepsy and diabetes? There will probably be cancer deaths in the ancestry. We're any at a young age? Labs vary a lot in temperament. Some are high drive, some couch potatoes. Ask what sort of temperament they aim for. Make sure it agrees with what you want.
  9. Easier to rent or buy a caravan (I hate vacuuming).
  10. Long list (including many things I can't imagine putting in a diffuser, horseradish? No way!). I hate diffusers and avoid scented products in general. But I wish people would provide evidence before they put out broad scare stories.
  11. In many parts of Oz (including all of wa) permission from council is needed to keep > 2 dogs in a residential area. Some councils rarely grant 3 dog permits.
  12. I'd jump back in if you are convinced that health risks are low. IMO the best cure for the empty spot is another dog. It's impossible not to love a puppy, and if you set your mind to it you can celebrate the pup you lost by loving the new one.
  13. Inquire at Fair trading nsw https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/online-tools/make-an-enquiry Guess: it depends on the contract, if any. Interpretation is up to the courts
  14. If the kennel clubs maintained pedigrees digitally, and linked internationally, it would be quick and easy.
  15. Normally refunds require return of merchandise, and under law, puppies are merchandise. Often breeders are generous and agree to pay some vet costs or give a partial refund if the pup isn't returned. Of course you can do a full refund, but as others say, you need proof. Not just detection of a minor heart murmur, either. I suspect you are entitled to demand a second opinion from a specialist.
  16. I'd say it depends on how much you like to drive. My guess is that the pup will be fine either way, especially if somewhat used to being crated.
  17. I've been trying to understand the additional genetic testing suggestions and requirements for Labradors. CNM (centronuclear myopathy) is especially interesting. The geneticists find a lot of carriers (between 10 and 25% depending on what country). They also conclude that it's a new disease that probably arose from a single mutation, and that it's dissemination is mostly due to a 'very famous' UK stud dog ~50 years (17.5 generations) ago. I can understand why the dog in question isn't named. But it's annoying as hell that instead of concentrating efforts on pedigrees that descend from the stud in question, CNM testing is on the way to being required / recommended by LR Clubs around the world. I'm also bothered that I'm not seeing this mutation discussed in conversations about line breeding and popular sire syndrome. Warning : the article is highly technical. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3465307/#!po=2.02703
  18. Small Claims is cheap (if you don't hire a lawyer) but a pain in the arse. The fear of having to go to court again may be enough to stop a mildly shady breeder, even if they win the case.
  19. ? No idea. This site says 'a reasonable length of time'. How long is a piece of string. https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/publications/guide-consumer-rights-when-buying-pet
  20. These days it's getting harder to get a puppy when you want one, and the lure of buying from a non-ANCK breeder is rising.
  21. Doesn't law concerning defective merchandise apply? If she can show that the breeder is knowing selling puppies with a high risk of ill health, I'd think that Small Claims Tribunal would be a way to send a message.
  22. I recently posted this to a Labrador site, but it applies to all breeds. The point is not to skip testing, but to be sure to look at the whole dog. A PLEA REGARDING TESTING I've retired from both uni teaching and Labrador breeding. One insight from teaching side is that it's tempting to test for what is easy to test, as opposed to what is important. In the case of health testing, big pharma tends to offer a suite of genetic indicators that are easy for laboratories to find, as opposed to those that are important for health. Narcolepsy and centronuclear myopathy are so rare I've never seen or heard of them apart from genetic testing websites. On the other hand, cancer kills more Labs than any other disease, diabetes, epilepsy, and allergies are far too common. Bloat is relatively uncommon, given that Labs are deep chested and notorious gutsers, and I hope that it remains uncommon. Likewise, it would be great if geneticists could get a handle on the genetic components of osteoarthritis, dysplasia, etc., so we could better separate genetics from environment. Temperament is a whole nother can of worms. Here it's sufficient to say that it has a strong genetic component, and as an owner I'd rather have a dog that goes blind in late middle age than one that is absurdly anxious or aggressive throughout its life. Testing is needed to preserve quality. But if we test only for the menu big pharma is offering, we may end up throwing the baby out with the bath. We must think critically about the role of testing in responsible breeding, and learn how to weigh the value of a given test by its importance. Also, we should not loose sight of the factors that are extremely important, but less amenable to simple genetic tests. This includes the temperament factors that define the breed, and the history of health and disease in the bloodlines of an individual dog. Commercial genetics is now going for the low hanging fruit. In time, the science will improve on its ability to understand and predict the complex inheritance of immune system capabilities, bone structure, and temperament. When the science matures and the commercial products address our primary concerns, we should take it seriously. Until then, much of it is a distraction, and we need to get better at weighing test results by their importance to the whole dog.
  23. It's frightening to see how brachy breeds have moved up the charts. Still, Oz is lucky that it's unprofitable to import puppies, especially of the fashion breeds, from puppy farms in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
  24. Also try rescue groups. Sibes are a breed that people buy with romantic / cosmetic ideas, but no clue about need for fencing, exercise, etc. Often they find they can't manage and end up rehoming.
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