sandgrubber

I wish that we're a real option for me. My own hip Xrays show moderate to severe arthritis. My old girl had 2:1 hip scores way back when. I work through pain to do the daily walk. I don't think I can manage pulling 27 kg of Labrador, especially as our sidewalks are hit and miss and roads are narrow. It can get complicated with both old dog and old person.

Exercise is a fraught questions. My old girl, just shy of 14, clearly has some pain on walks, and she breathes heavy. But she's better at the end of the walk than at the beginning. Same with me. The doctor tells me it's good to walk through the pain. The vets' advice differs from vet to vet. If I try to leave the old girl behind, she show's distress bordering on panic. I suspect that being left behind is more painful than walking on her old bones. When she truly can't manage, I think it's a downward spiral, and it's time to give her her wings. Bottom line: Don't rush to judge. Physical pain may be less important than retaining and increasing mobility.

Yes, be wary. Show winning and health can be at odds, especially for relatively rare (in Oz) brachycephalic breeds. Read up on breed health problems...Boston's have many....but there are some very healthy and athletic Bostons (in the USA...less sure about Oz where Bostons are rare and expensive). Ask breeders how their breeding choices work to avoid know breed health problems. Also use your eyes. Steniotic nares are a very bad sign, and it's good to see some nose sticking out... even if that doesn't lead to a title in the show ring. Color is insignificant to health in this breed (no double Merles, no congenital deafness of the overly white), but breed standards can exclude various colors from showing. Note, few Bostons are free whelping, most deliver via Cesarian section, and litter size isn't large. So finding a good pup may take time and be expensive. They can be great little dogs.

With Labbies there is always more demand for girls.... could be a way to encourage people to buy boys.

Pictures would help here...or have a breed expert look at it for you. Undershot is a matter of degrees... I'm not a SBT person. With Labbies, the severe malocclusion cases typically show in the first months, but to confuse matters, some fairly bad looking bites come good. I think the story is that the lower jaw sometimes grows faster than the upper jaw (in my years breeding I only had a couple bite problems, neither serious). I guess that could make a bite go bad, though I've only seen it cause improvement.

Sounds like business as usual. I'd love to see a critical doco on raw food practices as well. I've seen some pretty slimy frames and bones being sold as pet food in Oz. I'm in NZ now...a gross very fatty product is marketed locally as being 'natural'. Dogs have been fed garbage from the earliest domestication. They seem to do ok on many things, including some pretty revolting stuff.

You gotta read the fine print, no matter where it comes from. The Chinese are fast learners, and an increasing large number of Chinese products are quality. Meanwhile, regulatory control is dying in the USA, and you can expect more crap from that direction.

Boxers and Labbies go great. Boxers run circles around...and Labs like it. Intros depend a lot on age and temperament of the two. Your guy is likely to bowl over a puppy. You want a robust pup and some supervision.

Good on ya. thanks

https://asunow.asu.edu/20180103-discoveries-asu-awarded-64m-grant-test-preventive-cancer-vaccine-dogs If this works it's going to be wonderful! One vaccine good for many if not all cancers! They're trying it on 800 pet dogs (400 control, 400 treated).

For working or recreation under hot weather conditions, I think the kelpie x Labrador is a great cross. I've read that this was the preferred dog for ADF tracking work in Vietnam. I love Labbies, but they tend to wilt in hot weather. Kelpies are smart, rugged, and trainable, but tend to be a bit too nervous. As a (former) Labrador breeder, I got occasional calls from people with a lot of K9 experience looking specifically for kelpie x Lab. No sign that anyone is working towards a new breed (F3+ with selection) that preserves the temperament traits that have made Labs so popular with genes from a smart, heat-tolerant breed...so I'd say there's a case for F1 breeding.

Of course supervision and monitoring required, you don't want him going to earth and getting dirt in his sutures. You need to check and make sure he hasn't pulled stitches or gotten infected. But in my experience, walking is ok... with increasing intensity over time. Had a vet tell me something similar.

Idiot owner. Putting a dog at risk shouldn't be entertainment.

If the dog has learned to go over fences and has often escaped, you could have a problem. Otherwise, I'd say you're pretty safe.

Good on you. My dogs love each other, and it's a joy to watch them interact. In years past I had a boarding kennel, and a few of our clients had dogs (both staffy crosses) who were out to kill each other. They tried behaviorists with little success and ended out with complex routines to keep the dogs well separated. As they say, the customer is always right...and I never tried to suggest rehoming. But I think both the dogs and the owners would have been happier if they had rehomed one of the dogs.

"Dangerous or restricted dog, including those used for hunting" sounds like it's aimed at pig dogs ...not all hunting dogs. Would people with, say, an Amstaff x mastiff pig dog that might be labeled as dangerous seek to avoid fees by saying it was a hunting dog?

I'd guess she's liking a miniature poodle x GR (they do shed, btw). A standard poodle is pretty near as big as a Lab or Goldie. The obvious suggestion is a lagotto, which I'd advise with great caution. Expensive. Hard to find. Many temperament problems. Need to know age and temperament of the children to make a recommendation.

I saw this on the BBC and thought you should see it: A dog that transformed a 104-year-old's life - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44146481

I can't get this to show only the dog part... it's about midway down. The jogging humanoid robot video that is ‘terrifying’ the Internet https://wapo.st/2wxFuQX

Couldn't find Clean Lanel Product data on Balanced Canine, Sydney's Facebook page, nor could I get the spreadsheet to display. Odd that in your reading, BC gives a different rating for TOTW than the Clean Label Project website...or perhaps there's a logical explanation. I got the feeling that Balanced Canine is pushing a point of view, and remain distrustful of Clean Label as methods, or even what they measure, are not described.

I got export pedigrees when I moved from Oz to the US. Apart from re-registering with the AKC they served no function. So... not needed.

FREE TO A GOOD HOME: 2 year old child. Genuine reason, I've just got a new puppy so no longer have the time for the child. Also worried the child may bite the puppy. Child is crate trained and up to date on all shots. Needs home by tomorrow or it'll be put to sleep. Thanks! YOU WOULDN'T DO THIS TO A CHILD SO WHY DO U SEE IT AS ACCEPTABLE TO DO IT TO A DOG? If you can't dedicate 15yrs to a dog, don't get one!! ;-)..

I've been not commenting because I don't want to be alarmist...but in my experience that is not normal puppy behavior, and I would worry about problems escalating at puberty. I would seek an outside evaluation... I have less belief in behaviorists than many on these forums; maybe I just haven't met the right one. I'd look for an experienced breeder who knows Nugget's breed, or perhaps ask your vet, if your vet is good about that sort of thing. Or even someone who has done a lot of rescue work with puppies. Diagnosis without seeing the pup is iffy.

Agree. They learn bite inhibition from their siblings... not their dam. My litters start biting tails, ears and penises at about 5 weeks. They have generally quit, or at least tempered their biting enough that the screaming stops, by 8 weeks. I've never seen one of my bitches try to stop siblings from biting.

Jarrah hits 14 in August. She sleeps more and more heavily, and in the back of my mind I keep imagining that some day she won't wake up. I don't wish for her passing, but I hope she will eventually just not wake up rather than going through the pain and trauma of some awful disease. In these forums we often hear about having to give him/her his/her wings but rarely hear about dogs dying peacefully in their sleep. Does it happen?