sandgrubber

Really now? Has someone banished poisonous snakes from Australia recently? The main reason to bring your dogs in at night, where I live, is because you like having them near you . . . or you don't want them to bark too much and annoy the neighbors.

+1 beautiful dogs, too!

To answer that you need to know the probability of a torn dew claw, and the likelihood that removal of dew claws will cause problems, such as arthritis described by Dr Zink ...or reduce the dog's functional ability by removing grip. I've never seen a torn dew claw, and my dogs dewclaws are tight to the ankle, so I don't see the probability of a torn dewclaw as high....others have different experiences and weigh the odds differently.

Dr. Christine Zink, the dog sports medicine lady, has a good veterinary article on dewclaws. http://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/dewclawexplanation_rev_apr_10_2013.pdf She is specific about the anatomy of dew claw attachment...and claims that dewclaw removal can result in old age arthritis. Quoting from that source: Those muscles indicate that the dewclaws have a function. That function is to prevent torque on the leg. Eachtime the foot lands on the ground, particularly when the dog is cantering or galloping (see Figure 2), the dewclawis in touch with the ground. If the dog then needs to turn, the dewclaw digs into the ground to support the lowerleg and prevent torque. If the dog doesn't have a dewclaw, the leg twists. A lifetime of that and the result can becarpal arthritis, or perhaps injuries to other joints, such as the elbow, shoulder and toes. Remember: the dog isdoing the activity regardless, and the pressures on the leg have to go somewhere.

Sorry not to have anything helpful to say, but I sure wish mine were terrified of the stuff. They regard blood and bone (any sort) as a big sign that says 'dig here'. One year I planted a couple hundred bulbs and the dogs came along and dug every single one of them up.

I've been watching a litter of five day old pups scoot around the whelping box. Their locomotion is surprisingly similar to the retrievers working on ice in the video. They use their dew claws like mad. I wonder if anyone has ever compared neonate locomotion with and without dewclaws. Might puppy mortality, particularly through being squished by mum, be higher when dew claws are removed? Btw, in my OP, I didn't say dewclaw removal was cruel or condemned anyone for doing it. I just said it made me feel terrible. I'm not against removing dew claws, but I don't think it should be done casually, or for cosmetic reasons. Mum not blinking an eye when it's done is no test. Mums can be amazingly unreactive to puppy distress, as in when they sit on pups and squash them to death, or stand by and watch microchips inserted. MonElite, retrieving on ice is central to the original purpose of the retriever. The Newfoundland dogs imported to the UK ...progenitors to Labbies, flatties, Goldies, Chessies, etc., excelled in work in frozen water, probably both working as assistance dogs to fishermen on the Grand Bands, and as hunting dogs when the fishing wasn't so good. The rural folk at high latitudes do a lot of hunting when the days are short and there's ice on the pond. Hence high value placed on dual coat with high water repellency, and hence the high popularity of Labs in Scandinavia, Russia, and Canada. And as DakotaJ noted, the trainer is being careful...it sounds like he's prepping the dogs so they WON'T get in trouble when working in the field under frozen conditions.

Have you never looked at a celeb picture and wondered what they looked like without makeup? I see nothing bizarre about wanting to see the real side of breeding . . . as opposed to the cleaned up side. Hope to follow up with the week six to eight mega-mess when they're eating solid food and mum is getting tired of cleaning up. I think people, other than breeders, need to understand what is involved in raising a litter of puppies. Pictures taken just after cleaning up don't do the job.

One of the blogs I follow posted a great video showing dogs using their dew claws for retrieves on ice. I've always hated to remove dew claws. It feels like cutting off the dog's thumb -- much worse than docking a tail or ears. Anyway . . . an interesting and well made video. See http://vimeo.com/39124130 Ice isn't such a big issue in Oz . . . but I still see dogs use their dew claws when chewing a bone or other object.

Yep its easy to think based on what we know and live with personally but now I know why you may not give a dog a water bowl over night and I live with mongrel brown snakes I understand why someone may go that way. Whats worse having a dog thats locked up for 6 to 8 hours without water or snakes competing for their water - especially in tight areas where they couldn't get out of their way - not an easy question. Personally I think a dog which is fed a raw food diet would not suffer at all if it had to wait overnight for a drink - evidenced by the ratbag who sleeps on my couch who isn't interested in having a drink while she is inside over night even with a water bowl available all the time. problem is if the law says water has to be available all the time - no one cares why- its a breach of the law - if you have 10 dogs its 10 cruelty charges and you are guilty - no way out of it. I'm curious. Do those drinking fountain things you can put on the end of a hose work? I'd think you could plumb them in so the spills go into some sort of a drain. Or will snakes still come for the smell of water, even if there's no bowl. It's a fair bit of work to remove water dishes every night.

You might also want to check with your local Council. They may not consider a vasectomy as desexing. If the purpose of desexing is to reduce the testosterone pool, the two are not equivalent.

such an article was posted in the Studies About Dogs in the General Forum. The link is http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326112842.htm Large sample (400 dogs, 4 breeds) . .. PhD research done at a Norwegian university. Here's a snippit: After about eight weeks, the puppies began life with their new owner. The opportunity to exercise daily in parks up until the age of three months reduced the risk of HD, whereas the daily use of steps during the same period increased the risk. Overall, it would appear that daily exercise out in gently undulating terrain up until the age of three months gives a good prognosis when it comes to preventing HD. I would avoid stairs as much as possible. When you have to go up and down, have the pup on a leash and make sure he goes SLOW.

I can't remember seeing a photo of a puppy litter posted on DOL that shows the messy side of breeding: green placenta stains, puppy pooh, post-partum bleeding all over the whelping box, etc. Except, of course, where people are showing the horrors of puppy farming. This is a problem because: 1) it gives a rosy, and false, impression of the realities of breeding dogs 2) it leaves us open to attack by the AR types if our pups get observed any time other than just after we've cleaned up. People must realize that having a litter is a messy business, even for a responsible breeder. Attached is a picture of Bonza with her litter, four days after whelping . . . she has had enough of nursing for the moment . . . and it's about 6 hours after changing the bedding so there are a few stains around. I'd love to see some other reality shots of other people's litters.

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "butter someone up" Also "hot buttered buns"

Kids need sense, understanding, and respect, not fear. Fear doesn't produce intelligent responses.

I got a big scare with this present litter (9 pups) when mum, a first time mum, showed extreme distaste for cleaning their bottoms. I went through two rounds of stimulation with a warm cotton wad and cleaning up the mess. Time consuming and not pleasant work.ddfsfs Then I went web surfing and found a great tip on a South African bulldog breeders' site. Put margarine on the pup's anus and the mum will go for it. I tried this, using butter cause I don't stock margarine. After two rounds of supervised bottom cleaning and a bit of supervised observation, mum is now cleaning bottoms like a pro.

It sounds to me like the kid is being trained to fear. She probably gets positive reinforcement in the form of comforting when she screams and acts like she's been hurt. Sad, and counterproductive. She is old enough to understand a little about dogs' body language and know what is an attack and what is just enthusiasm...even if the enthusiasm spills her on her bum. When I was five, I got a good bite on the face when I did something stupid -- probably hair pulling -- with an Irish Setter. Not only did I not get sympathy from my parents, I got scolded, and given a couple stitches. Didn't lead to a phobia.

It also depends on the task. I've seen show handlers with an amazing ability to get most any dog to stack and go through its paces . . . but they'd have a hard time teaching 'gee' and 'haw' or correcting aggression.

Not sure but I think DURING whelping may be different than pre- or post-. Don't some sources (including Myra) say a hit of Ca stimulates contractions? I used the old vanilla ice cream between pups trick this last litter, and ten pups were out in less than 8 hours. No clue about whether the ice cream worked, and if it did, not clear whether it was the Ca or the sugar did the trick.

I doubt there is AN optimum. I think most of us have a few guidelines, but the best solution will vary depending on the bitch and her condition, the litter size, what you feed normally, and how things seem to be going with the litter in question. BARF feeders may do nothing other than change quantity. Most people feeding dry food shift to puppy food around the time of mating to up the calcium, protein, and fat amounts in a balanced way. Some add bones and/or dairy to further up Ca and protein. As with any diet question, it's essential that you adjust, depending on condition...and what seems to be working at the time. Eg, if poohs get too soft you may have to experiment a bit to find a balance that works better. It's worth reading the thread on calcium....whatever one does needs to preserve balance.

So sad. RIP, little one.

Thanks, korbin. Just the one. I hope it's not a one-off ... we need this kind of information being repeated, again & again, to the public. There's some more things that could be added on.... like further spot-on US research & also info from medical sources. Hope this is the beginning of information with a lot more substance.... than chasing dog breeds or sizes. Yeah, we all know that responsible management of those types of dogs will reduce attacks, but what they are missing is that you can't make pig hunters out of any dog, you can't make protection dogs out of any dog, a dog must have the genetic capabilities to either be trained to attack and fight or attack and fight instinctively and the point is, the same owners with dogs that don't have the genetic capabilities for unprovoked attacks, these horrific incidents wouldn't happen You could have saved yourself risking concussion if you'd read both the SMH article (with link provided by korbin) & what I said in telling about it. The article sets out the interacting factors which shape a dog's behaviour....provided by the AVA. And that includes genes. To reinforce that point, I wrote about the person who makes the decision about selection for breeding: They (i.e.the SMH) have an excellent article pointing out owners (& the first owner who does the breeding) largely shape how dogs turn out. I read Korbin's link that I responded to? Sure Melz, so when you get a Labrador working in front line defence at the police K9 unit, then we will continue the discussion on genetic predisposition :D It's interesting that Chessies are high on the list for number of attacks. Not a common breed. Gun dog. Not generally favored by yabos,

Bonza's count stands at nine. Three black boys, two choco boys, three choco girls, one black girl. All ok, possibly one more to come. Pictures after I've had time to clean up a bit. Very easy delivery, and mercifully, started at 11am ...done at 4:30 pm, that's if there isn't an afterthought pup. All look healthy. Number ten was born dead two hours later. Bonza took a dislike to cleaning the pups. I did this manually a couple times...slow and messy. Then I found a bit of wonderful advice. Put a bit of butter on the pup's anus and mum will lick it clean. Sure enough, it works. One more sleepless night, but I think it's sorted. Bonza seems to be doing her maternal duties without buttering the pups behinds.

Every litter my girls have had follows the same pattern. They get huge and do well until a few days before the due date. Then, along with the temperature drop and a mad urge to dig....and sometimes a mad urge to hide away in some place, like under the house, that is not where I want a litter born, they pant and pant and pant. This makes it hard for me to sleep. So by the time the first pup is born, I'm dead tired. My girls like nines and tens, so the full Whelping usually takes 12 hrs or more, by which time I'm far from peak performance. I feel bad complaining about lack of sleep, when the bitch is panting and contracting and pushing and generally having a heavy time. But on the other hand, it would be good to be clear headed and not in a sleep deprived haze when the time comes. Does everyone have the same problem? Are there ways to make things work better?

I hope lots of DOLers from NSW will share their opinions with their representatives on this. Change is long overdue...not just in NSW.

Congratulations. Like Brintey's Leo girl - another litter of 8 born ont the 8th of the 8th :) Oh wow I hadn't clicked to that!!!! That is fabulous! Congrads! What big uniform looking pups, and what a tired looking mum! Here's hoping they will soon be in a whelping box and mum perked up a bit. At least it looks like she's accepting them with no problem. So I presume one will be named Octavia?