SparkyTansy

Hi all - I'm back after a weekend away watching the big dog shows and specialties in Melbourne. What an eye opener!! Perth shows look like country shows in comparison!! it was a great experience and i got to catch up with some lovely people too. first of all Boxagirl, sorry to hear about what you went through with bondi, and I am glad she seems to be on the mend. it is never easy to watch them go through something like that. Discussion on joint supplements, all mine are on fish oil and glucosamine, but James is also on Ester C, and this is probably the supplement which I would swear by the most - he's shown more improvement with this than anything else. there is no scientific reason behind it, I just did some reading and found an article where field gundog people swore by the stuff, so I tried it! James also has regular appointments with Deb and I haev seen a difference. he does not fall asleep at all but then he is in a fair bit of pain at the moment. Still, the needles are moving so things are improving. We had no lightning bolts last time!! Bowen is also wonderful and it's quite amazing how Tracy can pick the exact spot where the dogs are sore (she picked James' hips and even picked which hip was the worst one) Happy birthday to those I've missed (tiggy & chance)

Mine is always due in July. usually the smaller clubs have a set due date for membership subs but didn't think it was the case with Dogswest.

Ari just appeared. :D it was his idea to keep Lulu, her daughter, and it was me saying that she would have to be show quality in order to keep her

c-natalie... not always a good idea to get two pups at once. a lot of hard work! I suggest you try and get to a couple of dog shows or call a couple of breeders and talk to them about each breed, meet some and decide which you prefer. Have a read about each breeds history (what they were bred for). Brittanys and Springers were bred for different work and that does dictate the differences in their temperaments. Most Brittanys still have a strong instinct for what they were bred for, and I think that there are varying degrees of instinct in certain lines of Springers (TSD for example has a working springer, but a show line springer might not have such a high drive to work). You will find that many Gundogs generally do not like to be outside for long periods and they do generally prefer company. Gundogs are generally quite intelligent and have a level of independence because of what they were bred for. Like many breeds, gundogs require training and can be naughty puppies when bored.

Poor MG! I hope you feel better soon. Loads of stuff going around at the moment too. OH was sick on Saturday and i caught it Monday but was over it by Tuesday. Stupid weird season changes.

This, for me also. I also sold my main register boy the same price as the pets, but he went into co-ownership with the new owners agreeing to let me show him. I actually haven't decided whether or not I would sell a main register puppy at a higher price to a potential show home... but I can see reasons for and against it. What I do not agree with ... selling a puppy of a certain colour or sex for more.

When I picked my stud dog for my bitch, I started thinking about potential stud dogs for a bitch from the litter - because even though i wasnt planning to keep one, I knew it was a possibility. Turns out I did keep one, and have a fairly good idea of who I'd like to use, pending health tests although i am constantly looking at young up n comers in my breed and I am not afraid to go out of the state to find a decent dog to use.

Agree with what others have said but also want to point out that i raised a litter on raw/kibble mix and they would go for the raw over the kibble every time (ie would leave their kibble meal but wolf down the raw meal). i was told that I shouldn't feed the raw if they don't want to eat the kibble because it would make them picky, but I think it just goes to show what their instincts are telling them. These pups were eating frames by 7 weeks of age (Weimaraners). Upgrade your pup from necks to wings and the other suggestions above.

Sounds like Bernard thinks he owns you. start giving affection only on your terms... don't give either dog affection if they come over to you, only call them over to give affection and ensure you also end it when you've had enough. If you call Olive over, and Bernard also runs over, completely ignore Bernard and gently push him off and away from Olive and yourself. do the same if Olive runs over when you call Bernard.

you definitely aren't the only one. i think sometimes you get lucky and find a vet you like and stick with them... In my case I have two vets that i like to see but for different things... up until then I have been going to different vets to find the "right" one for about 8 years.

Adorable Mirawee!! Nigel is a seriously cute name

I wanted to call Lulu Lucy but OH didn't like it as much as me, but we agreed on Lulu and it suits her to a T.

It would be wonderful if we can get people behind us to support this... it's not enough that a few of us are interested... if we can promote it as a pathway that leads to retrieving trials, it is a step into getting people more interested in retrieving. all the retrieving people are wonderfully supportive of new people that come in, but the task of training even for Novice can be daunting for a newbie (scares the crap out of me). offering this as a stepping stone will increase numbers if promoted correctly. One of my puppy buyers has a major interest in retrieving but they have no idea where to start, and aren't sure they have the time to commit to actual trials at this stage or even training days (shift worker). This would be a good way for them to train for the requirements of the RATG, enter a test, and if they do well, will increase their desire to take it further into training for proper trials.

Nope- i had both my boys names picked out way before I got them. I also have a future bitch registered name and call name picked out but have no idea when I'll be getting her.

Where will I find people selling raffle tickets?

*squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee* so excited!!!

Malaseb dries out the skin. Only use it if the vet recommends it because it's only supposed to be used for certain issues. Note as well - if you try and treat the cause and the skin gets an infection because of excessive scratching and spreading bacteria, you will end up having to go to the vet for Antibiotics and possibly a steroid if it's bad enough. If a vet can help you diagnose and treat the problem before this occurs, you will save the dog a lot of pain and discomfort. I understand not wanting to go to the vet straight up but the longer you leave the issue, the longer it will take to treat the cause because of secondary infections etc, so if the shampoo's don't help and food changes don't help, seek out a vet

NO to Weimaraner if you want it to be an outside dog. They don't do that well outside all the time...

Old English would fit in well with what you are after, particularly if you are happy to brush (you can keep their coats clipped but they grow out so you'd have to brush out the coat while it's growing and before their next clip). I'd say both setters that Purdie recommended are not that trustworthy at sticking near their property if they have the option to run off... plus not sure how happy they'd be being a 24/7 outside dog.

I'd be ignoring that comment GayleK .... what a silly statement for someone to make .... It's most defintely NOT rude. Agree! especially as you have given them the benefit of your entry for one of the days - that's one more entry fee than they would have received!!

not that it is indicative of showing numbers, but DogsWest memberships were up slightly on last year not including associates

Angelsun I am very disappointed to hear what has happened with you, after all the work you have put in to get this up and running in Australia. on Behalf of WA I would like to thank you for all your hard work and efforts and thank you truly for opening up our eyes and introducing Rally-o to Australia. Hopefully with some hard work, Spartan will be able to compete.

for RALLY!!!

This... 2 x of mine are DA... 1x has HD and can only have short walks on soft surfaces 1 x is a puppy but has so far been the most pleasureable to walk... I don't walk mine everyday mostly i share it between them but the Weims get walked more than the Setters.

hey guys I'll have to put myself down as a maybe... however if I do come I vote we put everyone's DOL & regular names on our foreheads as I will probably forget who you all are without your dogs.