SparkyTansy

Fantastic with other dogs... usually it's other dogs that have issues with them, as they can be a bit "bullish" and if they are coated, other dogs sometimes have issues understanding what they are/body language. The number of breeds that have "gone" for charlie and he has just stood there has been amazing!! plenty of socialisation is a must, though, as they can be a little "rude" because they are quite enthusiastic and need to be taught manners like any friendly breed. They are really an ideal, lovely breed and would suit a LOT of people and families, but the coat requires maintenence even when clipped (like a poodle - regular clipping and brushing out as the coat grows) and unless owners are prepared for even just the general maintenance between grooms (plucking ears is a pretty important part, and keeping their beard clean and staying on top of problem matting areas while coat is growing back) they aren't suited to thsi breed. With the coat, shaving them generally doesn't matter, their coat can grow back to full coat with little difference... it just takes a long time. The coat also goes through a lot of stages if left in full coat... starts out as soft when a puppy (one of the hardest stages, imo), then goes really light and starts getting harder texture and then changes back to darker great, or stays light but is harder from the longer outer coat (guard hairs) covering the softer, shorter undercoat. The coat itself is quite human like. I'm not sure about dogs that are desexed how the coat grows back, but in non-desexed dogs I've seen clipped dogs grow a full adult coat and be shown with no issues. Funniest thing is watching a mosquito trying to get through an OES coat. they usually get lost and squished trying!!

it's very scary - my bitch with good recall took off after a roo once... managed to get her back thankfully but it was dusk and very hard to see. We walk her on lead in that area now.

the very rare, red tipped mouth yellow labrador

No worries They are really fabulous dogs. If I didn't love my gundog breeds so much, I would actually consider one. it's a shame, also, that Samoyed's are in a different group to OES, because ineveitibly the breeds or at least the groups always clash!!

oso your boy sounds like Spartan - except he can't tolerate beef but tolerates lamb and turkey. :rolleyes:

The best experience is in the ring experience MG - and the best place to start is in Baby, and as i must sadly remind myself, they aren't babies for long. JT and Lulu are both entered in the show on the 13th also (first show out of baby class ) - I am on last and RV is on first - if you want to watch what is going on in the ring, and then run through a few things, between us and your breeder, I am in no doubt that you will be just fine.

I read that animal fat (raw) is not a bad thing for dogs and should be fed as part of their diet, particularly if feeding raw. I am currently feeding raw to three of my four dogs... mostly wings, frames, roo tail and flaps, turkey wings and legs when I can find them, combined with chicken and beef mince, offal, sardines and veges. They are supervised, and have not had an issue at all with spewing or with choking... they eat their bones slowly, though, which could be the difference I guess. The fourth dog is not fed bones as he is allergic to chicken and is one of the spewy ones that hasnt got the right PH, but too many issues arise when he is given too much raw, so he gets the occasional turky wing or lamb flap and is fed a lamb based kibble.

Thanks showdog

Hi Bjelkier - sorry I missed this post!!! My sister has a show OES which I was grooming and showing for 2 years while she was overseas (in fact i was doing it before she moved, too!). Grooming an OES for the show ring is NOT easy at all... and it all depends on coat and the way grooming is done in certain states. for example, the OES I showed, Charlie, had a huge coat. I currently show his son, who i am sure has an even bigger coat!! (but i dont groom him!). When I was grooming charlie for a show, the brushing out would start the day before and i would allow myself at least 3-4 hours to brush him all over. although, i would do some brushing and stripping the week before a show, and maybe even some trimming to allow it to settle (plus the usual maintenance brushing which is at least every 3-4 days). With OES you have to work in lines and go ALL over - problem areas are usually ears, bum and any area that rubs (so legs/elbows, tail). once he was completely brushed out, I would wash his whites (only - you don't need to wash the greys), with specific attention to face and nether regions ;). He was then blowdryed, brushed again, trimmed and stripped. trimming is ears, head, feet, and rear coat (oh, and tail!). Stripping is the jacket (shoulders, neck and over the wither), a little around the tail and rear legs also. i like to cover the jacket with a damp towel to keep the coat sitting flat. You also need to pluck ears and trim between the foot pads. Trimming them is NOT easy... it needs to be short enough to stand up on it's own but long enough to be a full coat. They are also supposed to be shaggy, so generally my trimming doesn't appear to be obvious scissoring (although i do love beautifully sculpted feet!) When you get to the show, if you've done everything right the day before, you will need to brush out again (not as thorough but just focus on the problem areas), tease up hair on the head and the rear coat. Potato flour is your friend in order to dry their faces and feet. In other states, people really sculpt their OES, following a similar way that it is done in the US. In WA, most exhibitors generally do not use any hairspray, and the only things used at the show are water and potato flour. it is a personal choice how you present your OES, but if you are up against illuminous white, well groomed OES, unless the judge knows the breed well, your chances are slim. Advice for anyone interested in showing an OES and starting out, would be to ensure you have help from someone experienced to show you what to do, start out on the brushing at a very young age on a table so they get used to it, and be prepared for constant maintenance of the dog if you want to do well. They are absolute show ponies and really enjoy showing most of the time... they love to be the centre of attention and a beautiful example of the breed really stands out in the line up... but they are such hard work.

Ok so for anyone interested, the Weimaraner Club has organised a talk at Murdoch on Bloat and the Gastropexy procedure. The talk covers information on Gastric Torsion (bloat), common myths associated with bloat, the gastropexy procedure etc. It is hugely beneficial to breeders and owners of all breeds, but in particular, larger, deep chested breeds. Please PM me if you would like me to send you the flyer. We would really appreciate it if you could forward it onto as many people as possible who you think would benefit from attending the talk.

does anyone know the results from Bunbury?

yes wormers usually upset the tummy a bit and can give loose stool.

When i had my litter, I made it very clear that i would be picking the pups for the owners, but that i would give them a choice if there was more than one that would suit them. All of them were fairly happy with that, although one person did give me a "hint" on which pups they liked when she came to visit (not really an issue, she picked out 3 out of 5 puppies so didn't really narrow it down!). all puppies were fairly even just each had their little quirks which helped me to decide which would suit best. I had one home which was the most experienced, who was getting a show potential male as they were letting me show. Show potential male came out of nowhere at 8 weeks old and it turns out he also had the most challenging temperament, and I was struggling up until that point on where I coudl place him. He is now perfectly placed with the most experienced home and being shown. All the others are perfect for their families. If I had a buyer who had the breed before, wanted a dog for sports or working, and had a good idea of what temperament they wnated, I would definitely give them the opportunity to come and visit and give me their thoughts on their choice and why.

I love how dogs find rain and wet grass beneath them to walk on/in, and yet they will dive in dirty lakes, roll in mud and run around in rain if they are out on a walk Unfortunately, mine all came in saturated this morning... Lulu doesn't care about the rain, and in fact, she prefers to dig holes when the black sand is wet. She's so charming.

Congrats Aunty RS!!!

Happy birthday Scoota and Dekka! MG I would stick with what you are doing now until Gibbs has stopped growing, or at least, 6 months of age, jmo. puppy foods are balanced for puppies.

Tiggy - me neither... the very interesting part of this will be how Lulu's symptoms present. She hasn't had any KC vaccination, and so far she isn't even showing any symptoms regardless of the same days of exposure. of course, it is entirely possible she will be more affected by it, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

the intranasal doesnt last as long as the vaccination injection. the KC is also a live vaccine i think - i'm assuming that symptoms can still present similar to a flu vaccination for humans. Kennel cough is awful, but it's just one of those things... just like a human cold. personally I am not sure why people get so stressed out over it. The only time it is highly stressful is when they develop other symptoms due to infection and if you know about them you can keep an eye on them and get them on AB's if necessary. JT (lulu's brother) went to the vet for KC this morning... the vet checked him over and gave him some AB's as his mucous was discoloured and coming out of his nose. The vet reported that at least 1 in every 4 cases he had had in the last week was KC, and as JT's owner was leaving, another dog came in with KC symptoms. In addition, JT had the intranasal vaccine and he presented his symptoms the very same day as Zora, who I believe had the C5.

RS yes the seats fold down.

could it be climate?

I have to agree with the Toyota Kluger suggestion - although might be a little more expensive than what you are looking to spend... I drove my boss's the other day, and the whole time was thinking what a great dog car it would make. There is a fair bit of space in the back, it's a really nice car to drive as well... and I generally don't like taller cars because of nearly being run over/side swiped by them when i was driving a mini, but I would seriously consider a Kluger. In saying that i love my Astra Wagon. Perfect amount of space in the back to fit 2-3 dogs but you do have to put all the other crap for showing etc in the back seat (although i did manage 3 puppies and 1 full size weim and 3 people when driving home from the Perth Royal last week )

Hey all - so I was one of the other pups at training with RV. Our experience was similar to RVs. "Woody" was scary, the birdies were interesting (Lulu was play bowing at the bird in the mesh cage). With the pegged bird the second run was the same as RV - she tracked down the scent to where the bird was first, and then found birdy - she stood, though, no hind legs like a brittany! The hardest thing was getting her to range out a little - I know it's a typical weim thing... they tend to stay closer and work a lot slower than other HPR breeds but with Lulu i think it was a confidence thing (although our mentor did mention we need to stop working on obedience heels!). Was a fantastic experience and i cna't wait to do it again!

Dogs are never completely immune to KC i don't think - there are too many strains. Mine all appear to be fine for teh moment. I thought i saw an inkling from Lulu on Saturday afternoon but nothing since then... although it's only a matter of time really given that she was exposed to Zora on the weekend, so even if she didn't pick it up fromZora or JT the weekend before at the show, it's likely she'll get it soon. Poor JT is off to the vet this morning. Still bright and eating, but the fluid from his runny nose has become discoloured. Hopefully he'll be ok. In the meantime, James still hasn't noticed Ari is in season... not sure why but he will still be holidaying soon.

lots to catch up on!! Rusky I hope that you are feeling better after your bad day... really awful although the PJ's would have added just a little humour to the situation.. you need to update us with some eccles photos soon! RV still no coughing at my house although dogs been kept in since last week with the exception of lulu who was out yesterday with you!! JT has started though - no cough but a really runny nose poor lovey. Just one of those things but I feel bad for his owners since he's snotting all over their house! In other news, Ari came into season yesterday... and James has shown NO interest in her at all. Not sure exactly what is wrong with him because usually two days before she comes in he starts following her around like a lost puppy, panting and clicking. very strange!! Anyway, he's off for a holiday at Faolmor's house while Aneira comes to me. Musical dogs again!!

Cool - look forward to meeting you 17-20 ES is still way more than I have ever seen entered in a show. In WA I think the most I ever showed against when i was showing ES was about 6. There hasn't been ES in the ring for about a year now. Sorry to hijack the WA thread!!