SparkyTansy

I am an animal lover, with a specific interest and love for dogs and an absolute love of Horses and Wolves. There aren't really any particular animals I don't like, except maybe mosquitos, if you can count that.

Awwwww RV you are so cute and Dolly parton CC! that's cool

i got tickets - SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AP where did you get seats? We didn't do standing though - so we are in E8 :D

I am like mega stressed about it too - i'm hoping to get 4 tickets and don't want to miss out. i have been logged into the site since 11am!!

totally OT.... but... FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FIGHTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!!! that is all...

I love thinking of names!! he he - what about Pearson? Mason & Pearson he he he!!

if she is unhappy about it all she is going to resist... you need to make it fun for her. If you would like to treat part of her training means she must hold her stack for the treat. You could try clicker training her? P.S the best person to assess if there is something going on with her back is a good Bowen therapist or a doggy chiro.

I am so very sorry - what a beautiful tribute to her...

Depends really on what you are after... I'll PM you a name

Hi Tiff no personal experience but I do know someone who went this route and was very happy with it. I tried for years to get into TAFE for Vet nursing but gave up when i had to get a job and earn money!! Best of luck I am sure it'll be very rewarding!

when i wanted a male for my second ES I had specific temperament ideals I thought would match my older male (who also had some temperament issues). They lived together, both entire, for two years before the older one was desexed for different reasons. it can definitely work if they are well matched temperaments.

This also comes down to your choice of breeder though. Would you be happy to have your pup picked or a couple of pups that the breeder thinks are suitable if the breeder was successful in your chosen sport? Giving a buyer the impression of a choice so that they feel as though they have achieved something by picking thier own puppy in my personal opinion does not reflect the best interests of my puppies... picking the best puppy for their situation, their home, and what they want from their puppy/dog is the best way to ensure that MY puppies go into the very best of homes. As I said above though, this is purely based on buyers that are not experienced in specific sports or a proven strong knowledge of what they want. None of my puppy buyers wanted specific sports dogs, nor were any incredibly experienced in the breed, but some of them were interested in giving some things a go. I did Breed specific temperament testing, consulted the breeder of the stud dog and the breeder of my own bitch (also my mentor), and spoke to a behaviourist with over 30 years experience in my breed. Whilst I dabble but don't seriously take part in particular dog sports my breeds are well known for, i was still I feel the best placed to choose where my puppies went.

Huski in all honesty if it was someone like you coming along I wouldn't necessarily apply the same rule, but in my breed (and I am sure in most breeds) and with most people, it's a case of breeder would know best, at least, for owners looking for companion pets that might like to dabble, but not seriously, in dog sports. I have no doubt that there are breeders out there that do not really give a toss who they match their puppy to, but if I had someone who wanted to choose their own puppy with no accepting of breeder opinion, I would be telling them to look elsewhere. I have seen too many of my breed in this state being rehomed because the new owners didn't expect what they got, and i am sure that in most cases it was lack of research by the buyer and lack of care from the breeders placing the puppies to learn about their buyers needs.

Happy birthday for yesterday Bedazzled!

Bottom line, Mas, is to find something that suits Mason. Give your breeder as much information as possible on what Mason is like, what drives him, what makes him unhappy when he meets and plays with other dogs. A dog good for obedience is all well and good but you have to live with it first and foremost and so does Mason. If you also tell your breeder (I am sure you already have) that you have an interest in obedience as well, then they will find something that suits Mason and has potential for obedience. I found with my puppy buyers the more I asked them about what they wanted in their puppy, the easier it was to select the right puppy for them. no one who bought one of my puppies got a choice... and they all came from different situations and wanted their dogs for different things (but being a companion first). Best thing to do is trust the breeder to help you make a decision - ask lots of questions about what puppy is like in different situations. You will find that from about 5-6 weeks old, the breeder generally has an idea of which puppy would suit based purely on temperament by watching their interatctions with littermates, other dogs and people... at least, that is when i had the best ideas about placement!

biggest mistake i ever made was encouraging my English Setter to bark at sounds... it became his "job" and he does it all the time. I do not encourage my other dogs to bark and they rarely do (probably because Spartan is the alerter), however if there is something of concern, my Weimaraner barks. The type of bark she lets out tells me if it's a serious concern or not. I have become desensitised to Spartan's rediculous barking habits but I feel safer knowing I am only alerted when it is a serious concern to my girl.

he he - moles... weimaraner puppies look like rats at that age Irish and English Setters look like Smashed Rats.

they are lovely Skyehaven piper are you keeping any?

Oh yes second budgiew Frank is absolutely gorgeous and his name suits him down to the ground.

I love to hear from my puppy people, and I always will. I also love to be here to give them advice and made sure they knew that no question was dumb or unwelcome. I do,however, know of breeders that just don't really give a damn if they hear from their puppy buyers again.

Agree with you Miss Danni. I find that the open book course is too easy, and while it at least encourages people to go down the right path and become registered, if they are not committing to the learning that goes with it, do we really want them "contributing" to the breeds they breed. In Europe they have breeders courses that you must attend and pass before breeding a litter. The fact that we don't even cover basic structure and movement as part of breeding, or even judging, astounds me.

Yes, you can be involved in breeding dogs without showing them. I do not believe that showing dogs is the answer to good breeding... however... showing dogs can help develop an understanding of the standard, movement, conformation of dogs in general (and why it differs) and breed type. Being involved in that part of the world opens up your eyes to different options, lines, pathways that you might not head down if you don't follow showing. I also believe that if you do not show dogs, you should stil have a VERY good understanding of the standard and why there is a standard, before breeding. Being a good breeder is made up of more than just showing dogs, but understanding that there is no one aspect to breeding, and that you can always learn more. In addition, owning two dogs from champion parents does not mean progeny that are good enough to breed from - again, they must meet the standard for this to happen, and not all dogs from the same litter do that. Sometimes, no dogs in a litter from two champions are good enough to breed from, sometimes, allthe pups in that litter are of good enough quality... sometimes, the very best progeny can come from one or two parents that didn't quite make it in the show ring, or they were better in their original workingpurpose.

Mas no doubt you will meet her eventually She has decided that since she is now staying, turning into a tasmanian devil is quite acceptable behaviour

RnR that's rotten - KC sux out of curiosity, has he had the KC vaccine? i would say count me in on the book, except that I have about a million books to read for other sports and one day, I might actually get to the point of starting something instead of just having books. If Lulu continues to be my superstar, I may actually get her to agility one day.

good ones so far!! I now really wish i had imagination... maybe you should offer a competition for people with no talent and no imagination ;)