SparkyTansy

I think I may have also heard about "boy bits" bracco if we are thinking of the same one!! are you calling my breed idiotic RV? :D

I just wanna not have hayfever anymore

gees you guys can talk today!! Mason - ring up about membership if you aren't sure.

I agree - boys really are the best!! I love my girl, but boys are just the bees knees for me In saying that, I probably won't get to have another male ES for a while, unless i somehow get a kennel property and can have lots more dogs!

I show two traditionally docked breeds. in one of the breeds, I show against older competition, so a traditional short dock. The other competition is a bitch from NZ. I think I may have had judges that have never been quite used to the tail and find it harder to judge - most of thsoe judges are from the US and Canada.... however I have also had some excellent judges both from Australia and internationally who have rewarded my full tailed dog over docked competition a number of times. I even had one judge admit she had never judged a tailed OES before, and then put us up for BOB I have no issues showing against docked dogs, and I hope that the rule doesn't change...

I believe at least one of Charlie's babies had their first show the other night - did anyone see them? I only saw a photo but don't know results. well done for everyone else! CC what a moron! I really dislike it when people make assumptions about your dogwithout knowing the situation at all. I a sure if it was a 30 kg dog they would have marked the barking as aggressive just because the dog was big emery I am glad that your SIL found a home for the dog - much better off but a shame the dog was in the situation in the first place Rusky I'll try to think of a few more fundraising ideas but my mind is blank at the moment. If it were certain members of the public were going to bring their dogs, you could set up some low agility equipment in a distant ring for people to have a go with their dogs on leads. for a gold coin donation? but i am going to assume that most people that come will either not bring their dogs or they already know all about agility! welcome to the thread oceangirl

I can see where you are coming from, however doesn't the Cross breed phenomenon also prove that outcrossing is a risk? Yes, linebreeding (but more so inbreeding) can have issues associated with it, but careful, well planned litters from breeders who KNOW their lines, are aware of the risks and have done sufficient research are probably less likely to run into an issue than someone who picks an unrelated dog without knowing either line well. I have two outcrossed dogs and one who is linebred (although not a tight line breeding). The line bred dog is incredibly healthy - much healthier than my other two, who both have some pretty serious issues. The outcrossed dogs were probably just as well researched but they still can't predict what might crop up as easily as a line bred litter can. On a different note, the laboratory you work in sounds fascinating!! Best of luck with the stage 2 trials. I think i remember reading about it although I didn't see it on A current Affair...

If the breeder has sold your bitch on mains because she is exceptional, then i would imagine she might be open to the idea of having a litter with her... though if you aren't willing to get a prefix, and it'd be on her prefix, for starters not many are willing to leave the bitch with you for the litter, secondly, if it's on her prefix, i am guessing that she is going to choose the stud dog with little to no input from yourself. What makes you think that you'll breed a better or healthier litter with your bitch because you aren't linebreeding?

Is Mason on cortisone at the same time as his injections? could this be something that could block the hotspots? Poor boy - with all spartans skin issues he never has had hotspots. Rusky what a good idea... I'd participate in a Rally event but spartan is too itchy at the moment to do much and Ari is far from being ready. how is news getting out about the fundraiser?

If you don't want the work or aren't interested in becoming a breeder, why do you want to breed a single litter? if you have no interest in becoming a breeder, then quite frankly, you wouldn't be equipped with the knowledge to breed a litter as well as do the work to bring it up. Your bitch might not be good enough to breed with, but perhaps a sister that is kept by the breeder to be bred to the right male will be an option if you want a male from the same lines. Why do you think that you only want another dog out of the female you get? If you are happy to have the breeders prefix on a litter you have at your home, then why not get another pup from that breeder, which has been brought up the same way as your female would have been, with an experienced breeder in their home? There are some breeders out there who might be willing to allow you to have a litter with a bitch that is good enough, and they might even allow it at your house... This is actually how it happened with our second weimaraner, Sparky, who was rehomed due to an injury. She was good enough to be bred from, and came to us on the condition that she have a litter. most breeders, however, will take the bitch back to have a litter, if they send one out on Breeders Terms.

My dogs have always been inside... my parents are english. When I first met my OH his dog was outside, his rule when we moved in together was spartan outside that is until he realised spartan had been brought up an inside dog and wasn't happy. compromise was outside while at work and now they are inside all the time when home and inside when out most of the time... I guess I won

showdog that is too cute - took me a minute to figure it out but now i see it it's cute!!

A nice big enclosed outdoor area where the rain doesn't get in (semi enclosed i guess) the only other thing I'd consider making sure I include is a whelping/grooming room.

English Setters - The Gentleman by Nature... and they are. They can be calm, they can be gentle, they can be playful and they can be excitable. The first thing that attracted me to them is their gentle nature, which is not always biddable. For a Gundog, they can have a very independant streak, as can the irish and the Gordon setters, probably due to the way they were bred to work on the field. I find that i do enjoy that independant "make me" attitude that the setters have. As others have said with their spitz and houdn breeds, my setters do things (or don't!) that owners of other breeds (particularly gundogs) would balk at... but always, when I look at my setters they can look right back to me and I feel like they are looking deep into my soul. The love that an english setter gives comes in a variety of ways (although you question the love, when they are running full pelt in the opposite direction, with their selective hearing well and truly switched on), but the look is in their eyes. Weimaraners - well... funnily enough, they are quite the opposite of the English Setter... the Ultimate velcro dog, their life is to be with you... they are active, biddable, with an attitude towards strangers, and you can do just about anything with them if you have the time and patience. They can be a little stubborn occasionally, but they are mostly willing to do anything you ask of them. They have a different type of intelligence to a setter (who are mostly smart because they question why they are being asked to do something, then they flatly refuse by walking away ), and a real desire to know what you want of them. They are also quite sensitive despite their protective nature - you cannot generally be rough or lose your patience with a weim, they take it to heart, much more so than a setter (who would probably laugh at you if they could!).

Squeeeeeee puppies congrats Bedazzled!

Hi there PME Just want to add, being that it could be around 12 months away, i think this will only increase your chances of getting a pup to show. You have plenty of time to build a relationship with the breeder you choose, learn about showing, maybe even handle some dogs if the breeder you like is willing to let you help out. You have heaps of time and I think you'll be given plenty of good opportunities good luck!

I feel awful for all those devastated by the floods in QLD, but also those who are affected by the fires down south... bloody bastards that lit them ;) I hope we get some rain, but gosh it'd be tough if it flooded in Perth since it's so damn flat!

While I don't disagree with showstackers with the right type of training, I agree with others who are saying to look at the reasons why he is stacking on the ground but not on the table... if he has a good stack on the floor, there is no real reason why a cue word and patient, gentle positive training wouldn't be working on a table also... I'd look at why the pup prefers to sit. Perhaps it is a fear thing, and if that is the case, you might actually increase the fear by putting him on a set of stackers. If it's a fear of being up high, it's quite possible the puppy could just get worse if you put it on a set of stackers. They don't know that the fall distance isn't as high as a table, all they know is that they aren't on the ground. If you end up using the stackers I'd love to know if you are successful with the method.

Good luck, GR!! I will hope for your sake that the house is intact!! I know that Ari has done her fair share of destruction, but I am much happier that my dogs are inside the house during the day, instead of outside. Ari did terrible outside as a youngster, so we brought her inside and aside from the occasional (but usually very bad!) destruction, she is much better inside. Planning on putting in a dog run soon... Ari will be out there with one of the others so we will see how that goes. RS that sleepout area sounds ideal

I agree with Train a pup time - I haven't taken a pup there, but I have recommended others because of the feedback I had from RallyValley - and everyone who has taken that advice has been extremely happy with her course. Welcome, btw - would love to see some photos of your new pup!

I for one, didn't go through that phase... my first 18yo experience was going out with my sister to the Taipan room and that is probably just about the extent of it. That scene doesn't suit everyone, but I don't think it's fair to label those that do enjoy that scene. Emery I am really sorry to hear about your daughter... must be so scary for her and you...

you said it much better than me I show coated and WYSIWYG breeds. You can always tell the quality of a judge if it goes over a coated breed properly... but you also can't judge a book by it's cover. A well groomed dog doesnt always mean product (of course if you can see the powder floating out of the dog that's a different story!), and it doesn't always mean covering something up either. I also do not think it's any harder showing a short coated breed to one with coat, if the judge knows what they are doing for the breeds they are judging.

Exactly....when I had my German Pinscher spayed in September, I got a call from the vet asking if I wanted the tattoo in her ear or not..I said no...no drama....then I got thinking....with the keyhole surgery used (1.5cm incision) and a healthy bitch that healed well...who would have ever known she was spayed? answer: I WOULD Brings to mind a slightly different example... I pulled my young English setter from the ring due to being diagnosed with HD. people asked me, if he showed few symptoms, why not continue to show him? Who would know? Answer - I WOULD!

EmiLeigh I agree you should discuss this with your breeder. Your breeder would know their lines best and may know what to expect from their pups and when. In addition to this, there is never ever a guarantee that your pup will turn out to be show quality - pups at such a young age show potential only. If the breeder sold you a pup telling you it would be a top winner I find that wrong... anything can happen to make it not show quality, and those are things that you can't always predict, such as bite, size etc.

AP if that had been me I would hav said something - some people are so stoopid