Aroura

Thanks everyone for your input! You're right DAL, the pack is growing, but is is going to stop growing after this one :wink: At the moment I have 3 rats, goldfish, a gorgeous kitten (who by the way I've decided not to breed, she's too cute! Gonna keep her gorgeousness all to myself!), and 3 dogs, this will make 4. I hear where you're coming from Newfiemum, believe me, I've thought long and hard about this, keeping everything in mind, pro's and con's. There are a few reasons I decided that I will get another Boxer, firstly, Josh wants me to have a guard dog, its a long cry for help if anyone ever breaks in and attacks me or what ever here. Also, Diego needs a friend, I know its not always a great idea to get a dog a "friend", but Diego is going mental, always harrassing Montie and Cassie and I feel bad seperating them because then he's all alone. Another reason, I spend usually about $50 (or more!) for petrol alone to take Diego to shows, I may as well be showing two dogs for that. Last, but not least, I WANT one! I'm going crazy without a Boxer around, they are like people, and being on my own I need the company. I have endless time on my hands and plenty of love and affection to go around. Even if I got a job it wouldn't be full time, Josh's job is going to be bringing in more than enough money shortly, so when I get a job it will only be something part time so I'm not bored out of my brain studying all day. When we go on holiday I know that there are always people who can look after all the pets. So I can assure you, I have put months of thought into this and I'm certainly not making a rushed decision. Zheelah, that thought did cross my mind. I know of plenty of happy Boxberry Boxer owners though so the pups do get brought up well, inside I believe also. I think the reason they have so many dogs is that they have such an extensive breeding program, a lot of the bitches they place in new homes are also part of these plans. I believe this is for the betterment of the breed, so they can breed the quality ones true to their type. Sizzle dog, you sound like you know what you are talking about! You're right about Flying Dutchman, I was thinking the same thing, you can't really see much conformation wise because it is all skewed. By the way!!! I've just got another email from a breeder I contacted, one that I was very keen to hear from, so that makes the list out of 3 breeders! If I chose this kennel I will have to import, but I love their dogs and they feed a natural diet, so I'm definately considering this one too. Here is the link: [url]http://www.geocities.com/chrislj15/[/url] What do you think?

Can I ask what they are? Boxberry have a couple of litters due in January, so if I decide on them I might be getting a Boxer as soon as March next year! :D

Dam it!!! It doesn't work!!! Thats so funny! No wonder why I can't post half the time anymore! I'm always writing about Lilian! :drinking:

Ok, after a lot of thought, a lot of research and A LOT of emails to A LOT of breeders, I've narrowed my choice down to two :D One breeds from mainly UK lines, the other breeds from Euro lines, so they are quite different and I like the looks of both of them! Not very keen on the American lines so I'm staying well away from them, as I like the more stockier Boxers (Lily was stocky). The European Boxers are very common in Australia, so I'm wondering if that would be a bad thing in the show ring and using at stud because it isn't what people are breeding for, or a good thing because it is fresh blood? Any breeders care to comment? Either way, he'll be a family pet before a show/stud dog so I want something that Josh and I like :D So your oppinions please, of the following kennels? [url]http://www.dogs.net.au/webs/boxberry/dogs.asp[/url] [url]http://users.tpg.com.au/jverspay/page2.html[/url] I have been in contact with both breeders, they are both very helpful. So what does everybody think?

Oh, and I forgot to mention... All these hippies going around saying not to vaccinate etc are the reason that all these health risks are still around! DO vaccinate your dog!!! Though the current research has said vaccinations cover for a minimum of 3, and up to 7 years. I think there are blood tests you can get done to see if your dog is still immune? Immunisations can take a lot out of your dog, but certainly not as much as if your dog were to become infected with the disease and die! As for worming, any dog fed raw meat, any dog at all for that matter, should be wormed regularly. I worm my guys every 1-2 months, as opposed to the 3 months that is recomended. That is BECAUSE they are fed raw meat and offal, and because we live on a farm and they will occasionally find and eat a dead lamb! Oh, and my recomendation for a book? Either Dr Billinghurts "Give your dog a bone" or "The BARF diet". Tom Lonsdales book is also good, full of reasons WHY to switch to a natural diet, but it seems like you don't need any more convincing :wink:

Firstly I'd like to point out a mistake in the web page. Dogs are not true carnivores, they can live quite a healthy, long life with no meat what so ever, cats on the other hand are true carnivores, without meat they would die. For a long time I fed Lily on a SARF diet, having not ever heard the word before! I haven't read the whole page, but I get the feeling it is the same principals as Dr Tom Lonsdale advocates. I've got his book "Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health" and for a long time I fed all the dogs on the ideas that he goes by in his book. They did thrive on it, unfortunately Lily is no longer with me, so I don't know how she would have done with the change of diet, but since Lily's time was over I have been adding a lot more veggies and supplements etc to the dogs diets and Montie is a lot healthier than he ever was before. So personally, I am going to stick with the veggies, yoghurt, oils and supplements, because its working for my dogs. Who knows, when I get my next Boxer he may thrive on a meat and organ meat only diet better than what the dogs are getting now. I haven't experimented with Diego, his fur is amazingly thick for a whippet, and softer than any other dog I've ever patted, extremely shiny too, plus his muscles are developing beautifully, his bones are strong etc, I'm not going to tamper with his diet until he has finished growing, he's thriving now so no point fixing what isn't broke! A big reason why I feed the veggies is for cancer and aging prevention. Since I got Cassie, the fur on her head has gone from silver to black, so I must be doing something right! I add the fish oils for omega 3, and evening primrose oil for omega 6, the thing you've gotta remember before putting your dog on a strickly meat bone and offal diet is that vitamins and minerals aren't as plentiful as they used to be, so meats may be lacking in things. Our soils aren't as rich in iodine as they used to be, hence the kelp I add. If you want to switch over to a SARF diet, one thing you must be able to get (which I can't find anywhere here!) is unbleached, green tripe. This has enzymes and other goodies in it. In nature, dogs do get some amount of fruit and vegetables, they eat the stomachs of their prey, and pick fruits from trees when in season. I've seen this with Lily, it was quite amusing to watch her walk around on her back legs, picking apricots, only the ripe ones mind you, gobbling them up and spitting out the seed! Another funny habit of her was to break into the veggie patch, pick a few ripe tomatos and leave them in her food bowl by the back door :lol: The other difference they mentioned between BARF and SARF, is that SARF doesn't alternate between meaty bone meals and ground meat meals. Personally, I find it extremely difficult to come across truely MEATY bones, therefore they need the extra muscle meat in another meal. Unless they are getting rabbit that has been shot for them, then they need something to add more muscle meat to their diet. Also, I don't like feeding beef bones, as they are too hard and can break teeth. Beef is a good type of meat for them, so I'd hate to leave it out of their diet. It is hard to find roo bones, another type of meat that I wouldn't like to leave out of their diet. Variety is the key to any good home prepared diet, weather it be raw or otherwise. To sum it up, in my oppinion, the difference between BARF and SARF is that A) BARF contains anti oxidants, which prevent ageing, cancers and other degenerative diseases, B) BARF contains added essential fatty acids, which are otherwise lacking from grain fed animals C) BARF contains other addatives, such as kelp and brewers yeast, to make up for not only what is lacking from grain fed animals, but to make up for what is lost during freezing and yoghurt that contains probiotics (although tripe would be preferable to feed over yoghurt!) and D) Because of the nature of BARF, it is easier to establish variety in the diet. Just my thoughts :wink:

I would be willing to be any amount of money that while you are stressing and worried sick about her, she is off having the time of her life! So you should be doing exactly the same :wink:

Hey, I replied to this a few days ago and its gone :-? Anyway, whats wrong with the C word? (I have a cute little baby c snuggled on my lap, so cute!)

Yes, they all caught my eye also! Bogy is actually going to have pups around January, but I declined one of her pups as I don't think I'll be ready by then. I need to buy a huge freezer before getting another dog! I can hardly fit my food in for all the dogs food as it is!!! Nova has just gone out of season, she is still young, they intend to breed her during her next heat - does anyone have any idea how long it usually is between heats for a young Boxer? I think her next one will be her third if that helps! I have already emailed them reguarding Nova, if she comes in to season in about 6 months I will more than likely be very interested!!!!

Here is another breeder I am seriously looking into buying from [url]http://www.dogs.net.au/boxberry/dogs.asp[/url] I'm particularly interested in Novas offspring, she is a beautiful girl :angel:

Its great news huh? Still bursting with excitement! I've just joined an Aussie Boxer email list, so I'll be able to look into more lines there! Rowie, the laws were only brought in a couple of months ago, I'm just starting to see the "new" tailed pups at training now! :angel:

Now I'm starting to cry with happiness, and in a minute I fear I will explode from the excitement :o Ooo, puppy pics!!! I'll be spending 24/7 taking dog pics when I get him I think!!! :angel:

I was going to leave it a few years before I got another Boxer. After all, my pet population in growing and I know that Josh hates that, so I didn't want to annoy him in asking for ANOTHER animal for at least 2 years. Well last night he called and said "You know how you're getting a cat.... well can I get another tatoo?". He described it to me, two black anchors crossing over, considering he's in the merchant navy now I thought "fair enough" and said "Well if you get another tatoo can I get a Boxer?". And he said "Of course you can!!! I've wanted you to get a big dog all along, if I'm not at home most of the year I want to know that you're safe!"... so not only is he LETTING me get another dog, but he WANTS me to!!!! :angel: :angel: :angel: :bday: :drinking: I'm sooo happy!!! We decided winter next year, probably around May/June, so thats less than a year away now!!!! Here we go again, me going on the hunt for the "perfect" breeder, and the perfect pup :D I really like the looks of the Boxers they breed here: [url]http://www.users.bigpond.com/crooks.tyeanbo/[/url] Although the ones they breed at the next link are my all time favourite Boxers in Aus, I've never seen such a good looking bunch of Boxers!!! Only this lady unfortunately isn't going to be breeding anymore due to the anti tail docking laws that have just been brought in! Very sad indeed, she can't give me contact details of ones like hers either, as she says her she never bred much so there aren't too many of her lines around :( Here is the link for Highwinds: [url]http://www.geocities.com/highwinds_kennel/Boxers.htm[/url] And here is the link to a stud dog which matches what I'm looking for perfectly as well, unfortunately many of the other dogs in that kennel don't match exactly what I'm after so I may not buy from them, although they are top breeders! [url]http://www.geocities.com/guntopboxers/14.html[/url] Isn't he just stunning? If I start looking now I'll be more likely to find two parents that I like mated together and hopefully what I would consider, the perfect dog! (Like Lily, but without the aggression :cry: )

You will want to really look into lines and breeders before you buy, and start socialising the day you get it home. The last thing you want is a big dog bashing up on your darling Boxers! They are the perfect breed aren't they? I can't live without one, I'm hoping to get another one in just under two years (though I will probably get all needy and get one at around May or June next year!). Good luck in your searches, I hope you find the perfect one for you :angel:

I was just thinking about it before, about how horribly WRONG these stats probably are! Just stop and think about it, most of the top ten breeds are subject to puppy millers and being crossed with other breeds. How many dogs in the stats were actually registered? Probably not many, that means for every 100 registered maltese there are probably at least 500 maltese and maltese crosses that are born and pass off as a maltese. Do the math, if just 10% of these crosses or unregistered malts get dumped that makes 50% of registered malts "dumped", well according to HIS maths anyway! The westie on the other hand, most of them are pure breds and registered, of those pure bred, registered dogs but one has been dumped in the past year, not so much because of the dog, but because the breed isn't in the wrong hands, yet, though unfortunately they will be more as millers have seen the show and get it in their heads that thats where the money is now. Unfortunately whippets were also on the list, I will go mental (trust me, you wont want to be anywhere within 10kms of me) if I see a splurge of ill bred whippets because that dickhead has got it into peoples heads to buy that breed if you want to "save money" - people who buy pets on a budget are the most likely to end up dumping them :evil:

Thanks Matty, I guess maybe the reason why everyone here reccomends against wet is that we don't have any of the good brands here. Still, I'd rather feed my dog a variety of fresh ingredients than something out of a can anyway. A bit of cod liver oil added to a partially fresh diet shouldn't hurt, of course if you are feeding solely commercial foods it would cause imbalances, in which case fish body oil is a better choice, although extremely expensive! The number one rule of thumb in supplementing any diet with fresh foods is to remember to keep the fresh foods balanced, so long as meaty bones are fed, and not just meat, there shouldn't be a calcium/phosphorus problem. Everything in their right proportions and you should be fine, before I switched Lily to raw she had a couple of months of kibble with raw foods to supplement, rather than tinned. She did better on that and I knew she was getting all the variety and goodness that she needed.

Very clever!!! Maybe you could make a monkey dog, using Monties head - he is such a monkey! :lol: Absolutely adorable, well done 8)

I'd have to ask around about exactly why not canned food, all I know is that all the vets here encourage people not to feed it, as its not good for a variety of reasons (I'd have to ask the vets which reasons they are!). Fresh food smells a lot less anyway, and its easier to balance a diet over a few days, which is what most dogs these days miss out on - dogs do not need a "complete" diet every day, they should get their dietary requirements over the space of a week, what commercial fed dog gets that? Yoladybug, the oils are for essential fatty acids, which are good for the coat, eyes, vitality, and general health. Olive oil also has vitamin E in it, as well as other vitamins. EFA's should always be fed with vitamin E, if you search around you can find Evening Primrose oil and Cod Liver oil both with added Vitamin E.

Canned food is not that great for dogs, it wrecks havock with the digestive system. If you want to add something to her diet why don't you add some raw foods? A chicken wing or lamb off-cuts 5 times a week and a little veggies and offal twice a week is easy to prepare and I can assure you, a lot better than any canned food you'll ever buy! As for the olive oil, that is good, but you could also try rotating it with cod liver oil or fish oil, and Evening Primrose oil :D

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't agree with what he said. I was in a bit of a rush when I posted that, what I did think was good is that I enjoyed seeing the research on what breeds are dumped and why they are dumped. If I was watching that and I was concidering to breed one of those top ten dumped breeds I would be able to say "no" to myself, and to tell people that if they want that breed of dog to get one from the pound. As whippets are in the bottom ten that doesn't affect me so much! His attitude really pissed me off though, it was on a money savers episode, saying that if you want to SAVE MONEY to get a particular dog breed!!! NOTHING about loving what you've got, rescueing from the pound, or socialising your dog so it doesn't turn out like that, let alone researching lines and breeders before you buy so you're not dissapointed by a dog with in bred aggression etc. :roll: Pretty slack if you ask me :agrue:

Well, anyone who love's dogs, hates Don Bourke, however, I think the general idea of the latest research he has done for his show in conjunction with the RSPCA has some good behind it. However, I do believe his summary is way off, instead of consentrating on dissing the breeds, he should be pointing out how to spot a responsible breeder. Anyway, here is the link - Maltese lovers, you may not want to hear the truth! :o [url]http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/this_weeks_fact_sheets/dog_dumpage[/url]

Oh, Divina may look goofy, but she's absolutly gorgeous! What a darling :wink: Well I think Diego is growing out of his cow hock, I put him in a stand this morning and you would have never noticed there had been a problem, its probably just a good day and I probably fluked a good stand, but at least its a sign that its going away :D

[quote name='Seijun']She is about 5 or 6 years old. Unfortunately I just don't think she has the concentration level required to weight pull. Also, she didn't receive any training for anything until she was three. Pretty much any chance she had at a serious "job" was ruined by her first owners.[/quote] There might be hope yet. I got Montie when he was 14 months old, he had grown up as one of 20 dogs, free to run around on a farm in their own little "pack". When I brought him home he showed no loyalty to anyone, he'd never had the chance to attach to and be trained by one person. The first couple of months I thought he'd never do any good at obedience or agility, as soon as he was let off the lead he'd just wander off, ignoring my calls for him to come back. Then one day he had a turn around, now I run him through agility and after he's done he does not leave my side, litterally, he sticks like 2cm from my left foot! At obedience he is the most clever dog there, everybody wants a Montie. Thats not just me being biased, people will only usually believe me once they see with their own eyes how quickly he catches on to things! So don't dwell on her past owners un willingness to train her, take it into your own hands to see how far you can go, you'd be amazed what most dogs would do for a bit of roast chicken :wink:

Thanks everyone, I'm sure Diego would be pleased at your concern :wink: Whippets are very sensitive dogs, they have this way of making you feel sorry for them, even when there's nothing wrong with them! Diego freaked out one day when he thought Josh was home because I drove Josh's car home, he just sat at the drivers door and cried, when I opend it he got in and sat on the seat and cried. So then I cried too!!! Another thing he does in wonder around wimpering when he decides its bed time, so I feel sorry for him and go to bed and he can crawl under the covers with me, sook. Thats not so bad though since I taught him to sleep in his crate! Its like the puppy who cried wolf, one day he really will hurt himself and I'll think he's just being sooky! :roll:

Thanks Rotten, I hope you find a way to fix Aspens severe cow hocks without anesthetics. What age did it start showing like that? Did he get them at a certain age, or did he always have them? Best of luck to you both :wink: Sarahstaff, Elmo is an absolute darling :lol: :D