bk_blue

I used a Halti with BK for a little while because he was a horrid puller on a chain, he would gasp and puff like he was being throttled to death and because he is so strong it was hard to control and correct him. He hated the Halti, but it made him stop pulling. Then we started obedience and while working together with the correction chain we both understood how it worked a lot better and now he is manageable (not perfect but ok) on the correction chain. :D

PG- Dad puts Aerogard (an insect repellent) on Rinny's ears to keep the flies off them (he is a GSD X and his pricked ears are a target for flies and the like). Never too much though and it works, and it's extra good because he can't lick it off! :D

Daisysmom- I can't offer any help but want to say I hope the vet gets to the bottom of this and Daisy recovers quickly. :angel:

I think Duchess will be fine mate... you are her daddy! :D

PG, I think this is reasonably correct: Inbreeding is breeding directly down the family line eg. father to daughter, brother to sister, maybe even grandparents (not sure though). Linebreeding is uncle-niece, auntie-nephew, maybe cousins too. Cross breeding in broad terms is getting any two dogs together and letting them go for it, so you get something like this: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SQDdAtUWUmIIlzn251nLnMrBSGkDsXEsoIrRgXujqQDcXMsd1VjqxJDybCTnvGZ8byLZpJOThsibHoXXJoYhq9LZCpQVMd3yCaKeDZfKHl7R2oxJw89PMg/bktongue.jpg?dc=4675409206505830453[/img] (this is my dog, a blue heeler/border collie cross- he gets the "blue" spotty fur and the white star-shaped Bentley mark on his head from the heeler, and the solid black on his back and the drop ears from the border collie, and his tongue from I-don't-know-where!) It also may, in breederspeak, mean hiring a stud dog from a completely different "line" ie. a line of the same breed of dog not related to your own at all- to breed out undesirable traits or breed in good ones.... there are tons of people who could explain this much better than I though I hoped this has helped a bit! 8)

When we got BK from the shelter he had been neutered there (therefore his previous owner had not done it- though he was only 6 mths), and we had to take him back in a week or so to get the sutures removed. The potential bad effects of leaving a dog entire (dominance, aggression, roaming, marking) may have played some part in him ending up in the shelter, as an entire dog, in the first place, as well as being not suitable for his previous owner's lifestyle. (their loss!) He is still dominant but not in any way aggressive towards other dogs and people- and he still likes to wander, for adventure though not girls- in fact he ran away the first night we got him- but all of these behaviour patterns may have been [b]worse[/b] before he was snipped. We'll never know!

BK has had his rear dew claws removed, I suppose by his previous owners/"breeders". He has his front ones though. Are all dogs born with them? I don't believe in altering the form of any dog (except for neutering) for purely cosmetic reasons, but if the dew claws are easily caught on things, then it would be best if they were removed, I suppose. I really don't know a lot about them to be honest!

[quote name='K'] To put it in perspective, [color=red]10,000 babies are born in the United States every day, and 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. [/color]Only one out of five of these find their way into a responsible home. Approximately 14 million dogs, cats and rabbits end up in shelters every year just in this country alone. Only one in four makes it out alive. Clearly, you can save lives by neutering your pet. [/quote] :o

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: Every time I hear stories like this my heart breaks. :cry:

Marble- it is that crazed ACD look :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: don't we know it all too well :roll:

Crested... neutering is the "modern natural" for many dog owners and I really do think Ben should be neutered if you don't plan to use him as a stud. :) Far better to neuter now than have Ben get your new girl, or some other girl, pregnant and mess up your breeding program. It will probably stop him from marking so much and prevent against some cancers that can affect his reproductive organs. I don't know if it will stop him going nuts when a girl nearby is in heat, and if you think it's bad now wait until you DO get your girl and she goes into heat... mate, I wouldn't want to be living in your house at that time of the month! :lol: Neutering will also stop him from mounting so often, and may stop him from being so territorial, though I'm not an expert and I don't know the breed standard so I wouldn't know for sure. My dog is neutered, he was when we got him at 6mths. He is lovely. Hyperactive and crazy, but the most beautifully natured dog in the universe :roll: :wink: (no I'm not biased!!).

[color=red][size=7]Welcome (if I haven't said it before) [/size][/color] :D I don't know if GSDs' colours change as they get older. Rinny (our GSD X) had an almost entirely black face when he was younger, and it grew progessively more tan/sandy coloured as he aged. I am assuming they have markings and they stay that way. I would also assume that a reputable breeder woould be out to produce structurally sound, show-quality pups every time, so you'd be unlucky to get a puppy with a "greyhound" like body. :wink:

I think dogs and horses are very alike in some ways- they know instinctively how a person is feeling, and they can sense fear very well. If a horse has a bit of spirit and thinks you can't control her, she'll do everything she can to play up unless you're very firm, which is IMO very like some dogs I know. Mine!!! He's the perfect dog with my uncle, he's ok with the rest of the family and very good with me, but if someone else tries to walk him and have no idea what they're up against, he can tell and will pull and behave badly for them unless we correct him. When I was younger I went riding every weekend at the same place on the same horse, but was asked to take control of a horse that a rider wasn't managing on very well one day. He was like a pussycat in my hands, according to the leaders, who obviously thought I could handle horses. Which is not much to do with racism but more how some animals just KNOW things. They are way smarter than most people give them credit for. :)

Feral= wild or untamed, not domesticated. :wink: This is an Aussie cop show (funnily enough called Blue Heelers, which is also a colloquialism for police here) so we don't have wolves or coyotes, and it's set in this country town where not much goes on to keep the cops busy! The collar of the sergeant's Border was planted at the scene to make it look like he was the killer dog. The whole thing came to a climax when the farmer's little daughter took an old gun and went to shoot the killer dog who was killing her pet lambs, where we found out it was a Mal/husky-type dog and not the border collie belonging to the sergeant. It definitely wasn't a dingo and it definitely wasn't a fox. I hardly ever watch this show and the night I DO watch it, it happens to have a dog plot... :roll: I don't think it was entirely realistic but that's what TV is for :lol:

Hoping someone can answer this... A TV cop-drama show tonight had a plot which revolved around a "feral" dog getting into the sheep pen and killing one to eat every night. Then it was thought it could have been a family pet who roamed at night. For a while it was thought it could have been the cop's border collie, but turned out to be a malamute/husky (not sure which). I initially thought it was a bit weird because although BCs have a high prey drive they herd sheep and don't kill them...? can anyone help me decide if that's a realistic plotline? I could understand it maybe if the dog was feral and had no home therefore no food, but a pet border collie...? It's beginning to annoy me so I hope someone can help me before I retire for the evening :D

Yeah I think Apricot was that biscuit colour, hence her name. And in another weird six degrees of separation type thing, dad's ex-gf's housemate was my mother's boyfriend's ex-wife's ex-bf... now does that make sense... thought not :drinking:

Congrats you should be proud of your babies. :D

[quote name='Mei-Mei']Another good reason [b]not[/b] to breed her is that you have no idea of her history before she was with you. The world is full of unwanted dogs, and I'm sure you don't want to add to the pet overpopulation problem. If she's a really good dog maybe you should just enjoy the time you have together and don't undertake the arduous task of breeding. :)[/quote] well said MM :D Janie- check out this topic before you do anything with your dog: [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=4351[/url] and this one: [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=2749&start=45[/url] and let us know what you think after reading them. :wink:

Poor girl!!! :( Hope she makes an uneventful recovery. :angel:

My dad's ex-gf's housemate had 2 Samoyeds ( i think), I have a photo somewhere so when I get to use the scanner I'll scan it. They were called Apricot and Coconut. Lovely dogs. :D

This has probably been discussed before, but... Does a breed getting "popular" eg. Dalmatians (after the movie 101 Dals) help or hinder the breed? I see that you can get a LOT of BYBs, millers etc trying to cash in on the latest "trend" :evil: but maybe you would also get some others genuinely interested in educating themselves in their choice of dog and bettering the breed....? (that might be a long shot though) Thoughts anyone?

This would make a GREAT sticky! Get all the prospective "parents" on here to be politely directed to this first... and then see if they wish to continue. :o

Poor baby!! :lol: Don't you just love that single-mindedness in your dogs. BK is like this with: possums, thunderstorms, cats, blimps (in the sky)... he will just not give up and will sit out barking and whinging [color=red]all night[/color] in the rain at the tree waiting for that possum to come back, or in the middle of the yard daring the thunder to make one more crack... :roll: :roll: :roll:

[color=green][size=7]CONGRATULATIONS...[/size][/color] another party! :bday: :bday: :bday: :bday: :bday:

Mmmm I might have to agree with you Mouse... my insensitive lout of a dog doesn't care if I'm happy or sad as long as he gets attention, well he's a male after all *touche* :D Patting him and hugging him makes ME feel better if I'm upset but he usually runs off if there's something more interesting going on!!! :roll: