Poofy

Hobbit... The modifiers that effect white, according to malcolm willis, can "make white" even when the white spottig gene is not there. I had this conversation with him a couple of years ago reguarding white spotting in labs and other breeds...where the "white gene" is not supposed to exsist.

Another reward...small piles of vomit stratigically placed so that you will step on the while on a midnight trip to the potty....

Genetically, the puppies will probably breed like brindles...unless they are bred to another carrying the white spotting gene. Remember..while some colors are dominant...white spotting conceals what ever color is being expressed (its not really a color rather it inhibits pigment). A dog also not need to carry the white gene to produce white spotted puppies. plus and minus modifiers can put white spots on a solid dog that is homozygous for color CC. Also a dog that is homozygous for irish pattern could carry enough plus modifiers to make it *appear* to be solid in color. Modifier genes can effect the white spotting in great ways...making it look like extreme pie bald when its just pie bald. Its the roll of the genetic dice! I would like to see the breeding done again...man those odds (all white) are like winning the lottery. :)

All flesh is subject to frost bite.

If the vet removed something from her paw it means she has a puncture wound. Puncture wounds are hard to heal...she needs oral anibiotics. Without proper treament it could fester and she could get blood poisoning.

Sounds like they are just re-affirming the "pecking" order to me.

Okay...there is a BIG difference between raising guinea pigs and hamsters and dogs. I used to raise guinea pigs and while there were some bad guinea pig people just as there were good ones, it is common and an accepted practice, to sell piggies to the pet store. You have to do your reaearch and make sure the store can properly care for the piggies. Believe it or not, most mom and mon and pop pet stores buy their guinea pigs from breeders who show their piggies (yes they have guinea pig shows) then those like pet smart who only purchase guinea pigs from large mass producers who do not show... :) (kinda ironic huh???) Any how...that is how most guinea pig people place their piggies.... I bred pure bred texels and silkies and had many CH and Grand CH piggies... I also sold them to the local pet store for people to buy.

Genes are located on chromosome, which in dogs there are 39 pairs, called homologs. Two chromosomes that are homologs mean those chromosomes are alike in size and shape. eukaryotes (animals like dogs) inherit one chromosome from each parent. Chromosomes are made up of chromatin, which you cam think of as a wild tangle of string with beads all up and down in. Those "beads" are the genes. Chromosomes are found in every cell of the body that has a neucleus. Red blood cells do not have a neucleus. The "chromosomes" remain in an ununiformed state, until the cell divides, which is when you can actually see the chromosomes. Any how. On each chromsome there are hundreds if not thousands of genes. And genes can have variations of themselves called alleles. The location of an allele on a gene is called a loci. When two homologs are together they should have many of the same genes which influence expression of traits in the dogs. The only exception to this is the sex chromsomes where in males they are not homologs (x and y) There are exceptions to the rule I am about to state, but we won't worry with that right now. Each chromosome will have a copy of the gene, making a "pair". Some genes are dominant to other genes or their alleles. When a gene is dominant autosonomal (all the chromosome but the sex chrmosomes), it means it only takes one copy to be expressed. Genes that are recessive, take two copies to be expressed. There are only two places available for a gene to occupy, however there can be dozens of variations ( alleles) of the same gene. Some times the dominat gene doesn't completely dominate, which is called incompete dominance and you can get some interesting coat combinations. Some times chrmosomes don't divide correctly and instead of an even division, one side can wind up with an extra and you can have nondysjunction (which is how you get a male calico cat in most cases) You can also have crossing over, one gene exchanges place with another gene or breakage, when an entire section of chromosome breaks off and exchanges with another. All these things that promote genetic diversity withen the species..can change the way genes are "normally" expressed...mutations also can occur...these are usually molecular however they can be great enough to alter protien sequencing and thus affect expression.... Epistasis is another factor...this is when the presence of a gene or its alleles effects the expression of another set of genes or their alleles... and so on... :) If you really want to understand more...the book I suggest above is really easy to read and understand...I would get it...invest the money, especially if you are into dogs...and learn... :) Its really fun once you get over the initial hump. :) Take care :jumpie:

If you don't want to support the people who sell to the pet shops then don't buy from them. Usually puppies are marked down and sold at a loss or given back to the broker who then usually takes them back to the breeder to get a "refund". Sometimes the dogs are just given away, sometimes to shelters or rescues. You can't buy from the pet stores if you don't want to support what they are doing...you just can't have it both ways... Buying from a pet store is like a crap shoot...you don't have the breeder to ask questions too, the puppy has been exposed more to possible pathogens from all the handeling....but in all honest you probably get the same quality from a pet store as you would a byb.... Not knowing who the breeder of the dog is is always a gamble. JMHO.

You said:You have a point Poofy... but I was under the impression that good breeders do not need to advertise much... the way they do it here is through the affiliated club website eg. Weimaraner Club of Vic. will have lists of litter expected, litters whelped, and studs on their website. If you ring them up wanting to enquire about puppies they send you out an info pack as well. Doesn't seem like you would get that sort of care from that site" Many breeders don't but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't That is one of the problems and why people go to the less then ethical breeders. I think good breeders should advertise, wether they have puppies or not...they should be accessible...they should be there to help people find what they want. The average person doesn't know about clubs etc. And those who do look at the clubs think that its for a select person or some one just looking for a show dog.... I run ads in MANY place...I also operate a breed information center....Its not about selling my puppies...its about helping people find out the FACTS about the breed. Many people who contact me find out quick a chin is not for them. You said: "The other issue I have is that people are too lazy to do their own research ie. ring breeders, speak to people, visit breeders beforehand and check out their premises, do lots of research- they think the net has all the answers and while it's these people's fault for being lazy and uneducated, these breeder sites have a lot to answer for." Thats just human nature.. A lot of it is ignorance. You grow up your whole life you see dogs in pet stores. When you want to buy furniture or a house? or a car or any inanimate object we are started from child hood you go to the "store" or you look in the "magazine" and now a days "online." There is no seperate lesson planned for pet ownership...and my feelings are...the responsible breeders need to cast off this "good breeders don't advertise attitude" and get their butts out there and let the public know where they are. You said: "I do not claim to know much about breeding but what I DO know is that there are too many unwanted puppies and dogs in this world, and it seems almost irresponsible to have a site dedicated to the buying and selling of puppies. JMHO" Yes there are too many dogs and cats in the world...I can agree with you there. But the majority of the pet population problems, a *big* majority comes from dogs breeding indescriminately producing mixes or pure breds bought on a whim from people who should not be breeding. Good breeders will take back what they produce and they try to make ways for them to get their dogs back. Contracts, microchips, etc. If good breeders would make themselves stand out, so that the public could find them...then the good breeders could first, educate the public as to whether or not the breed is right for them...second, spay neuter pets and set forth the expectations of a responsible dog owner...and third be there to take the animal back, if they no longer wanted it...so it doesn't ad to the shelter problem.

The key is for the good breeders to flood these places with advertisments so that they can guide unknowing puppy buyers in the right direction :)

Personally I am grateful for the advances in medicine thanks to animal testing... I know its never pretty...but without it...many people would not be alive, many treatments not available, and most importantly, many treatments and cures for disease in my pets would also not be available.

I hate to say it...i will probably get flamed...but i woudn't trust that man with a pet rock.

If he is wanting a dog with ability, then he needs to find a good breeder. If he doesn't want to spend the money, then he needs not be obsessed about ability and or age. No papers needed, is not good...you should want a history on a dog that you are wanting to work...you need to know its working abilities. If he is stuck on a puppy...then he needs to be willing to spend the money, and do things right. Remember all these talks about responsible breeding etc..etc...responsible breeders have to charge for their dogs...they have to cover the cost of competition (proving their dogs) health clearances and time..... If he is looking for something, for free...there are PLENTY of golden and or lab mixes at the shelters that could be taught some hunting (maybe)...but if he wants a gurantee on ability...he needs to take his time and do his homework. Check out this site...she breeds the top perfomance goldens and labs in the US...she has some awsome dogs. [url]http://www.topbrass-retrievers.com/[/url] Good Luck

First. Change the surface that they are on. An eg crat matress with a secure sheet over it is a good surface. Not flat, not hard, with texture. You can also band their front legs together. But you will need help doing this, like a vet, so you won't cut off the circulation and cause damage. But if you can get those legs forward just for a few days, the cartilage in the puppies should be soft enough for it to bend back. Then leave them on the egg crate surface to keep them from going flat again. Talk to your vet about designing a front end splint. Good luck.

Can you get any emmatrol? nausea control??? If so, you could give her some to help with the nausea. I would offer her only sugar water for a while...then if she keeps that down, some boiled rice, in VERY small amounts.

Well that tells you your sable is carrying the blue gene. Its not that difficult. Let me ask you this, what color do you get when you breed blue to blue of any shade? Do you always get blue? Or do you get another color.

Hey, give me that orange crayon you've had it long enough...besides I need to color my grass so that my five legged, three eyed deer has a place to eat...and don't touch my play-dough! thats my afternoon snack thank you.....is it nap time yet???? Time to play on the sit-N-spin...... :)

Good job, now keep us posted as to how they are doing. :)

Yes, your right, true "blue" is dilution of color..the trick though would be trying to help some one understand the difference so that the genetics could be worked out...

But I just got ***IMMATURE*** I don't want to go back to being OLD again...sheeesh..... :)>..... Immature and looooooving it.

now, now, yellow labs, they are bigger then whippets. Dals are not supposed to be huge...I think the girls are supposed to be around 20-21 inches at the shoulder...not sure... If they are within the standard...then don't worry about it :) Size after all is not everyting... :) hehehehe ;)

Hobbit, the Kerry blue is due to the G series, not dilute series... it all depends on your percetion of "blue".

Sandy...you have not exactly been the most cordial person since you got here.... I think if you want a better reaction from folks, perhaps you should drop your terrier attitude and smile a bit more... Life is to short... Besides getting angry only gives you wrinkles... :) Take Care... weeeeeeeeeeee I'm immature again weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Amen watch dog...I have a little bitch who is lacking a major (can't find enough dogs any where to compete with0, she has BOB and BOS over special wins, she is oohed and ahhed over by many a breeder judge...she will never be bred.