GSDFan

Come on Barney, take it nice and easy for your Mum. Lots and lots of positive thoughts on the way to the little man

Well .......... the opposite really. When I lived in Yorkshire I lived opposite an old ruined castle. The last, late, walk with the dogs was always taken round the castle grounds. Blythe, when I first got her and for a long time afterwards, was very, very bad with strangers. One night I was walking her round the castle grounds and both she and I saw/sensed someone standing near some steps. I was more than a little wary because this area was used by addicts and various other people you wouldn't necessarily want to get too close to. Blythe tried to pull me over in that direction. She pulled so hard and so suddenly that she actually pulled her lead out of my hand. She ran over to the steps and sat near the top of them, very calmly. When I got closer I could make out a shadowy figure at the top of the steps, it was definately a spirit, ghost, whatever you prefer to call it. I was calling Blythe but she sat still for a few seconds and then trotted quite happily back to me. After this, every late night walk Blythe checked the top of the steps, if this spirit, or whatever, was there she would insist on me letting her go over there. Every time she sat calmly for a few seconds and then came back to me. In the same grounds there was a spirit of a small boy, Lasso used to play with him

Ah, funnily enough I didn't think of doing that. I have now though. I would hope that this isn't being done for personal or business gain, although the fact that the gentleman is a behavioural assessor and the owner of a canine publication does rather make one wonder.

You'll find if you care to look into it that Sarah spends rather a lot of time promoting DNB Ireland and the cause of dogs affected by BSL. I think she is more than entitled to express her opinions in any way she chooses.

Would photo's of Bruin be of any use to you. He is atopic and looks pretty horrendous most of the time, very little hair and sometimes raw patches of skin, how bad depends on what allergens are about at any given time.

Unfortunately CDRM has nothing to do with body shape though. If it had any of us who has had a dog or dogs with it would be wanting the shape that didn't have CDRM. Nice to see a picture of Kayla again though, she was a lovely girl.

Sorry I missed this last night ( and have managed not to get your full quote in here I would say your friend is more right than wrong. The GSD's we see today do not look like the ones that the founder of the breed, Captain Von Stephanitz, originally bred. They would I think though be far more pleasing to him than the GSD's bred in this country during the 60's and 70's and which some breeders here are still breeding. Von Stephanitz was adamant that a GSD which could not work was not a GSD, certainly in that respect he would be happy today with what he would see. Again, the UK type GSD's which were bred here could not work among other things they were far too deep in the body and short in the front leg. It is my belief that any 'working' type dog should be able to work, either at what it was originally bred for or at a suitable alternative. As far as temperaments are concerned I believe that breeding dogs suitable for working does help weed out bad ones. The ones that get through with a less good temperament have at least been well trained and their temperaments, at least on the surface, modified. Ah, but it would and they do

I have the greatest of respect and liking for many crossbreeds but could you not, just for once, leave them out of a discussion, particularly a discussion which is actually about pure bred dogs. Crossbreeds are not perfect, they too can, and do, have behavioural and health problems. All breeds were originally cross breeds I think really that most of us have to agree to differ. I like my breed the way I like it. Others are entitled to their opinion, although obviously I think you are wrong

It is He is a VA dog so he has to have his Sch qualifications as well as everything else. To be fair some of the people now working in Sch in this country have dogs which are also capable of competing in the show ring. Whether their owners choose to do so is a different matter. Some people in Sch are basing thier ideals on the German system where a dog HAS to be able to work as well as looking beautiful. As I said earlier, if you saw the dog away from the show he wouldn't look quite as he does. I've never experienced more problems with muscle wastage ( either in my own dogs or dogs belonging to other people ) in dogs which are correct according to the FCI standard, such as this dog, compared with dogs which aren't correct. As I said earlier, if you saw the dog away from the show he wouldn't look quite as he does. I've never experienced more problems with muscle wastage ( either in my own dogs or dogs belonging to other people ) in dogs which are correct according to the FCI standard, such as this dog, compared with dogs which aren't correct.

The KC won't register litters born to a bitch after a certain age ( 8 y.o. I think but I haven't checked ) and won't register more than 6 litters from the same bitch. Of course this doesn't mean that a breeder can't breed outside these guidelines, but it does mean the pups cannot be sold as KC registered I think he is a fabulous dog, but take heart, the die hards at the Kennel Club will positively hate him. They prefer the old English type that can't move and certainly couldn't work. To get slightly back on topic I can't see how Beverley Cuddy can expect the KC to behave nicely towards her and her magazine when she behaves in the way she does. I used to buy DT occasionally, Beverley Cuddy has always irritated me, I'll not bother buying her rather crappy publication at all in future.

He's absolutely bloody fabulous. I've never seen him in the flesh but from what I have seen in photo's and reports I've read he is a superb dog. You have to remember that the show pose for GSD's is exaggerated, in the flesh and running around 'naturally' he wouldn't look as exaggerated. Unlike English type GSD's he would be able to work all day and still want a good run just for fun at the end of it. The English type on the whole are too short in the leg and deep in the chest to be any use for anything other than lolling about. Hip problems have nothing to do with the angulation in German ( correct ) type GSD's. HD is something which is gradually being bred out, thanks to the efforts of the German's and the in the UK the GSD League which has encouraged hip scoring for many years now. GSD's are now well down the 'league table' of dogs which suffer from HD. Don't forget this dog is a Sch III dog

Yes, I think you should. Although it's not much help when you want one, it is good for the breed that there are so few in rescue. If you really, really want one I think you'll have to resign yourself to buying one. I think you'll have to be prepared to join a waiting list though. They do Sarah, you're right. Of course, the small gene pool makes it very difficult to breed out problems.

I don't think it a bad thing that good breeders charge high prices. High prices don't necessarily put people off but it must be at least a tiny deterrant to people who want to buy a puppy on a whim. It is a bit irrelevant how many lab x's are in rescue, or how many crosses of any breed, if someone wants a pure bred dog then that is what they want. Sometimes a cross bred doesn't come to the same thing. With a well bred pedigree dog you do have a far better idea of what you are getting. I've had cross breds, pedigree dogs and rescue dogs. I will continue to have rescue dogs, but when the time is right I will again be spending a lot of money on a pedigree puppy. That puppy will be no more important or valued than the rescues but it will be bought for a purpose.

It's a bit of a fine line isn't it I'd hate for them to vanish but equally I don't really want them to become too popular. I'd hate it if they turned up in rescue on more than a very occasional basis.

I'm pleased I gave you an enjoyable thing to do on a Friday evening Perhaps it varies from dog to dog, I definately know of some old dogs whose sacks haven't shrivelled. The only other neutered male I have had was Smed and he was neutered around the same age as Bruin was when (approx 8 ish) his sack did shrivel totally.

I kind of doubt that it is the price that puts people off Clumber Spaniels. £1000 isn't very much these days, you pay that for a potentially good example of many breeds. Clumbers aren't a fashionable breed. There are very few breeders and the ones that exist are very fussy about where their dogs go. Clumbers aren't a breed for someone who just fancies a spaniel, they are very different to Springers and Cockers. edited to add: I love Clumbers, if I were to have a member of the gundog group they are one I would be considering

she has come such a very long way and she is very beautiful with or without her PJ's

it always conjures up images of beautiful flowers for me as well. No he wasn't a cryptorchid, he definately had two testicles, fully descended, when I first got him, and was definately castrated 3 days after I got him, it will be 4 years on 23 March. Bruin's sack has never shrivelled up much, just emptied out -so to speak It's always dangled down and flapped around in the wind. It would still hold a full set of tackle. I've always assumed the reason his sack hasn't shrivelled is because he was fairly old when neutered. I'm assuming that it has always drawn upwards a bit when it is cold, in the same way that entire males do, but this does seem to be something different. Because Bruin's skin is in such a mess from his allergies he does have various areas which are badly thickened. It is possible, I think, that this is just thickening and that is making me notice the 'rise and fall'. Bruin has been quite 'off it' for a couple of weeks, so I am wondering whether he has some sort of infection, but has actually picked up again now and is back to more or less his normal self. We're definately having a Vet visit next week for his 6 monthly check up, so I will speak to the Vet then. It's nice to know I've got several Fugees feeling their dogs scrotums

You've done wonders with Benji he is Monty as always is just gorgeous

Lots of positive thoughts on the way for good news when you get the results of the analysis.

No, they aren't the locking device bits definately in his supposed to be empty sack. Bruin is giving me lots of strange looks cos I have been groping him several times a day for the last few days

She is just You're very lucky to have her and she is even more lucky to have you.

Bruin was castrated almost 4 years ago. After the initial swelling etc had died down he has always had the normal, saggy, baggy, ball sack that old dogs are left with after castration. Until just recently. Now his ball bag has changed, sometimes during the day it is it's normal saggy self, sometimes it is higher up and tighter and sometimes it is really high up and tight, as though he has the normal pair of balls in it. I believe it is something which has only just started to happen otherwise I'm sure I would have noticed before. I admit I don't check neutered dogs for testicular problems in the same way that I check entire dogs, well you wouldn't would you Anyone any thoughts on why or what or how ??????? I have to go to the Vets next week anyway for more steroids, but I'd like to have some idea of what I'm talking about with regard to his ball bag before I go.

It must be an incredibly hard decision for you to make and one made to ensure Bob is as happy as possible. Not all dogs adapt to different environments and sometimes we may have to accept that. My Blythe for the first 2 years I had her was horrid, very aggressive, hated most people and most dogs etc. I didn't think much of it really, just accepted that she was that way and managed her accordingly. I then moved from an urban area into a tiny village, the change in her was tremendous, she became a much more relaxed, friendly girl who accepted people easily and tolerated strange dogs provided they weren't too close. Had I known the change which would have come over her I would either have thought about moving sooner, or more likely, tried to rehome into the countryside. Poor Blythe had a couple of years when she was nowhere near as happy as she could have been. You are obviously making the right decision for Bob and don't let anyone else say otherwise.

Good heavens, first page I'll probably not post again until April cos I can never keep up