mum24dog

All pedigree dogs have been created from a bit of this and a bit of that too, and some of what are now regarded as pedigrees are very recent breeds indeed. There's really no such thing as a "purebred" dog. They're just dogs. Some look and behave differently from others, that's all. So theoretically, it's no worse creating a labradoodle or a cockerpoo, for example, than breeding from a couple of pedigree dogs. People may do it to take advantage of the ready market of mugs willing to pay for such dogs, but if they are otherwise what would be described as "reputable" breeders, are they really to be blamed for creating a product people will buy? Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending breeders. I never have had, nor never will have a breeder bought dog, but I don't think these people should be singled out because doing so gives the impression that pedigree dogs are superior and it's OK to breed them. On the other hand, pointing out to people how stupid they are to fall for marketing hype does no harm, I suppose. Pam

My daughter did work experience with a local vet who, while struggling to suture skin around the eye of a shar pei with entropion, said that he wished the breed could be banned because of all the health problems they have. Pam

It could initially be something worrying him and then the scent is stimulating him to do it again. Presumably the postman comes in the morning while you are out (although nowadays, who knows?). That or something else going on could have started it. Pam

Yes, but they hate Boxers, Rotties and GSDs more. Pam

If you can find out her KC name the Agility Eye database may well be able to check what level she got to in agility. Contact MPenn who is a member on here and she may be able to help. She doesn't come on here much, I think. You'll only be able to transfer her to you if the person who is the registered owner has signed the transfer section on the registration certificate, otherwise you'll have to reregister her on the KC Working Register. However, even though you may register her under a new name, it would be cheating knowingly to start again at the bottom with her. Which club did you join? Pam

All gone now, thanks.

One ticket left.

I have 4 single complimentary tickets which will each admit 1 person (adult or child) for 1 day. The Arena (Best in Show etc) from 3pm on Sunday is not included. Normal daily adult ticket price £13. I get these every year and usually give them to friends but I thought I'd raise a bit of money for a local rescue this time and am willing to sell them for half price. If interested, please PM or email me. (First come, first served.) Pam

Like what? Pam

Anyone watched the Gerry Robinson programmes on BBC2 the last 3 evenings? They covered his efforts to improve the efficiency of Rotherham General Hospital and even to get the different sections of the staff to talk to each other. Very enlightening as to what is wrong with the NHS (and much of the rest of the public sector too). Pam

I'lll try and get a friend on here. She has a beardie x collie that was diasgnosed with arthritis in all her legs (I think) at a very early age but still competed at Advanced level in agility until about 8, when she retired from real competition. She's now 13 and no worse than many dogs of her age, winning a veteran dog Final in 2005. I gather that Metacam and close monitoring of exercise has kept her going, although she has only had it when necessary. Pam

That takes me back. In the 60s we had a new head. I met someone from his old school who told me that 6th formers didn't have to wear school uniform. Result - after negotiation, neither did we. Pam

I couldn't agree more. Of course there must be vets who think only about making as much money as possible, but I'm willing to bet that most vets are just out to try and make a reasonable living from doing a job they take pride in and have worked extremely hard to qualify for. If there's one thing I hate it's injustice. There is a regrettable tendency nowadays for people to look for someone else to blame for things that go wrong in their lives. In this case, if they can't afford the vet's fees, it must be the vet's fault. I go to a cheaper vet and my dogs aren't insured (except 1) - but I go there because I like the personal and friendly touch, not because it's cheaper. However, I do accept that if anything tricky crops up, I may well have to be referred to somewhere more expensive. I'm lucky that I could afford to pay. If I couldn't, they'd all be insured. Either way, it's my decision and if it went belly up, I wouldn't be blaming the vets. Pam

But do you think it's acceptable to see brightly coloured bras through flimsy school shirts, for example? And are bum freezer thongs appropriate, especially when worn with very short skirts? There's underwear and underwear. Pam

My youngest daughter is now 16 and at a school that is rather obsessive about such trivia. The view I take is that she isn't going to get any grief from me if she breaks the uniform rules, but she's on her own if she does. She knows what the rules are and is in a better position than I am to judge how far she can get away with breaking them if she wants to. I'm not going to get into a crusade on her behalf about it. Pam

Mine too, when he's not working away. (What's a shopping list?) Pam

Yes, nice beginner courses. I like the Jumping in particular as 1-5 gives several handling options to get to the right of 5 and includes another 2 places where a front cross would be the better choice. You didn't used to see moves like that over here a few years ago, especially in the lower classes, but handling techniques have improved a great deal. The Agility is more straightforward - if you have a dog that will wait long enough for you to get to No3. Pam

Whilst I agree that you shouldn't force your idea of fun on a dog, if she is scared of something it can only be for her general benefit if you can get her over it, rather than just give up. I say this from the perspective of someone who has 3 worried agility dogs that I was pretty sure would enjoy it if they got over their fears. The first was scared to lose me but now competes with my daughter. It took several years to get to this point. The second was OK at training but got stage fright on the start line and only now (2.5 years later) is beginning to enjoy it. The third was attacked at training club nearly 2 years ago and we are only now starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. To me, it is a sign of good mental health if a dog can lose itself in something it enjoys so I think it's worth carrying on, but very gently. Pam

Best if you give a clue as to what area of the law you are interested in. Pam

That's great team spirit. Well done to all. Pam

Thanks. Yes, it does make sense.

Well done. Just out of interest, how are the points awarded? Pam

I agree completely. Most people go to agility shows for the social aspect as much as the competition anyway. Just as well since usually 85-90% of the dogs in any class don't get placed. Think of it as a positive advert for the breed. And a slow dog can be very useful to learn your handling skills with.

Too early for X rays and hip scoring, but sometimes they can look suspicious from an early age. We have had a few at our club that looked OK at first but it became obvious that their jumping action wasn't right and problems were then found. On the other hand, some dogs have competed for years without anyone suspecting. I don't mean to worry you. There is a good video for foundation skills on here - if rather expensive and repetitive- http://www.gtagility.com/gtagility.htm Pam

I'm assuming that Max is a collie - not because only collies do agility, but from the picture. Are you reasonably sure that he is sound - no signs of OCD or HD? It's too early to do contacts and you really need to decide how you want to train them before you start. The main ways of doing them are with a running contact where the dog doesn't stop or a stop at the end with 2 feet on the contact and 2 off. You really need advice as to how to do either of them successfully. If you were to want to go for 2 on-2 off, you could start with a plank on the floor and train him to stop in the correct position. Don't be too eager to introduce equipment. If you do the foundation work well, it will be a lot easier when you do. You could be working on the following - right and left turns waits with a lot of distractions to be toy obsessed to go on away from you to a toy just to run with you and to swap from side to side to be happy working on both sides of you to go out round a cone or something similar to think you are the most wonderful thing in the world - be unpredictable with your rewards. Everything you do on one side, repeat on the other. If you or your dog favours one side over the other, do more work on the "wrong" side. You may think that you only want to do agility for fun, but if you eventually decide you want to compete, it's better to train from the outset with competition in mind rather than have to retrain. And yes - I'm a flaming hypocrite because I'm bone idle and don't put in the basic work I should with my dogs, which is why I can give this advice. Do as I say, not as I do (or rather don't). Pam