[H] Dog Guide

On August 19 2010 04:09 Badjas wrote:
I disagree with AppleTart on the pedigree dogs. I don't know the details for some situations, but it does vary greatly by breed. For poodles, for example, dogs are checked in shows on their coat, build, walking and running movement and teeth among other things. They get tested on PRA and patella luxation which are important for those who want to breed. Other issues like heart conditions or with other internal organs are not prominently checked for, however if you have a pedigree (papers) then you can make contact with breeders of parent dogs. Those tests and show checks are different by breed and are generally defined by the respective breed's kennel club. As an example, the finnish kennel club (kennelliitto) has a website where you can access the pedigree of every dog registered, with which you can determine the amount of inbreeding (which really isn't that high in many cases, but again that might vary greatly with breed).

Worse options are to take a dog from a puppy mill / pet store, where you have no guarantee on checks being done.

Also, I have no idea if there's a big difference in mentality between the FCI (international kennel club) and the american kennel club.

Edit: Visit a dog show or two! And when you know what breed you want, if you are lucky there might be a specialty show for that breed.

On August 19 2010 04:56 Badjas wrote:
Thanks for the feedback there AppleTart. Indeed I can't say much for the ways of the american dog breeding ways. I'd like to point out that for poodles, in the shows I've been to in the netherlands and finland, they test carefully on the dog's stance, legs and walk. Poodles are hunting dogs, which might lead to this. As you mention, the american kennel club(s) weigh way too heavy on the looks, then I agree that would be a disaster.

The example picture you gave shows the owner keeping the dog in 'show position' it seems (I don't know anything about German shepherds in this regard) and it looks quirky to me but perhaps it is intentional. Poodles are positioned quite neutral (but 'stretched'/spread enough for good evaluation).

For the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog... hrmm.. google fu to the rescue.
American Kennel Club page
It is only an official standard with breed standards since 2003, which is very recent, so it doesn't do much with regards to show checks being done. Which might help with breeders not going for the best show/visual material but I don't know for how long they would have been running in shows. If you can visit a dog show with this breed attending, you should pay attention to the way the judge evaluates the dogs. Perhaps dog owners are happy to show you their notes from the judge, which should contain strong and weak points of the dog, which could help you orient.

On August 19 2010 04:10 NrG.NeverExpo wrote:
Vet bills can be ridiculous, i`ve encountered a few over the last year with my dog. For example my dog hopped up on the table when i had some weed out, and decided to eat it. At first he got really fuckin dizzy, and kinda looked like a bobble head. Then he started puking so we thought we`d take him to emergency. Just to walk in the door after hours was like $250. Then the procedures afterwards can double or triple that number. Lucky for us they were understanding, they gave him some medicine to help his stomach, some activated charcoal to soak up any toxins the marijuana left over, and IV`d a bunch of water into him all for about $40 extra. It was a really good price, but we were in and out of the vet that night until like 6:30 am.

My advice to you is be prepared! Get a hold of an emergency med kit, in case they swallow something u want out, u can make them throw it up etc. Don`t let this kinda thing stop you from getting a dog because its an amazing partner to have, but the more prepared you are, the easy a situation is if something does go wrong.