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Messages - bonnieblink

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Spinone Italiano Discussions & Pictures / Re: Week old Spinone puppy
« on: July 03, 2005, 02:40:13 pm »
The puppy is from my second Spinone litter.  I very pleased with the results this far.  The first litter was all a variety of orange as is the dam.  The pup I kept from that first litter is Tira (see the other picture I posted) who has done extremely well in the show ring (8th in the country as of the end of May statistics) and went to Westminster 2 days after her first birthday.

This time I bred to a dominant brown boy and there are nine brown roan with brown puppies.  I plan to keep a boy and girl and am not even close to making my final decision since they all seem so nice to me.  Of course, I'm quite prejudiced!

The pups were pretty much all spoken for before they were even conceived and are definitely all spoken for now.  They really are great dogs.  My love is giant dogs, but I'm getting a bit old and arthritic and was looking for something a tad smaller to haul around and show.  Spinoni have been a good choice.  Although they are sporting dogs, they are calmer than any sporting dog I've ever been around.  They are certainly more active than Mastiffs (my first breed), but they get along absolutely great with the Mastiffs.  They aren't small dogs by any means.  My girls weigh 65-75 pounds and the boys can get to 100 or so.  But to me, that is small compared to my 155 to 230 pound Mastiffs.

I have tons of pictures of course, but it might be easier for you to visit my website to see them.  I could certainly be convniced to post more on this site, but hate to take up toooooo much space!

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Spinone Italiano Discussions & Pictures / Week old Spinone puppy
« on: July 03, 2005, 09:17:51 am »
This is a one week old puppy napping.  It will grow up to be brown roan with brown.  Spinoni come in white, white with orange, orange roan, orange roan with orange, white with brown, brown roan, and brown roan with brown.  They never have black on them.  And they are never both orange and brown.

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Spinone Italiano Discussions & Pictures / Tira the Spinone
« on: July 03, 2005, 09:12:28 am »
Tira is a Spinone Italiano (singular).  Tira is a puppy I kept from my first Spinone litter.  She is one year old in this photo.  This was taken not long after her exciting trip to the Westminster dog show in NYC February 2005.

Tira (Ch QuietWood Tiramisu) finished her AKC championship in two weekends at seven months of age.

Spinoni Italiani (plural) are excellent versatile sporting dogs that point and retrieve.  They are also excellent and loving companions that are more laid back than the average sporting dog.  They do have wet, messy beards and require some grooming to keep the tangles out and reduce shedding.

They are good in obedience and agility and fun to show in conformation.

The portrait is by Jon Casler (http://www.envision-studios.com).

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Otterhound Discussions & Pictures / Hoover the Otterhound
« on: July 02, 2005, 06:08:39 am »
Baymoore Hoover of QuietWood ("Hoover") is a wonderful, happy, silly dog!

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Monthly Photo Contests / Re: July's Patriotic Photo Contest
« on: July 02, 2005, 05:27:55 am »
OK, I'm feeling retarded.  Where do we actually SEE the pictures?   :-[

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Anything Non-Dog Related / Re: scream for help..............venting
« on: July 02, 2005, 05:18:29 am »
Sounds like an overwhelming situation.  Sending my sympathies!

It would be very hard to deal with four at once.  I'm not sure how old these pups are, but they appear fairly old.

When I raise puppies (I have a litter of 4-1/2 week old Spinoni right now), I work really hard to give them a good start and I've had Mastiff puppy buyers tell me the pup has NEVER had an accident in the house.  They start out in a whelping box of course which is kept very clean.  As soon as possible, I move them to a puppy playpen on my back deck.  We use shavings on floor of the pen.


I really like shavings because when the puppies stay quite clean and the poop is easily scooped out.  Plus....when they go to their new homes, owners can put some shavings on the ground where they want the pup to potty.  I've learned it is a whole lot easier to train a puppy WHERE TO GO than to teach them WHERE NOT TO GO.  I totally believe it is important to start puppies right and keep them extremely clean so they learn what you've pointed out your puppies have not....it is natural to not potty where you sleep and eat.  In a large enough and clean enough environment, even puppies barely able to walk will move away from their dam to potty once they are capable of going without stimulation.

I wish for you there was someone to help you with one pup at a time.  It will be harder I think with them all together because they are so big and active.  One at a time, they might be more careful where they step etc, which will help keep them cleaner.  I wish I had some magic for you at this point, but with them all together, I can't think of a really simple solution.

I feel you probably know how do make this happen one at a time.  I'm a big advocate of crate training, but with their past experience, they may not hesitate to just go in the crate.  So then I'd suggest using the tether method, but that only works with one pup at a time.  You fasten the dog to yourself full time.  That way they can't get away from your attention to go.  The second they squat, you startle them with a loud 'no' kind of word (I like "OUT") scoop them up (assuming you can carry them), hurry to the ONE spot where you want them to go and stay there until they finish(which yes, could take a while).  Praise praise praise. 

Wish I could help you!

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 :-[  duh.....thank you!  I'll figure this site out yet!

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Ok, I'm confused.  WHERE do we go to SEE the entries in the contest.  I just emailed a picture of my Mastiff Zeus, so I don't expect to see him out there yet, but do want to see the competition <grin>.

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Medical Conditions & Diseases / Re: Neutering
« on: June 27, 2005, 08:12:54 pm »
I agree with your behavior perspective.  It is hard to address every issue in a forum like this.  With some Mastiffs, unless you are pretty experienced, a studdy dog can be really hard to deal with and once it starts, it only gets worse.  And usually it starts in homes where there all the humans aren't at the top of the pack order.  On the other hand, some are like gentle pussy cats all their lives, neutered or not and no matter the experience of their owners!

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Hermes (a Mastiff) stands 31 inches at the shoulder and weighs 225 pounds.  His sister Mira stands 32 inches and weighed 185 pounds last time I weighed her....but probably weighs more now.  The mother of these two stands about 29-30 inches and weighs 200 pounds.  Ok, I'll quit with those three.

11
General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Big Dog Shows in Texas
« on: June 24, 2005, 02:37:28 pm »
For anyone in Texas or planning to visit Texas in July, there are two big events coming up.

There are five days of shows in San Antonio July 13-17th.  You can learn more about the San Antonio shows here: http://www.onofrio.com/plist/rcis1pl.pdf

Also, one of the premier shows in the country will be in Houston July 21-24th.  You can learn more about the Houston shows here: http://www.onofrio.com/plist/hcsa2pl.pdf
or at http://www.reliantdogshows.com

The Houston shows include flyball, dancing with dogs demonstrations, obedience, meet-the-breed, many, many great vendors and of course the top conformation dogs in the country.

Hope to meet some of you there!

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American Mastiff Discussions & Pictures / Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« on: June 24, 2005, 02:19:37 pm »
As a breeder/exhibitor of Mastiffs (aka English Mastiffs) which mature at from 150 to 250 pounds (and more sometimes although most people grossly over-estimate the weight of their adult mastiffs), I have experimented with a variety of foods.  I also breed and show Spinoni Italiani and have an Otterhound.  Those two breeds aren't as HUGE as Mastiffs, but require comparable food because of their activity levels and they are still large dogs.

In general, I find all premium foods acceptable (meaning Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet and the like).

I do feed Diamond Lamb and Rice and it works great for most of my dogs for maintenance.  We do add yogurt and veggies for most of the pack. 

However, for dogs being shown or bred that need to be in tip-top condition despite the extra requirements of working or reproducing, I am using Nutro Ultra.  It is a fantastic food that produces healthy dogs with great skin and coats. 

The bottom line really should be....how does your dog look?  If he is at a good weight (not overweight as so many dogs are) and his coat is shiny and healthy, whatever you are feeding is working.

As far as liking a food, I've found that adding a little yogurt and cooked veggies (green beans/spinach/sweet potatoes) will make almost any food palatable.  And many a dog skips a meal now and then for no particular reason.

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Medical Conditions & Diseases / Re: Neutering
« on: June 24, 2005, 01:58:29 pm »
It depends on the breed, the individual dog, and you.

I breed and show Mastiffs.  Bloodlines vary, but in general, male Mastiffs and other giant breeds mature slowly.  I personally believe they develop better if not neutered too soon.  However, if there is ANY doubt that the owner can prevent any accidental breedings, I would prefer the pup be neutered around 6 months.

Also, if the dog begins to show any typical stud behavior such as marking territory or being obsessed with looking for girls and ignoring commands from his owner when other dogs are around, then neuter ASAP.  Males showing dominance issues should be neutered earlier too.

It can be quite a challenge to deal with a giant breed stud dog and unless you are showing and intend to breed (after health testing etc etc), neutering too soon is better than neutering too late.  The difference in development will probably only matter to someone showing and paying serious attention to muscle development etc.

As you might expect, most vets encourage neutering sooner rather than later.  As long as the dog is not acting obnoxious and you can eaily manage him and prevent unwanted breedings, I think it is fine to wait as long as 18 months with a giant breed.

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Rottweiler Discussions / Re: Jazzy passed out!
« on: June 24, 2005, 01:42:10 pm »
I think your vet needs to see Jazzy and listen to her heart.  Fainting can occur when a dog has heart problems.  In the beginning, they can seem fine until they are stressed or exercise and vomiting can stress the dog and put a strain on a bad heart.

Hopefully, your vets first assessment based on your report over the phone is all it was.  But better safe than sorry.  Your vet should be able to hear a heart murmer, but then may refer you to a cardiologist for more thorough testing if necessary.

Hope Jazzy is fine!


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Spinone Italiano Discussions & Pictures / Re: SPINONE OWNERS !
« on: June 24, 2005, 06:37:52 am »
With Mastiffs, Spinoni (one is Spinone, two or more is Spinoni), and one silly Otterhound around the house, our water buckets are OUTSIDE on the back deck.  Gives them a chance to shake the leftover water and slobber off before they come back inside.  We also keep towels handy.

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