Excuse me for proving you wrong SarahJ, but his vet, physiotherapists are all saying that it has been caught early so the prognosis is good.

He has already started to use that leg and can trot on in very well. Its only when he is walking/standing sometimes that it is noticed.

He has regular hydro sessions (to build up the muscle on that side) and is doing really well. We are not going to give up on him, and we know that it will be a long road.

As for his weight he is within the weight limit for his breed and is a very fit dog. I have also taken advice from people in the Tibetan community who have encouraged me to show him as long as he is not in pain.

Like I said he can be a lazy horror, and it is difficult to get him motivated sometimes. We are learning by experiance and as long as he enjoys going to shows we will still take him.

Also (as I already mentioned) it did not help him being shouted at by a member of the public!

Poor thing, Good job it was caught early

Can I just ask, are you showing him for your own pleasure, or are you showing him, hopefully to breed from him at a later date ?

Im showing him because I want to have fun with him. As for putting him to stud, that depends on if his condition improves. If it sorts itself out then I will get him hip scored.

His breeder doubts the vets diagnosis as both Harveys parents had very low hip scores. If you saw him charging about at home you would think that there is nothing the matter with him. He is like a spring lamb! If his leg was not bad I would definetly put him in for agility as he is quite capable of clearing a three foot puppy gate!

The breeder could very well be wrong !

The dog in my breed with the highest hip score in the Country (very high), was from a litter from very low scoring parents, as were the siblings.

I would not even consider breeding from him, regardless of a later hip score, he is already showing signs of HD at a young age, and therefore shouldn't be considered into any breeding programme, unless he is vital to continue the breed etc

HD never improves ! Dogs can get very good pain relief and help with HD, but the HD itself doesn't improve, it progresses over time. The dog I mentioned is very active and lively also, so you would barely know he had HD, that doesn't mean it's not there and not getting worse with age.

I would just enjoy him and help him with his HD as much as possible

We do tha at our ringcraft as well we have a long line up you walk down the middle with the dog and everyone cheers and claps and whistles etc, I think it's a fabulous idea!
Becky

Great idea, one that has not reached my ringcraft yet though
I train all of mine at home with no lead. Dalmatians as all dogs need to move naturally and some breed judges tell you in the ring that they want a loose lead. Unfortunately too many are strung up and look awful.
Regarding distractions though, I think here it was more a case of perceived insults reaching the ears of the handler in the ring, now how to you bombproof handlers????

Harveys handler rose above it and ignored her, but like I said Harvey felt it which affected his performance.

I wouldn't use him at stud either if he's already shown signs of HD. If I were you though I would get him scored at some point. Many general vets cannot read x-rays properly and I feel the only way to know is to get the dog scored, at least that way you know what you are dealing with ie arthritis

What a horrid experience you have had but as they say "we live and learn" Unfortunatly this is all part and parcel with the showing world - this is why i stopped showing the horses and took to showjumping and XC instead. You have to train yourself and your dog to ignore the distactions, hold you head up high and get on with it.

I have so not got the temprament to show dogs and would ultimatly end up punching someone!!

Id also like to point out that Tara is right in saying HD cannot be improved

We have had dogs with this, in the past. HD is an inherited condition and there are no products to prevent further development.. Through diet, exersise and suppliments, progression can be slowed down to a degree, but will not help any with loose joints. This is a condition with will ultimatly worsen with time.

Your vet isnt qualified enough to diagnose HD and to what extent your dog has it. Id would follow advice and look at getting him Hip scored wether you intend to breed or not. This will give you an excellent indication on the severity and help you decide on what further treatment you will give and also exercise. You say earlir that e jumps about like a "spring lamb" this is not and indication that all is well sweetie. our Bernese hips were crumbling away for a long time but he was sooo energetic you would think he was a pup!! We had to stop walking him eventually, as he grew older, he worsend and was in obvious pain AFTER being out on a 10 minute walk!

Im glad that he is showing signs that he is feeling the pain less, but please look into HD more and the gentics of it, if you do decide to breed.