poochmad

I've never heard that one before and as far as I'm aware, definately not true. That's what I thought, especially when we ended up getting a dog with a similar colour. My only thought was that he was trying to steer us away from someone else's pups?

Cool! Great use of the clicker.

Ooh. I want one. However, we will only be able to use it on one dog as the male is fearful of vacuum cleaners, ever since when he was a pup he sniffed it when it was turned on (hubby was doing the car) and got the fright of his life, poor baby.

Before we got our dogs, I wanted a chocolate lab, just love the colour. But when we bought our house with a small backyard and stairs, I knew we would have to downsize, so got a Field (or two) instead with similar colouring, just a different name (liver not chocolate). Interesting though, when I was calling breeders asking about their dog, one man told me that chocolate labs weren't the best pick due to the colouring of their nose and went on to tell me that they are more prone to skin cancer because of it.

I agree with having a dog on the lead, for their sake and for everyone's peace of mind. You just never know how your dog is going to react. Another thing to note is that if your dog/s get attacked and they on the lead, you at least are in the right and you have a stronger defence against someone who's not.

Could it be due to different scents due to diet? Why he wouldn't appreciate that scent I have no idea...or maybe he associated the scent with them and because he wasn't socialised with people of darker skin he's uncertain of them? Could be so many things huh. Whenever he barks, we always check out what he's barking at, but never pat him (so as not to encourage him) and then he stops. The first time he barked at them the door (wooden door), but behind the screen, was open and he could see them. Perhaps you are right, MEH, he barked because of the accent and the scent, something different. At this time we went to check it out and he didn't stop barking when we approached him. If I remember correctly they stopped in front of our house and looked and pointed at him then walked past and then a few double backed, all the while he was going off like a banana. The people who doubled back then walked past again. Now when I think about it, he may have interepreted them stopping and looking (and pointing) as an aggressive action and now associates their scent and talk with that first time. Thanks for making me remember, as I had completely forgot about it. Now it makes a lot more sense.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I think his natural nose is cute!

No he wasn't but sometimes he can't see them as they walk past (I know it's them because of the language) and he still barks. He only ever barks at them when they walk past the house.

We have some Sudanese people living up the road and every time, they go past the house, Henschke goes off his nut. The first time he did it we were very surprised as he only barks if someone strange comes up to the door, so we thought it was a once off. Nope, next time they walked past he did it again. And still does it every time they go past. At first I thought it was because there are many in the group, but after observing him not worrying about large groups of kids chattering past, realised that wasn't the case. He will bark at them with the front door open and behind the screen door and when the front door is shut and he can't see out. Any ideas?

Wow, you are one patient neighbour! I don't think I would be as good as you.

I agree with persephone, you need to fix the problem (which to me sounds like there is one) rather than just ignoring it by putting him outside. If he needs assistance with the anal gland you can do this yourself or get the vet to do it (as it's foul) if it's only going to be every now and again. Regarding his nibbling sounds like something is bothering him. Have you checked the area, does he have a rash or any sores? Does he have fleas? It could be grass or food allergy. Talking to your vet can assist, at least to narrow down the problem - he could even have a yeast infection, which can affect the skin.

I love it when newspapers get in on the act.

I have a special cloth at work to get rid of the slime the dogs always seem to put onto my pants. Funny thing is, they don't seem to come near me when I'm wearing casual clothes...

How thrilling! He looks lovely, even with his ears (held up) and all floppy, LOL.

Thank goodness the dog didn't suffer for his foolishness.

What great news. One of the things that Steve said in his facebook post, struck me as odd too, that they didn't use any method to restrain the dog, either using the lead as a muzzle or using one of those poles, especially after it was reported that it took them a while to get the dog out of the yard...and then the ranger leant down and patted the dog? Man, that would be the last thing that I would be doing to a dog, especially if it was showing signs of agitation (and leaning over the dog could be seen as confrontational).

Great news. Glad you spoke with your vet to alleviate your concern.

Excellent news.

Aww, think of all the fun they had.

Judging by the size of the pup next to the water bowl, I'd say Chi x something cute.

This is what I wondered too. Friends of ours did this to their dog thinking it was cute...until it became an obsession. Poor dog, was very stressed with chasing lights. I would definitely nip it in the bud, but if it's too late get a behavourist in, quick smart.

I would call the vet first and explain what happened and they can advise you on whether it's related to the episode last week. Or if you are really worried, take the dog to the vet and monitor his stools between now and then.

We will always have two dogs, one of each sex. We have found that to be the best mix; one dog for me, one for hubby.

I agree with everyone, all the puppies are just adorable!

I used to think it was a good idea until a lot of people on here advised against it, mainly due to the fine print and things you think would be covered aren't. You're better off finding out how much one would cost and then putting that money aside in case something happens. Somewhere hard to get, like on your mortgage or in an account that you can't touch for a period of time.