mantis

Yes that was my thought as well, it's spring & a young man's thoughts turn to love. :laugh:

I used the titre test as well, only had to vaccinate Kenny the couple of times I had to board him. I Will do the same with my new dog Cougar, I can't see why older dogs need vacs every year & it worries me that the vacs could be actually causing them harm.

The place I was living at before here, the cleaners has a rescue Greyhound who they used to bring with them as she was very timid around strangers. They said she won't take food or treats off anyone but the owners, as that's what they are taught when they are racing, in case of baiting. It took all of 5 minutes for her to come up to me & take a treat, they were shocked & said I broke their dog.

What a brilliant idea, I can see a big rise in dog owners wearing their own t-shirts with answers, that suit their dogs. Runs off to buy some plain t-shirts & clothing markers.

I notice the media in UK are no better than ours, they use a pic of a Bull Breed whenever they run a story on dog bites, even if it's unrelated to the story. Morons.

I think the RSPCA started an anti check chain campaign - they wouldn't sell them in their pet shop. But then the campaign seemed to fade away. And yes, check chains, in silver, gold and black, chain and snake chain are still used in the ring And when they are used properly, you aren't jerking it on the dog. I train mine on flat collars and when they are good on the flat collar, change to a choker. And if the dog is big, it is possible that the check chain just might avert disaster in a bad situation. I don't understand how those people being towed along by cavaliers on harnesses can tolerate it. I have put it down to a failure to be able to train to a collar I'm surprised the RSPCA aren't at shows, trying to charge people with cruelty for using them. Sorry. couldn't help myself.

I can so relate, the amount of damage Kenny did when I was at work or out, are just too many to mention. Unfortunately I don't have any pictorial evidence of the mass destructions he caused over the years.

If by 4, you mean the ones in your sig, no wonder people comment, one of them is a cat.

When you have a 45kg dog & you are only 53kg, good luck trying to control the dog with a harness.

But what about if you aren't home? The buggers have free rein, to redecorate the tree. I suggest either blocking it off, or putting it out of reach as well. They never touched it when they were home alone.. I guess I am lucky, I taught the same thing to my old Stafford to. He never touched the Christmas tree either... I can get Ziggy to leave the Xmas tree but can't seem to stop him digging.. Go figure... You are definitely lucky, no way I could have trusted Kenny alone with a tree, I used to shut the lounge room door when I was out. I'm wondering how my new girl Cougar will go with a Xmas tree. I think she should be OK, as she is such a laid back girl, as long as there is nothing edible on it.

When did check collars become unpopular? When I showed my Cairns in the 70's & 80's, everyone used them in the ring.

:rofl: We had someone drive past once and yell out "Why don't you get a bigger dog?!" but we get the saddle the most. I don't mind though I just think it's funny. I'd love a dollar for everytime I get " Where's he racing at, can I get a bet on? " followed by laughter. They get a blank face from me and a " Dapto mate, get on him his names Lounge Dog, odds on " followed by me dragging Stan's lazy butt up the road :laugh: HA HA HA, I wonder how many actually went home & looked up the Dapto races & looked for Lounge Dog.

Typical of scaremongers, they post utter rubbish & won't let anyone who doesn't bow down to their rubbish have their say.

But what about if you aren't home? The buggers have free rein, to redecorate the tree. I suggest either blocking it off, or putting it out of reach as well.

I can't remember, tlc. Just a few months. DiscoDobe, there used to be a Doberdave - or something like that - a long time ago. DoberDave is a mate of mine, top bloke. Unfortunately Troy permabanned him. Let DoberDave back Troy.

yes..it is sad ...mind you, we were'country' .. so large roo dogs etc were not uncommon ..but he still looked a bit overwhelming. Could your guys maybe have a vest wardrobe ..with all sorts of cutesy/decorative patterns ? Folks might see that , and check it out, while their brains are assimilating "large dog/not barking/not running /may be ok/" info ? It's a bit hard when your dog has to be muzzled when out in public. Before BSL people would often comment how beautiful Kenny was, after BSL & muzzle laws, people just assumed he was vicious, because he had a muzzle on.

Then there is the really bad comment, which always got a rude reply from me. You shouldn't have that type of vicious dog out in public, my reply was usually, gawd there are some ignorant, brainwashed idiots in the world. Sometimes my reply was not so nice, just use your imagination.

If I had a dollar, for every time someone said that to me when I walked Kenny, I would be a rich woman. :laugh:

Sorry Sheridan, but where's the survey that backs up your opinion of small dog owners? I'm a small dog owner currently. I've also owned a German Shepherd Cross, a Cattle cross and rescued or facilitated the rescue of dogs over 30 kilos on a regular basis. Some small dog owners have them for reasons other than that is all they want. Many people I know are so fearful about being attacked by large dogs, they tell me they want a dog they can pick up .... some people have bad backs. some peple have small spaces ... I call bull****. I have never seen you post one positive thing about big dogs. I can't believe the hatred of dogs by some people, on what is supposedly a dog lovers forum.

I'm happy to report that Penny came home half an hour ago & looked like her normal happy self. Apart from the black stains on her face from the charcoal, after a bath she will be fine. She was bouncy & energetic, you wouldn't know that only 24 hours ago, she was really sick. She is a tough little bugger.

Ditto...What the heck is wrong with some people.... They shouldn't be allowed to own dogs, or breed. Irresponsible dog & human owner.

Maybe because a lot of little dog owners, don't control their dogs because they are little. The problem is, if a little dog attacks, or harrasses a big dog & the big dog retaliates, it's always the big dog that gets blamed. The bolded part of your post, proves my point, just because they can't cause as much damage, doesn't mean they shouldn't be under control & not allowed to attack, growl at bigger dogs. Why is it always up to the big dog owner only, who should control their dogs.

Yes it saddens me that on a supposed dog lovers forum, there is so much hate for some dogs, because people have been caught up in the media hysteria & witch hunt.

Thanks, but I just did what most people would do, nothing special. Update on Penny, this morning her temperature & heart rate were both up slightly, so they wanted to keep her on the drip longer. They Vet rang a half hour ago & said that they were back to normal & she can take Penny back home at 4pm. It is so good that she'll soon be back in her owners loving arms & little Maggie will have her big sister back.

Every owner of a smaller breed dog needs to think about the same thing. Our dogs have been attacked several times by smaller dogs (ironically, JRT crosses, mostly) and one of my dogs is now quite reactive to smaller dogs as a result of being nipped at, jumped on, mounted and barked at by aggressive small dogs that are always offleash (the dog in question is always kept on leash, as is the law). We see plenty of examples of other larger dogs becoming reactive to small dogs because the owners of small dogs seem to be under the impression that because their dog is small, it can't cause harm- failing to realise that harm is much more than just physical damage. Having a go at larger dogs generally is as thoughtless and ignorant as BSL- body size is no different from body shape; it does not determine how likely a dog is to attack another dog. Of course more physical damage could be done but that's only one side of the story and certainly not a reason to go on the attack and sling blame around. If you want to play the blame game, here's a good likely suspect- the owners of the two attacking dogs. They did the wrong thing. That does not mean all owners of large dogs do the wrong thing though and it certainly doesn't mean that irresponsible owners are more likely to be attracted to larger dogs. I've met plenty of idiot owners who have had small, fluffy dogs. My Kenny was attacked 3 times by off lead dogs, twice by big dogs & once by a poodle. He also had many small dogs lunging & growling at him, while the owners laughed, saying how cute their little dog was having a go at the big dog. Some people don't think the same rules apply to small dogs, as large dogs. Aggression in any size dog, should be stamped out.