Sandra777

I wouldn't call it dominance, I would call it normal dog behaviour. Bitches mark too! (No, not saying bitches can't be dominant )

Who takes him - you or OH?

Early neutering delays the closure of the growth plates so the dog grows taller and may have slightly lankier legs (since the long bones grow longer) than you would expect

Absolutely - and I wouldn't cook it first either.

Even if you're renting it wouldn't hurt to talk to the neighbour and ask if they'd mind you putting something neat and tidy up to stop the dog jumping in - take photos of your pup and say your getting him soon and want to keep him safe from stray dogs - a cute puppy face usually helps most conversations, plus it's a good way of telling them you are getting a puppy and perhaps asking them to let you know straight away if he's being annoying if you're not there.

Can you enter the sweepstakes and not enter the breed class? I don't do sweepstakes so never looked at the rule

Is this your own house or are you renting? If it was my house I would get some nicely styled angle pieces made up to join with the metal fence and form a barrier over the corner and out along the wooden fence to stop a dog jumping in (1.5 metres is not a very big drop for a bigger-than toy sized dog). Attach them properly (probably need ot get your neighbours permission) and it could look tidy and as if it belongs. ETA: Digging along the fenceline, rocks are probably the best way to go so put them all back in and tramp them down firmly. If a dog is bored and frustrated it will dig and climb and chew to get out - so it's up to you to stop this happening with your puppy!

If you're not a Cavalier fan I doubt you'd be a Tibetan Spaniel fan? As already asked - do you want a second dog or do you want a companion for your current dog? Do the yappy dogs next door get any training or walking? Most of the time it's environment that makes for yapping not genetics! As you're looking for an adult and have a small child in the house I would go with a reputable rescue and find a dog that suits your circumstances (including the look you want).

OK - now I understand what your worry is Don't worry about bitches in season appearing out of no where and molesting your young dog. Probably more likely he will get struck by lightning. And having him neutered won't automatically mean he won't take advantage of any lovely young lady that comes calling at the 'right' time anyway - just (obviously!) nothing will come of it. Have checked out your fence thread & will answer there EFS!

Different breeds are slightly different but as a general rule most people will have more trouble with two bitches than with two dogs. Bitches tend to hold a grudge, dogs usually only fight for specific things such as food or because there is a bitch in season, bitches will fight for the sheer hell of it (or so it seems!) and will often not develop a very stable 'pecking order'. Add in two bitches of the same age and the chances of them living amiably is much reduced. The litter mate thing is not really the issue, it's the fact that littermates are the same age But being littermates could be an issue in some cases because if one pup has a tendency to be a bit fiesty because of genetics then the chances of that pups' littermate being the same, because of genetics, is possibly higher than some random dog from a different set of parents. I have had Staffords for many years and the worst kennel fights I have had have always been between bitches, once they are enemies they are relentless and aren't called bitches for nothing!

I would suggest you improve your fences so stray dogs can't get in Having stray dogs come to visit isn't good and I appreciate that, but if you are concerned that something will happen because your dog is entire, you must have some really scary strays in in your neighbourhood because normal dogs don't attack puppies - which is all your dog will be in the eyes of other dogs until he is at LEAST 9 months old, probably more.

Well done! What a fantastic achievement!

I've got half side - to half side ones for a compact and they are in a black bag if that's any help. Well I should actually say I have ONE half side to half side as some stole one. Not sure this helps, could be new packaging could be the old style were in black? Does anyone know if the new corner to corner ones will work with an old half side one? (Not looking for something to keep a torrent out!)

Got to wonder then why they took the dog if it couldn't be rehomed, why not make it the owner's responsibility to have their dog PTS are their own expense if it isn't a candidate for rehoming - yes I know that in the real world the owners probably would have just chucked it out of the car or tied it somewhere to die a horrible death. Makes me so angry that some people can even think of taking their dog to the "shelter" like they'd take rubbish to the dump.

http://cccq.org.au/2011-Royal-Qld-Show.aspx Try here Cavaliers are Group 1 (Toys) & Corgis Group 5 (Working)

I can just imagine how long THAT would last around here These dogs eat TREES!

Where do you get crushed concrete from? We need to put a floow in our runs but I don't want to go concrete over the whole area. Yep, own a gravel eater

Why do they use that lovely PC neutral word "surrendered". The dogs are being dumped.

So sorry for your loss.

In the UK the old time breeders referred to them as Staffs or Staffords because "Staffy" was viewed as an insult to what was seen as a noble breed with the heritage of ruggedness and totally unsuited to a "cute" name. Most likened it to the term Yorkie (Yorkshire Terriers being very popular in the UK) and didn't want their breed to have a "cute" name. One old guy wrote in a dog magazine that he blamed the Southern women for the modern day "Staffy" - that was in about 1955 Yes, primarily it's a pride thing. I have never referred to my dogs as "Staffys" - they are Staffords or Staffs, but when I started in the breed no one I knew used the term and when some new comers started to they were sternly corrected. Maybe it is a more "friendly" name, but I can only associate it with generic brindle mutts that aren't Staffords.

Border, Lakeland or Welsh, all might be a bit heavier than 5kg but were born and bred to work in rough country.

We went to pick up the keys to our new (bought) house and the agent was gone! Bit of a tanty there for a second but they'd only moved up the road and around the corner

This.

Nope, he's not too young (mine get raw from 5 weeks) but you do need to ensure you are still giving him a suitable diet, so if you don't know much about raw feeding, study up a bit and take it from there. Me, I wouldn't bother giving raw and dry together to a dog his size - his raw meal could be a chicken maryland for example so no need for dry as well - easy enough to find suitable sized lumps of raw food for a dog that size

Sounds like he could have an infection, I would have him to the vet ASAP.