persephone

of course - they are individual, and have their likes/dislikes . :)

You've done well :) Great shots (and subjects)

Oh my ... The BIGGEST and most affectionate lapdog ever :) met this gorgeous boy, Judd, yesterday ... HUGE mastiff/rottie/BC entire male - gruffing and growling at the fence ..until we went in - then I couldn't get him far away enough from me to get a photo! His tongue is the size of my shoe innersole .. and he uses it well <3 I can't remember the last time I was able to cuddle such a soft and honest and effusive creature :) he lives with a young couple, two little babies/toddlers, a small staffy girl , numerous guineapigs, goldfish & birds ...is trained quite usefully , and is treated according to his size and temperament . Just magic. I do so want to go back & do more photos soon ... and get a cuddle , of course.

!!! she looks like she's frowning :D

Molly got 'told' this morning ....

Hope the perfect dog is reading this and applies for the position :D Welcome to D O L !!

The harness seems to have a buckle /clip just where the dog's elbow moves ..seems to be no padding or anything ? very narrow , ordinary webbing . That extra bit would be a nuisance when it gets dropped ! I can see how it will appeal to some folks though - doing guide dog training , more than once a new youngster would concentrate better if given a rolled up junk mail flyer to carry ;)

Lucky little guys :) they certainly knew who to pick as a life coach!

looks nice though :)

Bruce is a sooky free ranger - he has the run of the place ..and was never meant for eating !! We took him about 10 yrs ago ,as he was headbutting his owners, and their dogs , plus demolishing teh garden, and he was destined to be dog food , to the horror of the then little girl who raised him . he took some time, and some extreme treatment to cut back on the head butting - thankfully age has helped ;) he is HUGE ....It usually takes 2 of us to get him under control - or a couple of dogs and one human , cos he just can't be grabbed and tipped because of his size LOL .poor Bruce. he says hello to the other sheep as they walk past ..and will graze with them for 20 mins or so - but has never gone with them .. he loves a massage or ear scratch in his mellow moments ;)

Article LINK excerpt : If you think dogs are drawn to your winning personality then think again — the attraction may be genetic, according to a new study that pinpoints genes linked to interspecies amity. Providing food and playing fetch, of course, also forge strong bonds. But experiments involving several hundred dogs and a sweeping analysis of their genomes uncovered a handful of genetic variants clearly linked to canines being friendly with humans. The same genes, it turns out, help govern sociability in our species, and are implicated in neurological problems ranging from autism to ADHD. "Our findings suggest that there may be a common underlying genetic basis for social behaviour in dogs and humans," said senior author Pers Jensen, a professor of ethology at Linkoping University in Sweden. The first domesticated dogs — some 15,000 years ago — were probably wolves that had grown accustomed to the presence of humans in their habitat, most experts agree. Since then, man's best friend has continued to evolve, a process likely influenced by our intimate cohabitation. Indeed, one of the ways in which dogs diverged from wolves was by developing an innate tendency to seek our companionship, earlier research has shown. Several experiments, for example, compared the behaviour of puppies and wolf pups raised as family pets. The baby wolves were taken from their mothers at about eight weeks old. When confronted as adults — in the presence of humans — with so-called "impossible tasks" that they could not resolve, the dogs and socialised wolves behaved quite differently. "In general, dogs had a strong tendency to solicit human help, whereas wolves" — even those raised as pets "did not", said Professor Jensen.

The working dogs mostly ignore him ..sheep are their JOB ... they don't take their work home ;)

Little Bitch is 3/4 retired ... you can tell by the knee rug ;) She is almost retired ...so does get preferential treatment now :)

Luckily Don is quick !! Old Bruce maybe 12 , but can still bounce and try to headbutt the dogs! ..(and he's no little lamb) no, Bruce isn't really dirty - just the outside lanoline-rich layer which helps stop dust.prickles & rain :) The inner wool is shiny and clean :)

I also have a preference for the English ones :)

:) great moves!

What was his original injury, Sticth?

oh - tonsils?

what willem says ... plus , maybe take out any grains for a while, and see if that makes any difference? perhaps whoever did the dental cause some soreness in his gums somehow ....perhaps a loose tooth ..or sore around where tooth exits gum..or his whole jaw may have been over stretched ?

:p you need to move - she hates it!! gorgeous photos :)

Ahh, Willem - you have every right to walk an in season bitch - same as you have every right to go to work whilst in the grip of the flu, or a gastro bug .. that doesn't mean you HAVE to ;)

or wrecks the fence one day while owners are away ;) yes.

...I don't get the last bit...it sounds like it is unfair that I train my dog so it is well behaved , and if other owners don't train their dogs and let them stray it is my fault? it's unfair on the other dogs who have not as much control ... and have to have a battle with their hormones . ...would you say the same if someone is walking his/her toy poodle and it gets ripped apart from a dog that couldn't control its prey drive as it wasn't properly trained?....poor aggressor that had a battle with his hormones? it is a different scenario in my mind .... the scents /tastes of a bitch in season and the resultant effects/behaviour are different to prey drive - and no, I am not prepared to be educated :p Both dogs are of course behaving as their instincts dictate , and frustration is frustration

...I don't get the last bit...it sounds like it is unfair that I train my dog so it is well behaved , and if other owners don't train their dogs and let them stray it is my fault? it's unfair on the other dogs who have not as much control ... and have to have a battle with their hormones .

oh my ..... what a cute handful!