Monah

Yes, what a shame! I got my catalogue this week, all the dogs look fantastic ORBIT is the best, that goes without saying!!! WOW, I know someone famous ;)

I agree with this. I have a dog who was extremely nervous in all situations and it has has taken years to get on track. Mine was purebred, great breeder, no reason to be this way (althoughwas an only pup) and was terrified of other dogs, kids, everything. She will still shy if someone is walking behind us. The best thing is to get professional help and advice and never force the dog to cope with a situation, let them go at their own pace. Definately be aware of the dog's personal space as Mita said, I feel this is very very important. But, with obed training, flyball and agility training (and this took hours and hours of patience because of her fear of everythiing), high value treats and lots of encouragement and making sure everything was positive and FUN, she is fantastic. She will never be completely 'cured', but I am incredibly proud of how far she has come and how lovely she is. Good luck to your friends, I wish them all the best and the dog too.xxxxxxxx

Felix. I adore poodles!! My spinone has a very soft mouth too, she can carry birds and then they just fly out of her mouth!! Supposedly the toxins are there all the time, which is why people are not meant to pick them up or at least wash hands first (for the frogs sake) as if the toxins are removed, even for a short while, it leaves the frogs vulnerable to bacteria and fungi and other microbes. It does ahve the added advantage of tasting terrible, which is meant to deter predators. Sounds like you lovely poodle may like the taste! xxx

Litoria do have toxins. They are not officially a recognised 'poisonous' frog but are very capable of poisoning a snake or other animal that is vulnerable to the toxins. I like people to know there is a risk, rather than think it cannot happen. I know my dogs haave licked and never done it again, maybe small dogs who are persistant have a bad outcome. It could even depend on if they have eaten recently, or have a drink afterwards etc. better safe than sorry

For the last 4 years since we moved to Darwin I had to kill 5 cane toads that came in our backyard. So, it's not overwhelming. And if you get your property fenced with chicken wire you should be fine. Our dog loves to play with green tree frogs that we have around the place and I was afraid that he may try the same with cane toads, but for some reason he stays away from them. However, you need to be vigilant. Our dogs love green tree frogs too! I feed the frogs with moths etc. They do secrete a toxin through the skin though, and a couple of people have lost their dogs to green tree frogs, so hope everyone is aware of that. The toxins all frogs secrete are to deter bacteria, fungi and predators and most are deadly to snakes and can be pretty bad for other animals too. If your dog licks a frog you may see it react as though it has tasted something revolting. It can make them quite sick, depending on the frog. The most populous one in the far north, Litoria dahlii is really toxic.

Frdige and freezer! NOT DETTOL. It is cruel AND they would go away to die, so there is NO guarantee that your pets would not eat them then. when we moved from SA to QLD, I used to get up to 60 toads a night, I use a plastic bag on one hand to pick them up, then stuff them into another bag. They are transferred to the fridge overnight, then into the freezer where they have to be for at least 16 hours otherwise they may only be in hibernation. I now rarely get more than a couple during the warmer months (we have a couple of acres) and we have a lovely influx of green tree frogs and other creatures that we did not have several years ago. My two girls help me hunt, they 'find and point' and get all excited when the plastic bags come out They do not touch them as they have a leave command and if I am not 'hunting' they ignoore them. It's not the toads' fault, in their own habitat they are ok, bloody humans! Mine have never had ticks, but there are many products available. I'd ask your local vet as the number of ticks etc. varies greatly from area to area. We rarely get them where I am, but only a couple of ks away they have millions! Always physically check your dog, even if the dog is treated. Remember too that ticks can get anywhere, including in the mouth and up the nose! so if you do see symptoms, but cannot find a tick, still go to the vet straight away. Catahoula, been checking out your website, stunning dogs,, wish I'd known about your kennels when I was in NT, would have loved to see them!

What a shame. I'me sure you are just as , if not more, upset than the owner.xxxx I did all the right things,(have had and shown dogs for years), breeder did ALL the right things and I have documents to prove it that came in the puppy pack. Dog HD in both hips, $8,000 operation. It's one of those things, nature is perverse, we can try our hardest to 'control' it but that is it. I expect nothing and have had fantastic support from the wonderful breeder. I feel you are and have been doing a great job.xxx

Tonnes of sympathy from me.!xxxxxxxx What more do people expect us to do???? I am with you in you vent, this is one thing that really drives me NUTS ;)

Ooh kittens Agree with the previous posts. Please be very careful, no unsupervised access, slow and steady even if it takes weeks. Cats need to be able to escape, just in case. I personally would not allow the cats outside. Cats are very happy indoors and two will play and 'attack' each other and amuse each other without the need for outside play. Later they could have an enclosure if you wanted to. I have 4 iindoor cats and all mine have been indoors for over 30 years without any adverse effects. It cuts down greatly on vet bills too!! Sadly there are many people who dislike cats and will do something about it When they are indoors you are almost sure to never have worms, abcess, injuries, diseases, fleas etc. Also keeps the local birds, reptiles etc. safe and neighbours may be cross if they see one of your cats kill a bird, mess in their garden or just be in their garden. Remember too that neighbours have DOGS and there have been many instances on Dol when a neighbours dog, or the Dolers dog, have killed a neighbours cat. The responsible and caring thing to do is keep them indoors, it does them no harm at all and the youngest cat I have had pass away since the 70's was 17!!! I put this down to being inside. Maybe also discipline the dogs if they get too boisterous with the cats, or chase them etc. Let them know it's not on, cats are king!! Our dogs have great respect for the cats, and I always make sure it stays that way xxxxx ALso, if either of the dogs are a bit iffy, even after a lot of time, NEVER leave them alone together if no one is home, separate room for one or the other is the solution.

stunning stunning stunning! Lovely, cant' wait to see more foxy loxy photos too. Lovely 'understorey' in the forest. Um, you need some Hungarian pointers in there too, not only the english and german ones xxxxxx

Ive had dogs fom maltese to irish wolfhounds. The big dog small dog argument should really be the responsible owners/non responsible owners. I've been on both ends, big dogs lunging when walking my small dogs and small dogs trying to eat my wolfie. We all need to vent occassionally, me too I have never used dog parks , ever, and I never will. Recipe for disaster. 'accidents' can happen anywhere, even at training!!! Really, if a dog park is so traumatic for owners and dogs, it's really easy to fix, dont go there.

fantastic, cried from beginning to end (havent stopped yet!) Lovely video, very moving!xxx

just 2 things (no advice though ) FHRP knows her stuff :D the GSP breed sub forum may be the best place for GSP advice, I'm sure many owners would have been through the same thing :D They are a lovely lovely breed xxxxxxxxx

Nina, yep ring Jane, she's excellent and well worth it. I wouldn't play around with these dogs either, over the net, and I know them (and of course I have no skills too!!) . they are huge and powerful. A 'mistake' would be really really awful They are all really lovely dogs too. Tried to ring this morning, I'll ring later! I was having a think about Ari, as in NOOOOO. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He may be a buffer between Joe and Riley.?? I dont know. Joe does tell the others off when he wants to. Nina, sorry I thought Gus had a sore leg or muscle or something last time I saw him?? Probably have him mixed up with another one!! This is awfully complex. With such large powerful dogs maybe an expert is needed at the house? Especially seeing as you are going away later on. I'd really hate to see one of them hurt. Should be able to get there tomorrow! I'll ring thoughxxxxxx Gus would be perfect for me, we could be soft soaks together! He is such a lovely lovely boy!

I agree that it's not the breed that should not be rec for first time owners. There are many variables in breeds, and in people. Self knowledge is important. I know I would not cope with a more 'dominant'(I loathe that word ) dog, and I would not get the best out of it, and the dog would not be at it's best with me. There are also many dogs that are sensitive and would be crushed and ruined by a more pedantic owner. It's certainly not just the stronger dogs (temp) who need the right owner. Hopefully breeders can match pups up with owners that suit although logically this is not always possible. Years ago we had a very sensitive wolfhound, the breeders kept him for 10 months as they could not find a person they considered 'right' for him. Luckily I was right and he turned out to be a perfect match for me in every way.

Does sound like he is overstimulated and does not have enough 'run' time. But, like all of us, there are different temperaments amongst cats. I've had several feral cats (have one now too) and they have not been like that even though the youngest was only a couple of weeks old when we found him, all the others , about 7 of them , have been under 5 weeks. I have had quite a few pure breds who have been little &^^%$#$%^&!!! though ;) ;) and who have been with their mothers for up to 12 weeks!!! Dont stir him up at all, dont pick him up if he doesnt like it, if he is just jumping on people without any encouragement (as no one speaking to him or wiggling fingers etc), dont move (this will make him latch on). Usually a loud hhhssss!! will break the 'spell', but if not, no screaming, yelling, wriggling, silly behaviour (from the humans). Still and calm works best. Often humans overstimulate kittens without realising it. Chinchillas are extremely laid back so you would not have noticed this with them. Many other breeds or moggies are not. I love a fiesty cat ;) he sounds like he has a big personality. Purring and smooching is good, but the 'attack' phase is not, cats often do this when they are very overstimulated. Try and keep him calm when smooching and stop the behaviour before he gets into attack mode. I have a cat who is 17 who is still 'crazy' Cats normally will not just play with toys on their own. Does anyone pull a string with maybe a bit of paper of something else attached, around for him to chase? He sounds like he has a LOT of energy to burn off. We've always had several cats at once and they all have the crazies for a couple of hours a day, leaping on each other, chasing, attacking, and do it to the dogs too. There are cat experts on DOL who I'm sure will be able to advise much better than I ever could. Dont give up on him, he is a baby and may have had a really rough start. IMO he is not doing anything out of the ordinary, but we also dont want to see any injuries. I still have one cat who loathes his tummy touched, so we just dont go there ;) please be very careful if he is doing this to dogs as one snap and he will be gone!!! He may be a little young to be teasing the dogs and might be best for hiim to be separate, or at least out of reach, until he is a bit older or can get out of harms way FAST. good luck, he sounds adorable.

Hey Nina. Is Gus' leg ok? If it's something complicated the other boys may have picked up on it?? No idea really, he is the underdog, but I can't see why, I think he was before he was desexed too. , I'm just doing a guessing game, but could Riley have 'matured' in the last 12 months? I know mine matured rather late, Fifi would have the knowledge :D It will be hard for anyone to work out without seeing them all together. And although I do see them, I am USELESS! as it's just as confusing to me as it is to you. :D Poor baby, he is such a lovely lovely boy, obviously very anxious about something. I'll come out for a cuddle!!! PM the wolfie experts and there is an excellent behaviourist I have used if you need to see someone. I wonder if Joe should have the snip? or if the main problem is Riley? Bloody dogs!!!!!!! :D I can also attest that these dogs are never alone, always someone home, so whatever is going on is very subtle. They are ALWAYS with a human or two

I think you may find the missing link is a myth of sorts. i do like the 'hallucinagens' reference though

You are not taking this seriously enough. The thread will only get out of hand if you keep your head in that bucket of sand and ignore what you are being told. If you had really known your breeds and your dog you would never have brought in a male pup. You even admit your dog is so 'dominant' it is unable to get along with dogs that don't accept that. The situation right now is very serious. It only takes one fight for dogs to be killed. One fight, under supervision, you have no hope in hell of pulling two fighting bull-breed males apart if they want to fight. No hope at all. The decision may be taken right out of your hands. You may not have as many real options as you think you do. I fear for the safety of your dogs. Separate now, and understand that even with professional help you may never be able to have these two together. + a zillion!

I'm sorry if it seemed like I was suggesting Razor is a 'bad' dog. I wasn't. I know plenty of dogs who have had incidents like this who are wonderful dogs. I was only hoping to point out that although Razor is a lovely dog, he IS capable of really doing damage to a puppy, and that being attacked by a large adult dog IS traumatising for any other dog. As for waiting for the situation to escalate before separating them, (and having them together outside while a friend is home inside,), once it does escalate, it may be far too late. Razor has given a warning of what could happen again, often it is best to take notice of what our dogs are telling us, not wait to be told again. and yes, I have been through this myself. THere are many bull breed owners on here, and breeders, who are incredible sources of excellent information. It may be worthwhile to go into the bullbreeds breed pages at the top of DOL and ask for more specific advice and how they have managed these things themmselves.

we are really lucky in QLD Lots of wires :D (vizslas) they are a wonderful breed with great temperaments and stunning to look at. Pretty sure that will be my next baby if I'm allowed any more! I get lots and lots of cuddles

I realise you are reluctant to separate them, but please do especially if you are not home. Even when you are at home it would only take seconds for the worse to happen. You know your dogs and we dont, but that does not change the fact that there has been a pretty serious dust up. Have you taken the pup back to the vet to check his operation and puncture wounds? these can infect quickly and become serious problems. IMO a pup who has just been desexed should not be running with a large adult dog anyway,(especially if the larger dog may hump or be physically rough with the pup ) and pup may also need a bucket on his head to prevent pulling stitches etc. Other dogs also will pull stitches or lick the operation area. It does not matter what size the yard is, or how much the dogs 'like' each other, they need to be separated. I'm sure there is a way you can do this. A pup has no chance against a large dog and may even be suffering anxiety and nerves from the attack, not nice for the defenceless puppy at all. I really REALLY hope this has a positive outcome, K9 is excellent and knows his stuff inside out. You need a behaviourist or at least some professional advice.xxxx

I had a gorgeous Irish water spaniel in the 80s Shamus, he was a doll, very naughty very sweet, wonderful breed. We had wolfhounds int he 70s and 80s and no one ever knew what they were, also giant schnauzers and lakeland terriers. I dont expect people to know what they are, and sometimes when some breeds are not in show groomiing it can be hard to tell what is under all that fluff! Although the rats tail gives the spaniel away every time ;) adore PWDs, very very VERY clever breed.

I'd love to see a Catahoula leopard dog! Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a filthy italian spinone!!