Henrietta

:D It's probably just me. I have a weird perception of things sometimes. Everytime I meet a breed in the flesh, it's either much bigger or much smaller (usually bigger though) than I expected. Even when I take out the tape measurement and read the standard.

Gilbert is so handsome! I just love the scruffy face. Edit - I don't think I have ever met a purebreed JRT and something tells me I may be suprised at their size... they seem larger than I expected. Perhaps because I am used to seeing Mini Foxie x JRT?? I'll have to look at some DOL profiles, it could be just my imagination. Ok, am looking through some now. The height was as I expected, but they are more solid than I expected (not in a fat way!) And when you don't see them beside a human, they give the impression of a bigger dog. They are a very handsome breed.

BYB here. It's not something I would do again. For a couple of reasons. Ethically, I will not do that again. I will only support ethical breeders who are striving to do the right thing by their dogs and their breed or an ethical rescue. The other key points for me are health and temperament. Touch wood, I have been lucky with my girl's health so far (and honestly I keep thanking my lucky stars here, it's not something I take for granted). But temperament? Well, I got myself a timid pup and I didn't help matters by not recognising this and making some key errors. I love this dog so much and like many fear aggressive dogs, she is an absolutely wonderful with her family and to be honest, a joy to live with. But there is a lot of work involved and a lot of management, a lot of training. It isn't so bad for me, as I am lucky that I have a dog I can manage and handle and I have received some excellent help. But I don't want to paint it as all roses. There are frustrations and tears, although as time goes on, they seem less and less and the small, yet satisfying triumphs seem to be taking over. Truth be told, I don't want to repeat the experience if possible and I think that given the knowledge and experience I have gained and through the help of others, I will have set myself up pretty well for next time! My chances of getting a dog with a lovely temperament are increased if I do my research and find myself an ethical breeder. And my time with my girl, researching, training etc, has made me more aware of what I would ideally want in a dog, what breed characteristics I value and what I can personally provide for a dog.

I would be thinking along the same lines too. And I would think that the things they find most fun, are things we also find the most fun, whether we realise or not, which leads to more rehearsal.

Is this the same dog that barks under the bed covers? I think I love your dog, she is funny. Mmm... I've never experienced this to the extent you are describing. My girl does love her box, so any opportunity, she is on it and ready to go but I think she sees it as a toy. If she sees her ball/tug/rabbit/frisbee, she'll want to play, if she sees her box, she'll want to play. She will occasionally offer behaviours, but none more so than others. Certainly not backing into her crate or out of the room!

Awww... I think so too. It made me smile.

Hi Aussie, I'm not sure that aggression can be defined as a history of injury to another dog (although I can see where you are coming from). My dog is aggressive, but has never caused injury due to a combination of what I am sure was dumb luck initially and then through management once I realised for sure I had some issues. For me, there were heaps of signs that something was not quite right, that let me know that there were certain situations I couldn't put my dog in. Looking back, I'm sure I missed a lot right at the beginning as I was quite inexperienced. I have a definition of aggression in my head, but I'm no behaviourist. I think it comes down to what is appropriate behaviour and what is inappropriate behaviour. The dog that corrects another for 'rude' behaviour is displaying appropriate behaviour, whilst a dog that barks, lunges and growls simply because a dog is in the general vicinity is not displaying very appropriate behaviour. I don't know if that is very helpful, is it? If people are being responsible about exercising their dogs, I don't have a problem. But this comes down to the individual dog and owner. There are things I would never do, because I simply do not have the confidence to do so, even if we had a very high level of training under my belt. This is just me though.

My girl is not offleash unless on my property or another secure private property. I do frequently go to quiet areas at quiet times (not offleash parks though) where I can have a clear view of the environment around me. I then let her on a long line and we run and train and play together. I believe offlead exercise is important and I do try and get out and about a bit more than just our leashed walks, backyard exercise or visiting friends. It's not quite the same as an offleash romp, but I find she is much more worn out when she goes and explores an area on a long leash, complete with running, sniffing and some training and play thrown in for good measure.

This afternoon we went to a friends place, did some training and played in her securely fenced paddock. Much fun had by all. And I have one very tired dog now.

Thanks! I know it is just another verbal communication tool for dogs (like barking), but I just found it interesting that the three dogs in my life all have different levels of whinging. None, two times a day, and pretty much constant (well it feels constant sometimes ) And reverse that for barking - mine has a natural barking tendency, my parents' dog probably barks once a day if that and my nan's dog barks very rarely.

Slightly inane topic, but I am curious. Does your dog whine? My little dog doesn't. On the other hand, she is a loud player, very vocal and she can be a barker when excited. I'd hazard a guess and say that if she were left in the backyard to do little else than exist, she would be every neighbours worst nightmare. She also occasionally 'gruff gruffs' which, I suppose is her form of whinging. But yes, I've never heard her whine. My grandmother's kelpie x GSD cross, on the other hand is a whinger/whiner and very vocal in this way. My parents' dog is not big on whinging, but they have created a 6am/pm monster, so she will whinge and carry on then, waiting to be fed. What about your dog? I suppose some breeds are more predisposed to whining, much the same as barking.

Neither dog humps. I remember when my girl was a puppy, she humped a pillow once. I didn't say or do much. I just thought at the time... oh I've got a humper, I must look into that. But then she never did it again...

Great pics. I know it's different, but my little one went through what seemed like a stage of rolling in (possom or bat) crap about five minutes before we were due to leave for the vets/training/visit grandma or anything that required being in my car and interacting with humans. If we were just going for a walk it wouldn't be so bad. But I've become very good at the quick fix bath. Every now and then she trundles through the house with mud on her. She has this one spot that she likes to dig (usually when she is playing chasy - she runs to the hole and starts digging and then jumps down in a play bow gruffing away and starts digging again. It one hole, so I let it be, although I am forever refilling it, safe in the knowledge that it will be excavated again. It's in the cutest little corner of my yard too, were neither dog can actually go running at full speed, so it not a safety hazard. So anyway, sometimes it get muddy and she gets muddy. If it's dry, she just gets dusty, but it's quite entertaining seeing her go to town with this hole. She is not a hole digger in any other place? Except for the sandpit I bought for search and rescue purposes (treats and toys that is). She is an impeccably clean eater though...

really?? Next time you are in Brissy let me know! No word of a lie! Thanks Huski, I will. Seriously, please do. Just don't bring any donuts with you. Or, you know, anything edible. My beagle is always hungry and can smell a Krispy Kreme from a mile away. Noted. No donuts for Daisy. Edit - actually, just no food... Huski, I do tell a lie! I have met a beagle... at the Ekka with you. Do you remember the Tri that seemed really tiny? But I'll still take you up on that offer!

:rofl: really?? Next time you are in Brissy let me know! No word of a lie! Thanks Huski, I will. Seriously, please do. Just don't bring any donuts with you. Or, you know, anything edible. My beagle is always hungry and can smell a Krispy Kreme from a mile away. Noted. No donuts for Daisy. Edit - actually, just no food...

really?? Next time you are in Brissy let me know! No word of a lie! Thanks Huski, I will.

Is now a good time to confess that I have actually never met a beagle?! I'd love to though!!

Hi PF. What kinds of breeds or breed groups are predisposed to low/high bite threshold and low/high bite inhibition? The only examples I could possibly come up with was a typical retriever bred for a soft mouth and perhaps a ACD - breed for tenacity to work with cattle? Am I on completely the wrong track here? Very interesting discussion KHM!

Tibetan Terrier Miniature Poodle Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Shetland Sheepdog Papillon Havanese Greyhound Hungarian Vizsla German Shorthaired Pointer Brittany My tastes are actually becoming more predictable as time goes on. I remember once upon a time I had a dog from every group and every conceivable breed history in my lists. The more I research, the more refined my tastes get, the more I start think that I know what I really want. The Saluki comes in at number 11, but I'll admit right now that that is simply because they are the most beautiful dog in the world. I doubt I'll ever be a good owner for one. I still love the utility gundogs and I hope I'll own one - one day (probably a Vizsla). But I really love the littlies. There are a couple of other smaller breeds that fascinate me such as the Schipperke, the Miniature Pinscher and Swedish Vallhund, but probably not to own. I fell in love with the greyhound when I first met them. Lovely dogs.

Abby came to me to teach me the fundamental basics that people should know before they allow a dog into their lives. And then some. She also came to me to reinforce the importance of responsibility and dedication. This does not come close to describing all the things she has taught me, but you don't need a novel. I think all dogs teach you things, all of them. But I'd be hard pressed to find another that could compete for sheer volume of knowledge.

Yes, I found this too. I am always going back and re-reading them. I also have Brenda Aloff's 'Aggression in Dogs - Practical Management, Prevention and Behaviour Modification'. It is large and heavy and not for a quick read through, but I am constantly going over it and rethinking my approaches and tweaking things a little. Edit - I got some great practical exercises out of Control Unleashed but it was aimed at a slightly different set of dogs and owners than I. My dog is reactive and fear aggressive though.

No problem, Greytmate.

Thanks Veanna, Onyx sounds like a lot of fun!

Is health testing routinely done in this country? How would these guys like training and dog sports? Are they fairly active?

Well, that was kind of my line of thinking Angelsun... gives us something really fun and positive to do. I'm really excited!