dee lee

All I could think was "what is wrong with that GSD?". :laugh: I swear that Goldie is the spitting image of my dog in all ways. Colour, face & the ability to literally inhale food- did you notice the way the last pieces of spaghetti got sucked in?

Jed, with kids & a decent suburban yard, why would you rule out retrievers? We have kids, a tiny house & a small courtyard, & have a Golden Retriever- she probably gets more exercise than most dogs, through necessity. I think it's a popular misconception that the larger the dog, the larger the home needs to be.

I'm confused about the kid thing too. From my experience most breeders were concerned about toddlers with dogs- with your youngest being 5, I can't see the problem. School aged kids are much more robust & sensible, and kids and dogs are a match made in heaven!! Anyway... I'm a big advocate for larger dogs, IMO, while they may be bigger as puppies, they aren't more boisterous than a small/medium dog. I've seen crazy little pups go way nuttier than big pups. But, I note your repeated mention of jogging? I've learnt that not all dogs are created equal in the jogging partner stakes. My Goldie kept up with me for a few of her younger years, but not so much since she turned 6- which is pretty young still. She still comes with me, but only on shorter runs & not every day. It's just a breed limitation I've discovered. Then there's the fact that for the first 18 months, you shouldn't jog with pups. Not a long running career if you choose the wrong breed. Just something to consider. I know I'm keeping that in mind for my next breed.

My dog is a total love tart, anyone, anywhere will do if they offer pats. But I know her heart belongs to me. :) And maybe my youngest child. If we cuddle, my dog has to squeeze between us- & I'm not sure who she is jealous of! Or maybe she just wants to get in the middle of her two favourite people. It's quite sweet, if a little tricky at times... :laugh:

Lol, I do lay it on thick a bit when it comes to my dog! :laugh: But I do want to temper my glowing review with a touch of general dog ownership reality- dogs are all very different & you have to be prepared to roll with various problems that do pop up. Even within one breed, no two dogs are the same & even if you end up with (and I hope you do) a gorgeous pup or dog perfect for you, that dog will at some stage cause you to have to deal with "something". It may be that a neighbour moves in with a roaming cat that stirs your dog up to bark & the neighbours complain, or that your dog ends up with hotspots, or develops a bad habit of humping others at the park, or any number of unanticipated naughty things. Trust me, there will be something... (eg my "perfect" dog chases sky writing!! ) so you just need to understand whether you get a Goldie or any of your other breed choices, you need to be prepared to deal with whatever pops up. But it will be worth it. :)

Where would you suggest I look for one? The 'Mature Dog' section of dogzonline.com? That may help - or go to General Dog Discussion - and ask this as a new thread/post :) Explain that you are thinking of XYZ breed/s - and are seeking a young adult ? Once you decide on a breed - you may also find one on the pet rescue pages- or the pages of whatever breed it is :) an example- a Goldie rescue page HERE a Westie Rescue page , HERE Good luck :) Oh yes, great idea, Perse! Batmanforever, 5 years ago, we adopted our Goldie when she was 2 years old from Golden Retriever Rescue. Best thing we ever did. :) I didn't want a pup (for various reasons) & GRR personally picked our beautiful dog to fit in with our young family. They could not have found a dog better suited to us. Cons of the breed? Aside from the shedding, I think they are pretty easy dogs to live with. I believe individual personalities dictate the more troublesome issues. My dog doesn't chew everything, but we are careful not to leave tempting items (such as textas and soft chewy plastic toys) lying around- in my experience most breeds have the potential for chewing, retrievers aren't necessarily known for it. In fact, most I know of prefer to (for example) carefully carry shoes around rather than chew them!! With the health problems, hips can be an issue, but by ensuring they don't carry extra weight & they are fit, my understanding is that goes a long way to assist in helping any potential problems developing prematurely. As my dog's breeding is uncertain, I make sure she is slim & exercised daily. So far so good, at nearly 8 she's still jogging with me. I can't think of any breed specific cons though. You get the full range of overly boisterous & destructive to calm & biddable in all breeds. I mostly chose to adopt an older dog to take a bit of the guesswork out of that. But the flip side of that is that my dog has her own nutty quirks that I possibly could have avoided by getting her as a pup & training her from the beginning. I wouldn't trade her for the world though. :D

My choice would be a Goldie, obviously. :D They are wonderful companions, love to be with their humans & have beautiful sweet natures. They definitely need a decent amount of daily exercise, but they are not overly energetic. The major downside I find is the shedding. In summertime, even with daily brushing (which I generally don't do), it's particularly relentless. Easy to sweep up though because it's long hair & it clumps together. I swear about it regularly, but to be honest, I find it's a worthwhile price to pay for such a wonderful dog. Their hair isn't known for causing asthma, but you probably should visit a breeder & check whether it does affect you. Too powerful? I wouldn't say so. While they can be strong (I've met some very big, powerful boys), they are generally pretty biddable as a breed & if you start training straight away, you shouldn't have a problem.

Honey will pick up a shoe or toy whenever we walk through the door, call her or even get up. I am always finding a single shoe in odd places. She has never chewed a single one- though I don't ever want to use my (previously) fluffy (now slobbery) slippers again... Yuck! It seems to me it's like a compulsion- she will drop it if you ask but you can see she's itching to pick it up again. :laugh:

I think you did ok, StressMagnet. :) It was a ridiculously over the top reaction from someone obviously just spoiling for a fight. Practice your recall, & until it's terrific, don't let your dog too far out of your range when off lead. My dog would love to stroll up to a strange group looking for food or pats, but I don't let her. If I see such a group up ahead, I make sure she comes back closer to me and stays within easy grabbing range til we have passed. Being an extremely biddable dog, she's not as well trained as she should be (yes, my bad) so I make sure she's close to me so I can keep control. Better safe than sorry. I've witnessed similar scenes to the one you describe (they even happen in fancy east Sydney parks :laugh: ) & I never trust random groups of strangers to behave nicely.

I saw some in PetBarn today!

I think a while back we had a lot of long time Dolers who were very opinionated & their topics and posts inspired a lot of lively discussion. They've all been banned or moved on over the last few years. I've noticed their absence too. I miss them. Well some of them. :laugh:

Tried my local vet - he says they are still waiting for stock, which has been promised by the distributors for a couple of months now. Reckons it will miss this summer. Bummer. Stuck with Advantix.

Seems a bit conspiracy theory focused... Big Pharma etc & it is American, so the suggestion from one poster that ticks can't poison your dog so don't risk poisoning them with the product is not relevant to the paralysis ticks here. I recall similar hysteria when Comfortis came out. There are always claims of toxic reactions to these new products. Of course there will be some dogs who are sensitive to the ingredients. That doesn't mean all dogs will be. I once had a vet rant at me when I tried to buy Proban- claiming it had been stopped from production due to poisoning dogs. Which was not true- the ingredients are no longer available. But then that was likely just a Big Pharma lie I'd been told... I'm thinking this product is a great alternative for the reasons that have been listed before. I'll be looking for it.

Fantastic!! I used to use Proban before it stopped being available, living in a non-tick area, it was perfect for our visits to tick areas. The added benefit being it was ingested so I didn't have to worry about my dog swimming (I never feel entirely convinced topicals don't wash off). I use Advocate for fleas & Advantix for our holidays. I hate Advantix, it's greasy in the fur and I have to apply every two weeks if I'm near ticks. If this product is as good for fleas, and easy to come by, I'll be using it instead of the Advocate! And if I could buy an ingestible tablet for warding off mozzies, I would!!

Maybe have Ben as your standby and once you've moved in, ask the regulars at your local dog park where they go. There are likely several to choose from. :)

Dee Lee, Bruno is our first Boxer, and I have fallen so in love with the breed that he won't be the last. I'm glad that you have met some good ones to compensate for the bad experiences. :) I'll have to quiz you about Bruno one day- they tick a lot of boxes for me. :)

Next time I want a gunbreed, or similar, with short hair that likes running. Short list is (in order- this week anyway :laugh: ) Pointer, GSP, Viszla. But then... I have been falling in love with a couple of young Boxers I've seen at my local park- I had been turned off by a bad few experiences some years ago, but these ones are lovely & may change my mind. I wonder if I'll be up for the challenge in a couple of years.

Another inside big dog with small yard here. We adopted our GR at 2yrs & she refused to toilet on anything other than grass & had to be off lead. Tricky when we live in a tiny innercity terrace house with a tiny paved courtyard. So she had to be taken out for timed toilet trips, luckily we have a couple of small parks in our immediate vicinity. It's not hard, it just becomes part of your routine. She's locked inside while we are at work all day so if we need to do something after work, we are committed to someone coming home to let her wee before going out again. I don't find that a hassle at all, it's just the way it is. She gets a good amount of exercise too, we jog together most days, it's great for both of us. Oh and as someone said, fetch is great exercise for indoor dogs! It makes it so much easier.

I think he's just being a typical Goldie sook. :laugh: Honey squirms when she gets brushed standing, but is very happy to lie down for a brush- she'll even flip over for me to do the other side! I find it easier to check her over for matts this way too (she gets itchies in spring & chews knots into her fur). If I need to give her a quick once over though, she gets put in a stay stand & just has to suck it up even if it means I have to straddle her! I find her pants & tail are her most sensitive areas- I do suspect it is ticklish uncomfortable. When she's shedding I use a zoom groom - I had it here from our last short haired dog & was surprised to find it is great for getting excess coat out! Mostly though I use a cheap slicker, which works much better than our old pin brush- gets out matts without pulling. I'm pretty happy with it. Do you need to trim the pads?

Awful situation! I'll admit, I let my 10 & nearly 12 yo kids hold my GR's lead when we all go out walking, but I'm always within grabbing distance. She is also quite placid. But I wouldn't let them walk her on their own. I agree with whoever said it's not just kids who can be a problem, but the elderly & frail. I have had the misfortune to come across a large rude adolescent Great Dane in my local park, being walked by an elderly couple, the man being in a wheelchair. The dog tried to bully & chase my dog, who was clearly frightened, & it got quite dangerous for me when she tried to hide behind me & had this immense dog nearly running into me. The man obviously was in charge of the dog, trying to command it to stop, but was physically restricted being in a wheelchair, so instead his silly old wife was ineffectually trying to chase and grab it. I came across them twice with the same result & after that watched out for them & would leave if I saw them. Stupid idiots, I think he actually thought he was some kind of dog training expert.

I think the biggest mistake many first time owners make is assuming all dogs are the same in terms of temperament & traits, & that the only difference is in appearance. Different breeds are suited to different people (a lesson I learnt the hard way )

Lol, I was just going to say the opposite! :laugh:

Yes, the horses seemed unphased but she was still pretty pissed off that I didn't have good enough recall over my dog. I did see her point, but unfortunately there are a few things that get my nut bag dog in full bolt/drive- I knew horses were one (skywriting is another!!) but I honestly didn't expect to see any in a city off lead park!! She is on a permanent lead when we go to the country for that reason- I don't fancy her getting kicked in the head! I know better now & avoid the park that is enroute from their stables to centennial park- I know I can't trust my dog.

I will never forget the first time my silly high drive dog saw the police horses in training at Moore Park. Not what I'd expected to come across & she bolted over & started barking at them. Took me a bit to reach her & get her under control (she was in the zone ) & meantime I copped a bollocking from the policewoman in charge. Sure it was a fair call, but I was seriously surprised to come across them so I was unprepared, like I would be in the country!!

Oh moi gawd!!! You go girlie!!! You were amazeballs, Ruth!!! :D And it's funny, I haven't seen you in aaaaages & I was watching that & thinking your accent had completely faded! :laugh: