dee lee

If Honey hears one of the kids crying, she races to them with a very concerned look on her face & insists on putting her muzzle on their lap- she won't take no for an answer. In fact, she'd try to get her whole body on their lap if they let her!! :laugh: It's funny how anxious she gets- its almost like she is thinking "oh no!! The babies!!!". It's lovely, nothing like fluffy cuddles when you are sad. With me she is much calmer if I'm upset- same muzzle treatment though!

Oh no, I am so sad to hear this news. My deepest condolences to you all. xx

I bath my dog with nice smelling shampoo, wash her bedding regularly, only have floorboards, keep doors & windows open, & often burn a scented candle (I dont care that they are expensive- am happy to pay $30-40 every 6 months for a nice smelling house). I'm told my house doesn't smell. :) Though it did last week after the bloody dog rolled in fish scales down at the park!! All good now though, bathed & smelling lovely.

I haven't find this to be the case at all. We regularly have our dog at outdoor seating in cafes & pubs in the inner city. She has always been warmly welcomed & usually provided with water. And I have taken her inside shops (after asking) often too. Generally if it's not a food based business I will ask. About 80% of places are fine with it. I don't feel bad about those that aren't, & will just return another time when I don't have the dog. Most sydney councils choose to turn a blind eye to dogs outside cafes. Those that didnt soon changed their minds after angry campaigns by dog owning residents. I dont find my dog restricted much at all & to be honest, I have more problem with friends & family members who don't like dogs.

Depends on the dog, the owner, how it is raised, etc I have two dogs, one is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and the other a WL Malinois. Both very different dogs and both can easily deal with <30 mins per day exercise when required. And with a whole week of 40+ degree temps coming up that (along with a few short training sessions for the Mal) is pretty much what they will be getting! Admittedly my dogs are in the house with me for the majority of the day though. Given that the way that the average (non dogsport/show/DOL/etc orientated) family in Australia treats their dogs - thrown in the backyard and expected to entertain itself with little to no training or exercise - I think the family in the OP will be fine. Where does it say the dog will be thrown outside with no contact? I believe the OP mentioned this family are willing to offer the dog restricted inside access and around 30 mins exercise every day. They obviously have some idea.. For what it's worth I'd suggest a Golden or perhaps a lower energy Lab.

We just got back from a 30 min run. I think she's tired... :laugh:

I think most posters have missed that the OP said the dog will be allowed inside (in some areas) when they are home- outside when they are not. Hardly an outside only situation. As for the 30mins exercise- i personally think it IS do-able if its the right kind of exercise. A half hour strenuous game of fetch would tire out most dogs. Certainly does my GR.

It depends on what kind of exercise you do. My Goldie would be (& often has to be) happy with 30 minutes exercise of constant ball throwing. Or 30 mins of jogging with me. A daily 30 min stroll wouldn't cut it though. & great family dogs, Golden retrievers, I highly recommend them... if you can handle the shedding. Though, I do notice it less when we are staying somewhere she spends more time outside- she is an almost wholly inside dog in our house.

Highly unlikely, Ziggy was adopted from the pound by Staffyluv, so would have been breed identified by the rangers firstly when he arrived at the pound & secondly when he was sold & microchipped. The rangers at Queanbeyan are personable & professional - you have nothing to fear, Staffyluv, & hopefully the woman has taken up residence under the bridge again..... or wherever else she came from! This is a very good point & I think you should focus on that. This woman was wrong on all counts & even if she did proceed with her threats, the council won't just assume she is correct. The experience I have had with reporting an agressive dog has shown me that there is a lot more process involved than just reporting. The council are required to follow up, but there are a whole heap of requirements that need to be fulfilled before they can take action.

I've had both a bad rescue experience & wonderful one. My bad experience was a terrible combination of not-so-good foster carer and non compatible dog. Because of that I would never adopt directly from the pound & I'll stick to breed rescue or a purebred pup.

Honey lost her nice pretty love heart tag last week. Now she has to wear her plain shopping centre engraved spare tag... Oh the shame & humiliation...

To my eye it looks to be purebred. I can't see any other breed in it and it's owners are elderly & foreign (ie- not up to confirmation! :laugh: ). I quite like Maltese, they are a spunky little breed with a great look, but over the years (though i admit, more in the past)I have seen too many spoilt ones that have been aggressive due to being treated as lap dogs. It's a shame.

JerryLee, we get that you are a terrier fan, but you need to accept that all breeds/types have pros & cons. Terriers have very forceful personalities that require a certain kind of owner or problems can develop. My next door have a Maltese. It's a real PITA. Cute as a button & one of the most vicious dogs I know. Bad combo that seems quite common for the breed. Possibly why they aren't as common as they used to be.

What about a Standard Poodle? The ones I see at our park are certainly not soft in their play & would probably cope with dobes.

We have several Wheatens at my local park- they are so pretty. Gun dogs are overwhelming favourites though, lots of GSPs, Pointers, Viszlas, Weims, Labs & Goldies. Not sure what that indicates. :laugh:

Yes, this is exactly what I have done, both with my DA & bombproof dogs. Neither of them needed the extra socialization (too late for the DA one), but I do think desensitization is helpful.

I've had both a DA dog & now a bomb proof dog, & no, I don't think it's a good idea. With my DA dog, I did try the meet & greet in an effort to teach her good associations. I had a lovely Doler offer to help me (hi Ruthless if you are reading!!) & the first time we met, my dog lunged and bit her dog (no damage) without warning. I was mortified & from then on was terrified of it happening again (& risking her hurting another dog). The risk is too high, it's not worth it. I have, however, allowed my bombproof dog near a couple of onlead DA dogs. Because I empathise with the problem, I have been happy to have my dog in a sit onlead, near but out of range. She has never been phased by the other dog's behaviour. But I would never risk her being bitten by a within range greet. Just as I wouldnt risk my DA dog doing the biting!

Ugh, I have a couple of friends & relatives who are rude about my dog. Makes me want to stab them... I try to ignore it but it annoys me no end- its MY house MY dog, you are my GUEST!!!! So rude.

As long as you keep walking and don't do the hang around in groups thing, I think offlead parks are fine. Generally, the main problems I see are with the packs of dogs playing with each other while the owners chit chat. These are the only dogs I've ever had give my dog grief. I avoid them like the plague. I love our local parks but then, I am either running on the periphery with my dog or am away from other dogs playing fetch with her. We have limited interactions with other dogs, plus, doing it every day, we know which dogs to keep away from (ie there is a bullying BC that I always shoo away, much to the owner's chagrin- screw her, maybe she should control her bratty mutt...) Works for us & I think offlead parks are a valuable resource if used wisely.

My dog suffers a bit of phobia too. I was advised to create positive experiences during storms- play games, feed treats etc. But she is too aroused and just keeps whining and racing around if I try those things. The best I can manage is being tough on her & trying to get her to do some training. She tends to respond to that. I spent about an hour reinforcing her staying on her bed the other night- its the only thing that seemed to calm her. But it's pretty exhausting to have to do that- she breaks her stay constantly & eventually I just cave & let her run around. (though afterwards the training does seem to take the edge off her anxiety) We are also close to Sydney harbour & it's firework season, so we get a double whammy....

No, its generally not a tick area. Once you get out of the inner suburbs it's more likely. I live in the inner east & only use added tick protection when taking my dog walking in bushy areas outside of the city.

I use advocate for fleas & will be using advantix as well whenever we head to tick areas (usually only during holidays). I recently tried to use just Advantix & it made my GR's fur greasy after absorption- for weeks! . Anyone else find this? It has never happened with the Advocate, so I've decided to go back to it.

Yuck, I know where dogs like to lick, I don't want to be licked after that...

I've had a dog that i loved straight away, but that caused so much difficulty to our lives within weeks of bringing her home, that I couldn't sustain that bond. I'd come home from our daily traumatic walk (she was badly DA- I couldn't walk her within blocks of another dog without her going ballistic, despite training), sit on the step in tears & tell her how much better her life would be if she'd get over her issues. Then she'd jump on me uncontrollably & knock me over... It was a heartbreaking time. After a long time spent trying to deal with her issues, we had to accept that management of her DA wasn't working in our house & she was pts. I am not sure I un-bonded as such, I just was emotionally numb with the trauma of the situation. I know it broke my heart to hold her as she died, so maybe the bond was still there?

I'm always planning, but there won't be a new dog til Honey is gone (she's only 5) OR we move to a bigger place (very unlikely). I just like to dream about what I will get next. It's always changing- Honey is the perfect dog for us but the shedding drives me bonkers, so I'm not sure I could do a GR again. So I go round and round, Viszla, Weim, GSP, then I think, no, the GR is perfect, what's a little hair???... Then after I have swept for the 4th time in one day... Im back to Viszla again! :laugh: It'll take me another 8 years to decide- I'm hoping Honey is long lived!