Staffyluv

Direct link to the post in health My searches never work either - I just knew that was there from previous experience in the subject :)

Most of the time I train them together - I find she fits in really well with what I am doing with Zig. Probably why she is so far in front of the rest of her beginners class. I do work with Zig at the park on our own for about 10 minutes or so and he also gets a 20 minute run. Zippy gets about 5-10 minutes of training on her own at the park as well and 15 minutes of sniff time. So all up it takes me an hour a day or every second day, outside the house and at home I take every opportunity to 'train'. Sit stay for dinner, heel in and out of the house (I work from home and come in and out of the house a few times a day). This is easy to do with both of them wanting to work and they do so well together. It is cool watching them heel together beside me (Zig is always the one on the inside close to my leg and Zippy is on the outside but right next to Zig). If Zip is especially distracting for Zig, I just leave her in the house and work with him in the yard.

Good suggestions for dealing with your dog when people and dogs come down the lane way. I am assuming DDs suggestion about turning the hose on the kid is tongue in cheek and joking as it is actually assault to do so :D But I could completely understand why you would want to do that

From the health section.. Human anit-histamine use in dogs: 1. NAME 2. FORMULATION 3. DOSAGE 1. POLARAMINE (dexchlorhenrinamine) 2. 2mg and 6mg tablets also 0.4mg/ml elixir 3. dogs <10kg give 2mg dogs 10.1-30kg give 4mg dogs over 30kg give 6mg 1. PHENERGAN (promethazine) 2. 10mg and 25mg tablets 1mg/ml elixir 3. 1mg per 10kg of bodyweight 1. TELFAST (fexofenadine) 2. 60mg, 120mg and 180mg tablets 3. 2mg per kg bodyweight NOTE:TABLET SIZE MAKES DOSING FOR SMALL DOGS IMPOSSIBLE 1. CLARYTYNE (Ioratadine) 2. 10mg tablets (also comes in a elixir now not sure of stregth just yet!) 3. for dogs less then 20kg give 1/2 tablet for dogs over 20kgs give 1 tablet 1. ZYRTEC (Cetirizne) 2. 10mg tablets and 1mg/ml and 10mg/ml elixirs 3. for dogs up tp 20kgs give 5mg for dogs over 20kgs give 10mg

Thanks BC, I had Zig and the foster pup, Zipp, doing long stays at home this morning and the foster (who is only in beginners) was staying longer the he was.. But in class he was doing really well - especially considering that less than a year ago, he was a nightmare to even walk.

We have our advanced assessment next week - I can't believe the progress he as made in the last few weeks. He is doing stand for exams, long sit and drop stays and recall from about 10m away - all off lead. Our instructor walks in and around the dogs while they are waiting for the recalls and their stays (even tossing a ball up in the air and catching it to increase distraction) and still he stays until called. Thought I would post an updated pic of my gorgeous boy.. 8.9.2013 by jamoore photos, on Flickr

I am so sorry Jules - I wish there was something someone could say to make it easier. RIP Joey

Don't leave - just put them all ignore (whoever it is that is causing you issue).. I have a few on ignore now and DOL is a much nicer place for it.. That way, you get to stay, help where and when you can - not everyone is going to take advice (from those that know what they are talking about or others who just think they do).. It is a big community here and we don't all necessarily agree with everyone. I have learned to read the stuff I like, skim over a lot of the rest and totally ignore a bit as well.. I know what gets on my goat, so I avoid those threads and situations.

A clam shell pool really isn't that deep for a medium or large dog. I wouldn't leave one for a very young puppy but you can also get small ones (or smaller containers that could be used for the same purpose), that would be suitable for small dogs and pups - I also wouldn't fill it right up for small dogs and pups... I think as long as the dog or pup can jump in and out without trouble there is no real issue leaving it for them to stay cool in summer

That is true - I own a pound mutt and consider myself a very good owner. I do everything I can for my boy - we go to obedience training, he is walked, played with, socialised, fed good quality food and vetted when he needs it. My foster dogs get exactly the same as my boy when they are here.. However, we see so many dogs in pounds and I would hazard a guess and say that over 90% of dogs in pounds are BYB 'purebreds' and cross breeds. So from that alone - one could assume that those buying BYB dogs do in fact not care for them as much as those buying registered purebred dogs.

Just a point here westiemum - the demand for well bred, typical pedigree Staffordshire Bull Terriers is no where near satisfied. BYBer's abound in the breed, breeding crappy dogs of all colours to say nothing of the crossbred "staffys" and these ARE hugely over-represented in pounds. There would be a tiny number of well bred typical Staffords which are in a pound through anything other than being genuinely lost. So true Sandra - there was a local stafford show here in Canberra a little while ago and they had a visiting judge - she was quite surprised at the dogs and bitches being shown and their 'lack' of true form - although she did also say how lovely some of them were on the day.. Her comments were along the lines of long in the body, no good rear form (I think she meant that their rumps were lean compared to the front end).. Heads were small or large - not in proportion to body size. It was an interesting read - I will try to find it and put a link up.. Good SBT breeders are out there but there are so many BYBers and others who don't care about the true form and temperament breeding and selling just anything.. Edited to add the link for the show in Canberra - it is a link to a facebook page for the club.. My link

Every lump should be checked, every single one... I learned that lesson the hard way and it ended up costing an arm and a leg over 6 years for treatment and supplements. I would do it again in a heart beat but in all honesty, I really wish I had pushed the issue and checked them so much sooner than they were aspirated. In saying that, I would think that most lumps are probably nothing to worry about - but in my opinion, it is much better to be safe (and out of pocket a few bucks for the vet and pathology) than it is to be sorry and out of pocket a whole lot.. Or worse, the loss of a pet.

My sons girlfriend was really upset last week due to her beloved yellow lab getting out (trades left the gate open) and he was picked up by the pound (DAS). She called them and also emailed them a photo of her boy and they told her he wasn't there. She went out there, two days later, after I told her to go and check and he was there - from the first day he went missing. She was told, there were no yellow labs there at all when she called both days to see if any had been bought in. He is chipped and apparently his chip wasn't scanning - funny as when she took him to the vet to get him checked over, after his ordeal, his chip scanned just fine. Mistakes happen - when dealing with lots of strays each week, sadly sometimes these things just happen (and the poor dog is the one to pay the price)..

Some dogs will try to swallow necks and or wings whole - if they do, take it off them and don't feed it again. Find another type of bone/meat that is more suitable. I feed a combination of Earthborn Holistic (Primitive) and raw meaty bones + some yoghurt or cottage cheese, sardines are also fed once a week instead of the breaky meat.. The dogs get a lamb rib (flap) or chook frame and some kibble of a morning. the amount of kibble depends on the size of the meaty bone.. if the chook frames are large, I will cut them in half and they get half each. Dinner is mostly kangaroo and kibble but occasionally they will get some beef. A marrow bone once a fortnight is more than enough and it lasts for ages because they will bury it and dig it up every day for a week.. Kong filled with cottage cheese mixed with kibble and a bit of peanut butter is also a great treat. In summer I freeze turkey wings (when I can get them) or necks in either water or watered down chicken stock as a big meaty ice block as a treat.

That is great news.. I have been thinking about this since I saw it this morning and was wondering if anyone knows how old the BT is?? I thought maybe the elderly owner had the dog to make her feel safe in a somewhat unsafe world.

So the JRT was off lead in an on lead area when the 'mauling' took place.

Yeah and it is the leashed dog that is in the pound, not the unleashed dog?? Go figure!

I really feel for dogs that are afraid of storms, sometimes it can be overcome and other times nothing seems to work.

It sounds to me like she is just an old dog, whose world has been turned upside down and she needs some time to adjust.. She has lost her family, come to a home where the resident dog seems to just 'tolerate' her. It hasn't been very long since she arrived and some dogs take longer to 'fit' in than others do. She quite possibly is pining for her lost family and really does just want to be close for a bit. I am sure she will settle given time - I think that is the only thing that will give her the confidence to just be at home with you rather than needing to be so near all the time.

Staffy, I'm only speculating, but 'victim factors' are involved in dogs' attacking (among other things). In my cases, the dogs were going full bore at my dogs. Not at me. Both our shelties & our tibbies were/are fluffy dogs. I read somewhere that the dogs with fluffy coats can be mistaken by other dogs, for having their hackles up in aggression. So I wonder if that's involved in why the attacking dogs waded right in. Does anyone know if there's any reliable information if dogs pick up certain cues about other dogs... which make them behave in a certain way? Not that we can test it :) but it'd be interesting if we could replay my situations.... but this time, I've got your big bull breed with me. Would the attacking dogs have then behaved differently???? I don't know if there is any reliable info on it but I think certain breeds create a reaction in some others because of the way they look or are standing (the very upright and forward looking dogs like boxers/sibes/staffs).. We have the sweetest boxer boy at training and he gets a reaction from so many dogs when he is near them. Zig has always been fine but when he approaches any dog, he nearly always ends up on his tummy or in a play bow before he gets to them.. He comes in all friendly and goofy and if they have a snipe, he rolls or flies around behind me. Zig was pinned at training last week. I didn't see the GSD off lead or I would never have let him off with the dogs that were having a run. A few of the dogs were having a play and when the dog had finished bailing up and pinning a lovely little Viz pup, she came after Zig - he took off and couldn't get back to me before she caught him by the scruff of his neck skin and pinned him to the ground. I think I was on her in just a few seconds, pulled her off by the scruff of her neck and her rump and managed to grab Zig before he took off on me. I kicked out at her when she came back for him again and by then a couple of others were there and they grabbed her for her owner. Her owner was mortified, leashed her and left. Zig was fine, the Viz pup was fine and they had a play (as they do after training every week).. There is a small group of us and all the dogs get along really well. This other dog was let off with ours once before and the same thing happened - she usually only picks on other females though.. But this time she went after Zig.. As scary as it was and silly - but I didn't think twice about grabbing her and pulling her off him.

All the dogs that've caused me problems have come like a rocket.... didn't falter (two from behind & one from the side). They charged at top speed. In three cases, there was no time to step in front... closest I got for one, was to put my arm in front of our sheltie (got bitten). Only once, with a German Shepherd thundering across a park at us, with high speed, did I have the luxury of time to step in front on my shelties & yell 'No....!' Dog didn't miss a beat. Fortunately, the owner on the other side of the park (where dogs had to be on leashes) heard me... & he hollered at his dog, which stopped metres from us. I'm not afraid of dogs of whatever their size..... but that day with the 2 shelties, I thought we'd had it. Like I said - so far so good... I don't doubt with the level of irresponsible owners that I may encounter a dog that doesn't stop. I must admit, I am like a hawk when out with the dogs, watching all the time - but I am in an area that I am comfortable and know very well. I also have a 27kg bull breed (a big woosy one that rolls over or runs away every time he has been confronted) that is happy to stand behind me if a dog is charging (old Ollie dog was the same)..

It is the same here - I am lucky in that my chosen type of dog is pretty robust (not that, that should make any difference but if they were attacked, they would stand a better chance than an iggy). I couldn't imagine having to keep Zig home and entertain him, he would drive me nuts pretty quickly. It took a while to work out which group at the dog park and what times were best to go - before I was comfortable there. In saying that, I am still very aware of him and if new dogs enter, we usually leave if they are a bit over the top as this can send Zig into over the top mode very quickly (not pretty to watch a dog go from playing happily in a group to running around annoying others). This is exactly what I do and have always done - step in front of my dogs and growl a loud and very clear warning to get away. So far so good.. After a couple of instances with Ollie dog, I used to carry an umbrella (one of the small compact ones but they open fast and it does scare most dogs off - opening in their face)..

I imagine your average back yard breeder wouldn't be bothered as they are only interested in getting the money for the pups (probably why most get sold off at about 6 weeks old)... Any good breeder that has spent time and energy in the bitch and her litter, will bother with these problems, because they want the best for their puppies..

That is right huski. Lots of people think because a dog wags his tail, he is friendly... We have one at obedience, the dog wags his tail and his owner thinks he is happy to be close to the other dogs and then he attacks.. They are working with him but I told them last time they bought him up near Zig that I wasn't happy or comfortable with her dog that close to mine. I can see her dog go stiff, still and he moves his tail very slow but wags it and she thinks he is happy..

You can't control the world but you can do your best in an educated manner. I'm talking about those that have a blatant arrogance or disregard. I see working or specialty breeds advertised as family pets ready to go to the first person who adopts them. I get a steady stream of rescue dogs - anxiety, shyness, fear, snapping, reactivity etc. Why are these dogs adopted out in this condition? I thought the point of rescue was to ensure the dog gets a decent second chance in life, not to become a pinball or end back up in rescue because they are still problem dogs. We are being conditioned, nay berated in some instances to take dogs that are of poor temperaments because we're 'saving a life'. Hence, we perpetuate the idea that shoddy temperaments are in some way acceptable, so we keep taking them. People also feel sorry for a bad temperament pup so they buy and keep it. Dog bites are on the rise because we're becoming more permissive and less realistic. Bad dogs used to go straight to the vet, now we keep them going for whatever reason. I remember the days where the dog got scare and a smack if it tried to lay teeth on people, now we shove toys in their mouths and allow it as pups so they can learn bite inhibition themselves :laugh: Of course it's always the dogs fault these days too when they behave like dogs around us and we have skirted or avoided issues totally. For all our supposed laws, science and education we've regressed immensely in this country. One day we will wake up but like a lot of things, it will be when decent dogs are a distant memory and we look back thinking, shit we made a big mistake. Nek, a long time ago, I thought we 'could save them all', but that was my heart ruling my head.. There are some in rescue (although I don't really see it here on DOL) that still maintain we should save every dog and I don't agree with this attitude at all. I know we can't, my head tells me that there are some dogs in pounds that would be better off not being rescued. As a dog lover, this breaks my heart - more often than not it isn't the dogs fault it is the way it is (it is from bad breeding, bad upbringing, no training or socialisation etc).. I do feel sorry for dogs that don't make it - I can't help the way I feel but logically I understand why they shouldn't make it..