poodlefan

How far is it from the house to the bus stop??

I've posted this before but here's the science on what makes dogs dangerous: Some questions to ponder. 1. Was this a "family" dog or a "resident" dog? Quote from the USAs National Canine Research Council: 2. How many factors of this attack fit those identified by Karen Delise in her book Fatal Dog Attacks?

Poodiful: There's no such thing as a "dangerous breed". By that definition, any breed larger than about 15kg would be "dangerous". My friend's 10kg Miniature Poodle put 20 stitches in her arm. If he'd hit a vein or artery that attack might well have been fatal.

Agree. If you do decide to rehome, at least Odie will still be in the family.

What sort of organic food are we talking about?? Kibble or chilled foods?? I'd be interested in a decent Ozmade premium organic kibble. It wouldn't be cheap to produce but I'd pay for it.

She looks OK to me! My vet reckons 3 visible vertebrae is about right for a Whippet. They are naturally far leaner than most breeds.

How often a day is she fed? I found it impossible to keep Howie in good condition as a youngster without at least two meals a day. Feeding a higher fat kibble like a performance or power forumla might also help. I try for around the 20% fat mark for Howie's kibble. Mind you, a growing Whippet can be pretty ribby no matter how much you give them. Better that than having them resemble an egg on toothpicks.

Because Poodles are considered sissy dogs for sissy people and so not owned by the type who like to breed/raise thug dogs. Secondly, because the most often owned Poodles would be miniatures or toys so if a child gets bitten, the wound is small and not enough to require hospital attention. Certainly not enough to create a "newsworthy" picture of a face full of stitches. That's right, I agree. Ah, I miss the days of People Against Poodles (a very funny website IMO) They collected headlines like "Poodle kills two in Buenos Aires" In that case a poodle falling from a high rise apartment landed on someone killing them. A passer by got distracted by the incident and hit by a car as a result. From memory the poodle lived. The moment anti BSL folk start comparing banned breeds with any other in terms of the danger dogs present you know they really don't understand what they're arguing against. The moment they try to suggest that any dog is as capable of maiming a child as any other you know they're not thinking the issue through. Size matters. It is not breeds that are dangerous but the people that own them. Based on the sort of folk attracted to large breeds like Filas and Presas it doesn't break my heart that they are banned from import. But Australian BSL is ineffective, distracts from the real issue and has done untold damage to a breed that simply doesn't deserve the reputation. An enforced lifetime ban on dog ownership for any owner of any dog that attacks would probably do more good than banning the breed.

R&L: x 2 If a pinch collar is the difference between a dog being safely walked or never leaving the yard, then I say use the collar. I have seen one, I have had one on my arm and I have pulled it hard. It applies pressure, it does not pierce. Furthermore, it does not apply pressure unless it is actively engaged. I've never used one and never hope to need one but if you own a powerful dog with ingrained pulling habits then not much else is going to work. Ask K9Pro about the 65+ kg dog that dragged its handler over 100m to attack another dog. It was wearing a halti at the time as prescribed by the trainer consulted. You need to stand in the shoes of the owner before you decide whether is training method is "appropriate". I'd say a significant proportion of those who pass judgement on what they perceive as harsh training methods have never confronted the challenges some dogs create. Most dogs will never need anything like a pinch collar. Its the person using the training tool that determines if its kind or cruel. No one method of training works for all dogs. Try using click and treat to deal with an ingrained stock chaser. If the distraction is more rewarding to the dog than anything the handler can offer, then what????

Those poor dogs - clearly you need to buy another cat bed.

I agree. I think it would be money well spent. I would definitely be discouraging the humping in the meantime. If you don't stop it, your other dog may decide he has to and that's a situation you really want to avoid.

i thought a harness would be better because she's playing stubborn and just stops and i don't like pulling on the lead cos the collar just chokes her so i thought a harness would solve that problem. I don't think it will help you with that. You'll just end up tugging someting attached to her body. What you want is to encourage her forward with your voice, a toy or a treat. How far are you walking her? How old is she?

Any particular reason you want to use a harness? A flat collar would be more comfortable and less hot.

Does the Russian supermodel know about this?? Is that Jen Johnson's Izzy?

Fortunately for me, I'm fairly impervious to insult too. No need to get personal. People talk the "we must promote our dogs" talk constantly both here and on other fora. I have eyes and ears and I can quite happily state that some of the talkers don't walk the talk. The public at the Royals are not just an embuggerance but clearly some folk think so and act accordingly. I haven't been in the show ring alll that long and I haven't forgotten what its like to be the person on the other side of the rail. Read the posts in this thread again Whippets. Clearly some posters are prepared to be rude. Its happened to me and no doubt to other DOLers too. I suppose its to be expected though. If some exhibitors can't behave with courtesy to each other, what hope has Jo Public got. ETA: Its funny how one good experience can leave an indelible impression. Many moons ago when I was a horse mad youngster, I bought and read every copy of Hooves and Horns and (like a lot of young girls) thought Palaminos were the most beautiful horses alive (I still love a good one). There was a Palamino stallion doing a lot of winning at the time named Silver Sheen and he'd been in Hooves and Horns. I cut out his pictures and had them on my school books. There I was, in the stable complex at Melbourne Royal and there he was. I was so excited and must have sounded it. In his stable was his owner and she asked if I'd like to pat him. She ushered me in and a very excited child got to touch her dream horse. I have never forgotten that day. I know of people who can recount meeting a breed for the first time at a show with the same fondness. What we do at these events and how we respond to requests about our dogs may be far more important for the public than most of us care to imagine. My guess is the bad experiences are equally memorable. I suppose it comes down to this for me. If the Royals are chaotic, the benching is inadequate and you need bouncers to make it to ringside on time and intact, don't take it out on the public - its not their fault. Off pulpit now. :D

But is it the flat collar that is ineffective? A flat collar could just as easily be conditioned to have a positive meaning to a dog as a negative or neutral meaning. I clicker train and I'm loving how versatile that little clicky box is. The power it has over my dogs is pretty impressive. They hear a click or a marker word when they are too distracted to notice me calling their name, and they respond by going into training mode and coming over to wait for me to tell them what to do to earn a treat. It's quite expedient IME. So you use the click as a cue, not just as a marker. No different to training the recall to a whistle then except the whistle has a longer range.

As I said, you can't put safety and security issues to one side. I think restricted access to benching is a necessity in this day and age.

The dogs are AT the show Sheridan. People pay to get in. The entry covers seeing dogs just as it does all the other exhibits. Obviously if folk have no interest in exhibits they head for side show alley and don't go elsewhere. Hair splitting aside, it IS a very important showcase for dogs same as the local Aggie shows can be. It's not difficult to ask folk to come back later if they want to meet the dogs. I appreciate that the 20th time you have to do it can be tiring but rudeness isn't called for.

Spikes Puppy: I'll go even further. If you can't stand the thought of crowds of people around your dog and don't think you can be civil to members of the public who've paid hard cash to see the dogs then you really shouldn't be there. The Royals aren't just about prestigious wins for dogs. They are important showcases for purebred dogs and a chance for the dog fancy to promote breeds AND responsible breeders to the general public. If folk can't act in a manner that supports those aims then please don't go. You reinforce negative stereotypes that drive folks into the arms of the puppyfarmed designer dogs. Every family with a fairy flossed toddler that wants to pat your dog is a potential home for a purebred pup. Try to behave in a manner that might make them consider a purebred dog. Those people are key to ensuring the dogs we care so much about don't continue to decline in numbers. There's safety and security and then there's coping with the sheer chaos of such shows. No one's holding a gun to anyone's head to get entries. Lets treat these shows as the special events they are and remember that its both dogs AND breeders that are on display to the public.

I strongly recommend you take the advice about not overexercising your baby in the spirit it is intended jp ie. the best interests of your pup. The risks of exercise induced joint issues in a giant breed pup are very real. You can damage growth plates also. If your vet thinks that 40 minutes on lead exercise is ok for an 8 week old Berner then I can only recommend you find another vet that is more familiar with the growth issues associated with giant breeds. Many folk don't exercise their giant breed pups on lead until they are 12 months old. No pup of mine is exercised this way until they are 6 months old. This does not mean that the pup isn't ever on lead but the leash time is for teaching manners, not for exercise. Your baby will get all the exercise he needs with sensible off lead play. 5 minutes exercise on lead per month of puppies age is a conservative recommendation. I don't think you're stupid. But ignorance has seen a lot of puppies crippled for life. No amount of intellect will assist anyone to manage an issue they simply don't know about. But hey, don't take my word for it. Talk to the pup's breeder and do some research. Join a Berner chat list.

Try to think of it as people trying to give you the benefit of their experience. As a new dog owner, you wouldn't have been the first person to lose out under such a deal. A lot of these arrangements don't work out well for the pet owner in the longer term. Hopefully yours will be different. To be quite frank, with the AI technology available these days, I really don't understand why more breeders don't harvest semen for storage from such dogs when they are mature and allow their owners to desex them. Takes all the pain out of it for pet owner and means that the dog is theirs to do with as they choose.

Was it? Fortunately no issues for my two after Bairnsdale.

How about Advance? Its not the cheapest of the cheap but its not top of the line either. Shop around, especially online. Prices can vary a fair bit for kibble. Rural supply places often have it at the best price.

If those prices are for "working line Dobes" I'd understand it. Lovely breed. I have a particular weakness for brown Dobes.

Corvus: Once I explained why the information would help, the neighbour who complained about my dogs barking was happy to do it. A new fence certainly won't hurt. ETA: If proximity to the fence is an issue in triggering barking, is it possible to partition the yard to keep him away from the offending fence lines?