poodlefan

B&S: In my opinion you weren't. You had a dog with a valued resource in a dog park (don't use balls when there are other dogs around) and you reprimanded her for defending it. Best to prevent the situation entirely. He shoved, she warned him not to. Would have been smarter to encourage her to move but I don't believe in reprimanding warning behaviours - you may end up with no warnings before a bite. I'd not be happy with the behaviour and would probably seek some professional advice on it. Incident 3: Sounds to me like you've got a dog that won't tolerate being manhandled. I's suggest a vet trip and a chiropractic visit to rule out any physical reason and then some professional advice. I'd not be happy about what's happening and I would be heeding the warnings your dog is giving you and NOT reprimanding her for them.

How do they know she is pregnant?

actually im not sad. pretty frightening they could train a dog to come back and kill anyone between it and its owner . think of how many could have been killed that were innocent. as i said, it sounded pretty amazing. so being a myth actually makes me feel better to know. if that makes any sense? Yeah, it does. A dog that large would be an absolute liability in a warzone too - they have to be able to get in and out of all kinds of vehicles and over all kinds of obstacles. As far as I'm aware the US military don't use crossbred dogs for work - they use mostly Belgian Malinois these days and I understand that is what the dog is in the photo that often accompanies the story.

Sadly, Asal its completely untrue. Snopes debunks the story

I would not be walking a 12 week old pup for half an hour a day Vickie. That's a lot of exercise on growing bones, particularly if you are walking him on concrete. He's a baby and can get all the exercise he needs with supervised off leash play. Frankly, I wouldn't be encouraging him to chase the kids either. I don't exercise my dogs (I do train them) onlead until they are 6 months old.

VickieP: Did the people who warned you about overcharging vets also tell you that limps left untreated in pups can have life long consequences? My first advice to you is to find a vet you can trust and rely on them, rather than casual advisors, for all matters relating to the heatlh of your pup. If you ask here for a recommendation of a good vet in your area, you will no doubt receive one. Persephone is right. If you pup is limping then sadly, he is in pain. Just out of interest, how much exercise and play has your puppy been getting?

Both Petsafe and Goldstein do prefabricated runs but I'm not sure I'd describe either option as "cheap".

I think you'll find many petshops buy them even younger. :

I don't think you'll find an Australian made kibble that fits those requirements. If an imported kibble is irradiated, you should be able to find out from the manufacturer. Personally I'd never buy any product sold by Pets Paradise but there are other imported kibbles that are not irradiated. Artemis Maximal is grain free and not irradiated. Canidae does a similar one.

A well bred poodle is neither of these things. However it certainly exists in the breed as it does in many others. However if Poppy was bred in a commercial situation, it could also be lack of exposure to people in the important early weeks of her life that you are seeing.

A well bred poodle is neither of these things. However it certainly exists in the breed as it does in many others.

They sound like great kids Fleuri.. when the time is right for a new pet, you can get a lot of advice here on an appropriate breed and breeder. I wish you every happiness when your family is ready for a new dog.

This. Responsible dog owners can manage entire male dogs.. even several of them. My primary concern with entire males is the risk of theft.

If both dogs have been extensively socialised, my guess if that they will read each other well enough.

It is not illegal to obtain dogs for free and sell them for a huge profit. The dog is not "missing". It has been lawfully rehomed. Twice. I only hope the breeder learns from this and moves future oldies on desexed and for the price of the op at least. Clearly they are not worthless.

Is it possible? Yes. But there are so many variables to consider and the temperaments of the individual dogs will count for a lot.

Well they recommended Pro Plan, but could that be because of the free puppy packs / sponsorship? I am looking for whats best for my puppy... Most premium dog food brands have breeders clubs and sponsor events or clubs. My guess is that the pup's breeder recommended a product they thought he'd do well on.

I agree with your sentiments, but most pet people need simple, straight forward advice - not sophisticated insights into dog's behaviour. A simple mantra like "calm, assertive leader" is something that people understand. Re: the couch thing, I used to think the same as you. However, I have very well behaved dogs and, because they were allowed on my couch and slept in my bed, I'm sure there were no boundaries from their perspective. Since making them sleep in their crates and not jump on the couch, Lucy's confidence has grown a lot. She no longer sees me as the nice lady who hands out food and cuddles, but the one in charge (so she doesn't need to panic when we're out and about, I'll take care of things). Not letting the dog on the couch is a simple boundary that most people and dogs understand. I think the relationship between a person and their dog is a an accumulation of a lot of experiences and attitudes. Dogs are quite capable of behaving differently to different family members. A dog that isn't allowed on the couch or the bed but is expected to fend for itself at the local dog park is unlikely IMO to consider its handler a leader when it matters. There are plenty of dogs out there who live that life. Dogs are not black and white. You can dumb down a fair bit of training advice but as humans we are usually capable of grasping and applying multi faceted concepts. The trick with training is to sufficiently educate the owner IMO because a black and white recipe for dog training is often going to be unsuccessful. Same applies to "one size fits all" approaches. The people who puzzle me totally are those that expect their dogs to be submissive to them at all times but want them to step up to protect them if required. That makes no sense whatsoever.

I cringe when I hear things like this. Not every dog will aspire to be the alpha, in some instances (and they are not as common as we think) a dog will. They usually fit into a stereotype of sexual status, breed and owner behaviour. Others are just not given boundries and dont cope well, or their owners are not clear at all and the poor dog is confused out of its brain. I think the 'alpha' theory that all dogs want to be boss over you is not true, but I do beleive in heirachies and dominant attitudes. Sometimes no dog on the furniture IS a good thing, not letting them walk ahead of you does help etc. I think there's a difference between appropriate corrections and bullying just as I think there's a difference between social and physical dominance. I also think there's a difference between dealing with clear signs of dominant behaviour and treating all dogs, particularly young pups as aspiring to dominate. As Susan Clothier puts it so neatly "the issue is not whether your dog wants to get on the couch but whether or not he'll get off it if you tell him". Furthermore, not allowing your dog on the furniture is no guarantee of preventing dominance issues. If the issue is one of setting appropriate boundaries and only giving lattitude when it is earned then lets call a spade a spade. I have no doubt whatsoever that as trainers we are influenced by the kinds of dogs we train. If most of what you see are problem dogs, then you'll come from that direction. If most of what you see are happy family pets, then your views will be coloured appropriately. The trick is to have an open enough mind to analyse each dog as it presents itself and not to have your views coloured by past experience.

What did your puppy's breeder recommend? If they've been in the breed a while and successfully raised pups to be healthy adults, I'd not be straying far from that advice.

I'm somewhere in the middle of all this. I don't think that dogs constantly conspire to become the alpha in their family household.. yet a lot of less sophisticated training and behavioural advice seems to believe this. "Don't let the dog on the couch" is one example. On the other hand, I do believe that dogs need boundaries - and therefore some correction may be necessary in training. Taller poppies than Victoria Stillwell (who isn't as positive as she seems to believe) have expressed concerns about Cesar Milan's very hands on approach to dog training. Patricia McConnell and Ian Dunbar are two of them. What concerns me greatly about Cesar Milan's shows is that he is not dealing with your average pet puppy but his fans seem to want to apply his methods to them. I believe that drives a lot of the more positive trainer's concerns also. Dogs are social animals capable of interacting with us on quite a sophisticated level. If you want to be regarded by your dog as a leader, not a bully, then you need to act accordingly IMO. However dogs know we aren't dogs and for me, that makes a lot of advice for people to "act like an alpha dog" quite silly.

Why don't you want her on the couch? You need to be consistent.. either she's allowed on, allowed on if asked or not at all. Which option do you wish to take?

I hope you're prepared for the fact that desexing may not solve this issue BM.

This is the classic "how long is a piece of string" question. For a dobe I'd be considering no younger than 14 months.

Bitter apple spray works well. Tea tree oil is toxic to dogs in concentrated form. I would be reluctant to use any oil that may be absorbed by the skin or that goes through the coat.