poodlefan

She is 9 weeks old? She won't be teething until around 5 months of age ;) re: the feeding. Canned food is mostly water . waste of money, and not much nutrition. Whose dog is she? Why are 'the other people' feeding her??? Don't you live there, or what? perhpas see that She gets a good breakfast - (NOT cereals)...meat/puppy kibble. a meaty bone to chew on/play with during the day ..a meal when you get home...and a light snack for supper. If 'the others' really want to feed her.. why don't YOU prepare a meal for her and leave in the fridge? That way she is getting what you want to feed her... and they think they are doing their bit. She will benefit from bones every day chicken wings/turkey necks... all sorts . I don't like chicken necks much for anything bigger than cavs.. I worry about them getting stuck in the oesophagus but that's just me . personally I don't understand why they are wanting to feed her at all....... Really? Oh thats what i was told because she was chewing/biting so much. Must just be that stage then. Yeah i read that about tin dog food (mostly water). Its alright for a quick fix, but it looks HORRIBLE! she's my dog. I do live there but am at work and they are home most of the time. I have planned to get her meat (mince) all packaged out into the right quantities so all they have to do is cook it for lunch. Thats the only meal they need to heat up! But they keep pushing the tin dog food (because its 'easier'). It doesn't take long to cook some mince! Yeah we got chicken necks and she loved them, and then they were at the shops they bought some but small ones! i worry about her choking on them! No need to cook her food. Why are you feeding mince? Is this what was on the breeder's recommended feeding sheet? She needs a nutritonally balanced meals. Meat alone is not a balanced meal. Why not just get them to feed a decent quality puppy kibble for the lunchtime meal. That's "easier" than canned food.

Its more likely the result will be a dog head shy for life.

How many people should be "in charge"? ONE!!! I would strongly recommend that only one person teaches the dog but others can practice and reinforce already learned behaviours. Any other system runs the risk of confusing the dog with different methods and messages. The person smacking your dogs face makes my blood boil - they are teaching the dog to fear them and possibly creating further negative consequences down the line. I would be telling them to keep their hands OFF the damn dog no matter who they are. That kind of training went out with the dark ages. Tell them that you're looking for a new place to live as soon as possible because they are abusing your dog. Maybe THAT message might sink in. Who is the actual 'owner' of this dog Goldee? Is this a family situation? Frankly, if I were this dog's breeder I'd be pretty unhappy about what's going on. Maybe you should have waited until you were on your own to get a pup.

I was about to say Whippet zoomies are great. Watching them play with toys is great.. lots of different games. FHRP's Rogan lost his footing once and planted his bum (and testicles) on a puppy Darcy (poodle). No damage done but a lot of laughing from those who saw it.

Your Purebred Puppy For what it's worth, I pretty much agree with the assessment of Mini Poodles and Whippets.

Yes agree Poodlefan. I was thinking Flat Coat, a little calmer than a golden, but not sure about leaving it outside, might bark a fair bit, they can be hard to find. I know a breed expert in the states, top field retrievers and show dogs, if interested in chatting with them about the breed PM for their email address. Border Terrier and Australian Terrier are also breeds to look at. If they could be house dogs I think either of these might be perfect. Both are strudy dogs. Portuguese from when my friend had one to train as a service dog (it failed), needed a lot of attention and was stubborn, also a lot of grooming and was a big bouncy rather hyper puppy for several years, but that was only one dog I knew. Dog will be allowed inside Shortstep.. wouldn't have recommended too many of those breeds otherwise.

Welcome back. Go back to basic toilet training with him PW. I highly recommend a dog door though.

Other people need to be given a kick up the bum. There is bugger all nutritional value in cereal.. .the milk's OK but its just mush that fills dogs up.

Safe? Yes. Beneficial? Nope.

As someone who has been through this process not once, but twice ( I have two different breeds), take your time Lambo. The effort will be rewarded in not only you getting a breed you've thought through carefully but in preparing you for the effort you need to put in to raising it right. Kick a lot of tyres, meet as many different breeds as you can and do your homework (which you obviously are). There are some less popular breeds that you may not have heard of but that might suit you. Here's a few less common breeds to tyre kick (just putting them out there as I think of them): German Pinscher Flat Coated Retriever Border Terrier Norweigian Elkhound (OK they shed but they are great dogs) Pointer (fantastic dogs, brilliant temperament as a rule but a bit less hyper than the utility gundogs IMO) Portuguese Water Dog (very low shedding) Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier (a non-shedder)

Lambo: A mixed breed might also be the worst of both breeds, is virtually impossible to find from any kind of responsible breeder and even less possible to find from appropriately health tested parents. Its definitely impossible to predict which characteristics of each breed the dog will inherit. Weimaraners are more prone than Labradors (as I understand it) to separation anxiety. I don't know why you think Labs are "independent". They are a dog bred to live and work side by side with people and to look to them for direction.

Very well. They boss him about.

Thank God they've been found. I hope No. 8 turns up soon.

They may be lean but they don't lack muscle. Lambo I have poodles and a Whippet - the Whippet gave me two fat lips and a black eye until I learned to respect the strength in that elegant neck - when you rev them up and they throw their head around, you learn to keep yours out of the way. They are bouncy pups - Bryan Mannix has stressed the importance of putting time and effort into training and socialising them. My Whippet Howard was a confident boy the day I got him and that hasn't changed. He's very friendly to dogs and people. I was on the brink of recommending a Whippet to you. They are a great family dog and deserve to be more popular than they are. Be warned, if you go down that route, you'll find, that like Tim Tams, its hard to stop at one! Here's Howard having a plunge into my friend's dam. Nothing timid about him!!

Join a club. There's no compulsion to compete. There is usually an expectation that you will commit to meeting the same standards as that expected of competiton dogs. Honestly, without instruction, you can make a lot of mistakes and flounder around a bit. I'd suggest you try a club and see if you like it.

A Stafford is not the dog I'd be looking towards as a regular jogging partner. Lagottos are rare and have a hefty price tag for a dog that seems to attract owners that want anything that's "not a poodle". Have you considered a Standard Poodle?? True gundog temperament, a substantial dog and definitely up for a long jog daily.

Your dogs are never alone Corvus. They have each other.

Lambo: If you ticked the "enough time for the dog" box, I think you'd be very surprised at what great companions well bred poodles can be. They ARE real dogs if treated like them and you don't have to have a fru fru haircut on one. As I said, they were gundogs originally. Perhaps you need to get out and meet some of these breeds. Its hard to get a 'feel' for what dogs can be like from descriptions and pictures. If you've got your heart set on a particular breed AND you go in with your eyes wide open, there's no reason why with effort you can't have the dog you want. However if your partner is not a 'dog person' an easier breed first up might be the go. I've seen plenty of folk convert to poodle nuts very very quickly. The dog is not much like its stereotype at all.

A stinky poodle is not common and may have had issues with excess oil - a health issue associated with the breed. Otherwise, ears, teeth or anal glands may have been the culprit.

Realistically, how much time would you have available as a family to devote to the dog daily. A puppy needs training, socialisation and plenty of interaction to grow up as good family dog. An adult dog needs exercise and stimulation too. From what you've indicated, none of the breeds would be suitable for your situation, particularly as pups. Neither would a poodle. BM: Definitely NOT. Poodles are every bit as people focussed as the gundogs... after all that's what they started life as. Dogs are social animals. No dog enjoys being alone. Someone at home that ignores the dog would be torment for it - I'd expect to see a lot of attention barking and frustration based behaviours.

The Australian Capital Territory doesn't have BSL either. It's a lot closer.

I'm entered but was in two minds as to whether or not I'd go. My employer just made my mind up for me - I'm working

Horses. It taught me that training prey animals with strong flight responses is way different to training a predator with a social bond with me formed by living in my house. It also taught me that force is mostly useless and to use my brain instead. From a dog sports perspective, the insight into gait and movement learned on horses has been very useful too. ETA: From Mr Joffrey (horse trainer) I learned that "end of lesson" has its place in rewarding a new behaviour or a new level of performance. If the animal gets it right, STOP training and give it a break. For too many animals, getting it right is "rewarded" with getting to do it again.. and again.

Know anyone who plays the bagpipes?

If its warm you know YOUR dog did it.