poodlefan

Has your vet considered putting him on anti-arthritis drugs like Cartophen? There are plenty of ways to manage this condition beyond pain killers.

Neither am I. I used the Innotek cold spray collars on my boys and they worked well. They certainly weren't depressed wearing them.

Naturally!! Around here the poodles are "the Poods" and Howard's just Howie. I turn all my dog's names into 'y' sounding endings! ;)

Arguing with people who don't understand dogs won't do much other than raise your blood pressure. Anyone who thinks a dog that kills a cat in the dogs own yard can be seized should be ask to cite the law - to my knowledge it doesn't exist. People who think a sighthound can't tell the difference between a small prey animal and a child are too stupid to bother with. Statistically the greatest canine threat to the safety of any child is the dog in their own home.

Until puppy buyers do their homework BYBs will thrive, cashing in on the latest fashion in dogs and ripping off buyers by selling inferior pups "cheap" by not health testing, not vaccinating, not microchipping and not keeping pups together until 8 weeks. A BYB bred pup with a health problem, that has been raised on an inferior diet, not wormed and not vaccinated is no "bargain". People happily pay through the nose for a plasma TV and Foxtel and expect responsible breeders to sell pups "cheap"? As if. Yet the family dog will be with a family longer than a TV or a car. Don't want to pay through the nose for a "rare" breed? The answer is simple. Don't buy one. There are plenty of "common" breeds available at realistic prices from breeders who offer lifetime support and actually care about the pups they sell.

I think you need to think this through carefully. If you want a dog that can do agility, do it well and remain sound, many of the breeds suggested so far will not fit the bill. I'd suggest you stick to what you know and get another gundog. Of all the retrievers, the Flatcoat would be my only recommendation because they have the lightest build. Any dog weighing more than about 25kg has a huge task in agility, especially jumping the top height. In Gundogs, the larger dogs out trialling and doing well tend to be the Vizsla and the GSP. Most Weimaraners are too heavily built and some breeders actively recommend against doing it with them. Personally I think the Vizsla is probably your best bet. Choose carefully and take the advice of seasoned dog sports people about breeders.

What's his weight like? If he's fat, get it off him. It will make his life a lot easier. Any reason why he can't go for a saunter on his own?

Because I have to... Toy Poodle Tough as teak, extremely agile and yes, you can pick them up if the going gets really tough. I know my minis leave me for dead in the rough. The only thing they tend to struggle in is very high grass without any trails in it.

How did I miss this? Really sorry to hear about Benson Gayle. He was taken far too young. RIP Benson

A head halter on a Braccy breed? Not what I'd recommend. Any reason an ordinary flat collar won't do the job?

Here's the photo Pooor Riley He looks embarassed. You've totally blown his cred by posting that pic. How's a working dog to hold his head up now? I'm with KTB. Wolf's den back zip coats are great. So are Ready Set Go's..

Oops. Wrong thread but the pic is cute so I'll leave it.

Agree on the Standard Longs.. lovely dogs.

And no, folks, its not a DD from Deshonko

No need to apologise. This place thrives on debate!!! The issue isn't about the merits of pound dogs but how a novice dog owner assesses that. Someone looking at potential family dogs in pound runs isn't necessarily going to know the dog's history. They will not know the dog's level of bite inhibition, what its bite threshold is, whether its a resource guarder, whether its touch sensitive etc. They certainly won't know how to test that. Looking at a dog won't tell you how well its been socialised with small children (or not) and whether bite inhibition was taught and you only get a certain period of time to instill that in a dog. Every one of those factors may influence a dog's suitability for a family with young children. Get it wrong and your child may carry the consequences for the rest of his or her life. Many rescuers will also tell you that dogs can undergo significant behavioural changes when placed in their new homes. Novice owners not attuned to warning signals dogs are giving off about increasing dominance or discomfort around kids may inadvertently engineer an incident.

Are you kidding? I've yet to meet one that isn't!!! The ones I know are all dogs sports dogs too.

Pity you don't live around here Fru Fru

Where there's a will, there's a way. We had the huge water tank stolen from our dog club a few years back.

I don't mind taking a poodle to a groomer to be clipped every 4 to 6 weeks. Probably keep a poodle in a lamb trim and brush often. I love the toy poodle so cute my mum loves them too, My boyfriend on the other hand doesn't like them to him they look to girly. Remember that will be ~$50 - 60 per groom, and that is if you find a cheapie Going rate around here for a decent job is $80-$100 for the smaller poodles. That's for someone who actually scissors some parts of the groom.

Let me tell you, there's no way in God's green earth I'd ever recommend a novice dog owner with young children take ANY adult dog direct from a pound into their home. Puppies would be fine but there are too many risk factors with adults, even with a temperament assessment.

As my guess is that you'll own a dog far longer than you'll have most boyfriends, I'd not be taking much notice of that. ;)

Poodles need regular clipping and grooming. Either it has to be done regularly by a professional or you need to spend a fair amount of money on gear and learn to do it yourself. You won't get change out of four figures for the amount of gear required to set up for home grooming a poodle properly. Personally I think the Toy and Miniature Poodles have quite notable differences in temperament to the Standards. ETA: I just did a rough estimate of what it would cost me to replace my grooming gear. About $2000 and that's a conservative estimate.

Too many variables to make a call. There are a wide range of temperaments in "large dogs".

Not all pounds assess dogs prior to adoption. No pound I'm aware of uses real children in its temperament assessments. No family I'm aware of would willingly trial a dog if a bite to a child might be the outcome. Novice dog owners should always source their dogs from knowledgeable sources where the temperament of the dog is a known quantity. That reduces potential sources to two: responsible breeders and rescues. You don't take chances with the safety of children where safer alternatives are available. Taking a dog from rescue means another dog makes it out of the pound to their care. That's not robbing a pound dog of a chance for a home.