poodlefan

Inside I think.. Sluggo only mused about a Whippet as an inside dog..

IMO, all agility courses need to be a mix of speed and handling. An all speed course with the obstacles 8m apart is a course I'd scratch from in Masters because with the times being set these days, there is no "most economical line" where a smaller dog can be handled tighter to shave metres off the line measured by the judge. I don't enjoy racetrack courses at all. Finding that economical line and not deviating from it is how dogs who don't have the fastest speed across the ground make Masters times. Don't lose sight of the fact that all dogs, regardless of size get the same time out there. For those running faster 500 dogs, you shave time to get places. The rest of us shave time to qualify. Anywhooo back on topic. "Bar knocking" is a symptom, not an outcome of an issue. It could well be a conformation issue for a dog who lacks drive to clear jumps. It could be (and I'd argue is most commonly) a result of a poor jumping style or late handler cues, or both. Sometimes you'll see hard dogs (who dont' care about knocking) and dogs who lack self control do it too.

It does for me. :D It will count for you to if you get the right pup of the right breed, whelped and raised carefully by the right breeder.

So are ACD pups born white?

I'd start with feeding more. If that doesn't work, I'd be looking at some blood work.

I think they are much under rated as family pets. The upside to that is they are not indiscriminately bred to anywhere near the extent of more popular breeds. If you decide in favour of a Whippet Sluggo and can leap the hurdle of allowing it inside, you'll get a great pet with some effort from all the family. There are a couple of new Whippet owners with kids over in the Whippet thread and their pups are settling in well. :D They do shed. Having recently added a Whippet to my tribe of poodles, I really notice the hair. Make sure you and your daughter spend time in the company of some Whippets to test your allergic reaction. A visit to a responsible registered breeder or a dog show could do that for you.

Oh no.. so sorry to read this. RIP Snoopy. :D

Establish routines and stick to them. Regular feeds, trips outside to toilet, training/play time and time to sleep. Get puppy used to being by himself early. He shouldn't have constant attention. I"d recommend crate training. Don't teach or tolerate any behaviour in a puppy that you don't want to see in an adult dog. Mouthing, tugging on clothes, jumping up for attention etc. Dogs don't "grow out of" any behaviours that they find rewarding.

The kids are 5, 3 and 1yo. The closest dog they have is my brother's naughty boxer which would probably frighten any child. They do however get on famously with other well behaved dogs in our neighbourhood. I have no doubt they will form a close bond with whatever pup we choose. Good. Starting with kids who don't shriek in fear at the sight of a dog or puppy is a definite bonus. I think provided you can tolerate the odd accident that's an almost inevitable part of early toilet training and adopting a crate as your pup/dog's resting place inside, you may be pleasantly surprised how little dirt dogs track in. Personally I don't see an issue with limiting the dog's access to the house to a limited area or even to outside when you aren't home provided you can provide a warm place for it to sleep. Staffords and Whippets are both close coated dogs. Personally I think a Stafford might make a more robust family pet but PPS has both breeds and a young child so she'd be worth asking about that. The important thing with any dog is that it will grow into a reflection of the time and effort you put into raising (a lot like kids really). A dog that's not socialised well, not given basic manners like being taught not to pull on the lead, jump up or mouth, or that's desperate for attention is a dog that gets locked up when visitors come because it has no self control. Your observation that your kids handle well behaved ones is a good one - most people, regardless of age enjoy the company of well behaved dogs. Such dogs are more welcome in almost any place. I hope you aren't too deterred by the responses to your questions. Whoever said DOLers were passionate about dogs was dead on. Most DOLers see the questions through the perspective of what's best for the dog, not the owner.

How old are your children? Young Whippets run and play with great speed and vigour. They can knock very young kids flying. I'm not saying that a Whippet wouldn't work out but there'd probably be a few teething issues. How do your kids feel about dogs - do they know many?

Not. everyone. wants. an. inside. dog. And what people want is, of course, far more important than what many dogs need. :wink: Why buy a people focussed breed and then keep it away from people? :p If you want a dog that doesn't want to be with you 24/7 there are breeds to suit that.

Yes, don't let her. Don't let her near you when she does this. Put her down, stand up, move away or tell her "arggh". If she does it to others, move her away from them. She does it because she enjoys it. You have to teach her that you won't tolerate it.

Crisovar: How many of your European friends keep single dogs alone outside? You can take dogs places in Europe that we only dream of. Historically dogs have always shared living space with people. That seems to have gone off the rails here. Maybe we were all paranoid about Hydatits tapeworm. Maybe we didn't have all that many purely companion dogs here initially. But somehow we've managed to evolve a culture where its acceptable that dogs live alone separate from their owners or other dogs. I can't think of an equivalent culture elsewhere. None of my colder climate friends hibernate in winter - we have dogs to exercise.. but they all live inside.

Maybe in Qld. Nothing grows here in winter so there's no gardening, the temperature can be sub-zero when you go to work and its pitch black when you get home. Kids don't play in backyards here before and after school in winter. Come to think of it, I don't see or hear too many kids outside in 40 degree heat unless they're at the rivers or swimming pools. I walk my dogs in the morning wearing a head light because the sun doesn't come up until 7.00. Its only for the hardy and the truly dedicated outside here in the early mornings.

Even throughout winter ? And during a normal working week? Studies show most kids spend less and less time outside these days.

RA: Few dogs in those situations live alone. Farm dogs frequently spend all day working in the company of their owners. You can keep suitable dogs outside all you like.. however for a single dog in an urban setting, how do you properly provide adequate levels of social interaction without a hell of a lot of effort?

If it's on white nails, it may be the quick inside. ETA: Oh, so it's not the quick?? Is it underneath or inside?

It's probably rather ironic that so many zoos have made progress in the keeping of exotic species while the keeping of dogs as pets has arguably gone backwards. Yards are smaller, housing density is greater, working families are the norm and capacity to self exercise is virtually gone now. No decent zoo would house animals in anything other than their natural social groups. Good zoos spend a lot of effort providing enrichment programs for their animals. But so many dogs live alone in social isolation. Years ago dogs were turned out for exercise and formed neighbourhood packs that roamed together most days. Dogs are increasingly confined and isolated now - no wonder behavioural issues have exploded. Personally I think people need to think good and hard about the kinds of lives they provide their domestic dogs. The aim should always to be to provide something other than the basic minimum of food and shelter required for existence. Unfortunately, dog laws don't require any more than that and our society allows dogs to be sold without any demonstration by the owner that they understand a dogs needs. Responsible breeders can protect their puppies but any other dog is out of luck. Frankly I"m surprised more dogs don't go insane. Maybe they are offloaded before that point. No wonder the university study found that dogs from responsible breeders grew up in the best environments. Bit of a no brainer when homes are vetted.

There is timber decking outside the door which leads straight onto 'brand new' carpet. So there's no capacity for having the door door go through the kitchen or laundry?? I'd suggest a piece of marine carpet or a anti dirt mat (Clark Rubber has plenty of types) on the outside of the dog door might keep the dirt off. I'd also add a mat on the carpet.

You must be kidding? Next you'll suggest i keep a horse in my bedroom! Just avoid finding a horses head in your bed..

It will be interesting to see if you still think this after competing for a while. While this may be true of your kelpie, I am not sure it is accurate from what I have seen. I would say that as a rule kelpies & BC's drop more bars than any other breed out there, many of them will run into things including uprights & handlers and b/c of the speed they are often moving at, their reaction times to cues can in some cases be slower than other breeds. Sorry to disagree, but I think drive & temperament come into it too, there are lines of dogs that have such drive they really don't care about running into things & I would probably put some lines of kelpies at the top of this list. ANY dog cued late to change direction may drop bars because they change position airborne. That said, some BCs and Kelpies (and dogs of other breeds) have very flat jumping styles and seem unconcerned by bar knocking. I can think of a couple of OES who really don't care either. You should check out the Whippet agility shots from their Nationals in the USA Vickie.. talk about daylight between dog and jump bar. Methinks Whippies don't like hitting stuff.

Actually, I'd caution against this. Consistency in terms of what your dog is and is not allowed to do would be more beneficial even if that means 100% of the time outside. You'll not toilet train a pup reliably with only occasional house access either. You really need to have a pup reliably toilet trained by about 5-6 months old and if house access is only occasional, I'm not sure you can do it. I don't know, I haven't tried. Edited to answer this: I have a normal door mat outside the dog door and a bath mat inside it.. that catches most of the dirt. Restricting access to hard floor areas (I'd not suggest giving a pup unrestricted access to bedrooms anyway) means you'd probably not get anymore dirt from the dog than off shoes. A crate or baby gates are a big help.

Sluggo, I only wish all puppy buyers were putting the thought and effort into puppy selection that you are. You no doubt think that people are being a bit rough but perhaps it pays to keep in mind that most DOL members don't think of their dogs as "just a dog" - they are valued companions and family members. The kind of folk who treat their dogs like animated garden statues tend to visit here only to try to find solutions to behavioural problems or to offload them. It doesnt sound to me like you're likely to end up going that way but if you want your kids to grow up and remember a fabulous family pet, you'll need to train whatever pup you have to become that. Its far easier to do when you spend hours a day, every day in the company of your dog, rather than minutes.

Sluggo, while you're doing your research, I highly recommend that you read Before You Get Your Puppy thoroughly. Dr Ian Dunbar describes quite thoroughly what tends to happens to pups who don't get appropriate socialisation and training and who end up being confined to back yards. If you don't believe what you're reading here, perhaps the words of one of the worlds most eminent dog trainers might have some influence. There is a lot of valuable information on that website about how to select, socialise and train the dog you want to become an ideal family pet.

I think we are thinking of the same dog then whitka.. I was fairly certain it was registered as an Associate.