poodlefan

I don't think intelligence of the breeds was ever the focus of this thread. I certainly don't link intelligence entirely with trainability. I know you don't FHRP but some people think less trainable dogs are dumb and I wanted to make sure people understood that wasn't my belief.

So would most people with experience in training dogs/handlers I reckon (well at least the trainability rating anyway :wink: ). This is not a matter of the intelligence of the dogs concerned but what they've been selectively bred to do. Gundogs work under human direction. They have been bred to focus on and respond to handler cues. The hunt starts and stops when the handler says it does, the dog retrieves the ducks in the order the handler directs etc. A sled dog who obeys a a handler command to go forward when it knows a crevasse is there is a dead sled dog. They have been selected, both by man and by natural selection to think for themselves. If a sled dog can't see the point in doing something its handler directs, it may not. Gundogs can blow you off but they don't seem to have the degree of independent thought that dogs bred to think for themselves or to work beyond the reach of handler direction can. Terriers can be an example of the latter. A dog bred to go to ground cannot rely solely on human cues. I usually tell novice handlers to learn about the breed they have and the job it may have had. Understanding how we've developed breeds to think can help us to understand what motivates them. There's a very good reason that gundogs and herding breeds are used for guide dog work Midol.

Please don't get angrya at her, in addition to the confusion.. reassurance one minute, anger the next, you;re disciplining her for "defending" herself. If you remove her ability to flee what she worries about, and force her to face it, in her eyes, she has no choice but to fight in defence. Editing to add more thoughts. Can I recommend you read Suzanne Clothiers article "He just wants to say hi" There are links to it from here and I will add one when my rego on her new site is processed. (ETA: Huski just posted the link in another thread, here it is http://flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html) Some of what you are describing may not be problem behaviour but a perfectly natural response to a strange dog. Let me describe a situation I see played out when I meet up with friends at my dog club or elsewhere. The younger boys (and one older one who should know better) often attempt to sniff the bitches hind ends. This is often met with a snap by the bitch in question and the male dog, desists. My friends and I regard this as both natural and acceptable response from a bitch who is not in season when a male sniffs her bits. If the dog is a strange male and persists, the warnings will get stronger. Is this sometimes what happens?

We've altered dog's shapes a lot over the years. A dog with a head that's very large in proportion to its body is likelyto have floating/swimming issues. Bulldogs for example are notorious for swimmng like bricks although some can. Quite a few dogs of less obvious breeds also have difficulty, often because they don't have a good 'swim style'. A floatation vest can do wonders for a dog's confidence in water (and an owners pulse rate).

The aim is for balance over time with nutrition, not every possible nutrient in one meal. If it suits you to feed a range of foods in a meal, that's OK but it's not necessary. I see little point in feeding meat off the bone when it's usually more expensive. I do use mince in my BARF mix but not otherwise. If you're feeding a decent quality dog food, you don't need to feed extras. You can but again it's not necessary. Cottage cheese is highly palatable for many dogs and is a good invalid food too again, not necessary in an otherwise well balanced diet. No offence BB but it is entirely possible to over engineer and worry to much about this.. have a look at a US based BARF forum if you want to see what lengths obsessing over your dog's nutrition can take you. Dogs do not need regular full blood work to tell if they're getting what they need - external appearance is generally a very good indicator of nutritional health. My advice would be to stick to the diet your dog has now if its working. If you spot a good special, like marked down lamb shanks or duck wings etc then sure, feed it - I'm sure dogs enjoy variety but it's not essential. Get your dog's breeder and your vet to endorse your dog's diet if that helps but it can end up a bit like the two men and the donkey story.. in trying to fit in all possible advice about diet, you get carried away and create a fussy eater or similar.

RL: I'd suggest you rethink that. You're forcing her into situations where she's telling you she's uncomfortable and then reinforcing her fearful behaviour. You are unlikely to get her more tolerant of other dogs this way and you may end up triggering her to react aggressively. If you dont' want her biting another dog, don't let one get within range and don't force her to allow them to sniff her. Your job as her leader is to protect her from what she fears and help her gain confidence. Right now you're pretty much throwing her to the wolves. Get a decent dog trainer to help you with this but remember that many dogs do not like strange dogs in their faces, no matter how friendly the stranger is.

It would be unbalanced in terms of the phosphorus ratio. Fully digestible bone or eggshells would be the way to go.

Tried that pages ago Jdavis.. no luck. Apparently dog sports count though.

If you ever wanted to be convinced as to the wisdom of only buying an ANKC registered bull breed, this would have to be it. So much stress, so much anguish for the owner, all totally preventable. Whoever said, "buy in haste, repent at leisure" sure had it right in this context. EF typing error.

Let's hope this nails it Enmark.. did you tell the specialists your DOLer mates thought it might be tetanus!! We have had one of our dog club members have a dog suffer from tetanus. The dog recovered well.

I suppose it depends on whether you think fear, ignorance and legislative knee jerking are contagious. I think the first one is, not the last two. Frankly I can't see quite a few countries introducing BSL. The issue of dog attacks is not on their radar - politically or otherwise. What I am hoping is that we can see it repealled in some places where it already exists - especially Oz.

I doubt the recent events in the UK have been factored into this.

Thinning scissors won't remove a mat easily. They work best on dry, groomed coat. Use ordinary grooming scissors.

Don't get complacent about this Saram. They are still maturing and I doubt this will be the last time this issue occurs. A bit of vigilence to watch for warning signs is a good idea. I agree with Miranda about food sharing. Feeding separately prevents resource guarding and destresses the issue for the dogs.

How frustrating. If it's primarily neurological, has a brain disorder/tumour/ been ruled out. Has he been thyroid tested?

And whenever you're having doubts or feeling depressed about your ability as an owner/trainer, reread this thread.

I'd suggest, if possible, that you introduce your pup to a dry spot somewhere under the eaves of your house. My toy poodle is a bit of a princess for this. After some convincing that toileting just inside the back door is not acceptable if its raining, she'll go out and track along the wall of the house to toilet in a garden bed under the eaves.

They definitely exist. You can get them with the thinning serations on one or both sides of the shears. Wahl make ones for dogs. I'm not sure how if different they are to human ones though. I expect that what you've bought may not be particularly good quality and they've become blunt quickly. I'd ask your breeder for a brand and size recommendation - they come in different lengths.

Contact allergy?

Being repeatedly asked the same question would be annoying I suppose. Pity that rather than responding with accusations and insults, you don't try answering it. BTW: I have NEVER suggested all breed temperaments are alike. I did say that many breeds were capable of fitting Rhaps definition of a 'working dog'.

Im the poodle owner who coined the term "BSL targets the wrong end of the leash" and the person who'll be in the front line if they even suggest the introduction of BSL here Calsonic. It's most unlikely and has no support from Domestic Animal Services or the RSPCA. But keep up the insults and the chimp comments - its pretty standard form for APBT fanciers when debate arises about any aspect of their breed. Don't offend my intelligence with the "we're all in this together" line though. I've seen what passes for "solidarity" in anti-BSL arguments before. I don't pretend to be an expert. I also don't pretend to understand why a person would willingly subject the breed they love to a less than ideal life. Its a question that remains unanswered in this thread.

What I don't get Rhaps (PF here not chimp) is why people who are passionate about a breed would knowingly subject it to an uncertain life when another dog with similar characteristics could live far more freely. I see it from the perspective of a dog person who thinks all dogs deserve more than a life of muzzles, leashes or potential euthansia. I don't get why people who "love" big cats want to keep them in small cages in their back yards. I dont understand why someone would want to keep a restricted breed in suburbia where it can never run off leash outside its backyard without the risk of impoundment. I can appeciate what people see in ABPTs. I was blown away by the first one I met (at an obedience trial). But sorry, its no life for a dog. Move to the ACT if you're a responsible and passionate APBT owner. Your dog can live the life he or she deserves. If you don't want to do the right thing by your dog and your community, then don't get one and dont' come here please.

I keep repeating the same questions in the folorn hope that someone will actually try to answer them Calsonic. Still hoping. At least Cosmolo seems to be trying for the same answers. The only bull breeds other than Staffords I have seen in agility or obedience are some Sydney Amstaffs in agility. They go at it with gusto!

Apparently not Cosmolo. Amstaffs are not working dogs. They are just pretty. Apparently neither they, nor any other bull breed are: Or so Rhaps would have me believe. I'd have thought that a Bull Terrier or Amstaff would offer these qualities in a dog that is not a restricted breed. I get that people don't want APBTs to become extinct. I don't get why people who don't want to abide by laws can't be encouraged to own a breed that doesn't require such a restricted lifestyle. I don't think its in any dog's interests to live that life but that life sure beats impoundment and euthanasia.

What Spot said (this is becoming a habit). No hormones in chicken in Australia for decades.. antibiotics on the other hand..