poodlefan

Agree with this with the one dog who is only young, the other dog was quite a bit older and that was the dog whose name was called unfortunately. Lots of helpful suggestions here, thanks. Will think on it. I can't use anything that requires the dog to look at the handler mid gait as it will throw their front out. It would in the ring but in training you can afford to do it in order to proof the dog. Maybe teach a "steady" that sees the dog briefly focus on the handler then move forward.. ?

My objection to the long term use of such products stems from the fact that you're treating symptoms, not causes. For such a product to work, there has to be a challenge to the immune system. Deal with that challenge and tear staining, unless it caused by a fault in eye shape or tear ducts, will disappear. One holistic vet I know says that where eye staining is present, other than stress, the issue is generally found in the head and neck with teeth and gum issues being the most common. Diet is another common cause. The creation of bacterial populations resistent to anti-biotics is a whole other factor. Don't even get me started on anti-bacterial kitchen wipes!!

Me neither. Far too easy to get bacteria and yeast growing around the mouth and it lessens airflow to the ears. Left too long, you get hair in the mouth, wicking in bacteria and leading to gum and tooth issues. I like a smooth face too! Big Ted grew a moustache during Movember last year but I didnt leave it there all that long.

SSM, I'm happy to provide a dog to do the dirty tricks and suggestions if you and Bear want to do some practical training. Working on a focus word and quickly regaining focus would be one way. I got some great advice on stopping folk running up you arse when I had some lessons in Victoria.

I'd not choose either dog but if I had to choose I'd have soundness over type. You can breed to improve type but with starting with an unsound dog, you've got less than nothing.

So how do you travel with dogs? There are hundreds of members here who do hours of travelling most weekends with dogs in cars. They don't leave dogs in hot cars. They do leave dogs in cars on cooler days. It wasn't a hot day and the dog in the OP wasn't distressed. I prefer to keep my outrage dry for the kind of owner action that actually harms dogs

Hares are smarter than rabbits. He'd be reading the body language of your dogs and saving flight for only when it was necessary. As an above ground dweller with no burrow to run to, freezing until necessary is a pure survival mechanism. Lots of animals hold position until there's no alternative but running. You know htat. Being denied the capacity to run, he'd be stressed to the max. I'd never put a wild animal in that postion. Oh, I'm sorry, apparently I don't know what my hare looks like when he's calm. Lord help us if it were so. FYI, there is quite a pronounced difference between freezing and calmly holding still. The very thought that I would not know the difference is ludicrous. He lived in my room for several years! I would bloody hope I'd learnt that much about him. A wild hare is smarter than a domestic rabbit, but I'm not sure that this is why he is better at reading body language. I think he's just more flighty and so more committed to making sense of what goes on around him. And maybe he's got stronger instincts. You're judging the behaviour of a captive wild animal kept in an enclosure that prevents it from responding naturally to theat. Then you expose it to its natural predators and allow them to behave in a predatory manner. I'm glad you're so confident its not stressed. It's helpless to escape threat and it knows it. Maybe that's why it remains calm. Why you'd allow a strange dog anywhere near it beats me. Of course he has better instincts than a domestic rabbit. He's a wild prey animal, even if he's been kept in a room for several years. People make assessments of captive wild animals all the time and plenty will tell you they know their animals backwards. When their preferred pets are big carnivores, you get to read their obituaries from time to time. Mixing predators and prey is risky business. They are what they are and good luck is no substitute for good management. When predators kill their natural prey people should only be surprised it didn't happen sooner. Same thing happens with dogs and horses. A dog gets maimed or killed by a prey animal reacting naturally and people are shocked. Lots of people are lucky lots of the time but its the animals that pay when luck runs out.

I expect that hope would be disappointed. These walks are no place for dogs with aggression issues. You won't be able to control the actions of other owners.

Yep, it does. If they trust the breeder and like what they see in their breeder's adult dogs, I'd be sticking to the breeder's recommendation. You could ask in the Ridgeback thread though.

There is no one "best" brand. What's your friend's budget. What did the pup's breeder recommend, how old and what breed is the pup?

Really? I find this somewhat value driven behaviour. I don't think you demonstrate respect for others views by writing rude notes to stick on cars.

Hares are smarter than rabbits. He'd be reading the body language of your dogs and saving flight for only when it was necessary. As an above ground dweller with no burrow to run to, freezing until necessary is a pure survival mechanism. Lots of animals hold position until there's no alternative but running. You know htat. Being denied the capacity to run, he'd be stressed to the max. I'd never put a wild animal in that postion. I'd say your boys are playing - at hunting. They're trying to trigger the hare to run... a running animal is a lot more fun to hunt when you ain't doing it for food. Dogs most certainly do hunt for reasons other than hunger.

P&P, what do you feed your dog now?

You have a friendly puppy that finds strangers have novelty value and that doesn't stress when you leave him. Count your blessings. If you want your puppy to value you more than other people then I strongly recommend you take him to training and teach him that obeying you brings rewards. These are things that you have to develop in your pup. We all get the dogs we train (or don't)

I wouldn't use vaseline either. Buy some Capstar tablets from Woolies and look for an oatmeal based soothing lotion, some paw paw ointment or use Ilium Neocort if you have any.

Yep, there's a little wolf in all of them. Sometimes when you see that predatory instinct and its results or you see aggression it can be shocking. You said he's a terrier cross - SBT? Remember what terriers were mostly bred to do and you might be able to see this as exercising the instinct to do what his ancestors were selectively bred by us to do - to kill vermin. It's just unfortunate the the rodents he killed were pets.

Because it involves a general anaesthetic, IV fluids and post surgical pain control. That ain't a minor surgery in my book.

The smack I don't have an issue with - but the dog would not have related it to the GP's death. Its the same issue as smacking the dog when you find a puddle of wee inside - the dog won't associate the aversive with the behaviour so long after it happened. I dont want to be gruesome but a GP shaken hard would die almost instantly and be completely intact. I doubt they died of fright. Take that as a good thing - death would have been quick.

Yep, a great way to get your dog slapped with a Dangerous Dog order for biting someone who put their hand in the car to pat them. And yes, some people really ARE that stupid.

I'm totally confident you're wrong. Apparently this means I'm "unfriendly". Your dog will know he's in trouble. He won't know why. He'll be reading your body language and be somewhat confused by it now. I hope the shock passes soon and you can view this as the tragic accident it is.

You are kidding me.. have you actually seen ear cropping done? It's a major surgical procedure. What the hell do you think they're cutting off... its ear flap. Stuff that protects against crud getting in the ear. If you want a prick eared dog then buy one. Please don't pretend that by cutting off ear flap and taping ears up to change natural ear set the dog is benefitting in any way. Cutting dogs ears off may protect livestock guardians against damage by predators but this is not why the Dobermann is cropped. Cropping is banned in quite a few European countries by the way.

IN SUMMER It's not summer. Seriously, you need to start worrying less about what other owners do. You don't even know how long the dog was there. Lots of dogs spend lots of time in cars outside of the danger months without issue. Hell they even sleep overnight in them.

not at all. but it doesnt matter. its irresponsible and shouldnt be done. Says who? Where's the harm? Sticking a note on a car containing an unstressed dog says "overkill" to me. Do it to my car and I'd be telling you to mind your own business pretty quickly.

Just wanted to make the point that an intact dead animal is no guarantee that the dog was only "playing".

I'm assuming from your anger that this dog was panting heavily and displaying signs of distress?