jesomil

I think this should be changed to say "may end up with an owner who makes obedience boring". I think heel work is the most exciting, high energy training where you can aim for a very high level of drive and precision.

The dogs couldnt care less whether we trialled or not but it gives me something to work towards plus I am a bit competitive so like trying to do the best I can against others. Its fun getting to train the dogs with a goal in mind like titles. The dogs love working but probably wonder why sometimes I turn into a nervous shaking mess (when we trial :D ). ETA I persevered with a challenging dog in the past just to prove a point. It wasnt something all that enjoyable because it was such hard work but i wanted to prove it could be done. The dog enjoyed it though.

What beautiful looking dogs. They look very athletic and capable.

I have gone through something similar with my much loved dog starting to show aggression to people upon maturity even though heavily socialised and well trained. The dog snapped at my child once with absolutely no provocation. I worked very long and hard with some very skilled people to try and fix the situation but it wasnt to be. It really isnt worth the risk when there are children around. The only dogs that should be around children are well socialised, solid nerved dogs. No one can really tell over the internet what is happening on as your observations might not reveal everything that is going on. Get professional help.

I dont think it is that big an issue. Ideally she would get it at 8 weeks but that hasnt happened and the pup will be fine. Lots of pups are given away at that age especially in the country.

Girls would do it to each other when in season but otherwise I would never allow it, nor would I allow a dog to hump any other item. For some reason, alot of other males we come across try to hump my entire boy which is really annoying. He hates it but luckily is a lover not a fighter and jumps out of the way.

So sorry to hear what has happened to your beautiful puppy. My little Corgi sustained very severe injuries from 2 dogs when she was about 2yrs old. She was in the vet for over a week and had a few surgeries. The owner of the other dogs paid every cent of her vet bill as they were the ones that caused it. She was nervous of other dogs for a while but I made sure I was confident and happy (which is hard when you are still traumatised about what has happened to your dog) and she became fine pretty quickly. She is 12yrs old now and happily interacts with all dogs and I am sure she wouldnt even remember the incident but I do!!

There really are so many assumptions going on here. Yes, the dog could have serious issues and PTS may be only option but you really cant tell when going off someones words alone. What might be very aggressive to someone might be more minor to someone else. Has the pup actually bitten someone? Did it cause blood or stitches?? We really dont know the full story. Hence, my snapping comments.... I have seen several young dogs like this and they are not all bad. Some dogs that come into the vet turn into downright monsters when being treated but they are loving family pets at home. You cant always guage behaviour when the dog is in a stressful situation. This pup should not be being advertised, but then again, if it is as bad as she says it is, then no one would be taking it on as a pet. It needs to be assessed by an experienced person asap or PTS if no one has the experience/time/facilities to help.

I dont see any indictations at all that this pup needs to be PTS. We have no idea what is going on. The pup could have been terrified by the car trip and then hid under the car. It could have been cornered and forced into snapping. If the snapping worked the first time, it would do it again. It could be a case of a scared pup and very inexperienced people bringing out an aggressive behaviour. They havent even had it all that long. It needs to be out of that situation asap so the behaviour can be helped. If I was closer, I would drive over there immediately and get the pup. It needs to be handled by an experienced person, assessed for temp and working ability and then either trained or PTS. It may not be all that much of a big deal.

Wow, some people spend so much!! For my 3, (2 med and 1 lge) I used to spend only about $30 a month on food. Free big bags of chicken bones from butcher etc The only other costs were worming every 3 months and council rego which is $22 per dog. Beds came from op shops. No vet bills. I think you can spend as much or as little as you want on a dog. Some people feel the need to buy every accessory known to man others dont.

I once had a nice litter of seven from a crate mating!! The litter was planned but not at that time!! So now I rotate in the dog trailer as its very secure. My boy doesnt go silly when girls are in season, he just stops eating for a few days.

I may be wrong but I am interpreting your post as saying that if dogs are bred as close to the standard as possible, then they will be able to perform their function. A dog can be built perfectly but it matters more as to what goes on in the head as to whether it can actually go out and perform its function. Of course it needs the correct body to go with it but without the brain, the body is merely nice to look at. In some breeds, alot of the top dogs in that breed that actually perform their function to a high standard, would be laughed out of a show ring. It is unfortunately necessary in some breeds to have two distinct lines. One breeding to show ring conformation standard and another breeding for working ability and function conformation. Really not wanting to make this a one versus to other debate as they both serve purposes but just wanted to comment on the above post as some people dont realise the differences.

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My male is entire and 5yrs old. He only ever squats at home but cocks his leg when we are out.

Worm quarterly, nothing else. We dont have fleas thank goodness!!

Also, because she has a working bred Kelpie, she might be interested in yard trials. There are workshops and training days held around VIC but it depends where she is and how much she likes to travel. Yard trials are exciting and alot of fun. There is a website www.VYUFDA.com . It is not updated but has some contact details.

It is uncommon but it does happen in some dogs. Will try and find that article I read some time ago. Still better to get all the pets desexed though even though there are a few side effects.

I have heard of this from a few people before. There was even an article I read once about it. My last Rotty was done at two years and she changed overnight. She had NEVER snapped at another dog before then but suddenly became quite snappy. It also happened with my Corgi bitch some years before. Went from being free and easy to quite a bitch with other dogs. My most recent Corgi was desexed at 5yrs and I noticed no change. Maybe it has something to do with the sudden change in hormones.

This thread is making me so appreciative of the wonderful breeders I have got my dogs from.

Puppy vaccinations and then never again unless necessary.

Interesting read but there seems to be alot of variables not being taken into account. Eg. One of the questions in trainability is, does you dog sit immediately when commanded. I would have thought that depended more on the trainer than the dog. Maybe Lab owners are more likely to spend time training than Yorkie owners for example. Doesnt mean the Yorkies are less trainable but it might mean the kind of owner attracted to a Yorkie may not spend as much time training. Also with the working lines. Do the working lines come out as more trainable because the type of people who buy working lines are more likely to train them? And with the desexing, it says there is a difference in some males with neutering but with others there isnt. I wonder if they took into account the age of neutering and maturity etc. I dont know much about how these research papers work but I would think it would have to be more structured without all the training and environmental factors (which would be really hard to do) to come out with real answers having any real meaning.

I am not saying dont ask questions, that would be plain irresponsible but asking about income and random training questions and needing references seems a bit OTT for me. (My opinion only, dont get defensive!!) We all have choices though and if the breeder/buyer match doesnt fit, then we move on.

Wow, so many questions! I would not feel comfotable having to answer so many personal questions if I were purchasing a puppy. I guess it is different if you are vetting a complete newbie dog owner but really, some of those questions seem over the top. Alot of wonderful homes would miss out due to some peoples criteria.

Definately not pure Lab but mostly Lab with a bit of something else. No one can tell you for sure what the other breed/s could be. Could have been a Lab Mum with a Heinz Dad. ETA Vets are notorious for being very bad breed guessers!

My relationships with my dogs have changed over the years. In my 20's, I lived and breathed my dogs. They were my children and I spent my life training/showing/trialling. Everything I did was dog related, there was nothing else. I think alot of people without children have this close relationship with their dogs. Then in my 30's I had my first baby. Everything changed. I still loved my dogs but a little person had come along who had changed me forever. The dogs were hard work for a few months after the baby but we worked through that and got into a new routine. I love my dogs and would never be without them but my children come first. They are still very much loved members of the family and there is absolutely no circumstance that would prevent me from keeping them, but my relationship with them has definately changed. I think there are some circumstances where dogs are better somewhere else and also I think that people shouldnt feel pressured to keep a dog that doesnt fit in with their life. Some people make their life a misery trying to accommodate their dogs needs. While that works for some, I believe others should be able to make the decision without shame to rehome.