WoofnHoof

I read somewhere that freezing treats in ice cubes is a good idea to cool dogs down. Tried that the last couple of days for my husky but he just lets the ice melt and apparently soggy liver treats aren’t very enticing as they are still there. He has water and shade and seems to think the concrete floor in the sunroom is nicer than the shady grass outside which is weird as I find the sunroom to stuffy but who am I to argue. I used to provide a clam shell pool which he absolutely loved but I had to take it away as he kept getting ear infections from the moisture

Age related illness, hearing and vision loss, all can contribute to more unpredictable behaviour. A full vet exam is a very good idea. All those old sayings about dogs tasting blood are just myths, we now know that we need context and information to assess a situation like this. Your old boy may just need a bit more peace and quiet and may no longer tolerate sudden moves or intimidating behaviour, a change in management and just some more awareness from everyone involved may help to resolve it. A good behaviourist will help with that if needed.

I don’t have experience with Brisbane council but in Toowoomba it was a fairly laborious process with us having to state that one dog was old and therefore it wasn’t a long term thing to kind of smooth it a bit. You can always help by providing references on the dogs behaviour, state they are clean and quiet that sort of thing so council knows they aren’t likely to cause a problem.

It’s interesting I’ve often found younger vets more open to ideas and thoughts of the owner, and can have more current knowledge, although many older vets do keep up with the most recent research too. They are all different as with most people. I have found many older vets are a bit world-weary, and less inclined to be interested in a case or investigate thoroughly. When my boy first presented at the vet when he was sick I the younger vet who first saw him suspected the real problem, she didn’t say it to me just said “oh there is one thing but it’s really rare”, she went out to get the advice of the senior vets in the practice and came back and said they didn’t think it was that so that was that. I would bet any money that she thought it was a shunt, and it would have saved me a lot of money and stress if she had trusted her first instinct. The senior vets just thought he had eaten something that didn’t agree with him, and to be fair that would have been a much more common occurance in most cases, just not this one.

I find weatherbeeta dog coats good and usually cheaper at horse land than at pet shops.

Also worth considering that crosses in horses in the past don’t always work well these days. Many of the breeds that used to be more generalised riding horses (eg QHs and Arabians) are now much more specialised, as are TBs so you do have a higher chance of a cross not being as complimentary as it once was, especially if you want to ride it and have it sound. Some of the show line Arabians and QHs are barely suitable for riding themselves much less crossing them with something else. Draft crosses have their own problems, again due to how extreme the breeding is now for both breeds, sometimes they work well sometimes you get the best of both worlds sometimes you get the worst, like a friends horse who is heavy as anything in front and also spooky, not a great combo for a riding horse!

Yes I think that it’s not just the locking away for a few hours, I think it’s mostly the inflexibility of the situation and the feeling that the child isn’t quite there yet when it comes to the appropriate behaviour around an animal, if it took a year to not squash guinea pigs then I am doubtful that they are going to learn appropriate behaviour around dogs any time soon. Does the child know not to pull a dogs tail or fur for example? Is the dog going to be expected to put up with it until the child learns? And it’s not just the child, it’s also the adults working in the home, if you can’t tolerate a little disturbance or a dog wanting a bit of attention then it’s going to be very hard for the dog to understand that. Sure you can get an older dog that will sleep more and be more settled but expecting an old dog (or any dog really) to put up with inappropriate behaviour from the child is probably unrealistic. Those are just a couple of the things that I think are raising some red flags for people. Personally I think can be a little problematic this concept of getting the “right” dog for the lifestyle because it can make people think they don’t have to make any alterations to their life and the dog will just slot right in, no muss no fuss. So I think you can potentially get the same kind of problems as you get when people don’t consider whether the dog/breed will fit into their life, basically if it doesn’t go perfectly they get rid of it. There needs to be flexibility because it’s still a living breathing animal, whether it’s a carefully selected breed or a well adjusted rescue it’s still not necessarily going to fit into a rigid structure of only a certain amount of interaction, never more never less and it must not make any noise unless the owner approves of it. As with most things in life not everything will go as planned and people need to have the flexibility and the adaptability to deal with that and not lose the plot if it doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes you have to work your life around the animal a bit too, if you can’t then the dog may as well be in the pound.

I wasn’t meaning to single out your post Boronia I’ve seen it mentioned heaps of times that people should go to shows to meet breeders, I think more breed clubs should have fun days where people can meet the breed and chat in a setting that is less formal and less stressful.

I find it odd that people advise buyers to go to a dog show to get a breeder to talk to them. In my experience shows are busy places, if you’re not used to them you won’t know when to approach people, most of the time they are sitting watching their friends go round even if they’re not actively prepping to go in themselves so it’s not really a conductive environment to be having a chat and expressing interest in a pup. I’ve wandered over to the dog arena a number of times when I’m at shows, I’ve got no idea how they run the things it is all a bit confusing, and it’s rare to get a polite response to a “hello” in my experience. I know myself showing I’m either getting the horse prepped and ready, taking it in the ring, having a short break and then packing up to go home. It’s a nice idea to get buyers to go chat to a bunch of breeders in the one place but it only works if everyone is on the same page. If breeders really want to do it this way at least let people know when would be the best time to approach people, eg lunchtime or something like that. I have also been seeing an increase in generally rude behaviour from people I would normally consider “professional” people, business owners or individuals that you would expect to return a call or answer a message, people just don’t seem to want to bother anymore. It’s really not that hard to generate a polite generic reply either to ask for more info or inform people you don’t have any suitable pups at the moment, then just copy and paste it each time. Getting a new pup should be a great experience, it shouldn’t feel like pulling teeth without anaesthetic.

Sorry for the loss of your beautiful boy

I second the suggestion of going with an organisation that trains both dog and owners for this particular specialisation, you need specialist guidance to ensure that the match is good and works well for both child and dog. Chances are there is funding available if you choose an accredited organisation as well. Problem with Labradoodles (aside from the dumb name) is they don’t breed to type, some are nice and reflect what is claimed re temperament, coat etc and some don’t, and the breeders appear to have largely given up (those few that were actually trying) trying to set the type because, you know, genetics is hard.

So sorry for your loss another beautiful soul at rest but it’s so very hard for us to let them go It’s a beautiful tree ❤️

Thanks guys, it is getting easier but some days it just hits like a ton of bricks. I wish I had made more time to play with her when she wanted instead of thinking I was too busy and we could play another time.

Sad but true. It is very hard to resist when you’ve already seen and made a connection with the animal, it takes strength to walk away and leave it to an unknown fate. Of course people are judgemental about it, you’re fitting the stereotype to a T. Having an attitude of “I want it therefore I’ll do it no matter how many experienced people tell me it’s a bad idea” and then getting shitty when they get frustrated at having wasted their time trying to educate someone YET again... It is pretty rude to waste peoples time asking for advice you never had any intention of following, although I’m betting you thought you could, you know the advice is correct and factual but you can’t get the dog out of your head. It’s convenient, it’s right there and it was so happy to see you and your kids... I get it. I also get everyone else here, it’s hard to battle the con artists when you’ve got the disadvantage of not being able to produce the perfect goods on demand. And of course on demand is not how companion animals should be produced, they’re not eggs, they should be produced with love and care and experience, and people should be ok with waiting for that. As a society we’ve grown used to having everything on demand because we can, hot chook for under $10, fruit out of season, everything under the sun when you want it and the price you want to pay. But there IS a price, if we don’t pay it someone else does, whether it’s the 9 week old overgrown chicken getting baled up in a machine which is quicker and cheaper and far more brutal than a human hand: or the imported fruit that people whinge about being imported and risking our local crops but they whinge when it’s not available. Consumer demand drives markets and consumers continue to demand and someone, somewhere always pays.

So sorry for your loss @westiemum

Hope it’s ok to cross post this from general as I thought rescue peeps might be interested as well Just putting the word out for anyone looking for dog rugs Horseland Richmond is having a big warehouse sale at the Hawkesbury Showgrounds with 50% off weatherbeeta dog rugs. Ends Sunday 11th March. Happy shopping peeps

Just putting the word out for anyone looking for dog rugs Horseland Richmond is having a big warehouse sale at the Hawkesbury Showgrounds with 50% off weatherbeeta dog rugs. Ends Sunday 11th March. Happy shopping peeps

Lol I wonder if it ever filled out

It is very hard. Lulu got old before I knew it, I always thought I’d have more time to play fetch with her, then by the time I realised we were running out of time she couldn’t play fetch anymore. I didn’t realise that the last time we played fetch would be THE last time Enjoy the time you have and treat every opportunity to play and have fun with her as if it’s the last time.

Sorry to hear about your beautiful girl

Brought her ashes home yesterday, picking them up was very hard They didn’t give me the box I wanted either so I might try and get one from Toowoomba when I’m up there next so she has the same as Zen.

Thank you @Papillon Kisses

Thank you @stellnme yes she will always be there <3

Thank you @Scottsmum and @SarasMum

Thank you @Animal House that is very true.