RuralPug

She may be one of those cavs that has a "soft" temperament and can start at shadows sometimes. Regarding the incident with your brother, it may be that she is fine until she sees something (a hat or some other article of clothing) that terrifies her for no reason that anyone can see. My mastiff girl was once badly startled on a walk by a phone repairman who popped up out of a manhole as we were passing - ever since that day she was terrified whenever she spotted a hard hat and we had to be careful to avoid building sites on our walks. It is still early days yet, she may yet settle down. Have you discussed this with the breeder? They should be able to confirm what sort of temperament she has. If your Mum prefers the outgoing bouncy sort of cav, it might take a bit of time to get used to a softer one. The other thing is that It may be that she is still finding being the only dog confusing and still feels a bit unsure of herself without canine companions for support. Time may settle that.

The wild dog research is interesting about the floppy ears. In at least one breed that has a choice of floppy or prick ears (Papillon/Phalene) the gene(s) for prick ears are said to be dominant over floppy. Now if this holds true to all dog breeds, and if it is a simple dominant then the wild pack that began with all floppy eared dogs above will not be able to "develop" prick ears unless there is a mutation or (more likely) a prick eared dog joins the pack and adds his/her genes. On the other hand, some speculate (I lean to this theory) that the carriage of the ear is simply dependent upon it's weight and length - if this is the case, and if there is a survival advantage in prick ears, then you would assume that given enough generations, the smaller ears which the ear cartilage can support upright would be selected for, and the wild pack could end up with prick ears in that fashion.

They are a companion breed and are prone to separation anxiety, which is what you are seeing. I suggest asking about separation anxiety in Frenchies on this thread, so that other Frenchie owners can respond. There is really no need for him to have free play with strange dogs. Stay away from the dogs parks unless they are empty, and leash him if another dog comes in. At this point don't worry about the "why" of his behaviour, just make sure that you don't give him the opportunity to act badly. If you feel that he must play with other dogs, then set up playdates with dogs that you know. On leash walks are better than dog park play in my personal opinion, especially with a new dog as leash work helps you to bond much more than free running. Once you have his basic obedience and recall organised then you can look at changing his behaviour with females and goldens. It won't be an instant fix. The obedience training with a club or group trainer is excellent and you should be able to learn a lot about handling him from experienced people there. It's all early days yet, relax and don't put him into those situations that upset you both!

Pure dingoes do come in colours other than ginger, but it is the predominant colour in all of the dingo sub species. The desert dingo has the smallest percentage of non-gingers, the northern dingo the most.

Fair enough comment but how many of those pound dogs were pure Spitzes? Each of us can only comment of our own experience, mine is with breeders and pet owners both, and I have to say that most Spitz breed dogs that I have met or discussed with owners are intolerant of some other dogs, (especially dogs without pricked ears for some reason). Of course there are individual exceptions as with any breed characterisation. The breed exceptions that I am familiar with are Japanese Spitz, Keeshond, Samoyed and Finnish Spitz. I've never met a Buhund owner, so I have (possibly unfairly) lumped them in with the other Spitzes. Sorry i didn't even think of the Lapphund! I don't foster Spitzes myself, though I have exercised and assessed them and of course groomed many and trained a few.

Yes, there are types that have pads you place underneath the drainage grid which lies under the fake grass (.e.g. the Spotty Potty) or other types where the urine drains into a small removable container for easy disposal. ( e.g. The Pet Loo). The downside is that these types cost a lot more. With the cheap K-mart type that I have, there is absolutely nothing to stop you placing a pee pad on the bottom tray under the drainage grid or I suppose over the drainage grid and under the fake grass. You might need to experiment with brands to find a pee pad that matches the size of your tray. Marg you are right about Cheap as Chips! I was in there today grabbing bargain rolls of floor vinyl and I was admiring a lot of their pet bargains (especially the chain mesh run about 3m square with shadecloth roof all for under $250! I don't need yet another dog run/outdoor cat run but it seems a bargain for those who do!) The fake grass and the pet run are listed in their latest catalogue (sorry if I'm enabling anyone...)

100% agree Panto. I often daydream/worry/speculate about what may have happened. It's hard on a forum, even when you don't mean to judge, sometimes people (new people especially) can feel judged and I sometimes wonder if that is what keeps them from coming back and and updating us ...

I imagine that you could simply ensure that the tap it is connected to was firmly turned OFF except when you went out and turned it on. But honestly, I think the automatic watering is the reason for the high price tag on this one - appealing to the "no mainentance' crowd. (Although you would still need to collect and dispose of faeces daily.) Honestly @Westiemum, if I were you I would buy two of the fake grass on plastic tray types ( plenty of different brands, average about $30 each brand new) put one outdoors in the spot you were looking at for the kickstarter one and hose it twice a day - while it is drying, swap it for the dry one so no wet feet (unless it rains). I have an indoor emergency one (much like this Kmart cheapie) and I bought a metre of extra fake grass from Bunnings which I cut up into extra mats so there is always a dry one to put down.

Well done for asking questions and starting top research an appropriate breed. So reading your post you are actually looking for Spitz type breeds of Asian origin? I'm not sure if you realise that there is an individual small breed called a Japanese Spitz? These are excellent small companion dogs and, unlike most Spitz breeds, they are responsive to training. Most other Spitz breeds are stubborn and are rarely safe with unknown dogs, although can be trained with determined effort. They are not generally ideal dogs as hiking companions unless leashed at all times as they tend to wander off and recall can be very difficult to train in these breeds. The Japanese Spitz is very different breed to the high drive Shikoku - which according to this breed website is definitely a only breed for a very very dedicated owner who is prepared to have their life revolve around the dog. They are not available in Australia. Similar breeds available here would be the Akita and the Chow Chow. You should also consider the Alaskan Malamute, the Siberian Husky, the Norwegian Buhund and the Shiba Inu. Some of the less challenging Spitz breeds (still stubborn, but usually dog and child friendly and slightly less demanding) are the Samoyed, the Finnish Spitz and the Keeshond. Your criteria as described below would best suit the Keeshond, the Samoyed and the Finnish Spitz in that order, in my opinion, if restricted to Spitz type breeds. However there are quite a few non-Spitz type breeds that would fit the criteria even better! We have owners of many of these breeds on the forum and hopefully they will chime in with their experiences!

With kelpies, it is not so much free running that they need as mental stimulation. So playing fetch or hide and seek or especially training (standard obedience or tricks) is going to be heaps better for the dog than just free running. Mental stimulation is always more fulfilling for a herding breed than just plain exercise. So provided that the family put in a little effort, the dog isn't going to miss out by having to be leashed/muzzled outside the home - plus depending on the actual wording of the SA legislation, a declared dog might be permitted exercise on private property that is adequately fenced if they have friends and/or relatives with large backyards the dog can visit. It is unfortunate that the incident happened, but from the council's point of view it does fit the letter of the law - some dogs would not have responded with a defensive bite if a toddler fell forward upon them. I agree that proper supervision would never have put the dog in this position in the first place though.

@Little GiftsI know that you said you wouldn't have contact with her for a couple of months but I really couldn't resist showing you the gorgeous Odin (malt x tibbie) that Litttle Legs have in right now... he won't last long! I hope this link works.

So what do the 15 staff members do? Does that count those that are only occasional - say 1 hour a week? Would their offices even hold 15 people working at the one time? If they would list job titles and average hours for each position it might be more believable.

Actually the automatic timing of the "flush" worries me. So what happens if your dog is using it when the "flush" comes on? Might be traumatic for the dog, even if harmless and could easily trigger their future avoidance of that spot. Better to have one that you hose off yourself, I think.

Dog strollers for small breeds are readily available online in Australia. Sometimes you can pick them up second hand om ebay or gumtree. The basic models, from memory, are about $150 new (plus shipping). Or if you are handy you can make your own as Boronia has done!

Maremmas can be awesome pets, most especially when extremely well socialised when young and not bonded to livestock. I'd say that this bubba ticks those boxes and as long as you are zoned for multiple dogs or can get a multiple dog permit, you should not find any problems with keeping her as a pet. She probably won't be suited for livestock guarding.

@Nekhbet who even if they are full, can no doubt recommend someone in your area with positive or balanced training skills. To contact directly go to the website/

At aqe 6 months he is far too big to be a staffy (Staffordshire Bull Terrier). Whether he will get the full size of an Amstaff (American Staffordshire Terrier) remains to be seen. Crosses of these two breeds in various proportions are quite common in Australia, and I suspect this is the most likely.

How long you can hold a found pet before you are required by law to notify the local ranger varies from state to state. In Victoria it is 24 hours. In some states vets are permitted to contact owner directly, in other states they MUST hand dog over to the ranger. If you believe that the council is a kill pound and the pet will be put down if unclaimed, then you can always arrange an adoption on that pet if it is unclaimed - you don't have to adopt it yourself, but check with the pound how many days they will will hold it before allowing adoption and let people know they can put a hold on it. If you don't notify the correct authorities in your state, and attempt to rehome the lost pet yourself it is actually theft.

I will use a face washer if bathing them, or a baby wipe (no perfume or alcohol) if not bathing.

Wow! Sarcasm font archived! Totally! And this is the real crux of the problem. This is what we should be complaining to ACC about. Or withdrawing in hordes from PetRescue. Does anyone know whatever happened to minikitty commune's attempt to build a rival free adoption advertisement website?

There are some breeds where same sexes simply cannot be housed together if entire and sometimes even if desexed.I have never heard that Bulldogs were one of those breeds. I agree that in the majority of breeds, opposite sex pairs, if desexed, get along together best. If you have same sex pairs, it will work best if one has a "boss" attitude and the other is content to remain the underling. Most non-resource based squabbles occur between same sexes when a younger dog who was previously content to be second rank starts to feel that it is time for her to challenge the boss. When adding a young puppy, it is always safest to get the opposite sex to your remaining pet, but you can successfully combine same sex adults (except in those few breeds mentioned above) if you take care never to combine two "boss" type personalities.

We can judge for ourselves. See PetRescue's registered financial statements for the last few years here The registered statement for the 2017 year is due in a month or so. Now PetRescue are great at blowing their own trumpet so why don't they detail on their website just precisely how much in cash and goods they have given to each of the rescues on their list? Oh, gosh, could it be that they don't wish to admit that almost nothing at all goes to the rescues? (Sarcasm mode ON).

Yes! I sometimes feed the trolls and then think better of it, I rather like that expression. I must remember to use it when i change my mind and wish to delete a post!

Didn't the breeder give you a diet sheet? LOL if she was eating kibble at the breeder's home, she will eat it still if she is hungry enough! BBQ chicken si for special training treats only, not everyday! Gosh she is wrapping you around her liitle paws LOL.

LOL I used to conscientiously by all of my raw meat for the dogs and cats from human meat suppliers until I learned that if you froze everything for 10 -14 days before thawing (in the fridge) and feeding you would kill all parasites or bacteria that could cause problems - even with fish! So, having learned that, I felt confident buying from pet meat suppliers, and it really does make a difference to the budget! I will still buy human rated meat if see it on special (I can't get turkey necks from my pet food supplier for instance, only roo, beef, chicken and rabbit) but I spend a LOT less on meat these days.