RuralPug

What a great job! With the floor, making it easy to clean is the real priority. Dirt becomes mud in wet weather!! Too late for a concrete slab, but you might consider putting large concrete tiles down in say half the area and perhaps gravel in the other half. Both these surfaces are easy to hose and sweep, and not too slippery when wet, although they won't be disinfectable (which is only really necessary if you are changing inhabitants frequently). Artificial turf looks very nice in a dog run but can get awfully hot on the paws in warm weather. Adding a clam shell sandpit for digging in might be nice too!

Yes it was an awful situation. It was the vet team that diagnosed PTSD in the dog, it did surprise me I admit, as I was used to behavioural problems after trauma in dogs being called "issues stemming from trauma" LOL. Apparently PTSD is known in dogs and is diagnosed when a severe trauma creates neurological symptoms as well as behavioral ones. This case was the first time I had heard of a PTSD diagnosis in a dog and it did send me to Google, where I found it was a real canine illness. We live and learn!

Yes, in a way you are correct. They are made to the individual, as scents provided by body processes immediately prior to seizure and/or invisible to human eyes pre-spasm muscle twitches can vary from individual to individual. I have been told that it does not take so much training as discovery to match a seizure dog with a disabled person. I have heard back from the family and apparently the $35,000 goal will not go directly to the training organisation but will cover the costs of transporting the family to the US to be matched with a seizure dog there. They are adamant that no one in Australia trains seizure dogs they way they want this one trained, and besides, there is Disneyland there for the other members of the family to enjoy during their trip! When I asked had they also calculated the expense of importing and quarantining the dog, they hadn't but decided that it didn't matter as they could learn how to train their own dog while they were in the US. I gave up about then.

I will always authorise these for emergency surgery, or for surgery on elderly or debilitated animals but never for routine surgery on a young fit animal. It's a bit like crossing the road - even if you take all due precautions you still might get hit by a bus, but it really has a very, very slim chance of happening, so I'm not going to catch a taxi to cross the road to avoid the chance of getting hit as a pedestrian, if that makes sense.

I know that several of the organisations place dogs free of charge or for a comparatively small fee. What really has me wondering about this case is that a seizure dog does not need the advanced training of an assistance dog for the hearing, who is trained to alert their owner to many things, or an assistance dog for the physically disabled who is trained in a wide variety of ways to assist their owner (including retrieving dropped items on request and providing stability assistance). A seizure dog is, as far as I am aware, trained to alert able carers when a seizure is about to happen and apart from the normal well socialised, bulletproof and well behaved core training that any dog which may be required to work in public places require, it would seem to me that the training is not as extensive as you average assistance dog. I have asked which organisation this family have chosen to source their dog from but haven't got a straight answer. I would be very interested to hear @Tapua's input, as this is basically a medical alert dog so she should have a fair idea - thanks for the reminder LG!

The owner has said (over several months) that the dog was being treated (I assume by a vet behaviourist) for PTSD after the trauma of the attack. Previous to the attack he was (as evidenced by neighbours and friends) a happy go-lucky type dog, after the attack he was terrified of strangers and also fretted deeply at the change from being able to roam his secure house yard when the owners was at work to being secured in the mandatory small run. It may have also been the case (conjecture on my part, OK?) that his owner was so shattered by the attack and by it's aftermath that her dog picked up on those feelings and was even more miserable. One thing is certain and that is his quality of life was such that it became unfair to allow it to continue. His owner spent a lot of money on veterinary care etc. and was shattered anew herself when euthanasia became the only option.

The thing that most people get confused with is that mastiff is a type as well as a breed. The Mastiff breed is one of the gentlest that I have ever owned, but they, and other gentle mastiff breeds, are used unfortunately to add bulk and power to less gentle types of dogs leading sometimes to some quite dangerous mixes. Most of the Bull Mastiffs that I have met are as gentle as their Mastiff ancestors, but those breeding for pig dog traits or similar seem to select for the bull breed ancestor temperament, which my have been where the reputation arose. All of the bull arab types contain some mastiff - often it is Great Dane, another usually gentle mastiff. The traditional original bull arab mix was mastiff type x pointer type x sighthound type x bull breed type, varying a little in the mix depending on location. I agree that "bull mastiff cross" is increasingly being used to identify any large smooth coated mixed breed, sometimes (sigh) because the owners themselves wish to own a "powerful and dangerous" dog, in spite of it not having any bull mastiff at all in its ancestry. Such owners, to me, are sadly lacking in testosterone and trying to compensate.

Yes they do! Which is why good breeders are very very careful to make sure that puppy buyers know exactly what they are taking on with this gorgeous breed!

Ironically, I was just discussing this on FB recently with some ex-DOlers. I related seeing a new thread with a ridiculous comment that would have set the hounds baying in the old days! I had I rushed off and made a huge bowl of popcorn, ready to watch the train wreck, only to come back and find that everyone was being NICE! And they continued to be nice, the troll (I'm sure it must have been) was disappointed too, as they never came back to respond. Our little FB group said much the same as you PL - that the jump-down-the-throat types and the haze-the-newbies types mostly have gravitated to FB, where we supposed they get their jollies faster or something. Those that have stayed mostly toe the line here these days. Occasionally someone does get out of hand these days on DOL, but are promptly politely told off by other DOLers - in the old days this almost never happened. I, for one, was too scared of attracting such viciousness upon myself so I didn't speak out when I should have. It is a much safer place to be these days and a fantastic educational tool for letting people know about the delights of purebreds. I admin a few FB groups and I try consciously to model my moderating to not allow nastiness but only polite and logical statements or genuine questions.

My thoughts on easy breeds for beginners are those breeds whose usual temperament does not easily lead to dog aggression (often cited as the breeds developed for dog fighting and some terrier breeds) or guarding against strangers (which may lead to human aggression) and who do not need great quantities of exercise and mental stimulation to avoid developing problem behaviours (most of the herding breeds and many of the gundogs and sledding breeds) and who are not so stubborn and independent that training them becomes a huge battle (terriers again, most of the spitz breeds and many of the hounds.) To me an easy dog is one that always reliably responds to the reward - these dogs appear to be trying very hard to please their owner, which of course they are because that is the way to earn the treat, or tug game or whatever! As temperament is basically 50% genetic and 50% environmental, there is always a bell curve within the breed and you are going to occasionally see individuals that are at one extreme or the other. It is when you see many of a breed that you see the usual temperament. With regards to easy breeds in the training area, I think that it really does depends on the trainer's style. Some trainers are not going to succeed with a traditionally easy breed that is "soft" if their body language is constantly expressing disappointment when results are not as is liked but they may deal brilliantly with one of the more stubborn breeds that are not so wound up with needing approval. I'm sure that there are many other examples people can think of.

Frankly I think that the backyard breeding is an entirely separate issue. Certainly this forum could damn all breeding for a sole profit motive, but that should not be allowed to cloud the basic issue of whether pets should be condemned automatically for incidents directly arising from trespassers on the pet's property,.

Question for those of you who have had assistance dogs. Was recently given a link to a fundraiser for a severely disabled child in Victoria, aiming to raise funds for a seizure dog for the child.(Family and child are known to me.) They claim the cost will be $35,000.00 for a trained seizure dog. I'm doubting that total - any thoughts?

If she is really blowing out her coat more than the twice yearly blow out you're accustomed to then it could easily be a side effect of the steroids. Have a chat to your specialist about it, they can give you the best idea of coat recovery time after ceasing the steroids.

When its an emergency and you don't have a dog shampoo, if you dilute the human shampoo or conditioner before applying it (I like to dissolve a tablespoon in about 1/2 litre of lukewarm water in a plastic jug and work into the coat from the jug) and rinse really thoroughly, all should be well. I apply dog shampoo and conditioner the same way anyway - it's all in the rinse!!! LOL

I haven't heard of any. May I ask why that particular cross attracts you? If you are trying to get a Whippet temperament in a woolly Bedlington body. you would probably need for this to be a very common cross before you would have a very good chance of lucking into that. The terrier temperament is usually very strong in Bedlingtons. If you like the terrier temperament, a woolly coat and the sighthound shape, then the Bedlington itself is exactly what you need and no cross required! The most common Whippet crosses I have noticed are crosses with bull breeds, staffies being the most common. There are very few Bedlingtons in Victoria, and so it is very unlikely that any would be used for cross breeding here.

Just too many variables to answer .. it depends on whether you want all accident and illness (careful there are a lot of exclusions depending on breed or mix of breeds) covered; or are happy to pay the first $100 or $300 of a treatment cost; how old your dog is etc etc This broker has a page giving rough figures - but prices tend to increase and this page is a year old...

Presumably by this time the Borzoi has been adopted into a new home. I am just curious whether there was any luck reversing those bowed pasterns or minimising them? I haven't noticed @Alyosha posting in DOL since this thread does anyone still contact her outside of this forum who might be able to get the info??

Gosh, I'm not sure that I would class a labrador or a golden as a medium size dog - I think of them as large, but if he is happy with that size no worries! Goldens also need brushing every few days to avoid matts. Is he aware aware that labs and pugs shed very, very heavily and it is short spiky hair that sticks to everything? the best way to keep on top of the shedding is to brush a couple of times a week. Another fairly easy small/medium short hair breed to consider is the whippet (don't shed quite as much as the above breeds). If they a have a backyard to romp in a couple of times a day they will snooze the rest of the time! Will not have problems with the Brisbane climate either! If he doesn't mind a little bit of regular exercise then a beagle might be a great match too. They are not a difficult breed, but do need regular exercise if they are not to develop bad habits.(The sane goes for the lab and golden though!) Yet another great family dog to consider is one that looks like it needs a lot of grooming but actually only needs a thorough brush and comb once a week - the Cavalier KCS! As always, breeds being considered should be thoroughly researched so that the buyers know what health tests should have been done on the parents. A visit to a dog show (most weekends in capitals cities) is always a good start!

I missed that altogether! Surely the vet who has been testing the other puppy for parvo has tested this one too? @KendraSpringfield can you please tell us if that is the case?

Ok, so from your most recent comment in the parvo thread this puppy is under vet care, on medication, and has regained his appetite. Good to hear. Yes, chicken broth (or any meat based broth) is a great stimulant to appetite just from its rehydration properties.

Excellent point! I forgot to mention that!

OOPS gremlins - double post sorry.

I feed mostly raw myself, but the food labelling laws in this country ensure that a commercial food may not be labelled a "complete" diet unless it agrees with the established science (which is not always up to date ) so any food so labelled should be safe. There are differences between growth requirements for large breed puppies and small breed puppies - toy breeds do have a higher metabolic rate than large breeds, for instance, and need more calories per kilo of their weight. They also mature faster. Having said that, one packet of the less specialised food is not going to cause a huge problem for your puppy - I'm sure the breeder will have given you diet instructions and my guess is that they include daily servings of raw mince along with the kibble, plus other extras. I've just realised that you haven't got your puppy yet - if the bag is unopened, you should be able to return it and swap for the smaller breed kibble - then you would have no problems and can start off with the exact same food that the breeder has been feeding the pups.

So open a separate account and transfer into it monthly all the premiums that you would be paying into pet insurance. Don't use this account for ordinary vet visits ONLY for illnesses and accidents. You would have to be pretty unlucky not to come out ahead using this method - plus it is pretty much the only way to go if you have three or more pets.

It could easily be parvo. Pups with partial immunity often have mild cases. The reason that pups need a series of vaccinations is because there is no firm rule how long the dam's immunity, if any, will stay with each pup - if the pup has a fairly strong dose of the dam's immunity the vaccine won't take, but the immunity from the dam wears off quite quickly. So a pup with partial immunity from the dam, which may have 'blocked' the early vaccination can have a mild case of parvo. Having said that though, always be aware with young puppies that a mild case of anything can turn quite serious in hours. So do keep an eye on her and follow your vet's direction. I would be offering only cooked chicken breast and rice plus a good squirt of Nutrigel or similar (available from most pet stores). Getting your pup to drink plenty is paramount, so some some salt-free chicken or beef broth is good to offer as well. As mentioned above, do take extreme hygiene precautions as it is a very infectious disease - you would be devastated, I'm sure, if another pup caught parvo from yours and died.