RuralPug

I'm pretty sure that the journal article you have linked to IS the same study that the news article refers to - it is quite interesting that the authors pointed out the statistically significant surveyed difference between rural households with multiple animals as compared with urban households with multiple animals. They speculated that the lesser allergies suffered by the urban group with multiple animals in early years was due to urban homes being more likely to have pets indoors than rural homes ( in Sweden anyway). It really is fascinating stuff.

Statistics can be confusing, especially when you take a large survey like this and concentrate on only looking at the responses to a single question. It doesn't surprise me that in households where young children have a lot of exposure to dogs that get out and about their immunities are higher and therefore allergy responses are lower - same as with households that do not use automatic dishwashers (because more microbes are destroyed by water hotter then human hands can stand). Children who are allowed to splash in puddles or make mud pies in the average backyard are also more likelier to have broader immunities than those who are not so permitted. That all makes sense to me. But we need to careful in what we hear when statistics like these are quoted. Could it be that parents who allow pets indoors mixing with their young children are probably the parents who do not smother their bubs in antiseptics seven times a day and have the "clean enough to be healthy, messy enough to be happy" approach to housekeeping? Did anyone correlate whether or not the pets were indoors or outdoor only? Did any of these pets get smothered in frequent antiseptic baths etc? Let us not start a myth that dogs (not so much cats, according to the article and other pets are not even mentioned) all by themselves are the answer to immune problems such as asthma - it is more likely that in reality they contribute to building immune systems along with many other factors. On the plus side though, it will be great to quote this study to those people wishing to surrender their pets because a new baby is on the way ...

Yes, puppies need to be socialised. Too many people think that this means that they need to be exposed to a lot of other dogs without a great deal of supervision. WRONG. In this instance, quality is far, far better than quantity. better to introduce the pup only to dogs that you know and trust, one or a few at a time. Spend most of your socialisation time budget on bomb proofing the pup against traffic, crowds, weirdnesses like stairs and automatic glass doors, construction sites, wheelchairs, bicycles, loud noises,cattle, birds,remote control cars, etc.etc.etc. Successfully socialised dogs will walk calmly and interestedly by your side when all hell is breaking loose. They will not panic, or get over excited and stop listening to you. That should be your goal.

100% agree with Tdierix above. He is five months old and growing fast. In every size dog excepting the giants, I would rather see a puppy overweight than underweight. There is a good reason for the old cliche "puppy fat" - many mammals carry a bit of extra adipose tissue when young, it is Nature's insurance policy against growth spurts. Don't overthink things. if your pup has come from a good breeder, be guided by them. Your pup won;t stay a pup for long - let him be a loved and happily trained puppy rather than a frequently measured lab specimen (no pun intended, sorry).

Did the blood tests include thyroid tests? How old is she? Are there any other symptoms apart from the hair loss? Does she have any history of illness or allergic reactions? What is her diet? What sort of exercise does she have on a daily basis? As far as I am aware, alopecia due to ovarian cysts is extremely rare indeed.

Bull Arab types like your dog often superficially resemble Great Danes, for much the same reason that a dolphin resembles a shark, without any direct familial connection. It is the ideal shape for their purpose (boar hunting). Some Bull Arab types do have Great Dane in their mix and some do not and you will often find that they look very much alike whether or not they have GD ancestry. I would not stress about his mix You love him and you have come to love a breed that he resembles. I'm assuming that your stated age of 13 years is a typo, very large breeds do not often live that long as their hearts wear out earlier. So he is 3yo approximately? I second the embark test, not so much for breed ID, but because it will pick up on any future health problems and because very large dogs cost more to medicate etc. it is wise to be forewarned.The expense of the embark test is worth it.

Does he have a loose stool if you walk him elsewhere than the beach for a few days? It might be as simple as him ingesting seawater or kelp. Worth a try.

This would probably happen again if your dog was put in the same circumstances. Now that you know, it is your job to never put that dog in such a position again. Don't take the dog to visit places where small furry animals live. It might be a nice gesture if you were to offer to buy a suitable replacement guinea pig for your sister.

With my breed we use surgical tape to keep growing ears in position. I believe that this is also used (in a different way) by Collie and possibly Sheltie breeders to help "tip" the ear. If you are having problems with the glue, perhaps you could try taping. There are videos on the internet demonstrating how to tape Collie and Sheltie ears.

I am sorry, you won't want to hear this, but good fencing is the only way to keep him safe. That way he will not have access to cars in the first place, except for a safe wreck that you have placed in his yard for him to crawl under when he is anxious. Take him out on a lead for daily walks and the rest of the time keep him safe behind good fences.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I find it quite concerning that you are choosing between two breeds with completely different temperaments and activity levels which suit completely different lifestyles. I'm not sure what you have based your choices on, but it really should be based on your family lifestyle and how much time you can devote to your dog and how much and what type of responsiveness you require from them. If you are giving a high priority to low shedding, bear in mind that the lowest shedding breeds have the highest grooming needs which will take a LOT more time to keep the coat in shape than high shedding breeds which, generally speaking, you can minimise shedding by a 10 minute grooming session every other day for a small breed. The Furminator is designed to remove loose undercoat so is best used on double coated breeds. The other thing to remember about low shedding is that allergy to actual dog hair is rare, the common allergy is to dog dander (skin flakes) so amount of shedding won't affect the allergy. Poodles - What size poodle are you looking at? In Australia, my experience has been that the three sizes of poodle have different temperaments. They are all very intelligent, however it seems to me that most of the Toy Poodles and some of the Miniature Poodles do tend toward neurotic behaviour, which I have never observed in Standard Poodles. If you want a Toy or Mini I would recommend finding a breeder who has had a great deal of success in gaining obedience and/or dog sport titles with their stock. Poodles are a lot of dog, so unless you are willing to dedicate your life to dog sports, obedience work or similar activities to keep their brains busy, please don't get one. Just my opinion. Poodles do shed, but due to their coat structure the shed hair remains in the coat and does not drop onto your carpets or furniture, which is why they need an enormous amount of grooming compared with most other breeds. You need to cost in the time needed for at home grooming to keep them free of matted coat plus the expense of regular six weekly professional grooming. You can call around the grooming salons near you to get an idea of pricing. It is recommended that you choose a poodle breeder who uses sires and dams that have (a) passed the x-rays for Hip Dysplasia (and Legg-Perthes Disease in Minis and Toys), (b) are clear of Patella Luxation, (c) have been passed clear of the myriad eye diseases (including PRA and cataracts) to which poodles are prone , (d) have been DNA tested as clear of Von Willebrand's Disease and (e) have tested clear of any thyroid malfunction. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - this is ,generally speaking, a much more laid back dog than the poodle. However, they are a companion breed and can get anxious if left too much to themselves. They have a single coat and a Furminator is not needed. A simple comb or pin brush used thoroughly every second or third day will minimise shedding and is also required to keep the silky coat from tangling. They are perhaps not quite as intelligent as the poodle but more than make up for that with their devotion which makes them eager to please - which is why cavs are often prize winners in obedience. It is recommended that you choose a Cavalier breeder who uses sires and dams that have (a) screened as clear of any heart murmur (b) have been screened clear of the several types of eye diseases that were once common in this breed, (c) are clear of Patella Luxation, and (d) have been DNA tested clear (or are clear by parentage) of Curly Coat Syndrome. Sorry, this has turned into War and Peace lengthwise! But I suppose the point I am trying to make is that before you ask for recommendations of breeders, you should more thoroughly research to establish the breed that will suit you best.

Yes, remember that the best ANKC breeders are not just producing puppies for the cash, and won't consider you a customer as such - they are looking to place their babies in the right homes with people who will treasure them for life and can give them the best things in life too. Look on this as a major life decision rather than a buying choice - after all, this pup or older dog will be a member of your family for possibly fifteen years or more. Not something to rush headlong into - better to build a rapport with breeders than to expect them to act like used car salesmen eager to make a sale LOL. Even when breeders do have a pup available, there is no guarantee that they will think they have a pup exactly suitable for you. Especially in the less common breeds (and certainly with quality breeders of the really popular breeds) you may have to court the breeder - sell yourself to them as someone worthy to own one of their precious pups. LOL it is almost the opposite of buying from a puppy farm or pet shop!

Very odd that article doesn't show any pics of an adult Dandie in show trim - one of those breeds where most people either love them or think they are ugly! A relative of mine, seeing a pair at a dog show once, said they looked like a SWF designed by a committee, which cracked me up

I love that you are so keen to ensure that your boy has every opportunity to excel! Once he is six months old and doesn't need as much sleep, then is probably the time to look into regular classes and sports etc. In the meantime - keep doing what you are doing, join FB groups like Canine Enrichment to keep his brain busy at home, take him out and about each day for short times to different nearby places where he is going to experience lots of different stuff - construction sites, outdoor shopping malls, beaches/pools, markets, sit and watch the kids at the local BMX/skateboard park - yeah, you will have to work to make sure he isn't mobbed by passerbys wanting to pet the cute baby BUT meeting lots of people one or two at a time for a half- hour or so several times a week is excellent socialisation. As for learning to play with/get along with other dogs, this is best done only with dogs you already know and trust and you can arrange short playdates with them. Avoid areas where uncontrolled dogs might be loose ( I'm pretty sure you know that already anyway). And why not advertise for Eskimos - you never know until you ask LOL

LOL I suspect that a 6 hours puppy school course means six one hourly sessions, probably once a week? Or maybe twelve half hourly sessions.

DNA testing for breed type was really useless in the early stages when the DNA markers for only the most common US breeds were held! So if you had a known kelpie/ACD cross for example it might come back as a border collie cross OES or something LOL It has improved since but only if you use one of the better labs.

Congrats. This is the first I have heard of the Hokkaido, but a little bit of googling and I see he is also known as the Ainu dog, which I have heard of as being popular in hunting circles. Glad you have found a pet to cherish!

Baby puppies can actually be shown from 12 weeks of age - obviously the breeder will be choosing the vaccination routine that allows this. Puppies younger than that may be at risk, but perhaps these breeders consider that the risk at a dog show is a lot less than the risk in a dog park or random area where unvaccinated dogs wander. I've seen it too, not often, but occasionally.

Smooth coated border collies are very common in Australia. You girl looks reasonably pure to me, so I would assume that the father was a smooth coat. The rough coat gene is actually a simple recessive, which means that a puppy must get a rough coat gene from BOTH parents before it will have a long (called rough) coat. Therefore if you mate two rough coats together, they cannot produce any smooth coat puppies. Two smooth coats border collies mated together however, MIGHT produce a rough coat if both parents carried one smooth and one rough gene and the puppy got the rough gene from each parent. The genetics of ear set on the border collie is not so simple, however. Whether the ears will be erect or semi erect seems to be due to a combination of genes and not just one - in fact, it can happen they they will have one erect ear and the other semi- erect!

Fantastic choice! I'm so pleased it has worked out well for your family!

When rat baiting was a legal sport, the all time UK champion was actually a Bull Terrier who, if memory serves me correctly, dispatched 100 rats in 6 minutes. Another awesome breed for ratting was the Black and Tan Terrier. These days it is known as the English Toy Terrier(Black and Tan) but I can assure you that they have not lost their drive! Here is a pic of one at work: I have to add that I think domestic rats make great pets (I love the hoodies) but I can't have ratties and ETTs as well. Any field rats that are silly enough to enter the house yard are rather quickly despatched, then carried around like a trophy until I remove the corpse.

@Dalzan I recommend that you contact Tegan at Dog Consultancy for some help. She may be interstate at the moment, but should be back before the end if the week I think. This is her website - Dog Consultancy

Another thing to remember is that you need to clean up any mistakes inside with an enzyme product like Urine Off or similar because otherwise she will continue to use the same places inside. Sometimes a puppy develops a preference for a particular surface, if you can imitate that surface outdoors it can help the learning process a lot. For instance, if she seems to prefer carpet then a cheap car mat or similar placed outside can encourage her to start using it for toileting - which means that you will have the chance to enthusiastically reward her for using that spot! Gradually cut the mat into smaller and smaller pieces over a week or two, until she is using the spot where it used to be but the mat itself is tossed out. The most important thing at this stage is that the puppy is accompanied outside so that going in the right spot can be instantly and enthusiastically praised and treated. Eventually habit will set in and she will go outside by herself.

It can be expensive - try flying a Mastiff pup anywhere! LOL! My last pup was a tiny toy breed and cost less than $150 to fly from Darwin to Melbourne, including crate hire. But it is largely based on the weight of the pup/size of the crate. Also you will find it is usually cheaper if you can find a non-stop flight. Recently I had to fly an adopted cat from Brisbane to Launceston - I saved bout $90 from memory by choosing the non-stop flight. One reason for that was because it was quicker and the cat didn't therefore need a supervised rest stop and the other reason was that sometimes a flight that lands somewhere will physically change planes before continuing. I usually check with Moorhome Transport first for interstate flights. They will give estimates for airport to airport - you do need to know crate size and approximate weight of pup though (which your breeder should be able to tell you). Is it the baby corgi in your profile pic? Adorable!

Yes. Mita is still around. And yes, that information is still applicable! Good memory there, kamuzz!