SUPERKAZ

1. The puppy belongs to my girlfriend and I and it currently stays in a sharehouse with us. All of the people that stay in the house are very loving and I have no fears that they will mistreat the puppy - quite the opposite. Unfortunately different people treat the puppy in different ways and I'm worried there is going to be no consistency with the puppy's training. Does anyone have any experience in this kind of situation - and how did you deal with it? I'm kind of looking for some concrete rules that I can tell them - but it's very difficult as I have no experience with puppys really and we're all playing by ear.

First up - go to a Puppy Preschool so YOU get trained, then you will know first hand what the rules need to be. Simple things like only YOU feed the dog, if it wants something it must say "Please" and it says Please by sitting, consistent obedience training - initially only YOU should do it, and then they must use the same commands etc as you. Consistency is the KEY with puppies - and the reality of your situation is that you just CAN'T offer the same consistency as say I can, because I don't have kids, housemates etc. It will just take a little longer, but be patient. I think you should have a light hearted but serious (if you know what I mean) "house meeting" and do a little ceremony where your housemates are appointed as Godparents (Dogparents?) and charged with the responsibility of supporting Puppy to become a worthwhile citizen. Do a "Raise your right hand. After each promise give the response "We Will". We promise to be responsible about Puppies nutrition and let Mum and Dad do the feeding exclusively, no treats. - We Will. We promise - [insert the key ones]" Keep it light hearted, but then if someone backslides, you can say - "you promised". Getting buy in and committment is surprisingly effective.

2. There is one other dog in the house already, an adult Shitzu / Maltese who is incredibly submissive. Unfortunately, while we thought that the new pup and he would be great friends - its been a week and he's still terrorfied of the new puppy. We've tried to socialise them but he just runs away from the pup. If we hold onto him, or put them both in a confined space (like the bathroom) then the older dog (Mickey) either uncomfortably sits in the corner or bares his fangs at the pup. He's also tried to bite her when he gets cornered. I'm not really sure what to do as he's obviously afraid and I dont like forcing him, but at the same time everything I've read says its important to socialise them.

Give them time, and supervise them when they are together. The older dog is displaying fear aggression, and you don't want an attack to damage your puppy and it's attitudes to other dogs. Socialise your pup with other dogs and let this relationship develop slowly, from afar.

3. When it comes to toilet training, she's doing pretty well - but I do have some questions. Unfortunately, sometimes she doesnt poo when I think she should. Should I just wait until she waits at the door or squats, or should I persist and try to make her poo? She's pretty good with wees and will at least always try to wee when we take her outside - but for some reason she really doesnt seem to poo very often. It's currently nearly four hours after she ate and still nothing.

See if you can interest her in water as well at mealtime, it should help the poo. Play this by ear. All dogs are different. Mine never poo's immediately after food. They seemed to need abit of movement as well to get things moving.

Implementing the NILIF and TOT practices

had to look them up ! :-)

I get confused.

People say you should buy a pure bred because you get a predictable temperament.

People say purebreds have a temperament based on intended purpose - like guarding, or herding, or chasing. It's part of the breed standard. Some breeds have a strong prey drive, others are very "independent" and hard to train, tenacious, some tend toward dominance, some are "game", some can be a little timid, others are lazy and easy going, or smart and eager to please - etc.

But if you say "You should be careful of x breed because they have y characteristics, you get told "You can't say that - a dog is what you make it." !! The whole BSL paranoia seems to raise it's ugly head.

Huskie owners admit their dog's are a handful and not for inexperienced owners because they have a particular temperament and tend to act a certain way.

This is what I don't understand - why can't we admit that some breeds, due to breeding, are harder to manage than other breeds in certain respects? It MUST be true, because otherwise all the breed standards as they relate to temperament and behaviour must be a lie.

And logically if it IS true, then cross breeding 2 of these challenging breeds can't be a good idea, because now you have challenging breeds and unpredictable results from the cross-breeding.

An American Bulldog is typically a happy, friendly, and assertive dog that is at ease with its family and fine with strangers as they get to know the stranger in question. They are quite fond of children but sometimes do not know their own strength. Thus, as with all dogs, they should be supervised with small children. They bond strongly with their master and family but, because of strong guarding instincts and a somewhat dominant attitude, they need a firm but fair hand; they should be socialized and obedience trained early to expose them to other dogs and people and to ensure that they can be controlled around company as they get older and larger, they can be stubborn/strong willed and mischievous if not exercised enough. It should be noted that an American Bulldog is not a dog that should be purchased by people who are not experienced dog owners. It's a powerfull and strong headed dog who needs an owner with determination and knowledge about training.

They are working dogs with high energy drives. They need room to expend their energy, and so American Bulldogs do best in a home with a backyard and preferably a "job" to do. A tired well worked bulldog is a happy bulldog. They are not always well behaved towards cats and smaller pets, but correct socialization at an early age can greatly increase the chances of them accepting these animals. This behavior is a reflection of a breed trait called prey drive. High prey drive is a desirable trait in an American Bulldog. A well bred American Bulldog is a catch dog of large herbivores. They can be stubborn with training though once they are trained they tend to obey their masters faithfully. American bulldog puppies can be relatively difficult to housebreak, thus it is important to be persistent.

The American Bulldog standard in height and weight seems to allow massive variations, there are 2 different types - the Johnson type and the Scott type however, many modern American Bulldogs are a combination of the two types - so a fair bit of variability in appearance and no uniform standard could mean the same for temperament too, for various reasons I am sure breeders would understand.

I had a look at the Aussie Bulldog sites - frankly it looks like a developing breed that at the moment is just a cross breed itself. The "standard" is pretty loose and not very detailed. On temperament it says - Loyal, fierce in appearance, but extremely outgoing and affectionate in nature. Very stable and predictable. Enjoys activity, however a lot of exercise is not necessary for health and mental stability. The breed craves human attention. Some may not tolerate aggressive overtures by other dogs. Not much to go on.

So one parent is not a purebred, and the other is a breed with a substantial degree of variability. Seems a reasonable thing to say that it is very difficult to know what you're going to get temperament wise, but it ain't going to be a walk in the park!!

Looks like I am coming in for a serve. I know you didn't ask for "life advice" but hey, the world is full of people with good advice! Thankfully, as I said, you have the freedom to ignore it and tell them all and me to shove it. Hopefully you also have the maturity to take on board those parts of it that might be relevant for you.

Ash, I am not discriminating against you. Your situation and age is what it is. What it does do is give some indication of the level of good judgement you have exercised so far in life. Don't get defensive, it's true. Accept it. Learn from it. The great thing about our past mistakes is that we don't have to repeat them. By the sounds of it you're trying to do that, but questioning why you would further burden your limited time and resources with another dog is not an outrageous thing to do. Obviously you are doing your best to be a good mother to your kids and to improve yourself by getting new skills in mid-wifery - these are admirable things and show strength of character, but you'll not do yourself any favours by overburdening yourself time-wise or financially.

It is all well and good to say

Leave age and personal situations out of it!

Good luck with the pup, the kids and the course.

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Maybe it's to use to discourage unrestrained dogs from approaching or to break up a fight if need be? I used to carry an umbrella for the same reason where I used to live (off lead dogs were a real problem. When you open it quickly it really spooks the other dog and provides a psychologocal barrier too. I looked wierd carrying an umbrella in the desert, but hey!

ash, no point getting in a huff - sorry, but when you add up the known facts, the picture is one of those "accidents waiting to happen" classics. No point getting resentful when people connect the dots, it's human nature. Get used to it. Not being mean, just telling it as it is.

At 19 you are still a teenager, and you already have 2 kids with no partner, no means to support yourself so you're on welfare, and in addition to a dog you already had, you have now spent another $600 on a NEW dog (which seems to be an overpriced cross breed not from a registered breeder) with apparent behavioural issues. A lot of people would ask why you needed another dog to begin with when the $600 (plus ongoing costs) could have been spent on something to improve your children's lives, education, experience of the world etc etc. The time spent on this dog could have gone into the existing dog and your kids.

Now you say "Well, it was just scared, and it's fine now and you're all mean." Fact is, people are concerned when they see a teenager compounding a less than ideal situation with more bad choices.

I don't know you, so I can say this I guess and you can ignore it to - seems like you need to take stock a little and stop being defensive. Maybe getting defensive and ignoring good advice from people who care is how you got where you are now - no job (limited skills to get one I would guess, or at least a decent one), 2 kids and no partner. The thrill of getting new stuff, like puppies, can only distract you from the reality of your situation for so long. Better to face up to it, make some tough choices. Turn it around.

I know wherefrom I speak, having dug myself into terrible holes as a teenager and thinking I knew it all and all those oldies were nasty fools who had no idea and didn't know me. They didn't need to know me to see where I was headed.

Who here makes Aeroplane Jelly??? What do you think the "gelling agent" is????? Gelatine!!!

What is Gelatine

If you read that.. you will never eat jelly again....!!!!

What is Dog Food

I've never been a big fan of jelly...But you're right Mystiqview - I'll never eat it again!!!!!

Who cares what things caome from or are, as long as they are not dangerous to eat and taste good!

I think Mark makes some good points, but I also thing the RSPCA's response is quite reasoned as well. I am no expert, and what I take away from it is to be overwhelmingly positive, but realise that as appropriate, there are other technigues I can employ as well if I need to, or if particular issues arise. I think the two methods expressed both have merit, and would work best in balance or combination, having regard to the individual dog in question.

Im alergic to 220 gives me mega migranes. Cant drink wine with 220

Find some good organic wines. They are around in Oz I think. You guys make GREAT wines. I buy them on eBay, store them at Wineaways in Brisbane, and then when I have enough, ship it to the States. Penfolds, Henshke and Jim Barry are a few favourites. O, and you have a Chardonnay called Petaluma that is MINDBLOWING!! Plus your beer is much better than ours. I particularly like Coopers Pale Ale that a few outlests stock locally. You guys know how to drink.

I could not cope. Ginger was a boisterous puppy, and at 2 and a half is still very young acting, but that is RIDICULOUS!!! Not a good advertisement for rescues either unfortunately.

You poor thing, sounds like you have the best possible environment, do all the right things, but this dog is like a reincarnation of Ghengis Kahn or something. Or Linda Blair. Maybe she has a neurological or physical disorder? Does not sound remotely normal.

Have a look for 220 in Wine, Bread etc. Scary

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