BelgianPup

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) First time golden owner. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Developed to retrieve water birds for hunters. 3. How common is it in Australia? Very common, with the misconception that they are the ideal family pet (they are fantastic but like all dogs need training and boundaries) they have been over bred by puppy farmers. 4. What is the average lifespan? 11 - 14 yrs 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Enthusiastic and outgoing. Always friendly and eager to please. Can be whingy and demanding at times (maybe that's just our boy! He only 18months.) 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? 20 - 40 min. Our boy is happy if we walk and happy if we don't. (If we don't walk him we play with him and train him, also he lives with a very active Belgian so maybe his physical activity needs would be different if he didn't have her egging him on!) 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes, provided they are prepared to train them and are aware the puppy phase lasts a few years! 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Yes. They sleep a lot but in their awake periods need to have something to occupy themselves with - give them something acceptable or they will become destructive. 9. How much grooming is required? Twice weekly brushing but in shedding times or hot weather it is daily. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Due to their size and general enthusiasm they are definitely too boisterous if not trained. At 18months our boy loves kids but occasionally forgets his size and crazy tail! 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Hips and elbows.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Long time admirer, first time owner. (Groendael bitch) 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Multi- purpose herding dog in Belgium. Breed as we know it developed in 1800s and into early 1900s. 3. How common is it in Australia? Not very common, however, not so rare that you want see other Belgians out and about. 4. What is the average lifespan? 12 - 15yrs 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Reserved with strangers but should not be shy or agressive. Very intelligent and inquisitive they respond well to training and thrive on mental stimulation. They are unfailingly loyal and sensitive to their owners moods and are happiest when included in the day to day lives of their household. They can possess 'atittude' and will tell you loudly if they do not wish to do something yet they happy when working and are generally biddable. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? 30min physical activity but more importantly they need mental stimulation (training, games etc.) 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Not recommeded for first time dog owner. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? They can, however, ensure they have interesting toys to entertain themselves with or they can be come destructive and bored. Ideally they would not be isolated all the time. 9. How much grooming is required? Much less than I hjad anticpated! When not shedding (which happens twice a year) a good brush once a week is sufficent. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? If well trained they are fine, however, as with any young dog they can be overly excited and while untrained would be too boisterous for small children. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Check parents hips scores. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) hips scores are a min req. NB There is strong anecdotal evidence to suggest that Belgians experience an increased sensitivity to anaesthetic. From what I've read they respond best when 'sight hound protocols' are followed, which was explained to me as the drugs being administered slowly to effect rather than based on the dogs weight.

Our pups love plastic bottles... they roll and can be chased and when chewed make a great noise (not so great from our perspective, lol,) we also have a paddling pool (plastic shell) which we set up on warm days. The older pup LOVES it, haven't tried it with the new one. They also love playing tug with us and with each other.

Puppy and Belgian get along very well. She is very gentle with him when they play but yes we also wondered about leaving them together while he is still very young. We are just starting to leave them out together for longer periods of time. THanks for the advice

We have a 10 week old golden puppy. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old. My partner and I have been fortunate enough to have 3 weeks off work (1 week left) so puppy has had lots of human time. We've started leaving him alone for small lengths of time, well, seperate from humans, lol, he's with our 18month old Belgian. This week we plan on increasing the time he's without us. When we go back to work he will be 11 weeks. Is this too young to leave out in the yard during the day? (Puppy proof yard with large warm kennel for both dogs.) He is currently escaping the 'puppy barriers' inside (we are purchasing a crate asap) but obviously crating an 11 week old puppy for 8hrs or more seems too much of a strain on his bladder! Advice and experiences appreciated

I would love to have my Belgian get her CCD and maybe CD in 2009... However, at the very least I want to start trialling in 2009. Lol, tis my first time so I think I am more unsure than she is about the whole thing!

I wouldn't use more than a flat collar on a puppy. Check chains, if you know how to use them, can be a useful tool with some dogs. I agree. Check chains can be very effective if used properly - but must be used properly and certainly it seems highly unlikely to need one on a pup. We used positive rewards with our Belgian - and a harsh 'NO' when she did something wrong. When she was older, at the recommendation of our trainer, we began using a check chain.

For the owners- do you expect a trainer to give you a guarantee regarding solving problems with your dog? Simply - no. However, I do expect a guarantee of professional responsible service (lol, clearly not legally binding -just good customer service!) Both of which our trainer provides Honestly I would be suspicious of a trainer who offered a guarantee to fix a behavioural problem - how would you assess and enforce a legally binding guarantee? Especially as the dog interacts with its environment and people (primarily its owners.) I would be curious to hear from trainers who do offer legally binding guarantees for behavioural issues... What are the terms of your contracts? Is it a 'life time' guarantee or can certain actions/events void the guarantee?

This worked with our puppy... Maybe it will help We put the lead on when she was - a) too tired to care (and watched her carefully so she wouldn't get tangled if she fell aspleep) b) happily distracted by something far more interesting... fav toy, fun game with human, interesting smells in front yard etc It took perserverence and dedicated distractive efforts on our behalf but was effective. Also when your pup is able to go out hopefully it will ralise the big wide world is far more intgeresting and only accessible via the lead... (to begin with anyway!)

A suggestion only: (sounds like the kids may be too scared to do this...) If they were to hold a toy when the puppy was near tyhem so it could focus on that rather than them and they may feel like they have a bit of a barrier and Bruce's attention is clearly not on them then? lol, but why take an amateur's 2c worth? :D I can highly recommend Cosmolo from Underdog training as not just a 'good' trainer but an excellent one :D Good luck

A little off topic... but would appreciate it if someone could tell me what the following stands for :D 'CAO, LGD, ASD; (lol, I recognise GSD...) Thanks :D

We use devon lunch meat - our belgian loves it. The bredders use cooked liver, lambs fry, chicken etc Having said that our girl is far more toy motivated than food oriented! She has been known to glance at the proffered food reward then wait for toy reward! My OH family has 2 golden retrievers, kibble and dried liver treats are all it takes for them!

Growing up we had a BC X Irish Setter. We got her when she was 6 yrs old. She was incredibly sweet and gentle and very friendly to everyone. However, if my brother and I (I'm the oldest and at this stage was still bigger than him) were play fighting (or real fighting) she would grab me by my clothing (ALWAYS the clothing... a sleeve or trouser leg) and drag/pull me away from him. Similarly if I was play fighting with my father (who was most definitely leader of the pack) she would do the same thing to him. It was quite a different behaviour to if she joined in play (she always seperated us if we were 'fighting'.) Before we got her she spent a lot of time at a primary school (jumped the 6ft back fence at her place to spend time with the kids - owners didn't have enough time, my Dad was the school care taker - that's how we acquired her) where she was very protective of the kids particularly the younger smaller children. On a few occasions she actually herded (with a little growling) some bullies into a corner during recess and wouldn't let them go! They'd been teasing some smaller children who'd been noticeably upset (knocking icy poles out of their hands, standing over them etc.) So in answer to the question Is it possible for a dog with no aggression and who is definitely low down in the pack to exhibit natural protection behaviours? I would have to say (based on anecdotal evidence and personal exp, lol) that yes it is definitely possible.

Thanks! Thanks Dogdude that's great just what I need

I hoping to start trialling with my Belgian (she's 13months.) Someone told me that there was a great website listing almost all trial dates in Vic (as not all were advertised in Dogs Vic Mag) but of course I can't for the life of me remember the address and haven't seen the kind person who told me again Any help would be much appreciated. Also any hints and tips for a first time trialler would be appreciated... My dog and I will be attempting CCD and over summer will be working on getting (close to at least) absolute precision before entering. We'll also be going back to our obedience club (Rotti Obedience Club) after a long absence (dog was still trained during this time at home and at private classes.) Will also be checking out some more trials without the dog too before we enter :cool: I'm just very nervous bout the whole thing! (and of course excited!)