Greytmate

It's a bit disingenuous to declare some risks definite and some risks only potential. By definition of the word, all risk is potential and not definite. This dog should have been desexed before rehoming as he was an adult dog being rehomed as a pet. There are risks associated with the success rate of rehoming adult dogs, and desexing reduces those risks to the dog being rehomed.

Sorry, I thought I had cleared my inbox. I have cleared it now I think.

Bumping to see if anyone has some info.

Thanks, have deleted some messages to make room. :)

I'm sorry for your loss. Cal was such a character and you will miss him.

My parents-in-law recently lost their two cavaliers (they lived to 14), and they now want to buy a puppy. They live in Newcastle. They are especially concerned about finding a breeder that does all the health checks and breeds for health. She wants Blenheim colour, but will consider an older pup, and either sex. There are three nice looking pups being advertised on the net by a local registered breeder, Google tells me their Kennel name is Bushbreeze, but I am not sure. Does anyone know of this breeder? If anyone knows of any breeders they would like to recommend or recommend that people avoid, please post here or send me a PM. Also if somebody has a list of questions to ask CKCS breeders to make sure all the right tests are being done, please post a link, so I can pass all the info on. Thanks :)

Most greyhounds do it. They do it when relaxed so I don't think it's dominance. If they are in a challenging mood they are more likely to hook their head over the target, or do something with their face, they posture. Where as the body lean is just a bit lazy and doesn't normally include posturing to send a message. I think they just like the closeness. They would prefer to be lying down, but they are enjoying the attention so they stay standing up.

What sort of response is that? This lady is just trying to live quietly with her dogs and is not bothering anybody. It is disgraceful for an elderly lady to be subjected to that and to be told to get rid of the dogs to appease others cultural beliefs in her own community. That is just not acceptable. I suggest she contact her local member and complain. Perhaps they can arrange a representative of the culture concerned to speak to these people about tolerance. I agree. It is disgusting that the police would suggest this. It is legal to own dogs. It is illegal to harrasss other people.

It would be better to try the simple solution - stop over feeding the dog - before going to a veterinary behaviourist. Nobody is saying to shrug it off. No, it isn't normal for a dog to guard where a treat once was, and the dog is probably stressed out if showing that much aggression, but the owner has not tried the most obvious solution. This dog should not be in possession of food unless eating its dinner. If after a week or two of proper feeding the dog is still showing undue aggression, then I would investigate behaviourists and medication. But for now, the OP has been given excellent advice for free. This dog is being repeatedly put in a situation where it feels it has to guard. I think that has to stop before we can say whether the dog has a problem or not. You don't need a behaviourist to tell you that.

I think it might be because she is getting more food than she needs, so is guarding the extra. If she is complaining about getting food in her crate, then possibly she isn't that hungry. Best to give her bones as part of her meals, and keep her completely separated from other animals when she has food.

Stop feeding treats. Just give the dog its normal meals, and remove the bowl when its finished.

Staffydave. I think what you are missing is that the behaviour that you think is normal in this dog, is the same behaviour that most people in our community really don't want to see in any pet dog. Determined aggression can be dangerous. It is you making a big deal of the breed. Nobody else is judging the behaviour by whether it is ok for a breed, only by whether it is ok for a dog of any breed. I am so glad the OP has recognised the seriousness and has contacted a behaviourist to examine the behaviour in depth.

Let your husband organise whatever he wants for the house and you take care if the dogs by kennelling them.

Anthropomorphism as its finest I don't think so If the dog is accustomed to a certain reaction from approaching and greeting people, especially one that is reinforcing, and overnight that reaction stops then of course it will be confusing and cause some level of distress. No. That won't cause the dog any stress at all. Responsible owners don't let their dogs meet and greet everyone they see. The owner is stressed. That's is all what this is about, and I think the owner is exaggerating a lot and being melodramatic. If she wanted a lab retriever the should have bought one instead of this dog.

Use kennels. I think you were lucky nothing went wrong last time. Don't risk it again.

I think dogs are happiest with one main owner they see every day, and apartment complexes that don't allow medium to large dogs are not very appealing places to live.

If she growls in defence of food, rather than walk away from it, then she has shown that in certain circumstances she would be food aggressive. That's completely normal, but it does mean that you would need to keep her separated while eating from any other dog you bring home., in case the new dog didn't back down after being growled at, or in case she growled at another dog in order to eat its food. Nobody brings home a new dog to be attacked by an existing dog, but that doesn't mean that a new dog will never have a fight with an older dog over food. Sometimes a prey animal caught in the yard can lead to problems between dogs. The most constructive suggestion I could give if you are serious about teaching your dog the difference between rabbits and other prey is not to bother trying. If you were trying to train your dog not to chase any prey, there is help available, and management is the best and easiest way to stop this. Keeping the dog confined to a yard and exercised on lead. But to teach a dog to distinguish between different animals would require you to have close access to a range of animals for training. And that would not be ethical. There are much better ways to eradicate rabbits from a property than to allow a dog to catch them.

I would open a few windows, it won't make them more comfortable but it will make you more comfortable while you are watching them. Coconut broke into the dog food fridge a couple of days ago and ate over a kilo of meat. She was very uncomfortable that night, but she is ok now.

How many people here are you suggesting don't use a simple precaution like a lead to stop this happening? To allow a dog to be offlead (in a non-designated area ) so it can harrass or kill wildlife is illegal and cruel, why do you think anyone in this thread would do that? What precautions are you taking, and what makes you think you are so unique? Anyone who understands dogs knows that a dog has an instinctive prey drive. Anyone who is responsible then takes precautions to prevent it happening.

The preliminary assessment done on dogs before they are accepted into rescue is a behaviour assessment, not a temperament assessment. It is to record how the dog behaves when put in certain situations. From that, it is possible to gain an insight as to whether this dog is likely to act undesirably in some situations it might be faced with in future. It can rule out dogs that show dangerous behaviour, and help rescue gauge how 'easy' the dog is going to be to manage in foster care. But it isn't foolproof, because like people, dogs might feel and act differently at different times. Then while dogs are in foster care, over weeks their true temperament emerges and can be recorded. Depending on what the carer does and whether they follow a formal program, all sorts of things can be learned about the dog, and the dog will get basic training to improve its manners generally. The better the standard of foster care, the easier it is to match a dog to the right new family. Breeds differ, but in greyhounds, you need two weeks before the dog is comfortable and settled enough in a home to show its normal temperament. If the dog is not settled within that time then a deeper investigation needs to be done into the dog and the carer's management. Part of responsible and ethical rescue is documenting behaviour observations at all stages. The history needs to be asked for and recorded from the person surrendering the dog, the behaviour assessment needs to be recorded, and any undesirable behaviour while the dog is in foster care also needs to be recorded. All of this history needs to be made available to the adopter. If there is any aggression towards people or other serious problems known, the dog should be withdrawn from sale. Disclosure of issues to the adopter does not limit the rescue's liability for adopting out a dangerous dog.

Here is a post I did 6 months ago in a thread about keeping your dog on lead. . It is a shame the OP didn't read that thread before she started this one.

She was not respectful at all. Her request was unreasonable, this is a public forum and people will be asked to back up the statements they make. I think this person was defensive because they did not have the capacity to properly explain their reasoning, not because anyone here said anything that was out of line. She was not open to being educated here, she was preaching her view and wanting others to help her obtain a dog. One person gone, but hopefully hundreds of others who have stayed to read and have learned more about the necessity of vaccinations for dog welfare and where to learn more about the intelligent and scientifically informed debate that is taking place about how dogs should be vaccinated.

I agree with DeeLee. Reed diffusers (sticks) are good if they are in a natural essential oil. But if they are in an artificial fragrant oil, they can smell a bit chemical, and that to me is worse than dog smell. I dislike the air-freshers that spray automatically, and the sound of them can be disturbing to dogs. When I visit a house that has one, I think it always leaves my clothes smelling a bit like toilet-cleaner.

Because when I pay for my groceries, I don't want a free serve of bullshit. Nor do I. It was really stupid of her, I agree. But when did it become ok to possibly ruin someone's employment just because you have a better understanding of how and why dogs should be bred? I'm not denying she should have kept her mouth shut. She is totally in the wrong. I think BYB should be illegal. But is that a reason to report her? This forum is a great source of information with many very knowledgeable people. But sometimes the bubble in which it exists makes for some scary attitudes. Do you think it is acceptable for retail staff to try to solicit private business while they are being paid to do a job? I don't and that is what she would be reported for. Do you think it is acceptable for retail staff to give their own personal criticism on any subject, while being paid to do a job? She sounds like she is not cut out for working with the public. She has ruined her own employment. The BYB is a side-issue.

Because when I pay for my groceries, I don't want a free serve of bullshit.