Greytmate

I don't see the need to be wary of any particular breed if it is under control. It's the dogs not under control that people need to be wary of, and they come in all breeds. How about a thread about what types of owners are you wary of. I think that would be more useful in avoiding problems. I am wary of owners that excuse their dog's aggressive behaviour by calling it protectiveness. I am wary of owners that don't keep ther dogs confined. I am wary of owners that buy a tough dog merely to enhance their image. I am wary of owners that don't train or exercise their dogs properly. They are the ones you need to look out for, rather than any particular breed.

mmm, my collie was seized and euthanized for ONE NIP. I didn't refuse to pay the fine(I have paid it) I wasn't told I was required to keep him in a certain way to have him returned and he was a 23 month old puppy that I'd had for under 2 months when this 'incident' occurred. This isn't scaremongering, it's the truth! PS - My staffy x is also required to wear a muzzle when off the property. She didn't bite, but she's 'menacing' according to Monash Council. I wouldn't believe a single word you say.

What dogs besides restricted breeds and greyhounds wear a muzzle from puppyhood? Which council is automatically seizing and destroying dogs? It sounds like you are making this up, but if you are not, you need to provide more information. If a dog bites it may be declared dangerous, but it will only be seized and euthanised if it's owner refuses to pay the fines, if they refuse to keep it as required, or if the dog is a repeat offender. The new laws are bad enough without the needless scaremongering.

Woody and Coconut want to be in the photos. Coconut can even bring her gypsy costume if you like.

They have normal dog behavioural traits. It is the desexed dogs that have some of their drive inhibited to various degrees by lowering the testosterone in the dog. In my opinion, if you have a dog of a potentially valuable bloodline you keep it entire, if it's a pet you would desex it. The traits of your dog will depend on its own genetics and its behaviour display will depend on your training. That applies equally to all dogs whether desexed or entire.

Most dogs are nice 99% of the time, even ones that are nasty some of the time. A ranger is not qualified to decide whether a dog is nice or not nice. I don't think they are qualified to determine breed by appearance either, but that is what will happen. The 'standard' they are using describes a bigger dog than your average staffy x. I don't believe there are a large number of Labrador cross anythings that will be caught out. Most mongrels get labelled as lab x or staffy x or rottie x , because most smooth coated pups look very similar when very young. It doesn't mean that the named breed is actually in the dog. Only something very much shaped like a stocky pitbull or amstaff is going to match the standard they are using. I would rather see extremely harsh punishment for people breeding and selling unregistered dogs than have the dogs taken away from the owners later. It really is unfair.

Most breeds use the colour terms fawn and liver. Labradors use yellow and choc. Same genetics different label. That happens with lots of breeds.

Keep reporting the dog or taking it to the pound every time it escapes. The fee for reclaiming an entire dog is higher and in some areas if the dog is in season they will get an extra fine on top. Your friend is an irresponsible idiot and we have laws to protect the community from people like her.

You can't tell the difference between a spay scar and a Caesar scar. The only way to tell is tattoo, ultrasound, or cut open the dog.

You can use ultrasound. There is no way of knowing by looking at the outside of the dog unless it has a tattoo.

That sounds lovely Sinta, but in my view is not ethical. It is passing on a problem to somebody else. Calling for somebody who wants to nurse a dog, and be a very special type of carer, but has no intention of permanently keeping her. There is no rehabilitation. There are a few bandage changes and some driving around. The dog will adapt to amputation all by itself despite what the carer does. And what is the full story? This dog is highly likely to suffer arthritis or worse from middle age or earlier. To me that is not what is desirable in a pet. What normal person would prefer that to a healthy dog? It is only a dilemma to Kirty because she has an emotional bond with this dog. This dog has appeal as a special needs dog, it will fulfil somebody's need to be needed. But to use it for this purpose means that the dog's welfare is a secondary consideration, and to me that is unethical. Poor, poor dog. But the damage is immense and the damage is irreversible and sometimes we have to accept defeat for the sake of making sure we do not commit a dog to a life of pain. I've been in this situation, and I don't regret what I did to avoid a dog suffering or a family being given a problem dog. There are many dogs needing help and many would benefit from a special needs carer to rehabilitate them, and more importantly to teach them some manners. But there is little that can be done for this dog.

If you have easy access to a pool, swim her for exercise. I'm so sorry you are in this situation, but I don't think this dog is a candidate for rehoming, and that is entirely the old owner's fault. What the vet has offered would be the three choices somebody could consider if it happened to their beloved pet. None are good choices but only one means that this dog won't suffer any further pain.

The only gobbledegook is this story you are spinning us here, which appears to change as you go along. Readers spit out nothing but a chip number. Not owner details. The details are kept on registries. Who scanned this dog?

Yes it does. If you amputate, a dog of any age will recover very well and adjust very easily to a life on three legs. A young active dog will use the remaining three limbs to compensate for the missing limb. But the other limbs are then being used incorrectly and they are subject to strain and also to wearing out faster. Even worse if the dog is being jumped or being asked to pull things. By middle age the dog is likely to have problems.

Maybe the story / sequence of events is bogus. Maybe. Microchips have numbers and if anything at all is recorded against the chip number it would be more than just a name and a city. Even the manufacturer of the chip could possibly provide some info about who the chip was sold to and when.

The dog that avoids or averts gaze is submitting. Some signals are just very subtle. It isn't always just as simple as dominate or submit, there are other messages as well.

He knows. Dogs have a very rich non-verbal communication. it depends on what you do, but getting the other dog away is good. But you do have to be careful not to act in a way that inflames the situation. Don't run or squeal or be afraid. Be confident, stand your ground and use a deep voice. Possibly. It is what you want him to think. Big strong black umbrella with an instant open button. Ideal for using as a stick or a shield on the majority of dogs that will approach you in the street. Hopefully you will never cross paths with a dog that it won't deter.

I have greyhounds. Coconut would love to catch a bird, especially a duck. She got a crow once. But Woody doesn't care about birds at all. Whether or not a greyhound is birdy tends to be unrelated to whether they are small-fluffy oriented. Or whatever the correct terminology is.

You have a good dog that doesn't want trouble. However the stray dogs do, so if it happens again, get in between your dog and the strays and try to frighten the stray dogs off with your fiercest body language and stomping and some deep growls. I would avoid that area too, and inform council. These dogs are looking for trouble. You need to be confident to deal best with these situations, and even then things can go bad.

Whether they would cauterise depends how bad the nails are and how much pain they are causing the dog. I had an older girl with very arthritic feet done when she was knocked out for something else. Her feet were a bit touchy for a day or so but no worse than the pain from the nails contacting the ground before they were done. After that she walked much better and was easy to trim nails on again because it wasn't causing the pain it did before with the quicks long. A bit of an extreme measure and I'm glad I have never had to have any other dogs done since but it is an option if all else fails to get the nails back to a managable length. Yes, I would argue that in some dogs the risk of injury from the long nails is great enough to go ahead with the operation. When I was instructing agility I saw a few dogs hampered by their long nails on some equipment and I was worried about injury.

Sometimes they end up smelling like the type of strong disinfectant used in council dunny blocks. Toilet smell. Maybe that is what you can smell?

You can use a strong torch to illuminate a dark nail from behind and sometimes you can see the quick. I have heard some vets refuse to do the cauterising because the recovery is so painful.

Try running them on coarse sand for a while just before trimming. I've been told it makes the cuticle retract, although I have no idea of how this works or whether it works on all dogs.

Yes, the muzzle helps. It gives you confidence that you will not get bitten, and this confidence radiates out of you and the dog notices this and behaves itself. But if you don't have a muzzle and are a little nervous that the dog might bite, the dog will sense your fear and have it all over you. True story.

Good post Persephone. I would rather train a dog by teaching it what behaviour will bring a reward than using a device that causes pain or discomfort to stop a behaviour. Ludwig09, I have taught quite a few dogs to walk on a flat collar. Before suggesting different techniques I would really need to know what problems you were having with the technique you have tried. Are you getting help or feedback on your training? Why do you think it's not working for you? You may find that your new harnesses are most effective if you get some obedience instruction as well.