MalteseLuna

Dingoes are largely blamed for the actions of stray domestic dogs and dog/dingo hybrids. Dingoes actually help to preserve native fauna by excluding foxes and feral cats from ecosystems. They fulfill the niche of the now extinct Thylacine. Dingoes are essentially a native animal having evolved and lived in Australia for the last 3,000-5,000 years. Research has been shown that hybrids are the problem as they are more aggressive, kill stock excessively (because their instincts are weaker) etc. Some land owners in NSW have found that purebred dingos (in a stable pack i.e. no culling ongoing on the land) actually take few stock and then only dying/very old animals - this is a direct contrast to stories of dingoes killing multiple sheep/lambs a night. Most incidences of excessive stock taking nowadays are (IMO) from hybrids or feral domestic dogs and not dingoes. If less culling was ongoing and more stable packs were allowed to form alot of 'dingo' problems might go away. The activities described by Persephone sound more like the actions of feral dogs or hybrids that real dingoes - a pity no distinction is made. Most hybrids are fathered by dogs not mothered by dogs because domestic bitches lack the instinct to rear a litter in the wild. Dingoes also breed only once a year instead of 2 times a year like domestic dogs. It's a pity that a native dog, one of the few left in the wild, is being run into extinction by humans - but then it seems to be the way we act... if it's hurting our lifestyle then we kill it regardless of the fact that it's been in Australia for many hundreds of years more than Europeans/European farming.

I have found that kongs filled with food/treats are very useful also everlasting treat balls are fantastic. Puppies sleep alot anyway so in my mind it's not a huge problem as long as there are some toys/distractions available to the puppy. I didn't work full time during the time Luna was a puppy but I do now and kongs/treat balls help to keep her occupied while I'm away. I take them away when I'm there so that they are a 'special' treat for when I'm gone - avoids separation anxiety. Luna loves it when I leave in the mornings since it means she gets her treat ball (which I put liver treats into).

I think I know the pug breeder - are they in the Sydney area? If so they aren't regarded as being reputable at all and I would definitely call them a BYB I'm sure she is gorgeous - lets just hope she doesn't have any genetic time bombs waiting to go off Re: snoring - she will probably be very loud as she ages my parents pug hardly every snuffles/snores although she is getting abit louder now that she is 11+

Very true - however I think alot of the demand is because people don't understand that the 'x-doodle' puppy they are buying isn't a new 'rare' breed but rather a straight crossbreed. T People pay it because there is a myth that purebred puppies are even more expensive (most people don't bother doing their own research) and because they believe they are getting some new fangled rare breed. If people realised more about where pet shop puppies come from they wouldn't want to buy the puppies. Hybrid vigor does not happen. Crossing two individuals of the SAME species does not create a hybrid. Crossing two breeds can be very similar to playing genetic Russian roulette - you don't know what the puppy will get. For example the puppy may get a mix of features from each parent this could lead to fundamental anatomical machinery not fitting together properly i.e. wrong shaped knee caps with leg bones or very small mouth with too many/too large teeth. I would have walked away when it became evident the lady hadn't taken the pups to the vet. Having had the heartache of thinking myself to be 'saving' a puppy from a similar situation only to have her die a week later from Parvo I would NEVER support a byb ever again. They don't care for the dogs and they don't deserve the label of 'breeder'. They just want money or are too lazy to care for their animals properly and de-sex them or take measures to avoid litters. I understand then sentiment of wanting to save her - and you have which is a good thing, I bet she is a fantastic dog- but you (and I) have helped the cycle continue. When people continue buying these puppies and supporting the actions of byb's and pet stores they can keep breeding. My parents bought a puppy from a pet store (Malt X Shih) about 10 years ago. For the first 5 years of her life she was healthy as can be and then her genetic luggage started catching up with her. She has/had terrible luxating patellas which have had to be corrected with surgery (costing $1000 per hind leg). Because of this she has bad arthritis in her back legs as well. When you compare her general health to my parents pug (from a responsible reputable breeder) it's much worse. The pug has yet to have had a serious health issue and is going strong at 11+ years. I don't understand this - what does the mixing make better about the puppy? Running health checks on the parents may help to a degree but at the same time the byb will have no knowledge of genetic diseases for which there are no tests (unlike purebred breeders which have more of this knowledge by benefit of parentage/family history). I have more to say on this but can't seem to express it properly in words - my brain isn't functioning today!

Standard mark up on a pet shop pup is more than double what they pay for them. If you don't like expensive purebreds, don't buy one. Don't pay for known ancestry, an increased degree of predictability of what your adult dog will be, health testing for known inheritable conditions or careful raising of the pup until you get it at 8 weeks of age. Don't pay for lifetime support from someone knowledgeable about the breed and puppies. None of that is clearly worth anything now is it? :p There are plenty of breeds where pups sell for under $1,000. Worked out over the life of the dog, you pay more for Foxtel. If you wouldn't buy a car cobbled together in a backyard by someone with no mechanical knowledge and from whatever parts are lying around, why on earth would you want a dog made that way? And anyone who can't see the problem of buying from a puppy farmer (who often are as expensive as registered breeders) either doesn't understand what the term entails or clearly doesn't give a rats arse about animal welfare. Exactly

I talked to someone from guide dogs vic about this a while back and she said that the lab/GR was in favour because of their even temperament and that it only works for a first generation cross from pure bred parents. I have yet to see an obviously cross bred guide dog - my auntie used to be heavily involved in Guide Dogs NSW. She used to foster puppies. I see Guide Dogs occasionally and they always look like purebred Labs or GR. It's fairly obvious generally if it's a cross. Why would the cross have a more even temperament than a pure lab or GR both of which are renowned for having excellent temperaments? Just because a lecturer or vet from a respected university says something does not mean it's true There is absolutely NO evidence that cross-breeds are healthier because nobody has actually done any research on this matter (to my knowledge). Diseases in Purebreds are clearly documented however nobody has a database of cross-breds with health information this is why the myth started. The number of crossbreds I know of who have health problems is larger that the number of purebreds I know of who have health problems. The myth of hybrid vigour is strong however not really valid. Breeding 2 unhealthy/poorly bred animals together whether from the same breed or different breeds doesn't automatically create a magical super healthy puppy. They are still the same species so they aren't hybrids anyway. The whole purebreds are more expensive is completely untrue. Pet store cross-breds are routinely sold for $1500 to $3000 dollars whilst a purebred Maltese from a reputable breeder may cost $900-$1200 dollars. Most purebred puppies are less expensive that pet store animals because reputable breeders aren't trying to make a profit whilst pet stores are.

I found this on a website talking about Kintamani breed standard: MAJOR FAULTS : 1. Coat Color not white and if the red orange color not found at ear coat color I'll check it out though - thanks corvus! I'm just lucky

Beautiful pei ams THE NGSD do appear to have a black and tan colour variety but it's very rare and the breed itself is very rare - might be hard to get DNA. I'll have a think about it Thanks for the suggestions everyone

Luna loves the kitty litter crystals - problem is they get stuck to her lips/hair and then she can't get rid of them (they are those silica crystal ones). We have to vacumn all around the house as the kitty isn't very good at keeping the crystals in the litter tray! She hasn't found out about kitty truffles yet... but I don't doubt that she would eat them I think even worse is that she licked her butt this morning and then lovely OH put her on the bed while I was sleeping... she proceeded to try and lick my face and I could smell anal glands Guess who got a nice tooth and mouth brushing!

Yes I do mean Black with tan points. NGSD don't have a black and tan colour (that I know of). I would count them as Asian origin... but they are believed to be close relations to Dingos which are also of Asian origin (4000+ years ago). I do think it's interesting that most 'ancient' pariah type dogs only come in yellow or black/white varieties - no tan points. That's why I'm looking at this colour morph. The paper was published in 2010 - First Author Bridgett M. vonHoldt entitled Genome-wide SNP and haplotype analyses reveal a rich history underlying dog domestication, from Nature. Tang dog is an interesting contender!

Glad to be corrected - a recent paper in Nature on the origins of Domesticated Dogs mentioned a few very old breeds but didn't mention Shiba Inu's (now that I look back at it they must not have been included). I'm basically interested in the black and tan phenotype/genotype (Agouti gene). Black and Tan Shiba's look very very close to what I was looking for - even with Urajiro which shouldn't affect the genotype at the Agouti gene. I guess the same is true for Basenji's, I was just checking around to see what exists. Thanks for the suggestions everyone

Shiba's are on my list! I believe they are a fairly new breed though (read few hundred years instead of 1000+). I'm looking for a breed that is an ancient 'pariah-type' dog for comparison. Think Basenji, Carolina Dog, New Guinea Singing Dog... it's possible that the breed doesn't exist Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Does anyone know of a dog breed that originated in Eastern Asia (preferably in ancient times i.e. 1000+ years ) that has both yellow/red and black & tan colour varieties? I know the basenji is one however their black & tan is really a tri-colour with alot of white (according to the standards). I thought some rare breed enthusiasts might know of a breed that fits! It's for a research project which is part of my PhD Thanks, Kylie

Does anyone know the outcome yet? I live on the cusp of Waverly council and would really like to know! What disturbs me is if they include all the top 10 most dangerous dogs ... I think that the statistics weren't adjusted for number of animals of a certain breed in Australia - because most of the breeds on the top dogs list are very popular. When will they listen to reason... dangerous dogs are the result of 'bad' owners generally and not breed!

They are all gorgeous but I am partial to Aden - I just love Maltese and he looks so adorable Makes me wish I was at home with my Malt instead of at work!

I've had very similar experiences with my 3 kg Maltese at the park - it didn't sound like it was your fault particularly. Sometimes these things happen - big dogs don't realise their own strength or can't understand the body language of small dogs. Luna's main problems with dogs are ones with high prey drive or herding/working dogs - she probably looks like a rabbit to them (especially when she runs). We try to stick to the times of day when the park has few people in it, only go near groups of small dogs and avoid puppies of large breeds (often they are too clumsy or rambunctious to control themselves - they just haven't learnt their manners yet).

Yes small dogs should behave the same - compared to big dogs. The problem is not personality it's the way they are brought up. If you coddle a small dog, carry it around everywhere and don't socialize it then it's going to be a little terror! My little 3 kg Maltese is lovely - she gets on well with dogs of all shapes and sizes. What she doesn't like (i.e. is scared of not aggressive towards) is highly exuberant 30 kg + dogs bounding across the park towards her. She has now had several bad experiences with big dogs trying to herd her, play with her like she is a toy, chase her, dominate her etc etc. The problem is that once a small dog has a bad experience with a big dog as with any dog having a bad experience it's hard to show them that not all big dog's are scary. We have met just as many lovely well behaved big dogs in the park - it's just the badly behaved ones that stay in your mind. I would imagine it's the same with nasty little dogs. The main issue is that small dogs can be seriously and fatally injured by big dogs - even if the big dog doesn't mean to, one ill-placed foot and squish. Yes small dogs can still do as much damage if they are aggressive but for me the problem hasn't always been a question of bad behavior so much as clumsy big dog trying to play with 3 kg fluff - then poor Luna get's stepped on and it seriously hurts her. There really shouldn't be a distinction between small and large dogs - the same standards of obedience and behavior should equally apply. However, big dog owners need to step into the shoes of small dog owners (and vice versa), small dog owners get told horrific stories of small dogs getting mauled/stepped on/injured by other small dog owners, vets, puppy schools etc etc that often leads to trepidation when the question of small dogs interacting with big dogs is raised. I know when I got Luna I was warned several times to not let Luna near big dogs as there had been several mauling in the area recently, this was by my vet. No dog of any size should show aggression to humans.

Her eyes/tear ducts were quite red/irritated so she has an eye ointment and if I want antihistamines. Vet reckons it's allergies (face, feet chewing etc) and probably related to all the blooming flowers (we live right near a heavily planted park). Vet checked tear production and it's normal/fine. Ears are good puggypuggy she has been rubbing at her face a bit - I will try to keep her from doing this. Elizabethan collar is something I would like to avoid - don't like the idea of her home alone with it (and I work 9-5). I guess I probably didn't notice it before as we lived in an apartment (14th floor) and now we are in a terrace house near a park

Here are the ingredients/stats about her diet/food

Okay booked in with a new vet at 5pm this afternoon - Ill let you guys know what the verdict is and I might show some photos etc. If anyone has a specialist in Sydney I would love to know - in case I need to go there, would there be one at Sydney Uni Vet? She is fed Eagle Pack Salmon, Sardine etc, I haven't gotten a new packet and I've been using the same one for about 2 months. I also feed raw chicken necks occasionally. It might well be her teeth as they are probably due for her first dental (though they are definitely BAD... they aren't sparkling white like they used to be). I know she has reactivity to corn fillers (found this out when she was a pup). It's weird - she chews her feet but mainly (as I see it) so she can chew her nails... which she seems to like I've tried stopping this behaviour and brought it up with the vet - who indicated that it was just her "quirk". She has had a history of elevated ALT levels - but the specialist at Sydney uni wasn't concerned and recommended keeping an eye on them but no treatment/further tests. She doesn't have a rash on her feet/tummy or anywhere and her ears look fine to me. As I am well aware that the staining could be related to ears, allergies etc. Thanks for the advice guys it's so helpful having nice knowledgeable people close at hand Kylie and Loony Luna

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for some advice about my 2 year old Maltese. She has suddenly started tearing alot from both her eyes, she normally had a tiny bit of staining around her eyes but only a small "wick" and it was generally pretty dry most of the day (vet always just told me "oh all white dogs get tear stained, nothing to be done"). Well in the past week its suddenly gotten vary bad, her face is completely stained and her face is wet alot. She is also staining on her feet where she is licking and around her mouth - which is a new development. I haven't changed her diet or shampoos and I can't think of any thing that is particularly different (though the change in season might be to blame...but this didn't happen last year). First off should I go to the vet? or a specialist? and If a specialist can someone recommend anyone in Sydney (near Paddington)? Second how to I clean the stains off once everything is 'fixed' or is it just a matter of waiting for it to grow out and cutting it all out ( her face was just getting long again after I stupidly cut all her hair in a moment of cookoo crazies) Thanks for any advice! Kylie and Loony Luna

I have very few photos of Luna and I - I'm always taking the photos! But I have a few taken with my laptop web cam (hence bad photos) - excuse how daggy I look (I was in my PJ's) I thought this was a funny one :rolleyes: wasn't expecting a lick in the face

Maybe if swf only means purebred poodle or Maltese or shih tzu - most of these crossbreeds popular today shed a bundle and because they have multiple coat types are very hard to groom (gotta love a straight silky single coated Maltese ) I would recommend regular baths with hair drying, also I would get your own furminator (for long haired dogs) and use it regularly (daily). Another thing to try would be wiping her down with a damp cloth (should pick up any loose hair). I would also invest in a super duper vacuum. But really a dog that sheds = dog hair everywhere. It's probably a seasonal thing as I believe (might be wrong) Pomeranian's shed their coat seasonally (as would Cav's?).

May I ask what breed? I know in the USA it's a huge problem in Maltese (and I've heard its an issue in the UK an OZ as well). Unfortunately it's hard to test for in Maltese because almost all Maltese have abnormal Bile Acids test results. An ultrasound isn't a good way of diagnosing the issue as you need a highly skilled operator and even then the visibility is fairly low (so unless the shunt is huge/obvious it won't be detected). In the USA a vet (Dr. Center I think) has developed a Liver shunt test called a Protein C test - but they don't do it here and it's impossible (or very very hard) to get the samples to the USA within 24 hr. In Maltese the best method of detection in Australia is looking at Liver ALT levels, then ammonia tolerance (and bile acids), then ultrasound (though i think it's a waste), then a biopsy etc etc. The vet I talked to at Sydney Uni said that they don't do these tests unless the dog has symptoms (poor growth, sickly appearance or the ALT liver enzyme levels are extremely abnormal). If you want more information I hear that the Sydney Uni Vet hospital is Australia's expert on liver shunts (they have one of the worlds best liver shunt surgeons). (thankfully Luna's ALT levels although abnormal seem to be stable - and she is an otherwise healthy dog so not likely a liver shunt victim) Another disease common in Maltese (which is often misdiagnosed as Liver Shunt... before Biopsy of course) is asymptomatic MVD.

Definitely talk to the vet - I had a similar situation with having a puppy die of Parvo and wanting to get another puppy - I sanitized the whole place with a spray the vet gave me and waited 6+ weeks. My new puppy was absolutely fine and is now nearly 2 years old :p I would definitely look at ways to sanitize the grass as well - though this might be harder it's definitely worth it to make sure no new dog get the disease.