Tassie

Such a hard situation to be in. But I think you are doing entirely the right thing by consulting with veterinarians specialising in behavoural issues. And IMO, your consideration of the pup's quality of life is key, as is the safety of your granddaughter. You might find this blog post from a lovely, positive dog trainer in the US, who made the extremely hard decision to euthanise her lovely, but mentally unwell young dog. She makes reference to an internet group called "Losing Lulu" - a support group for people who have had to make the hard decision fro behavioural euthanasia of their dogs. https://k9infocus.com/losing-lulu/ It seems to me that our primary role as carers of pet animals is to ensure as far as possible that the pet has the best life we can provide with progessional help - which as @Rebanne points out, is not necessarily the longest life.

That's going to be a tough time for you. No personal experience here, but a friend had a pup of about the same age, who had elbow surgery .. only one leg, I think, but the outcome was excellent. You might want to ask about using a sling, like a HelpemUp to help in the early stages .. you can make a useful weight bearing assist sling by cutting the narrow sides out of fabric supermarket bags .., you can google how to do it. And you may find the Facebook Group Orthodogs helpful, for information and support. It's US based, but has members all over the place, and when I was looking at it a while ago, it was a supportive and helpful community. And just a thought, as well as looking at a confinement strategies, you will also need to consider your flooring .. if you have slick flooring .. boards, laminate, tiles .. you will probably need to fins dome nice non slip cheapo mats or runners to make the flooring safe and non-slip. Another consideration s that different dogs have different reactions to sedatives/painkillers etc. so keep advoacatiing for your pup if you';re worried or unhappy about how the pup is going. I do wish you good results with the surgery - it will be worth it.

I'd suggest you treat the door dashing as a separate issue. You can work on both things separately. For the door dash, IMO it's really worth teaching door/gate manners .. training an alternative behaviour .. e.g. for my two .. I put my hand on the door handle, they sit, I open the door .. if they get up , I close the door, if they maintain their sit, they are released to go out the door. It doesn't have to be a sit .. just a stationary behaviour .. I like the sit because it's clear that they are thinking. When I'm training, initially, I might reward the sit at the door with a treat or two, then pause ..but once they get it , the permission to go out the door is their reinforcer. Oh,and I build in my going out the door first while they maintain the sit .. if they don't , again, they've lost the opportunity to go out straight away .. small pause, try again. Same rules apply for exiting the car.

Oh that is really disappointing. I haven't actually dealt with them for some years -- just because I haven't needed to ... but many hyears ago, I think they would have been more helpful.

Have you tried the Black Dog people? They would probably be interested in your feedback anyway .. and they might actually have an older version one somewhere. Worth a try. http://www.blackdog.net.au

It would be helpful to know the total number of administrations , so that the %ages could be compared. It's also a consideration that the US does not have paralysis ticks, although they do have erlichiosis. It's a risk/benefit decision that needs to be made having regard to the consequences of use or non use in particular locations and circumstances.

@Nepal_AU.. To my eye he looks lovely. I've been watching a friend's Brittany boy growing up, and your boy looks very similar to that dog at the same sort of age. They go a bit gangly, then sort of catch up with themselves and while still leggy, look more balanced. So I wouldn't be trying to put more weight on him, provided he remains happy and active. I probably wouldn't be going for the high protein either..... that cantend to promote a bit more growth than you need in some breeds. And well done fro getting a Britt to stand still unaided for a photo.. two photos!!

Yes - there are lots of games you can play with your pup inside to get her exercised, and train at the same time .. Hide and seek .. you hide, she finds you .. treats and party. You can do that many times. As long as you don;t have slippery floors, you can play chase games ... she chases you .. again, treats and party when she catches you. Until she's had her second vaccination, you can take her out in the car, and then carry her in your arms so that she can see the world .. start to get used to all the noises, and sights. I'm another who really dislikes dog parks. I want to be more valuable to my dogs than other dogs, or a ball.

You may be experienced with other people's dogs, but as I'm sure you understand .. it's like other people's children ... you don't have to do all the preliminary stuff,a nd you can give them back. Seriously .. IMO , it's better to start with a breed which is more likely to want to learn and to please you. My experience with other people's dogs of the three large breeds you have mentioned, is that they are quite difficult to train for happy and safe urban living, because of the primary purpose for which they have originally been developed. They are also less common, and therefore your opportunity to choose is more limited. I would counsel ... definitely 1 dog at a time, and get that dog pretty well trained before you embark on the next one. Think seriously about why you want a dog ... what do you envisage yourself doing with the dog, how much time and money are you going to have to spend on purchase, training, vet bills etc. I would also be looking at breeds which are inherently more likely to want to interact with you and play and learn with you. This will b e breeds that are specifically bred to work cooperatively with humans .. like the herding and retrieving breeds, and the primarily companion breeds . .. some of which can be super smart and capable of learning and performing all sorts of things .. like Papillons I know who have gained Tracking Champion titles, Agility Champion titles, and Dances with Dogs and Obedience titles. There are no absolute guarantees about long and healthy lives, but researching and choosing breeders carefully, looking at their lines and the length and quality of life of dogs in their lines. But you have to remember that accidents can happen, as can just pure bad luck. '

Apparently according to the news report I heard, this guy was a mule converting the cash deposits for scammers overseas.

Poor CLive .. being such a good boy with the pesky cat ....LOL ... but that's pretty good.

I had a spayed BC bitch who was on oroxine for hypothyroidism (only symptom extreme bilateral hair loss .. all fixed by oroxine. Vet was running bloods for a suspected UTI, and I asked if they could include the in house thyroid function test.. When I went back to get results, uI had my apparently healthy happy dog with me.. UTI was fixed .. and the vet asked if she had been vomiting or anything .. I said no ... he said she certainly looked healthy and happy which he was very pleased to see, as some of her bloods would have suggested she had pancreatitis... which he could see she didn't have.j So I think sometimes the levels for an individual dog can be out of whack without necessarily meaning anything sinister. She certainly needed to be operating at the higher end of the normal range for thyroid function levels.

No personal knowledge, but for example, this is a long standing and very well known Working Kelpie Council Registered stud. I don't know any of their dogs in person, but they do come up in some of the performance disciplines,and a friend (who would be very picky ) has just got a pup from them. I dpn't know if they export .. but might be worth touching base with them. And just FYI, at least for ANKC members with ANKC reg pups, 11 weeks is the youngest a pup can be exported..

Another recommendation for Callicoma Kelpies. A friend has 3 .. all brilliant dogs, highly titled in Dances with Dogs (Heelwork to Music and Freestyle) and Tricks, and now performing very well in Scent Work Trials. (I think they may have done Rally and Obedience too.).

Poor little pupper. My only additional thought would be whether there had been an intruder .. someone trying to get into the house. Maybe worth checking with your neighbours if they saw or heard anything in the relevant time period.

I'd say certainly something to discuss with your vet. My last occasion was my 15 and a quarter BC girl who had been one of the first pups my vet had as clients when he took over the (smallish) practice - so we go back a long way ... I knew that he was quite OK with coming out to the small car park to euthanise pets in their own car. So I booked his last appointment on a Saturday morning, and had my girl lovely and comfortable on a bed in the back of the SUV .. took the bigger crate out. And actually while we were waiting, a lady from the cremation service came over to talk to me - receptionists had told her what was going on .. I'd already said I wanted Kirra cremated. The lady was so lovely ... she was delivering something , and had to go do a couple of other things, but she said ... I'll be back to get your lovely girl as soon as I've done those errands. So no lonely weekend at the vet office for my girl. It was the loveliest, most gentle experience I've had ... and it's certainly the way I would do things again, if I had the chance. (Just had to try to have not too many tears .. my vet had tears as well, and I didn;t want to upset him .. they have such a tough job.A)

Just for the OP's information, the ANKC is not just an organisation for breeders or would be breeders or conformation show people. It is also the main sanctioning body for many different kinds of dog competitions ... such as agility, obedience, rally, dances with dogs, tricks, scent work, earthdog, herding, drafting (cart pulling) . These competitions are open to people who become people qho becomes members, and register their dog with the ANKC. If the dog is not purebred ANKC Registered (Main or Limited), then it will need to be desexed and registered on the ANKC Associate Register. An exception to the desexing Requirement for non ANKC pedigreed dogs, is made for dogs registered with a different internationally registered assocation such as the International Sheep Dog Society .. these dogs can remain entire, and can be registered on the ANKC Sporting Register. Many community dog training clubs are affiliated with the ANKC, and hold competitions regularly. It;s worth noting too, that even if a person buys a dog on the Limited Register, it is possible to negotiate with the breeder who may agree to upgrade the pup so that it can be shown in conformation. .. but that will only happen if the breeder thinks that the pup may be a reasonable show prospect, and there is a relationship of trust between the breeder and the owner.

From all that the OP has said, it sounds OK .. recommendation by another breeder who has quality pups, is a definite plus. As is no mention of deposits. My advice would be just to thank the breeder, explaining that you are new to the process of getting a purebred pup, and you are ot sure what's normal. It is possible for pups to be present on a scan, but then be resorbed by the bitch, so many breeders are very cautious until it;s clear that all s going well with the pregnancy. Then spend your time while you're waiting, reading up on the health and any other issues with the breed, so that once pups are on the ground, you will be able to ask more relevant questions, and have more understanding of what information the breeder may be able to give you. FInd out what testing of parents for genetic problems, and xrays of hips, elbows etc are normally done for your chosen breed. Some inherited problems can be avoided by careful testing .. others, like hip dysplasia, are not so simple .. the risk can be lowered by careful breeding, but not eliminated entirely, and they also have an environmental component, so that the new puppy owners have responsibility there as well. The more you know about your chosen breed, the better.

So lovely to see the updates, and how the little minx is settling in so nicely .. a tribute to your handling.

This is better than TV soap opera. Good stuff, @persephone

Agree with what @DogsAndTheMob has said. Assuming no physical problems, I would work on the clockwise circles... separately .. around a bin or something like that, treating it as a game. At the early stages I would use accentuated footwork your feet turning towards the right, shoulder movement - left shoulder forward and head turning - head turning to the right to make it clear to the dog what is expected. I'd maybe start with a quarter turn, then grow it. Rather than using food as a lure, I'd throw a piece of food along the line of the circle ahead of you PROVIDED, that the dog has been in correct heel position. So mark the position, throw the food (with permission to get it off the floor ...my cue is get it.) In the meantime, I wouldn't be practising any Figure 8s .. you don't want to give the dog the chance to repeat behaviours you don't want to see again. Oh .. and video!

A couple of thoughts. 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years .. is that nice little rubric about introducing rehomed dogs .. if what you have is working now, then see how it is after a little while. The other though that occurred was having an indoor enclosure ("Bobbin proof") for Bobbin to be in when Clive is enjoying his indoor time. THinking of this because my Norwegian, Bonnie has a lovely time when, as yesterday, visiting BCs come to play on my acre. She really enjoys tempting the dogs to come close, .. reaching out her paw all innocent .. come to me puppy. She actually knows how to use her paws quite nicely, but she's able to play a different game when she's safe in her enclosure, than she can when she's loose in the house with my two BCs.

So sorry it's not good news. Like the others, I remember your boy as a pup. They're never with us for long enough, but he is lucky that he has a human who will make choices to keep him comfortable. As far as palliative care goes, assuming you have a good relationship with your vet, your vet will help you with your choices. Another possible avenue is a vet who also practises complementary and Traditional Chinese medicine. They can have a range of options for keeping animals comfortable which traditional vets may not have. IMO though, it's really important to have a good trusting relationship with your vet. (I was lucky with Kirra's lymphoma to have both kinds of vet .. each one knowing that I was seeing the other.. they are both lovely tolerant caring people. .. my ;normal' vet just rolls his eye gently at some of the TCM preparations. but as long as they don't harn the dog, he goes along with it.) And in some ways, having some time to prepare for the worst, makes it just a little easier when the time comes. DOLers are here for yoy.

A lot of good suggestions .. I would just put in another vote for a Havanese. The ones I've known sre owned and in one case, bred, by friends. They seem to vary a bit in the brain department .. one delightful, though rather goofy boy, and one super smart, but equally delightful female in one family. They are lovely friendly dogs, and really don't seem too much worried by other animals ..my cat was born and raised in a house with a Havanese, My impression is that they don't tend to be barky., and the ones I've met have been really pleased but not OTT to meet people of all sorts. I see that grooming is not an issue, but they can be trimmed to an easy care pet coat.

My 'pack' is only 2 ..but they do love to play .. stalking, pounccing, the young one doing ninjs somersaults and rolls to try to take Rory's feet out from under him, because she's smaller and can't take his feet out otherwise .. then she'll get wound up for big racing loops .. duty fallen leaves going every which way. I love that in the dog training philosophies I follow, the fun carries over into the training .. if dog and human aren't having mutual fun, they're not doing it right .. is the mantra. So it's nice to have my 12.5 year old nudging and pushing me ..wanting to do 'stuff' .