Dame Aussie

Was speaking to a friend whos Mum has a BC x that is ball obsessed. Apparently she lost almost all her teeth quite young (She's around 8 now) and they were told it was due to the tennis ball being in her mouth all the time! I'm just wondering if this can happen? Lili LOVES her ball but I'd hate to see it ruin her teeth! If so, are other balls made of rubber etc ok instead of the tennis ball? Does anyone know?

OMG Katy is too adorable

Not hard but one just has too understand that red is recessive. Both parents must be or carry the gene. This is what is commonly called red factored. My girl is from a litter of 12 all red tri or red merle....all adorable :D

Your dog is very gentle with the kitteh, OT: he's also gorgeous! So I would let them play and if it does get too much as other people said crate him. I can see that it could get annoying but it looks very friendly and cute!

Very true. It's a hard situation

Yikes tdierikx :D Naughty girls!

We've talked about this quite a bit, as our next dog will be our third, and we're not sure which sex to go for. Reading this with interest :D

Aren't they lovely? I too hope that there is some kind of charity effort here!

When our two wrestle and play Mosley always bites Lilis' ears, she doesn't seem to mind though :D He never does any damage, she just comes in with slobbery ears.

:D Definitely doesn't sound like they're ready for a dog! It worries me that so many people say things like "Oh Im not really a dog person, but every family needs a dog......" Good on you for trying to help, I can imagine they have their heart set on a pup, but I agree it sounds like a disaster in the making Good luck in trying to change her mind!! ETA: I was speaking to someone about buying a pup the other day and they were interested in a Lab, I said they need a lot of training etc and do you know what they said? "Oh I thought with Labradors and Golden Retrievers they were born well behaved, as they're guiide dogs and all?" I almost cried.

:D yeah right. I wonder what all of the Amercian Pit Bull owners have their dogs registered and chipped as ? certainly not APBT Gotta agree with SBT123 here. APBT people harp on that their dogs are the real deal; fair enough, they are the shall we say not-watered-down version of the AST. They're entitled to that opinion. It's not hurting anyone. But if you go out and get an APBT, and want to tell people it's an APBT, and want to snort in derision at AST owners, telling them their dog isn't the "real deal"...then register your APBT as an APBT, and comply with the legislation. When APBT owners register their dogs as ASTs, we see what we see now. People with poorly bred APBTs, registering them as ASTs, and if something happens...suddenly the AST is to blame. Much as I hate to say it, and I don't necessarily think it's the right thing to do for the APBT's sake, if AST breeders (we're talking reputable breeders breeding to the standard, not registered breeders pumping out dogs which come perilously close to being ABs) want to save their own breed, they DO need to distance themselves from the APBT people. And I wouldn't blame SBT people if they started distancing themselves from AST people. Maybe it sounds harsh or breedist but it's the facts. Put it this way - if you lived in an apartment building and it went up in flames, you'd sure as hell be saving your immediate family first before you even considered trying to rescue anyone else. Greytmate is right. You can't change what others are doing, you can only do the best thing by your dogs and your breed, and get out there and show why your breed is not a threat. Excellent post

In my mind a responsible pet owner is someone who researches their breed of choice before buying a puppy. It is preferable that the owner buy said puppy from a registered breeder, having said that though, I do know people who have pet shop pups and are still responsible dog owners and have learnt not to go back! A responsible owner trains their dog, socialises their dog, does not withhold vet treatment/grooming if needed, ensures their dog is fully contained and cannot escape when they are not home and gives their dog the mental and physical stimulation it requires. How far that person takes things like training/grooming etc is up to them but a good level of care is required. Obviously the dog needs basics such as food/worming/affection/shelter etc. I could go on! :D

That's terrible I can't believe noone asked if you were ok?! I hope Max recovers quickly and doesn't become fearful. Good luck

If you are walking a dog in a park you would reasonably expect a dog to be able to be touched by people without snapping. If that isn't the case, the dog should be muzzled. It isn't good if people touch the dogs without asking, but that is what kids often do when they see dogs, and dogs really need to be able to accept that in public. If the dog is obviously scared, don't take it to any area where there are kids in public. You want to decrease the dog's fear and you cannot do that unless you have complete control of the kids and the situation. A dog trainer working on private property might be the best answer. I see what you're saying but neither of my dogs are snappy, I was more talking about other dogs. I don't see why walking in public means that people can come over and touch my dogs without asking?? I have dogs, I walk them, most places are public? I'm not going to hide away because some people can't teach their kids manners. As I said, we have interactions all the time, lots of people want to pat our dogs and that is fine, I just think they should ask first.

My thoughts exactly

When I was little we were always told not to approach or touch dogs without asking the owner, maybe my parents were "Dog savvy" but to be honest I don't think it has anything to do with that. It's common sense not to apporach an animal you don't know. I know it isn't the kids fault, it's the parents that do my head in.

kids are unpredictable. They are kids. Not all parents are dog savvy. Do some training with kids interactions or stick up muzzle on if the dog is aggro. Smile at people and welcome interaction under your control. Dogs sense everything. If you are shitty and being a sour puss, this will be something the dog will adopt if not, already has. Our dogs have been around kids and are not agro. I am just wary that Lili can sometimes want to herd them. My worry is that ANY dog could snap if someone touches them unexpectedly. We did welcome the interaction, both kids and parent patted both dogs and all was fine, i am not a sourpuss, but it annoys me when people approach my dogs without asking.

It doesn't matter whether it is the majority or just a handful. If any registered Amstaff breeders are perceived to be breeding for anything other than the 'cuddly pet market' the breed is in danger of being legislated against. You're right Greytmate I've also no problem with breeders, breeding working lines etc.., but to breed on looks/colour just annoys the crap outta me, all they're after is a heavy big headed dog, if thats what you want at least get a dog that is originally that size and don't ruin a great breed, buy a bull arab/mastiff/american bulldog, a dog that can at least handle it's size and weight without losing working ability or speed. Exactly

We were out walking our two yesterday when a family approached, after we had passed them one of their kids, a girl of around 7, tried to pay Mosley on the back, he spun around wondering what was going on and only then did her Mother say "Pat the doggy from the front"...ummm how about piss off and leave the doggy alone? Mo is fine with kids but Lili wants to herd them so we stay away, they were both on lead and he was fine with her, but really, people, come on!! It's not like he's small, he's 45kg and if he was aggressive little girl may have lost a finger

It doesn't matter whether it is the majority or just a handful. If any registered Amstaff breeders are perceived to be breeding for anything other than the 'cuddly pet market' the breed is in danger of being legislated against. You're right Greytmate

We just moved and have 2 corgis behind us and they bark at our dogs NON STOP. I wish we had the same experience as you

When I looked at Andonas website I almost lost my coffee. IMO they are unattractive dogs, half of them overweight with ridiculously massive heads. That to me is not what an Amstaff should look like. They are intelligent, athletic dogs, not burly penis extensions. I agree, as our next dog will be an Amstaff, I only hope breeders like this don't make up the majority.

In my mind a puppy farmer is somene who breeds dogs for no other reason than to make money. I am sure there are puppy farmers who think that their dogs are well cared for however often they have dogs living under shocking conditions. They do not health test their dogs, they sell their puppies to pet shops rather than to forever homes and they cross breed purposely for whatever is todays most popualr "Skoodlyoodle". Some of them are registered breeders.

Yup...and whenever he lets one go he spins around as if to say "What the hell was that??" She, however, is silent but DEADLY

That's gorgeous :cool: