Odin-Genie

Even though it is a council approved dog park, people can still complain about the noise. I don't let my dogs bark in the dog park. Also, noise can be very subjective. For example, if this guy has issues at work, he might be redirecting his anger at even a minor noise. The scary part is that if he makes a complaint and the rangers tell him his complaint is not valid, he would try and fix this perceived issue himself, ie by baiting. Someone I know had the same issue with their dogs. Neighbour complained of barking (didn't want the dogs to bark at all), ranger came in, consulted all the other neighbours and said the barking was at an acceptable limit. The neighbour then went ahead and baited the dogs to stop them barking. People are crazy and they do crazy things. I would definitely report to the police. In fact I would have told him when he said this that I would report his threat. That might have stopped him from carrying out his threat.

Usually about 8-9 hours a day. My two dogs are inside during that time. When we are back we spend time with them and they sleep in our room.

That sounds like my elkhound.

Hi Juice, can you provide the contact details of Pax's place? I board mine at the Terrigal Pet Resort, in the suites, but I would prefer something closer.

Thanks. How long after the bite would the symptoms occur? Perhaps for some of the more common snakes? And how long do the dogs have after the initial symptoms?

I would definitely use it. And I like the 'no more than 2 dogs per person' rule. Even if one has perfect voice control, one can't keep an eye on 4 dogs all the time, particularly if they are playing. There is this dog walker who comes to the local dog park with four dogs, including a Great Dane cross. Then proceeds to a bench and focuses on her phone At least this would keep people like that away.

That's an amazing photo. All your photos are great. what kind of camera/lense/setting do you use?

After reading the other thread about snake bites, I was wondering if there are any particular symptoms that one can watch out for. If a dog gets bitten by a snake while no one is around, and the snake escapes, how would you know that it's a snake bite? Particularly when there are plenty of leeches around and that could cause bleeding. Even if the dog is licking the area where it got bitten, how would you know that the dog didn't just step on something sharp? When would you rush the dog to the vet?

I have: 4 yr old male Norwegian Elkhound 3.9 yr old female Golden Retriever Both desexed. Get along extremely well. No issues whatsoever. If you have a male lab, I would recommend getting a female dog.

I was told the same thing. My elkhound, when he was a puppy, would never ever let anyone hold him upside down. He would squirm, wriggle and struggle. He was also extremely wilful (still is to a certain extent). However, he is the most affectionate dog I could have owned. There is this incredible bond he has with both my OH and I and seems to know instinctively how we are feeling. And he likes people and bonds well with my friends and relatives. If I had to go back a thousand times, he would still be the puppy I would choose.

I will qualify that statement by saying that dogs who are prone to reacting aggressively and are prone to biting (instead of a warning growl) should not be taken to dog parks. What about dogs that are prone to getting anxious around other dogs but do not react aggressively? I only have a problem with people who bring dogs to the dog park who are prone to being aggressive and prone to harming other dogs (that includes being fear aggressive). But if a dog is anxious but not aggressive then I have no issues with them. Agree. I once met a guy at a dog park with a small blind dog. He would sit on a bench near the water bowl and would try to kick any dog that came anywhere close to his dog even if it was just walking across to drink water. He would kick at other dogs even if his own dog tried to walk up to them. One of my dogs doesn't like other dogs jumping up on him. He usually gives a warning growl and walks away. However, there are times when other dogs, particularly young labs, don't get the message and persist. I remove my dog if that happens. But I would never kick those dogs. I can understand the need to protect one's dogs but those who try and kick/hurt other dogs just because they happen to be close are just plain rude. Before we start teaching politeness to dogs, perhaps it's a good idea to learn politeness as a human being. Spot on. I protect my dogs at the dog park by being extremely cautious and leaving any time a strange dog comes in. We often walk around the perimeter and come back in if the dogs seem ok. I'm amazed by the lack of compassion some dog owners have toward other's dogs. I love animals and I would never hurt one unless there was no other alternative.

I will qualify that statement by saying that dogs who are prone to reacting aggressively and are prone to biting (instead of a warning growl) should not be taken to dog parks. My dogs don't like other dogs jumping on them, particularly lab puppies. But they would growl and walk away. If I see a particularly boistrous lab puppy, I leave the dog park and go for a walk. But I do love to see those lab puppies running around having a great time. If a dog was so intolerant that instead of a warning growl it seriously injured them, then such dogs should not be taken to dog parks.

A good article. But I have a problem with the human analogy: A lot of things which would be considered shocking for humans (for example some breeders posting here that they have to to hold their screaming bitch who doesn't want to mate to ensure the mating takes place) do not apply to the dog world. This is an attempt at shocking people. Butt sniffing is perfectly acceptable in the dog world. Put that in human perpective and see how it sounds

My golden does not shed throughout the year. She sheds twice a year and rest of the time it's minimal shedding though I do brush her everyday to keep her coat shiny and fluffy (but then I love grooming my dogs ) Goldens are lovely dogs. Extremely affectionate. But they can be quite a handful. They like to be close to the human family and require a lot of exercise. My goldy whines if she misses a walk and loves to do zoomies around the dog park or the backyard.

They are labs. I do think they got the hip and elbow scoring done. Both the dogs are on the limited register.

I met this dog in the dog park who is pregnant and will have a litter in about two weeks. The owners who own both parents aren't registered breeders but have completed all health checks etc. However when I asked if they were going to separate the dogs when the bitch is due, they seemed unceratin and said that they can stay together, unsupervised. I'm not a breeder so I have no clue about breeding practices. But common sense tells me that the male dog should be separated, particularly if no one is home during the day. Do you have any advice? Note: I'm only looking for advice which I can pass on. I don't know the owners well, I have only met them about three times.

Animal cruelty: If someone put a hook through a dog's mouth for sport, took it out and left it bleeding, would you call that animal cruelty? If someone froze a dog while it was still alive, then put it in boiling water to kill it, would you call that animal cruelty? Fortunately it doesn't happen to dogs here. But it happens everyday when people go fishing or cook crabs. Let's get some perspective here and condemn all animal cruelty. If it is cruel to mistreat a Koala, it is equally cruel to mistreat any other living creature.

I don't think it was a 'sip' of beer. Alcohol affects dog a lot more than people. And a disoriented dog can attack.

Does this guy know that if BSL is allowed to go on GSDs may be next on the list?

Thanks. That's very useful information. I will put up the chart on my fridge for easy access. One question though: one of the symptoms of bloat is supposed to be a very quiet tummy without any of the grumbling sounds. When my dog has gas or stomach upset his tummy usually grumbles really loudly. Without any of the other signs present, would that be reason enough to rush to the vet? At such times he looks mildly uncomfortable and wants to chew grass.

They look like this Thanks SwaY. Are these meant for dogs? If not how much should I give to a dog who weighs 23kgs? And should these be given every time there is gas or grumbling tummy noises?

Where can I get a bloat kit from? What de-gas capsules do you give? A few days back my dog's tummy was growling so much that it was really loud. He wanted to go out and chew grass. I checked his tummy but there was no bloating. It felt normal. He was ok after a while but should I have taken him to the vet?

I have two large/medium dogs. I feed them Dr B's barf patties along with kibble, raw bones, salmon heads and canned sardines. That seems to work very well. However, my elkhound tends to put on weight easily so he's on a low protein kibble (Holistic Select: anchovies) while my golden retriver who tends to lose weight very quickly is on a slightly higher protein diet (Canidae: Salmon).

So happy for you akub. Give your girl lots of hugs from me.

The thread in general made me wonder when one should rush to the vet. Should any discomfort after meals be treated as a possible bloat? Sometimes when my dogs have stomach upsets they seem lethargic. There are other times when their stomachs growl loudly. Sometimes they have gas. If I was to treat all of these as emergency, I would possibly be rushing to the vets frequently. However, I wouldn't want to ignore any symptom if it could be potentially fatal. It would be great if someone can list the symptoms that should make us rush to the emergency vet. Also, it'll be great if someone could specify if any one symptom should be treated as emergency or a few of the symptoms taken together.