Odin-Genie

I keep Ziwi Peak canned food for my dogs for those days when I run out of barf. I have found it pretty good and the ingredients look good as well. This is what their website says about Ziwi Peak canned food:

Get Canidae grain free salmon. My dog gets tummy upsets with chicken/pork as well and this one really suits him. Here is the list of ingredients: CANIDAE All Natural Ingredients Salmon meal, potatoes, potato protein, ocean fish meal, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), peas, tomato pomace, natural flavor, choline chloride, suncured alfalfa meal, inulin (from chicory root), lecithin, sage extract, cranberries, beta-carotene, rosemary extract, sunflower oil, yucca schidigera extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, cobalt proteinate, papaya, pineapple.

Question: If Busta was your dog and this had happened at your place, would you leave Busta alone at the house to be stared at by journos and passers-by, and then to be picked up by complete strangers from the council? Or would you stay back till you could make sure that Busta was ok and call a friend/family member to be at the house before you left with the ambulance (they need not necessarily be with Busta if there was a danger that he could bite again)? That's one thing that kept nagging at me ever since I saw the news. Why wasn't anyone trying to calm the dog? Why were journos allowed to photograph him while he obviously looked extremely hassled? Or is it unfair to expect the owners to care about the dog's welfare in this situation?

Really? I've never heard of my friends Labs blowing coat They don't 'blow coat'. But they do shed a lot and mess up the floors a lot. I actually find it easier to manage the shedding of my northern breed who blows his coat compared to my sister's lab who sheds all year all over the floor.

Sorry Greymate. Perhaps I used the wrong word. What I intended to convey was whether training, circumstances and how it is bred (as in BYBs or ethical breeders) determine a dog's behavior and that there is no breed predisposition.

Great post. I totally agree. I don't believe any breed can come with guarantees. I have a GR who refuses to retrieve!!! However, since I have two very different types of dogs, a northern breed and a gun dog, I do see their breed predisposition manifesting in the way I need to train them. For example most people would not be able to manage a Caucasian Ovcharka. Whether we refer to the breed as protective or aggressive, the truth is this breed would require a lot more work to keep it in a family that has loads of children and their friends running around than, let's say, a GR.

You're both right. You don't deny a dog fair assessment because it is of a particular breed, that ignores individual differences and perhaps more importantly, circumstances. On the other hand you don't pretend that a population (in this case, a breed) doesn't have a "typical" phenotype, thus ignoring the mean for the population, e.g we don't use GSDs as gun-dogs, but no doubt there are some GSDs who would make reasonable gundogs and some labs who would make terrible gundogs. Very well said

Would you say that some breeds are more predisposed to being wary of strangers and could be more aggressive to dogs or humans if not trained properly? Or does breed play no part in the predisposition to dog or human aggression? I have frequently seen in the rescue and mature dog threads that Akitas and Malamutes are often available only if they are the only pets. Referring back to the GR attack thread, do you think it is unreasonable to think that a GR is generally of a more friendly disposition than some other breeds? I'm referring to well-bred GRs here. I do believe that all dogs can bite if pushed. However, if there are breeds that tend to be less patient, then educating owners would be a better option instead of not accepting that breeds can differ in their predisposition to certain reactions. I noticed that there are some ticks against the sentence that an Akita can be as good an assistance dog as a Lab. If that was really the case, why are Labs selected to be guide dogs? Why not other breeds?

Some of the comments in the GR attack thread in the news section seemed to imply that the breed of a dog does not matter. That there is no predisposition to certain characteristics in a breed. Over the years I have read in this forum that certain breeds are predisposed to certain behavioural traits which need to be managed with training. For example the predisposition of Huskies to jump fences, Labradors to play boisterously, German Shepherds to be wary of strangers, American Staffordshire Terriers to be DA if not socialised early. I am not in favour of BSL and I think it's completely unfair to target dogs based on breeds. However, I also think that it is ignorant to pretend that there is no breed predisposition. If that was the case, there would not be frequent suggestions to research the right breed. So what does everyone else think? Edited to add 'with the same amount of training' in the last two options.

There is definitely a bias towards the breed, not only in reporting but also in all the comments. Most people are pushing to investigate why a golden behaved this way. However, just because there is BSL and some breeds are regarded as dangerous and don't get the same considerate treatment doesn't mean we shouldn't allow this golden's owners to investigate why their dog behaved this way. And if it is caused by a medical condition like tumour taht can be treated, why shouldn't this dog get a second chance? We should instead ask for the same consideration for all breeds. Even the neighbour who got bitten has said he doesn't want the dog PTS.

Update from ABC news: Wonder if the dog thought the two brothers were attacking each other and tried to intervene. Either way this is a pretty extreme reaction if the dog didn't have a mental condition.

I thought it looked like a GR x Lab. The ears were a bit shorter than normal GR ears, and the coat wasn't as long and fluffy either. But then I'm comparing this dog to my GR and teh few other GRs I've seen. I guess the GR breeders here would be able to provide more informed opinion.

I love the spitz puppies. They look like the cutest furballs.

It does seem very strange. Particularly attacking owners like that. Even the most aggressive dogs are usually ok with their owners unless they are mistreated. I would've preferred more details as well.

I use Fuzzyard Organic soap free shampoo for my golden, and the Alloveen conditioner.

Yeah it is the only names they have known Dear old pair I was thinking the same thing. If they've had these names for a decade, why change the names and confuse them further? Do people normally change the name of rescue dogs?

I go to the dog park quite frequently, which is a fenced dog park. However, I do agree that dog parks can be unsafe if not managed properly. Here are some tips: If your dog is not used to the dog park and doesn't know any dogs there, it would be best to go at a time when there is no one around and do a bit of training so that he gets used to the place. When you go to the dog park, don't just walk in if there are other dogs around. Watch each dog and its interaction with other dogs. If any seems dominating, aggressive or overly boistrous, don't go in, even if their owners say their dogs are friendly. It's best not to go in when there are too many dogs. When you are inside the park, stay close to your dog and watch him at all times. Even if you are talking to other dog owners, your focus should be on the dog at all times. Don't feed your dog when there are other dogs around. If you need to give him a treat, move away from other dogs. Don't let your dog hump other dogs (or be humped). Watch the gates/entry areas to see what kind of dogs are coming in. Don't let your dog run to the gates to greet another dog. Don't let your dog run up to a dog that's on lead. Don't leave your dog inside the dog park while you go for a walk. You need to be with the dog at all times. If another dog seems to get hassled by your dog, put him on lead and leave. Even a puppy can annoy other dogs. If your dog seems uncomfortable with another dog, leave. Don't let another owner convince you to stay by saying "they are just playing". If you feel unsure about a dog, leave. I usually go to the dog park a bit late (around 7 pm) when there are only a few dogs around that know my dog well. If a strange dog comes in, I leave and go for a walk. I've learnt most of these tips from DOL and my own experience. I wish I had this list before I started taking my dogs to the dog park.

It is not a criminal offence to avoid getting into a situation that puts you at risk, particularly when you did not cause the situation.

I'm what's left over when you subtract your 'most people'. Representatives from 'everyone else' join my notion of the human family....when they're in great distress & need. A personal opinion, too, based on my particular code of ethics. I would not question that. You have your code of ethics, I have mine. We don't need to push our values on others, but accept that people can have different values. Your priority, if I understand it correctly, would be 'human family - other humans - dogs'. For me it would be 'human family and dogs - other humans'. What I found unacceptable in some of the other posts is declaring individual beliefs/codes of ethic as absolutes.

Is that your personal opinion or a philosophical absolute? If it is the latter, I would love to hear the logic that leads to this conclusion. No matter how passionate we all are about our animals, human life should always take precedence over animal life, always. And that again is a personal opinion not backed by logic. I disagree. So far I have not come across any convincing reason why a human life is more valuable from a philosophical perspective. And I don't believe in the religious dogma that humans are superior because they have souls and animals don't. If I am in a risky situation, my first priority always will be what I value most. So my family (including animals) and then everyone else. And that is my opinion which I would not force on others or declare as an absolute. But I do think most poeple would do the same. The difference is only that I put a higher value on my dogs and consider them truly part of my family than perhaps those who disagree.

Is that your personal opinion or a philosophical absolute? If it is the latter, I would love to hear the logic that leads to this conclusion.

The argument was that dogs specifically don't have "episodic memory" which is a term psychologists use to describe memories of specific events (or "episodes" in their life). I'm referring to episodic memory as well. To remember where a ball was last kept, a dog would need to remember where he played with it last, and thus remember the last time he played with it.

I got my second puppy when my first puppy was 6 months old. My first puppy was an extremely boistrous puppy. When my second puppy came, he calmed down significantly within a week. He was more relaxed, less crazy and easier to manage. We still had to train them separately. But for me, getting the second puppy at that time was the best decision.

This is not about mealtimes but a memory question. My elkhound has a favourite toy. When he sleeps at night, the toy could be at any place, outside in the yard, in the living room, behind the TV!! When he gets up in the morning, he usually seems to know exactly where he had put the toy and gets it. If it is in a room that is locked, he scratches on the door so that we would open it and he could get his toy. If this is not memory, how would you explain it?

My sentiments exactly!! I feel seriously annoyed by those who keep saying human life should come first. They don't. I would always save my dogs before a random stranger, whatever be the age. Because my dogs are far more precious to me than a stranger. And I see nothing ethically wrong with that. when I adopted my dogs, to me it was a promise to look after them, cherish them and keep them safe. I owe no such thing to random strangers. Yes, i'll help strangers, but only after ensuring those I care for (animals included) are safe. Well done to the OP. Your reactions were right.