megan_

Same with me. I live in Melbourne - there is no such thing as a dog park here. There are parks that allow dogs to go offleash, but they are shared spaces, with kids playing etc around the dogs. So people with crazy dogs don't last very long. I have no choice but to use off leash areas (for my well socialised boy, not my girl), otherwise my dog would never get to run off leash (I have no garden at present). On leash walking doesn't provide the same amount of exercise. That said, I only go at quiet times, I leave as soon as the few trouble makers arrive (if they're there when I arrive, I drive to another park) and I leave when - gasp - certain breeds pitch up because they have a different playing style to my boy and are very powerful. I never walk directly into a park, take off the leash and let him run off. I enter through the quieter entrance, get his focus, take off the leash and then play a game with him. I never let him play with the main "pack" of dogs at the centre of the park either. Often simple precautions ensure the safety of your small dog.

Agree - walking Lucy is a nightmare for me. FWIW, she is small and couldn't do much harm to a dog (if it was small enough for her to hurt it, I'd kick it before it got near her). However, so many people with "game" dogs walk their dogs off leash in my area. If she arks up and they retaliate (bearing in mind that some breed standards call for this...) then she wouldn't stand a chance. If Lucy wore a muzzle, she would still growl and have body language that sends the other dog a "fight" message. All a muzzle does nothing but prevent her from biting - it does nothing to prevent a fight.

Cosmolo - under the Q&A for the DPI site, given that your dogs are registered already, if someone dobs them in as a pitbull type and the authorised person agrees, then, when your rego expires, it will be up to the council whether or not you have to register as a restricted breed. Mum to Emma - the restrictions on pit bull types are a lot more than just muzzled when walked. And yes - lots of greyhound people are against this and have lobied for dogs that pass an assessment to be allowed to go outside without a muzzle (in Vic GAP greyhounds never need to be muzzled).

sorry but where does it say that staffy x's are a restricted breed? I can't find anything that says that.

Agree. I wonder if the People who disagree with this all have wills that say that all their dogs go back to their individual breeders, even if that means splitting them up, sending old dogs interstate etc. I know that certainly won't be happening with my dogs - no one knows my dogs better than me and I've made decisions based on their best interests.

Does anyone think that agility training (at clubs) 3 times a week is too much for a novice dog? It will be late nights for wed, thurs and then on Sunday. I also have the guilts about leaving my other dog behind.

This is not the case in Vic anymore - pitbull crosses have to be registered as a restricted breed now, not just registered with the council. The owner then needs to comply with the restrictions that this brings.

It is legal - because they are registered. Registered is a term used in many contexts - it would be odd if only ANKC registred breeders could use it. If the ANKC was smart about it they would develop a new term and trademark it. Then only their members could use it. It could be a great marketing tool too.

Or it could be an excuse to dump a dog and feel okay about it. It might become the new "we're moving interstate".

People are prepared to pay more for a purebred. The extra money from one can pay for a operation on another. Smart business practices ensure that a shelter can survive.

What state is this in? Not all states have mandatory chipping and in these states not all pounds or shelters scan. Even if they scanned the dog and contacted the breeder, the breeder isn't the legal owner of the dog. When a dog is sold it belongs to the owner and they can decide what happens to the dog. Some owners don't want the fog to go back to the breeder for whatever reason. For example, my boys breeder was one of the most notorious puppy farmers in Australia. It would be a cold day in he'll before he went back there.

Personally, I'd never leave my dog crated when I went to work - I'm out for 12 hours a day. If your dog isn't destroying your house there is no reason to crate her when you are out. I too felt guilty about leaving my boy at first. He would cry for 5 mins then settle. Personally, I recommend you DON'T send your dog to day care every day - they won't learn how to cope on their own. I had a dog walker every day for about a year (very exe, but as I said I'm away for about 12 hours a day so wanted to break things up). They now only come 3 days a week. That way, my dogs still learn that they have to cope on their own. Your dog sounds well adjusted. Leave the house without a fuss then have a little cry in the car if you have to, but don't take what you have for granted and accidentally train your pup to be anxious by letting them pick up on your vibes.

If she sells him entire, there is a good chafe he'll land up in dodgy hands...

I'm so glad someone else mentioned this. When I got the email, alarm bells immediately rang for me. Not filling this one out that's for sure. They don't ask for your name or address. The focus isn't on health anyway.

Donation made

Given the image problem, I'd avoid swearing on the shirt. I know it sounds prudish but that is how I feel. It would be great if people who had small fluffies could get them shirts as well.

oops - reread your post. My boy is like this - as soon as he "fails" he ignores me. I keep sessions very, very short (think 30 seconds - 1 minute) and break things down a lot. ETA: Are you sure she understands that she can try something different if her previous action doesn't earn her a click? My boy used to throw a bit of a tantrum when this happened. In fact, he'd often repeat the movement in an exaggerated fashion and then glare at me "there I did it. Did you notice this time?". So I went back to basics and clicked him doing anything. Anything at all. I clicked walking, sitting, looking etc. He got the idea that, when something doesn't work, try something else and see if that gets you a click.

Gun dogs though. I hate to push the schnauzer thing Cosmolo, but I know people that don't even get their standards stripped. They brush maybe every 6 months. The coat is very hard and wirey. They fit every other criteria you have. If you want something bigger the giants fit the bill. The standards are a very healthy breed (they aren't that popular, so less dodgy breeders and people breeding for extremes) and they are very public friendly. I find Mals scarey looking .

Well done. How many dogs were assessed? Did everyone get through? I was lucky when I did it - only 12 out of 18 pitched up for the assessment and everyone got passed.

I googles cane cross and I think they would scare a lot of people

Kelpie?

the vet is on a committee, it doesn't say she represents the AVA? The all breeds judge doesn't necessarily represent DogsVic either? I assume she is a private citizen and can do what she wants. That said, if I was a showie I'd pull my dog out of everything she judged and would encourage fellow showies to do the same.

I don't know about giant schnauzers but the standard's coats are easy to care for. They are very harsh and don't knot. They're nothing like a mini schnauzer. A few family members have them and they'd be lucky to get a brush! They do get stripped occasionally, but they go to the groomers for this (the groomer at Petstock Ormond does hand stripping). It is only if you get them clipped that the coat gets knotty. They have a very solid build and are almost like little bears. The standards I know all have high drive, are very intelligent and have that slight "what's in it for me" aloofness that mean you have to work as a trainer. They all have rock-solid temps (my Aunt has 20+ grandkids, often over all at once and Boris happily stands by watching them). They also get along well with other dogs (obviously socialised at a young age). ETA: Do you want to do dog sports with this dog? Agility?

My walks are for enjoyment - both for the dogs and I. Part of that enjoyment is having a sniff (for them). My rules are: i) No pulling or lagging behind. Obey that and they're allowed to swap sides, have a sniff etc ii) No barking, lunging or aggressive behaviour. Other than that, we can all relax and enjoy ourselves.

wow. Most staffy x's I've seen would fit the bill