megan_

I noticed in your reply you said that they've eaten together. Please don't do this . Food is a major cause of fights in dogs and if two staffy x's have a fight it will be brutal - they are very strong dogs with very high pain thresholds. If you're lucky you'll get off with a very large vet bill... Re: his pulling, in my view this means that, if you get the other dog, you'll need to walk them seperately until they're both trained to walk nicely. Otherwise it is just a nightmare. This isn't a bad thing as it is important for dogs to get used to spending time apart without fretting etc. It does eat up your time though. Also bear in mind that he's still young and hasn't matured - he might be submissive now but might not be in the future. That said, girls are usually the boss in the dog world.

most staffies would be WAAAAY too much for a pug or a cav. They like to play very rough and need to be with dogs that like to play rough too. That said, before getting a second dog, I think it is worth thinking about whether your boy is going to teach the newby good or bad habits (ie you want your dog to be well trained before introducing another, otherwise you'll have two ratbags to deal with).

Did they go for a swim? My dogs love the beach but hate the water?

Unfortunately if you only take your puppy out by 12 weeks you have missed a very big chunk of their critical socialisation period. Personally, I'm not prepared to take the risk of a lifetime of struggles with a poorly socialised dog. I'd rather take the small risk that they get something nasty at the vets. Vets are actually very clean places and it is important for your dog to know that it is a nice, happy place. You don't want their first experience there to be an injection! I took my pup to the vet for a few weekends during his socialisation period, just to sit in the reception area and get treats from the vet nurses. He LOVES the vets and pulls me to the door (one of the few times I let him pull!). Even when he was very ill (when he was a fully vacc'd adult) he was still happy to see the vet.

If you click on the membership form, they now take your details to be put on the waiting list. But yes, the note about not taking names needs to be updated.

The dog in question is a lab. There is no shortage of pedigreed labs in Australia. Hardly a breed in decline.

They are taking names - I got an email on Monday morning and filled out the application chop-chop. I hope you're not too late!

Finally I have something to agree with you about! The problem is that many people - and I see this advertised on some rescues a bit - think the quiet, more shy dog is the best choice for a family and think they're more gentle. I have one happy, go-lucky dog and a shy, very nervous dog who was abused. People are always trying to pat and interact with the basket case! I think the level of paranoia is an issue these days, but also the temp of dogs today is an issue. When I was a kid, dogs that didn't have solid nerves went to heaven. Full stop. Even on this forum, when a DOLer was at a cross-roads about PTS a dog with aggression issues that she had tried to sort out for years(DA, but impacting her family life significantly) there were still people saying how bad it would be to PTS the dog. My sister has a chi that has bitten and attacked many people. She has sought help and the problem is still bad. Yet various family members and friends are horrified that she'd consider PTS, even though this dog bites while supervised and has bitten her toddler on the face! We also need to remember that not that long ago, we didn't have the interwebs so if a kid was mauled the town over, we might never hear of it.

What breed is he? I'd never leave a coat on a long coated dog, for example. Mine wore coats last night (they're mini schnauzers so they get clipped). My house is freezing. When they woke up they were actually very hot. Unless you own a greyhound or a whippet, I'd rather provide warm bedding so they can choose whether to use it or not (which is what you're doing anyway).

Take it very, very slowly. I had a boy who would cry all night who now LOVES his crate. Give him a big treat in the crate. Don't close the door. Repeat as many times as necessary. Then use a cue as they go into the crate (I use "crate time" and say it in a very happy voice). Then fade out the luring (ie ask them to go into the crate then give then the food). Then you can close the door while they eat it. Make sure you let them out before a tantrum starts. Repeat this many times until your dog runs to the crate when he hears "crate time!". If they do throw a tanty, ignore. Only let them out when they stop whining.

For a food dispensing toy, you can't beat a buster cube. The dogs really have to work at them to get the treats out. Their favourite toy is a Harvey Bunny from Clean Run. I got it when their was no shipping charge and it is very long wearing. They also luuuurve their Chase It - I'm pretty sure all staffy's would too: http://store.clickertraining.com/chaseit.html With the current exchange rate I find that buying stuff direct from the states is a lot cheaper.

I wouldn't consider anything with terrier to be very low-risk of dog aggression.

Pointer (the English variety). Lovely and a little bit less crazy that the German variety (said with love :-)).

I believe the husband can't afford the rent? IT is hard to make good decisions when you're stressed. I suggest following PF's advice and sitting down with the ex and going through a plan. Maybe use a mediator/counsellor from Relationships Australia? You wouldn't be going to counselling to stay together, but to minimise the fall-out from the break-up. I know many people who have done this and it has really helped them come to a satisfactory arrangement for both parties. IF everything goes to sh*t, you can always contact PACERS (Steve on this forum, who is really a woman named Julie) to see if they can help you work something out. Good luck. Relationship breakdowns are hard enough with out all the crap that goes with them!

Does Medibank have third party liability? Pet Plan does. Remember that you (or whoever is walking your dog) are accountable for their actions so if your dog is at an offleash park and runs in the road and causes an accident, you are personally liable for the damage (eg if the driver can't work, the bill could be hundreds-of-thousands of dollars). This is why I like Pet Plans cover because I'm covered for this (as long as I'm obeying the law and not letting them run off leash in on leash areas etc).

Because they aren't going to be bred? That is what limited is for. The dogs can still be show quality, but if they aren't going to be shown and/or bred, there is no reason for them to be on mains. If, at a later stage, the dog turns out to be the best specimen ever etc and you/they want to breed it (with a prefix etc) then you can change it to mains later on.

Mel- Joe do you choke a dog and not het yourself bitten Edit: f($$&& iPhone auto correct. It should say "nek how do you choke adog andnot get bitten?"

Brighton Dog Beach is great if you go there before 8am - barely a soul there and you often have the beach to yourself if you go before 7am. Just watch out for the guy with the GSD that goes early some mornings - he has no control over his dog and swears if you ask him to recall it. If I ever see him I leave. Another good option is St Kilda West beach. It isn't fully fenced so the dogs there tend to have better recalls.

What about a very fearful dog, who either shuts down (when she's really scared) or is reactive (when she's scared, but she thinks she can take you on....)?

As I was walking the dogs this morning in the dark (using a new route after the rat attack last week), we were rushed at by a growling dog. It was in the unfenced front yard of a house down the street. We ran across the road and, as luck would have it, a car drove past at the right time and that scared the dog away. After the dogs were safely home, I drove to the house to tell the owners that their dog was out - I assumed it was an accident. I found a dog bed on the porch (which isn't enclosed at all). I spoke to the owners and they let their dog sleep outside in the unfenced front yard! I explained what happened and they seemed genuinely suprised that their dog ran after me. I gave them a long speil about how it was illegal to have your dog in an unfenced yard, no matter how friendly they are (this one wasn't - it repeatedly growled at us). I'm going to check tomorrow morning and if the dog is outside I'll report them. What this dog did was enough to get it declared dangerous in Victoria. Just how stupid do you have to be to leave a dog sleeping in an unfenced front yard? The house was very nice, both parents are professionals etc - I just don't get it!

A doler lost her terrier to this very thing. He ate a few mice.

Yes there is a risk, but you need to weigh up all the risks. Personally it is a risk I'd take. If you go to a well run puppy school, the risk of infection would be minimal. If you keep your puppy "safely" indoors during its critical development period, you run a high risk of having a badly socialised dog (and that lasts for the dogs lifetime). Also bear in mind that deadly diseases like parvo live in the soil. So you could bring it home with you inadvertantly (basically, the risk is there whether or not you go to puppy pre-school).

I agree with Cosmolo. I love watching my boy play with other dogs, and he loves it too. I can call him and he'll come running. I can go to the middle of the dog park and get him to do obedience exercises and he'll focus on me. Having a focused dog and a dog that enjoys other dogs isn't mutually exclusive IMO. I'm lucky in that he is naturally focused on me and likes to please me, but I've also done a fair bit of focus work. He would live a sad little life if it was just him and me (even though he is walked twice a day and does agility twice a week). I'm away from home for 12 hours a day. When I play with him (which I often do) I can't run, dodge, jump etc like another dog can. Re: dog parks, the dog parks often described by some sound like terrible places. My local off leash area is a shared space with joggers, bike riders, kids kicking the footy and dogs running around. 99.9% of the time it is a really enjoyable experience. There are a few dogs that I don't like and I'll leave if they come into the park but most dogs are very well behaved (they have to be given that it is a shared space. A dog that jumped on kids wouldn't last long in our park). ETA: My boy gets an off leash run every day and plays with other dogs at least 5 times a week. I think this has helped him not value other dogs too highly - it isn's a special treat for him to have a lot of fun running around, it is an every day occurance. If you're going to take a puppy to a "dog park" I recommend going without your puppy a few times and observing dogs and owners. Don't let your pup play with large groups of dogs (typically in the middle of the ground), don't let your pup play with owners who aren't actively focused and close to their dogs and stay on the perimeter. Don't go at peak time and don't take your dog to the park on the first sunny day after a period of bad weather - it will be swamped.

I only give them bones to eat - they polish off chicken wings in minutes. For long lasting chews I use deer antlers from Sway's shop.

I only feed my two when they're physically separated (in their crates). The exception to this is their antlers, but they don't hold a very high value and are treated the same as a toy. A friend of a friend had a staffy and an ACD that lived with each other peacefully for 8 years. Always fed together and not allowed to interfere with each other's food. They lived in harmony for 8 years. Then, out of the blue, the dogs fought over a bone. The ACD died.