megan_

Because someone doesn't agree with you, doesn't make their 'tone' grating (how you read tone into a post written on a forum is totally up to you anyway). While I might not agree with all their points, I too am against the vast majority of people keeping exotic/wild animals for pets too. It isn't for the animals benefit - it is for the person's. A camp dingo is very different from a dingo living in the burbs because 'OMG it is soooo cute".

or maybe if we had the "data" we'd be another step closer to no dog ownership, because someone has decided it's best we not owns dogs at all, heaven forbid some dogs are unhappy. I'm sure work would be happy if I rocked up with ten or so dogs and told them that bringing my dogs to work would improve the quality of their life. Should we do no research in case we get answers we don't like? I wouldn't want no dog ownership, but I do wish we adopted more of the Scandinavian attitude that dogs are a privilege and unless you are prepared to put in the hard yards to give them a good life then you really shouldn't be owning one. Sure would beat the "keep the kids entertained for the holidays" attitude. I'm sure my dogs would prefer it if I didn't work, however I'm comfortable that they live fairly varied and happy lives. They get walks and training daily, go to agility and obedience (even though I don't trial). They have dog walkers for when I work long hours. However, I know many dogs in suburbia that would be very lucky to get a walk a few times a week. I'm not talking about old dogs here - young, could be active dogs. Often their owners say 'All he does is sleep all day/he's so lazy etc" - yip, because he is bored out of his brain. If there was absolutely nothing to do 24/7 I'd most probably sleep too. Mine get the run of the house and the yard (dog door). They aren't destructive and don't fight, so I see no reason to confine them. Yes - it is a risk letting them outdoors, but I feel the enjoyment that they get pottering outside outweighs the risk. My boy spends most of his time indoors, but my girl can potter around the yard on her own for hours on end. I work from home one day a week and it has improved the quality of my life and theirs.

iMacs my comments as the OP's dogs seem to stress around strangers? My boy would love to see strangers, my girl would be scared

Remember if they let you view all areas including dogs they'll let strangers view your dogs too - that would be a big negative to me as it increases stress. If I went there I'd specifically say that no visitors would be allowed to view my dogs either in their kennels or when playing

Sorry you are going through this - have they suggested any core or hind leg strengthening exercises as I'm sure muscle wastage would compound the issue?

Great news! Phoebes is having to rehome her GD, so if you had any other suitable homes it might be worth getting in contact with her?

she is trying to find out what questions someone should ask a breeder - not promoting cross breeding at all. The forum rules say that people are allowed to discuss their cross bred dogs too. This thread can hardly be read as a 'woe is me' or promotion of cross breeds.

I don't let mine play with their as it has an extreme plastic smell

Do you have some pics of gus standing naturally/ For some reason I thought you show him - has a judge/another exhibitor said anything or hasn't he been shown since this came up?

The major thing to think about can't be tested for - what if the pup has the deep, heavy boned chest of a lab, but the finer boned rump and legs of a poodle? I'm not talking about looks here but the physical health of a dog. A dog that isn't structurally sound can suffer in pain all its life, even if the dog doesn't show it. My boy is an oodle cross breed and has the deep, strong chest of a mini schnauzer and the rest of his build is like a slight mini poodle. I'm pretty sure his back soreness could be a result of this unbalance. When I compare him to my purebred mini schnauzer, she is a lot more 'balanced' and stable. I will get flamed for this but there are breeders of this cross-breed who do health test, socialise their dogs, breed for structure and temp and are working towards getting the breed recognised etc etc, but they are very few and far between.

If you're looking for a physio, we have been seeing Michelle Monk from Dogs in Motion. They're currently in Doveton but they have to move as the council hasn't renewed their lease. They're operating in Highett now I believe. They have the full set-up including the treadmill in water. She has been fantastic and takes a lot of time to explain things. Not only has she done physio but she's given me lots of exercises to strengthen his core - I like to be able to do something proactive. In the short time that we've seen her I can see the difference in Fergus' hind muscle development.

CM I'm not a Dane owner but it would depend on the quality of food. You need to feed faaar more cheap food because it is full of fillers.

Am I the only one who finds it sad when a wild animal is kept as a pet? What is in it for them?

I wouldn't just recommend crate rest for this dog - ortho vet and xrays are a definite. If you have insurance it should all be covered anyway.

Pa - maybe look at it as taking a break? We have been very stop-start because Fergus hurt his back late last year and again this year (don't think it ever healed properly). We have the physio's and vet's okay to do agility but I'm taking it very slowly. It is hard when they love it so much and you put so much work in. Remember that some of the best OB competitors don't train at clubs either - they use clubs for distraction and teach their dogs with very small training session, with lots of motivation etc. I've decided to teach Fergs more OB in case we ever have to give up agility and I'm doing this by going to a once-a-month advanced skills club (where they train in drive etc) and going to seminars by real experts (eg Uta Bindel in November). The rest of our training will be at home or at a park with distractions.

Control unleashed is great for all dogs - even "good" pets. It was originally written for agility, but the methods are transferable. What are you trying to achieve Andrew?

It could be a back problem or a multitude of other things. I recommend Ray Ferguson at Monash. My dog had a sore back that my normal vet didn't pick up, while Ray detected something immediately. Fergs had x-rays to rule out any spinal issues. Ray is a 'specialist' chiro vet.

Have you spoken to a greyhound vet or one that is an expert in physiology (not a stock standard vet). My boys core isn't well developed (although he has never buckled under like to described, he just gets a sore muscle in his back if he does too much) so I took him to Ray Ferguson here in Vic. There must be a QLD alternative? He treated us then sent us to a proper dog physio who sees a lot of sporting dogs(she has a masters in canine physio). She gave us a set of exercises to help build his core and behind. This includes simple things like hind leg awareness (most dogs don't really use their hind legs, they need to be aware of them before they can use them) and core exercises (peanut and balance disks). She also recommended leash walks (this forces dogs to use their back legs, whereas running is good cardio exercise but you'll find the back legs don't get used often). She also recommended leash walks on the beach - again beach running doesn't do that much for strength. I'd look into these as a way of building strength, but only after seeing a reputable vet or physio to okay it first - otherwise you could just be doing more damage. He may need rest for a while, but unless he builds strength/muscle it will just be a recurring issue.

I am not saying rescue dogs are bad dogs that deserve to die. Of course a lot of dogs land up in pounds for reasons that have nothing to do with the dog themselves. My point was about the misuse of statistics - people reading more into them than they actually mean. Because 50% of dogs at a certain pound are put down you can't say that "this means they'd put down 50% of the pet dog population". I am not defending their temp test - comatose dogs would pass if they were lucky - my initial response was re: the lawyer that complained that fear biters would fail the test. I think fear biters would fail most temp tests for a pound? Would most rescuers rehome a fear aggressive dog to a member of the public (not an experienced member of their group) even after rehab and the dog didn't react aggressively in theirhome environment? I have a fear aggressive dog that hasn't had an incident in ages because I manage her behaviour very well, if I do say so myself. She wouldn't, however, be a rehoming prospect to anyone but an experienced person who knew how to manage fear aggression. I know a lot of dog people and there are only 1 or 2 that I would ever trust her with. People not being able to afford the fees to get their dogs out of pounds happens regardless of temp test - a holistic approach is needed. It needs to be balanced against the fact that there are many repeat offenders who let their dogs wander and harrass other people and dogs.

Hard to say, but when I see an offleash dog I do an emergency uturn ( something I've trained my dogs for) and walk in the opposite direction, all while praising them in a clam voice. By holding their collars tight you most probably increased their frustration levels. When dogs stare it is essential that you break their focus. I do this often and while it is a pain to have to change your route, it I'd the safest thing to do, There are some great techniques for getting your dogs to calm down when they see something that aroused them - "look st that" being one of them. I would walk two reactive dogs together regardless of size - they egg eachother on.

Is this the NSW only test, or is the test used nation wide?

Sorry this has happened to you. Have you asked them if they'll cover all costs? Regardless of what action you take, this should be the first step. If you hire a solicitor and then they agree to cover the vet costs you'll still need to pay your solicitor - you could be up for thousands before it goes anywhere.

Their cover is different? Do they cover for recurring conditions? Most (all?) of the ones covered by hollard don't. a few people have posted on DOL that they've had problems getting claims approved from them.

Just watch out for snakes - we had a few venture into our camp site (and we were in the main camping ground)

I an not a show person but I love seeing ( a correctly bred, not "bigger is better" ) Giant Schnauzer in the ring - they have such a presence. There are very few that are shown in Melbourne so they are a treat to see.