Starkehre

I am never one to advise of my breed in these sorts of threads, but seriously, it sounds to me like a Rottweiler bitch would suit you down to the ground. Rottweilers are an all round working breed. The excel in obedience, agility, herding, tracking, endurance, flyball and make an exceptional family pet. They are tough and strong yet biddable and form incredible bonds with their owners. One from the right lines will have an off switch and be super social. All mine have had off switches, but drive can be easily developed also. They have varying levels of drive which is easily distinguished as a baby puppy. I say bitch only because they are usually a little smaller and more compact and therefore get around agility courses a little easier, but males manage well also. They have amazing endurance and can work all day or are equally happy cuddled up on the couch. Mine have all been very affectionate. Wash and wear coat, low maintenance. They can tolerate nearly any weather conditions. Easy to train. Personally when purchasing a new puppy I look for low to medium drive, and then develop it to suit my requirements in working. It's all about what suits the individual owner. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

I apologise if I have offended you or anyone else. If I had thought I was upsetting anyone, I would not have posted.

I always train my Rottweilers straight to soft crates and never have any issues. IMO + experience it depends more on the owner and less on the dog. Almost any breed of dog of almost any age over around 15 weeks is going to be able to break out of any soft dog crate. It is about the owners training, time and what the set up is at home. If you can commit to doing it properly and setting yourself and the dog up for a "win", then it is absolutely doable. If your situation requires you to crate the dog within the first 2 days, during the day, unsupervised and go out for a few hrs leaving it there, I would say don't do it. If you can get the dog to become confident in it's own company and respectful of boundaries and confinesment within the first 2-4 weeks of bringing an 8 weeks old puppy home then you have done the hard yards and should have no problems. It is about sensibility and realistic expectations. I have also crate trained large breed adult dogs into my crates without any problems. Like I say, more about the owner and less about the dog. These are all of the sorts of things I chat to my prospective customers about if they are unsure. Many a time I have turned people away from purchasing a soft dog crate if I do not believe they are going to be able to or want to put in the work. If the owners' needs are for unsupervised crating from day one and they have little experience and do not seem overly committed, I would tell them to get a steel crate. That said, 13 week old Rottweilers have scratch for hrs on end in my soft crates and never done any damage. You need to ride out this scratching confidentally. A small pup will not damage one of my crates, they are just not strong enough. They will stop the scratching in the first couple of days provided the owner does not go to them or speak to them every time they do it. Added there will always be the occasional dog that cannot be crate trained to a soft dog crate. IME these are adults that have serious behavioural issues or dogs that have previously been taught to break out of a soft crate because the owner did not set the dog up to succeed. I would never crate 2 dogs together, particularly unsupervised. Just not good practice. Crating is quiet time, not playing or fighting and dogs left together will do this. Dogs that live together already spend so much of the day together. They should be spending quality separate time also so they do not become too reliant on one another's company. Just my 2 cents worth. :D

Fifi, get the one that appeals to you most. And it honestly really doesn't matter to me if that is my mat or the other mat. What is most important to me is that my customers are happy with their purchase. If eyelets and carry bag are not things you need, and the other mat has features that you want, get the other one, all good. If you prefer my mat, be my guest. :D ... and I appreciate your sweet words.

Thank you for your on going support guys. I have such lovely regular customers and of course most welcome and appreciated new customers also. Yes, it will be great to use our beautiful new mats when the weather picks up

Sorry, have fixed it now

As an alternative there are my new K9+ Gazebo Mats :D A bit cheaper, comes with a Carry Bag and eyelets. The section joins are done with nylon thread instead of cotton. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370523587198&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT Sorry, try this one

If you are the sort of person that has energy to burn, highly motivated, keen to learn and enjoy early starts and late nights, I see no reason that you would not manage it very nicely. It is certainly doable in your situation, as long as you are prepared for a lot of work, unrelenting committment and dedication and your life altering quite a lot. If this sounds like you, then I would say go for it. If it does not sound like you, I would wait a bit longer and consider an adult dog or leave it altogether. Just my opinion. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

This is why I do not crate empty on demand. I always set my alarm for 2-3 hr intervals for the first week, gradually increasing the first interval until it meshes with the 2nd one. This can take 1 week or several weeks, depends upon the indivual puppy. Boys can generally hold on longer sooner IME. Dogs are like small children in this respect. Once they alarm you, it is probably too late. The other reason I do not demand empty is dogs quickly learn how to demand you let them out when they do even need to go. I teach my pups from day one to trust that I will empty them prior to them needing to go so badly they wee. I never let them down. Best of luck with the little one.

About a year or so ago, I noticed my older Rott bitch has a broken molar. I took her to see a dental specialist. He advised me it had to come out. Now, my girl came down with one of the most sever cases of IMT that all the specialist vets that saw her had ever seen. We were one of the very lucky ones in that Dyzney survived and is now happily plodding along into mid/old age. I ws terrified to allow her to have GA and surgery. We are aware that at any time the IMT can return and that drugs, trauma, vaccinations, stress etc can cause this. You can imagine how much I did not want her to have this tooth removed. But the vet explained how stoic she must be as this tooth was giving her hell. There was not much for me to see there and apparently it could have been this way for 6 months or so. Whilst under anaesthetic the vet took xrays and discoverd she had another 3 teeth all hairline fractured under the gum line and that the broken one had formed a pocket of puss under the gum line also. I was horrified and really upset, but they all had to be removed. The dental specialist was aware of my concerns. He followed up all her previous notes and ensured she was only given drugs that she had already been given that we knew were OK, and took extra care to ensure there was as little bleeding as possible. All went fine, but it was a very scary time for me. And even for up to 3 months afterwards I was very vigilant checking her gums and sending her off for bloods, as IMT can show up that long after the cause. Anyway, I guess the point to my story is it is very important to go ahead with the tooth removal, regardless of risk. I am sure it will all be fine.

ODG, is there any news on Naka. I have been thinking about you both, checking in regularly for an up date. I hope she is OK. Would love to know how she is going please.

Thanks so much for more feedback everyone. It is wonderful to get everyone's ideas and opinions. Seems many of us would like a yard to utilise for emptying and other semi supervised outdoorsy situations, but not everyone, and that's cool. Thanks

You do not need a reason. You are not sitting an exam. It is your choice. If they cannot respect your wishes, change vet. I personally will not use any vet that tries to persuade me one way or the other. Vets are there to offer all options, advise, diagnose and administer etc, not to require you give them the right answer to allow you out of vaccination. From my experience the kind of clients that vets try to be persuasive with are the ones that are not assertive, decisive or knowledgable. What I mean by this is if you are up in the air about a lot of the things discussed between yourself and your vet and always asking for their opinion and advice, because they will believe it is best, then they possibly feel that they owe it to you to talk you into it... I am not sure I have explained that properly. I suggest you tell them you have some definite ideas about some things when it comes to your dogs and medications/vaccinations and you do not wish to be coersed into doing something you do not want to, nor should they make you feel guilty about your decision. Added, I am not advocating not vaccinating against kennel cough nor am I bagging out vets. I respect both vaccinations and vets, but clients are entitled to have their decision respected by vets also.

Much appreciate everyone's in put, opinions and routines of what you do when away with your dogs.

Thanks guys, great responses, keep them coming please. I will add what I think comes into play for me personally and I wonder about how other feel about this... When on holiday, IMO it would be nice to not have to get up, get dressed, grab a torch, grab a lead, put the dogs on lead and go outside in the cold/wet/dark to empty the dogs early in the morning and pick up poo in case you miss it later on when it gets light. If the dogs required early emptying, it would nicer to open the door in your nightie or nudie, throw them outside for a few minutes and let them back in when they are done. As much as I simply adore my dogs, holidays that are more work than at home, don't really seem like holidays. As it is holidaying with dogs is somewhat labour intensive, carting them everywhere, making sure they are cool enough in the car/float, always emptied. Also, as far as I can gather, probably the majority of DOLer dogs spend a lot of time with their owners and would possibly choose close companionship over space. But what about if you want to be outside with the dogs in the area surrounding your accomm, but you have to be constantly working them and checking in with your dogs to ensure they are not wandering too far, encroaching into other accommodation grounds, chasing wild life and pooing where you might not find it to pick it up. Even for the best trained dogs, it is still a vigilance that IMO makes a holiday less of a holiday. Sure the dogs can do a down stay, but that's not much fun for them or for the owner.

Hi all. I am just wanting to get others' opinions on this topic as it is something I wonder about. This is a question for those of you that have, will do or would like to go away somewhere with your dog/s, either holidaying, working, competing or otherwise. When deciding on your destination/accommodation, how important is it to you whether or not the property has it's own attached dog proof yard outside? For the sake of my interest, let's say you were looking at staying somewhere where the dogs are allowed and encourage to be inside the accommodation and there is also a verandah that they could be enclosed onto, but around the grounds/property is fully open and in a bush/forest type setting. Everyone's in put is greatly appreciated. Added, I am not looking to open up a pet friendly accommodation, sorry :D

Broken nose was one incident. 4 stitches in leg from falling on star picket whilst emptying dogs another. Mind you these pale in comparison to the injuries I have sustained from horses over the years.

Well done Aziah and Chelsea.

Jules, this is shocking news about poor Brock. I am so so shocked and sorry to hear this happened. I hope you find out what happened.

Lappielover In judging pedigree dogs in the show ring, judges are not only checking for teeth and testicles. Although to be fair some judges only do that. Soundness, type, temperament and style. In soundness many aspects can make a dog unsound. A dog who is lame, a dog who has entropian, a dog who has an unstable temperament for that particular breed, a dog who can not breathe adequately to name just a few. These and other aspects are all part of judging.Conformation in each individual breed is not just whether or not a dog can gait around the ring. Judges have the power to non award classes and non award Challenge certificates. bbl, I would LOVE to believe this and in essense I do as an ideal, but sadly week in, week out I see lame dogs put up for CC and BOB. Very disappointing really.

Hi Rebanne. We have one of our interstate specialties on that weekend, so more than likely will be unable to attend Ovens Valley Valley next year, but K9+ Soft Dog Crates will be more than happy to offer sponsorship for the 2 days Group 6 Neuter Class sashes again. Just forward me the details and I will fix it up. I'll be in touch :D Excellent.

ODG, I am so glad Naka is doing OK. She mustn't be too bad if the vet has not admitted her yet, so that is a really good sign. Yes, absolutely do not let her do any playing at all. She is bleeding internally as is the marks you see on her skin and the blood in her stools. But I am sure you have had all this explained to you, about her blood not being able to clot because of the low platelet count. But, yes it is a good sign that she feels well enough to play. I hope she is responding to the drugs. If she is going well, they may be satisfied with continual taking of bloods to check her platelets etc. How frustrating not having your normal vet. It is tricky deciding what to do. My first girl was for the most part treated at home. My 2nd girl was much worse and hospitalised in ICU immediately she showed symptoms. Every case and every dog is different. I am really hoping you are one of the lucky ones. Good luck. It must be so hard for you being away and getting updates. But it is wonderful you have someone to keep an eye on Naka. Take care and I will be thinking of you and Naka. Oh, just an added piece of advice... try to keep visitors to a minimum and do everything you can to eliminate any new germs coming into the house, disinfect hands, leave shoes outside, stay away from all other dogs etc. Whilst Naka is on cortisone her immune system will be low and therefore she will be suceptible to picking up any bugs. With Dyzney we were pretty much in lock down here for nearly 2 months, no one in no one out. Be prepared for her to lose her appetite at any time. So, whilst she is happy to eat, feed her up to give her room for weight loss if this happens. The loss of appetite (if it happens)will be owing to nausea and/or stomach ulcers if she is on the drugs long enough, this can occur.

Rebanne, thank you for sharing Fern's litter with us. They are beautiful. I am so glad Fern is OK now. I just LOVE Greyhounds

ODG, thinking about you and wondering how your girl is going this morning. I hope there has been some improvement. I am sending positive vies her way Has she required blood transfusions as yet? What is her name?

Weigirl, huge congrats on achieving Diva's Neuter Champ Title. Great work. Sounds as though you both have really enjoyed yourselves.