Pepper and Jax

Pepper's a furious wagger when we have visitors, or when she's proud of something she stole off the kitchen bench! But not as waggy as other dogs I've met. My Dad is a little bit mean, and when Pepper's whacking the furniture with her tail he'll say things like "stop that Pepper, or you'll get a concussion", trying to indicate that she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. (He doesn't know her very well).

Aww, look at that face, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. :rolleyes: Happy Birthday Miss Daisy!

Awwww, I love the spotty dog stories. No way Dylan's ever moving out of your place SC. :p

Poor Riley. This little piggy has got him right where it wants him.

Your description Sourpuss and Smileyface made me smile just as much as the picture. Gorgeous!

Love it!! Rabbit-lined Uggs Gonna Bum a Smoke Izat Me Jacks There's an awful woman at my local dog park who takes her lab and cocker down there for an off-lead walk at the same time each night. So we see her pretty regularly. Lab (overweight of course) is a humper and always makes a beeline for Pepper. Woman's response is "Merlin, Merlin, Merlin... what's got into you" as I'm trying to pull him off and get between him and Pepper. And every time she says "He's usually so friendly. Don't let your dog near Lulu though, she hates other dogs". This is when Pepper's on a lead and both of hers are off lead. Needless to say, we don't get near this lady (or her dogs, who are often wandering around their front yard without supervision, on our street, as well).

Something tells me Dylan won't be leaving you spottychick I loved reading about your work with Tango and the Dylan story is pretty awesome too. You're lucky to have found 3 lovelies in Pepper, Tango and Dylan. I hope it continues and adolescence doesn't get in the way of the happy spotty family. PS: Pepper's my favourite. Just a little bit of bias perhaps.

Aesthetically, I don't like Pepper's tattoo. It's quite obvious sometimes. No fur to hide it I guess. Though it is fading. But I wouldn't change it. It's function is important in my opinion.

Pepper's a true canine... any bones we give her get a good chewing before she goes and buries them somewhere in the backyard. Then they get pulled out later, covered in black sand, and she tries to bring them inside without us noticing so she can chew in comfort. This process lasts for days (the burying, digging up, chewing, and burying again). It's a bit eww.

My GSP Pepper loves water coming out of the hose or tap. But she isn't a fan of water when it's just sitting there. Doesn't like to stand in a clam shell, and certainly won't sit or lie in it. But filling it up is the most exciting thing ever. That applies to the water bowl too - she much prefers to drink straight out of the tap than out of the bowl. Unfortunately watering the garden with my arm stretched at full height, so that the water can at least leave the hose and attempt to get to the plants, results in Pepper jumping on me to try and get enough air to reach the hose... Training required! That is, when we replace the badly chewed hose for the coming summer.

That last pic of him is hilarous. Good luck!

On the issue of walking on a lead... totally understand! Our GSP girl took months and months to finally "get" it, and she still pulls soemtimes, but I can now put a stop to it simply by stopping still (with feet firmly planted so she can't pull me over), and waiting til she remembers to come back to my side. Loose lead walking is wonderful when you get it. Don't give up, and don't try too many methods, pick one and stick to it. It'll be worth it in the end. When you get nipped, maybe revert to the puppy training technique and make a noise like you're hurt? If that only excites him more, you might have to bodily lift him up (not just drag him), and put him outside, close the door and ignore til he calms down. Agree the crate's not a good punishment area, but nothing wrong with outside imho. Our GSP has loopy moments when we get visitors too. She just gets put out of the way until they've been there for a while and she's calmed down a bit. She still gives exuberant greetings, but she calms down much quicker. Good luck, don't give in, it gets easier, I promise!! Pepper's nearly two and she's turned into a lovely thing who only drives me nuts 20% of the time (instead of 90% ) PS: taking her to obedience training, even when she's being a brat at the time, makes her sleep for hours afterwards... exercise the brain

I hate it when people suggest that I only wanted Pepper to meet my meternal needs before we have children. (Even OH has been guilty of this). I've always lived with dogs, have always wanted to have a dog in my life, and it just so happens that the most appropriate time to bring a dog into the family was once I'd moved in with OH (and then got engaged and married). I was never going to bring a puppy home when I was living with my parents and their pets, or sharing rentals, moving jobs and cities, and doing all that kind of stuff that people do when they're finding their place in the world. Babies... eventually. Pepper's not practice, she's Pepper... an entirely different species! Sure, there might be some common elements, but you'd learn more by baby-sitting for friends and relatives imho!

Some close friends of ours just brought a Bernese pup home. She's lovely! Not the first I've seen though... there is a lady with a pair of them who we've seen down at the beach a couple of times. All lovely fluffy boofas.

Then it sounds like more negotiation needs to be done, and if she doesn't agree, then walking away might be the best option. You really have to be comfortable with all the arrangements before signing a contract, or you're in for problems later.

I agree with the comments above about over-excitability in GSPs, but it's been manageable (if often embarrassing) in our girl Pepper, and there comes a point in the day when she becomes a total lounge lizard/ snugglebum. Joel, feel free to come and join us in the GSP thread (in the breed sub-forums) and learn a little bit about some of our day to day experiences with our lovely nutters. I'm sure you'd be welcome in the Pointer thread too Edit: I decided Pepper's excitement is more than occasionally embarrassing in public!

I have heard on the grapevine that Ocean Reef vets are very good. But I've never been there so cannot confirm this recommendation or provide an opinion on prices/ services etc. Good luck!

Lucky girls! Looks like they're having an awesome time Some great action shots, thanks for sharing DA.

OMG! You let her bed get scrunched up?! I can't believe you have the guts to show yourself here, you doggy abuser you!!

I haven't but I would. If you had any uncertainty, you could always ask whether the breeder has mentoring support from another registered breeder with a longer history of breeding (and hopefully a good reputation).

On the theme of locking dogs in/ out somewhere: When I was a kid, on one occasion we took Sophie out in the car, got home and somehow managed to come inside the house without Sophie. It wasn't very long before we heard her knocking on the front door I don't think I've done anything awful to Pepper yet. Except trying to wash her ears.

OH was eating some chips, with Pepper sitting right next to him, wearing a longing expression and slowly leaning closer and closer to him. She left her chance to strike a little bit late though, and ended up having to dive into OH's mouth to retrieve the chip. Needless to say, he was a bit stunned, and leaning is no longer allowed when we're eating. Pepper steals tissues too. She waits til you've put it down, then grabs it in her mouth with a look on her face that says "what? I haven't got anything in here", and then if you don't believe her and try to get it out of her mouth, she attempts to gobble it up quickly... more than once I've pulled them out of her throat. Tissues are not to be left lying around.

Monah, just wanted to offer some support in the sense that it is always stressing to see a dog in very poor condition. I hope the circumstances were beyond the owner's control, and the Dogue is on the way to good health now. Agree with some of the other comments about jumping to conclusions, but that doesn't change the fact that you worry and hope she's alright.

Oh, soooo gorgeous! Virtual smooches for Badger (and Ivy too )

Oh no, I didn't know this! ;) Now I do.