jacqui835

My first dog was a doberman, and whilst it was difficult (he went through a faze of wanting to fight other dogs and grew stronger than me), we bonded so strongly and so quickly that it just wasn't all that hard. I followed Cesar Milan, and now he's an amazing virtually bomb proof dog but also protects me when needed. Through my partner we now have a second dog, a GSD, and she is actually a much easier puppy. That said, I haven't bonded to her for some reason - she's a dog whereas my dobe is my best friend, and so it has seemed much more difficult.

Very handsome and what shiny white teeth!

Personally I think the notion that desexing causes weight gain is a myth. I think what often happens is the desexing coincides with the end of growth and the slowing of a dog's metabolism at maturity. Owners fail to adjust food intake and voila - fat dogs! I bet once slimmed down, your sisters dog would have more energy. Maybe but he used to be so keen to go on walks and loved playing games, whereas now he wants to go home once he reaches the end of the street. They waited till 18 months so as a papillon, he was well and truly done growing. He used to be very lean and loved accompanying her partner on his long bike rides, but now well, he likes to sleep and eat. On the plus side though, he also used to be an escape artist and had 0 recall (to be fair they did no training though), but now he doesn't leave even with the gate open and recall is not an issue. Maybe he was always going to be like that as an adult, but they feel like they've owned 2 different dogs and the change just happened to occur within 6-8 weeks of being desexed. I think perhaps he had a strong urge to reproduce, and that was what drove him, and once removed there just wasn't a whole lot left. Kinda like humans, maybe some dogs are more 'frisky' than others. I knew a german shepherd though that was desexed at 8 months, and a year later, he still had all the same problems. Still wants to fight, hump/dominate other dogs and still doesn't listen to his owner. Desexing seems to reduce the amount of food a dog needs (both directly in terms of reduced muscle mass and thyroid action and indirectly through less drive/desire to explore), and this combined with the end of the growth period can lead to fast weight gain. Guess it depends on the dog.

Sigh. Still don't see what the problem is. I give up, but I appreciate you trying to explain to me. I would only understand if the dogs were hurting someone, posing as guide dogs or whatever. They are just being dogs, I know that, but that helps people and if they think they need it and it reduces the strain on our welfare systems and hospitals I couldn't care less (of course so long as the dog isn't annoying or dangerous).

Physically for a large dog yes. In respect to temperament, my sister had a male she desexed at about 18 months, and he has since changed completely. He has put on a lot of weight and doesn't have the same drive (ie doesn't go with her partner for bike rides anymore), but he also has better recall and doesn't try to escape all the time anymore.

Yeah look I don't want to annoy anyone and it's a sensitive issue for many. That said I really don't understand what the problem here is - the closest issue I can see is that people worry that therapy dogs will somehow lead to guide dogs losing their respect and priviledges - but I don't think that's a valid point because you haven't convinced me that people are trying to claim their dogs are guide dogs, or that they are being mistaken for them by the general public. Additionally, you have failed to explain how this would be a bad thing even if someone did happen to put them in the same category as these therapy dogs don't seem to be doing anything wrong, inappropriate, dangerous or annoying. It's like you guys don't want people to try and find new ways to benefit from dog ownership. Guide dogs are serving as eyes, ears etc for their handlers. Therapy dogs are just being dogs and helping people who need a little bit more at that time in their life, whether it's in the form of emotional support, medical warnings, anti-smoking aides - totally different I think in the minds of most. I know in my case my dog helped save me and save the general public money and resources that can now instead be devoted to people for whom there are no alternatives - I think we were all lucky in my case and I hope that others can have the same experience.

Exactly. While everyone else has to leave theirs at home. This is a pet dog we're talking about here. It has had none of the hygiene and other training service dogs receive. This pet owner can now waltz in to any establishment (including places that serve food) with her dog while all other pet owners are expected to obey the "no dogs allowed" signs. Yet you don't think a person who's 'disability' is the fact she doesn't want to leave her dog at home isn't abusing the system. No kidding. Most of us aren't prepared to have our pets certified to enjoy the same privileges as guide dogs in order to accomplish it though. I wonder if this person has trained her dog that it cannot defecate until commanded to do so. Your issue Jacqui is that you are taking this subject personally. Dogs are a problem for people who are allergic to them, don't like them, or are expected to clean up after them if they behave inappropriately in public places. The law makes an exception for dogs who perform important services for their owners. Most pet owners are happy to respect the difference between their pet and such a dog. Most, but not all. I've seen a case on TV where a mother objected to the fact that her son's 'therapy dog' was not allowed in his classroom. The 'therapy dog' in question was a pet JRT - service performed? Son liked dog. Because they expect the same rights as owners of genuine service dogs but don't have the same reliance on the animals. And because the animals are not trained or certified in any 'assistance' role. The 'harm' is that if the system is abused, those with a genuine requirement for an assistance dog will suffer the consequences. The unfairness of it is that some people are prepared to work a system for their own reasons while everyone else respects it. The law provides for exceptions for assistance dogs. Seeing those exceptions cheapened by pet dog owners doesn't sit well with me when the owner has no genuine requirement to have the dog with them 24.7 If the person who is the subject of this discussion chooses on occastion to leave the dog with others or at home for her own convenience (eg. going to the movies or out with friends) then you really have to question her need to take the dog into 'no dogs allowed' places when it suits her. I still do not understand, and your posts seem a tad vague. Exceptions cheapened, disrespecting the system - where is the actual harm? If anything, the more people see of dogs, the more they realise it's the training that makes a good dog and the more the general public acknowledges that the current standards against them are quite harsh. What do you mean by hygiene? My dog had to be wormed and up to date on vaccinations - what more do they need? You can't really catch anything else from a dog... My dog was toilet trained and doesn't go whilst on lead. I have never seen or heard of a therapy dog defecating indoors - that sort of thing would likely make the news. These dogs are still trained - they're just not trained to be guide dogs. With therapy dogs timing can be a very sensitive factor and the fact is they often already somehow know what is required of them, so as long as they're not a danger or an annoyance to anyone else, what exactly is the problem? These dogs do no harm to anyone else and make a huge difference to the lives of their owners. Dogs used to spend all their time with their handlers and vice versa - and it can work. My dog wasn't allowed into restaurants anyway - I never tried but I am confident I would have been shooed away. Everyone knows what a guide dog is, and when they see a large doberman just on a usual lead (no harness etc) well no-one ever mistook him for a guide dog... How are they disrespecting the system - and what are the negative consequences of this supposed disrespect? Yes we used the system to our advantage - but how did it hurt anyone else and how was it bad for guide dogs? I have already talked about the ways the general population benefited from me having greater access to my dog and I'm confident I'm not the only one.

Ain't that the truth. Buy your own stickers, whack a vest on the dog and scream blue murder at anyone who dare question you " therapy " dog I really do not understand where people are coming from in this thread. Special treatment? Abusing the system? You get to take your dog with you to a few extra places - Idon't understand how that is abusing the system or inconveniencing anyone else. I'm sure there are plenty of people here who have dogs who are very well trained and wouldn't cause any trouble accompanying their owners in more situations than what they're currently allowed to. If anything the rest of the people with well-trained dogs are being ripped off - you're not allowed to take your dog anywhere in Australia because people are worried it will attack someone or make them sick or something I don't even know what the problem is. Now I understand completely if the dog is not trained and is dangerous or even just a nuisance to the people around it, but with every therapy dog I've ever seen, that was not the case. The dog isn't guiding the person, but in my case, he just used to walk along next to me, lie down during my lectures/tutorials and play with people at lunch time (who by the way, wanted to play with him). How is that a problem, for anyone? There are some people in society who are more affected and sensitive than others, and so when their family members die, become alcoholics or drug addicts, their partners abuse them and/or they get kicked out of home by said alcoholic parent, they struggle to cope. There are plenty of people who end up addicted to anti-depressants, I didn't want to be one of them but I was told I wasn't receptive to therapy without the drugs. If these people happen to have well-trained dogs who stop them needing medication (which by the way is subsidised by your tax $'s so costs you money), why would anyone want to discourage them from being allowed to have their dogs with them when it doesn't hurt anyone? Maybe everyone here is stronger and gets over their problems on their own (because I know everyone faces their own challenges and hardships), but I wasn't. It would have cost everyone a lot more money (because our gov. will try it's hardest to stop you hurting yourself or worse) if I hadn't of been allowed to have my dog. Plus, there's just no way I would have made it through uni or have been able to hold down a job - so I wouldn't have the job I have now which has meant that I now pay tax myself and have the means to contribute to society. No-one here has explained why they think therapy dogs shouldn't be allowed or should be much more strictly regulated - what harm do they currently cause?

Three Cheers. having worked for many years with dogs as guides and therapy dogs ..and having put a big chunk of my life into careful assessment/training/placement ....so that hopefully the public would not be in any way inconvenienced by a dog's inappropriate behaviour ...and that dogs went to those who they could best benefit... I am just a bit 'tetchy' about pet dogs being labelled as 'therapy' dogs at the drop of a hat , it seems. I don't believe that the label of therapy dog allows the dog to cause problems to anyone else. My interpretation of the university policies (which was really the only place I took him that dogs weren't typically allowed) was that I was allowed to have him with me to serve as a substitute for medication so long as he was not affecting anyone else's right to quiet enjoyment etc. He just used to lay at my feet, and give the occasional, yet amazingly well timed exasperated sigh that had everyone laughing. He's a big dog, around 29 inches, so his sighs are quite loud and were audible throughout the lecture theatre. He had completed advanced obedience training and people loved running him through his tricks - but he just seemed to learn on his own what was required in terms of helping me. If anything I think he was doing a good thing for dogs around Australia - people realised what you could achieve through training (a loyal and 100% dedicated companion), and also just how wonderful a doberman could be. People used to say that they thought he had a soul and you could tell from his eyes - he was very popular there by the end.

Happens here too, although to a lesser degree. To me the principle of having your pet called a 'therapy dog' for your convenience is no different to taking a disabled car space because that's convenient to you. Some people need a wake up call. Sorry I don't understand at all why this is the case, and did not expect this reaction from the people here. What harm does this do to anyone or anything (ie the dogs)? It's not like a capable person taking the spot of a disabled person and thus depriving them of the resource... Therapy dogs are trained - perhaps not professionally by an accredited association, but if they all had to be, then many more people would have to go without. The fact is there are lots of studies that demonstrate the positive effects of dog ownership, and if you're a little more sensitive to certain things for whatever reason (genetic or due to experiences), having that extra confidence and support from the dog can make the difference between a person being able to live a relatively normal life vs drain our gov systems for welfare etc. I won't go into detail, but I went through some pretty horrible things a while back, and my dog was like a black hole who could just absorb everything negative and still miraculously pump out positivity. I was refered to professional help by my GP because I didn't want to go on medication, and she quickly realised that the dog was a massive help. She wrote me a letter that meant I could have my dog in lots of social situations where others couldn't - for example at uni etc. We also had a guide dog on campus - there's a huge difference but dogs are amazing like that - they can perform a variety of tasks for their humans. It was not a guide dog, it was a therapy dog, and it stopped me from needing to go on medication. Time heals most wounds, and sure enough, I have mostly healed, but my dog just bought me that extra time, stopped me failing uni and kept me on track.

If it looks and smells fine, yes. The butcher gave me a huge raw bone once that I gave to my dog. He munched on it for a while, but eventually lost interest and because our yard is massive, we forgot about it. Fast forward several months. We had a lab over to play with our dog, and the lab found and ate the bone. It had a strange odour to it, but the lab was fine and never looked happier.

So - where is YOUR advice. What advice do YOU think we should have supplied? Not being a breeder is no excuse, this person isn't either - what sort of advice would YOU be looking for if you were considering it? The advice offered is good advice - find out about the breed, find someone to mentor you and worry about the important stuff such as health temperament and conformation instead of the unimportant stuff such as colour. Obviously this wasn't the advice the OP wanted, but how is that OUR fault? It's not about the advice itself, it's about the tone and delivery. If you want to educate people and bring them around to your way of thinking - and subsequently grow your community, well a kind word or two wouldn't go astray. Where was the, "oh good on you for coming here first and not just breeding your dog to the first female you found like so many do?" that's been done before and then people like yourself still found fault with it. The answers were great and if the OP has a problem with them then they are not ready to breed at all. Breeding is not for the faint hearted. At least it's not if you do it properly. People like myself? What group of people do I belong to exactly? I haven't played any part in one of these threads before, I only piped up here because it annoyed me that the guy was continually thanking everyone for their advice and still receiving crappy treatment, and has now left with a bad taste in his mouth.

So - where is YOUR advice. What advice do YOU think we should have supplied? Not being a breeder is no excuse, this person isn't either - what sort of advice would YOU be looking for if you were considering it? The advice offered is good advice - find out about the breed, find someone to mentor you and worry about the important stuff such as health temperament and conformation instead of the unimportant stuff such as colour. Obviously this wasn't the advice the OP wanted, but how is that OUR fault? It's not about the advice itself, it's about the tone and delivery. If you want to educate people and bring them around to your way of thinking - and subsequently grow your community, well a kind word or two wouldn't go astray. Where was the, "oh good on you for coming here first and not just breeding your dog to the first female you found like so many do?" Instead it was very negative and the thread reads with an uncomfortable verging on aggressive and dissmissive tone. Try putting yourself in the other person's shoes. Yeah he didn't know, but he came here for help and now he wants nothing to do with this community, like so many others. You might say, well we don't need them, but right now you can't watch a show about dogs, speak to the general public etc and hear anything positive about your community, and I would have thought that at least some of you wanted to try and change that. My advice? You're going about it the wrong way. Well if that's the way you read what was written I suggest you go back and read it with an open mind rather than with the opinion that we're all a bunch of nasty bastards which is what you obviously believe. Sigh. You're not nasty, you're just very protective and defensive when it comes to dogs and it upsets me as a dog lover and supporter of the purebred community when I feel that people are being turned away when we so desperately need more supporters. Dju said it much more eloquently than I did.

So - where is YOUR advice. What advice do YOU think we should have supplied? Not being a breeder is no excuse, this person isn't either - what sort of advice would YOU be looking for if you were considering it? The advice offered is good advice - find out about the breed, find someone to mentor you and worry about the important stuff such as health temperament and conformation instead of the unimportant stuff such as colour. Obviously this wasn't the advice the OP wanted, but how is that OUR fault? It's not about the advice itself, it's about the tone and delivery. If you want to educate people and bring them around to your way of thinking - and subsequently grow your community, well a kind word or two wouldn't go astray. Where was the, "oh good on you for coming here first and not just breeding your dog to the first female you found like so many do?" Instead it was very negative and the thread reads with an uncomfortable verging on aggressive and dissmissive tone. Try putting yourself in the other person's shoes. Yeah he didn't know, but he came here for help and now he wants nothing to do with this community, like so many others. You might say, well we don't need them, but right now you can't watch a show about dogs, speak to the general public etc and hear anything positive about your community, and I would have thought that at least some of you wanted to try and change that. My advice? You're going about it the wrong way.

So you guys think this was a job well done and a desirable outcome?

There's no set dose for how many grapes they need to be negatively affected - I just didn't want to take the chance - didn't seem worth the stress.

And he GOT help and advice 1) when breeding colour is irrelevant, concentrate on the important stuff. I think everyone who breeds dogs for the right reasons would accept this as a good answer 2) The question about in who's opinion is his male "fantastic" is quite valid, everyone thinks their own dog is fantastic and so they should - and he answered it saying someone with good credentials believes it to be so, which is great 3) WHERE have you looked for good breeders is also a valid question since he claimed it was difficult to find good breeders in NSW (which is not true). Haven't got an answer for that one yet 4) He was advised to join a breed club, which is excellant advice 5)He was advised to find a mentor, which is excellant advice 6) He was advised to look in to one of the most common problems with the colour of the dog he already owns. Sorry Jacqui I must've missed it - what advice did YOU contribute? My advice was directed at you guys rather than him - I'm not a breeder nor have I ever owned a staffy so I would be of little help to the OP in that regard. What I do know though is that yet another person who has come to these forums looking for help from the purebred community - who from the looks of it was open to advice and wanted to learn, has left with a bad opinion of you guys. This community can cry all day about how they have so little support in society, but until you adopt a more receptive and warm approach to new comers, you have no-one but yourselves to blame.

Thanks guys, I'm going to try and get some of those washing soda crystals - but fingers crossed I never have a need for them.

Ugh and people on these threads wonder why the general public think poorly of the purebred community... Sounds like this guy is trying very hard to do the right thing and came looking for help and advice. That certainly wasn't what he got, and now he's going to go to his vet who will probably tell him the best idea is to breed his staffy to a kelpie for hybrid vigour! You guys are your own worst enemies.

Tonight I had to rush my dog to the vet because he ate 4 grapes - and I wasn't about to take any chances. Once at the vet, they gave him something to induce vomiting, and we're now back home albeit $130 poorer, but hopefully healthy. It made me think though, given there are times when what you is to make your dog throw up, and the faster they throw up the better, is there anything I can have in my home for the next time something like this happens?

I had a 6 hour drive home with my baby boy and he basically slept the whole time on my lap - which was great because from that drive onwards he was car sick until he was about 10 months old. I liked having him on my lap because we could tell when he needed to go to the bathroom, plus it was a good bonding experience. Also, he would have cried for most of the drive had we tried to put him in a crate - so it also depends on the dog. Mine was a puppy who literally screamed when I had my shower the first day he was home, even though he was in the bathroom with me and the shower had glass see-through walls. We had lots of showers together, and today, if you leave the shower open, he will still try and come and sit at your feet, looking terribly sad and get drenched.

Omg I'm over the moon to hear he's coming to Adelaide :D Totally thought that since moving from Sydney I would miss out on these sorts of things. I'll definitely be there - his shows and books I believe are the reason I have a doberman I can take anywhere with me. I just like his energy myself, watching him in his shows just used to make me feel calm and happy.

No, we need to know why they are being dumped and who is breeding them. This. And why there is no way to stop people dumping a dog and buying a new puppy on the way home.

I was wondering the same thing the other day, and was trying to argue with my bf that had my parents been around more, I would have developed better study/work habits. He countered that his parents had never been around either but he has always had amazing work ethic, and ended up at Cambridge uni. I think there is an element the child is born with, but then that can be shaped by parenting techniques. Some dogs are definitely more difficult than others. My boy wasn't toilet trained until he was about 5-6 months old. Our new girl trained herself in a couple of weeks. He is very focused on me, always at my side and wants to work. She is a scatter brain who would prefer to do her own thing.

Did you get to see the parents? The puppy can be bigger or smaller than both parents, but is likely to be close to both their sizes. Also if you know what breeds they were (especially if they were both purebred), you can use that as a guide. My dog had huge paws as a baby and he is now a big dog, bigger than his mother and around the same size as his father.