jacqui835

Omg is it small dogs only? I would love to go to that with my partner but a night out just isn't the same without poochy. That said, I'm not sure how much movie watching would be going on, if Sammy is next to another dog and we're ignoring him trying to watch a movie, he will no doubt be wanting to introduce himself...

Super Cooper, I think what you're expressing is what everyone goes through to some extent. We all want to do what's best for our dogs and I at least feel angry when I find out I've been 'lied' to (as in the case of particular dog foods and vets). My poor dog has been through so many different training styles, dog foods etc I couldn't even list them all (luckily he has a good attitude about it all and hey, I can easily switch his diet instantly now and not have to worry about him needing a gradual transition or anything). But at the end of the day, my approach today is yeah I'll try anything if it doesn't 'seem' completely wrong (for example I refused to try some of the harsher training methods and because I can't physically control him I have focused on other strategies) and if it works for Sammy we keep it. Sammy could have been crate trained but we didn't and I don't see the need to now, he gets into cages just fine when I need him to. I think the most important thing to remember is that everyone's dog is different and then your individual dogs are different too, so as long as you're interacting with your dog and paying attention to what they have to 'say' I'm sure everyone here will work out what works for them :)

Read through this article and I found it difficult to infer anything much from the data. No efforts are made to define "formal obedience training" - I have certainly seen plenty of people show up to 1-2 obedience sessions and then never come back and in my mind at least this is quite different from the people like myself who engage in formal training twice every week. I also am not sure of relevance and validity because I think the greater issue here would be dogs not having contact with the outside world and reduced interactions with their owners. I certainly take my dog with me on errands and feel that this has actually been a part of the socialization process. I think in this instance people are worried that these ex show dogs have not accompanied their owners anywhere beyond the show ring - hence the phenomen of "seeing the world for the first time" when rehomed. I would like to reply to you. About show dogs seeing the world for the first time as it may give many of you an insight to the way many of our Show Dogs lead their lives. Soon after the puppies are born we as breeders are looking for that RIGHT puppy to keep for ourselves and show. Many people may handle the pup as many other breeders may be invited to stack and give their opinion on the puppy. This will mean many people will be handling the pup. This selected pup will then be shown. This pup may possibly taken to show training where it will be handled by others and also get use to other dogs. Then off to the show where the dog will be crated or kept in a trolley or X pen. When it is called for its class it will be in an assembly are with other handlers and other dog's. It's number may be called by an assembly steward then passed onto the ring steward then passed onto being examined by the judge. If the pup is lucky and wins it may be sometimes passed onto another judge who may do the Group specials and if this pups wins at group level it will be passed onto the judge for Show specials. This pup has had all this exposure to all these people and don't forget this pup may be entered for a show the next day, so the process starts all over again. When the show season is in full swing we may get clusters of shows that last for days some over 10 days and don't forget many of these shows consist of Agricultural Show and we the dog people can often get stuck near side show ally. Just imagine all the show patrons and sights the dogs are exposed to. If you live on the Eastern seaboard may even travel you dogs to the major Royal shows, just think of the exposure the dogs get there plus the travelling weather it be in the car, the trailer or by air and don't forget the ship if you are travelling to Tasmania to do the shows there. Our show dog’s are usually very well socialised dogs. I am stating to wonder if we the reader's and posters are talking about two totally different aspects of re homing. The genuine breeder rehoming or a BYB dumping one they don't want. Their is a big difference as I would want mine to go to a very loving and caring home and may put restriction as to where that dog may go. Until "I" find the right home they stay with me. :) :clap: To me it seems that a lot of non-show people have very little idea of the lives of most show dogs. My dogs are show dogs for 2-3 days a week, the rest of the time they are pets. They do things that most dogs do with their humans. Plus all of the above which most family pets aren't exposed too. I would never try and argue that every breeder is the same, that would be impossible. I am only saying I know what the OP is talking about, registered breeders are not all the same and I personally met dogs that had show titles who had known health problems but used for breeding and weren't socialized. I've also since met breeders who would never think of doing this. They're all out there and being registered and having show titles is no guarantee that healthy, well socialized dogs will be provided. That's just the system as it currently stands.

Read through this article and I found it difficult to infer anything much from the data. No efforts are made to define "formal obedience training" - I have certainly seen plenty of people show up to 1-2 obedience sessions and then never come back and in my mind at least this is quite different from the people like myself who engage in formal training twice every week. I also am not sure of relevance and validity because I think the greater issue here would be dogs not having contact with the outside world and reduced interactions with their owners. I certainly take my dog with me on errands and feel that this has actually been a part of the socialization process. I think in this instance people are worried that these ex show dogs have not accompanied their owners anywhere beyond the show ring - hence the phenomen of "seeing the world for the first time" when rehomed.

Wow this just makes me so much more grateful to have found my current vet. He's the first vet who seems to have actually had something to do with dogs beyond university, doesn't challenge me on desexing and asks me what vaccinations and worming treatments I want. He always offers advice of course and we can talk for hours about working out how to best manage my dog, but I think you really need to find a vet you're on the same page as and can talk about these things with. Sometimes of course we may be wrong, but at least I know my vet has had experience with working dogs, and does his own research beyond what he's been taught at uni and so when he does challenge me, it's worth listening to and I know he wouldn't be saying it unless he has good reason to believe it - he truly critically evaluates what he sees and reads and his patients benefit from that. One of my best friends from uni is now a vet, trained at one of the top vet schools in the country and yet you should hear what she has to say about dog nutrition. Had a go at me the other day for feeding my dog raw bones...

Of course not all breeders are like this, but I had the same experience with 3 different doberman breeders (all who owned grand champions) when I was looking for my dog. One breeder had a 2 year old bitch who they knew had the early stages of wobblers (I didn't recognise it, they told me), and yet, she was going to be bred in her next season and they were happy to put me down for a puppy for $2000. I was told by a separate breeder that you're very lucky if you have a healthy doberman for more than 6 years. And yet these dogs were being used in breeding programs across the country. The temperament side of things was even worse, but one guy told me that whilst he was upset his doberman welcomed strangers into his house, not even a single bark, he would still use her for breeding because she was a very attractive bitch. And of course it goes the other way too. Now since joining DOL I have found a number of amazing breeders who really are improving their breeds and if I was ever interested in owning one of those breeds I wouldn't hesitate to approach them and the price wouldn't matter because I know I'd be getting a top quality animal. But the fact is these other detrimental breeders have existed for a while and continue to do damage to their chosen breeds and yet their dogs hold all sorts of titles.

Well I had to order the Holee-Cuz, so we should be getting 2 deliveries this week Thanks for all the tips guys, I'm jealous of everyone who can buy soft squeaky toys for their dogs and expect them to last more than 30 seconds (if that...) And Frodo that is one of the funniest photo series I've ever seen lol

My dog also loves swimming and leaping over waves at the beach - he too will stay in as long as we do. I've always thought it was great for him, however over the Xmas holidays I think perhaps we over did it We spent a whole day in the pool, and Sammy swimming around with us. Now he's almost 2 and incredibly fit (resting heart rate of like 40), but the next morning, he had a droopy tail. It was like he couldn't move it, and it just kind of hung behind him (usually he holds his tail high and slightly curved over, doberman style). It was so sad, because it also seemed to affect his mood - he's normally the happiest dog around but he was just deflated, didn't want to play or do anything really. Well that day we just happened to be going to see a Doberman breeder, and she said sometimes that happens to her dogs after lots of swimming and it usually takes a couple of weeks to go back to normal. We were lucky in that by the next day Sammy's tail went back to normal, that morning, it was droopy, then I took him to see some family members he hadn't seen in a while and it went back up. It seemed to take him some effort, like it was stuck down or something but once he got it up it was fine again. And as soon as it went up again, he was back to normal personality wise as well. I researched it on the internet and it seems to be most common in labradors, but obviously can happen in other breeds too (maybe labs are just more likely to spend lots of time in the water).

Well I just received a full page letter from an old vet I visited once in Sydney basically telling me that I'm a bad pet owner unless I schedule for my dog to have a blood test annually. They were claiming it should be done at the same time as annual vaccinations, and all for the bargain price of $175 (plus of course the vaccination and consultation fees which would mean I would be spending over $300 at the vet when my pet was completely healthy). I think it's great that they're offering all these services to pet owners, but what I don't appreciate is being told that if I really care about my pet, I wouldn't hesitate in signing up for all these extras. I opted for no extras when I had my male kitten desexed, it's like a 5 minute procedure as he had 2 normal testicles and I've seen pigs undergo the procedure with any anesthetic and recover immediately. I don't desex my dogs, but if I decided to have a female animal done, I would probably opt for extras there just because it's a much more serious procedure.

lol we do this too and the exact same. If it's too far away I ignore it and then he brings it closer.

I have a laptop so I'm often on the couch, and when Sammy feels it's time for me to pay attention to him, he comes and rests his head on one of my arms, making it almost impossible to type or use the mouse/touch pad (his head is amazingly heavy). He doesn't whine, but he looks up at me with his big beautiful eyes and it's only ever a matter of time. He has me well trained. The cat just bites me if I'm not patting him enough...

Oh and it's cheap, definitely getting some of those My lot also love Cuz toys and they last for years and year and years. We recently got the Hol-ee Cuz and the LOVE it even more than the original Cuz!!! I buy the large and medium, however for some reason we loose all our mediums in the yard. We have lost 2 medium in the last few month. Buggered if I know where they go?!?! However we do not seem to loose the large. Oh wow hol-ee cuz is awesome, I wish I'd seen that before I played my order... You know how sometimes you see a toy and you just know your dog would love it? Might have to make a 2nd order Maybe call them to add to your order so you don't have to pay postage again? I have done this before. The great thing about the Hol-ee Cuz is my dogs that love balls love it and because of the soft toy inside my dogs who love stuffed toys also love it! Everyone is happy :D I just thought of that but wagsalot don't have the Hol-ee Cuz Yeah it tooks like the toy of my dog's dreams... Just found it on another site, but shipping is like $8 and I paid $10 for the shipping of 3 items I wonder if any of the shops around me might stock it.

Oh and it's cheap, definitely getting some of those My lot also love Cuz toys and they last for years and year and years. We recently got the Hol-ee Cuz and the LOVE it even more than the original Cuz!!! I buy the large and medium, however for some reason we loose all our mediums in the yard. We have lost 2 medium in the last few month. Buggered if I know where they go?!?! However we do not seem to loose the large. Oh wow hol-ee cuz is awesome, I wish I'd seen that before I played my order... You know how sometimes you see a toy and you just know your dog would love it? Might have to make a 2nd order

Sammy loves empty bottles. He is a strange dog though in that he absolutely hates confined spaces. We can get him into crates but he just hates it, and won't really relax until he's out (for example we can fly him in a crate and he doesn't make a fuss or anything, he just looks a bit edgy the whole time - it's like a bath, once he's out he's overjoyed). It's only recently that he has even decided to use his Hound House and certainly won't put his head into any boxes :s I might get one of those for the cat though - he has the opposite attitude and no matter the size of the box, he will happily plunge in head first. I've been of a shopping spree on wagsalot lol - got the bad cuz (I think Sammy will like the feeling of the little horns over the good guy), this grass ball thing because again it looked like it was durable and had nice textures and then a 'hard-boiled' bee. Going to have a look at deer antlers... We have separate toys for training - mainly french linen tugs that he doesn't have access to, but these are just to help keep him occupied whilst I'm at work - and I always feel a bit guilty after holidays. As soon as I put on a suit, he just knows and becomes a bit dispondent.

Oh and it's cheap, definitely getting some of those

Oh dear lol well fortunately he doesn't eat power cords but he does decimate most of his toys given the chance so things from op shops wouldn't last more than 30 seconds in our house. He loves his kongs and orbee tuff balls but I feel bad making him chew the same 2 toys all day every day...

So I have NO money left over from Christmas, but poochy is particularly low on toys. So rather than go trial and error buying him new cool looking toys off the internet, I was hoping that some people here might have had good experiences with particular toys (and online shops). And I can't be the only one always on the look out for new dog toys ;) I would love to know what your dog's favourite toys are and why, and perhaps if people mention their dog's breed and how long the toy lasts etc that would be very helpful.

True. More crosses than actual SBT's Sometimes it's hard to tell. The BYB ones can be pure, but pred from poor quality animals that don't at all conform to the breed standard. But yeah no doubt heaps of crosses as well, though of course a lot of the dogs labeled staffy crosses very possibly don't have staffy in them anyway.

1. Dobermans 2. GSD's 3. Siberian Huskies 4. Rhodesian Ridgebacks 5. Pharaoh Hound

, What defines 'pet quality'? My familie's mutt has achieved highly in both obedience and agility (she only just retired this year age 13). I know of many others who fit her mold. Yes she won't win a show (she can't enter) but is that the only condition? My sister and I have both chosen purebreds (from breeders we know and respect and in Qld i don't think you can run more than one cross in dog sports) but I would take a mutt in a second. Heck some mutt breeders have better ethics than some purebred breeders I know. There will be "good" and "bad" breeders of any type of dog - pure or mutt - that is a given... If you are wanting a specific type of dog with predictable guarantees of how it will develop, looks, size, health status, etc... then you are more likely to get those things with a purebred and pedigreed dog. Then again, the selection of a family pet should never be a spur of the moment thing either - one should do a little bit of research into what you want from that dog, then make an informed "purchase" based on the criteria that matter to you most. If you get a bad vibe from the breeder (ANY breeder, pure or mutt), or their dogs, then don't buy a dog from them - it's pretty simple really. Personally, I don't think that breeding of pets for the general populace should be restricted to only purebred/pedigreed animals - but I do believe that breeding healthy and temperamentally sound animals should be paramount for any breeder of any type of dog. T. Wish there was a like button for posts...

I agree with this. Luckily our breed has no colour/marking disqualifications. SOundeness of body and mind is of the utmost importance Yes and whippets are in a great state compared to a lot of other breeds.

When people ask me to use my dog (who isn't even pure), I just tell them he's only the wonderful dog he is because of the time I've put into him, and I'm too worried about finding responsible owners for the puppies. If they don't get enough time and training, they can quickly be a handful and end up in shelters/pounds etc, and yet being the sort of dogs they are they don't deal well with being re-homed. I also tell them that I know there are too many dogs dying in the pounds right now and so I couldn't justify bringing in new dogs unless they are improving dogs on the whole. They rarely attack this point, they just focus on all the 'great' homes they have lined up, who are supposedly in the market for doberman cross everything from GSD to husky :s

Well I certainly haven't given up. I am meeting up with someone who breeds pure dobes these holidays and who seems to share my values and I am so excited

I'm interested in this statement as an intellectual argument. What about it is unethical? My background is in ecology and evolution and I have a hard time getting my head around domestic dogs - breeds within a subspecies within the species of 'wolf'. Any other animal on earth and we wouldn't bat an eyelid at interbreeding at this level (in fact we'd probably try to facilitate it to maintain genetic diversity). But OTOH, dogs are something that we made, and we need to take responsibility for, so can't really be compared to any other animal in the extent of artificial selection we have performed on them... Conversely, what is the benefit of throwing a rotty into a dobe lineage? What about dobes were they trying to change? I don't know anything about Jacqui's breeder so I can't comment on that. I am also curious as to what greytmate is implying? Do they know what the breeder was trying to achieve and how they went about it? I'm not really sure if they're saying ALL cross bred dog breeders are irresponsible or just some? Working dog breeders often use crosses to achieve a better working dog. Eg. Many guide/assistance dog orgs breed Labrador/GR crosses, many of which go on to become successful working dogs. Farm dogs might be crossed to a different breed a few generations back. While there are many poorly bred pigging/hunting dogs, there are also some very successful ones that are also cross breeds. In terms of working dogs- wouldn't it make sense to breed your two best workers regardless of breed, rather than breed a fantastic dog with a mediocre dog of the same breed? I don't know what the benefit of a rotty/dobe would be, however Jacqui did say that the rotty was only a distant relative. Perhaps the breeder breeds working/competition dogs and the Rotty was a particularly outstanding working/competition dog which is why they wanted to use it? This. There are more Rottweilers than dobermans in Australia, and many more used to work. Dobermans are today considered by many in the working dog world to not be a working breed. That's all.

I'm interested in this statement as an intellectual argument. What about it is unethical? My background is in ecology and evolution and I have a hard time getting my head around domestic dogs - breeds within a subspecies within the species of 'wolf'. Any other animal on earth and we wouldn't bat an eyelid at interbreeding at this level (in fact we'd probably try to facilitate it to maintain genetic diversity). But OTOH, dogs are something that we made, and we need to take responsibility for, so can't really be compared to any other animal in the extent of artificial selection we have performed on them... Conversely, what is the benefit of throwing a rotty into a dobe lineage? What about dobes were they trying to change? I am scared to comment so I will say only that the breeder of my dogs never wanted to change anything about dobermans, she merely wanted to find a Doberman like the ones she'd had 20-30 years ago and sadly the closest thing she found was a dog that was half Rottweiler. I am not advocating cross-breeding, but I have a lot of respect for the breeder of my dog.