raineth

Sorry to hear about your dog Must have been a terribly shock to lose him that way Give her some time to adapt. You have both just gone through a big change in your life which might take a little while to come to terms with. There is no need to talk of rehoming just yet. Plenty of dogs live happy lives even though they are alone while their owner is at work. I would leave her inside if possible and give her her breakfast as you go out the door. Leave some other interactive toys behind. This way she should come to see that you leaving the house becomes a predictor for her getting something yummy. On another note, I am a big advocate for dogs to regularly spend some time alone. This does take extra work and organisation on your part, but really does help the dogs cope when they really do need to be alone (like when one dog has to spend the day at the vet). You can do this by taking them out separately for a walk, or just allowing one dog to be inside for a couple of hours, and the other dog outside, and then swap them over. As I said, it is extra work, but it certainly helps them to cope enormously with being alone.

That's an American Cocker. Yeah, I can see what you mean about the GSP looking a little tubby. But it's hard to tell from those photos, and the coat pattern might also make it hard to tell. ETA: he looks pretty good in the video

Oh wow! It's all happening now!

Have a read up on how to toilet train a puppy. You don't need to yell at them to toilet train them, you can do it all in a positive way. The key is to take her outside very regularly. Take her out on lead and stand in the one place and be very boring. To be boring you need to not give her eye contact, not talk to her or pat her. Just wait for her to squat. When she squats say a cue, I use 'get busy'. Then you can praise her and give her a treat and have a game. If you are waiting and it's been ten minutes and she hasn't gone you can go back inside. You need to do this after she eats, after she drinks, after she plays and after she wakes, and just generally at least every hour. Probably less for a tiny little dog. Also watch for her sniffing or circling inside, when that happens it's a sign of an imminent wee. You need to continue this until there's not been an accident in the house for 4 weeks. Toilet training a puppy is more about you than the puppy. If a puppy has an accident it's because the human has made a mistake :)

I suppose you could test to see if you could find it do-able to add a dog to your current lifestyle by adding an hour's walk in the morning before you go to work and by setting aside an hour again in the evening. Maybe you could spend the hour in the evening researching dog training and breeds so that you have good background knowledge for when the dog arrives. Also be aware of what it might be like doing this in the middle of winter when it's dark, or when its raining... that sort of thing. If you find it really exhausting or tedious you'll know that adding a dog to your life probably isn't the best idea. Yep, this is what I was thinking too.

My dog absolutely loves stealing things. Well less so now that she is senior, but when she was younger it was one of her favourite things to do. Obviously management is your first line of defence (closed doors, baby gates etc). However you can also swap what she steals for a treat. After a while of doing this she will bring you what she has stolen. You would not believe some of the things my dog has chosen to bring me rather than take for herself after a long time of using this method! Also have you taught her a reliable 'Leave it' command? That comes in handy when you can see she is interested in stealing something. Honestly, with young kids around it will be easier to train the dog than the kids not to leave their stuff around as they are playing.

Very long days, but only three days a week. The other four days someone is at home most of the time. I don't think it necessarily rules dog-ownership out because if they are committed the dog will still be exercised on those days and provided with stimulation and companionship when they are home. Some dogs would be just fine in this situation. That's a pretty big "if". The premise was that their home would be unsuitable because they work long days. So my point was that 3 long days per week doesn't automatically mean that they couldn't make it work with the right dog. eta: I've had three dogs that I think would cope with such a situation just fine in middle age. And one who I think would have been fine from the time he was a puppy as he was so independent minded and lazy. But yes, it is all dependent on whether the exercise, stimulation and attention (when the owners were home) were still provided on those days.

Very long days, but only three days a week. The other four days someone is at home most of the time. I don't think it necessarily rules dog-ownership out because if they are committed the dog will still be exercised on those days and provided with stimulation and companionship when they are home. Some dogs would be just fine in this situation.

I don't think you are really going to get a breed characteristic that will fulfil this, perhaps some more suited than others yes, but not guaranteed. More of an individual trait, along with training and enough exercise/mental stimulation. I know pretty chill greyhounds that have had days they've decided to destroy something when left alone, they weren't quite house trained properly. I agree! I think a lot of the traits you want are incompatible. Short-haired dogs moult a lot. Breeds that don't moult as much require a lot of grooming. Dogs that are more independent are often less biddable and trainable. So you may need to work out what is really important to you. Similarly, a lot of the breeds that have a stronger territorial instinct are likely to be harder work than those with less of this instinct. Most dogs do have some territorial instinct and will bark when someone comes around, and really anything more than that can be really hard to manage. I know cafe owners who recently got a 1 year old dog. They walk him before they go to work and give him things to do while they're gone and they still come home to a lot of destruction every day. He is confined to their large backyard during the day. I think you might be best off looking for a mature dog. One that is middle aged or over who might be a bit more prepared to snooze the day away while you're not at home.

Awww they are really beautiful I think the name Secret is really good, and is such a nice name for an Iggy (especially under those circumstances!)

I really love this photo Persephone ???? And Indi sounds like a lovely, lovely boy ????

This is surely a joke, yes?

Oh dear that is a worry. I hope you have some answers soon

Wow, thank you all for these wonderful, detailed descriptions :) it's very fascinating to read about. Persephone your description painted really great images in my mind :) It is amazing what these dogs can do! Especially interesting about the yard dogs having a tendency to be more confident and a bit less soft and the paddock dogs maybe being a bit more independent. That is really helpful information for my friend.

Ok, thanks guys :) So one type isn't a bit more sharp than the other type? I guess that a paddock dog might have more of a tendency to want to work at a distance from the handler? I have a friend who has two farm bred Kelpies (both are very happy in the suburban environment as they are dedicated owners) and she has been looking to add a third which has started me thinking about the difference between yard and paddock dogs. Some breeders say that they expect the litter to be better at one or the other and that sort of thing :)

Poor Arkey, that break looks very bad I missed the t-shirt link too unfortunately! This might help....Greyhound, Whippet, Italian Greyhound That photo is a really good reference!

Oh he is super handsome!

I was wondering what some of the differences are between yard dogs and paddock dogs. Do they require a different work ethic or temperament? Would one most likely adjust better to a suburban, pet lifestyle? I tend to see this distinction in reference to Kelpies, but is it the same for other herding breeds such as border collies? What exactly is the difference between yard work and paddock work?

It's a pain isn't it. It's not necessarily a good idea to go all aggressive on these dogs, sometimes it is better to use a sing-song voice that can help to de-escalate the situation. I know when husband yells at the off lead dog she becomes determined to nail it... Which isn't what I want! Whereas if I use a soothing voice it helps her to remain calm. However with my old boy he was quite happy to sit back and have the humans move the dog on. It's a very individual thing. Unfortunately if the off lead dog is really determined to attack your dog there really isn't a lot you can do

So exciting!

I have heard of him before. I believe he has evaded all attempts to catch him. It sure is quite a strange story.

Such an exciting thread! Can't wait to see the puppies! psst, Neko is an Iggy (italian greyhound) :) Don't worry, I don't know if I would necessarily be able to tell the difference just from photos either :) Its very obvious when you see them in real life as Iggies are just so incredibly petite!

A bit like when GSD's became Alsations in the UK? I read on Wiki that it was 5 decades after WWI before the British kennel club changed the name back to GSD. Amazing all the history behind some breeds. Yes exactly like that I think :) Makes you realise how political everything is really!

Great Danes are not a Danish breed at all. They originated in Germany and were known as German Boarhounds because they were used to hunt boar. In Germany they are still known as the Deutsch Dogge (German mastiff). As far as I know, the name change from German Boarhound to Great Dane happened as a result of increasing tension with Germany which made people want to disassociate the breed from its German heritage.

Not a shopping trolley, but one of those trollies that you might use to shift something heavy. It sure is a strange story. Poor lady in any case.