raineth

Rosetta, this is what people are referring too :)

If the dog is strong enough it will drag the bike sideways. But having said that, once they get the idea of it they generally are fine and understand that they need to keep running beside the bike :) A mountain bike would be better than a road bike too :)

What a pretty face she has! Don't worry she will be ready for power walks and exercise before you know it :) time will fly! If you feel like showing her off, you can show her off here. But also taking her up the street and sitting at a cafe is great socialisation for her and another opportunity to show her off :) Pasterns are the bit of leg just above the paw and before that first joint. I believe when they are a bit down, the paws also have a tendency to flatten and splay rather than being nice and tight. Make sure her toe nails are nice and trim, which it looks like they are :)

I am sorry you and Your dog are going through this Have you thought about taking up sas's offer at all? Maybe that and a change of meds might bring about change?

Yes as KTB says, if it seems like there is something fishy going on, and you feel as though you're not getting straight answers then it is best to look elsewhere for a dog. You need to feel comfortable with both the organisation and the foster carer as you would with a breeder :)

Agree with Clyde, that whatever you think is a reasonable distance, is a reasonable distance. My OH drove 6 hours each way to pick up our rescue girl Delta. But at the same token I would understand why someone would think that is too far :) Maybe you could politely ask if the foster carer may be willing to meet you part way? Maybe they would be happy to do that :)

TT, I hope you are doing ok. I've been thinking of you

Personally I do expect the dog to have a relatively high threshold for an aggressive response. I want and expect to my dogs to have very good bite inhibition and raise them accordingly. My boy especially has had to have some quite painful veterinary procedures done and he has put up them and not responded aggressively. Which is good as he is 60 kgs and could easily inflict a lot of damage with a bite. I have also accidentally cut his quicks a few times and he has never reacted aggressively. I think it is important for us owners to do what we can to raise the threshold in which our dogs respond aggressively. This can be done with good bite inhibition, fixing any anxiety problems your dog may have, and by ensuring it respects you and other people. I'm certainly not saying that dogs should never be expected to bite under any circumstances, and they should put up with anything and everything, that would be ridiculous! Maybe the OP's dog is in a great deal of pain and its responses are very understandable if this is the case. However it's also possible that this behaviour is teaching him that aggression is an effective way of controlling his humans, and that is not good. Anyway, not trying to have an argument, just explaining my thoughts on the topic :)

Definitely not normal! I am really wondering if he is sore somewhere as most of those incidents you describe seem to be brought on by you handling him, or him thinking you are about to handle him. Also he is quite young to be displaying this sort of behaviour. Make sure you let the breeder know that it is happening, as well as taking him to the vet. Even if a lot of this is caused by pain, I would really recommend that you see a behaviourist. This is because you need him to tolerate, to an extent, having uncomfortable things done to him. For instance if you make a mistake when clipping his nails and cut his quick you don't want him biting you. It's lovely that you take him lots of places with you :) good luck in getting it all sorted :)

I know, I think it's one of the silliest statements I've ever read. You better get a life jacket. :laugh: It is definitely up there with the most wackiest statements! Wacky on so many levels...

Exciting! As for the things you need, don't forget nail clippers! Start socialising her to being handled, nails clipped, and being bathed early on, make these things a brief and pleasant experience for her. Also paper towel and white vinegar if you need to clean up any accidents. Apart from that a bit of a contingency plan for things like rules and how you will tackle things like chewing and nipping. Both those names are nice btw :)

heartbreaking. I do have a suggestion that may encourage her to drink though. Boil up liver in a big pot of water and once it has cooled she may be happy to drink the liver water. With my boy he gave me a look, and its meaning was unmistakable, he had had enough. You will know when the time is right

Your family believe he died because he was pedigreed? What did he die of? No they believe he had the condition because he was a pedigree dog. He died from complications following surgery to correct the condition and it would have taken his life without surgery anyway. The condition is a known health problem of the breed. If you want to know more you can PM as it is taking the thread off topic.

Yep. I also think we tend to get paranoid and behave as if anyone who isn't "with us" is a radical vegan on a mission to destroy all dog ownership. Unfortunately, while we address ourselves to the radicals (whose minds aren't going to change anyway), we waste every day opportunities to make a positive impression on those who would benefit from owning a really good dog and would be open to buying one. Edited to close a bracket I have to agree! Some of that article was verging on conspiracy theory! The best thing to be done would be to promote pedigree dogs so people understand their value, and so that people know that pedigree dogs aren't just for showing, as that is a common misconception. Other than that I think if somehow the breed clubs could do as much as possible to ensure their breeders are breeding healthy and well temperamented dogs then this would also help. When my pedigree dog died at 15 months it confirmed a lot of people's opinions, including most of my family's, that pedigree dogs are unhealthy, and I still have people ask me how on earth I could consider getting a pedigree again after what happened to him. In my opinion healthy and happy pedigree dogs will largely talk for themselves as long as people can see them and meet them. But conversely unhealthy ones will have the opposite effect. So we need to make sure that as much as possible the dogs will indeed live up to the positive things we say about them.

:cry: I am just so sorry for you and Buddy, Cazstaff. Farewell lovely boy

One of my dogs is close to 50kgs, I don't even know what size crate I would need to fit his lanky legs in, not to mention how I would transport the thing?!?! What do people with big dogs do? The vets have big enough crates; if they can fit Danes in, they can fit your big dog in too :) How would I transport something so big though? I'm getting all kinds of visuals of myself doing this and none are very pretty :laugh: Oh right, I was just talking about them staying overnight at the vets! Yeah I don't think there is a way you could take them in in a crate :laugh:

One of my dogs is close to 50kgs, I don't even know what size crate I would need to fit his lanky legs in, not to mention how I would transport the thing?!?! What do people with big dogs do? The vets have big enough crates; if they can fit Danes in, they can fit your big dog in too :)

yes either of the above options would work well :laugh: My Delta always brings me gifts (her toys) when she wants something really badly (usually its permission to lie on the bed) :) the gesture is so cute it is hard to refuse :) At first she brought me socks out of the laundy hamper but soon caught on that dirty socks earnt her no favours!

Lovely photos! thanks for sharing them :)

That is really awful! I reccommend she contact her local member about the problem if the rangers aren't taking it seriously. OP, good on you for reporting and I'm glad you got a good result

I do sometimes :) A lot depends not only on how intrerested I am in the dog but what the person is doing, how much they look like they wouldn't mind or not. Obviously I always ask as well. I am a lot more desperate if I'm on holidays away from my own dogs :D

yes I have seen some frightful things at the vet! One family came in letting their child walk the out of control GSD and it pulled the child across the floor to attack a baby boxer puppy I don't know whether the boxer puppy's owner was frozen with fear or something but she did nothing to move the puppy as the GSD was heading for it and it was only because the vet nurse managed to race from behind the counter to grab the leash of the GSD that the puppy wasn't attacked. Thanfully now though the vets have separate weighting rooms for dogs and cats which makes life for us dog and cat owners alike a lot easier!

These guys always sound interesting :) Do they have much of a guarding instinct? How are they with strangers?

Just do this Digby :D oh no! That was clearly done by a dog who knows how to solve his/her own problems!

Lowchen maybe? I don't know much about their grooming requirements though... I guess if they kept it clipped it wouldn't be too extensive. But I think they fit the other requirements :)