raineth

yeah I probably wouldn't go another dose of advocate because it does heartworm, intestinal worm etc. I would try a treatment that just does fleas. are you sure it is fleas by the way? If you have been giving him advocate regularly for the last few months then I would definitely be looking into whether he has allergies or something else that makes him itchy. :)

I am so sorry for the loss of your little puppy poor little pup that is so sad. You are already learning some of the really obvious signs that a breeder is not so good If they are not interested in critiquing you as a potential owner that is a red flag. One of the best things about buying from a registered breeder is that you can get support for the entire life of your dog. The breeder should be an excellent source of information for you, and be willing and interested in sharing that information with you :) If they have large differences in prices for colour that is a red flag. Have you seen the stafford thread in dog breeds 101? It is rather extensive but an absolutely excellent place for you to start it has great information about 'red flags' and what to look for in a breeder etc here is the link: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/170006-staffordshire-bull-terrier/

Yeah I will just also state that not all registered breeders are equal. Sadly some of them are very unethical Therefore do as much research as you can into finding a good breeder :) ask questions about the health of their dogs, and the health tests the breeder does. Ask about the life-spans they are getting. Then you need to observe their dogs in terms of whether you find their behaviour desirable. Are they friendly, are they too friendly? Are they nervous, are they aloof? Are they relaxed and chilled out or do they have a bit of spark? Are they ignoring other dogs or being reactive? Some lines have different temperament traits. There is potentially no use going to the breeder whose dogs are very relaxed if you want something a bit bouncy for example :) good luck in your research and finding a puppy :)

oh yes we get exactly the same thing with a Dane. The same old comments over and over again and people rolling around with laughter at what they believe to be their amazing sense of humour. I find it very hard to be gracious at times.

yes definitely! Although only for when they are being good, we use it as part of the reinforcement. They love it soo much :D

hahah I so wish I could see those photos she sounds so adorable <3 it's a fair bit of work isn't it, but it will all pay off in the end :)

that's true in my experience too. People are very disatisfied when there is no breed attached to a dog! I'm always amazed when people ask me what Digby is (I always say a 'dog'). Then they say what sort of a dog and i say "a good dog". Then they but what breed? and I say no, no breed, he's a mutt. And they start squirming, and repeat, but what breed, what breed? It's so strange. I can't seem to convey that he doesn't belong to a breed.

that's a good resolution :)

I was walking my very large Digby dog past some kids the other day and they were admiring him, saying what a biiiig dog he was. And then one of them said authoritively to the other "Do you know what breed he is Ben? No? he is a Horse Dog" :laugh:

the most I've ever one is say "it reminds me of a *insert breed name* do you see that? But mostly I just say "oh o.k." Or with the following dog I said "oh wow what a lovely curly-coat retriever!" and they said no he is a Labrador. They got him from the vet were his previous owners had dumped him and his littermates. They thought he was a Labrador. He's a lovely dog, and so they decided about a year ago to go to a breeder and get 'another' Labrador. Now I have to wonder if they really still think their curly coat is a labrador because it is so obviously very different in size, coat and head to their true labrador- surely they must wonder a little bit? :laugh:

we're the one's who want to have a dog. It is a privelege that comes with responsibility. This is the real world we are living in - in the real world people can be noisy, they can stare, they can rush. We need to adapt our dogs to living in the real world by preparing them as best we can for thingsw such as this. For some dogs that may mean a great deal of vigilance and the use of a muzzle. we are never going to make the general public change for our dogs, we're the ones who need to adapt. And it's absolutely do-able.

I see that remark as being rude & insensitive & quite stupid under the circumstances. Even if the child was a silly little brat that ran up to the dog, which he obviously is not, no mother with a child that is badly injured & traumatised needs to be told this or be told how to feel about the dog at this moment. Hopefully the child will come out of this ok mentally & physically & kind words to this effect is all she needs right now. The rest can be sorted later, including the fate of the dog. Agree. It is totally the dog owners responsibility. An even tempered dog doesn't just snap. If I take my dog to someone's house or stall in this case, how my dog behaves would be totally my responsibility. If there are kids around, it would be my responsibility to ensure that my dogs don't harm them. completely agree with you Odin-Genie.

what a nightmare I wish him a very speedy recovery and hope that his injuries heal well. I hope you are doing o.k., as the mother it must have been absolutely awful for you.

Hey Emily :) Does she have a crate? The reason she is soiling in the laundry us because she can't hold that long, and because the laundry is too big :) If you would get a crate and have her in the loungeroom or your bedroom (overnight) you will find it a lot easier. Most puppies at that age can't hold on all night. So you do probably need to have scheduled time at night to get her up and take her out. Sometimes what can happen when they feel the cold is that they bunch up all their muscles and they can't go. So if it's really cold at night the best idea is to get her a coat (yes sadly she will grow out of them very quickly, but she should be able to hold on over night very soon, and then you can maybe sell hem to someone with a small dog to regain some of your costs). So I suggestt hat when she's inside you have her either tethered to you, or in her crate. By tethering her to you you can keep a close eye on her and quickly get her out if you think she needs to go. Take her out regularly (after she's eaten, after she's napped, after she's played). Take her out on lead to where you want her to toilet. Stand still and be entirely boring, don't look at her or interact with her. Wait... If its been ten minutes and she hasn't done anything then you can take her back inside. the moment she starts to do something then you use your toilet command and throw a party, be very excited and play a game with her :D make sure she knows just how happy you are with her. Don't stress too much, there likely will be accidents :) ETA: the crate is good for when its too inconvenient to have her tetherd to you, you make it a place where she feels safe and you can feed her in there, and she won't want to soil in it because its too close to where she skeeps and eats :)

One that keeps others safe from their dog. One that provides for the physical, social, intellectual, and exercise requirements of their dog.

No I dont think it's o.k to feed another's dog. But I think that the lady was probably just being kind, just a bit uneducated. Probably just needs explaining to her why it's not a good idea without asking first. Although if I'm out and there is a dog loose thats harassing us I will use treats to distract it away from us, if necessary.

there are lots of wonderful things about having two dogs :) especially to do with them playing and having each other's company when you're out. We love watching them interact; and I have l;earnt so much from watching them together. Having two dogs is quite a different dynamic from having one dog. One of the downsides is that it's harder to take them both with you to places. Whether that be on an outing, or a few days at a freind's. While a lot of people might not mind having you come and stay and bring one dog, it does seem to be a lot more of an ask to stay with both. Maybe it doesn't matter if your dogs are little dogs, but I have found it does matter when both your dogs are the size of adult humans. Other than that they are very able at working each other up. So say when it's time for a walk, and we would grab the leads they would work each other up into a frenzy! (we have since worked this out). But that's just an example. If its something they both a get a bit excited about, then together they will get alot more excited about it :laugh:

yeah i think you've been lucky because every other price I've seen has been around the $700/$800 mark :) Is there any difference between the colours (other than the colour ofcourse!)?

oh farewell little (not so little!) pup! It has been so lovely looking at all these photos of you :) Kja, I am so disapointed with the way you have been treated by the vet's

Hopefully there's nothing sinister going on there. Sounds like the parents are responsible at least. I would be curious to know why he did it too. When I read it, it made me wonder if he was trying to hide from someone (like a bully for example)?

It's likevwhat they say for fashion isnt it? Blue is the new black. Kids are so yesterday, it's all about the dogs now ;)

I have two kids and two dogs - I most definitely don't have four kids! I like the doggy-ness of dogs and the kiddy-ness of kids, and I would not encourage either to be like the other.

I loved that!

saying a dpg is a child is in my opinion de-valuing. Why does a dog have to be a child to be valued? A dog is of great value as a dog. It is wonderful the way it is.

You sound like you're suffering a great deal, and I think this is making it hard for you to view the situation more rationally. I'd just like to encourage you to focus on Percy's life; all the things you did together, the things you loved about him, all the funny things he did. These things are so much more important, and amount to so much more than his passing.