aussielover

pretty much any of the retriever group would be suitable - lab, GR, Flat coat. Labs are easier in terms of grooming. Labs and GRs have their fair share of potential health issues, I can't comment on flatcoats though. I like Welsh Springer Spaniels but haven't actually met any. They sound like great dogs though (from books) . I also thought a Brittany, or stafford might be suitable. If you're willing to put in the effort with training and exercise, I don't really think you can go past a labrador or golden retriever for a great all round family pet (and you don't care about shedding!).

Just saw a new low for DDs at the park Japoodle. jap spitz x poodle

Charlie sound slike he'd make a lovely therapy dog. They are always looking smaller lap type dogs

Poodlefan: Labs are said to mature at around.... 7years or so But yes, they are much "easier" to train and do love working.

depends on what type of service dog you're talking about. Almost any breed or crossbreed can be trained to be an assistance dog. I believe you can even have your pet dog trained, should you suddenly require an assistance dog. For guide dogs, the requirements are a bit tougher but currently they are using labradors, golden retrievers, poodles, GSDs, border collies, australian shepherds, probably many other breeds (worldwide, particularly america though). Even guide dog orgs with their own breeding programs have failure rates of up to 40-50%. A lot of time and money is spent on these programs, so I really doubt that a bunch of random labradoodle breeders could better this. If hypoallergeninc/ low shedding dogs were SO important, surely guide dog orgs would have switched their focus to breeding poodles or perservered with the labradoodle program. any breed can be used as a sniffer dog, but customs choose to use beagles primarly for their size, they also use labs as they are well accepted as working/service dogs by the public. So really, i don't see the need for another type/breed of "service dog" to be developed.

Could she have a uti? They do urinate a lot if they have one. When my puppy started urinating frequently, it was due to a uti. Otherwise, it kinda sounds pretty normal to me, i mean, you've only had her for a few days. We were told at puppy school, a few accidents a day is normal for the first 2 weeks. obviously it is not desirable, but you're bound to have a few accidents in the first week or so unless you literally watch pup 24/7 She may think that wee wees= reward and not yet put together that only wees OUTSIDE gets the reward. So maybe in a way she is trying to please you? If she doesn't go in the crate, maybe pop her into the crate for a bit after coming back inside.

Who buys a dog based on looks alone? what responsible people, i mean? I know looks do play a part of the decision but there are so many other factors that should also be considered. And there are soooo many other purebreds where you can be sure of temperament, health testing, energy levels etc that look EXACTLY like oodles. I have embarrasingly mistaken the following breeds for oodles (because oodles ar esooo popular in my area, its just assumed that any curly/fluffy dog is the latest oodle) poodles ( mini and standard) Soft coated wheatens Portugese Water dogs lagottos irish water spaniel Not to mention the numerous other breeds that share a low sheddin/ low allergy coat that may be suitable.

Koolies are primarily bred for a working purpose (apart from companion), so are not a DD You also can't cross say a BC and a kelpie and call it a Koolie, so you don't get BYBers and puuppy farmers cashing in F1 crosses

No I won't get over it and yes it is insensitive and I will throw as many tanties as I want to!!! Hmmm, fair enough. Are there any other poodle or lab owners out there who think what I said was terribly insensitive, and that I should never admit to not liking the way any breed looks? Whilst I don't agree with you (i think labs are the bees knees lol) , i don't think the fact that they don't aesthetically appeal to you offensive I mean, you can't help being devoid of taste :rofl: (joke) I don't find satffords particulary appealing so you probably think i have no sense of taste :D BTW i am not polite to people (behind their back anyway) who want to breed their DDs or BYBers, in fact i do everything in my power to discourage them, whilst *attempting* to remain professional and polite

Have you been ignoring him when he chases you to try to bite? My lab was terrible and would latch on to pants when she was 8 weeks old. Although it was really hard, I just stood still and eventually she got sick of it and would give up. She sort of grew out of this behaviour by 10 weeks though, and shows no inclination at all anymore. If she started mouthing my hands or other body parts, I would just get up and walk away. Not sure this works for all dogs though. I was asking for a sit or drop intially, but she leanred to "chain" this behaviour- meaning she started to realise that biting= being asked to sit (interaction, which is rewarding in itself)) = food (reward). Asking for another command imo, is good for prevention, but once they start engaging in the undesirable behaviour, I find ignoring works best.

Does she have any other signs of discomfort eg. trouble getting up, reluctant to go up and down stairs, limping, doens't like being touched in the hip/back end area? A friend also got a puppy from the RSCPA who was diagnosed with HD about 6 months later, she can't tolerate anyone manipulating the hindlimb area and will become aggressive if any tries to do so. But is not aggressive otherwise.

You can't only feed raw meat, i am sure you are probably aware of this. A "raw" diet also includes vegetables and most importantly, whole bones. Otherwise the pup/dog will not get enough calcium and you will have numerous problems. Cut back to feeding 3 times a day (at most) Your pup is clearly getting enough food, as he is not eating some of the meals. You should be glad he has at least some sense of when to stop. Mine would eat until her stomach ruptured i think. Only leave the food down for 10 minutes, if he doesn't eat, he doesn't get that meal. He will soon learn. It sounds tough, but you don't want to end up with a fussy dog. Also, going without food for a day is not harmful, even for a puppy, as long as there is access to water.

I clipped my aussies coat in summer. We live in a very bad tick area, so it was not worth the risk. She looked funny, but much easier to find ticks on her. Her coat grew back and didn't loom overly different to me, maybe a little thicker. I wouldn't clip them unless I had to though.

Hehehe here the dog looks like a baby alpaca imo Are poodles and PWDs coats easier or about the same to maintain as poodle crosses? We had a poodle/bichon cross (just a guess, he was sold to us as a pure bichon, but had long legs and was much bigger and slimmer than a bichon) when i was very young and his coat was an absolute nightmare- white, curly, impossible to brush knots out if they were there and it only took about a day without grooming for him to get matted.

It doesn't bother her much, it is more worrying for me! Hopefully it is not a food intolerance or allergy as this could exclude her from becoming a guide dog. I am hoping it will settle down as she gets older.

Do you think dogs can tell when someone either hates them (but doesn't actually physically or verbally abuse them, more resents them, or doesn't enjoy being with them) or is indifferent to them?

Do you clicker train? or at least use a marker word? Show him the treat and move it to the side, click or mark and reward just for the head movement only to begin with (if he is reluctant to move the whole body). You can literally increase the distance he follows the food by millimeters untill he moves his paw or gets up etc. Then reward for that behaviour only, and so on, until he is turning fully.

Sadly, I think even an adult dog would have had trouble staying afloat in that water, let alone 4-6 week old puppies. RIP baby puppies

Hmm, Mindy did some bottom scooting, I thought it was just because she had diarrhoea today. She also has a bit of dandruff and is somewhat itchy, not excessively, but maybe more than normal? I find it hard to judge because she is always rolling in crap and grass and running through bushes and the like. There is no rash- does Mason get a rash or just really itchy?

They haven't taught us that yet in uni I look forward to it ETA: I think the Portugese Water Dog has a similar, fun-loving temperament to the lab and with a basic clip, they look very similar to some labradoodles. I only know 2 of course, but they are both great dogs, very friendly and happy like the lab and are great family pets. They are also guaranteed low-shedders.

Yay beautiful Honey Happy to hear she is doing well now. It would be hard not to spoil her I reckon!

I'd rather use a check chain or pinch collar than a halter. But back on topic, when used by a professional or under guidance of a professional, they can be very useful. However, when used incorrectly they can trigger aggressive responses or other undesirable responses.

When he has his paw up in the air, move the treat/lure up above his nose, he should briefly lift the other paw off the ground in an effort to get to the treat. You can then clicker train for higher lifts of the second leg. My puppy offered this behaviour to me quite naturally, but some dogs feel uncomfortable in this position (due to balance etc) and I wouldn't be pushing them to do it.

Agree, but don't see how adding poodle to the lab will resolve any of those issues, as poodles are also a gundog originally? I don't find "labradoodles" to be calmer than labs, imo, they are often more silly than labs. In fact, i have a lot of peopple tell me "we got a labradoodle because we didn't want a dog as boisterous as a lab, and the poodle makes them much calmer and more sensible". This is while thier dog is bouncing all over the place, on top of people, other dogs etc, while my labrador puppy is sitting calmly by my feet LOL. I usually just smile and nod and let them delude themselves Sadly, I see many dogs that are under-stimulated and bored and labs, like any dog, will become unruly and out of control if not given appropriate work, exercise and discipline.