aussielover

Well if he is her dog, then realistically, you're probably not going to be able to do much without her co-operation, especially seeing as she doesn't really consider Rover's begging for food as a problem. I do sympathise with you about it being annoying though.

ONE MORE SLEEP!!! You must be excited!!!!

Incredible! Thanks for sharing! The dog dances better than most people! Looks very comfortable and happy up on its hindlegs. Talk about almost human. It even does the head movements when they are turning and stuff.

Yes, the head of the one I met was slightly more "setter-like", but I would say closer to a GR than a Lab. I would love to know the temperament and exercise differences of a Flat Coat too- the white fur of my Goldie shows up too much on my mostly black clothes! I believe that GRs were originally bred from FCs? But I have heard they are more boisterous than GRs. I have also heard they are more boisterous but in my experience of a whole 2 flatcoats they have been calmer than the average goldie or lab. Maybe they were just freaks of the breed though. Honey is so beautiful in both looks and personality (from what i've read). How could you even think of another breed LOL I love the "white" goldens i think they are just so pretty I wouldn't love having to clean them up after a romp ion the mud or a swim though

But he is cute! I have been the focus of his "please, please, I am starving" look and it is pretty cute. At least he is not jumping on people like some naughty black labrador puppies... Mindy is too ditzy to realise that she can get treats off other people. She will beg if she sees other dogs are begging, but I try to overcome this by calling her away with a better treat. So perhaps try to carry really really yummy treats? Does your mum actually let him receive treats off other people or just go up to them? I have had a few dogs do this to me, it is a bit sad because they spend the whole time begging, not exercising at the park!

After reading this, I'm not giving mindy any more rawhide chews or pigs ears (which she doesn't even like anyway). Thanks for the link to the website poodlefan!

Not to mention the unmanageable coats most of the oodles have! Groomers must make a lot off them!

Rude and inconsiderate, or the very reason he has people living in HIS HOUSE while he's away at all? We don't know do we. This arrangement may be by prior agreement with the OP or her OH. We also don't know that this dog is aggressive, he apparently has a reputation for 'not listening', he lay on another dog's bed in a strange place, and he is reported as having shown his teeth - which or may not have been a growl - to a stranger staring at him thorough a window in a place that is strange and maybe confusing to him. I feel a bit sorry for this poor dog, he's been demonised with very little evidence. And he is now in the charge of someone who fears he will rip her face off and thinks there are magic 'silver bullet' techniques for 'dominating' a dog. Very sad. Diva, you make a good point, but to be fair to the OP, he could well be the opposite to the above and actually be a very disobedient dominant aggressive dog who the OP has good reason to fear. It is always hard to tell over an internet forum what the REAL situation is, which is why in the case of any POSSIBLE aggression, we always recommend a professional behaviourist to assess.

I still think labs might suitable for you. If they 30 mins off leash play with another dog, they should be OK so long as you're doing LOTS of home play and training. Labs can be easily trained to give a warning bark, a big black lab barking at you is a reasonably off putting sight imo. They are reasonably independent, will only follow you from room to room if you LET THEM (which i do ) Actually, they can be quite easily trained to stay on their bed/mat etc Their coat requires no care apart from occaisonal brushing. The shedding is somewhat bad though. They don't have a high prey drive, but most have a pretty decent retrieving instinct. If you get one from guide dog or assistance dogs lines, and ask the breeder for a more laid back pup, I think it could work. There are some really high energy labs that really wouldn't be suitable for your situation, but I guess in every breed there is always individual variation between dogs. A good breeder should be able to pick a suitable pup for you. Another dog that may be suitable is a Brittany. They have a slightly longer coat but still easy to maintain. And rescue greyhounds are gorgeous dogs as well!

You must be so excited I couldn't sleep or do anything productive (apart from buy toys) about a week before i picked up Mindy.

If you can do that to a puppy, there is no reason why you couldn't do it to another human These kids need help, they have shown they are already potential murders.

You don't need to be "dominant" over the dog because when it comes down physical strength and ability to inflict damage, most dogs will easily win. You need to get the dog to respect you, this doesn't have to be done with physical force or mind games such as staring out the dog. Simple things like you being the one to feed the dog, making the dog work for attention, play, food etc, controlled leash walking, keeping a leash on the dog even in the house, can help the dog learn to rescpect you. I think you need a professional to assess the situation to be able to determine if this dog is truly being aggressive towards you.

OMG i hope he gets to you soon, Pal puppy milk alone is not enough for a puppy I would start with 1/2 dry 1/2 "wet" like cans or bones, I agree about leaving the raw for a bit till he settles in.

I would also guess you need to decide where you want to head with that business and tailor your experience to that. ie do you want to train OB- then you might want to trail first, do you want to work with dogs that have behavioural problems etc. I know that word of mouth is the biggest draw for me- its how I have ended up going to all the trainers that I have worked with, although I know most 'joe public' will probably look at the yellow pages or similar. So ultimatly your quiestions would depend alot on who you were marketing too. Thats a good point, about who I'm going to be aiming the training that. Do you think if you start with something small, like just basic OB and puppy class, that you can then expand later? Yes, the lady who runs puppy school up where i work is also a behaviourist but when she started out it was mainly doing puppy school. she built up her business from there and expanded into offering behavioural consults as well as dog walking and training & boarding. Most of her referrals come from either vets or by word of mouth.

Well I can imagine having a 13 month old berner bar\king at you would be quite intimidating! Good luck

Dog that can be around kids of any age - I totally dislike small breed, between medium size to giant size, rather small hair every where than woolly longish hair Would be kept as a pet, so desexed etc. Labrador. They are smart, they just need the right training. A bored pet lab can be a total nightmare. A number of Dolers with labs commpete very successfully in obedience. They are after all the ultimate service dog. They are guide dogs, assistance dogs, bomb detection dogs, customs dogs, therapy dogs. The only thing they don't do is some types of police dog work because they are not really aggressive or intimidating enough. You can see I am not totally biased I've actually had both an aussie and a lab and I do think they are equally intelligent. But i think labs are a bit easier to look after in terms of day to day maintenance especially with grooming and the like.

It is pretty hard to bond with a dog that lives outside by itself I read somewhere that dogs need to spend at least 5 hrs a day with human company (i think it was in puppy school notes).

aww tiny baby!!! The others make him look so small.

Your housemate left you with his dog for a month? thats a bit unfair isn't it? How does your dog get along with the other dog? If you think the dog is aggressive, you should raise your concern with your housemate with the intention of either consulting a behaviourist or housing the dog somewhere else. Yes, dogs can sense your fear and he may take advantage of this. Dogs have different personalities and they don't like or respect everyone equally.

The head of the flat coat is quite different to that of the lab and goldie (which i find very similar). They also tend to be leggier than the lab or golden. There is one that comes down to the beach where we go to and it is water obsessed! It will not leave the water the whole time and soends all of its time fishing. They don't seem as boisterous as a lab or goldie though. sorry had to add that the drool and slobbering with labs is quite bad.

I quite like a dog that will give a warning bark. Does she respond to shhhhh? Most dogs will stop and stare at you (probably trying to work out what the heck you're doing) and you can treat when they do this. Otherwise, you can just give the command shhh or quiet anytime they are NOT barking. This way takes a bit longer, because you're essentially treating them for doing nothing

Good for you guys! when we first got clover a friend was minding clover one time, and forgot to tell her son that clover was staying. He though she was a stray dog (don't know how) and kicked her out of the house. She managed to make her way up to the only park we'd ever taken her (only 6 months at the time) and was sitting by a tree that had a split trunk and some water in between the two trunks. I don't think i've ever been more relieved in my life. She managed to cross 2 major roads as well.

:laugh: :rofl:

great videoas BUT... should a 7 month old GSD being playing frisbee? I can put a treat on Mindy's nose and get her to balance it for maybe 30 secs. But she doesn't do the cool throwing it up in the air and catching it like some dogs do, she just shakes her head, bisciut falls to floor and she eats. Not very exciting at all. Anyone know how to teach them to throw it up and catch it? Also, she has a very wide muzzle so it is easy for her to keep stuff on it!

Temperament and personality wise- i would be happy with either breed- both gorgeous! But in terms of maintenance especially with the coat, the lab is easier. I've had a medium/long coated breed before and have now realised I don't have the time or the inclination to deal with the brushing and washing and drying required- particularly after a play in the mud or swim! I don't mind the shedding as i've heard both breeds are horrific shedders.