aussielover

Tapua- my black girl is also very protective of the house. I was also told that labs love everyone but mine certainly does not love everyone.

Small brag for Mindy today - she came third in our club course day and first in her height group (500). It was raining and really muddy which I think put a lot of dogs off (but not my water baby lol). She was great today, I am getting excited because I think we are getting close to trialling level OT but she is also coming along really well in obedience as well, it is a good feeling when things start coming togther

Sorry to go OT but I am another who also thinks EM is absolutely gorgeous!!! Great looks and great attitude

Mindy is a bit like this, she also has sensitive skin because of her allergies Although she likes being brushed with her shedding rake. Luckily labs don't really need and "brushing" as such. James might prefer a grooming mit as it is more like storking the dog than actual brushing.

There are some gorgeous koolie (cross?) puppies that a DOLer is fostering in the rescue section. They are adorable and koolies make wonderful agility dogs. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/225102-speckled-bugs-too-cute-for-words/

Dangerous "breed" of owner imo

You're right! They'll be looking for an older puppy or young adult. Although I think they'll be more relaxed in the countryside with a larger yard and floorboard/tiles throughout the house (which they will have done before they get a dog). We had carpet unfortunately. Also they'll be retired so have more time to devote to the dog. Mindy's still doing desensitization injections. She's not on any systemic immunosuppressants at the moment which I am happy with. Thanks to everyone who has replied, it has definitely given my mum some interesting suggestions. We got out the Dog Books this morning and had a look at the of the breeds suggested. She liked: Brittany Smooth Collie Pointer (although she thinks they'll be too big) Small Labrador

I think he'll be fine. Mindy has eaten a whole block before and been fine. Here is a table if you know in grams how muc he ate http://www.vspn.org/library/misc/vspn_m01325.htm And I saw someone posted the calculator But if you are concerned call your vet- better safe than sorry

The response to the issue of large dogs and aggression has been dealt with in some places by banning all dogs over 30kg. Same principle..big dogs kill the most so lets ban all big dogs. How do folk feel about that one? Well there goes my beloved dog . She weighs over 30 kilos Yes! Mines under :rolleyes: As if my 25kg dog couldn't inflict as much damage as your 30kg dog. You would more likely have to ban all dogs over 5kg.

Thanks I have done that, tho took me a while to figure out how to change the topic name Also added in others suggestions

Perhaps its the people that choose to own them??? If you want a vicious dog looking dog that attacks people or a "guard dog" or a "pigging dog" you're not exactly going to get a SWF or even a beagle or golden retriever are you? ETA= absolutely no offence meant to responsible people who love pitties, and I know there are many out there. Unfortunately the "look" of the dog also seems to draw some undesirable owner is what I was trying to say No offence taken, I am curious as to how you differentiate a staffy/lab mix from a "pit bull mix"? does it have a red nose lol. Why do you need to differentiate a lab/staff from a pitbull? If its attacked someone does it really matter- the environment it was raised in and the circumstances leading to the attack is more importnant imo

There seem to be a few threads lately about what breeds are best suited for agility so I thought I'd start a thread that people can maybe refer to in the future. Also if you could add in what breed you currently do agility with and some short info about advantages and disadvantages if any and what experience you have in agility. I currently train a one year old lab. She is good for a beginner like myself because she's eager to please, would throw herself under a train for food, fairly obedient and fairly quick to learn and forgiving if you make mistakes. My opinions are based on dogs I've seen in training and at trials but I'm in no way an expert or anything :p (these are not in order): Small dogs - Papillion - Poodle (toy or mini) - JRT - Sheltie - Cav Medium dogs - Border Collie - Kelpie - Koolie - Aussie Sheps - Tollers - whippet Large Dogs - GSP - Viszla - Weim - Standard Poodle - Belgian Malinois - Retrievers- Lab, GR, Flattie ( provided they are kept in lean body condition )

No, I'm not. Dogs bred for certain functions, bought for certain functions and possessing certain behaviours DO feature more prominently in serious dog attacks. But you can't generalise that out to individual dogs. I don't think I said that

All large dogs can do te same amount of damage if they choose to attack.... It has now come to light that the dog that killed the little girl (RIP), was not a pitbull, but a mastiff cross. Should we ban all large breed dogs then? Including our vaulable service breeds: Labs, Goldies,GSDS, Belgian Sheps the list goes on....

Perhaps its the people that choose to own them??? If you want a vicious dog looking dog that attacks people or a "guard dog" or a "pigging dog" you're not exactly going to get a SWF or even a beagle or golden retriever are you? ETA= absolutely no offence meant to responsible people who love pitties, and I know there are many out there. Unfortunately the "look" of the dog also seems to draw some undesirable owner is what I was trying to say

Agree, I also want to know why the dog did it. It seems unusual for a dog to chase down a woman and barge into her house and then maul everyone in sight.

Me too, especially when even "animal experts" such as vets and council rangers generally ave very little idea about dog breeds. My LABRADOR, you'd think one of the most obvious breeds to be able to identify, has been mistaken for a Kelpie by a council ranger and a labradoodle by a vet :eek: It is scary how many rangers call any bull breed dog "pitbulls" when they are obviously Satffords, Bull terriers etc

K9Pro: WEBSITE

I also think addressing WHY these fatal atttacks occur is the key to preventing these kind of tragedies. Frankly, I am surprised and disapppointed that Steve Austin would support banning the breed. Unfortunately most members of the general public seem to also support banning breeds rather than addressing why attacks occur. SMH poll It does seem that pitbull type dogs are more frequently involved in fatal attacks and severe maulings so who can blame them? I don't know if its because pitbull attacks are reported more frequently or because of the circumstances the dogs are raised in, or even that the temperament of these dogs is inherently poor due to poor breeding practices. I think these issues need to be investigated more fully and I really doubt banning the breed is a solution. As has been said prevoiusly, most seroius dog attacks occur in low socioeconomic area, where the owners have little understanding of dog behaviour and needs and the animals are poorly bred (usually crossbred).

A Britt should be quite a light agile dog, definitely not heavy boned, that's a breed fault. Have a look at a Brittany puppy v a Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy, Brittany's are definitely lighter on bone (on average). aussielover Large Munsterlanders are LARGE lol... they would rarely be under 25kgs fully grown! They are GSP sized ;) If I read correctly and it's for your parents who live in the UK I would recommend a Kooikerhondje or Small Munsterlander. There is a well known UK breeder Tournesol Brittany's (Thier site here) and they describe a breed that is a bit different to the US Brittany type we mostly have in Australia. Do you think Brittany's would be a bit full on then? My parents are looking for a companion only, they have no interest in dog sports or field trials etc. The dog would be guaranteed to get plenty of exercise though! How do english and american brittanys differ?

Never heard of an English Shepherd. Are they actually a breed? Anyway they're too hairy :p Nice looking though! I think if they were gonna go for a hairy dog, they would get another aussie.

Hi Roo, I have trained them to give me beef thigh bones- you know the ones that look like dinosaur bones? They are cut right down the middle so I can spend ages licking out the marrow. Its fattening but its not like i;m watching my weight :p I also get kangaroo tails which are very tasty (gross to look at though) and last me quite a while. I also get whole rabbit carcasses but admittedly they don't last as long. Woof, Mindy

Some interesting suggestions. The dog is for my parents who are moving to live in the english countryside and are keen walkers. Labs are still on the list, but would have to be a small adult. Viszlas also seem suitable although the ones I've seen are on the larger side. They don't like the look of short bodies dogs so bassets and corgis are out. I think a Large Munsterlander could also suit. Showline springers, lappies and shelties are too hairy, they are not willing to do anything but the most basic grooming. Herding breeds like Kelpies and Collies could be ok, but the I don't know if the herding instinct would suit? They want to have pet sheep and chooks etc. Obviously they would leash the dog around other peoples stock but the concern would be the dog runniing off to look for stock whilst on a walk and hassling their own animals at home. They did say they were willing to get help from a trainer in regards to this though (stock-proofing dogs). I think Brittanys fit the criteria best so far though...

a GOOD pet insurance plan is worth it!!! Get it while you can- ie before any problems crop up. I don't have it and I have to pay up $50 a week for special cream for my allergy dog, plus regular specialist visits, antibiotics, antihistamines, desensitization injections and we may have to start on expensive immunosupressive therapy later on. I am lucky to get a discount on these things but it still adds up and I wish I had gotten pet insurance. Many emergency vets charge upward of $200 just to walk in the door, so pet insurance is something I would definitely recommend. As far as i know, vets don't get a kickback or anything. I know we recommend several different types of pet insurance where I work.

The criteria is: - a medium size dog: maximum size would be Mindy size (25kg lab) but preferably in the 15-20 kg range - a wash and wear, short coat, no longer than the length of a lab (obviously shedding is not an issue lol). - easy to train and eager to please - friendly disposition, would prefer a more velcro type dog rather than an independent dog. - energetic enough to do long all-day walks (up to 20 miles a day) at least several times a week but also willing to chill out at home when not walking, so not hyper all of the time. - A strong herding instinct or high prey drive would also not be suitable. I can only think of a Brittany at this stage- I dont really know much about them and their coat seems to be variable with some dogs having fairly short "thin" coats and some having thicker coats wit more feathering. The temperament and energy levels and size seem about right though.