aussielover

Hehe so you've experienced the Staffy scream Some unsettled behavoiur is normal fo rthe first few days. Move the crate into your bedroom for now would be the easiest and best solution. You can very easily move them out once they are settled in. Why would you have to give her up? I wouldn't start thinking like this- its only been a few days and everything you've described sounds entirely normal

It was an accident. A nip is fine and normal for some dogs. If the dog went on to seriously attack or maul the child, it would be unacceptable imo. Glad your OH has relaxed a bit

I'm assuming you mean documented evidence, I can give 2 seperate examples where the use of a prong collar has caused the dog to react aggressively toward the handler, one an owner the other a very experienced trainer, as far as I'm concerned a highly undesirable response. Neither of these were documented. Obviously a few have tried the collar on themselves and state that they don't inflict pain, these dogs obviously thought that the tool inflicted enough of an adversive to deem a reaction like that. The dog that bit his owner had never been aggressive before and hasn't been since. I have only been to 3 seminars where they have been talked about and demoed and I have used one once so don't feel I know enough about these collars to comment on whether they should be banned or not, but to say they can't cause harm I don't believe is strictly correct. I think they key here is that ALL tools can cause harm but when used properly- does the prong have more chance of causing harm than any other tool? I think you could get the same response from using a number of other tools inappropriately/incorrectly. I've seen a dog react and bite its owner when given a correction on a flat collar.

A bit Ot sorry but Smoothiegirl- how did they differentiate atopy from skin barrier dysfunction?

Aww thats so nice to hear WHat a good boy- Goldies are adorable pups!

The whippet today was the best in the whole group. It didn't even start panting and the HR was 80 the whole time. It looked like it was going along thinking "ok, so whens the hard work gonna start?" The dobes and viszla also impressed me and also the sibe. Had a few problems today with some of the dogs temps going too high (although all dropped at a second recheck a few mins later), the sibe was well below each time which kind of surprised me!

My labrador has Atopy and Food allergy. I can tell you that atopy in particular is a particularly widespread problem in dogs and often can be hard to control/manage. Food allergy is not as common and much easy to manage. There is a breed predisposition in: - Lab & Golden retrievers -Terriers (WHWT, Scottish, Fox, Aust silky) -Min Schnauzers, Boxer, Staffordshire BT -Dalmation, Rhodesian ridgeback, Great Dane There is also a genetic predisposition so any dog with atopy should absolutely not be bred from! and should therefore be desexed. My dog is currently doing desensitization injections, but is not on any other meds.

Oh poor dog! Nasty. That's also really interesting though, as it's the first case of a serious injury caused by a head collar I've ever heard of. Did someone report it to the halter manufacturers? I hope so. Poor dog I've seen eye ulcerations (but not to the extent of losing the eye) and a lot of wounds/skin infections on the muzzle due to the rubbing etc. These are mainly due to ill-fitting head collars or the owners/trainer not using them properly: not desensitizing, using them to jerk back lunging dogs etc.

I agree with talking to the breeder. I think they should't go back on their word though- if they didn't want the OP to have their lines for some reason, i think they should refund the purchase price of the original dog (if what has been described here is accurate).

what about a Bouvier? Don't know much about them, Mindy plays with one at the park sometimes though, gorgeous looking dog, the coat looks to be fairly non/low shedding. They are a guardian/herding breed like the dobe and GSD I think and are quite protective of their families like the GSD and Dobe.

You are lucky . Enjoy it while it lasts My lab puppy did not sleep at all during the day, and hardly at night. No exaggeration but she sometimes barked and howled until 4am. Don't want to scare you though... It seemed very unfair because a friend had a goldie puppy at the same time and that puppy was so placid and seemed to sleep ALL the time.

Dont remember that But I haven't been around for that long... She seems more like a purely positivie trainer to me...

How many people who are opposedto them have actually used one on their dog or on themselves? I would personally never use a halti or head collar on my dog as I believe they are much more aversive than prong collars (assuming both are used correctly) but I wouldn't want to restrict the use for everyone as some people clearly feel more comfortable using them. Any tool that helps an owner feel more in control and the dog get out and about can't be all bad IMO.

I agree with Lilli, inbreeding and line breeding are essentially the same thing and both have advantages and disadvantages.

Well my horrible puppy has turned out pretty good Posted about our many problems- biting, separation, destruction lol, but the main problem was that she was way more full on than we ever expected. Once we adjusted our expectations and changed our management accordingly, she's been nothing but a dream. Its hard to imagine she is even the same naughty puppy we brought home.

I wouldn't call Eukanuba Super Premium. Interesting thats how they market it though... Advance was good for my previous dog (its actually the same company as pedigree) but I think you don't really get what you pay for. I've had my current dog on both Pedigree and Advance and she did better on Pedigree (less itchy, better poos, better coat etc). Which goes to show exactly what SecretKei said- its about what works for the individual dog.

There is a big difference between a JRT and a lab. Many labs would end up crippled if they ran 5 - 7km as pups - their joints wouldn't handle it. A nine month old lab should be able to handle 5 km imo, although its true, many can't. I think it is a sad reflection on the breed that at that age they can't handle a modest amount of exercise and many breeders are advising extreme exercise restriction. Working labradors are doing are reasonable amount of physical work by 9 months.

Sometimes I really do wonder where all the money goes... Recently visted the RSPCA and was shocked to find nothing had changed since when I volunteered there 10 YEARS AGO!!!! There seemed to be a focus on the private vet clinic as oppposed to improving the facilties for the rehoming animals.

Well they're not exactly "family pets" but it doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't well looked after, well adjusted and stimulated. Working kennels such as hunt kennel, customs, guide dogs etc have around that number and the dogs are all well adjusted, well looked after and happy. Of course, it is also possible that this person is a puppy farmer. We don't know all the facts so can't really judge...

Most responsible breeders get into it by either showing or by getting into performance/dog sports. If you show your bitch or compete with her, I think you'll be more likely to get into contact with other amstaff breeders and they will be more willing to help you. There are a few good breeders out there that don't show or compete but are very experienced in the breed ie have previously been involved in breed trials/showing/dog sports etc. At the minimum you should look into getting a prefix and becoming a registered breeder yourself. There is very little chance of other registered breeders allowing you to use one of their dogs if you aren't registered yourself. Not all bitches bleed when they are in season. You may only notice the swelling of the vulva and maybe a sloght behavioural change.

Buddy is right, an uneven hiip score is undesirable, although can occur for injury. Personally I would not breed a dog with an average or above hip score for the breed, nor would I purchase a large breed well known for HD as an agility dog from a bitch or dog that had above average scores. Breeding to a male with low hip scores is not neccessarily going to "cancel out" the mums score as the genetics of HD is not really well understood.

First dog was a pet shop dog They told us he was Bichon Frise but looking back, he was clearly a poodle cross something and unfortunately died at an early age due to anaesthetic complications Second dog I wanted a purebred did a lot of research and narrowed the list to Aussie shep, Toller or Brittany. We needed a medium size family dog that was easy to train and fairly energetic but not over the top. There were no Toller or Brittany pups available at the time we were looking so we went wth an aussie who turned out to be one of the best dogs you could ask for and fitted in with us perfectly. Current dog was only meant to be a temporary guide dog puppy, but when the opportunity came keep her forever I jumped at it. Labs were never a dog I had really considered to own but I am thrilled with Mindy, she is just perfect for me right now- energetic, fun, easygoing and loving and she's introduced me to and got me hooked on dog sports! I feel all my dogs have come at the right time and been perfect dogs for that time.

Just wanted to add I think it entirely depends on the personality of the dog. Right now I have a dog that is very easygoing with other dogs, she's submissive and as never been involved in any incidents. My other dog (RIP), was more dominant, wouldn't take crap from other dogs and reactive if dogs, ironically, like labradors rushed up into her face she would tell them off and possibly start a fight if the other dog didn't like it. I used to dread seeing labs as many of them are very full on and excited to see other dogs. She was not a good candidate for play with strange dogs. So I would have said for her that I would not allow her to play with unknown dogs as it could possibly be too dangerous.

Actually this is a critical period for the puppy's socialisation. The puppy should be with its new owner and experiencing as many new sights and sounds(including meeting as many different types and ages of friendly dogs) as possible. Unfortunately this period cooincides with the puppy not beng fully vaccinated so some care should be taken eg carrying the puppy, only letting it meet fully vaccinated dogs etc. I agree that it is not good (from a training persepective) for a dog to have a very high value for other dogs. But most importantly, the dog should have a higher value for the owner/handler, than it does for other dogs- then there is no reason why the dog shouldn't be allowed to play with others. Are you saying you don't let your dog have contact with other dogs at all or that you just don't let him play with other dogs? BTW to the OP= my dog growls when I play tug with her, I don't discourage it, its all in fun, its does not mean she doesn't respect me as "pack leader" :rolleyes:

Sounds like a good plan BenT. Weetbix and milk is a bit of a strange diet and the dry food doesn't need to be moistened (unless its rehydrateable kibble). My 8 week old lab was on 3/4 cup dry in the am, 1/2 cup at lunch and then 1/2 at dinner.