aussielover

Are heart murmurs/ heart disease something that is well recognised and prevalent in the french bulldog? Were the parents heart tested? These are questions that need to be considered before deciding whether a full refund is justified. No breeder in the world can 100% guarantee the health of all their pups. It is a question of ethics as to whether the breeder should refund at 6 months old, if they have done all the relevant health testing and a freak probelm occurs.

Odd becuase a congenital murmur should be picked up as a young puppy. Did the breeder agree with the vets diagnosis? I would question the vet further to be honest, as they said themselves that "heart murmurs don't just appear" so why didn't they pick it up earlier?

It is unlikely to be demodex mites if the scraping was negative. As long as the scraping was done correctly- it should be a depp skin scraping, so there should have been some "capillary ooze" ie. a bit of blood. It could be a dermatophye infection- so a type of fungal infection. Do you have cats at all? They can also get an environmental type from the soil.

Well I am surprised that with a heart murmur severe enough to cause ascites (fluid in the abdomen- which would have made her tummy look big) there owners wouldn't have noticed anything as a young pup, for example, exercise intolerance. And if the pup had been to the vet to have its vaccinations then the vet would have definitely picked it up at the time of examination. It sounds to be to be more acute in onset, which may indicate that it is NOT a congential problem. What was the actual diagnosis that the vet made?

If you have the crate near you and can hear her, its ok to shut the door. My puppy didn't have any accidents from about 14 weeks and she wasn't even in a crate but on her dog bed in my room (although her crate was also in my room.

Mindy had allergy testing the other day. It looks like she has had a serious operation though lol Though it was a only very minor procedure that she had. She looks pretty strange now though. I'm not sure how she'll go, she is actually scared of small dogs and is only used to wlaking with a big group of labs! So I think she will either be out of control with excitement or submissive and rolling on her back the whole time Should be fun!

If I am there I will look for charlie in his pram and two jap spitzes! Mindy will be the black labrador with a patch of fur missing fom her chest.

I'm not really sure I can offer any advice, but I can defintiely sympathize with you. I had a similar experience with my pup, except she was ok during the day but hated going in at night. I actually failed in the whole crate training thing and after a month let her sleep on her bed in my room instead. BUt she's always been ok to crate during the day when needed. Interestingly, we have recently bought a new soft crate which she seems to have taken to much better than her previous wire crate. I am not sure if it is maturity or training or she just prefers the soft crate more and finds it more comfy? She's had to sleep in it on some occaisons and was really good.

I was considering a coat for my labrador- she has just had a big patch of fur shaved off for allergy tests, so I thought she might be cold. However yesterday (which was freezing imo), after diving into a very cold lake and happily swimming and splashing around for over an hour- I quickly decided that a coat wouldn't be necessary I suppose they were bred for retrieving fishing nets in freezing canadian waters... If your dogs are outside only then maybe a coat would be more necessary, but I think for double-coated dogs with indoor access (esp at night, coats are not really necessary in sydney weather.

Sorry but why not another rotty? I think they are pretty well known for being great with kids if you get from a good breeder and socialise and train them well. I also thought a black lab- although many are high drive and exhuberant, if you get a well bred lab from guide dog or assistance dog lines or even ask the breeder specifically for a low drive dog, I think they would be just as laid back and steady as a mastiff type dog. Cane Corso aren't particulary well known for being great with other dogs. How about a great dane? They are known to be genlt with kids, good with other dogs and low sheedding and definitely imposing!!!

Well my dog is a typical lab. LOVES eating!!!! although apparently I'm starving her because she doesn't resemble a seal.

Maybe you could meet near the vet check area or one of the food stands- eg hills? These are all once you go inside though. I would like to come but I have a lot of other things on this weekend so I'll have to see how I'm going. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun though.

Have you talked to the breeder about it yet? If they are as you say, well respected and ethical they will certainly want to know. If the dog was bred from parents with good hip and elbow scores then I really don't see how the breeder could be held responsible? Unfortunately HD and ED are known problems with large breed dogs and breeding dogs with good scores is still no guarantee sadly. It would be nice if the breeder was sympathetic and perhaps offered a replacement pup for showing or performance if that is what you wanted to do, but they have absolutely no obligation to do so.

I think the important qualifier is that not all dogs (indeed I'd argue most dogs) enjoy playing with strangers once they're mature. I know (and own) some extremely playful dogs that would never engage in play with a dog they didnt' know.. then there's Howard But we're not socialising with dogs them to teach them to "play". We doing it to teach them the appropriate social cues to deal with all kinds of dogs - and to know when their attention isn't wanted. I would argue that it's far more important that a pup spend time with reliable adult dogs both as a baby and an adolescent than that it play with other pups. Other pups are great for teaching bite inhibition and we need to do that because we take them from their mother and their littermates that would provide those lessons. Dogs are territorial, pack animals. We've modified some of their instincts in some of the breeds but the idea of greeting and playing with a strange dog (particularly one significantly different in size) would not be something that's instinctive for many. Friend of mine had a large pup with her at a show a while back and screeched in horror when my toy poodle bitch verbally told it off for jumping on her. That's an appropriate response and a lesson learned. You don't want your pups socialising only with tolerant dogs - fastest way to raise a 'brat' I can think of. I absolutely agree. But how many people in the general population have access to well behaved, mature dogs that can give an appropriate correction? It is a shame there aren't separate puppy classes that can help owners do this. I admit my own adult dog would be useless as she is extremely tolerant.

Not all dogs enjoy playing, which is fair enough. I guess its like not all humans love partying or socialising. However, I still believe all dogs should be given the chance to interact with their own species on a regular basis. This doesn't have to be full on rough and tumble play, but at least being around other dogs, whether this be at home with the company of another dog/s or on walks, training at the park etc.

We are starting agility this weekend. Very excited! Should I bring food rewards and a toy? I think my dog is more food driven than play driven (although she does like a good tug), but I;m not sure if running around and jumping whilst having food is a good idea.

I would just feed them the bones separately if you can. Much safer situation, especially as one is a baby puppy. Though only you know your dogs and how they would react. I know personally with my dog there is very little chance of her being aggressive over food to another dog. But sometimes forcing a situation like that can make them feel uncomfortable and the need to protect what they have, especially if it is high value. Maybe crate them close together and give them the bone?

I don't know Huski, you have more than one dog (you lucky thing!), so Daisy is constantly able to interact with them if she chooses. I think it is beneficial for dogs to interact with their own species on a regular basis. They are after all, a pack species. I personally get a lot of enjoyment from seeing my dog playing happily with another dog and other dogs give my dog the type of exercise and play I could never give her. I intend to add another dog to my house in the future. I often find dogs from multi-dog households are much more relaxed with other dogs and do not have a high value for them, probably from living with another dog all the time. Mindy is a labrador, a breed known to have a high value for other dogs, but because she sees and plays with other dogs every day (despite not living with one) she generally does not behave in a stupid manner around them, doesn't drag me toward them and is happy to be called away from them (calling her off a scent or a rabbit chase is a different matter though. We are working on it ). She was one of the few very handler focussed dogs (apart from one other puppy who lived with another dog) at her guide dog sessions and was capable of working and focussing for the handler in very close proximity of around 20-30 other labrador puppies (who were going nuts!) which I think was pretty good. We are starting agility this weekend and I hope she can behave herself there too! We will see... Corvus- Erik wouldn't like Mindy then lol She loves the bitey face game!

My labrador also doesn't care for interacting with people and will ignore everyone except family when walking down the street etc. This is despite extensive socialisation as a puppy. So this type of thing I think comes down to personality. It is a bit of a shame as I had wanted her to be a therapy dog, but she doesn't enjoy being patted by strangers. Mind you, she doesn't hate it, she is more neutral and will just stand there rather than showing any excitement or enjoyment. She will wander off if not restrained by a lead or told to stay. Puppy school is only as good as the instructor. Dog parks are something that is an individual choice, but like Corvus, I live in suburbia and dog parks are the only real option for strenuous exercise for my dog. She is very good with other dogs and seems to know which dogs will want to play and which dogs she should ignore. However, my dog has been trained to ignore other dogs when on the lead, so even though she received lots of socialisation with other dogs, she shows no interest in them on the lead so I don't believe you need to "neutralise" your dog to achieve this. In my personal experience, i find that many over the top, pull over their owner to get to another dog type dog are ones that rarely see other dogs and rarely have a chance to interact with them. I'm not sure exactly what neutralisation involves but I can see how it could be interpreted as keeping your dog away from others, not allowing them to play etc. I personally believe its better to let them play with as many friendly dogs as possible and constantly be doing recalls when they are playing and heavily rewarding for coming back. Additionally I like to get some boring older dogs (to my puppy) who don't care for play and then i like to play an exciting game with my pup in their presence so she thinks being with me is more fun than being with other dogs. Both socialisation and neutralisation have their benefits but both can also be stuffed up. I think whichever method you choose will be determined by your situation, your dogs intended purpose and your personal values ie what you want in a dog.

This is very rare. You could try a change of diet though. More likely they are bored, or they just like the taste of poo. Crushed pineapple or pineapple juice can help in some cases (but not all). You can also get a powder (but i've forgotten what it is called)

You have done a very good thing and saved this dog from the pound Unfortunately as you said she doesn't fit in that well at the moment. Other experienced BC people have given you advice which is great. I still recommend you see a behaviourist, especially if you are feeling overwhelemed. They can also give you a better idea of whether she is rehomable or not. Or as others have said you could contact a rescue group and do it formally. Australian working dog rescue may be able to help: AWDR And I'm sure if you pop into the rescue forum they will be able to help you

If you think she has fear aggression, I would definitely NOT correct her and especially not smack her on the nose which isn't the best way to correct a dog and possibly dangerous especially considering you don't know her that well. Can you get the previous owners to pay for a visit from a behaviourist who might be able to work out what is going on and whether this dog will be suitable to live with you. I am afraid I could not keep a dog who was acting aggressively towards my other pets unless I had a specialised set up and could guarantee my pets safety and was working with a behaviourist.

Wow that is an amazing pic Shaar! ETA= so is your pic kyliegirl!!!!

Good luck with it! My puppy slept in a crate in the laundry for 2 months then a crate in my room and then on the floor or her bed in my room and now finally on my bed! She is a big bed hog and likes to lean against you (not so fun having 25kg of labrador lean against you and pushing you off the bed!) so I have attempted to transition her from the bed into her lovely new soft k9pro crate which she LOVES at all other times except bedtime. So far I have not been successful Partly because she whinges and partly because deep down I do miss her snuggling with me But if I was more serious I would put her in my laundary again so I wouldn't have to hear her whinge. she actually gets over it within 10 minutes or so but then i feel guilty and miss her so I let her out (and onto the bed) after she has been good for a few more minutes. To be honest I think you will just have to stick him in the crate at night (after you've gotten him used to it at other times) and maybe move him somewhere you can't hear any fuss- and then move him back into your bedroom. Or if you can take it, ignore any fuss he makes while having him crated in your bedroom is that is where you would prefer him to be. ETA: he sounds very cheeky lol. Does he do anything like obedience, agility or herding that might help wear him out and challenge him?

I said * perhaps* corrections don't make sense to you and you don't think they work. I didn't mean to put words in your mouth and definitely not trying to be rude I guess I just misinterpreted your earlier posts about being cautious about giving leash corrections (due to previous experience) as being not confident in giving them. I apologise for the confusion , I know it is hard to convey tone through the internet but I definitely didn't mean to be rude I find all types of training very interesting so thank you for answering my questions. I agree in theory that a leash correction may cause an aggressive response, so I understand your hesitation to use them, however, I personally found that under the instruction of an experienced trainer they were more effective in modifying my pups behaviour than reward training alone. I guess you use what is suitable for the individual dog though ;)