aussielover

I love "speak", it is a great party trick! I would be hesitant in teaching it to a problem barker though as barking may have become a self-rewarding behaviour for them. They may learn to chain the behaviour eg. bark to get you to say quiet, if you heavily reward the quiet command. I think its safer just to reward calm behaviour than to teach "speak" and "quiet" to a problem barker.

what does sitting squiffy mean lol?

Ruby is looking so grown up (and shiny)!

how sad they didn't take up K9pro's offer Yes i suspect my dog would not be too happy if she was grabbed around the throat either.

Is it bad for them/a sign of bad hips? I've heard its a sign of good hips or a sign of really, really bad hips (like no hip socket bad). Can anyone clarify for me? Does anyone's dog with hip dysplasia sit like a frog? My dog doesn't really sit like a frog too often but she often stretches her back legs out right behind her (like in the position you would take radiographs for HD!)

Yep! my Shar Pei pup (Although he's about 8 mths old now, so maybe teenager, LOL) does that on the odd occasion he is on the couch. Is hilariously slow motion! Archer does this too so does mindy!!! sorry guys, i didn't read the part about small dogs in particular Yes, it would be bad for a small dog like a chi to be constantly jumping on and off a high bed. Every now and then wouldn't matter, but if it was daily, I would be looking to give them an alternative

I have got 2 neuters, both desexed early. Benson was done at around 4 1/2 months, he is now 4 years old and is not gangly at all. In fact he is very much in proportion and an excellent example of his breed. The only difference to an entire (besides the obvious) is that he did not grow the big ruff of hair around the neck/chest area that an entire dog does. But his head has developed as a distinctly male head (in a breed where male and female heads are very different), he has the broad shoulders and chest of a male and he also has the heavier boning. Shae was desexed prior to being sold as a baby. She is 5 years old and the breeder does this without exception to any puppy being sold as a pet. She is very small, very much in proportion and definitely not lanky. She has an extremely pretty, feminine head and although she's not show quality, she does not look "wrong" for having been desexed early. This does not amount to any sort of scientific evidence. You are being subjective (which means it is only your opinion). You cannot at a glance see through to bone and cartilage, and you will never know what they would have been if left to mature normally. There is enough qualified evidence to prove the risks of early desexing. I need point this out no further. I think gayle was just responding to my comment where I said generally early desexing leads to taller animals with lanky body types. Of course this is not always the case, and can be more noticeable in stocky breeds such as labradors and staffordshires.

Assuming their owners were competent and in control I see no reason why they would attack their owners. And I hope that their owners would not encourage them to be aggressive towards strangers. I certainly would hope their owners would be able to call them off, if they did decide to attack a stranger. Obviously, if you bring a dog into your home with the intention of it being a guard dog- and i would interpret that to mean being capable of attacking someone, there is an increased risk of it attacking the owners, if they are not competent. I actually know a few Maremmas that have attacked visitors and even their owners before, which i put down to poor breeding and training and inappropriate breed choice.

Of course it is shocking that a GR has attacked 4 people! GRs are known for their wonderful temperament, role as assistance dogs and role as a family pet. They generally have a very forgiving temperament. Surely you can see why the public find it so shocking? Unfortunately there are some poorly bred ones that are known for resource guarding and fear aggression. I think we should let a professional assess why this dog attacked before we jump to any conclusions or PTS.

What is a "guard" dog? A dog that is bought for the sole purpose of guarding a home, but isn't provided with any training and encouraged to be aggressive towards strangers. The owner generally has little interaction with the dog and has little control over it. The dog is often confined on a chain or some sort of tether system. a true guard dog has been trained by someone experienced and/or qualified to produce a security animal. The dog has been tested to ensure that it has good nerves so it is actually guaranteed to rise to the occasion (ie attack) when required. It has a good bond with the handler, who has full control over it.

why do you think it attacked lilli?

Jap Spitz cross poodle. Yes, the owner introduced it as a japoodle. Pug cross anything generally seems to turn out to be a weird looking dog.

Hard to convey your tone but what do you mean EVEN pound animals? I took it to mean even animals that don't have an owner to decide whats best for them. Though I would rather see them desexed young, than end up in the hands of a BYB or puppy farmer, or as a fighting dog. It would be interesting to see a long term study on the effects of early desexing.

Jackie, the reason this dog is getting a chance at a behavoiural assessment and rehab is that it is an older dog with no previous history of aggression where even the "victims" including the neighbours, have said this behaviour was completely out of character and have called for the dog not to be put down. It appears this dog really was a loved family pet, unlike in many other instances where the dog was actually a "guard" dog or backyard furnishing or a dog/s that were roaming the streets. Would you say the dog should be put down, even if there was a chance of the dog being rehabilitated? Perhaps if it were your dog, you would not give it a chance, but I don't think it is right of you to judge that the owners wouldn't be capable of helping the dog given the right guidance from a professional like K9pro etc. Especially considering you don't know the owner or the dog in question at all.

apparently the dog and the owners had been threatened by a man with a knife a fews days before, so the dog was possibly feeling a bit threatened and out of sorts. The two younger men (brothers ) were fighting in the house which is what triggered the dog to attack. so it seems there is a little more to this.... more info

I think aussies are possibly the cutest babies, with GR and maremma puppies a close second and labbie puppies a close third. Aussie baby: Maremma babies: lab baby!:

Dog that are desexed young tend to be taller rather than shorter. They can also be more lanky and gangly looking as they never fill out properly. I don't think mental problems would have anything to do with early desexing.

personally i think they are ridiculous. The ones I have seen for labradors claims that they add in "joint support" and high protein, low fat because labs can get joint problems and are often overweight. These are usually hereditary or environmental (joint issues) and fat labs are due to people feeding too much and not exercising enough. Nothing much to do with food. If your dog has a health or medical issue, there are special veterinary diets available for these.

My 11 month old female is well behaved and settled and she has never had a litter and was desexed quite early. It may be beneficial in a large breed dog like the lab, to let your pup have one season (not litter!). Sorry just to clarify- the benefits of allowing a large breed dog have a season relate to bone and strucutre development not behaviour.

My 11 month old female is well behaved and settled and she has never had a litter and was desexed quite early. It may be beneficial in a large breed dog like the lab, to let your pup have one season (not litter!).

I would say its excitement or that it feels good. My pup used to do this as well with her big fluffy duck and she is a female so it is not a sexual thing. She stopped doing it at around 6 months though. She has never humped another dog. OUr previous male dog didn't hump other dogs but he would also hump toys, even after he was desexed.

Not necessarily, especially when the dog attacks family members and the other people involved don't want the dog to be put down. Perhaps the dog has a neurological condition? it did look to be an older dog, with no previous history of attacking.

I would get him assessed by a neurologist if possible. I would recommend Georgina Child- she works at sydney uni vet clinic and also SASH in north ryde. My 12 year old aussie shepherd had exactly the same thing, but she also had other neurological abnormalities like ataxia in her hind limbs. We think she had a tumour in her brain and possibly also in her spinal cord

Thiopentone is a barbituate that's use results in a very slow recovery time, and it's also very outdated and if accidentally given external to the vein it can cause tissue necrosis. Propofol has a very fast recovery time. Thio has not been routinely used in hospitals for a good fifteen years. Actually the premed affects the recovery time, the induction affects the quality of recovery Those prices the op was quoted sound extravagant To me and I work in an expensive area!