wings

I had a joke that my dogs had to have names that where the names of characters from the breed's country of origin. Currently can't have whippets but I wanted two boys to call Watson and Darcy. Maybe one day! So now I have two dachshunds called Hansel and Rumplestiltskin (Rumple for short!) so I'm waiting for a little girl to call Gretel. I think all the dachies in my life will have fairy tale names!

I voted for taking back a dog bred but I don't like the word always. As others have said there can be a lot of reasons why it would be irresponsible to do so. I know when I sell a foal my contract asks that I'm given first option to buy back, if I can't I offer help in selling be it advertising or free agistment if it's an urgent sale, even training if there is a problem. Bit different from the world of dogs but I still think it's responsible to do what you can to help out when it's something you put on the ground.

I have a friend out in one of the areas and she was informed, I think, by something in the letterbox. Wish they'd be more upfront though on where they are doing it. How hard would it be to actually list the areas on their site?

I had a little kid start screaming her head off at the sight of Hansel. The mother was not impressed and gave us huge death glares as we went past. Hansel is a mini dachshund! We were also on the ONLY dog beach on that bit of coast with beautiful beaches either side that are complete human access. Hansel was nowhere near the kid when she started, had shown no interest until she started screaming and recalled beautifully when we decided he should be on leash to get past them. Weirdest reaction I have ever had! Most people can't get enough of him.

I'm so sorry this happened to your lovely hounds Will be keeping my fingers crossed for a good recovery for both of them.

Great post sas :) I'm facing increasing pressure to desex my dog. Usually in the form of rants about how I'm killing him by leaving him entire and images of dogs with injuries/problems in their bits. And of course none of this comes from my dog's breeder or my friends and family members. It gets incredibly frustrating, I just want to do right by my dog and from what I've read I feel more comfortable leaving him until 12 - 18months. He is in beautiful condition, no behavioural problems and lives rural in an area where we have no roaming dogs.

Best thing I did when narrowing down breeds was visit a breeder and spend a really good chunk of time around the dogs. There where dogs that looked good on paper or from meeting one that ended out be dropped off the list for one reason or another. Sometimes it was as simple as the "energy" the dogs brought in, some where a bit too content to vanish and not stay involved while others where just always a bit too full on. In the end we found the dachshunds to have the right balance of everything to be our perfect dog and we haven't looked back. It was also a great way to choose a breeder, mine has been fantastic and is only ever a phone call or email away if I need advice. Including when I was a paranoid new puppy owner :laugh:

That's the best way to do it, just pack up and go! I have friends doing the same thing at the moment, rented out their house, hitched up the van and off they went. They've been in Darwin for 6 months now as they love it :) Sorry to go OT wings. I never mind going OT, some of the best things I've learned happened that way.... even if they didn't have anything to do with the topic :laugh:

I've had 4 greyhounds at once, they all fitted inside the house :-) Greyhounds are just like big whippets so they don't count :laugh: The one I'm getting shocks everyone by climbing into my lap and then "shrinking" to fit. I'm sure that's a familiar sight to a lot of the hound people but for me it still cracks me up! Thanks everyone, a lot of good things raised and a few I hadn't thought of. Will be very interesting to see how things change around here as the dog family increases.

All good points, thanks Do you think the size of the dogs can make a difference? I've been looking after a friend's rottie (who I do adore) but I do often think I could have about 5 mini dachies to 1 rottie and no one would notice the difference.

What for you decides your dog numbers? When does it become too many? I have a mini dachie who is soon to be joined by another one plus a slightly older whippet and a few friends/family are worried that I'm about to become the crazy dog lady :laugh: So just interested to see where people drew the line on how many dogs to have in the family.

Beautiful pics! Might have to try something similar when the new pup arrives. of course that would mean getting Hansel to stay still in a chosen spot.... :laugh:

Signed and shared :)

I hate the term. The family did coin "Number One Puppy Son" for my dog :laugh: but he's always my dog, not my child and I don't see how him being my dog diminishes how much I love him.

so true!

Marrow bones are not the same as Raw Meaty Bones. The latter are the ones that the dogs can actually eat and digest. The marrow bones is what I would call recreational bones. I like that term! My dog gets a range of RMB, chicken frame, turkey wing and lamb flap are probably the ones he gets and enjoys the most. The butcher gets him a few little recreational bones to play with, he has fun stripping off whatever is left on but it's not the meal that the RMB are. I think after finally trying a raw based diet I couldn't go back to biscuits and cans so I select my vets carefully. Even if they aren't pro raw they don't try and convince me to swap.

I've been told that raw food is why wild dogs/dingoes/wolves etc die young and infested with diseases and problems. When I asked how they thought these animals had survived to this day if that was the case he said it's because we invented dog biscuits. I'm still trying to work out how all that fits together into anything even resembling a logical thought. And I'm still feeding my dog raw :laugh:

Agree with that sadly Already if I tell people I have a dachie they assume he is riddled with health problems, imagine how much worse people could view the breed if people start churning them out to make a buck with no consideration for health. And agree that I wouldn't consider them apartment dogs. Hansel is pretty quiet... unless something happens. Then he has to tell us all about it. Personally I don't mind that but I'm on a farm so it's a useful thing for a dog to do and there are no neighbours to annoy. Also while my boy is easy to live with I think a lot of his mental and physical health comes down to how much he gets to do outside. He gets a lot of off leash time to hoon around, a lot of smells to follow and I'm always inventing new games for him to play. Definitely not the breed I'd recommend for an apartment especially if the owners have a lot of other commitments like work.

Pure from a breeder or no dog for me. My life can be kind of complex so the best chance I have of a complimenting dog occurs when I have selected the breeder, breeder, sometimes even the parents and then raise the pup. I also have minor allergies to be careful of and I know certain breeds can set me off.

Hansel is our new doorbell and also part times as a bug catcher. He also likes to help me hide my own mess by covering as many spots with his own mess (torn up toilet rolls/boxes and bits of doormat usually!)

Not sure if it will help with your family member but my dog has convinced a few people to sit on waiting lists. I waited a year for my dog and was actually bumped up the list because the right dog showed up. I would happily have waited three times as long for him! Waiting can be hard, but I've ended up with exactly the dog I wanted and because we've suited each other so well he has been a dream of a dog to work with. The chances of having had such a suitable match would have been incredibly slim if my priority had been wanting a dog NOW.

Hansel was picked for me and to be honest I'm glad he was. I had my eye on one of his sisters but what I really wanted above everything else was his dad's personality. I now have a carbon copy of his dad living with me so I'm glad I left it in the hands of the breeders, the knew what I wanted and they knew their puppies. When the time comes to choose my whippet I'll listen very carefully to the breeder, wether they pick for me or just make a recommendation.

I'll admit I do love the look, but it's the character that gets me every time. Knowing my luck nothing will suit except a Rottie and I'll just wait it out :laugh: At the moment my dog plans involve my dachie and adding a whippet to the family next year. But I like to plan well ahead, meet breeds in person and get a feel for them before jumping into anything. It's also a great way to introduce the family to potential breeds and see if I can show them why they are wonderful

Every day and never! Hansel spends most of his time off leash at home, he stays out of the horse paddocks and will follow me from job to job while exploring things in the general area that I'm in. Once we go off the property though that leash goes on and stays on. His recall isn't 100% and even if it was I'm not sure I'd trust other dogs in the vicinity to be as reliable.

I keep telling people they are lap dogs! :laugh: