Flye

At one point we were looking at adopting a mastiff mix, who turned out to be a hermaphrodite. They only found out when they went in to repair a hernia, and found he had female bits inside; he also had normal-looking male genitalia. (Castrated during the hernia operation)

Dogs will hump in play, because they're nervous, because they're excited, because it feels good, because they're rude... Any number of reasons. Dominance theory in dogs is a bit of a fallacy, I wouldn't say he's trying to 'dominate' Poppy, but maybe likes it because it's fun and he hasn't been corrected for it in the past.

Very interesting insight, it makes me wish Australia were more like Finland. Do you think that being able to take dogs everywhere with you, means that people value them more? I know if I could take my dog on the bus, to cafes and restaurants, shops, etc. I would be able to spend so much more time with him. It probably results in better behaved dogs as well. My Dad travelled to the Netherlands quite frequently a few years ago, and he said it is much like that there. You walk into a cafe and most tables have a dog under them, just sleeping with their owners. I can't see that happening in Australia, as many of the dogs would probably be crazy and undersocialised. It's a real shame, but hopefully the attitude starts to change here.

'fraid not I'm trying to work on Louis's socialisation as well and would love to help you out, trouble is Louis isn't a 'nice doggie' if another dog gets in his face That sounds great Gary likes saying hello face to face, but not much else, he's a bit fussy about other dogs sniffing his bum... So that's something we definitely need to work on. He also doesn't seem to get that other dogs can be played with. ;) Our other one was off to the vet today, just had Gary in yesterday for his vacc's. She has a gross sore, most likely from licking and a flea allergy, which is nice! Add that to some bad family news, and a mild car accident, and it was probably my worst day in a while. ;)

What a beautiful house CC, I would never have given that up for stinking hot summers and snakes! My little buddy Gary and I would love to meet some nice doggies around here. We are trying to work on his socialisation. It's not that he's aggressive, but he is a little timid and gets overwhelmed by the big, persistent sniffy dogs who tend to frequent the local park. I need some positive experiences for him in a more controlled environment, I think. :rolleyes:

Does she take treats when you're training her? You could try feeding her bigger treats during training, to make up for not eating during other times. When my dog's feeling fussy, he gets a raw egg or some fish oil over his food. Something really stinky, so that he can smell it. I think dogs rely on smell far more than taste, when they choose something to eat. If she's really not intent on eating for over a week, and she's not getting food elsewhere, I would bring it to the vet's attention. Bloodwork might show nothing, but it could be a hormonal imbalance or something like that.

He is so cute! I have a feeling my dog has some Aussie Terrier in him, he has the colouring, the terrier temperament, the body shape and face shape. Even down to the slight silvery-ness on the top of his head. Only thing is his muzzle is a bit short and his tail is tiny, kind of like a Cairn. Course he's probably just a muttly BYB bitsa, heh.

Spaying might help, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. Even if they are mum and daughter, adult dogs can just not be compatible. I would get in a behaviourist and see if there is anything you can do to help the situation. Otherwise, you might have to consider keeping them separated permanently.

Those stuffing-free animals are a big hit at our place, I can only imagine what would happen with a real animal!

Most groups have a standard fee for every dog from what I've seen. While they might save money on one like you say, it goes back into the others who do need work.

I would see it as a correction, when one dog thinks the other is being rude or overly playful... Can easily see that happening with a pup, not so sure about the cat though!

Colors in a breed have something to do with blindness? I've never heard that one before. Correct me if I'm wrong... But it's called 'double mere', essentially the pup gets a merle gene from both parents. This frequently results in pups with malformed ears and/or eyes. It can happen in pretty much all breeds with merle colouring.

I've given what I can. Good luck to the family and the dog.

Gary hasn't presented any problems yet, fingers crossed for the future! I do suspect some sort of allergy as he does chew his paws sometimes, but this is intermittent. We'll look into it if it gets any more frequent or he hurts himself. He is very overweight but is working it off.

Gary had an interest in our cat when we adopted him, but not aggression. She's quite timid with new things, but we're at the point now where she will hiss at him if he annoys her, and he leaves her alone. I think this is the best we will get with these two, but I can easily see him and another cat being friends. He licked her on the nose once. The thing that helped the most was taking the bell off her collar. He was more interested in chasing the noise than chasing the cat.