Smartypaws

Congratulations Chihuahualover and Jetson! So exciting! I am starting to get a bit worried here....I know I am probably just being neurotic , but I had hoped to hear by now which of the two puppies would be the one coming home with us (it is this weekend afterall). I don't want to be pushy though, so I'm treading that line between looking like a complete dog nutter, without appearing like I don't really care. I know our breeder has a life too, and is incredibly busy. We are just so hoping it is one pup in particular, while at the same time not wanting to be disappointed if the other pup is chosen for us , he is a fabulous puppy too, we all just really connected with the other puppy . Am I just being silly? Please feel free to add words of comfort in reply ;) .

Awwww, too cute!! I am getting puppy envy!!

Sheena....he is gorgeous!! Cricket was a name on the shortlist for my puppy!! I can't believe that someone else thought of that one....but then, with a registered name like his it is very fitting! Still waiting to find out which pup will be ours.....it's excruciating!! Particularly as we are quite taken with one of the pups .......but I trust my breeders assessment so will just wait and see :D .

Welcome Chihuahalover, and hi everyone else. Dwilds....you must be really patient...that is a long wait for a puppy. I have spent a long time on wait lists, but at least once the puppy is here you know it is only going to be 8 more weeks - not 10 months!! Ralley Valley, how exciting! I love Brittany's. There is one that I see walked near us regularly. Drifter, Daisy is a cutie! And Bianca, have you had an update? We had a fantastic weekend here and I am officially on puppy countdown!! We will have a little curly cutie pie joining our family this coming weekend! We visited with the puppies yesterday and they are all gorgeous, happy, confident puppies. There are 2 boys that would suit us, so I am now just waiting to hear which one will be coming home! I am soooo excited! Will let you know when I hear and then post a picture of our little guy! Is this a Curly Coated Retriever? How exciting I wish I could visit my pup No, a Belgian Laekenois. And yes, it has been great being able to visit the pups . My last two were interstate, so only got to see them the day they came home.

Welcome Chihuahalover, and hi everyone else. Dwilds....you must be really patient...that is a long wait for a puppy. I have spent a long time on wait lists, but at least once the puppy is here you know it is only going to be 8 more weeks - not 10 months!! Ralley Valley, how exciting! I love Brittany's. There is one that I see walked near us regularly. Drifter, Daisy is a cutie! And Bianca, have you had an update? We had a fantastic weekend here and I am officially on puppy countdown!! We will have a little curly cutie pie joining our family this coming weekend! We visited with the puppies yesterday and they are all gorgeous, happy, confident puppies. There are 2 boys that would suit us, so I am now just waiting to hear which one will be coming home! I am soooo excited! Will let you know when I hear and then post a picture of our little guy!

I'm so sorry to hear that Katie P. You must be really disappointed . Do you have any other puppy options coming up? that your wait for that perfect puppy won't be too much longer. I remember having to wait until 6 weeks with my last puppy (7 years ago) to hear if we were one of the lucky ones....and that was after a 2 year wait for the litter. That breeder was also not so forthcoming with pictures....so the wait was like torture. The breeder of the puppy I am currently waiting for is fantastic, with regular web updates of pics....and always responding to my probably very annoying emails . There is also a facebook page I have just realised....after reading this thread!

Hi Everyone for you Katie P...hope you get the puppy you are waiting for! Did I miss what breed? Welcome Bianca! Anna, what a gorgeous little fluffbug! I love the name too. Not too much longer Sabbath.....I know how excited you must be! Eventing Pony, I agree with everyone else, you have to be 100% sure that the puppy is right for you or else you will always be wondering if you should have waited. Let's face it, if everything else about the puppy was perfect for you the markings probably wouldn't have mattered . I get to see the puppies in person on Sunday!! I am soooo excited, and if one of the boys ends up being a good fit for me he will be coming home the weekend after !!! So only 1 week and 3 days till my curly baby comes home!! But who's counting ;). The last lot of pictures I have are of the pups at 5 weeks.....so I can't wait to see the changes from 5 to 7 weeks.

Oooooh, not many Laekenois around, that's very special. I know one old boy who wins the hearts of everyone he meets, he has the best temperament. Hi Smoothie Girl Do you happen to know who the old fellow you know was bred by? Curious if he might be related to my boy... The reason I ended up choosing this breed was because of the exceptional temperament of the brother of the mum of the litter I am interested in....does that even make sense?? . He converted me from my previously favoured breed....and the Belgian is a much better fit for my family and training plans.

Tempe is a great name! It is quite different too. I also like Angelo....cute . We are also playing the name game......but OH and I never agree! I like old men's names too.....my pick is Claude....which got a big thumbs down around here . Although it may make the registered name as the litter is a 'C' litter! ........and then maybe it will stick ;) . Also thinking about crate a toy shopping....but sort of don't want to jinx things in case the puppy doesn't end up being suitable .

Hi Smartypaws, How exciting! What breed? Do you have pics? Provided that one of the boys is a good match for our family on aptitude testing , we will be getting a gorgeous Belgian Shephard (Laekenois)! No pictures to share as we won't know which puppy will be ours until they are bit older.

Hi Everyone After reading this thread for ages I can now actually share my exciting news with people who get it! I am getting a puppy!!!! All things going to plan, I hope to bring our new little guy home in 3-4 weeks. The puppies are 4 1/2 weeks old now. I am sooooo excited!!

Or a Leonberger! :D

I know you will all have a fabulous day....wish we could be there too!! What a great chance to showcase our lovely breed! Mia sends leo licks to here leo friends and rellies too!

The myth is this is the case for every dog, and it isn't. Be it by virtue of nature or nurture some dogs just don't push the boundaries or have any particular desire to usurp possition. While you'd have hell to pay with your girl over one lessening of a rule(in this case sleeping on the bed), others wouldn't with their dogs. I think the case for most dogs is that they're above their owners so thats why there isn't an issue. But you're right it depends on the individual dog. At the risk of being flamed, I offer Patricia McConnell's thoughts on Dominance theory: http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/the-c...ed-as-dominance. This is the first in a series of her BLOGs on this subject and interesting, measured, well thought out reading. Comments from readers at the end are often thought provoking also. Dominance and Heirarchy are such loaded terms in the context of dog behaviour, and are often confused or confusing to most of us. :rolleyes: Dogs really have very little interest in "being above" their owners in most cases, and Patricia is very eloquent at explaining this. Happy to post elsewhere too if you think this isn't the right thread for it.

This sounds very much like the situation I am in. I look forward to hearing what you decide to do!!

If I had a dollar for everytime I have heard a client say that thier dog knows they have done something wrong because they "look guilty"....... I also like it when dogs behave in a variety of ways becuase they "are jealous". Although, a particularly favourite question I get asked is "at what age will my dog be trained/toliet trained/stop jumping on me" (insert a variety of behaviours here that apparently automatically stop when a puppy/dog reaches a certain age).

Absolutely not Jules1! Wading through the quagmire of misinformation on how to raise a puppy is a full-time job And then there is finding the right way to apporach your individual puppy. GOOD LUCk with your boy.....and enjoy the puppy ride

Hi Jules1 You sound like you have yourself a completely normal puppy! There is nothing quite like a Doberman pup! Can I ask if you are attending training with your puppy, with a reputable training organisation/trainer? The reason I ask is that you should be able to access good advice on dealing with this issue from your trainer if you are. Please be selective with the advice you may receive here as training is not a one size fits all thing, and consistency is really, really important. That is, if you try one suggestion and it "doesn't work", then you try another, and so on and so on, you may end up with a very confused puppy, who's behaviour may actually get worse......or in the worst case scenario, an anxious one who is starting to think you are a bit strange, with no clue what you are trying to teach it. Now for some advice from me, that you can choose to take or leave . Basic dog behaviour dictates that the dog will do what is most rewarding to the dog. If jumping in your lap ensues into a game of push and shove and hand shaking etc, it may well become a really rewarding game for your puppy. So your job is to figure out a way to make, for example, sitting calmly on a mat at your feet the most rewarding experience in the room. I personally do not agree with tugging leashes, yelling and forcing puppies onto mats (again, we could end up with a dog who just thinks we are a psycho and the mat doesn't become a rewarding place to be). Your puppy will choose the mat just as soon as you make it a rewarding place. That may mean toys, tugs, long lasting chews, treats, pats, belly rubs etc .......you will need to figure out what your dog will be most rewarded by. What will not be rewarding to your dog is forcing him/her onto the mat, tethering him/her onto the mat without something rewarding occuring at the same time (pats, long lasting chew etc), scolding the pup and sending it to the mat, dragging it onto the mat by it's leash (in fact, this one the dog is more likely to resist and fight you on). And of course, a mat is only an example....you may have some other alternative to jumping in your lap that you want to teach. In my experience dogs learn quickest if we actually teach them appropriate, alternative behaviours to adopt and be rewarded for, rather than trying to "stop" behaviours with aversive measures.....particularly with puppies. To me, there seems little point in repeatedly telling a dog not to do something if you aren't going to then show them what they should be doing instead. Ie. Jumping on me on the couch ends with me standing up and ignoring you, while sitting on your mat calmly gets you a pigs ear, treat, belly rub etc. This is just one suggestion that seems to work for the majority of dogs I see, I still suggest the best way to go though is through your own trainer if you have one. If not, you may want to consider joining a class, as this will most probably not be the last thing you will want training advice on with a new puppy. It is an investment in your relationship with your dog, money well spent in my opinion.

I can't believe what people will breed.....and buy This week I saw Staffy x maltese and chinese crested x maltese.

Me too!! But as they are new we couldn't afford the one I want........7 seats with leather (to limit the dog hair seatcover factor ). We just bought a Volvo XC90 yesterday. Big enough to carry kids and 3 large dogs when needed, with the bonus of 7 seats when needed....and leather!! It's not new, but I love it!!

Hi. We are building a new house and have done a complete backflip from wanting solid wood floors to going for these vinyl planks too. They look just like wood, with the durability of vinyl.....in fact, we saw them in a display home and OH and I argued about whether they were wood, or laminate, or .....no, couldn't possibly be - vinyl . I am all about being able to live in a home, and that includes my dogs, without worrying about every little scratch or spill. I'm not sure which ones you have looked at Daisy, but the ones we are getting are $55 a sqm, laid and finished.....it is costing us $5500 to have the main house areas done, 100sqm. Have a look at the Harmony brand. Or Pm for supplier if you want.

Hi again The cost of your puppy may vary, depending on the breeder you end up choosing, but $2000 - $2500 is pretty much the norm. I lived in Canberra at the time that we got Mia, so she was flown from Tassie to Sydney, where we drove up to meet her. She was shipped with her sister Elsa (Lovemyleos is her mum), so had company on the plane. Marshall and Jenny at Konigslair will help you with your questions too.....even if you end up getting a puppy elsewhere. They are both really lovely. Good Luck!!

Hi lionelmessi, and congrats on chossing a fantastic breed . I would start with NSW Leos, the NSW Leonberger Club. They have a website and you could contact Beth (LovemyLeos, who has posted in this thread) for more info. There are a list of breeders on the site which may be a good starting point too. Certainly nothing wrong with choosing a breeder in another state (country) if they happen to be the right one for you either. My Leo came from Tasmania .

Thank you Libertybrook!! You have echoed my understanding of the breed to the letter. This is definitely sounds like the dog for me!! Now.......just got to wait for my puppy! Anyone got a spare dose of patience lying around??

Couldn't agree more. It is the temperament and nature of the BRT that has drawn me to them, as well as their intelligence and trainability.