Simply Grand

Oh and Riley's Mum, I know what you mean about playing rough! Saxon and my Riley are crazy with each other, and they're only little, I can't imagine the scene at your place :D My two are very similar size now but from the beginning it's been all about bitey-face (and bitey-ears, bitey-tail, bitey-legs etc etc), racing around the house and growling/screeching at each other. It sounds like some sort of insane rampage sometimes!! But after watching them closely they seem to both be quite happy with it, neither tries to escape (much) and no one has gotten hurt I do wish I knew what went through their heads sometimes though!

Hey Misschief, I'm not sure there's much you can do to prepare your current dog but I would suggest keeping watch when the two play and keeping them separate when you're not there until you are confident that they are both happy playing together. I brought my puppy home in June (8.5 weeks old at the time) to join my 2 year old and at first I did watch them really closely and fenced them off in separate areas when I went out. First introductions the older dog was on leash, then I let him off and let them play but I stayed close and stepped in before the older dog got worked up. After a week or so I felt comfortable that the puppy understood that the older dog was playing with him and that he didn't need to be scared. I think it was only a couple of weeks until I started letting them hang out together when I was out. My dogs are very close in size though, when the puppy came home he was 2 kgs and the adult was 5kg (yes, they're small!!) and by the time I left them alone Riley was rapidly catching up in size. If there was a bigger size gap I think I would have left them separate when I wasn't there for much longer. Also, now I think about it, their personalities came into it too, Saxon the older one, is softer and less confident than Riley, the puppy, and always has been so I wasn't too worried about him bullying Riley. Saxon has also been happy to share toys, beds etc then we've had friends' dogs stay so I suspected he'd be ok with the puppy. So much depends on the dogs and how you manage them so it's hard to say, but watch closely, make arrangements to keep them separate when you're not there to supervise, monitor them when you are there and don't rush things between them

I don't think either of mine are really expected to have strong instincts, although I suppose Standard Poodles are a retrieving breed aren't they? Does it count when it's a toy poodle x...? He does play fetch quite well. And I suppose Riley is a herder (Shetland Sheepdog) and he does love to chase Saxon, although when he catches up he just grabs the tail and hangs on. Anyway they certainly haven't proven any instincts in real life. Charlie the cat brings rats and mice in for me sometimes ( ). Usually they're dead and I take them off him and dispose of them. The other week he brought a rat in, I grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him up, growling at him to drop it. The dogs ran over to check out what was happening. Charlie opened his mouth... the rat ran off to the corner!! Charlie immediately tried to go after it so I was hanging onto his scruff to stop him getting it and trying to grab the rat with my other hand. Both dogs stood there between me with Charlie and the rat, staring at it boggle eyed, not moving, as though they'd never seen a living animal before in their lives. I was trying to get one of them to herd it towards me so I could grab it. Nope nothing, so poor old Charlie got chucked out the door and I came back to "save" the rat from the dogs... who were still standing stock still staring :rolleyes:

Hugs to you and Mindy, thinking of you

So glad thy arrived safe and sound back where they should be Love little Mr Blue in photo 3, gorgeous little fat belly and tiny paws! So cute.

They were so amazing, gorgeous big dogs. I think I've come across the Kangal before but assume the Leonberger was a new addition. The owner was a quite young (mid-20s?) guy and doing a great job of socializing and training his dogs. Both were these gentle cuddly bears who just wanted to play but still were pretty gentle with dogs much smaller than them and just looked fascinated at meeting them all. Sometimes I love our dog park!

So this arvo at the dog park it was pretty quiet, getting close to dark. I was there with Saxon and Riley (small), there was their friend Bibba, who is a little Poodle X, a Westie, and a Whippet running around (with owners of course). Then there was a Kangal adult ( but quite young I think) and a most gorgeous Leonberger pup! Apparently he was four months old and was quite happy to sit there while the rest of the dogs sniffed him. Grumpy Saxon got a pit growly when both big dogs sniffed around his face, Riley squeaked when his tail accidently got stood on, then tucked it in, and the other two small dogs stood stock still when they were first sniffed but after a moment they all seemed cool and it was very cute. It was so funny how the Leongerger, bigger than all the other little dogs combined, reacted like the young puppy he was and seemed a bit scared of the rest! So cute

Oh gosh, I hope the Whippy is ok. I worry about it with my small guys and keep a close eye. My sister's bunny (maybe 2.5kg) apparently died of stomach torsian. He was mopey one day and gone the next, but rabbits are very sensitive. I'm sure this won't happen here. Best wishes.

Thought I should offer something more constructive... not that I'm any sort of expert. I would have thought that a campaign featuring a whole range of breeds and sizes of dogs, ideally dogs that have actually been declared dangerous or nuisance dogs across the country, with statements such as: - humans brought me home without considering whether I was a good fit for their environment - humans didn't make the effort to socialise me properly - humans didn't train me to understand that they are pack leader - humans didn't teach me my job properly - humans didn't keep me in a safe backyard - humans didn't keep on leash in public - humans didn't make me feel like they would keep me safe so I didn't have to hurt others etc etc etc would be more effective in showing that it is infact humans who have a huge influence on how dogs behave. Those of us here know that the above are more like the factors that influence attacks than breed but joe public doesn't necessarily. And quite frankly the same poster as in the OP featuring a Pomeranian or Labrador or Poodle or Corgi (or xxx other breed) would not be relevant, as they are not bred to fight nor are their ears cropped etc etc. The statements in the poster are sad and true but not the point, they are not what makes a dog and particularly a breed safe or not safe. The other actions of humans are what do (IMHO).

All very true sadly and very emotive but I don't think it makes a convincing argument against banning certain breeds unfortunately. There would be many who would respond with well if the dogs aren't there the humans can't do those things then the dogs can't hurt people. I don't think it makes the point that responsible ownership, training and management of any dog is what prevents attacks, not banning particular breeds. Sorry

PS you would not want to have a picnic inside our dog park anyway, there is a LOT of poo left around, not an environment you'd want to eat in! (unless you were a dog of course)

OsS that sounds great! Here in Canberra we do have fenced specific dog parks. There are three govt ones and one community one, all open to the public. Pretty much everywhere else is on leash, apart from a few areas that can be offleash but are not specifically for dogs. Kids playgrounds, BBQ areas, swimming areas at the lakes etc are on lead. When you go into the dog parks it really is all about the dogs, anyone having a picnic in there wouldn't get any sympathy for dogs approaching them, in fact I think there are signs saying dont take food in. There are sometimes dogs off leash in other areas so there are the usual problems of dogs approaching others but if your dog approached people having a picnic or BBQ there is no ambiguity, dog owner is in the wrong. I like that it's clear. We're lucky to have pretty good dogs and owners at our regular park so it's generally enjoyable to go there.

Brave Riley! Here's hoping everything is fine, I'm sure he'll come through just great

I just had to come back and post this photo I found today, Saxon as a puppy watching the movie 8 Below! (Hopefully it shows up ok, Saxon's on the floor under the coffee table). He would have been about 4 months or so and I remember he was fascinated, just sat there and watched the dogs for ages

Michelleva, you inspired me this afternoon! It's been raining and miserable here today and I was going to use it as an excuse not to walk the dogs but then I read your thread and decided to just do it! We had a slightly longer walk than planned as I got a bit lost but we found a nice oval to run around on and met a very cute little BC puppy so it was well worth it. Saxon and Riley say thanks Georgia for making our lazy mum get off her butt and take us out!

I just read the book of Red Dog, sweet, funny and yes some tears! Really looking forward to seeing the movie! I love most doggy movies, even the corny kids ones... Beverly Hills Chihuahua for eg hehe. Oh and the ones about dogs in the snow, I think 8 Below is the one where the team of dogs get left behind And the Buddies movies about the litter of lab puppies (or maybe GRs, not sure). BTW I am actually an adult, not an 11 year old!

d, it sounds like you're doing a great job and Lucy sounds like a well adjusted little girl, I think she will do just fine on her own a few days a week! When I had to go back to work after bringing my first pup Saxon home I was worried and popped home at lunchtime to check on him a few days but he'd always been sleeping and didn't seem bothered at all so I decided it was less disruptive for him to just leave him. With my second pup Riley I had to go back to work pretty much straight away. I wasn't too worried about leaving him because he had Saxon around for company but they were kept apart though baby gates for the first few weeks until I was confident Riley wouldn't get hurt. I was usually gone up to 10 hrs a day, 5 days a week and Riley was fine, this was from 9 weeks. He's now nearly 5 months and happy hanging out with Saxon or on his own, tho he does get very excited when I return to him! It is hard not to worry, especially when they're so little but you can't control everything, all you can do is leave her in the best set up, which it sounds like you have, and try to relax!

Daisygirl, I suspect the little foxy doesn't actually think it's funny to fence charge and threaten your dogs, just hasn't had owners take appropriate responsibility so doesn't know what else to do... Owners' fault, not the dog's

Babieeeesss! So sweet How lucky is little ice boy that you listened to your feeling that there was a puppy outside and went to check in time! He was meant to be

Of course they shouldn't be banned! I don't think cute puppies is a reason to keep any dog ( tho Rotti puppies are super cute) but I also don't think any breed is a particular reason not to! Obviously don't know every rotti but have only ever met nice ones who were great with people and with my small dogs!

Hi Alec, only just read this thread, sounds like your pup is doing great with the toilet training! Better than I'm doing with Riley, my 4 month old pup (my fault, not his!) I just had to laugh at your pee ninja comment, that's exactly what they're like, how do they do it?!? I swear I've been right there, not even seen movement and suddenly there's a puddle on the floor!

Good article! I hope lots of people get to see that information. So sad that poor baby puppies are taken away from their mums/litters so young! I got Saxon at 6.5 weeks and he just seemed so young, so dependent on me and so helpless. He was with me almost non-stop until he was 8 wks and then had the cats around in the house at least when I wasn't there but the thought of a 5 or 6 week old pup possibly being left home alone or outside on its own is just heartbreaking. Riley was 8.5 weeks and sooo different! Confident and happy enough to explore things on his own and much more aware and understanding of the things around him. And big advantage, way less bitey! His mum did a way better job of teaching him to watch his manners than I could have Incidentally, from memory in Riley's puppy school he was the only one of 6 who had gone the their new home at 8 weeks, the others all earlier, including one at 4 weeks!! I don't know the story behind that tho...

In London, yes lots of apartments, if not then townhouses with courtyards but not houses with reasonable size blocks like in the suburbs here. Also particularly in lower socioeconomic areas there are heaps of apartment blocks that either currently are or previously were council housing. I think a lot of the people in the doco were probably in those.

That was good, but I feel quite sad after watching it. The puppies, and dogs in general, seemed like a tool or accessory for pretty much all the people they talked to. Before they were even BREATHING the "breeders" were talking about how much money each would be worth I do think it was good to show people that planning to make money from puppies doesn't work! Might at least put some people off. I didn't really think the woman was that bad, she did try to find homes for the puppies and acknowledged that it was unfair for the poor little one that wasn't vaccinated and couldn't be exercised (although the stupid guy did have it out running around anyway). By then though when she palmed off not only a puppy but the male dog and her SON onto her mother while whinging about how hard she had things just annoyed me. The woman called Pitbull was scary, it seemed like she had dogs just to make herself feel tough and powerful. I know she said they were for protection but I'd like to know how much control she had over them and whether they would actually only protect if necessary or whether they'd attack. She said the Corso would attack anyone, adult, kid whoever... and that she walks it out on the streets. Wouldn't want to happen to be walking home one night and have her/the dog take a dislike to me, or to some kid. Lastly, the guy with the two little kids who took the pup on payment plan At first I thought he seemed ok but the more he crap he talked the more annoying and pathetic he seemed... "oh I can't lower myself to take any old job to support my kids, oh social support doesn't pay enough for me get my puppy vaccinated (or even actually pay for the puppy) but I'm just gonna get a puppy anyway for protection, oh I only commit petty crimes, but then I feel like a petty thief, boohoo..." :rolleyes: It seemed like the mum with the two boys and the guy who took on the last puppy and said breeding shouldn't be about the money anyway seemed like they might be good homes! Oh and the puppies were very cute babies! ETA: Re my very long post, coz of my stupid slow internet it took all afternoon on and off to watch the whole thing so I had a lot of time to think about it all, sorry!!

Oh no! Poor Fleming... kinda funny though, heehee. If bras are left out at my house they get chewed through, I've lost a few good ones when I've accidentally left them out, grrr. Good motivation for remembering to put them away!