Simply Grand

Silverdog, to me this is not just a dog behaving like a dog. As has already been stated, it is not normal, socially (or legally) acceptable behaviour for a dog to bite like this when it is startled while walking in a public place. Would you say if a human was startled, even terrified, by a jogger passing (as many of us have been) it would be just a human behaving like a human to punch the jogger in the face? No, it would be an extreme reaction and display very poor impulse control. I expect people to control themselves, just as I expect them to teach their dogs to control themselves. Also, the ideal way to approach a dog without startling it or causing it to react are not "rules" as you said, they are ideals. Dogs not biting people in public is actually a rule. So while it would be nice if non-dog owners did display common sense around dogs, dog owners really must keep their dogs under control.

SnF, I don't think you have any need at all to explain your friend's "long standing fear of GSDs". It's totally irrelevant to the situation whether she was scared or not (unless she'd run up whacked the dog without provocation or something - but it really doesn't seem like that happened!). Like others have said, an intentional bite to a passer-by in a public place (that draws blood through clothing!!) is just not ok, no matter what. I hope your friend's scars (physical and emotional) heal quickly. I also find it hard to understand how anyone who had a general frame of mind that they are responsible for preventing their dog from biting people would respond in the way this dog owner did, regardless of shock, adrenaline or anything else. But regardless of the owner's first reaction, she(?) did nothing to take responsibility for her dog's action. Again, not ok. That kind of behaviour does no favours to the public's view of dogs, but I am very heartened by the responsible attitude towards dog ownership so many who have commented in this thread clearly have. Yay for us!

I don't think I was scared enough when I got Saxon (my first ever pup)! Being a lifelong cat person, I think I figured a puppy would be much like a kitten... Note to self, puppies get into more trouble than kittens! I remember putting this tiny 1kg puppy in the middle of my bed while I ducked into the bathroom for TWO SECONDS to grab something - sure enough, heard a THUD and ran back in to find small puppy on the floor shaking his head and looking at me like he was thinking "huh, how'd I get here?" Luckily he was fine. I did worry a lot about what he had in his mouth, again kittens don't chew everything, but puppies sure do! I think I stuck my fingers in his mouth about every 5 minutes for his first 6 months, just to check he hadn't found something that could be dangerous for him. Again, despite managing to chew socks, undies, stockings, collars, tags, cat toys, cat fur, sticks, flowers, plastic containers, bugs, computer cords, paper, panadol packets (not the pills luckily), bookmarks, books, blankets, cushion stuffing (and the list of things I pulled out of his mouth goes on) he was fine!

Here's a link the Parkeyre gave me when I was trying to figure out if this is what happened to Saxon, it shows how to express the glands (ewww):

Yep Saxon's done it twice, that I'm aware of, once when he met a horse for the first time and was quite scared, and once when he was attacked by another dog. It was pretty watery, had a bit of a browny-greeny colour, and smelled worse than any poo he's done! I haven't noticed him doing it in his sleep but assuming dogs dream it might be possible... or he could have heard something that scared/woke him, expressed, then gone straight back to sleep. I hate giving health advice, being as inexpert as I am, but if it was me, and it was a one-off, I wouldn't worry. I haven't expressed Saxon's glands, or checked them actually, but if I saw him scooting I guess I would. There are some good videos on YouTube about expressing anal glands! ETA - oops just read Erny's comment, maybe they do need to be checked and emptied? Check out YouTube for a video, or I believe groomers or vets will do it.

Could be expressed anal glands... maybe he had a scary dream? I think that can happen even if the glands aren't impacted or backed up or anything. Was it mucousy or watery? PS. Can't believe I discuss these things now, must be like having children!

This just cracked me up! I have tears in my eyes

What?! are they blind, peis have gorgeous faces! I think it's totally rude to say negative things about how someone else's dog looks - if a dog doesn't appeal to you just don't say anything about its appearance! But really, most dogs think they are pretty good looking, don't they, and couldn't care less what people say

Bleurghhhh! Animals are gross. Charlie the cat can be quite the hunter, he's brought in quite a few little mousies and left them on the kitchen floor for me. He doesn't generally eat them, I think he just plays with them until they die, then brings them to me to show how clever he is but the "best" present I found was what I first thought it was a largish dead mouse, but on closer inspection was HALF of a huge dead rat Recently I've caught Saxon playing around (in the house) with a little dead mouse and a gross Wichety Grub looking thing. He was chewing on that for a while before I realised what it was

Wow!!!

They used to be. I don't know any breeders who it these days but I think it happens less often at least. I wouldn't think twice to make sure a black and tan, liver, blue or fawn doesn't make it past the first few hours. I'd be taking a serious look at how they've come about and making sure I take measure to prevent them popping up again. Are you serious?!? Why couldn't you just pet home, desex before you let the pup go if you're that worried?!?! Why kill it? You could still take a serious look at how they've come aobut and take measures to prevent them popping up again. ETA - ok, I reacted before I read the whole thread. I've now seen your reasoning. I do not agree with it. Will continue reading though...

Yay, I'll keep an eye out for you guys on assessment night - although I might be distracted trying to keep Saxon focused. Last assessment he was all over the place, which was my fault, we missed the two weeks before and I didn't even realise the week we returned was assessment I keep thinking of coming down on a Sunday to see your class, but just never get up and about in time! With a second pup I'll have to do Thurs for one and Sunday morning for the other though. My breed choices for the next one are either a Pug or a Sheltie OR a rescue... I'm actually very tempted by a kelpie or kelpie x rescue - I met the most gorgeous little Kelpie x BC (I think, she looked Elbie-ish) girl running around near the Belco dog park a while ago, we had some trouble finding her owner and I was getting just a little excited about taking her home... she was just the sweetest thing and was trying to climb into my car as I was getting ready to leave! Owner turned up though (after leaving her and their other dog roaming unattended around the bbq area at the lake and the fenced dog park for hours ) so she went with them . Your boys certainly don't make me want a Kelpie any less!! I also love Aussie Shepards... But I think given the space I have and my lifestyle, another small dog will be more suitable. So we'll see

Hopefully this will make your eyes feel better. Oooooohhhhh I LOVE this! Sooo gorgeous Also love the mismarked labs, they're stunning. So many of these dogs are just gorgeous, I would love to see more of them around. Do healthy dogs really get put down because of colour? Why can't they just be pet homed? That's so sad... unless there are serious health issues of course.

I've always said cats are smarter than dogs and could absolutely be trained like we train dogs, if only we could find the right motivator! There's the problem, because not much motivates a cat more than doing exactly what it feels like doing :D

Don't be hard on me, Saxonpup, . I have to have some company in bed. :D I was being serious, I think it's totally sweet! I can definitely see Saxon convincing me to get these when he reaches his old age, without too much effort I managed to last about 7 months of having a dog without letting him sleep on the bed, now he doesn't care if he has to sleep somewhere else but I like to have a little living teddy bear down the end of the bed :D (I still make him sleep in his bed in the laundry now and then, just in case there's another human sleeping in my bed sometime ;) )

Hehe, in that case I'd say go with your heart It's easy to give "sensible" advice to others but I reckon if I was in your position and I got the kitten first when I really wanted the puppy, I'd end up with both pretty quickly :D Get the puppy, then when the puppy has settled in and you feel ready, get the kitten. Just don't force the puppy on the older cat, and make sure the cat has its own space and can escape the puppy. I just use a baby gate to separate the house when I'm out or in bed. The cats can get over the gate and access the pet door to the back yard but have access to the living room, where the dog can't get to them. When I'm home they all interact but I keep an eye on them and separate if the pup is annoying the old cat. I think most animals are pretty adaptable...

Awwwww toooooo cute! Look at those fat bellies and GIANT paws! Bolt is totally gorgeous Simple :D Everyone's puppies are sooooo sweet, definitely making me puppy clucky. Good luck everyone and enjoy the puppy breath

What a pair of cuties :D They are amazing! You guys are very dedicated trainers I think even Hoover is more advanced than Saxon, with tricks at least. I'm planning on a new puppy early-ish next year and have started thinking about training the two of them (being a single "parent") and I think I've been way lazy with Saxon... I will have to take a leaf out of your book to keep two of them under control

Cats do understand no, they're just smart enough to realise there isn't much you can do if they choose to ignore it :D I'm thinking maybe kitten first, then puppy when kitten is a bit older too, mainly for the benefit of the older cat. I guess it depends on how adaptable the older cat is though. I acquired my old cat when she was 7, knowing nothing about her past, she was a cranky thing then but settled in well. When she was about 10 I got a kitten. At first the old cat tried to ignore the very lively kitten, but within weeks she accepted him and within months they were good friends, sleeping cuddled up and licking each other etc. I got the puppy just over a year ago, when the old cat was 15 and the young cat nearly 5. The cats totally avoided the puppy for as long as possible. They all get along ok now, but I wouldn't say they're friends - the dog thinks the cats are very boring but still persists in trying to get them to play with him, the cats whinge when the dog comes near and try to run away, but don't hurt him (and only hiss occasionally!) Anyway, my point is, the old cat quickly befriended the young cat, but still only begrudgingly accepts the dog, I don't think they'll ever really be friends (I do suspect that once the older cat is gone, the younger cat will start to snuggle up to the dog more ;) ) so maybe your older cat would appreciate the support of another cat that s/he can teach to be calm and cat-like, before a crazy puppy joins the household... Also, a puppy is much more work than a kitten, with training and everything, so if you get the kitten first, by the time you get the puppy the kitten won't need too much attention teaching-wise (just food and cuddles) but a young dog will still need lots of training and attention, leaving you less time for a new kitten... Having said that, I think whichever way you do it will work out, it will just take the right management, and ensuring cat/s and dog have their own space and time from you.

Haha my boyfriend was worried that the empty sack would just hang there forever, he wouldn't listen to me when i said it would eventually disappear. He has only ever had female dogs. Jager's stitches came out on Saturday. Vet was happy with the way it has healed. He hasn't been interested in them at all, so no licking or biting which was great. We spent yesterday at a BBQ at a friends house and Jager loved all the attention, just went from one person to the next for cuddles and pats until he passed out on my lap. It was a big day for him, and he hasn't done anything today, just wants to cuddle up and snooze. Back to the normal routine now. Looking forward to it. Heehee, poor little boy dogs. They still have it much easier than girls tho! I've never had any dog before, only cats and somehow hadn't noticed the disappearing sack on the boys. I thought it was very clever how it just healed up as though they were never there! I'm glad Jager has healed well, he'll never know what he's lost, and I'm sure will still be very man-ly

In another thread recently I said why do dogs put up with us?? (the halloween costumes thread) but I think this answers my question! We love them just as much as they love us Special steps so the pups can sleep in comfort on the bed is tooooo sweet! Not long ago I would have said if they can't get on the bed they can sleep on the floor, but now I get it

Totally agree! I'm having trouble teaching my 16 month old to stand now (for obedience) as I didn't teach him when he was a puppy. I focused on sit from the first day I had him home, plus taught drop and other things, and now he just doesn't "get" stand, he doesn't seem to think he's actually doing anything by standing, he offers everything else he knows instead to try and figure out what I want We're working on it, and will get it, but with the next pup, I'll definitely teach sit and stand at the same time. ETA - in my obedience classes, sit, stand and drop have all been practiced pretty equally from the beginning so learning sit wasn't at the expense of learning stand. Someone we still managed to bluff our way through the first few levels without a good stand at all!

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I do need to get him understanding the word stand before I add in the heeling. I'm sure my body language will confuse him, I'm still working on getting everything coordinated! I think we'll start off with me on the floor with him, then move to me standing, then eventually work in walking... I'll let you know how we go

Hmm, maybe I'm a terrible puppy mum, but I didn't really do anything different after the first few days... The day it was actually done Saxon was very sleepy and quiet (it was GREAT!) but by the next morning he was basically back to normal. We were lucky that he had no interest in his stitches.. although I think he only had one, two max, being so little. My vet definitely didn't say he needed to be kept quiet for two weeks. From memory, we did short walks on footpaths, no dog park or other crazy running around until the stitches were out, but no containment or anything. And once the stitches were out, it was all just back to normal I'd just do what you're doing and keep a close eye on the area to make sure it's healing fine, and as long as it is, don't worry too much... but of course I'm no expert! One thing I found funny about the whole thing was watching the little empty sack shrivel up and disappear, pretty soon there was just smoothness (sorry how immature am I!)

Any tips on how to teach a good stand in a little dog (11 inches tall)? I've read about putting your hand under their tummy or other various places but to do that, I need to basically kneel on the ground, which totally throws us off in heeling... He's 16 months old and definitely capable of learning a good stand, at the moment he has a vague idea and will sometimes stay in a kind of stand if I get my hand in front of his face and click quickly enough but then he'll drift into a sit, and usually he goes straight into a sit when I stop because he thinks that's what he's meant to do (he has a very good automatic sit on halt ). He's good with drop, as long as I get my timing right with the command and the hand signal, but I just can't get stand to work! I know it's nothing to do with his abilities, it's just that I didn't teach him stand when I was teaching sit and drop so now he's confused So, any particular tips? Do I lure him from a sit to a stand, then click, then repeat, until he gets it without worrying about the heeling for now, or will that make it harder to get him to do it when heeling? Thanks in advance