Aetherglow

Yes, it takes time to change in a way which won't severely damage the breed, one which I love and would hate to see disappear. More plain dogs doing well at shows, more good quality plain dogs being kept for breeding, perhaps an encouragement from the clubs for breeders to breed plain/flashy. The number of white pups born would decrease, but probably not disappear altogether. My boxer from my teens was a plain dog from a litter with five whites I don't know why whites should not be allowed on the limit register, either, perhaps with a BAER test pass - sure it's non-desirable, but disallowed colours can be limit registered in every other breed. I've met several current boxer breeders, including one who I know euthanises whites after attempting to home whites in a litter and ending up with a disaster, one who definitely doesn't, and some that I'm not sure. The topic of white puppies is one which, while not the only factor, contributed to my decision to go with a different breed when I started looking for my current dog. Knowing that I wanted to try showing and possibly breeding down the track, I chose a breed with less potential for sad outcomes due to something so basic as coat pattern. I'd own a boxer again, but probably not breed, and my preference in colour is closer to plain than flashy - I like stockings, but prefer a full masked face or close to it and hate unpigmented eye rims with a passion.

This forum IS hilarious. Tree Hugging Greenie.. My definition. My words, for those who criticise ethical breeders for everything they do. Damned if a breeder does, Damned if a breeder doesn't. I have no issue of breeders putting to sleep their white boxers, if they feel they need to do this. As long as it is done humanely and for the right reasons. At the end of the day, they have to live with those decisions. Wuffles: I could don't care if you agree with me or not. You have your opinion, I have mine. I have produced half white faced puppies and I BAER tested them. If they were deaf, they would have been put to sleep. I have put to sleep puppies as old as 3 weeks and even put to sleep a 14 month dog I bred and later rescued back. Better I did it than the pound. Just because YOUR dog is not deaf, and it was from normally marked parents, and IS allowed in the standard, does not necessarily benchmark everything else for those in the Boxer breed. I'm a bit confused. This thread established that breeders know the combination that produces white boxers. Can't the whole pts thing be avoided in the first place by not breeding that combination? How is it responsible to deliberately breed together two dogs knowing deaf dogs may well be the end result? Shouldn't the breed club dictate should not to pts white boxers but not breed for them in the first place? As Ms Hanson put it so aptly, please explain? The only way to avoid the chance of white pups completely in boxers is to never breed flashy dogs. The dogs that show well are almost always flashy. Flashy x flashy = about a 1 in 4 chance of a white pup. In addition, some genetically flashy boxers do not show full flashy markings (white on the face and collar) due to modifiers, but may have only stockings. If bred to another flashy dog there will still be the same risk of producing white pups as any other flashy to flashy mating. So if you're a breeder who shows, your breeding stock is likely to mostly be flashy because that is what does well in the ring. You have the choice of keeping some plain dogs around, knowing that they probably won't be successful show dogs, or take the risk of white puppies. Given the limitations on numbers of dogs a breeder can keep these days, the choice to risk white pups is, unfortunately, often the more practical one. Incidentally, a plain dog mated to a white will always produce nice flashy markings.

Tuffy, pedigree boxer, survived a bone infection and two general anaesthetics in her first two weeks of life to live to 14 years 7 months. She was put to sleep after a week's treatment for rapidly worsening heart failure was clearly not working. Kostya, rescue boxer of unknown origin, was approximately 11 when he was put to sleep following a severe seizure probably caused by a brain tumour. He had had cancer for about three years, but the decision was made to support and treat him as long as he was happy and otherwise healthy, and he was perfectly so right up until the day he had the seizure.

I usually have a friend pet sit for me who charges me ridiculously low rates and practically moves into the house to lavish attention on Tarja and the cats, and she usually does a big clean on the last day as well so I come home to a lovely neat house. She's more of a neat freak than I am :) Once in an emergency I had Lonely Pets Club do two daily visits for a week, but it was definitely not my preferred option as even with two visits daily that would still only have been a little bit of contact and attention and I suspect walks would have been very short. I couldn't get them all into a kennel/cattery on the very short notice I had before going away that time and my friend was unavailable, so it was really my only option, and I certainly wouldn't do it for a longer time than that, either. I used to do long house minding and pet sitting stints for family friends when I was a student still living at home, and even after I started work until I moved into my own place. It can work out well for everyone - so long as the student is reliable and not prone to throwing big parties they win by getting away from the family home for a while, and the owner has someone looking after the house for cheap or free. I'd only do this with someone I knew well and trusted, though.

:laugh: I don't think Disney had an original story in it history! It was based on a short story, "Happy Dan, the whistling dog". By Ward Greene. I had heard that the Happy Dan story, which was the origin of Tramp, was purchased by Disney and added to a much earlier original Disney storyline which had been sitting around for years about a company writer's dog named Lady which was displaced by his newborn baby. Certainly in the movie version Lady is supposed to be an American Cocker Spaniel, and Tramp a mutt. Why do I remember this stuff???!!!

Gosh, the Mals really throw themselves into it full pelt, don't they? Nekhbet, your German Shepherd is stunning!

Northcote are pretty old school. I've sent you a pm.

It does, doesn't it. I became interested in Murrays when a friend of a friend rescued one, he's a very handsome dog.

Oh, did she do the full on smile with lifted lips? Our old girl used to do that when she was greeting her special people, it was hilarious! Along with wagging her rear end so hard she couldn't walk :)

We've been fortunate with our boxers - our girl lived to 14 and really didn't slow down much until the last couple of years, and Dad's last boy was a rescue who we think was 11 when he passed away from cancer last year. He was still roughhousing with my young and energetic lappie girl almost to the end, although being an older dog he got tired before she did - which meant that he would still play with her, just lying down! I get boxer cuddles tomorrow with my parents' new boy, a gorgeous ex-show dog who grew too big

If the existing dog is pretty friendly then a female boxer, introduced correctly, should be fine. Boxers are very full-on in their play, so another boxer is probably a better choice than breeds that are more delicate or don't like fairly physical play.

A dog shouldn't be that insecure it has to piss on everything the new dog has brought in. That is a lack of structure and understanding between original dog and owner if it happens to this degree. Without going into details, the dog concerned in this particular circumstance had good reason to feel insecure through no fault of his owner. It was just stuff, and we got through it. Nevertheless it was a bit trying for a little while until everyone adjusted.

You might want to start working with your current dog now so that he has a good idea of where it is appropriate to mark and where isn't, as it is pretty common for dogs that like to mark to do so where other dogs have toileted. They can also mark the other dog's toys/bed/bowl, mark in places where they haven't previously (including inappropriate places like inside) in order to both reassure themselves in a time of change and to really make sure that the newcomer knows who's boss of the house, and maybe even mark the puppy! You may find that you will need to be vigilant with both dogs for some time. Also arm yourself with some Bio-Zet washing detergent, as it breaks down urine so he won't smell any puppy accidents and mark over them after you've cleaned. Incidentally, your boy's marking behaviour is probably more just his personality than anything he's learned from another dog. There was a thread recently about non-stereotypical weeing which had every variation from entire males who squatted to girls who cocked their leg or even did handstands to mark as high as possible.

Tarja went from laying on the floor next to me relaxing to interested, sitting up and trying to get her face into the computer speakers and then looking at me, nudging and putting paws up as if to say it was mean of me to be hiding the sources of these new and interesting sounds from her. She reacted more to the dingo howl and the African wild dog yipping than to the coyotes or the domestic dog noises, although she definitely picked out a dog whining in the "lots of dogs barking" clip and reacted more to that than the general barking. The general barking only got an ear twitch until the whining started part of the way through, then she gave full attention and head tilts. No reaction at all from the cat that's in the room, she's too busy imitating a cushion :)

How can you not buy the argument when the thread is about someone getting bitten within leash range of a dog? The only reasoning is whether to run the risk of getting bitten or avoiding the possiblity as best you can? As already said, it's not practical to get 5 - 6 feet away from every dog, and can be very dangerous. You don't know what kind of conditions were involved in the situation, and neither to I, but there are plenty of situations on footpaths where that solution is impossible or dangerous - is the footpath right next to a busy road or in a narrow alley? Is there a tree or parked car on the nature strip and in the way? Is there an overhanging hedge or tree which means that the dog walker is already forced away from the path and towards the road and you then have to go further out into the road? Is the pedestrian disabled or frail and really can't get out of the way easily? Should all of these situations just be avoided? If so, nobody could ever go for a walk.

I suspect it's more a comment on how you come across. Also, your solution is not practical or reasonable.

I don't buy the argument that it's reasonable for someone to get out of full leash range on a footpath. In many cases five feet away from the dog would require walking out onto the road if the dog walker isn't making room, and that's often going to be far more dangerous.

Ah.. perhaps this is why doctors have to wear trousers when they treat people? I dunno... I believe there was a study done somewhere that said the best way to transfer germs between hospital patients was on a doctor's tie or staff member's nametag lanyard. I for one, am very glad that doctors wear pants when treating patients though! Poor roo. He must be incredibly stressed.

leg cocking and marking in girls is just a bossy girl thing. My girl is convinced she's the benevolent ruler of the world and has marked since her first season, becoming even more pronounced after her second season. She has a peculiar variation on cocking, though - she squats and tries to lift her leg as well! It looks like a difficult yoga move. She does not have a housetraining problem - she'll let me know if she wants to go out, even at night on rare occasions, but she's usually good for at least 8 hours overnight.

Above all lists! Finnish Lapphund (I was first attracted by the looks, then sucked in by the temperamental description!) I have trouble cutting down from around 20 breeds, and many of the ones I love the looks of are either not suitable right now or would never be suitable for me, but on looks alone, in no particular order... 1. Siberian Husky 2. Akita 3. Old/working-style GSD 4. Weimeraner 5. Chow Chow One of these things is not like the others

Another possibility is kennel cough, some dogs will cough until they vomit and it tends to be a kind of foamy, clear stuff, it can look very similar to the symptoms of having something caught in the throat. Good luck at the vet, I hope it's nothing too serious.

It happens the other way, too - I was once offered the use of a male golden retriever if I ever wanted to have a litter with my girl. This was not someone I knew, just a guy who walks his dogs in the same park I use.

Purebred with papers or just looked like a particular breed? Whilst it may look like a purebred dog without papers you have no idea, not to mention the rest of the litter could look the complete opposite. No, no papers, that's why I said we were going by what they looked like. To be honest pounds will rarely if ever know if a dog is actually purebred as they would never get to see papers, only what's on the chip, if the chip says it's pure, who are they to disagree? Chip details can also be wrong - My pedigree Affen was chipped as an Affen X I know a Dane who was chipped as a Greyhound - simple error on the person entering the data into the database. Of course they can, but the pound only has that to go on. I had many dogs come in chipped as something and obviously something else. It seems that data entry errors are fairly common. One of my cats' microchip company details had his name completely wrong, my name wrong, and my address wrong. I also found that even though I had carefully, in block letters, filled in the correct breed details for Tarja for her council registration they had entered her as a different and even rarer breed, a Finnish Spitz!

Tarja is a hassle to wash in the shower with the double coat, but it's the only option at home, I don't have a bathtub and she's much too big for the laundry tub. If I just don't have time I'll go down to the local dog wash, they automatically disinfect after each wash and you can run an extra disinfect cycle. She did develop scaly skin after her last bath there though, so I'll be taking my own shampoo in future. My dryer is one of the best things I've ever bought, way better than the one at the dog wash

Gosh, I live in the inner suburbs and can't find very many people who are at all interested in training. The local obedience club was far too inconsistent, and Tarja found paddock-bashing for an hour with them boring. Oh yes, there was the severe kennel cough she picked up there, too There doesn't seem to be anyone who actually trains in the local park, everyone just lets their dogs have a run as far as I can tell.