Remarkabull

People ask me if Scarlett's a Pit Bull. When I say she's a Bull Terrer they often think they're the same breed. Aaah no moron, they are not the same breed I got that alot when I had BT's. I remember walking my bitch at the local markets and a lady grabbed her child by the arm and ripped him through the air yelling loudly 'get away from the pitbull'. As if I'd take a HA dog out in such a public place and as if she could be mistaken for anything other than a BT with that distinctly shaped head! :D

Such a gut wrenching decision to make. I've had to do it myself and it really sucks, but like you said if it is for the safety of other pets then it's either that or get rid of the others.

Will definitely be coming to meet your beautiful dogs! I showed OH a pic of them the other night and he LOVED them so much they are now on our dog wish list!

What colour is he? I know that Blues can and do have skin issues and hair loss is common. I would also maybe look at changing his diet, more raw and less processed. My last Dobe used to get dry skin and dandruff (but no hair loss) when fed Bonnie.

I am not a SBT breeder. I have never owned a SBT. I do however have a family member who breeds these 'rare and elusive' blue SBT's, and will charge you around $2000 for the pleasure of buying one of her. None of her dogs or any of the other hundreds of Blue's I've seen over the years (I've worked as a Vet Nurse and a groomer and managed a pet shop, so have come in contact with thousands of dogs of many different breeds) have been a 'good' example of the breed. Every single one of them has been hugely oversized with massive heads, have heaps of loose skin and many have been an ugly washed out brown/blue colour and even the ones that are a lovely steely blue are still way bigger than a SBT is meant to be. As for the black noses, I think you'll find that it is actually a very dark steel blue. My question Keltoi, is if they are so lovely, great examples of the breed and all 'show quality' then why are no reputable breeders showing them? Who exactly is breeding these dogs you are refering to?

Acheron is still a puppy and is sometimes distracted by other dogs while out and about, but I already have complete trust in his recall. I have called him off chasing another dog at the dog park and he responded immediately, he is very focused on where I am and what I ask of him. OH and I often get a huge distance between us and will call him back and forth. He definitely responds better for me (I am the one who feeds and trains all our pets) and sometimes won't get all the way to OH before turning around and heading back to me but he will listen to OH better if I'm not around.

Hehehe, this also applies to ridgies!!! Gee how could I forget that!! Our current girl is very pushy!! I forgot to add that the dog you can see in the crate behind Acheron is Jazz, a RR x Amstaff, so I kind of have one of each!

I really like RR's but as you can tell from my username I think Dobes Rock Dobes are my heart breed and I would choose them over any other breed of dog. They are not for everyone though, they are definitely 'velcro' dogs and it's rare for me to be able to go to the toilet without my boy coming too! I like this kind of closeness and bond between us however so his desire to be near me always is fine with me. It also means he is very eager to please and is very smart and easy to train (as long as the dog understands you are the boss). They could be very pushy and dominant with a 'soft' or inexperienced owner. ETA This is my boy, Acheron, he is 10 months old. Who could resist this beautiful face!

The majority of vets would prefer a nurse to hold the patient for euthanasia and have the owner pat their head or elsewhere. The reason for this is owners (most of them) would not know how to restrain a dog or cat for an intravenous injection. If you've seen a euthanasia where the animal has moved and the needle has come out of the vein, it's not pretty. Especially because the drug used stings alot when injected anywhere other than into a vein. Although, some can be done just with the vet. Usually very sick/old ones, or those that may have been sedated. Hope that made sense. In all the time I worked as a vet nurse we were only ever required to hold for Euth when the vet or owners asked us to. I have never had a vet tell me that I couldn't hold my own dog while it was PTS. Holding a leg for injection is not rocket science and anyway the vets I've been to and worked for have used a tornique (sp?) when euthanising while the owners are present. I was ok for almost everything that happens at a vet clinic but there were definitely times where emotions would run high and I would want to (and sometimes did) cry. The hardest one was when a really old couple that obviously didn't have much money (they were very thin and dirty and were wearing very old, smelly clothes) bought in their ancient Whippet who was also thin, dirty and very smelly, but was also very much loved by the old man, to be PTS. The old man just couldn't bring himself to be there while it was done and asked me to hold the dog and tell her how good she was while she was dying. His eyes were so bloodshot and silent tears just kept falling from them and it just broke my heart to carry the lifeless body of his much loved companion out to his car and lay her in the back seat so they could take her home to bury her. Somedays really sucked and others were great.

Am watching it now. Not sure if I want to laugh or cry Maybe a bit of both. These people are completely clueless and he is not making the situation any better. Fools.

Purple is my fav colour but I won't put it on my male dogs. When we went to get Acheron a car harness I tried a purple one on him and he just looked to 'pooncey'. He is so masculine looking it just looked strange to have him in bright purple! We stick with black or maybe would go a deep blue if I wanted something to stand out on him. It is down to personal preference though, he is your dog and if you like it then just do it, don't worry what everyone else thinks.

I haven't read all the responses but this is like my house. Mine all hang around the table watching and waiting for something to 'fall' onto the floor. My Dobe will often put his chin on my arm, just to let me know he is there! If we have people over then I will put some or all of the dogs outside but seeing as our dining table is right next to the glass sliding doors that lead to the back yard then we still have an audience but they can't touch anyone. Oh, and we also let them lick the plates, saves rinsing before going into the dishwasher!

In my experience and opinion alot of the so called 'premium' and 'super premium' dog foods are a heap of crap and I would sooner feed my dogs on supermarket foods than waste my money on them. My advise is read the ingredients (and learn what they actually are and how ,if at all, they contribute to the dogs nutrition). There was a time that there was no such thing as 'puppy food' and pups were raised successfully back then with no major problems. Feed your dog what it does best on, do your own research and don't always believe what you are told by others. I would tend to listen to breeders advise and opinions over any staff member in a pet shop. For the record, I have a Doberman. He stopped getting puppy food at around 5-6 months of age, he is in perfect health, looks great and has had no growth problems at all. He gets fed what I consider a good dry food and plenty of RMB, eggs, yoghurt, sardines and some vegies.

Thanks guys . Heaps of sites for me to check out and reseach now. I'm not all that happy with the Pet Barn up here and the only other pet shops sell puppies etc so won't use them. Glad to know there is lot's of choice on the net and even better maybe free shipping!

Which is the best website for getting cheap (I mean cheaper than the shops) pet stuff. I'm mostly looking for things like Interceptor and worm tablets, but if postage is not too bad (I live in NT) then I would also be interested in getting other things too. I have done a google search but I thought that DOLers would know of many more than I could find by myself! Thanks in advance guys .

What's a little terrier thing? A small dog that resembles a terrier. Probably of mixed and dubious origins.

Yes. My old Dobe (RIP) hated our new Bull Terrier pup from day dot. As soon as this tiny puppy was brought into the house/yard the Dobe would growl and snap if the BT pup approached him. He didn't go out of his way to attack the pup but didn't want it anywhere near him. The Dobe was absolutely fine with all our other dogs (before and after that BT pup) but never with him. Same Dobe hated Rotti's and SBT's. Even the bitches which was unusual for him. It wasn't a male thing, his best mate at Flyball was a male Kelpie X and he was facinated by the Mal's at Obedience training and loved to play with them. I guess like us, they can't like all other dogs, I certainly don't like every person I meet.

I've known a few that I really disliked, maybe even hated. Probably a bit to do with bad/lazy owners but there are some breeds of dog that I just can't 'like' no matter how many of that breed I've met that are well trained, lovely dogs. (Not many!)

Went again today and although no playing with the other dog there he only barked at it twice then proceeded to ignore it even though it was really close to us! He is definately more relaxed when he is off lead, I can see him realise that he can run away if he wants and he doesn't feel trapped by being restrained. It's still going to take alot of work and patience but I am very hopeful that we will get him past the fear of other dogs, even if he just tolerates them and doesn't want to play I'd still call that a win for us and him.

Thanks, it's such a good feeling seeing him be 'ok' with another dog. I have a DA dog and she misses out on alot of outings and fun stuff because of that, so I really don't want that for Acheron.

Acheron is my 10 month old Doberman and he is fantastic in many ways (he has a great desire to please me, has a great recall- even with distractions, is fairly easy to train and is very friendly with people) but right from the start he has been scared of any other dogs (except for my other dogs). I got him at 12 weeks, he had been socialised by his breeders (taken to shows etc, that's how I met them) and while I still lived in VIC I continued with this by arranging play dates with his sister (who was still with the breeders at that stage) and meeting up with them at shows that were nearby etc. I also took him to Kepala a couple of times and the poor dog just stood behind me and barked at any dog that approached him. (There are pics in the Kepala thread that show him moping about with a sad look on his face). Anyway since moving to Darwin, we started attending Obedience classes and although he is fantastic at obedience and a very quick learner, he would still bark at dogs that came into his 'personal space'. Most of the others would happily play with each other or at the very least have a sniff hello and then move on but Acheron wouldn't hear of it. Add to that he has been rushed at a number of times and literally attacked (by a SWF) while being walked by me over the last few weeks I was beginning to worry that he would become fear aggressive, but today, much to my delight, while we were at a dog park (it's HUGE and has a lagoon for swimming) there was a lady with 3 dogs, 2 of which kept approaching us wanting to check out my 2. At first it was business as usual with Acheron barking and running away but then he did a play bow and the other dog responded and before I knew it they were chasing each other in and out of the lagoon and having a ball! He did not allow physical contact but definately enjoyed the game and also spent time sniffing at her other 2 dogs without barking at them! Sorry for the long post but I am so relieved that all hope is not lost with my boy and he still may be able to meet and greet (or at least have them around him) without carrying on like a big dope or at the very least be able to go to Obedience without him barking like a looney until the class starts.

While at work today a customer came in and asked us to page for the person who had left their dog in the car (no windows down!) while shopping. It turned out to be an older gentleman who 'forgot' his dog was in the car as he was busy looking at drills! The man and his daughter that noticed this dog in the car followed him while he got his dog out of the car and were yelling at him and threatening to call RSPCA. Poor little dog was very hot and very glad to be out of the car but owner would not let us give her a drink. Not sure why he left her in the car anyway, dogs are allowed in the shop as long as they are on a trolley :D .

SBT are not one of my favourite breeds but I have met many lovely ones. I have also met many stupid, in your face, disobedient nutcase ones too. I think the problem is that because they are such a popular breed and there are so many BYB producing sub standard specimens (in both temperament and looks) and most of those are going to yobbos and people that only want them because of the way they look and have no real desire or understanding how to train, socialise them etc so there is a huge number of 'staffy' looking dogs out there. Unfortunately I am related to some people that own 3 SBT (they are registered breeders of the elusive and rare blue and blue fawn - note the sarcasm) and there is no way I would let my dogs or my kids go anywhere near them. In fact, I am the biggest dog lover around and it's very rare for me to actively dislike a dog but I can say that I almost hate those 3. They are not aggressive (well they weren't the last time I saw them but it certainly was heading in that direction), but are hyperactive, disobedient and over excited idiots of dogs. They jump all over everyone, they bark constantly, they can't be walked calmly or without pulling your arm out of it's socket and they even annoy each other so much it often comes to a fight, especially between the 2 bitches who now have to be kept separated. Hopefully your new neighbours will be of the responsible variety and will have lovely, friendly dogs and I also think you should talk to them about your concerns but do it carefully and try not to imply bad things about their dogs without knowing them.

Yeech Dobesrock.. I've just spent the last three months on developing the Giant White Dobermann.. sure you don't want one of these? Seem to recall you wanted a brindle dobe too? Did these in Giant as well. :D Ohhhh, I'll take one of each, male and female please, cause they are so tough looking and everyone will say how noice they are so I will have to let them bread. If you don't want any of the puppies it's alright mate cause I know of a roolly good pet shop that will take them and find excellent homes for them.

Depends on the dogs personality and drives. My SBF (small black fluffy) has no drive at all and would happily co-habitate with any small critters without a problem. My JRT X Chi is the same, he is obsessed with balls but has no issue with birds, lizzards and other small animals. My JRT bitch would become obsessed with it and drive us all crazy with her whinging and my 2 big dogs (Dobe and pig dog) wouldn't care less either. Does your dog like to chase other animals? What is it's reaction to birds that land in the yard or ones it see's on walks?