Remarkabull

I also agree that it would depend on who was saying it and how. I also don't agree with everything that is suggested at Obedience classes and I just use what I agree with and discard the rest, but that is also because i have different goals than what other people attending the classes have.

+1

Back on the original topic I just went up to the local Petbarn and took Acheron (Dobe) with me. We got alot of attention and lovely comments about how beautiful people thought he was and 2 ladies and their children in particular were quite taken with him. (it helped that he was being extra cute by carrying around a bumblebee squeaky toy) One lady asked what he was but only because she had forgotton the name of his breed, she did recognise him as a purebred though. One of the kids squealed when she first saw him and asked if he was 'vicious' but quickly joined in the cuddling and patting that he was receiving. All in all a good promotion of purebred dogs and Dobermanns in particular!

They are not that I'm biased Well suited to Australian families, too. There aren't many homes they wouldn't be happy in. I love Border Terriers, have for as long as I can remember. Have tried talking OH into getting one in the future but he is not so keen, he wants a bulldog and seeing as I got to have another Dobe I suppose it's only fair to let him. I'll wear him down eventually, might take a while though.

I'm with you raz - I wouldn't let a vet operate on my dog if they had no 'real' experience.

Have you ever driven past a car crash? Don't really want to look, but can't not look either. And let's face it, so much of what is said and done on that show is a great big pile up! @Spikespuppy - My Dobe also will eat a tablet but as if you would do it like that with a snarling dog that you don't really know. There is no way in hell that any person that has an brain would even bother trying. He is a show pony.

My JRT doesn't have papers, but I still say she is a purebred cause she is. Both parents are JRT so I would expect that she is too Nearly everyone knows what she is and if they are not sure it is usually because she is quite small (short legs but solid). She also has alot more tan on her than the JRT's I see in the show ring but she is a JRT in personality that's for sure!

Mr Raz said he's the Fabio of the vet world - He makes the old girls wet their pants. That reminds of one of those comedy shows (Full Frontal, Comedy Company kind of thing), anyway they had a guy ripping off Fabio and he used to do a little dance and then would always approach some chick and say 'Root me". Me and mum used to almost wet our pants laughing.

The situation with the Chi was stupid. Every single clinic I've ever worked at would have had the dog taken out the back, away from it's stupid owners, it would have been held correctly by a vet nurse and a pill popper would have been used first time. It would have been all over in a couple of minutes with minimal stress to all involved. BTW, he did use a pill popper, it was on the table. I saw it as the owner picked up the dog after it was over. Obviously, he wanted to appear tough or the shows producers wanted the dramatic effect so didn't include him actually giving the dog the tablet. Anyway, who the hell tries to give a dog a tablet by holding it in front of their face????? Did he think the dog was going to take it and eat it like a treat?? I'm sorry, I don't care what he looks like but the guy is a wanker.

I always notice lovely looking purebreds. We were at the local dog park (which is filled with an assortment of crossbreds) and there was a lady with the most beautiful AS I've ever seen. I don't even really like long coated breeds but this dog was stunning. It's really sad to note that so many people don't even know a purebred dog when they see one anymore. I have been asked heaps of times 'what is he?' about my Dobe pup and it gobsmacks me that the average person has no idea. I guess the ears and tail throw people off. I do however get alot of comments about how fit and healthy he looks and how shiny his coat is There is a Rottweiller pup that is in my obedience class and so many people ohhh and ahhh over it and all I think when I see it is the pain and suffering it is going to go through due to its bad legs/hips. It's hips roll from side to side as it walks around and it already (it is less than 12 months old) lowers itself slowly and cautiously into a sit and then the same slow careful process to get back up. It's very sad to watch.

Wow, I have 5 so I must be evil. I only have 2 kids and won't be having any more so does that make me any better? Maybe I should eat the kids or feed them to the dogs, that'll fix the planet.

Yes, have known of a few dogs that have been drowned by Kangaroos. They are actually quite scary if they are big and are really close. We had one come at us once while walking the dogs. 5 barking dogs and 4 people and this bloody thing stood tall and came to us instead of running away. No doubt what his intentions were!

I have to agree with what most of the others are saying. I wouldn't rehome the dog unless it was to a very dog savvy home and the new owners were committed to addressing the problems had all the facts about what the dog has done. I do understand what you are going through, I had a Bull Terrier bitch a few years ago that had a high prey drive. She killed a number of cats (mine and neighbours) and 2 pet birds (she escaped the yard, mangled the cage to get to them) although I wouldn't say she was DA but we had to be cautious around other dogs, particularly SWF that came at her at 100 mph yapping their heads off. She was the sweetest thing and loved people and kids but once my old Dobe was PTS she started to pick fights with my Amstaff X bitch and it got nasty on a couple of occasions. I think they were confused as to who was now the top dog (the male Dobe had been the boss and all was happy in the pack) and Sparky (BT) decided to challange for the role. Probably would have been fine if Jazz (Amstaff) had submitted but she is a stubborn, cranky bitch and although she can't fight to save her life she wouldn't back away from a challange. Anyway, we considered re homing one of them, but Jazz is DA and I couldn't risk placing either of them into a home where the new owners didn't truly know the dogs like I did and I also worried that in Sparky's case they could be fooled that she was ok with cats and pocket pets after all because she would never try and hurt/kill them while there was someone there. She used to allow my cats to rub against her and would happily be inside with them and not bother them at all, but the second they were out in the yard and nobody was home they were dead. I ended up having Sparky pts because although Jazz is DA and can be a bit of a cranky bitch, she is fine with our cats and also with our other dogs and my youngest child has a very special bond with her so we made a very difficult decision. To this day I feel bad and guilty and like I failed but there was no other option. One of them (or one of the other dogs) was going to end up badly injured or killed. It really sucked but I think I made the right decision.

Sorry it isn't what dogs do.my dogs don't pee in my house so they don't pee on other peoples belongings. As a handler you are in charge of what your dog does & allowing it to pee up peoples stuff is bad form .Accidents do happen & like already said ,say sorry & give that person a chance to water the area down. I have had people allow there dogs to pee in my dogs crates & on my dogs,grooming box,chair,clothes attached to my chair,esky,ezy up walls & the list goes on Not one word of sorry If your dog is a piddler then pay attention All the things mentioned would apply to any type of sport or interest.Its about asking for help,ensuring you are prepared & pay attention. I didn't mean he would be peeing on everything, he is house trained. What I meant was that given all the smells and the fact that males do tend to like marking things then it would probably happen occasionally. I would definately apologise and clean it up as best I could. Anyway, I will proabably start showing with a bitch. I would also not just assume that I could set up in someone elses gazebo (how rude, do people actually do that?), but if someone was initially friendly then I would probably feel more comfortable approaching them with questions and such instead of someone that wouldn't even say hello! I'm glad to hear that I would be given some leeway as a noob. It

I must admit that this thread has made me think twice about wanting to show in the future as I think I would probably piss alot of people off! I would try and hang around people that were nice to me initially so therefore I would be considered annoying. I would probably make some excellent stuff ups and get confused and hold people up, especially while being a noob. I have no doubt that my male dog would probably pee on someones ropes or other belongings (not that I'd want him to and I would take great pains to avoid it but they are males and that is what they do). I'm sure I'd commit a multitude of sins and all before I've even gotten into the ring!

The poor things. I wonder how long it will be until Paris has one under her arm and then all the stupid wannabees will follow suit.

I've had dogs that would get car sick, sometimes lasted for months before any improvement, but all got over it in the end. Oh and I have both mixed breeds and purebred dogs (from a registered reputable breeder)

I have 3 male dogs, one desexed (he is almost 3) and 2 entire (they are 9 months and 18 months). All 3 mark and cock their legs. none of them have ever tried to escape to get to a bitch in season and none of them have male to male aggression. I won't be getting my 2 entire boys desexed unless and until I ever got a female pup that I intended to show. Both my girls are desexed so no worries there and I also beleive that it is not in the best interest of the dog to have it desexed at such a young age. I have seen plenty of Dobermanns that have beed desexed too young and they are the tallest, lankiest looking things I've layed eyes on with hardly a hint of decent muscle and bone structure. There is no way I'm doing that to my dog. I am going to give him every chance to be everything he should be physically, after all I have a Dobe partly because I love the way they look and I purchased a registered dog from lines that I researched and liked so it doesn't matter if I show him or not, I still want him to look the way he is supposed to.

Ah, thank you. I must admit I don't know too much about the breed I just think they're absolutely gorgeous looking! Hadn't considered a Dobermann, I was always a bit frightened of them as a kid and came across rather a lot of not too nice ones so I don't have the best feelings about them :p Hmm, if you like the look of the hound breeds, like the ridgeback, the GSP and the weim etc, but want something with great recall and super affectionate (I'm sure the others are very affectionate too, but dobes have won the title 'velcro dogs' for a reason, and when you get home from work and are trying to go to the toilet, only to have your dobe open the bathroom door - handle and everything, and come and try rest his head on your lap and stare up into your eyes, or try and get in the shower with you just to rest against your legs when they don't even like showers, you start to understand why..), a dobe could be right for you. It's not the easiest breed to raise right, and you would need to be prepared to put in some training, but it is one where if you put in the effort, you will see great returns. This is the only breed that was bred purely for guarding people, and as such, they are typically very dedicated to their handlers. I have an entire male, but I think because of the guarding instincts, he does not ever wander away from me, and he has perfect recall, even when following animal scents with a pack of dogs. Very intelligent and keen to learn, short wash and wear coat and very very happy to cuddle up between me and my partner on the couch - they're also known as 100 pound lap dogs and work hard to maintain these titles... He is fine with other animals and kids have ridden on his back, but I sleep very soundly at night because he is so protective and makes us all feel very safe. Of course they won't be the right breed for everyone, but I think in this instance they deserve a mention. I have met plenty of dobes who scare me and I have wanted to yell at the owners for creating such a monstrosity, but there are also dobes worthy of the other title I've heard them referred to as, that being, the king of dogs. +1 for Dobes! Best dogs in the world. My newest boy is 9 months old and has just started obedience training (not ideal, but our circumstances were a problem for a while) and he is picking things up after only a couple of reps. He has a fantastic recall, even if there is something really exciting happening elsewhere and they are so devoted to their owners you can't help but feel the same way back. I would have to say though that they are not for first time dog owners and they do require strong leadership.

It would depend upon the illness, prognosis and age of the pet. My old Dobermann (RIP Sarge) had Lymphoma. I was told that we could do chemo and that it would keep prolong his life for another 6 months or so, but no chance of curing him. He was 9 years old. We decided not to put him through it just to keep him with us a little longer. We ended up having him PTS after his illness was affecting his brain function. He started stumbling and running into walls and we could see he was distressed by it (although not in any pain) so we gave him his wings. That was 3 years ago this December. If there had been a cure I would have begged, borrowed and stolen any amount of money to save him as he was (and still is) my heart dog and was otherwise healthy. I have a 9 year old DA dog and we have discussed what we would do if she became very ill or seriously injured and due to the fact that she misses out on alot of stuff because of her aggression and causes some problems for us we have decided that if it was going to put us in a difficult position financially then we would pts.

DaisyDog, I also try and go during the 'off peak' times. My Dobe pup is quite nervous of strange dogs and acts like a bit of a dope at times and I don't want him upsetting/annoying some dog enough that it has a go at him. My little dogs are very confident and have no problems with other friendly dogs of any size but I do worry that a large dog could so easily kill them if it wanted to so I avoid the busy times. It makes it easier to keep a close eye on things.

Absolutely with you on the hair! We now have tiles throughout the house - is great for easy cleaning and no more animal odour sticking to carpet etc but my doG they lose alot of hair! We also get tumbleweeds but they are from the cats hair which is lighter and fluffier. The other 'I love them but' is that they follow me everywhere. I seriously can't get 2 mins peace from them (well the boys anyway). If we are all sitting in the loungeroom, watching telly, everyone of them is sound asleep and I so much as change position on the lounge the boys are immediately up and looking at me as if to say 'where do you think you're going'. Some independence would be nice, although it is nice to feel so loved and wanted!

I didn't. It wasn't until I'd almost finished the clean up that I thought of taking a photo. Should of, it was a big mess and she seemed pretty pleased with herself! Tims Mum - I will get a muzzle and see how that goes but am worried that if she happens to get into it with a dog as large or large than herself that she will be injured. Not that she can fight, she is completely useless and is mostly alot of noise and throwing her weight around but on a llittle dog (which she seems more interested in killing) that is more than enough to cause injury. From what I have observed she is a classic bully - she picks on smaller dogs and relies on growling and posturing to bluff the larger dogs into being scared of her, if any larger dog actually called her bluff I think she would back down, either that or she would end up with the most injuries because she is useless in a fight. I have no doubt that she would kill a smaller dog though.

Yeah, was Marlow Lagoon. It's really great. Haven't seen any croc signs yet, just as well because today I ended up waist deep in the lagoon to save little Odie from drowning! He got caught up in the reeds and it was mummy to the rescue! Gosh today has been eventful!

I've never fed puppy food for longer than 6-9 months. Includes breeds such as JRT and Dobermanns. I've been told by a number of people 'in the industry' that there is no real disadvantage to feeding regular or adult food instead of puppy food, as long as what you are feeding is either a premium dry or a well balanced raw diet. I stopped feeding my current Dobe puppy food when he was about 4 months old. He is growing beautifully, is well muscled and his breeders were extemely happy with how he is turning out the last time they saw him (about 6 weeks ago). I've never really understood the need for so many different options - puppy, lite, senior.