Remarkabull

How experienced with dogs are these people? I have been around dogs my whole life and although I am no expert but I am pretty sure that I can read dog body language confidently and I can then behave accordingly. My OH has never had dogs before he was with me and there has been a number of times that he has approached dogs (in public places) and they have reacted very badly to him. He was nearly bitten on the face by an American Bulldog at a local market (the dog behaved fine with me) and I had to stop him approaching a dobermann that I was patting and talking to as when he started approaching us the dog tensed up looked very uncomfortable. Obviously something in the way he behaves is putting off some dogs, others will tolerate him but it is easy to see that they don't love getting attention from him. Our own dogs tolerate him and would never (well as certain as anyone could be about that) bite him or any other person but they definately behave 'differently' around him. The point I'm trying to make is: is it possible that these people have no idea about dogs and are going about this all the wrong way? If these people can't or wont take the dog to a vet or RSPCA then surely a ranger or the like would come out and collect the dog and it would be assessed then?

Colour dosn't really bother me. If the dog is a nice looking dog then it dosn't matter what colour it is. I remember seeing a lady at the beach one day with a blue staffy pup and there were a lot of people around her saying how beautiful the pup was and what a pretty colour! When I got close enough to see the pup, it looked terrible. Definately not a good example of the breed and generally just not a nice looking dog at all. Everyone was so caught up in the colour (as, i suppose was she) that they failed to notice that it was not a nice looking dog at all. I must say though, that I am not a fan of blue Dobermanns. To me it just dosn't look right. Personally, i prefer black and tan but I have seen some lovely reds too.

Thanks for all the info . Sadly they will not be interested in hearing any of it. They think that because their dogs are registered purebred SBTs that they bought off other registered breeders that there is no 'health' problems or in fact any other problems with what they are doing. It seems to me that all of the SBT breeders that breed ONLY blue or blue fawn are sticking together and telling each other that it's all good and that they are doing it for the love of the breed and not the $$$. It is interesting to notice how much more expensive that blue and blue fawn SBTs are to purchase, and that the people buying them are either themselves breeders of the same breed and colour or people that want them because they think that the blue is such a pretty colour and wouldn't know a good SBT if it jumped up and bit them! When and how did the whole 'blue' thing start anyway? I've noticed an increasing number of blue dobermanns as well being advertised. All of the blues that I've known have had skin problems and as they grow into adults they loose alot of their hair. Is it this way with all blue dobes or just some? Sorry, I have kind of taken over this thread but am really interested in the answers. I have had dobes all my life (pets, not show or breeding) and as my children get older I would like to start showing and possibly breeding them.

PF, I agree. I am not a breeder but I have been involved in hand raising puppies (I once hand raised a litter of 8 Bull Terrier pups from birth and all thrived). I think this particular person handles the puppies way too much (they also let others handle them), they also start bottle feeding them immediately (in addition to letting the bitch feed them) "just to make sure they are getting enough", without giving the bitch a chance to tend to the pups herself. Unfortunately, I think they will continue to breed anyway, they just keep getting new bitches and offloading the 'used' ones to friends and relatives as pets (and charging for them)! They now think that the male is the reason that the pups are not surviving and are sending the bitches to studs. It is very frustrating because they claim to love the dogs and are all gaga over them when they first get them but they are so easily discarded when they don't produce the goods.

This has been very interesting! I am tempted to forward on all this info to someone I know that breeds Blue staffies. They are registered breeders, they breed with registered dogs (they don't show their dogs) and their dogs are loved and well cared for BUT they definately breed for the money. They have not had much luck so far as in they haven't had a single litter that has arrived safely and that more than one or two pups have survived. Could this also be because of the blue gene? Also, I have noticed that their dogs are HUGE!(not so much in height but in mass and head size) Way bigger than the SBT I've seen at shows. Is this also a feature of the blue? Recently they sent one of their bitches to a stud dog and they very proudly told me that she was heaps bigger than the stud?!

I used to live in country NSW in a area where 'pig hunting' was a popular past time for alot of locals. Most of these dogs have mastiff, wolfhound, deerhound, ridgeback, amstaff and god knows what else in them, but not alot had PB even though they could easily have been percieved PB X's by many .I recall a number of stories in the news regarding dog attacks and when describing the dogs invloved the media often used the term 'pig dogs' or 'hunting dogs'. I found that offensive because most of the 'pig dogs' I knew were very well trained, loved people and kids and got on well with other dogs. The 'public' think of hunting dogs as dogs that will attack and kill anything that moves and this is not the case. The people that 'hunt' (seriously, not just weekend cowboys) need their dogs to be obedient, social and focused. Of course there are some people that buy these dogs and stick them in a cage and never give them the attention or stimulation they need and I think that it is these dogs that are going to attack. Same goes for the pittbull. Lot's of people want them for all the wrong reasons and it's these few that seem to get all the publicity. I don't think Mr. Linkes comments were meant to put the focus on other breeds, but to try and make people see that it is easy to mistake the breed for others.

Sorry to hear about your glove. This might make you feel better. I was happily sitting in front of the computer a few weeks ago and suddenly thought to myself how quiet it was and also that my 'velcro' dog (4 month old Dobe) was not in sight. After some investigation I discovered him in the loungeroom having a lovely time chewing a hole in the corner of our new leather lounge! Not happy!

That is a bad week! I've had a couple of bad experiences at leash free areas in my time. Many years ago when I lived in Sydney (near Bankstown) I was in a fenced leash free dog area throwing a ball for my 2 dogs when I saw a young man and a little boy approaching with 2 dogs on lead (one was only a baby, maybe 10 weeks old). I went to put mine back on lead but he didn't go near the gate to enter the area so I kept throwing the ball. As he was walking past the fence one of my dogs went over and sniffed his dog through the fence and sure enough a fight broke out. I wasn't really worried at first as there was a fence between them and his dog was on a lead so after my dog ignored my calls I walked over there to grab my dog (corgiX). As I approached him I began to think why isn't he just pulling his dog away from the fence? I looked at him to see a huge smile on his face while watching his dog! I lost it and said to get his #*%#^ dog away from the fence. Then he told his dog to 'get it' and was slapping her on the back legs! (i imagine to work her up even more) All this with his little brother (I found this out during the ensuing argument) watching and holding on the the puppy! Both of his dogs were PB and he told me that he was going to let her in so she could kill my dogs. Thankfully there was a lady nearby playing with some kids and she came closer to see what was happening and after we both told him we were calling the police he left. It was so scary and I went home in tears. There are SO many people out there that should not have dogs. He is the kind of person that gives PB's a bad name.

My sister-in-law had the same problem with her SBT. The poor dog looked really uncomfortable and it was obviously very irritated, it must have been very annoying for him. They had the surgery and it's been fine ever since. Better to get it fixed asap so less damage is done to the eye and for the comfort of the dog.

I have just recently purchased a bag of UA after reading the good reviews on a previous post and I am very happy with it. I have 5 dogs (2x JRT's, MaltxShi, RidgbackXAmstaff and a Doberman) they all love it and their stools are fine. The Ridgeback X is about 26kgs and she only gets 1.5 cups a day and she is maintaining her weight on that. I never give the amount of food that they tell you to on the back of the bags as it is often WAY too much. You have to take into consideration how much excercise your dog gets. I also give raw meat and bones 2-3 times a week.

He is lovely! My fav breed is Dobes but I also like deerhounds, wolfhounds, etc. Looks like he is gentle giant in the making!

Isn't Innova only available from that pet store chain that sells puppies and kittens? If so that counts me out because I won't buy anything from any pet store that supports puppy farmers. Everyone says that, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it sold at a pet store (that doesn't sell pets) in a SE suburb in Vic. It IS ridiculously expensive though. I'm not sure, but I think that could be Pet Goods Direct, which is owned by the same company as PP. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though. The Canidae I feed is $120 for 13.6kg, but I only need to feed about 1/2-3/4 the amount of other Super Premium Kibbles. I also feed the Grain Free Version, the ALS with Grain is cheaper again. I think it was $105 for 15kg (can't exactly remember though), but still a great value. Like I said it's still early days for my boy on Canidae Grain Free Salmon, but he is loving it. It would be a Pet Goods Direct store. It is owned by the same company and Innova is definately NOT available at any other stores. PP, PGD and Pets 'r' Us are the only stores allowed to stock it atm. Btw Pet Goods Direct are going to introduce the selling of live animals from their stores. Some already do. I used to work for them before I knew any better!

I think it was my post you are all talking about, and yes I did mean that he was going to be a big dog AS WELL as being from working lines. I was trying to make the point that with a dog of that breed and size I wanted to go to a club where telling your dog 'no' is not looked at as abuse. i am not bragging about anything (although I do think my dog is beautiful and I love him no matter how big he is). I have never said anything about working lines having more 'substance', i was simply asking for some advice.

I hate it when people don't walk their dog on lead! I used to dread coming across a dog like that when I had my Bull Terrier. People used to laugh when I was walking past and their dogs would come running out barking and snapping and I would pick my bully up and hold her while their dogs continued yapping and jumping up at me. They would say 'isn't it funny that a dog like that is scared of our little one' while smiling fondly at the little shit causing the problem. They soon stopped smiling when i explained that i was holding my dog not because she was scared but so she didn't rip the head off their little precious. I will add that she was fine with other dogs if they approached her calmly. Call the ranger before someone runs the dog over or another dog attacks it.

Thanks, I don't have any issues with my dogs being fussy eaters either and they don't get mince every day, just a few times a week. They also get bones 2-3 times a week. I have never had a dog that has needed any dental work or in fact none of my dogs have ever had any major health issues. In fact every vet i have been to has asked me what I feed my dogs and tells me they are in great condition. I'm not against dry food, I myself use it, but knowing what I know about the ingredients of dry dog food I wouldn't want to rely completely on it for the complete nutrition requirements of my dogs.

I think that there would be alot less dog bites if people did not allow their puppies to mouth (bite). Also no roughing up games. It encourages the dog to treat you as an equal or litter mate and not as the Alpha. Once that is understood then definately a recall and perhaps 'no' or 'stop'.

Could anyone tell me why alot of you are say no mince? The mince i give my dogs is chicken mince from a local butcher and it include all of the chicken (meat, bone, cartlidge and tendons), I also add some grated veges (raw) to it and feed with Pro Plan. This is what his breeder feeds all of his dogs and they are all healthy and stunning. I have worked in the pet industry since i was a teenager and I have been to alot of seminars and done alot of personal research on commercial dog food and from what I have seen most of the dog food available (including the premium brands) is full of grains and corn (because it gives a high protein reading) and not alot of meat. Surely adding some good pet mince from a butcher is not going to do any harm and may in fact do some good?

I would be very interested in doing something with other dogs. I live about an hour from Melbourne (in the direction of Shepparton) but am willing to travel about an hour. Let me know where and when and I'll try and make it if it's not oo far away.

Thats a good one. I used to do flyball with my old Dobe and people were always asking what he was crossed with (he was a big Dobe). After hearing that about a million times we always used to respond that he was a Rotti X Greyhound, and the very intelligent people that asked would nod their heads knowingly and say 'yes, thats what i thought'! Another lady in our club had a Irish Water Spaniel and was constantly told what a funny looking Poodle she had!

It's a little off the subject but I agree, EVO is fantastic, but way too expensive. I used to work for that particular chain and have to say that the mark up on products (including EVO and Innova) is unbelievable! I refuse to buy it because i don't want my money going them. Hopefully, the people from Innova will get out of whatever contract they have with that chain and it will be more widely available and a bit cheaper too!

I am a believer that dogs shouldn't eat much in the way of grain/cereal/corn products, but for the sake of convenience (and the fact that I have 5 dogs to feed) I use ProPlan Large Breed Puppy as a base. I also add to this raw mince and grated, raw veges. This is also what the breeder was feeding him when i got him. My Dobermann pup is very big (20kg at 17 weeks!) and he has no developmental problems. I think it's important to feed dogs raw, natural food, just make sure you are not giving them anything toxic. It is also great for what comes out the other end, easy to pick up and not as stinky as dogs that eat alot of processed food.

Is not at all surprising. I have met Dr Harry and Dr Katrina and was not impressed with either of them! They are getting paid to sell products to ignorant people that don't know any better. If all pet owners did just a little research themselves in to pets and pet products and stopped listening to these morons that would say anything if they get paid enough there would be less problems all round.

I have 5 dogs, only 1 of which is 'pedigree with papers' (none of my dogs are DD's) and even though he is only5 months old we are always asked 'what is he'? What is he crossed with? (He is a very big boy, bred from working lines). I just smile and say no, he is purebred. I had a lady come up to me and gush 'oh, he looks just like my old dog', (her old dog was a mutt of unknown origin) then ask me what kind of dog he was. When I proudly (and why shouldn't i be proud, i have waited a long time to get a dog of this quality) told her he was a purebred Dobermann, she became 'huffy' and seemed offended that i am proud of my pedigree dog! I love all of my dogs but with my Dobe I have a very good idea about how he will turn out as an adult. I also have a Jack Russell (purebred, no papers) and she is every inch a JR, looks and personality! The others are a mixed bag! I have found the 'snobbiest' of dog owners are the ones that have DD's. They seem very eager to tell everyone that they paid a fortune for a dog that they have no idea how it will turn out. I worked as a groomer for a long time and I have seen tons of 'Labradoodles' (and all the other 'oodles') of all shapes, sizes and personalities and I have, from time to time pointed out that for the same (or less) amount of money they could have purchased a pedigree puppy from a reputable breeder! If people are getting a dog because it is the 'in' thing right now then I think that they are the ones who are snobs

Definately Dobermanns. We had 2 while I was growing up and they were so patient and tolerant of me. I got one while pregnant with my first daughter and he was the most amazing dog. I lost him to cancer 2 years ago and wasn't sure if i could have another one (i didn't want to get a new dobe and be disappointed if he wasn't as wonderful as Sarge). We are now the proud owners of 'Acheron', a 17 week old black & tan Dobie! I'm glad i waited a few years to get another one ( i am very picky about what a dobe should look like and it was worth waiting until i found what i wanted), but i know i will always have a Dobe. My OH has a 'thing' for British Bulldogs. We will probably end up getting one, eventually!