YOLO

Unfortunately its not a myth.What people won't accept (and just watch the flak I cop for posting this) is that Puppy Mills exist to feed demand. You've got "Registered Breeders" who produce a litter every two years, subject prospective owners to inquisitions and onerous conditions, then bemoan that people buy fluffy crossbreeds from pets stores. At the end of the day, breeders can be as selective and exclusive as they want, but if the annual demand for puppies is X, and reputable breeders only produce Y, then X-Y must come from other sources. Of course you can sit back and say that puppy buyers should be better educated, and that half of them probably shouldn't be buying puppies, but the reality is what it is. Government regulation will only work if it is broad enough, and well resourced enough, to capture everybody. Conceptually its simple. ANYBODY that wants to breed puppies for sale, must be registered and regulated, and subject to a code of practice and monitoring. It wouldn't eliminate all undesirable practices, but proper veterinary care could be enforced, and overbreeding reduced. Requiring brood bitches to be registered and vet certified could also help. The problem, as always with any dog legislation, is WHO is responsible for enforcing it, and who will PAY for it.

"Grain Free" kibble usually uses legumes instead of grains. They can promote flatulence. At the end of the day, a lot of flatulence is caused by bacteria. The only way to get of those is antibiotics, followed by probiotics to restore balance. I (not my dog) used to be excessively flatulent, and additionally certain foods would trigger eye-watering emissions. Then I got got a bad case of bacterial food poisoning (overseas) and had to be treated with powerful antibiotics. I eat a lot of yoghurt, so no problem restoring probiotics and since then flatulence has disappeared and those foods nolonger make trouble. I'm also very careful with the quality of raw food I feed my dogs. Basically they get human grade only.

The biggest surprise is how surprised people are? These people, on what you might call the extreme left fringe, are whackos. Psychos who make their condition worse by smoking pot. Occasionally they throw up somebody who appears almost lucid, and who makes a few isolated comments that seem half reasonable (like "be nice to the environment") and suddenly people get all warm and fuzzy about them. These are NOT nice, nor normal people. If you love dogs, chances are you have a soft spot for animals in general. Much as I love a T-Bone steak, I'd hate to see cattle actually abused or deliberately mistreated. Unfortunately this love of animals cons some people into thinking they have something in common with these sickos. You DON'T.

Unfortunately Jasper has never been crated, and suffers severe separation anxiety at the best of times.

If your dog ever has a serious problem, or you have an after hours emergency, get on the freeway and go to the Murdoch Uni Veterinary hospital. They know their stuff and treatment is first class.

Flat Coats, like many breeds, have been bred over hundreds of years for a specific purpose. Hence they were bred from dogs already best equipped, and further refined. Some dogs were bred to hunt, some to kill other animals, some to kill rats, and unfortunately some to fight. All dogs are most definitely NOT the same when it comes to bite. Jaws, skull, muscles, teeth, and mouth ALL vary from breed to breed. Flatties were bred to retrieve downed game, ie birds you had shot. Last thing you want if you've just shot a plump pheasant would be to have your retriever crunch it to a pulp. Hence Flatties have been selected and bred to have big soft floppy mouths, with weak jaws. (Yes, the pressure that dogs can exert with their jaws DOES vary massively between breeds.) Flatties have a beautiful temperament. As a toddler, our daughter would sit on our aged Flattie Ralph and pull and tug on ears and tail. She basically treated him like a big warm plush-toy. Not only did he tolerate it, but he would seek her out to play and just lay there whilst she bounced on him. I am a PARANOID parent, but I have never had the slightest cause for concern with Flatties.

I have been wondering what to do with Jasper? He has been getting increasingly agitated during thunder storms. The problem is that he won't stay put, so spraying a bed won't work. I was thinking of trying either a (vet recommended) antihistamine (which has proved sedating in the past) or a small dose of Valium?

Both Jasper and Chloe are re-homes/ rescues. Both were de-sexed too young and suffered as a result. There is a lot of misinformation surrounding sterilisation. Sterilising males has almost zero effect on population. Many "undesirable" male behaviours are more a matter of training than hormones. If you have a breed that is genetically overly "aggressive" (for want of a better word) then sure, castration will alter his behaviour, but then why not just buy a more docile breed if that's what you want? Puppy mills breed to demand, and obviously they can breed their own brood bitches. Unfortunately having responsible owners and breeders sterilise their pups will not diminish puppy mill breeding. Removing a bitches uterus and ovaries obviously removes the risk of complications with those organs. (I had one bright spark breeder tell me that all bitches should be sterilised because it reduced the incidence of Ovarian Cancer by 95%. Doh!) Also there is some evidence that early desexing reduces the risk of mammary cancer. You need to make your own judgement about the prevalence of these diseases in your breed, and whether that outweighs the developmental problems.

Jasper, our ~7yr old Flattie, suddenly developed a sore rear paw. It was evident that it was very painful for him to walk on it, and he was licking it vigorously. Inspection revealed that an area around one pad, the webbing, and side of one toe was bright red. As he had just been to the beach, a blue-bottle was suspected. We trimmed the area as best we could, however could not see any puncture wounds or foreign bodies. After consulting a vet, we treated with sting-goes and an appropriate anti-histamine. After a couple of days, he was walking on it fine, and the redness had gone. However his toes was visibly swollen. After 3~4 days, the swelling had developed into a volcano shape on TOP of his toe, and developed a head. We removed some puss and cleaned the wound. The following day, whilst it was somewhat less swollen overall, it had developed a peculiar tented appearance. This time, with slight encouragement, it erupted and ejected not only copious puss, but a HUGE seed. I imagine it is wild grass seed of some description, but by comparison it most resembles a Caraway seed. Without exaggeration it was 8~9mm long, ~2mm at its widest and very hard. Let be clear, this was INSIDE his toe. In fact, it appears that it may have initially penetrated underneath, and migrated. However there was and is no sign of an entry wound. Whilst I knew that such seeds and burrs were dangerous to the skin, I did not realise one could puncture the paw completely and disappear. Had we not shaved his paw looking for a wound I doubt we would have spotted the volcano, and if we hadn't helped the eruption I wonder how long it would have remained under his skin.

His review was nonsensical. He degraded Chicken and Beef on the basis of what is often included in processed canned food, then compared it to FRESH roo meat. He also seems to have an extremely unhealthy obsession with "wild" and/or "organic" meat. Farmed chickens are fed antibiotics to prevent the spread of salmonella, which could otherwise KILL your dog. Human grade roo meat IS a very healthy meat for us, being very lean. However younger dogs require a bit of fat in their diet. HG is also very expensive. Petfood grade roo meat has been shot in the wild, left laying in a truck, etc, and has by definition NOT been subject to the health regulations of HG. Dogs may be "tougher" than us humans, but bacteria and parasites can make a domestic dog very sick, or at worst kill them. Turkey wings and legs are not too expensive and a good choice for bigger dogs. At the moment I feed both mine on HG chicken legs, but will switch Jasper to Turkey as he gets older as it is leaner. The inclusion of bones is important for their Calcium and Magnesium requires, for their jaws, and their oral hygiene. I agree with one of his sentiments: The WORST thing you can feed your dog is that processed muck from a tin or tube.

I got my first dog when I was 15. He learned to cope with me going off to school everyday. Even now, although there is somebody home most of the time, my dog still copes with my absence at work and my kids' going to school. Our bitch doesn't like being separated from my son, but she also has adapted to his going to work. It's also very dependent on breed. Some will be relatively ok with a big garden to explore, others will thrive in the company of other dogs, whilst some (like our Flatties) require a lot of 1on1 human interaction.

Get the good, old fashioned, fly zappers. They work well during the day, and once you turn the lights out at night they will lure and kill whatever is left inside. We also use the sprayers, but only in confined isolated areas that are prone to flies/ moths/ mozzies.

Basically it would be any of the multitude of utterly ignorant comments in favour of sterilisation, especially when it comes to males.

In the past I have taken my dogs to Murdoch for anything unusual, and just whatever local vet for their shots, etc. However I think I would like to find a decent local vet, not just for the basics but for whatever else may come along. We’re in the Kingsley area.

It’s sad to read such stories, but even sadder to read the “head in the sand” responses from some. “Somebody must be lying because a 6 month old couldn’t hurt a fly.” If your breed was bred to kill other animals, it WILL have some combination of hard bight, sharp teeth, and/or strong jaw and neck muscles. If you are unfortunate enough to stick your hand in there when they are biting, damage will result. That’s why some breeds ARE inherently physically more dangerous than others. “It’s all the stupid owners fault.” Yet I repeatedly read posts denying that there are morons who buy the wrong dogs for all the wrong reasons. “BYB are Baddd news.” Why? “Bad” breeders produce poorly bred dogs, which are the first problem, yet apologists deny such dogs exist. “Never buy siblings.” IMHO it has little to do with blood relationships. Most dogs are competitive to some degree, but on the other hand in some breeds the level of co-dependency reached is incredible. If you have two overly aggressive male dogs competing for dominance, it is going to get nasty.

I dont believe there is a reason to castrate a male dog, unless you want to limit aggression in an otherwise aggressive animal. Both my current FCRs are re-homes and both were de-sexed at a very young age. Jasper the male failed to reach full-size, and has bladder control issues, whilst Chloe has turned out very skinny and gangly, and thinks she is a male. My previous two; Ralph & Coco stayed entire, matured fully, and never had problems. Boys dont forget to be boys just because you lop their nuts off. Jasper and Coco mated whenever she was in heat. As for other undesirable humping, it is a behavioural/training issue. A friend has two de-sexed male dogs, that hump each other constantly, because they havent been trained not to. Sterilising males does NOT control population, and the health risks far outweigh any benefits. De-sexing a bitch obviously does control population, eliminates the risk of Pyometria, and apparently if done before her first cycle substantially lowers the risk of Mammary Cancer. There are downsides, and it is a tough call to make. (I was in two minds over this, but finished up getting a re-home bitch so didnt get to make the choice.) Based on my personal experiences with my dogs and the breeder, I wouldnt sterilise a bitch next time, however in breeds where mammary cancer was common I would probably go with the early option.

THIS is exactly the problem. Whenever there is a criticism of potentially dangerous dog breeds, instead of retorting with balanced logical arguments, their owners “circle the wagons” and start sprouting stuff like this. Worse still, other dog owners who are fundamentally on their side (and their ONLY potential allies) are branded as “Nazis” if they dare to point out a few home truths.I DON’T agree with BSL, because it does not target the fundamental underlying problems. Take the “most dangerous” dog breed in the world, breed it responsibly (for good temperament,) train it, socialise it, and raise it in a loving home, and you will have a beautiful family pet. (Still wouldn’t let it play with your pet hamster or leave it unsupervised with a young child.) Take any Terrier or hunting breed, breed it indiscriminately, lock it in a cage and brutalise it, and you can get yourself one vicious dangerous dog. BSL is a bandaid solution. It might have achieved some success, except it is so poorly implemented and targets only law-abiding owners. So you can nolonger buy a BSL pup from a quality registered breeder, but you can buy some dangerous half-breed from a BYB or worse. Register your BSL dog correctly with the local council, and you will be in for unwanted attention (or depending on your state may face confiscation,) keep them unregistered and you will mostly go unnoticed. If you publicly walk and socialise your dog, and he looks like a BSL, chances are somebody will complain. Keep it locked in a cage in your barn and they won’t. Choose a dog size you can control, walk it only on a strong leash and collar, with a firm grip, and nomatter how “bad” the dog its chances of doing harm are greatly diminished. Pick a dog bigger than you, or let ANY dog run wild, and chances are it can get into trouble.

I suppose it is somewhat “unfair” to think that a Horse which has won its owners millions could finish up as pet food. But yeah, it happens, its where the excess horses go, including Brumby culls. I think if I were a “Horse person” (rather than just a “dog person”) I would have a BIG problem with this, much as I can’t stand the idea that dogs are butchered in Asia.

Thinking of putting in a Puppy/Doggy door for the new Pup and maybe Jasper. The main motivation is to allow Puppy to freely transition from inside to the yard (when she is old enough.) Jasper can be in or out, he doesn’t really need a door, but he will WANT to be wherever the puppy is. I was thinking of perhaps making the door big enough only for puppy, so that she can escape inside when she needs a rest. But then I am worried that Jasper will get himself stuck in the door???

Getting a new PUP, so also wondering about these questions… First puppy many moons ago tried the whole “leave him in his bed” routine. It worked eventually. 2nd Puppy, tried it, she cried too much so we brought her into our bed. 3rd Puppy, didn’t bother, she started in our bed. On the whole, it didn’t seem to make any difference in the long run. So I'm thinking we will start her in with us, move her to her own bed as she settles, then into a shared area with Japer once she’s up to it. After that, she can make up her own mind. Not sure what is the best method for toilet training. Tried those pads that are supposed to encourage them, didn’t work. Found newspaper more effective. Should I try a litter box? Sand or commercial litter? At what point should I give the puppy her own access to the yard (via puppy door)?

I don't think they are arguments for EARLY desexing at all, if you're talking about desexing before age 6 months. I mean early, as in before their first season.

Glad to hear your boy is ok.

No, population control is dependent on the the number of reproducing females. Steralising males is practically irrelevent.

Funny story related to artificial grass. At one minesite I worked we refurbished the outdoor “indoor cricket” nets with new artificial turf and new netting. Within days the rabbits had eaten holes in the netting to get to the artificial turf. I guess the grass really WAS greener…

Dogs can be (and some are) bred to promote aggressive tendencies. Let’s not forget that many cute white fluffies were originally bred as ratters and with irresponsible breeding some of those aggressive tendencies can re-emerge. Failure to properly socialise and train dogs can also reinforce these negative tendencies. Unfortunately, what most responsible owners don’t want to acknowledge, is that there are far too many morons out there who actively seek dangerous and aggressive dogs. Just do a Google search and you will find plenty of nuts asking questions like “I want to get a dog that will rip the nuts of anyone that comes through my front door, and won’t be put down by a few gunshots, should I get a pit-bull or a Rottweiler or what?” As usual it is these jerks and their dogs that give the breed a bad name. The difference I suppose is this: If an irresponsible owner buys a “white fluffy” from a bad BYB, and doesn’t train and socialise the dog properly, they may end up with a psychotic little nutter that will bite someone, and which they will end up dumping at the pound. If an irresponsible owner buys a “pit bull” from a bad BYB, and doesn’t train and socialise the dog properly, they may end up with a psychotic nutter that will savage someone, possibly fatally. So the solution to your problem is to ban every dog over about 10kg right? Because any dog over 10kg that hasn't been trained or socialised properly has the potential to savage someone, possibly fatally. Not at all, and I'm not sure how you get that from my posts? I have been quite clear that the problem lies with people/ breeders/ owners not with specific breeds or “types” of dogs. I was simply answering the question on whether “pot bulls” were regarded as inherently more dangerous. As I said in one post “in the way a carving knife is inherently more dangerous than a butter knife.”(I could also add that ALL dogs are inherently more dangerous than a goldfish.) If we want to win the argument, it needs to be based in truth, and there is no point resorting to outlandish claims, especially when trying to convince “non dog people.” Owners who go around proclaiming that their Rotti is no more dangerous than a Dachshund are missing the point, and consequently not really helping. Most problems with dogs can be traced back to irresponsible breeding and irresponsible ownership. The problem with BSL is that it targets RESPONSIBLE owners. (As you alluded to, BSL has spawned a black market in those dogs.) And the next time there is an incident involving a Rotti-cross, they will be added to the list, and so on. (As readers might have gleaned from some of my posts I have a big SOFT spot for Rotties.) Potentially any medium to large dog that was developed for hunting or killing can be mis-bred to bring back those aggressive tendencies and with poor training/socialisation and/or abuse it can be made into a dangerous animal. I see no need for SUCH dogs (of any breed) but we need regulation targeting improper breeding and irresponsible ownership, not more laws that can only be applied to responsible law-abiding owners.