LuvsDobes

Here in Melbourne I paid $150 per dog for the three core diseases; hepatitis, parvovirus and distemper. The bloods are sent to VetPath in Perth, the additional cost over and above Teekay is courier interstate. This is approx 30% more than a vaccine consult. Bear in mind, if the titres come back below acceptable immunity levels (unlikely for me, but possible nonetheless), there is then an additional cost for vaccination.

Two out of our three Dobes swim just fine. My two have been swimming at the dog pool for a couple of years now, so they WERE introduced to it gradually. My girl swims like a water rat, my boy like a brick with legs, lol. The boy also need to hold a plastic dumbell while he is swimming. If you take that from him, he flounders and sinks *eyeroll* Our third Dobe, on his first trip to the dog pool just stepped off the side unexpectedly and sank. Had to haul him out by collar and floatie jacket. He gave himself a big scare and now avoids water at all costs. I think he can/ is able to swim, but is now fearful after his experience.

For those who are concerned that (under guidelines such as the AVA's recommendations) a dog must do something wrong before that dog can be declared dangerous I would highlight that the offences which would bring such a dog onto the radar would be far less severe and would likely stop the downward spiral to where a dog attacks and severely injures or kills. For those who find this such a strong argument against the AVA report, I ask you this; Can you predict a future burglar by physical appearance? An embezzler, con artist, swindler? How about a rapist? A murderer? If you CAN then you should first go join ASIO/ ASIS/ Federal Police as you will be paid highly, but SECOND, you must answer- if you can pick such individuals on physical appearance alone, then WHEN should those people be euthanased? As children? At 16? 21? Why would dogs be different?

Temperament! They are not vicious dogs, and they will not "turn on you" when they become an adult. We get this one all the time too, with our Dobe :laugh: It used to really annoy us but now we have a bit of a laugh about it, and even bought a print of this old movie poster for above the bed! http://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/they-only-kill-their-masters/ Oh, god, yes! I have that poster as an original lithograph along with The Dobermannn Gang and Trapped hanging above my dogs' crates... Just for laughs. I'm more frequently asked if they are poorly bred skinny 'Rockweilters' *headslap*

Which is all very well and good UNTIL the dog actually leaves its yard, and both the lady owner and OP have to deal with the fallout. Wouldn't it be preferable to avoid an incident in the first place? There is an overarching rule when it comes to driving a car; that is, you must drive at all times to avoid an incident. This means even if you are in the right, your failure to recognise and adjust for a potential incident can see you on the wrong side of the law, even potentially charged with careless driving. Applying this to dogs in yards, isn't it the most responsible thing to make every endeavor to avoid/ prevent an incident? If you have no front fence, then my expectation would be effective voice control, or a leash/ long line. I doubt this lady had effective voice control, given her need to chase the dog around to catch it. No, the OP probably has nothing to report, but that by no means means that there isn't a very appropriate and relevant concern regarding this dogs potential to run out and at dogs walking past.

The only thing relevant to the classification is the visual identification checklist referred to as a standard. Which is interesting because a 'standard' technically is a document drawn up to identify characteristics in a dog of already established breed. This Victorian legislation is placing all of its eggs into one extremely fragile basket- relying on individuals who cannot be accorded the title of expert to testify to their identification based on supposed expertise using flawed documentation. This is a really interesting article from the Qld Bar Association which highlights the issues with this so-called 'expert' testimony from council rangers in identification of breed; Hearsay ... the electronic journal of the Bar Association of Queensland - Expert Evidence and the Family Pet These arguments need to be highlighted, and VCAT required to respond.

What will it take to get the message out en masse to pet owners in Victoria that the laws as they stand do nothing to protect the community? How many innocent dogs and their owners need to be blindsided by these laws before we stand up as one to say 'enough!' How do we take it BEYOND the breed and raise awareness that even if you don't own a PitBull these laws can still impact you? Too many dog owners out there just see it as a PitBull thing, and, as we know from reading the legislation, it is far from that. Unless dog owners stand in one united group, we will watch innocent dogs die for time to come. I applaud the AVA for taking a courageous stand, and I will be supporting them every step of the way. RIP Kooda & Bear, your loss will be felt by many.

Thanks to all for the links, but no – these aren’t the ones I am seeking. I’m looking for the particular one where the dog is able to put all four feet on a slightly raised board, not just the front feet. The subject of the thread might have had something to do with hind end awareness, or at least might have contained that as some subject matter. Sorry to be a pain guys :-)

Approx 3-4 months ago, there was a thread about finding heel position and one of the posts included a YouTube link for video of a dog moving all four feet onto a small platform and being clicked as a way of training heel position and turns. I can't seem to find it, can anyone point me in the right direction, please? Thanks Heaps in advance!!!

Don't want to hijack the main purpose of this thread (sorry Perth Girl!), but when I went looking for and found my dogs, both breeders had an 'enquiry' form on their websites. I found this useful because it enabled me to give the breeder(s) the information they actually wanted, not a biography! The breeders obviously looked through their enquiries, both emailed me then to request I phone them and 'proceed to the next stage'. Worked so well for me as a starting point.

Thanks :-) I wasn't sure (being one of those people who rarely turns the telly on!)

Maybe you should watch Dogtown, also on National Geographic. They took the worst of the Michael Vick fighting pitbulls and rehabilitated all but one (I think) using positive reinforcement. Worth a look, although it comes with a Kleenex warning for the softies out there. Yes, but the Vick PitBulls were not reported to be highly aggressive, bar the one female sho was PTS after evaluation. The remainder of those dogs varied between shut down pancake dogs and highly aroused dogs ( and who bluddy knows how much of that was kennel stress! ). They were champion fighting dogs. That means they were successful in the fighting ring, fighting for their life with other dogs. Vick didn't remove her teeth because they were rotten, he removed them so that he could put a stud over her without her killing them. I'm not sure what criteria we need to define a "highly aggressive" dog, but killing other champion fighting dogs in fights would seem a reasonable definition! They were also tortured, abused and neglected by people. Thrown in the ring with their mouths taped shut. Hooked up to car batteries when they lost. By humans. Excuse me if they weren't scared shitless of everyone and everything. Can we not accept that Dogtown did an amazing job rehabilitating seriously aggressive, selectively bred for aggression, ex-fighting dogs, rescued from some of the most appalling conditions imaginable - because they used positive methods and therefore render the argument that "some dogs need more than rewards" invalid? Have a read of the book 'The Lost Dogs' by Jim Gorant. It is the story of the Vick PitBulls. I don't recall DogTown as one of the organizations involved with these dogs, though is that the name of the TV program? The organizations (BAD RAP, Best Friends, Georgia SPCA and All or Nothing Rescue, Richmond Animal League, Recycled Love to name a few) did amazing work with these dogs. The female initially PTS was indeed aggressive due to forced over breeding, but it was the female originally named Jane who lost her teeth due to infection ect... Jane made it through and was renamed. All in all, I think 48 were rehabilitated to some degree or another. A high percentage achieved Canine Good Citizen certification, quite a few became certified Therapy dogs. Many now live in foster and permanent forever homes. Dome remain in sanctuary. A couple died, and I believe 42 was the final number when the book was completed in 2010 It was widely acknowledged that the Vick dogs (with only 2-3 exceptions) either had not fought, were unwilling to fight, or were bait dogs. I don't dispute the power of positive training methods. Nor do I dispute the need for unique, individualized treatment programs for red zone dogs. I'm simply pointing out the the Vick PitBulls (and I'm not talking about all fighting dogs, just the Vick dogs) were not reported as highly aggressive, sh*t scared, yes, highly aggressive, red zone, no, not to my understanding.

Maybe you should watch Dogtown, also on National Geographic. They took the worst of the Michael Vick fighting pitbulls and rehabilitated all but one (I think) using positive reinforcement. Worth a look, although it comes with a Kleenex warning for the softies out there. Yes, but the Vick PitBulls were not reported to be highly aggressive, bar the one female sho was PTS after evaluation. The remainder of those dogs varied between shut down pancake dogs and highly aroused dogs ( and who bluddy knows how much of that was kennel stress! ).

I worry constantly about mine, too. But rather than worrying about them getting hurt etc, I worry that they aren't getting enough mental stimulation, if they are bored, if they are frustrated, if they are barking from boredom (my neighbor tell me they don't), are they happy?, are they hungry?, was the walk long enough? And if I'm sick and they don't get a walk... Gosh, I worry myself sicker.