BDJ

agree with the above - some times an animal is simply too dangerous to be in society, and three attacks to me puts this dog in that category. From what I read, the owner may not have helped the situation (dog escapes control 3 times - seriously??? why not major precautions after the first attack), but there are also times when a dog is just straight out aggressive and unpredictable. I do get a little tired of the 'but he/she is so fantastic with my dog/child/cat/whatever'. How does that minimise/excuse repeated attacks? Imagine that as a 'defence' for a human - "oh, he/she is great with their family, so please excuse attacks on random people". I bet that everyone in the district was terrified of walking their dogs (or their families) in that neighbourhood. I know I would be. I must say when I see the 'but fluffy is fine with my dog/child/cat/whatever' I immediately put the owner in the 'has no clue' pile, and that they are not looking at the situation for what it is, or want to improve it (maybe I am just harsh)

Unfortunately the word 'purebred' has a different meaning across different organisations/animals. Eg: many horse breed associations consider an animal to be purebred if the 'unknown/outcross' is at least 3 generations back. So even an 'educated' animal person may not find the 'his grandfather was half staffy' as a red flag. And a pedigree is just a document of lineage back X generations. I could create a pedigree for the mutt down the road - Sire was Fluffy (by Oscar out of Hairy) and Dam was Bump (by Henry out of Speed). Voila - if the detail was correct, I can honestly sell the mutt as 'pedigreed', and if registered with the council, it is 'registered and pedigreed'. I would hate to be a newbee now - trying to navigate 'registered' 'ethical' 'purebred' would be a nightmare. Especially with so many 'experts' who really don't know there butt from their elbow, but happily sprout random rubbish. Councils, media, vets etc list cross breds as 'breeds' - rarely is it a poodle X it is a .....odle or sum such rubbish. My little cross bred is just that - no idea what is behind him (mum looked poodleish (very 'ish)) - he was supposed to be a poodle x maltese - the fact he is white with big dark grey patches must be from 'his grandfather who was half something' . But the council, microchip and old vet all wanted to list him as a 'breed' rather than a cross. When I do have to list a breed as an identifier (council etc) then I call him a maltese cross - cos that is what he looks like

Hope no one minds me hijacking this thread. @Boronia, re https://vetproductsdirect.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?q=Vetalogica+Tranquil+Formula is this something that can be used as needed, or does it need to be given every day? And does it dope them, or just take the edge off? I have a dog which hates thunder (starts panting and wants to sit on me etc). Happy as a lark with rain and other weather, but the slightest distant thunder sets her off. I have not explored medication as even though she is anxious, she does not panic and there is no danger of self harm (she doesn't try and go through windows etc). I am also a bit hesitant about meds as they can't talk - and I would hate her to be 'zoned out but still frightened' if that makes sense. I figure is she is not 'drugged' I can read her levels as being true and if she does become totally freaked I will know it - as opposed to looking ok but internally/mentally being petrified (hope that makes sense). But if this works and just takes the edge off without putting her in LaLa land, and then I might try it. thanks

Hi, I imagine a lot would depend on how the agreement was documented. In some cases 'verbal agreements' can be binding, but proof and evidence are more tricky (independent witnesses help). I suggest reviewing all written communication (including social media, emails, texts etc). Fingers crossed the breeder has a case and it does not end up 'lesson learnt' :-(

I initially thought that the breeder may not have been 'taking the puppy back' due to distance and ravel restrictions/difficulty etc - but it appears that is not the case. Whilst it could all go great and be a win for everyone (including the pup), it has the potential to be a minefield. As well as the above mentioned issues with paperwork and vet check fees, there also needs to be questions about who is responsible if something comes up health wise later - breeder could say 'you didn't buy it from me - see the person you bought him from' and the other owner could say 'we only had him a week - see the breeder'. Vet checks are great - but they are only a 'moment in time' check, and if I was a vet seeing a pup who had gone through so much mentally, emotionally and physically (changes, travelling etc) so much in the last 2 weeks, I would be giving a bit of leeway in the range of normal if something wasn't 100% perfect (obviously not things like a heart murmur etc - more like 1-2 degree in temp, or slightly dehydrated or wiggly puppy V pain response etc). I know of a pup which was sold and a week later seen to be limping slightly. Breeder contacted and vet check recommended. Vet found nothing definitive on the check (pup was a tiny wiggly squeaky poppet) and recommended wait and come back in a week if no better. Seemed to improve so 'case closed'. Came out a few months later that the pup was dropped by one of the children resulting in a greenstick fracture. It was a melded family with step children and friction around boundaries and different parenting styles etc - so the husband (father of child) decided to hide it so wife (who was the step mother) would not find out and crack it 'cos the rule was the children should not be picking up the puppy unsupervised (duh). He gave the pup human pain meds (lucky he didnt kill the poor thing) before the vet visit. It only came out when the lower front leg started turning out due to the different growth rates. Thankfully no long term harm done (never developed arthritis etc - just looked odd) and they ended up being a great family and owners. BUT - the morale of this story is that people do dumb stuff when they are under pressure

thanks sandgrubber - that is definitely a logical requirement

If the article is accurate - another example of 'one rule to fit everything' will be a fail. The exercise requirement is unnecessary, unrealistic and will rob many dogs and humans of wonderful relationships. My SWF has never been a 'walker'. Even as a young dog he didn't enjoy long walks. Around the block, to a park for a potter and down the beach - loves them all (both as a young dog and now he is older). 'going for a walk' - nope - he does it, but it clearly doesn't float his boat. My brother has a disability which makes walking difficult. He has a whippet which leads the life of Riley. Is with him constantly, sleeps on the bed and has toys and games and goes to a park regularly (certainly not daily). Sometimes I take him for a walk, but it is semi-regular at best. The dog is also not a 'walker' - a couple of suburban blocks has him happy to come home. He enjoys going out, but I would challenge anyone who said he was 'deprived' or ill treated. Exercise needs to meet the needs of the dog - and walking is only one form. I applaud the idea of making sure animals have full and rich lives - but no-one would expect all humans to have the same desires and capability when it comes to exercise and lifestyle - so why would dogs all have 'cookie cutter' needs?

I am not an expert, but from my understanding the reason why backtracking can confuse the dog is because of the amount of scent. IE - I am running north for 1 km and then stop and start running back the way I came. After 250m I turn left (if the terrain is helpful there may be a ditch I can jump over or something else that limits the evidence of my turn). Dog starts tracking and heads north. When he gets to the 750m (where I turned off) he has a very strong scent going straight ahead (double scent) which he would follow. He then gets to the 1km mark and the scent 'disappears'. Even when he scouts, he would probably wouldnt go back 250m. Does that make sense? Re tracking in a single direction, I imagine they are trained to follow the scent as it gets stronger (thus the way the person is moving) - but if due to age of trail or limited time difference from beginning to end, then I think it would be doable. Again - I am no expert - the above is just based on conversations many (too many :-)) years ago when i had friends who did tracking and I spent many hours in paddocks etc as one of their 'tracklayers': :-)

I haven't looked at it - but from what is above, it is not worth the pixels it costs. The difference between identify and authenticate is massive. All this will do is identify a prefix exists, not authenticate those who are using it. The dodgy will simply ring a breeder and ask for the membership number so they can check it with the ANKC. Then use that information to pose as the person. mmmmmmmmmmm

Very difficult for you and your family, but I fear it is more difficult for your dog at the moment. I truly appreciate what you are going through, have been there. I would like to comment on the information you gave that your sister will pick him up etc. This WILL cause him pain. It is not possible for one person (or even two) to pick up a large dog without squishing or holding bits firmly. If you put your arm under his bum, the hips are being squished. If you put you arm under his belly, you are putting pressure on the belly, his spine will be impacted and his hind legs and hips will be left dangling and unsupported. This is no issue with a sound dog - people do it all the time. But he is not sound. Also, some dogs simply don't tell you when something hurts. I know a whippet who cracked a shoulder blade. Owner (very knowledgeable) knew she had injured something, but had no idea what. Vet (very good and experienced greyhound and whippet vet) could find nothing on exam. He did every manipulation and pressure test. She told him nothing (even subtle stiffening, muscle twitch). Finally, he got an eye roll at the shoulder. Xray showed she had cracked it straight though. Thankfully rest fixed it as no displacement etc. She was in pain, but she was a stubborn and tough witch. I know what I would do, and to be honest (on the information given) I would have already done it. Tough, tears and sorrow - but it is our responsibility to be the grown ups at these times, and being a grown up means making truly sucky decisions sometimes.

As persephone said - it is not realistic to expect compensation for something just because someone says it's so. Regardless of whether it is a puppy, a horse or a dishwasher - contacting someone and saying 'there is an issue, I won't provide any information - but give me money' is (at best) naive and unrealistic or (at worst) likely to escalate and become nasty. I would strongly recommend putting everything in writing (email, SMS, snail mail). Even if the conversation is verbal, make (and keep) notes and follow up in writing (... thanks for the information/update, as I said ... here are my vet details/please send me XYZ/who is your vet etc/I am happy to take back the puppy and return your money.... whatever). No ones memory is perfect, so it is useful for all parties. Assuming it is above board and not someone trying the shonk, they are most likely extremely stressed and scared about their new family member, and quite possibly are getting some silly advice (could be anything from 'they (the breeder) HAS to .......' or 'dont tell them anything, they will use it against you' or something equally unhelpful. Which is another reason why putting something in writing is helpful, they can read it later when they are not as emotion and may later realise the request is common sense.

I collected a puppy that was about the same distance away years ago, and going by car (with another driver) was a huge success. Puppy got to know us gently (hearing, smelling us etc without pressure if that makes sense), and the car (and crate) became his safe space. The crate was on the back seat and after a while we opened the crate door and he could chose to stay in or come out on to the back seat. Frequent (puppy timed) comfort stops also meant he was house trained on the way. He never made a mistake in the house when we got home. Please note - this was long before dog seatbelts and tethering a dog in the car was unheard of - so our set up worked then, perhaps not now. BUT - our pup was an amazing traveller. I imagine it would quickly become a horror trip if the pup wouldn't settle and whinged constantly (GSD's can be 'talkative' :-)) or even worse - ypou were stuck with a carsick who drooled and hurled the whole way :-( I have flown other pups and they came through it without a care - very tired, but not stressed. Not sure if the above rambling helped :-)

thanks everyone - I will pass on all the information, really helpful :-)

thanks Jemappelle - certainly did. I tried googling Shih Tzu - and kept getting crossbred groups. aaahhhh. A lot harder now than it was before :-)

Hi, A friend of mine is looking for a dog, and is very keen on the Shih Tzu. About them: It is a working household, but staggered hours and several days working from home, so the dog would be home alone at times, but not a lot No dogs currently, but have had dogs before - so know the ropes, and the dog would genuinely be part of the household Want a puppy, preferably from SA (only 2 breeders in the directory, so not sure if SA would work) I only know the breed in general, but they have always struck me as happy, sensible and good little citizens (as always, nature and nurture) Health wise they seem pretty good - PRA, patella's and entropia seem to be the common issues - is there anything I have missed? Would love to hear peoples experiences with the breed (good or not so good), recommendations on breeders (SA or interstate), other things to consider, or even other breeds (Cavaliers appealed to them, but I have heard so many horror health stories - but would love to hear that either I am wrong, or there are 'safer' lines/breeders ....... I suggested Havanese.) thanks

Hi, Hope your mum is feeling better soon. I agree with a vet check to start - it's possible he has been losing hearing/eyesight gradually (so not noticed), and the change in circumstances have added another dimension to his confidence level. Animals are so tuned to nuances - I assume she has had him all (or at least most of) his life, so he would have completely picked up that she is not well and the different activities/visitors/coming and going will be adding to his stress. Even if he is not showing it, he will be a very confused and upset boy at the moment. Is he destructive? If not, can he be left inside when she goes out? It may not work (worst case scenario he will go through a window - so need to test and be careful before doing it), but I know when there are significant changes in my house, the dogs are more comfortable in the house - they find their spot and settle. If he is safe with windows, he can also 'keep watch' and see if the car is there and know when it comes in the driveway. A determined fence jumper is extremely hard to fix. I am assuming it is a new problem, which (with the changes) mean he is very determined, and unless the fence is not very long and has easy access, then it could be father costly. Containment is probably easiest - but unless he is comfortable in the space, it would be terrible for him mentally, so it would need to be the right solution, Re the night time situation - can the back door be left open or a doggie door installed? That way he can take himself out when needed. I can't offer any any help with the pad training, sorry. Good luck with whatever you choose

The showring conversation has been going on for decades - 'look' v 'what the breed was originally bred for'. Many, many moons ago (25-30 years) I showed shetland sheepdogs. Had a bitch that was sound as a bell with the most amazing movement, great outline, fantastic attitude, lots of positives. BUT, she had two faults - heavy ears (not out of standard, but too heavy) and not the most appealing markings. Her head was good overall, and her ears weren't horrible, but were heavy. She titled easily, won her class at the Royal, won many BIGs etc, but if the judge was looking for the 'pretty, glamour puff', then my girl was probably not their cup of tea. I remember one show in particular - the judge took ages to award challenge - it was between me and another bitch. The other bitch was a 'chocolate box sheltie'. Sweet expression, gorgeous colour, great coat etc - but could not move out of sight on a black night. It was around the ring, stack, around the ring, stack (multiple times). He then gave it to the other bitch (oh well, we won lots, but got beaten lots - that's showing). BUT - he made a fool out of himself (in my eyes) in two ways. (A) - he gave it to the other bitch whilst we were moving (should have done it when we were lined up) and (B) when he gave me reserve he said 'sorry, I had to weigh up what was the bigger issue - ears or movement). Again, I had zero issues being beaten - she was a lovely bitch overall. What it did demonstrate to me was that the fundamental purpose of the breed was not a consideration (at least in that case )

Hi - about as late as possible for 2019, but this is Daisy - helping me change the linen on my bed (then she saw something interesting out the window and I was able to snap this :-)) Loving all the photos

It is hard - so much ignorance must become hard to ignore. I don't know Rotti's well, but everyone I have known have been wonderful, gentle dogs. My only advise is to 'be alert but not alarmed' (showing my age here Mr Howard :-)). He is only 9 months, so he is not fully matured. When he gets older he may start to 'push his luck' or have times when he is being a 'jerk' - and because of his size and jaw strength the impacts (and response by other people) of that behaviour will be different than if the same activity was done my a (for example) sheltie or whippet. Most dogs who go through the 'teenage' stage start with body language (this the alert comment), so you can 'nip it in the bud' if needed. But if he is a well adjusted young citizen, I don't think he would go Cujo without notice. I would love to suggest a good response to the comments, but I am not that witty unfortunately :-)

Whilst the idea of a register sounds good in theory, there are lots of drawbacks (some noted above). Another one is that a breeder can have a sound line and be doing everything they can (so be rated well on a registry), and then one of those 'things' crop up that has causation linked to genetics, how they are raised, nutrition and just plain luck (eg: HD) - the owner is then looking at the breeder, the vets and the registry as dodgy, unethical and untrustworthy

To me it depends on the 'non dog' persons attitude - are they neutral or against? If one person in the household just isn't in to dogs - then that is fine, as long as one (or more) people are, then it will most probably work as the dog (or whichever pet) will get the interaction, care etc that's needed. But if someone is against the pet idea - then there will most likely be friction etc. EG: Dog barks a couple of times (even the quietest dog will hear/see something). If that is met with yelling/blaming etc, then it will go pear shaped quickly. Dogs are going to bark, dig, annoy, shed, interfere, get in the way, cost money etc etc. If that is understood accepted, then these things soon are ignored/forgotten in the whole picture and the good far outweighs these things. But if the 'no dog' person says - you can have one as long as it doesn't bark, shed, dig etc etc - and especially if they are not the most tolerant person - then it will be an issue. Back to the question about 'which type' - I would recommend not a working/herding breed or a terrier due to energy and intensity levels - perhaps a whippet (as long as it clearly knows chasing cats is not on :-))

Given it was there and easily felt at 8 weeks, I would give it a bit longer before being too worried. Did you feel it at 8 weeks? I am wondering where it was (they can be very high and able to be gently moved down, or they can be actually down). If you don't know how to check yourself, it may be beneficial to find out how - then you can check him quietly. I have known 'shy' boys who were very hard to check when they were stressed or excited (like at a vets) - but they were easily found when checking them gently when they were nice and quietly sitting on the lounge in the evening. By 4 months I would want them to be 'findable' in some way, and at 6-7 months I would want them fully down. Some boys have them showing loud and proud at 8 weeks, others have one (or both) who move up and down for a while.

You may be surprised at the condition of his back teeth once they are cleaned. I have just had a dental done on my SWF. I knew he would need to have teeth removed, but neither the vet or I knew how many until he was under. He ended up having all incisors removed (a couple were ok, but leaving just a few odd ones would have caused more issues than taking them all out). His back teeth looked dodgy, but all they needed was a good clean. So now he has a perfect mouth from his canines back, but nothing across the front. I wouldn't remove good teeth just to avoid a possible surgery later on, but if they are terrible, then even if it is a big procedure, it would be better than him living with mouth pain. Animals are too stoic for their own good, particularly when it is not something they can hold up like a paw A cat story - years ago I had an old cat. Her teeth were bad, but after discussion with the vet we decided not to remove them as she had such a tiny mouth he was concerned she may end up with a broken/weak jaw due to the roots being so big. She was an old girl and as she started to slow down and sleep more I initially put it down to age. But after 6 months I went back and told him that even though she was eating etc, I thought it was pain, and that I wanted the surgery - with full understanding that if he encountered significant issues with her bottom jaw I understood that he may have to put her down on the table. I have never cried so much - she got through the surgery so well and within a week I had my 'kitten' back - playing, running, talking, stalking me in the bedroom etc etc. Her mouth must have been so painful - and it was on my watch. I have never felt so guilty.

thanks Scratch - will check both out Boronia - thanks for the suggestion, but I would prefer one that was purpose built for the arm (which I need) - she is a 'special' one :-D

Hi, I have a RC collie, and to groom her myself I need a proper grooming table (with the arm for her lead etc). I used to show, so know how to groom etc (that part is not a problem), but she is a bit of a precious child (most polite term I could find :-D) so I need the right set up. IE - if the table is not completely stable she will make it worse by shaking, shuddering etc. If she is not tied, she wiggles, fights, complains etc. In a nutshell - if the set up is right, she is an angel. If it is not the right set up, you would swear she has never been groomed in her life (and she is a fully trained ex-show dog - so she knows what to do, she just also knows how to get around things). I have been getting her done at a grooming place - but that is silly expensive and inconvenient - so I am going to get a table and do it myself. Any suggestions on either where to buy a good second hand one, or recommendations on a new one? It will only be used at home, so features such as being light, easy to move, fits well in cars, looks new etc aren't important. Just needs to be a safe, sturdy table thanks