donski

Another option to consider might be electric containment fencing eg. Innotek. I'm on 5 acres and it has worked really well.

Wow, no posts since last year.... so I thought I'd bump this thread. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) First time owner. Bought 1 mini bull Mitchell, now 3 yo. from a breeder. He is such a great dog I went back to the same breeder 1.5 years later and then bought his half sister. Unfortunately when Maddy was 2, she disappeared down a wombat hole. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? I can only talk about my 2. He is very submissive and the biggest sook in the world. Super affectionate. Pefect dog in every way except for cars, he is a mad car chaser. When he is very stressed eg. at the vets, he will be quite reactive to other dogs when he is on the leash. Off the leash, fine, not a problem. Maddy was very shy with other dogs, totally food fixated! She was a star at dog training cause she wouldn't take her eyes off me if I was holding food! 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Mitch is very fit and we do 8-10kms once, twich a week on mountain bike trails. Other than that we walk an hour every day. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Probably not ideal. If they have a strong personality and are really open to learning from others and doing everything they should ie. neutuer, dog training, lots of socialisation then they'll be OK. That's what I did and I worked out OK. Although their 'teenage' phase was quite challenging. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Not really, they love company and love being around people. 9. How much grooming is required? Absolutely bugger all! I probably shouldn't say that, but my dogs were virtually self cleaning. If we went out for a walk, they could be covered in mud and then half an hour later, clean. I don't do a damn thing! Their nails are kept short by the bitumen and the vet said if they're ears aren't dirty, don't clean them, so I don't. Never wash them. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Yep, my dogs love kids but they'll jump up on them and knock them down.

Pleased for you, hoping for a 100% good result though. How/where was he found?

Similar stories to some others - my mini bull terrier tore his clear apart 2 or 3 times and was in terrible agony. I decided to get them removed when he was 18 months and it was a hell 2 weeks - bandages and cones and the whole bit. Personally I am now a huge advocate of getting them removed at puppy desexing stage. I don't want to go through all that again (let alone him of course!)

My partner just flew his bull terrier from Perth to Melbourne and back for $170 (one way) with Australian Air Express. It went on the same plane that he flew on as he was travelling as well, but it sounds like you may be just sending your dog and not flying yourself?

I use a choker chain on my bully boy. The only time I really use it though is when he is in a 'mood' and yells at the cars going by. It fits really well and works just fine IMHO.

I'm pretty sure I've lost my dog (mini bull terrier) down a wombat hole. Long story, but it happened 10 days ago now and I'm completely broken hearted. I've searched and searched and done everything I could think of, including donning a climbing harness and rope and squeezing down a 15mt hole which I still didn't manage to get to the end of. It was a brand new interest she had developed, so I hadn't fully appreciated the seriousness of her attraction. I focussed my search at the time on one particular hole, but in hindsight it could have been any of ten or so. Anyway, just wanting to know if others had had any experience or encounters with wombat holes and their dogs....I'm not sure why, but I just can't stop thinking about it.

If dogs are chipped though, isn't this meant to prevent my dog ending up in a pound or being adopted out without me finding out? I guess no system is fool proof, but isn't this meant to provide some peace of mind?

Thanks so much for all your suggestions, I've done most of them except camp. The bush is a bit too thick to even put up a tent. It's been 8 days now. Sigh.

I have just posted my lost and found notice for my mini bull terrier in the classifieds. We were out walking in the Wombat State Forest and she ran off. It is too far from home (we have to drive there) for her to find her way back home. Although that isn't the point of this post. What I'm wondering is, is there any data on the typical behaviour of dogs lost either in suburbia or deep in the bush? There is alot of research on what humans do/have done so that rescue organisations can predict possible search areas, but does such information exist for dogs? It is doing my head in wondering what has happened to her and at least if I knew what she might do it might help me plan a course of action eg. do they head to or away from roads, follow trails or just go x-country, can they smell out bodies of water? If anyone could contribute their personal experience or can direct me to some existing info, I'd be most appreciative. It's been a week now and my heart is broken. (She's chipped, collared, de-sexed).