Salukifan

I didn't write all pet owners off. But to a significant number of them, a dog is "just a dog". I see it all the time. They want get one quickly and without a lot of thought. It's fed as cheaply as possible, not socialised or trained, probably not registered or vaccinated and disposed off if it inconvieces them. ANKC pedigreed dogs account for about 20% of all dogs bred each year. Few breeders have trouble placing all their pups and they're pretty selective. Even then some homes don't work out. That accounts for the miniscule numbers in pounds - fewer of them and more selectively placed. Take Whippets. To suggest to some people that keeping one outside in sub zero temperatures is simply unsuitable doesn't compute. Dogs live outside because that's where they belong. Blanket in a kennel and she'll be right. Dog coats? That's only for pampered dogs. Higher fat foods? Nope, they'll have Supercoat because its cheap. And they wonder why the dog can't maintain weight. They won't spend the money on a pedigreed dog when you can get a cheaper version no questions asked from BYBs. They don't understand sighthound temperament because they haven't done their homework and the dogs lead a pretty ordinary life as a result. It's played out right here in the Whippet thread before. If I sound like I have a pretty ordinary view of some dog owners you're right. I do. So breeding more pets to sell to them? No thanks. Because I'll be hung, drawn and quartered right here if I can't take each and every dog back if the home doesn't work out for a start. And of course dogs deserve better lives than some owners are prepared to give them.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua - happy ending! :)

The general public, to a fair degree, don't value pedigrees. They want a dog today, they want it cheap and they don' want the spanish inquisition about how they propose to care for it. We need to educate those willing to listen to put more thought into how they source a dog. And quite frankly, there are a fair number of dog owners out there that responsible breeders would NOT be willing to sell to. No amount of PR is going to convince such breeders to sell to homes wholly unsuitable for the pup they propose to buy or simply not interested in having anything more than an animated garden ornament. Head down to any dog pound to see how that frequently turns out. The solution lies in better education across the board but no amount of education can teach people that dog ownership is NOT a right. It's a privilege that comes with certain responsibilites and the primary one is the welfare of the dog.

If you've never trained a dog to a high level before, I do wonder how successful how many pet dog owners are at training their own assistance dogs, particularly if the dog has not been sourced for that purpose in particular. We've had at least one other member here want to train an assistance dog for themselves and as I recall, they failed. More than once. I suppose it depends on what you're trying to achieve but I'd have thought some one on one assistance from a trainer would have been essential.

Most ANKC pedigreed dogs ARE pets. Their breeders don't have "pet breeding" as their primary goal but only a few pups at most in litters end up in show or breeder homes. The result is the same but the aims of the breeder are what differ. If all you are breeding is "pets" then why look outside your own yard for breeding stock? That's where the term "backyard breeder" comes from as I understand it.

Hope the police had to smash a window or two to get the dog out. Hope they were power windows. :) You can't fix stupid.

The research I read said it was about the berry - raspberry or black current. Juice worked as well as cordial.

Photos may be useful for determining some structural, teeth/gum or skin health issues but I can't see them being useful for much else.

I use Cascade. It has worked for my dogs. I have syringed it neat down the throat of a dog with gastro issues and it seemed to do the trick. Tastes pretty good as a cordial too! :)

So should we chuck working titles? Nope. As long as people don't really think that they mean the dogs can work for a living. I think there's nothing better than watching a dog do what it was bred to do, even if its a stylized version of it.

My dogs didn't get Christmas presents....... yet* * except from FHRP

I've seen jaws on race bred Greyhounds that would render them unfit to course game. Breeding for speed above all other characteristics is no more balanced than breeding solely for coat length or colour. It is possible for either side of the show or working line equation to lose the plot.

A lot of yard dogs with huge titles don't actually do any real farm work. Yep. And the fact that a dog will or won't chase a plastic bag says nothing about its ability to course game. Is that how they test dogs for lure coursing? That's what the lure generally is.

A lot of yard dogs with huge titles don't actually do any real farm work. Yep. And the fact that a dog will or won't chase a plastic bag says nothing about its ability to course game.

Not sure I'd do herding with a dog I was showing to title. Sheep can be bloody hard on dogs, especially young dogs. Plenty of people who work dogs for real reckon 'working' titles are no real test of a dog's real ability to work anyway.

I think it pays to remember that without the "show lines" many of the working breeds would have tiny gene pools and be unsuitable as pets. I appreciate that for some people that doesn't matter but it does to me. You can be passionate about your dog of choice without heaping shit on other people's.

A barbie collie is a BC that is bred for the show ring only, no herding testing done on them, no proof that they can work bred for looks only. Just the sort of working v show trash talk that this country can live without. I hope it doesn't take off here.

Of course it might pay to remember that Australia is not the Border Collie's country of origin. The climate is a tad different in Scotland :)

So sorry to read this Sheridan. Run free Grumpy.

You should be able to scratch it out if the poison sack is visible. Otherwise, If its swollen, I'd suggest an anti-histamine. The hair falling out may be an allergic reaction too.

And seeing as I started it, I can post the pic I didn't get to use yesterday :

It's MY thread. I will squash them like a bug.

Nope. They are a Toy breed from the Bichon family.

Instead of wagyu scotch fillet?

You can't really steer a dog effectively with a harness. To control the dog you need to control the head. What sort of a collar is she in now.