Salukifan

BTW, the person asking about the barking doesn't actually have a Stafford. I think the pup is as much Labrador as anything else. Thanks for pointing this out - as stated in other posts she is a staffy X - it was in your opinion to tell me she "could" have Labrodor in her. Have a nice day Yep, my opinion as stated above. :) Hope you have her chipped accordingly because if you don't stop her barking, expect the rangers on your doorstep shortly. deghi was giving advice based on a view that your pup was an SBT.. Personally I dont' think anything flows for this behaviour based on the fact that she isn't but wanted to correct any misapprehensions based on your post in a "need help with a Staffy" thread. I thought you said she was an Amstaff cross anyway? Have a nice day.

BTW, the person asking about the barking doesn't actually have a Stafford. I think the pup is as much Labrador as anything else.

What other effective barking stoppers are there??? If you want to reduce the occurence of behaviour, then aversives are what's required. Its not like this is a situation where training an alternative behaviour is an option.

Yet ... that doesn't teach her not to bark at things. Removing the problem doesn't solve it. Sure solves it for the neighbours. :) Happy neighbours don't call council or drop baits over the fence. Good luck teaching a dog not to bark... aversive collars work on some dogs but personally I prefer preventing problems to managing them. How you'd think using aversives on a pup to stop natural behaviour is preferable to preventing the issue in the first place sure beats me. I don't know a single knowledgeable Stafford person who'd tell you sleeping one outside is a good idea.

The best method from stoppping your dog barking up a storm at night is dead easy. Sleep her inside. :) It will make the neighbours a lot happier.

Not all of them! I've had shepherds for over 30 years and I've FINALLY got one that hardly sheds - and she's a long-coat . I was going to ask if the long coats shed less - it would seem logical.

Can I suggest you rethink the "no crate" decision? Crates are really only suitable to be used inside anyway. With a young family and a young dog, a method of safely separating them is important. A crate provides a safe place for the puppy when you cannot supervise and I'd really recommend you feed her in there, give her her naps and sleep her in there. I would also place her in her crate when your family is eating - at any time. Teach your children that the crate is your pupp's place and she is never to be bothered when she is in there. That gives her a refuge from the kids when she needs one and means you can keep her safely contained when you have visiting kids etc. Seriously, a crate trained dog is a godsend and knowing that she is separted from your kids when you cannot supervise will give you serious peace of mind. I don't know how old your kids are but I would not be allowing them unsupervised time with her until they are all aged 7 years or over. What do you want the chain for? Do you mean a check chain?

Steve we have different views of the effectiveness of councils and the RSPCA. You believe in that system as an avenue for change - I don't. And that's OK. I have far more faith in the effectiveness of councils and the RSPCA than I do in the effectiveness of online petitions. You might feel better about yourself for signing it but it won't accomplish a damn thing.

This update from Facebook.. from the show secretaries

I honestly don't know. Only cancellations I've ever seen have been either the whole box and dice or the State CC's heat policy in action.

Yep, I will. I don't have access to Ozshow during the day but I'm sure someone will tell me or post here. :) Its a real bummer for the AG shows in terms of gate takings but at the same time, a whole bunch of horse trucks and cars bogged up to their axles and the risk to competitors in events like show jumping need to be considered. Might have to go to Yum Cha instead. :)

I don't think they will end up under water but they can get pretty boggy. Show secretary has posted on Ozshow that they are watching both showgrounds at the moment and both are very wet. They are investigating whether or not they can relocate to Bungendore also but will post decisions online tomorrow. Personally I'd not be feeling too hopeful. We have serious rain expected here in the area in the next 48 hours. Even if the grounds are above water, there's no guarantee roads to them will be.

The river at Tumut is on flood watch and I know they evacuated the van parks but my guess is they'll make their decision tomorrow??

How can you judge there quality of life as you don't know them. Are you watching them 24/7 too be able to make a call on there quality of life or do you just happen to see them on a chain as you go past? There are reasons why some people use chains on there dogs. We are now heading firmly into an off topic area but there are entire states of the USA where it is illegal to keep a dog on a chain. The reasons are many but welfare issues dominate them. The vulnerability of chained dogs to harm is one of the biggest reasons. There are alternatives to fixed chains that are better for the dog. Lol at least we can agree on something :D Aren't dogs that are constantly tethered more likely to show aggression issues as well? Yep. Chained dogs are significantly over represented in serious dog attacks. On several occasions they have killed people trying to disentangle them. Bit of a no brainer really - remove a dog's capacity for flight and when threatened, most will fight. I don't think there's a person here who isn't passionate about dogs (or at least their dogs). Sometimes in between the disagreements we have, we need to reflect on that I reckon. :)

Funny you should say that, Alyosha, about the Benji mutt. Couple years ago, someone put a family on to me. This family were trying to find (their own words!), a 'Disney Dog'. They'd seen a dog in a Disney pic & wanted one like it. But didn't know a breed label. It wasn't Benji, but a similar bigger dog. Someone had told them that they thought the 'Disney Dog' was a breed from the Himalayas. Which was why they'd been passed on to me, as I own Tibetan Spaniels. I showed them pics of Tibbies.....no, that wasn't the DD. Then a pic of a clipped Lhasa Apso....no. Then a clipped Tibetan Terrier....yes, they said. That's the closest to the Disney Dog! So off they went to find TT breeders. But I honestly don't think the dog in the Disney movie was a p/b Tibetan Terrier. If we can have 'Disney Dogs', maybe we can have 'Benji Dogs', too. And this rescue fellow is a Benji Dog. It might have been the Winn Dixie dog... who I think was a Briard???

How can you judge there quality of life as you don't know them. Are you watching them 24/7 too be able to make a call on there quality of life or do you just happen to see them on a chain as you go past? There are reasons why some people use chains on there dogs. We are now heading firmly into an off topic area but there are entire states of the USA where it is illegal to keep a dog on a chain. The reasons are many but welfare issues dominate them. The vulnerability of chained dogs to harm is one of the biggest reasons. There are alternatives to fixed chains that are better for the dog.

Thought that might happen. Oh well, I hope my entry costs go towards them having a bigger, better one next year. It's a lovely show. :) (Well when its not under water it is)

The question is however would you accept responsibility for the fact your dog was at large? A friend of mine worked on police rural patrol for many years.. killed a lot of dogs for harassing stock. He said he killed breeds you'd never consider might do this (including poodles) and on many occasions owners were horrified or disbelieving that their beloved pets could do such a thing. There is only one safe way to protect your dogs - contain them. Blaming others for what happens when your dog gets out is avoiding the fact that its your responsibility to keep your dogs safe. Yours and no one elses. I simply do not understand how so many Americans chain their dogs and have open yards. Yes, I think its wrong. But there were two roaming dogs here.. and an owner who should have contained them.

You know I think some folk would find a way to blame the child.. for 'behaving aggressively' or taunting the dogs. Seriously.

Lovely shot. :) You can stack them vertically too!

Lets paint another scenario shall we? Your 35kg bull breed is in its yard minding its own business. Two dogs three times its size gain access and begin posturing and playbowing at your clearly unhappy dog. You step out to shoe them away and one walks towards you, stiff legged, tail up and wagging slowly. It barks at you. Meanwhile your dog is now screaming in terror as the other dog attempts to provoke a response from it and chases it when it attempts to flee. Yep, all your dog's fault, all your fault and what happens next will be the fault of whomever you call and is available to deal with the issue. Get real.

All I can say is you'd want to be armed with something better than what the resident of that house had/ Here's what Leerburg has to say about defending your dog. All I can say is you'd be in a world of hurt if the aggressive display of the brindle dog was pushed too hard. Two things to note: * Pepper spray is illegal in this country * There were TWO dogs here,not one. That's TWO dogs you need to neutralise, noting that at least one of them wasn't going to run. Interesting to see aggressive behaviour towards a defensive human condoned and lack of playful behaviour by a threatened dog cited as part of the problem. Seriously are some folk for real? For those who think those dogs were being playful, read what Leerburg says about intention.. and IMO this was what was happening. That Beagle is alive because it offered no resistance to the posturing dogs. I said it before but I'll say it again.. all canine play behaviour is practice for fighting or hunting. The fact that a dog "looks" playful to you does not mean that the behaviour isn't motivated by dominance or predatory instinct. True play is a two dog agreement. An invitation is accepted. No dog "has" to play with others and to suggest that any fault falls on the smaller dog here for not "playing" with the larger two is utter rubbish.

I agree - I to would be livid if that was my dog being attacked by roaming dogs and I had to wait around for "the right people" to arrived. I think it's unfair to expect police to be experts in canine behavior - they are overstretched already as it is. I would have preferred that the dog was dispatched of more quickly but it's not a perfect world. In the end it comes down to the meancing dogs' owner not being responsible and keeping their dogs contained and if people want to blame someone they should be pointing their fingers at them, not the Police who were just doing their job. I'm a little gobsmaked by the defence of the roaming dogs along the lines of "the Beagle was only mildly terrified". Should the officer have waited for the situation to escalate? Then we'd potentially get "police officers do nothing while dogs maul family pet". Come on folks... have a listen to yourselves. The police were in a no win situation here. The person ulimately responsible for the dog's deaths is the person who failed to contain them... and time and time again we see this play out with law enforcement told they need to do better. Well guess what, law enforcement are not trained dog behaviorists and many of them have been attacked by dogs during their careers on the beat. If they shoot first rather than risk injury and rabies shots, then why condemn THEM? How about OWNERS need to do better and if you allow your dog to roam and it aggresses then don't expect it home in one piece.

a gun can kill a person. It can certainly kill a dog if the shooters aim is good. What a silly thing to say Know a lot about firearms do you Flaves? Where's the "kill shot" on a big dog with a 38 police issue revolver(pretty sure it was a revolver he used)? Please dont say the head. Dogs skulls are far stronger than ours. Dogs also don't stand upright, displaying their vital organs for a police officer trained to put a shot into the torso to get a fatal shot. They are also not really good at comprehending "stop or I'll shoot". He needed a high calibre hunting rifle - he didn't have one. Results were what you saw. FYI no police force I know has tranquiliser darts and rifles or the skill to estimate the appropriate dose on an animal at large in public. Generally only a vet would have that skill. Tasers on the other hand? Very useful in these situations and they are used on dogs.

This Policemen should have to have a better shot than that?? They're not carrying sidearms designed to drop powerful large dogs. My guess is that was part of the issue.