Salukifan

Can you please show me where she said she believed ALL APBT's are sweet and gentle?? I don't think such an inference is a stretch from here: But only the OP can tell us for sure. I'm happy to opt out of the thread now.

OP hadn't concluded that all Whippets were sweet and gentle.. as they should be, with PEOPLE, not prey animals. Should a strange offlead Whippet be treated with caution around such a small pup. You betcha, especially if it's inclined to scream or run. NO responsible sighthound owner would counsel otherwise. My dogs have been extensively socialied with toy breeds. Not all dogs have and I suggest its best to assume not. Never heard of a Whippet killing a puppy, but cats, guinea pigs etc.. yep. But DO dogs kill puppies. All the time sadly. Aussie3: Without the consent of the other dog's owner and with the other dog under control, not in my book it ain't. It's called an accident waiting to happen.

agree.... sad isnt it.... Oh for pity's sake. Do you think the OP should allow her CKCS to rush up to every APBT she meets?

What politics? I'm anti BSL but I'm not going shove my head in the sand about a breed attribute that warrants recognition and caution. It's no different to owning Whippets and acknowledging that no matter how well socialised and trained they may be, they are hard wired to chase and kill small prey. Do Beagle owners think its going to be unusual that their dogs get their head down and scent a lot or do retriever owners think that their dogs carrying items around isn't part of their genetic make up? Dogs do not come in one standard set of characteristics wrapped up in different suits. We're talking in this case about a breed selected for generations for a low trigger to aggression, a low bite inhibition and a hard bite. How about we acknowledge that and move on. Frankly if more people were familiar with the origins of the breed and the charactertistics we selectively bred them for and managed their own dogs accordingly, we'd see a lot less of APBTs in the news and a lot less hysteria about them - and that goes for people with other breeds that interact with them. Being pro-pitbull isn't about dressing the breed up to be something that it isn't. They are often not 'teddy bears' with other dogs and to suggest otherwise is misleading. I see nothing negative about acknowledging that. The OP said: And so they should be, with people. I don't think I'd like to see the OP generalising about the breed's attitude to other dogs in those terms and managing her dog accordingly though.

Time for a reality check. I agree that a well bred APBT should be a complete Teddy Bear with PEOPLE. Its what they've been selectively bred for for generations (until recently anyway). They are however what they are. They are dogs of fighting ancestry and no knowledgeable fancier would ever try to deny that they have a higher tendency to dog aggression than breeds of different ancestry. I would NEVER assume that an unknown dog of any of the former fighting breeds was fine with other dogs, nor would I be shocked that one was not fine with other dogs, particulary those of the same gender. Dog aggression is by no means a universal attribute but its there in sufficient numbers to warrant caution. To act otherwise is to deny the breed's ancestry and to potentially put your own dog in danger. It does not surprise me in the slightest that many of the so called "dog attacks" on humans attributed to bull breeds involve owners getting bitten breaking up aggression incidents that started with dogs. Owners of such breeds have a double responsibility to ensure that their actions do not put their own dogs or other dogs in danger. OP has met nice dogs down the dog park. However, to have such a young pup in a public dog park and to expect all dogs to behave appropriately towards it is asking for trouble IMO, regardless of the breeds involved. All I can advise is caution.

So if a dog isn't on a lead its fair game? Hardly. But its owner has the responsiblity to keep it away from leashed dogs.

My advice? Just do it. Do a quick wash (or even a rinse), ignore the tantrum and reward like crazy with games/treats when its over. And do it regularly. A pup won't learn that it's no big deal if you make it one and it doesn't happen often. Even 2 minutes in the tub, a good rub down and a game is better than a big production when it really needs to be done. Same applies to nails.. don't give a choice and do it often with rewards and a game when its over. One tip though - don't wet the head for a while. Wait until body wetting is being tolerated.

She gets a long walk/play in the park around 5.30pm and spend most of the evening playing inside along with following people around the house as they get dinner/get ready for the next day/do random stuff. She naturally either falls asleep on my feet, or puts herself in her crate if she's really exhausted. Usually around 7.30 or 8 she starts to work herself up into the zoomies so we get an intense half hour of manic puppy play in before she starts to wind down. I've tried every trick in the book, including keeping her awake later and none of it makes her sleep later. She's still a bub. If she's not waking you twice a night, every night, you are doing better than a lot of baby puppy owners. (or senior dog owners for that matter) Give her boundaries and give her time - she'll get there.

I think that's one of my biggest fears - what if it does? My neighbour had a dog that barked every single minute the owner was out, for it's whole 15 year life, so I keep thinking if I don't somehow teach her to NOT bark when she wants something, she'll keep on doing it. If you don't teach her that her antics get her attention, I can't see it happening. She will also sleep longer as she matures. What sort of exercise/stimulation are you giving her in the evenings? A good play session or a quick walk fairly late can push back wake up time. :)

I would: 1. Put the crate in your room. That way she has 'company' in the same vicinity 2. Take her out to pee when she wakes, back into crate with a treat. 3. Ignore all tantrums and crying (invest in ear plugs) and leave her in the crate until YOU are ready to get up. 3. Console myself with the fact that this won't last for ever. Main thing is to teach her that her hysterics won't result in attention.

RIP Sharnie. What a gorgeous Brittany she was!

The Parson is rare, hasn't been bred to death by BYBs and structurally is likelty to be sounder. I've yet to see a Parson with an east/west front (mind you I've only seen a few) I know which of the two I'd be going for. It's always nice to provide a home to a breed that is struggling in numbers.

Then there's this little thing called contributary negligence. So, the OP notices that there's a dog that whose owner is struggling to control it (new info since first post) but he/she lets their dog do flybys on it and the grey gets so close that the other dog breaks its lead and manages to grab the OPs dog that holds a considerable speed advantage. How close did she get we wonder?? Petermore, allowing your dog to do zoomies around a dog whose owner was struggling to control it wasn't the wisest possible move. No way did your girl deserve to be attacked abd I am glad that you can see that you had a role to play in this. Coincidentally, it doesn't matter that your dog is a rescue, or still learning to be a dog. You are totally responsible for her behaviour and if anything, you should be MORE cautious about letting her run with strange dogs. Sighthounds sheer speed can arouse all kinds of responses in other dogs - some predatory, some others you really don't want to be triggering. In future, I'd suggest you only run her with dogs you know or when the beach is deserted. If she is sound after her race career you might want to think about taking her lure coursing - you'll meet lots of sighthound owners who can provide running partners for your dog that 'speak' her body language and have the same play style. 20/20 hindsight I know but these kinds of incidents can be prevented and sadly, it's up to us to keep our dogs safe because we can't rely on other dogs owners as you've just found out.

Fast them for 24 hours and try again. A bit of hunger can often overcome reluctance to try a new food. And heaven knows, it won't hurt them. ;)

This thread is rapidly degenerating into baseless speculation. A little less assigning blame and a little more understanding that it takes TWO owners and TWO dogs to make a dog fight might not be a bad idea. No one 'won' in this case. OP has a dog full of holes and the other owner is staring down the barrel of a Dangerous Dog Declaration and all the restrictions that go with it I count that as two canine 'victims' and two owners that didn't do right by their dogs. Degrees of blame are academic.

I fed all BARF for quite a few years, until my new pup refused point blank to eat any veggie mix. I then switched to feeding RMBs and kibble. No issues at all with feeding BARF. It's more time consuming than feeding out of a bag but I think the dogs benefit from it.

If you are deadly serious about getting into the pet industry at any level above minimum wage, my advice is to broaden your horizons and think about relocation for study. You won't get any kind of a decent qualification without getting hands on with animals. Frankly unless you do that under the supervision of an experienced trainer, I'd not employ you. Some of the skills associated with grooming, handling and training dogs require 'hands on' experience. That said, some courses have both residential and correspondence components. A qualified 'behaviorist' is either a vet with specialist study, an animal psycyhologist with specialist study or a very experienced dog trainer with specialist study. you won't get any such qualification by correspondence. Your other option is to get a job in veterinary practice and do the formal quals by correspondence.

That would have been my starting point.

Yes, because that would make it really objective now wouldn't it. NOT They're judging conformaton to a standard, not a pedigree for heavens sake. You don't need dogs if you're judging pedigrees. Just submit the papers and let them decide. Because EVERY dog lives up to the potential of its pedigree now doesn't it. ;)

Oh dear. My guess is you may not have much choice. Does your wife pay any attention to the dog?

I would go to the nearest decent pet shop and invest in a metal crate TODAY. Start feeding the dog in it and start giving her time inside in it in the loungeroom when you are there. That way dog can be inside, and there is no issue with 'accident's involving dog and bub because dog can be confined unless under close supervision. Do NOT rely on a baby gate to seperate the dog from your baby. A locked door (either on the crate or a proper door) is a far safer option.

Unless judges have pedigrees in front of them, they're not going to know the ancestry of the dogs they're judging. Banning merle to merle matings would be a better method of dealing with the issue. Under Victorian law, they're effectively banned now.

Id make it easy on myself and have either pup or toddler confined. Perhaps have pup outside or crated if bub is awake and about. Then let pup loose when bub is asleep or otherwise 'confined'. If you can't have your attention on the pup there WiLL be accidents. Perhaps a large plastic container or bucket you can drop over any offending accidents might help too until you can clean them up.

.. dogs are on lead for a reason. Off lead dogs should respect that The dog that attacked wasn't confined by a lead. It was until it broke it when barked at by the greyhound. yes, I would report the attack. That level of damage inflicted by any dog is not good. However, I think the the OP needs to accept a significant degree of responsiblity for causing the attack, if not the injuries that resulted. Not a winning situation for either owner sadly.

Salt or find a smoker.. anything super hot like a lit cigarette will do the trick.