Salukifan

Cavaliers dont' come in black. Closest you get is tri-colour. There are black and tan Cavaliers that can be mostly black. They look gorgeous! Oops - forgot those

Avoid anything with Ivermectin - that's what the collie breeds may be sensitive to. I use Drontal every three months for intestinal worms and Proheart montly from Sep to March for heartworm. I don't give a flea prevention treatment. Check the Pro-heart active ingedient but from memory I can't recall there being any ivermectin in it. I think Revolution contains it though.

Cavaliers dont' come in black. Closest you get is tri-colour.

Family history?

pedigree

No, it wouldn't. The whole point is that breed is only one factor that contributes to what makes for a dangerous dog and a very inaccurate one at that. If you believed the press, virtually every dog attack involves a pitbull when a fair number of those attributions are to dogs with no pitbull in them AT ALL. You can find such stats but they aren't really helpful in understanding why some dogs bite and more importantly, why most don't.

I beg to disagree. Temperament is certainly inherited and so is workability. So is speed and hunting ability and so on..People go to particular lines and seek pups from particular parents to get those characteristics - and also avoid certain lines for the same reasons. Why do you think some untried greyhounds and race horse yearlings sell for so much more than others? Its ALL about bloodlines.

Another thing you get is known parentage. By far the best indicator of what your pup will turn out like are its parents. You can expand that notion for a few generations back.

Predictability! The reason for breeds in the first place. We choose purebreds because we have a far greater certainty of getting desired features and characteristics - size, coat, temperament, bite inhibition, bite threshold etc etc I agree. If predictability includes reliability. I have found they aren't the same. If you mean you're getting a guarantee of a totally predictable outcome, sadly you don't with every characteristic. What you do is narrow the range of potential outcomes for the adult dog. There sadly are no guaranteees.

I'd suggest it will reinforce it because people don't know what they're looking at. BSL is DESIGNED to lower the incidence of danger from some breeds.. those flawed stats would suggest less pit bull attacks means its working.

Predictability! The reason for breeds in the first place. We choose purebreds because we have a far greater certainty of getting desired features and characteristics - size, coat, temperament, bite inhibition, bite threshold etc etc

Not really. Most people are hopeless with identifying breeds and there's plenty of evidence to show such statistics are inherently flawed.

It is allowed. You may get them via PM as well as on the thread so check your messages too.

Storm good on you for taking this girl on and doing all you can for her. I'm glad you've found a knowledgeable Newf person to help you along your journey. I predict this may be the beginning of a long term love affair with the breed. They are wonderful dogs. :)

If you have a harness and will allow her to put some weight on it pulling, that will work her back half. Walking at your pace is fine. If you can locate a bowen therapist or canine massage person in your area, that will also help.

Howdy! I'd say a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (this is the correct breed name) would fit the bill provided you're prepared to give the dog the odd brush and you teach your sons to be gentle with a small pup. This breed is VERY popular and can suffer from heart issues so choosing the right breeder, who health tests their dogs will be important. You may find the information on the CKCS in the "Dog Breeds 101" forum helpful and you can ask questions there too.

Now that your dog is 2, I think you need to be realistic about correcting any skeletal issues with her - what you've got is what you have to work with. Only her muscle condition can be improved and without regular chiropracty, that won't change much. The lack of muscle tone in the rear sounds warning bells for me - I'd be wondering about the condition of her hips. If she doesn't not gain weight on a better diet, I'd be starting to wonder about a residual level of pain. I think the best thing you could do is find a vet with experience with giant breeds and have her thoroughly checked over. I would be feeding a quality Giant breed food and taking it from there. What do you mean by "I hope I don't have to keep her on concrete"? It would be the LAST surface I'd recommend for this dog.

The biggest problem I think is that people think that dogs are just the same animal in different shapes and sizes. I honestly think a lot of people don't genuinely know what they want beyond a dog "that doesn't dig up the yard or nip the kids". And of course the fact that how a dog is raised has a significant influence on its behaviour is missed by a lot of folk. Far easier to offload a dog as "the wrong breed" than take responsibility for failures as an owner. I think there's some sense in what is being said ie... "think through what the dog you buy has been bred to do and choose accordingly" but the focus goes right to breed and not what stands behind it. For what it's worth, if I had a breed popularly thought to be "not a great kids dog" I'd be cheering. Kids don't raise dogs, FAMILIES do. Will see the BYBs and puppy farmers leave it well alone. It might help stem the flood of working and bull breed crosses into pounds also.

So much for socialisation and training and supervision with kids. This is the kind of thinking that brought us BSL - "some breeds are good and others..." Stand by for a flood of adolescent untrained BYB labs and GRs to hit rescue. If you don't want a dog that needs exercise and attention, why on earth get ANY dog.

Sounds like he was no angel on a lot of fronts.

I'll confess to growing a little short on sympathy for people who buy unpapered Amstaffs (if indeed that's what the dog was) in BSL states and end up in this situation. It keeps happening. It's not rocket science to buy a dog that won't be subject to BSL is it? And these are not new laws. EPIC fail on the part of the owners for failing to do anything to keep their dog safe.

Can I just say that I really hope you've not been sold a dog with fake papers and I'm really sorry if you have been. I would definitely start with a call to the Dept of Fair Trading in your state.

I looked at that , and thought that there are lots of folks who dislike feeding/keeping raw food .. esp in countries where there are salmonella risks? Maybe it covers off on dogs with depressed immune systems. I suppose that would be the case for some of the dogs these diets are intended for.

and hooves & horns ..... :) Yep, its a byproduct of slaughtering.. and something I'd avoid feeding.

Trying shedding the persecution complex. I'm not out to lynch you. I'm not being a smart arse.. its a genuine question. Why cook everything???