Salukifan

I'd not jump to that conclusion yet. Perhaps there was no room for a larger dog on a team looking for a height dog We've only got one version of what was said.

Don't know but I sure hope it encourages him to keep his dog secured in the yard in future.

In my experience, the kinds of people who like hound breeds aren't going to find a working breed or terrier breeds level of intensity attractive. However there will always be exceptions to that.

I'd be feeling the need to water the fence line a fair bit.

Threaten to make little dog airborne. My guess the owners will suddenly lose their sense of humour.

For that kind of money you could get a 2005 or thereabouts Magna wagon. Traded mine in this year. Never gave me an ounce of trouble and was great as a highway car.

wouldn't that be too much to put the dog under again in such short time? Usually the vet wouldn't recommend it. My Snowy get his hernia and desexed done when he was 8 months. Vet prefer to get it done one time. as for the other male pup I am referring, his hernia was too big and risky. You could easily wait until a dog was 12-14 months old before desexing.

4 months? Cut him back to two meals a day. Feed him at 8.00 and again at 4.00 and take him to the park afterwards. Remove his food and water from the area near the loo. Dogs have a natural inhibition about eating and drinking near where they toilet. I suggest you feed him outside that area. However, you may simply have to learn to live with some unwanted poos in the middle of the night. A dog that cannot access outside must go where it can. Or sleep him in his crate in your room and take him to the loo in the middle of the night if he needs to go. that way he won't be able to access the poo and you can dispose of it immediately Frankly I think a very quick walk before bed time would help. Activity stimulates the gut. However he is very young so he doesn't have the control of an older dog yet.

This.

How old is Caesar?

Of course I don't support dog fighting!! You accuse Lilli of idiotic statements and come out with that clanger!! I also haven't said that this isn't a possiblity. But why, if dogs are being stolen, aren't they (according to this week's Gazette) being reported missing?? And if its already "under control" why are people being scared shitless about the safety of their dogs?

Yes, Though HW will not speak with them it appears. Happy to offer the number if that is any barrier. Given that I don't live in NSW, nor in the Hawkesbury LAC, I'll not waste valuable police time simply because someone on a dog forum thinks I should. I'll believe that they've got the answer when they make an arrest. Until then, I'll keep an open mind.

You might want to read the full article in the Hawkesbury Gazette if you are in the area.

She said: And And I made the point that saying what is not happening is not the same as saying what is happening.... and that's not semantics. My view? In the absence of definitive proof that this is bait dog theft, address all possible scenarios. That's assuming, of course that any dogs are missing. The Hawkesbury Gazette seems to suggest otherwise.

I feel your frustration. The real danger is, of course, that they'll blame the dog for what happened and go right out and get another.

I wish you luck finding statements by me that dog fighting is a myth. But if you think that dog fighting is the only possible answer to the issue of missng dogs, read this

How about you calm down and stop flinging insults about? You're making a complete pork chop of yourself and getting antsy with people for no good reason. We know it's a dog forum. Some of us also happen to work with and for police every day. Yes, I abhore dog fighting. Yes, certain breeds ARE targetted for dog fighting... and shock horror they tend to be breeds of fighting ancestry.. and, no that is NOT denigrating those breeds. You think people aren't taking the risk to dogs in the area seriously? I consider the risk to my dogs every damn day and I take steps to keep them safe. Strangely enough they are PRECISELY the steps the police have advised people i the local area to take here. To be quite frank they are steps every dog owner should take every day, everywhere. Anyone would think dog fighting doesn't happen more widely than this area. If I owned any dog of fighting ancestry I'd be taking those steps even further to protect my dogs. If you own bull breeds and you allow them access to the front of your property, and don't keep them behind locked gates, you're flirting with disaster IMO. Until such time as the police publicly state they have definitive proof that the dogs are being stolen as bait dogs, then IMO the owners in this area would be best to consider all possible threats to the life and safety of their dogs and take all possible steps to prevent them. That's not being sarcastic, its being smart IMO. Police have been known to get it wrong.

How they can have definitive proof of what isn't happening is interesting, with only one dog found so far. I take it you have access to their files, investigations and links to the case? No, but from a logical perspective, I am aware of how difficult it is to prove a negative.

Hope I am not being OT but my situation was similar to that in the OP. Before I got my little terrier schnauzer working dog mix (which was not what I was looking for but I fell in love with her instantly) I was also looking for a small to medium short coated dog for me, an older person, who, having owned boxers all my life, was now looking for a smaller dog and I could not find a suitable breed. In answer to HW's extra criteria I was looking for a people focussed temperament, trainable. medium activity level, inside dog, and daily walk of about 30 minutes ie the sort of dog that would suit an elderly ex big dog person who doesn't really like small dogs as I suspect would also be the situation for the person referred to in the OP. I would be interested if anyone could suggest a suitable breed and one that is reasonably common and available, not something exotic. Boston Terrier (not rare but not common), or Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

How they can have definitive proof of what isn't happening is interesting, with only one dog found so far.

If that's a purebred Cocker Spaniel, I'll eat my hat. Wrong head, wrong body shape, wrong feet... My guess would be Cocker/CKCS and no doubt from one of our local puppy farmers. Hall Markets sourced eprhaps. That aside, sounds like a perfect case of the wrong dog in the wrong home and now the poor bugger has a heap of baggage to take to the next one. I hope he gets both the home and the help he deserves. Needs to be inside with family for a start.

You don't need to be a dog fighting nut to indulge in animal cruelty. Other possible reasons? Someone stocking up their puppy farm, taking noise issues into their own hands, a disturbed individual stealing dogs to torture them (had one in Canberra not so long ago).... need I go on? A cluster of thefts like that? I'd be starting with the noise option. All the more reasons to lock gates, keep your dogs behind your house line (away from front fences), ensure your fences are strong, and desex.

PW, I'm so sorry. I know how much your poods meant to you.

If you are walking them on 'correction' harnesses with a coupler, then you are negating how those harnesses work because each dog will be subject to the same level of 'correction' regardless of who is pulling. It is also possible that the coupler may be part of the problem. My guess is that you're getting lateral pulling on the harness because the dogs are coupled together. Can I suggest you walk them on two separate leads and see how much each dog is pulling? You'll actually have better control of each dog and be able to see what's going on in terms of how much resistance they're giving on the lead.

So many more things to consider than just size: * Temperament? People focussed? Or more aloof/independent? * Trainabiiity? How important is an easy to train dog? * Activity Level? An energiser bunny or a more laid back breed? * Inside or outside dog? * Exercise levels? How much exercise will the dog get? I know a few RR folk who also have Whippets and that seems to be a good mix but your friend needs to think about other issues too. No point recommending Whippets if this is to be an outside dog though. However if your friend is a "hound person", most other breeds might not suit.