LisaCC

Kong makes on/off switch squeaky toys. So you can turn them off so it's just air coming out (dog still loves it), or when you leave the house or put it outside you can turn it back on for the dog to have the full squeak.

OMG he is adorable!!! How did I only just find this thread! Is his tail all fluff or is it solid like a labbie?

Luka is beautiful! I love his ears!

Everything Perse said is fantastic! Also if you have a safe backyard area, even one that you could reduce with a play pen if you aren't comfortable with the whole yard, I would give her little times to herself out there too (again following the same small steps as perse has said). Outside is so much more interesting than inside for puppies, new things to see and smell everyday, new textures, neighbours might of had a BBQ, birds to look at etc.

Nova has always been a big ball lover

In my experience with them, animal welfare isn't really what they're interested in. It's animal rights and those things aren't the same. In this context, having concerns about the welfare of the dogs compared to being opposed to making a dog run around a track because it's "cruel". If you have sensible points to make regarding welfare, I'm certainly not going to call you a nutter. Animal welfare is an area I feel very strongly about. Animals rights, on the other hand.. no. I believe that animal "rights" have the potential to compromise animal welfare because one is based on science and the other is based on too many Disney movies.

Yeah, basically every time she barked or jumped or wouldn't sit I would leave the room (saying "shoosh" if she was barking) then ignored her for however long it took until the noise let up for 10-20 seconds of quiet, then would approach, say "good girl/good shoosh/good girl" (occasionally give a tidbit of food if she kept quiet for longer than average) and try the routine again. Does that sound OK? She's been a little darling this morning but maybe that's more luck than anything! That's a great reason to go to a puppy's school too! But again, you do need to find an appropriate one. Your profile says Victoria. There are a few trainers here on DOL in VIC perhaps if one pops into this thread they can PM you about an appropriate training class/ one on one. I personally would be using a higher reward rate when she's good. A good puppy school/ trainer would also be able to help you with basic manners and house training like this too :)

I do think puppy classes can be useful for socialising wihtout interacting with other dogs, and great for new dog owners, but so many are shit. I avoid ones ran by vets as the "trainers" normally don't know much about dog behaviour anyway. If you aren't happy with this puppy school, but are having behaviour issues I would suggest seeking out a private trainer in your area that holds puppy/beginner courses and can work on you and your puppy and its problems not just following a basic curriculum that assumes all puppies are the same. I'm sure you will get some recommendations if you post your general whereabouts :)

Where do they end up? Vet uni and research gets a lot.

The fact that he thinks 'coolie' is a colour of border collie sums it up for me.

What a selfish person.

I agree with your thinking 100%, especially for a giant breed. I can't help with finding a vet that will perform a tubal ligation but hopefully someone will. Possibly look for a veterinary university? I wouldn't want the students doing it but they might know of a vet that does it.

Same reason people buy the poor pups in dirty pet shop windows?Think they are helping that one pup.

I think the OP sounds dodgy. How do we know he is telling the truth? How do you know they are lying? It's the internet, for all we know everyone is lying. They asked for advice, its been given. If they are lying what will they gain?

No idea about bob tail genetics in dogs but do know about Manx cats. I also thought that bob tail would be a genetic defect of the natural spine of a dog so why would anyone want to breed genetically defected dogs Manx cats have so many problems due to their lack of tails. It's a different gene, works differently. There is also a few different types, you have breeds where they are all bob tailed like Bulldogs. Then you have the NBT gene where the heterozygous version is perfectly safe, causes no problems, the homozygous form is lethal, the puppies die are reabosorbed/ die in the womb or shortly after birth. Bit like comparing Manx cats to Bobcats. The trait looks the same but is different genetically. If the NBT gene is in dobes, why has no one documented it You only need one copy of the gene to get the trait, so I would think people would be jumping all over it.

Dobermanns don't have the NBT gene... So 0%?

Congratulations! MRCCR are great, gorgeous dogs!

Karma Collars If you don't like their "matching leashes" that match their collars you can email them and get one done custom. Shipping is about $25 to Aus.

Congratulations, by using that word in that manner you've outed yourself of knowing nothing about science.

They are really amazing, I could't believe the difference it made with Sam, he did end up having it twice a year in his later life. I have been told it's better to start them earlier than wait until it progresses. Good luck

Cartrophen. It is different to the tablets. Heres the Website: Cartrophen.com He will get 4 shots a week apart which is one course. How long it lasts depends on how bad your dog is. When my old boy first started getting arthritis we started with the 4 shots before the cooler months hit, and it lasted a whole year. You may have to progress to 2 or 3 times a year.

Poor boy Talk to your vet about Cartrophen injections. Natural supplement wise NZ Green Lipped Muscle Protein has quite a few independent studies showing improvement in arthritis. So I'd be getting a supplement that has that in it over anything else.

So tired of this pluralistic BS. If a person commits an assault, we don't just shrug our shoulders and say "oh well, all people have the potential to be aggressive." ALL dogs most definitely do NOT have the potential to be aggressive. What we perceive as "aggression" (anthropomorphism) is a function of breeding, upbringing, and training. Dogs that have been bred for security work, some forms of hunting, (and yes fighting) often have "aggressive" traits bred in. Unfortunately dogs bred "wildly" or carelessly bred without regard to "temperament" may also have these traits. It's like responding to a fatal white-pointer attack by saying "all fish have the potential to be aggressive." No that would be like pointing to a dog attack and saying "All mammals have potential to be aggressive". They do, whether or not a pigmy shrew would inflict severe injuries is another matter though. :laugh: They absolutely do. Some of the nastiest injuries I've had from an animal have been from rabbits. They're cute but if they're in a mood, those claws (the same ones that can dig very nice burrows) are perfectly capable of excavating human flesh. The OH's rabbit goes one further and kills sparrows that come into her house. Oh definitely ! I was just pointing out that "one shark = all fish" is very wrong compared to "one dog breed = all dogs". It would be "one shark = all sharks of that species" ;) Guinnea Pigs can cause some damage too! As a child my entire thumb nail was bitten off by one!

So tired of this pluralistic BS. If a person commits an assault, we don't just shrug our shoulders and say "oh well, all people have the potential to be aggressive." ALL dogs most definitely do NOT have the potential to be aggressive. What we perceive as "aggression" (anthropomorphism) is a function of breeding, upbringing, and training. Dogs that have been bred for security work, some forms of hunting, (and yes fighting) often have "aggressive" traits bred in. Unfortunately dogs bred "wildly" or carelessly bred without regard to "temperament" may also have these traits. It's like responding to a fatal white-pointer attack by saying "all fish have the potential to be aggressive." No that would be like pointing to a dog attack and saying "All mammals have potential to be aggressive".

Which one's which? I like their little bucket!