hankdog

So over in the reactive dog thread we've had a little bit of a daydream about our next non-reactive dog. No disrespect to your present dog but what qualities would your ultimate dog have if you could have everything you wanted in one dog? For me in order of priority... Temperament- calm, must like and respect people, dogs and critters but not in an overly excited way, happy to greet and play but not dragging me over to every other living thing. Must be smart enough to learn but not so smart that I have to keep changing the goalposts on what we do. Haha, not smarter than me. Must love to cuddle. Loyal, not aloof and please play fetch. Just once I want to play fetch with my dog. Looks- my fantasy dog is huge, like Newfie huge and with big paws. Big floppy ears, and a square head with a square muzzle. Coat can be shaggy or smooth but not fluffy like a border collie, more scruffy like a wire haired terrier. I don't mind what colour but not completely one colour, so black with a white patch or brown and black. Definitely not pure white. Eyes either brown or golden brown, not blue. He must be four years old, forever....

I'm going with an old one this week as the camera battery recharger appears to have made off with my marbles. Thats a lovely dynamic picture Gertrude, real sense shes about to leap of the page.

Lets trade in all the idiots!

There's quite a few Prozac puppies on here, it's not the worst thing and is a kindness if it relieves some stress. I played around with dosage a bit in the first few months to get a balance between being too stoned and too stressed. If you haven't already found it the Great Dane rescue website has some very helpful tips on seperation anxiety. Good on you for helping your dog.

The Great Dane rescue website has some very good suggestions on how to deal with seperation anxiety. My little tubster has many issues but we have made a lot of progress with doing some of these things. Particularly going and checking what he's barking at, thanking him and then telling him "I got it". I work from home so my clients find this very amusing. I even take it on the road , he's reactive so I do the same thing when we see a dog out.

Haha Clyde it's just that a crazy pug bouncing off the walls sounds like so much fun!!

Lucy's going to be a mature age student????. Raineth when Jake chucks a tanty he screams, can be heard two blocks away. I spent the afternoon with 10 vizslas the other day, the breeder actually offered me a pup when Hank passed but I thought they weren't cuddly dogs. My mistake, they were taking it in turns to climb in my lap. I think given my age and knees I'll go small though. Fate will decide.

Interesting because I worry about it the other way around, how much damage Jake will do if one of the little guys gets to him. I'm pretty good at kicking them away, (another skill for the CV) but we got rushed by a hefty cattle dog and it was scary realizing if I kicked it my foot might not come back in good nick.

I love her face in the second picture, "ok you can take pictures but don't touch my babies." Look at their tiny feet , so cute.

Hard to know with Jake whether its because he loves me or I'm his security blanket. I'm the person translating human for him and he needs me for that. When we got Hank I was still working so although I walked and fed him he pretty much got even time with everyone. He was supposed to sleep in the kitchen but there was a big storm about six months after we got him and he came and found me in my room, after that it was clear he had chosen me. He was a confident, easy going dog but he didn't relish strangers patting him and never got overly excited or in your face. He just liked to be sitting near me and I only realized once he was gone that as I went about my day I would every now and then just put out my hand and get a little head bump. He was the perfect height dog, really we just fitted together.

Maybe she's got behaviour issues and the only thing that works is copious amounts of peanut butter......looking at the photos probably not but you never know. Good on you for minding her I hope my dog would be found by you if there's ever a problem.

That's funny I've also got an eye on the lappies but I think my next dog will be smaller. Something easier to sling over my shoulder than a lump of bulldog. Pretty sad that an off leash dog was in wetlands at this time of year particularly, our mrs Duck is off sitting on eggs at the moment.

I'm sorry Megan, some days are just rubbish. Yes surprised myself by pressing the post button on a not friendly reply in that thread, although I did edit it to tone it down from my first response. It does give me insight into how others think although makes me despondent that it may be the majority who think that way. I do hope your dog ownership days are not numbered. It's really hard and I know I'd never get another reactive dog and would probably not take a chance on a rescue again, but I think I still would get another dog after Jake. I remember how bleak life seemed without a dog.

The yolk of shame, good idea.

Very off topic but my next dogs name is going to be Thundercleese Alvin, hope you don't mind me stealing those names.

If your dog is so well under control then what difference would putting a leash make to him. Surely he would still be walking in control at your side, just with a leash attached and hence not breaking the law?

I would want a good staff to dog ratio, hygiene, all dogs vaccinated and healthy looking. Access to a sunny area and also a few areas dogs could withdraw to if feeling harassed although I'm not sure how that would be managed.

Well I'm glad to know you can have more than one. Hank was my heart dog because he was the epitome of noble. Trustworthy, always there , reliable,honest, always there when I put my hand down to pat him and just an all round nice guy. I thought I would never want another dog but there was a dog shaped hole in my heart. Jake came along and I love him because he's a jerk. Annoying. hard work, high maintenance, manipulative. He challenges me every darn day and its a little scary how joined at the heart we are.

So if everyone breaks the law then it's ok. Actually there are many people inconvenienced by the deliberate breaking of the law and I am one of them. I would like to use the many off leash parks with my reactive dog and I walk a considerable distance away from the off leash park 500m away from my house to do so only to find it being illegally used by people flouting the law. Those people are endangering my dog, when he is rushed by your dog he will react and then he will be labelled a menace. Many non dog owners would also like to use these parks but cannot because of such thoughtlessness. I have had many conversations with elderly people who compliment me on obeying the law, they are happy to be around dogs and often come for a pat but for many the threat of tripping over an off leash dog could put them at risk for a broken hip and other injuries. I had a very sad conversation with a lady who can no longer walk her own dog because she fears she will be injured in such an encounter. There are many off leash areas where your dig can run free but try consider other people when not in an off leash area. You may not be inconvenienced but others are.

And this is why my dog keeps me amused... For a few weeks Jake has been barking quite calmly as we approach any known dog containing house. As we get to the houses the residents are primed to go and he then happily sits and requests his peanut butter reward. I've been somewhat ambivalent, I'm happy his attitude has changed from these dogs being fear inducing to being a reward opportunity however I don't really want a barking dog. So I decided yesterday that every time he barked I would walk back 10 steps wait 10 seconds and then continue. After about half and hour of trying to get past the dogs in my block I went home did some work and tried again in an hour, rinse and repeat, we finally left the block on our third go. This morning as we stepped into the street he started barking I turned around to step back and all his bones turned to jelly. I tried walking but when this happens you really can't even pick him up because he becomes completely floppy. So I ignored him, eventually I pulled out my phone and found out how to work the stop watch and timed another three minutes. Three minutes is a long time standing on the side of a road. Finally I caved and took a step back in the right direction. Immeadiately my erstwhile flaccid pooch grew his bones back and leapt up ready for a walk. If anybody would like to rent a slightly used bulldog for lessons on pig headedness, I have one available.

Well done!! Such a great moment. Pst pass that fairy dust????.

I wonder if councils are generally just understaffed. It seems as if building rules, dog rules and general maintenance just isn't being done. Then people complain and they put in more rules whereas if they just enforced the existing ones things would be fine.

It's crazy isn't it, I read of someone turning up to defend their alleged pitbull and finding themselves in a hearing with three legal representatives and yet if you want to report an actual menacing dog there never is enough manpower to do anything about it.

Thanks, hadn't thought if that will hopefully be able to retrieve that from the old memory bank next time. So long as you don't toss treats out to your hockey mates they should be ok.

Just a thought I use a jar of peanut butter, smeared on the inside of the plastic jar and left in the fridge. I hold the bottom of the jar and he gets a few licks dependent on the intensity of the stimulus. He does occaisionally bite the jar but my hands are safe at the bottom of the jar and the licking keeps his jaw relaxed.