Steph M

Its so cool how so many different breeds have found their perfect people. I have to admit some of these worst things would drive me crackers, as I'm sure would mine to others as well, but nice to know the worst before committing and expecting the best, right?!

Yes, Diva!! I think for the flat coats both best and worst depending on who you are is their absolute enthusiasm for absolutely everything. My mum cannot stand Gus's optimism, that he is ALWAYS excited to see her and she has to go through the routine of saying hi, throwing the ball or checking out whatever spitty toy he brings her and listening to him yammer lovingly at her whereas she likes a dog who gives you more space. Meanwhile I love it, I love having someone so happy greet me every day! You cannot be sad around a flattie! Other than that the cancer and health problems suck suck suck. And possibly the predisposition to licking...haha.

Just curious, what do you rate as the worst thing about your chosen breed, not just your individual dog but the breed as a whole. I know we all fight the temptation to suggest our breed to people because they are so awesome, but what is the most painful/obnoxious/difficult trait they possess? Give me the worst of the worst!

I don't think anyone is judging you, catbrit, but few people here could raise their hands and say they have the time and money offhand to manage a dog with severe HD. I certainly don't right now. I have a retriever and I can't imagine if he couldn't play and run and swim like he loves to do, and honestly if it came down to it I wouldn't ask him to live that life if we had no other option to right him and quickly.. No one is saying you're ignoring his pain, but it can be hard to see how bad things are from the inside, especially with a particularly optimistic vet. Its easy to see good days and bad days but harder to realise even the good days are average at best. Dogs are stoic little buggers, if he's telling you it hurts, it really hurts. How many times have you seen puppies tumble and run through prickles and bash into things without so much as a flinch? Have you seen a really good specialist as well as your normal vet? Sorry I'm behind on the thread a little, but that would be my next bet. That alone won't be cheap BUT you can put a plan in place and hopefully they can set some realistic milestones and start a treatment plan.

Best way with words. Hahaha.

Thanks for explaining. I own dogs that some people might describe as small fluffies (although none of them are white). They are all rescues and are very well behaved and attend or have attended obedience classes. I have also owned bull breeds in the past. I love all dogs, as I am sure do other posters as well. :) Absolutely! I guess it's like bad service in a cafe, you always remember the bad over the good. Haha. Yours don't look the least bit naughty! Psht! :)

I meant fluffies generally, not just the small variety. Fluffies just meant fluffy x bred dogs in my post, of all types and sizes. We have a lot that meet that criteria in my area. Sorry to have offended, wasn't deliberate at all! FWIW I own a retriever and we see JUST as many jerk retrievers who steal balls and knock people flying. I am sure a lot of it comes down to odds as well, in a long street there might be 4-5 labs and goldens etc, chances are one is going to be a poorly trained doofus.

Mum has two fluffies who I love but I can freely admit they need better boundaries than she gives them. I think among the general public there can be a tendency toward letting little fluffers get away with more as they are expected to be less able to do damage BUT easier damaged, so more often swooped up out of situations the owners think they can't handle. Combined with the fact they seem to go everywhere with owners under one arm and in some cases treated less like dogs and more like accessories or kids seems to give them balls of steel in some cases, we have met some terrors BUT it certainly isn't exclusive to SWF's, I might be a bit biased having had poor experiences but the smaller and fluffier a dog is the more wary I am of a negative interaction with dog or owner and the more attention I pay to the interaction with my dog and I guess the more I see any little negative thing. Having said that we do know some awesome ones too! Mum's shih-tzu, while she can be a jerk she is one of the spunkiest, coolest dogs out. I would have her at ours in a heartbeat!

Haha! Denali, Gus gets humped often and I know exactly what you mean about just standing there and taking it. He just looks so sad and waits for me to give him a hand. Being a big black 36kg dog you would think he could throw off whatever is attached to him, but nope, that is my job. Which I would rather than him taking matters into his own paws. I'm that same crazy lady if ever it happens too, I've wanted to punt a loooot of fluffies.

I'm sorry but this is exactly the reason I don't go to dog parks. I couldn't think of anything worse than having my dog humped, herded or harassed or chased. perhaps you should try making games with YOU more fun than letting him run self reward on other dogs. It'll make your life easier in the long run. I have to agree. I would shoo your dog off and move riiight away. Mine don't need someone else's little treasure humping them or displaying other nuisance behaviors and I don't want to push my happy-go-lucky dogs into not enjoying their trips to the park or worse, snapping at yours.

We go out of our area too. Too many dipsticks and snappy dogs in our suburb!

Not for everyone, but we are pro dog park here. The one we go to is huge and generally populated with regulars who have done the trip since 8 weeks and dogs and people know what's expected of them. Rosie loves other dogs, Gus enjoys them but likes the people more. We have met kids, wheelchairs and all sorts of silly hats and rain gear at our park and I credit a lot of Gus's take anything in his stride attitude to people he's met at the park, training we have done under distraction there and Rosie has gained lots and lots of confidence there. We have had maybe two or three crummy experiences but in almost 3 years that's a win. Never anything major either. Owners are generally pretty good and apologetic and you tend to not see the offender off lead again. People are happy to tell you if their dog doesn't like puppies or is old and cranky and I just ask my idiots to leave them be and we all remain drama free. Also in Summer the happiest thing ever is seeing a bunch of happy dogs wallowing in the creek together with no bickering. It makes me happy, the dogs love it and we all get to chat to people and dogs we might not normally connect with.

Gus would not care. Hahahaha. Nix will probably just be depressed it isn't possum.poo!

Good point, I've read a lot that says the trap and release works well because cats tend to be territorial, so if you have a few neuters around you're not attracting on heat females and the ensuing litters onto your property, but that may not be so in practice, just an interesting thought in theory! Feral cats are bloody scary! They're almost a different species to my fat couch ornament. They're huge, for one! Can see how they do a lot of damage.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/02/morrissey-attacks-australian-plan-to-cull-2-million-feral-cats?CMP=soc_567 "The cats are, in fact, 2m smaller versions of Cecil the lion.” I love the Smiths as much as the next person but good heavens Morrissey is not someone I would enjoy dinner with. Haha. While I don't agree with the 1080 method, I'd rather see the cats dispatched quicker I do agree in general with the cull. I'd like to see more trap, desex and release done as well, not just a wave of culling. I wonder if this guy and the other celebrities that have come out against culling them has really ever met a feral cat, we have heaps around work and they're manky, sick, hungry and often wearing old injuries yet they breed like rabbits. No denying the damage a plague like that could cause on the native population and what a crappy life they must live. Little bit different to an endangered lion... Interested to hear what others think though.

We still go to those monthly! Great fun! You should hear the whining and carrying on when we pull in. Good heavens... Gus would move in in a heartbeat. Should they need boarding ever that is where they will be off to. For sure.

Sorry but I agree, if that were my dog I would be ensuring dog were PTS on my own time and with me there after a lovely day of fun. I don't know how I could live with the even remote possibility that dog could do it again, and how would I ensure they are safe? Some dropkick could throw poison over the fence or worse. I would probably be ordered to have them in a concrete floored run at very least, and that would be a huge financial outlay, stuffed if you're renting. And could you look at that dog the same after? I think personally I would struggle and rehoming would not be an option for me. Awful for everyone and even without assigning fault or blame, that isn't a dog I could ever enjoy living with again, and that would be just cruel.

Not a breeder but absolutely will agree there. Dogs that start off on such a back foot even from conception are set up for failure. Some of the breeds that cannot even mate naturally make me sad, it is totally denying nature and natural selection and interfering where we shouldn't for an end result we have set our hearts on but which wouldn't occur and survive naturally.

Runt seems to mean small and cute to most, and they get to do the martyr thing and say they took on the less abled pup etc etc. Not that I think these dogs are less entitled to homes, if a pup is healthy and just smaller I would have no issues taking on that pup as a pet person, but I do know what you mean with the almost fetishising runts.

Those dingbats are just asking to get bitten or growled at and would be the first to complain when it happened. I don't want my dog pushed into that position and punished. Gus is fine and doesn't care who pats him, Rosie can be shy and I'm fairly confident she wouldn't grumble but why risk it? If people ask I say cuddle the big black one, usually Rosie will jump in but I don't force her.

I just read in the description on that page it warns against your dog wearing this muzzle where it's legal to carry firearms. I'm assuming they mean someone might shoot the dog, it's a possibility I suppose. I want to get a tiny Neko sized one as her racing muzzle. :laugh: PLEASE DO! I will make one out of a thimble for you. Haha.

Holy heck...hahaha. I am imagining that on Gus, mixed signals much!

Hellooo brains trust, I have a friend after a bear coat pei, she has one already and is thinking seriously about a pup. Does anyone know who breeds bear coats at all? State not an issue, pm's would be most welcome. Ta!

She would probably be more shocked to find a pair, I suspect!

OMG, that's laughable and shocking at the same time. It was crazy, I thought she was joking but she was about to rush her to the emergency vet. Poor dog was somewhat bewildered I bet...