DesertDobes

I just lurve metal sculpture!! When I visit Townsville I often walk the doggies up Castle Hill and there is a front yard that always has one interesting metal sculpture comprised mostly of bike chain and rims just before the "stairway to heaven". The work is always a different piece when I walk past (which is usually at least a year between visits). I've always wanted to ask them about it when I'm not gasping for oxygen because it seems so unique, I'm surprised that so many different artists use bike chains. Wish I was the artistic type

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I agree wholeheartedly Maybe I'm just unlucky but when people get too full on with my dogs and I remove them, then I look like a crazy dog lady and my dog seems aggressive even when I just say "oh he doesn't like being held/ cuddled" So many people like to cuddle dogs and I know some dogs don't mind but both of mine certainly don't enjoy it from a stranger. Edit to add, I used to really enjoy having the dogs admired out in public before a few people spoiled it for me and the kids and part of that was because I enjoyed promoting the virtues of purebred dogs and dobes.

poor woman, hope she's ok.

Very sad and worse it is a story that just keeps getting repeated People think I'm overreacting when I put our dogs away when other kids come to play, but its just not worth the risk.

No, I've learnt my lesson- most of people have about zero sense about if a dog wants to be approached. I've had my male dog put in a head lock and thumped on the side by someone and another person at a show grabbed same dog on the face and kissed him Both times the interaction started off with just a sniff of the persons hand and a gentle pat but the people soon think my dogs acceptance of that is an invitation to totally invade their space so now I don't let them be patted by strangers.

Love the face in number 4- action bitey!

Just had some very sleepless nights on holidays because of the number of dogs that bark all night in the burbs. I was pleasantly surprised that mine didn't join in because they normally sleep indoors and were outside dogs while we were on holidays. I couldn't believe anyone else could sleep for the racket. At home our dogs run along the fence when other dogs go past outside which I find very annoying because they wear a track into the ground, however they learnt not to bark because I would come out and send them to their beds so now they creep around looking under the colourbond fence or out the gate latches!

Oh no!!! lol

Thanks everyone, I ended up just trying to cover all the surfaces of the car that were material. I will try the undies thing next time - looks very cute, although hubby cringes at the thought lol

No way. Puppy preschool is a waste of money and puppies do a lot of their socialising in the litter then the next few months are about relationships with people. My husband and I were just laughing about how we got conned into buying a pouch with a chain in it last time we went to puppy preschool a decade ago. Apparently we were to throw the pouch on the ground every time the puppy did the wrong thing and this would stop the behaviour ! This was part of that well known franchise of dog trainers...

On one hand it seems very macabre but on the other no one could pay me 35'000 plus 10% to do that so maybe they should just pay those who have to euth a higher salary rather than giving it a special allowance.

As per the topic title, I have been surprised by my 18 month coming in while we are away from home. She is bleeding quite a bit and we head home today so I'm thinking I will need to put a toddler nappy on her or something to keep my car from getting wrecked. Any suggestions for makeshift bitches pants? She weighs about 25 kg and is 65 cm tall

I would consider having the dog inside too

I know what it's like to have friends and family go and do something like that. Not much you can do if you value the friendship because if you are too honest they probably won't listen and won't thank you for it. Be prepared with advice when and if the puppy happens, if they are into vislas and weims share with her the health issues that they are affected by and encourage her to buy a healthy puppy as a starting point. If she approaches a responsible breeder, chances are they will interrogate her on how she plans to raise the puppy. Also ask what her plan is to toilet train a puppy when they are never home. Maybe tell her about stories you have heard or people you know with dogs that bark all day from boredom and are reported to council, dogs that wreck the yard, tear up the pot plants, kill the screen doors ect.

Wow, if I owned that dog I would not be encouraging people to pat it One of my dogs is not too keen on being approached by strangers and can be picky about who he likes and dislikes (seemingly without any obvious differences like men, people with hats ect) but I never encourage people to pat him, it's just not necessary or worth the risk of something going pear shaped. Hope you're ok, if you see the dog and owner again maybe you should let him know just how scared you felt and that the dog made contact with you (in case the owner missed that). Good chance he won't give a hoot but pointing it out means he has no excuse for being careless again.

I have one resource guarding dog, she always swallows anything smaller than a chicken drumstick in case the other dog gets it . Turkey necks she chews because they won't fit down whole. I give her a frozen block of chicken which she chews on also. If I don't do these things, she easily swallows a kg of meat and then throws it all back up again.

My dobe girl does whippet ears alot, not a good look in the show ring on a dobe but I have been working on getting her to prick her ears when I say butterfly!

They are all so beautiful little terrors

Thankyou :)

Where did you read about the noise shyness? That would be about the only bad thing I've heard about them in my limited googling so far. Yep I read that about the Dobe, but the two breeders pages I visited sited the robust health of the Beauceron compared to the numerous health problems the Dobes can have as a reason. To me they look somewhere between a Rotty and a Dobe but the harlequin colour is pretty unusual. Must have been a few people trying to breed all harlequin litters because breeding of harlequin to harlequin is now banned in the UK.

Thanks Lhok,I'll have a look at the facebook site. I spent this morning looking at all the UK breeders, overhill is the oldest by the looks of it (2004) but there are about 4 others who are registered breeders. Most have imported dogs in the past 4 years so still relatively new breed to UK even. I need to find out what all the titles are over there and in Europe, seems like the Brits take their dogs to France and Belgium to show them and do the equivalent of a working aptitude test. Then they get graded rather than earning points in shows. You can be first in line for a cuddle, might be quite a while waiting though :laugh: I noticed that 2 of the 5 UK kennels have gone from Dobes to Beaucerons which is interesting.

My home club and the local ob club don't allow spectators dogs, I couldn't even take my own bitch who had been scratched once we got to a trial and had to leave her at friends. I was surprised to hear that some places will allow spectators dogs

I've never noticed this thread before.... hope you don't mind me adding my little brag here too :) Marksman Justa Jipsy aka Sniper my 2 year old male dobe got his TD title a few weekends ago. He's actually improving now that he is tracking unknowns- my husband and I must be too boring to track. Snipers had a great year with a RN title and getting his Aust Neuter ch title as well this year. He is my first sport dog so I'm loving going to some different events. Getting a bit hot here for too much else this year but we will go for that TDX next year and maybe CCD

Really?! Yeah I've seen the NZ facebook beauceron and that kennel is from the UK.