Nekhbet

Guess what deary ... it's a dog. It did get it's own name, it's name was 'Dog' and thats what he called it. The dog was happy and extremely well looked after, and I really mean that. His last dog died from old age and he teared up talking about it - does that sound like some uncaring person to you? I think someone else is the a-hole for such a rediculous comment, not this bloke. Names are a human concept, what you speak of is true anthromorphisation. Sorry but no dog 'deserves' its own name, name is simply a conditioned word association for your animal, nothing more. Your priority in life is to ensure the canine has the requirements for a healthy happy life provided, not that you toss endlessly for hours deciding on what name suits its 'personality' which frankly is subjective. You can say your dog is cute, adorable, spritely etc and I can see that same dog as annoying, uncontrolled and frankly needing a good peg down. So you call it one think and I call it another. And I think you totally miss the point with this man. He did what he did because the dogs needs were the priority, not their own personal ones. Why spend time faffing over a name when the dog doesnt care. The kid always remembers the name and it's more important to spend time training and socialising then it is stuffing about with really, unimportnt things. I dont believe in hard and fast rules IF the dogs are still being provided for on their canine level and you have provided enough structure in the dogs lives that they are well adjusted and social. I tell all my clients the same thing - as long as the dog is not a spoiled nervous wreck of an animal and your behaviour is not drivng the dog to bad behaviours do what you want! Why else would we get a dog in the first place if not to have a companion?! All my dogs can eat off forks, my mum loves watching them delcately taking food off the tines especially the Dogue. I call myself Mumma to diesel because he's associated that word with me, and daddy with my OH. Just happened like that and if I say 'get daddy' they'll jump on his bed. I do understand though that the dont see us as parents, that we're not parents and it's simply a word association with a behavour from our perspective that makes them recognise 'mumma' and 'daddy'. Nothing more. My mum is worst though she loves attributing human emotions to my lot, especially when the dogs pull behaviours to try and get their own ways with her and she does the 'awwww ok just have a little off my plate' or 'OK have another pat' .... and her own pomeranian rules the roost entirely with an aggressive streak. Which she justifies. Each to their own.

that age is not a puppy puppy anymore. Puppy school stuff is just basic manners and repeating the same thing every day is boring. There is a difference between a truely low energy dog and a calm, well mannered one. If he's ripping washing off the line he's more high energy then you think he is. Remember too, dogs can learn they only get so much from a person and wont push for more hence you can be lulled into a sense of the dog not requiring more then they actually need. I see a few dogs that have been conditioned like this. Push the right button wih them and they're completely different.

what skill? I'd be tempted to put a correction chain on the dog and give it one if it shoots off. But more details would be better for better advice lol

wuffles has a point too. Troll through Youtube and google there are heaps of 'trick training' things to do with your dog. It only take a bit a day but 10 minutes of hard brain work will wipe the floor with a half hour walking. Tracking and scent detection you can do at home, you can even do what I call TV Tricks, small things you can do while sitting in front of the TV. Look up Nina Ottoson toys as well they're fabulous

why not? Theyre young dogs, they have unchanneled drive and you're making assumptions. Labs are not a low energy breed, who in the world told you that. They are a retriever! You're mistaking walking for engaging the drive in the dog and challenging the brain. what do their brains do? Out of 24 hours a day they get 2 hours of dedicated exercise NOT purposeful mental stimulation. If I put you on a treadmill for 2 hours a day then did not much else you would be bored too. Take the washing off the line if you're not there. Remove temptation. Meanwhile http://www.aussiedog.com.au/ also if you're home a lot start doing some games with them, hide food in a sand pit, hide toys in a cardboard box, teach them some basic tricks, tracking, searching, obedience etc anything.

he only wanted one dog, it was his and his families companion. Latest was a big irish wolfhound from a reg breeder, such a well mannered and socialised pup.

the basics for a lot of things can be built in the under 12 month stage. Their brains are such sponges at 7 weeks + shame he didnt start anything. Pointing can come if you train him or put him with another dog that does.

you're giving him way too much choice. If he's not thin give him his food, if he's not eating in 10 minutes nothing until tomorrow. No snacks nothing, not even licking other dogs bowls or watching you eat. Remember too the warm weather will decrease their appetite. If he can stand to lose some weight to I would be far from worried.

Why does this give me the heeby jeebys let me know what happens with it or if there are transcripts available please.

We anthropomorphise for a few reasons that I can see anyway 1) we cannot cope with that which is different, hence we put human qualities and parameters on it to self justify our own actions. Eg - adolescent out of control dog given up to pound 'we told him no, we smacked him on the bum when he didnt listen, we bought him everything he wanted and I fed him twice a day on VERY expensive food and he still wont listen or appreciate me. He's just a stupid dog'. That and most human beings are just damn bone idle. Again the self justification comes into it. 2) We're living in a delusional society that has to remove itself from nature. Dogs are animals. With big teeth. They eat raw meat, they piss on things, they dig, chew, bark, shit on your rug/porch/lawn, will invariably use you like a chew toy if you dont have a cup of concrete and will develop extremely 'annoying' behaviours if you dont treat them like a dog. But nature is too harsh a reality for us in our new off the plan homes, our 2 cars, out big screen tv, credit card, morteined and dettol'ed world. Dogs are not dog, they're 'Furchildren'. I hate that term ... they are a dog not a child in any form. We would rather spend squillions in rediculous toys then take our breeds ratting, rabbiting, hunting, tracking, running, heck even playing on the beach with the kids. We're sterilising society from the reality of nature and dogs are going too unless we can make the fit into being our 'best friend' or 'childs toy'. We forget we bring a completely different species into our alien, manufactured world and expect it to just cope, nay, thrive to our expectations. 3) attaching human like qualities to a creature makes the more endearing to us. We now feel like we're relating to that creature on a level we understand. Unfortunately that means the dog has to learn to understand what you're on about instead of us, the supposedly more intelligent species (), because we barely understand them at all. I do remember one bloke we had in puppy class. Now he was awesome. Came in with his puppy and of course everyone asked 'whats his name' Dog. A few people were in awe. One shrieked 'oh how could you call him that!' Because he's a dog. My last dog was called Dog, my next dog will be called Dog, because thats what they are. He doesnt care what I call him as long as I feed him, walk him and treat him right. That was a truely intelligent man.

You're in Melb, are you in Western suburbs? I thought you were in Geelong. Or certain problems either.

I'm surprised you purchased a working breed without investigating suitable activities for it or doing anything with it for 12 months. You can try tracking, if you can find anyone that hunts birds I would tag along with them for some pointing. Competitive obedience, retrieval, agility are your ANKC type options. *Ignore me I havnt slept properly in a few days http://wgaa.blogspot.com/ there is a working gundog association of Australia. They might be able to advise you on some alternative training activities for your dog. I know they're vic based but they should know an alternate club or trainer near you

you need to start taking him to obedience school. He has a lot of drive which is turning into obsession, he sounds like all too good a candidate for OCD. Give him more then just one toy, rotate, do a few short training sessions a day with him and start taking him to an obedience class, preferably something that will lead you into agility as well. YOu have a working breed his brain needs to be worked before he becomes obsessive. And no he wont call it quits. He has found a self rewarding behaviour and in fact the older they get usually the more the drive matures and mostly heightens. He sounds really underutilised mentally.

thats why I add the rice/veg/oats. My dogs never get a straight meat meal unless they're just munching on a bone whilst relaxing.

I dont see the obsession with having to feed some sort of dry food. Why spend money on a bag of rubbish PLUS meat when you can go straight to the good stuff. At the moment I'm feeding pet mince which is minced frames and some organ meat, plus some minute oats, a slurp of oil and some VAN Health Booster. Saving the oats I chuck in rice/veg mix but the oats are doing a better job of keeping weight on the Mal then the rice is. I put a mug of water in the oats and let them sit for a while then mix it in with the meat. They also get whole frames and raw meaty bones. Oats/rice/pulses/veg stops them getting constipated and soaks up the carcass farts.

call petstock Geelong/Corio or North Geelong vet clinic and ask to get into Tina Buttons puppy classes. She's worth travelling for, and she's also an ANKC reg breeder and qualified dog trainer and trialler

Its perfectly normal, all of my dogs do it as well. They can use it for some nutrition, or older tougher grass they use to clean their systems out.

I personally think rescues have a responsibility to start training dogs for real life. Testing is one thing, I dont find it a good litmus test for long term rehoming if the dog is with you only a couple of weeks and gets passed onto a family with the behaviour the OPs dog has. Dogs should go out with at least sit, drop, walk nicely on leash and be dog/small child/small animal safe. If you cant say that or are incapable of doing it, get together with a trainer and start helping these dogs. If you are the rescue middle man, do the dogs a favour and actually HELP the dogs, pulling them off death row then quickly onselling to a family who will feel sorry enough to fork out for professional training and dealing with behaviour probably out of their league is not fair - rescues are meant to be the professionals. I'm in awe how many dont know about dog behaviour and training. If this becomes part of the rescue responsibility we would probably see more dogs going to homes permanently and safely.

yup my bordeaux had a black eye once, half his head was swollen on that side. Someone had broken in to the backyard for the second time and belted him over the head with a piece of timber. Turned out it had grazed his eyeball and one vet wanted to remove his eye totally, I said no and got a second opinion. Second vet did steroids and antibiotics as well as an eye patch, he now has a permanent cloudy patch over part of his eye although he has vision in it. I would get a vet to make sure he hasnt grazed the eyeball too by the time the swelling goes down could be on its way to scarring the eyeball.

ahh english staffy ... a woman walked into work and proudly announced they had purchased a purebred puppy. Somehow she wanted the giant kennel. Perplexed I asked how big the parents were, she put her hand to her knee saying that was dad O_o err yeah no

you dont know if the dog is actively protecting you or simply being defensive for itself. They are not meant to be a guarding breed ... I have seen people try and it just ruins the dog.

can I just make one thing abundantly clear. Puppy preschool is nowhere near the be all and end all of dog training. Most of them are run by dog loving numpties ... heart in the right place but otherwise not worth the petrol to drive you there. Saying that even if you find an awesome one it is a whole, what, 5 hours out of your and your dogs life. Nowhere NEAR enough to justify an unexperienced owner investing in a powerful breed outside their skill level. Thats why I suggested a good border or aussie shep, even a kelpie or a lab. You can do obedience/agility, they're fairly level headed and friendly when you purchase from the right breeder and you can tell their drives well from a pup. They're really owner orientated too and you can make a few mistakes here and there without ending up in the total poops.

wouldnt consider an amstaff a beginners breed either.

I agree with PF. This dog is not a pup it's an uncontrolled adult and treat him as such. You dont give dogs like this once inch, he is perfectly capable of being calm and start expecting it from him. Praise for good behaviour, consequence for not listening to you.

australian shepherd or a med drive border collie sounds like something good for you. I think any of the guarding breeds might be a little out of your experience level. There;s more to big breeds then money. Also get the idea you want a dog to protect you when you walk about out of your head. That is not a great reason to purchase a dog and not a fair thing to throw on your dog either.