karen15

Highly unlikely a loose dog would be declared dangerous, unless it attacked someone. Reporting to council is the easiest option IMO. Keeps you out of it and ranger can explain the rules and fines to the idiot owners.

Best response I've had from an owner was an off lead dog approaching my horse on a ride one day. Horse was a skitty fellow and I patted his neck and said "don't worry, you can kill him if he gets too close......" Never seen a dog get put on a lead so fast :D

If you know the yard it came out of, report it to council. Personally I'd walk the same route again and be prepared to video the dog and send to council. I hate loose dogs. My staffy was attacked on a walk one morning by a dog that got out of a yard that didn't usually have a dog. Council was brilliant. Dog declared dangerous that day. Helped someone saw it happen. Ever since then I don't allow other dogs to approach mine. Minimum response from me is a very pissed off "get out". Dog continues to approach, well aimed kick gives owner impression dog is not welcome. I've had owners tell me my dogs look friendly. I tell them it's not the dogs they have to worry about, it's me. My dogs go to park to play. They don't need off lead mongrels jumping all over them while we're going for a walk.

The westie is a clever little chappie :D Inspite of all his bluster he is a sensitive little soul.

It's funny watching how the westie's mind works. As a pup he watched me paint for four weeks. Up and down the ladder. He was too teeny to get on the couch unassisted so one day dragged his bed to the end of the couch, propped it up against the edge then tried to walk up it like a ladder LOL he was a bit perplexed when it didn't work. I gave him a try on the real ladder but it was a bit scary :)

Rubiton, I have the opposite. My male dogs have been very clever and do the mirror thing etc. The female isn't as smart. Well, I think that's subjective. If something is important to her, then she gets it, otherwise she's not the sharpest. I put the differences in behaviour down to breeds. The males have been terriers - staffy and westie - the female is a cocker. Terrier personalities suit me. The cocker is a nice dog but obviously different to terriers. My male dogs are the ones to shadow me. The female does her own thing, but likes cuddles etc I put some of the difference down to having the males from pups vs being the females' fourth home before she turned 3. So she's been understandably reserved.

Josh there's a lot that can be done to keep them comfortable when they are arthritic. Supplements are just the first stage. Once those are less effective, they can get regular cartrophen injections, get a medication like meloxicam as needed at first but daily at the end, when meloxicam is less effective they can also get pain killers again as needed at first and more regularly as they are in more pain. I loved the monthly cartrophen shots as I only had to pay for the shot, not a consultation, and the vet would give him a once over to make sure he was ok. So I'd have a chat to your vet about a management plan and the different levels of treatment to manage the pain.

I haven't read all the posts but on the "value of people" my staffy was great at knowing the difference between allowed people and strangers. Allowed people were people I introduced him to (included neighbours). I had many neighbours comment over the years that when he barked they knew there was a stranger around. They always loved him. The little westie has started doing the same. Not quite as effective as a deterrent but we had a very sheepish neighbour the other night who'd been trying to get on my roof to retrieve a stuck toy. The little dog had given him what for from the front door. I had a stalker when I got the staffy, so my dogs always sleep next to the bed. If someone gets in the house they can't be much help if they're outside.

Have you seen a vet? A bit of neocort might help as it has an anaesthetic in it.

I use a square vinyl covered table that folds down fully flat. Think it was around $20 a number of years ago. I got a number of cheap plastic tablecloths from spotlight and the place looks like a scene from Dexter when I set up to clip LOL

I really like my Geib blade too. Very nice. I think my others are wahl. When I buy more I'll be getting Geib. I've got a 7F, 10, 15 and 30. I've been working on removing the cockers teddy legs. Absolute disaster first trim. Looked like she had drumsticks for hind legs! Better this trim, really thinned out bits. Next trim hopefully will have better shape for the hinds.

I did it in reverse when I was looking. Went down the list of breeds on DOL breeder pages to see what was likely to fit my desired traits - around 10kg, stocky build, square head, outgoing temperament.I do well with terriers but initially wanted an open mind and looked at a lot of breeds. Decided on a westie, then did breed specific "are westies suitable for you" questionnaires. I could not want a more perfect dog and he had very huge paws to fill after my staffy.

I think it would be great if the national body and state bodies did a dedicated ad campaign coming into Christmas. Even team up with pet chains to do regular promotions during the year. As said above, the majority of people are totally unaware of the purebred alternatives to oodles. Ads that show popular oodle crosses and refer to them as such not the catchy names they're given, even noting that years ago they'd be giveaway or free, and show next to them the purebred dogs of similar size, noting temperament, breed traits etc. Even noting current price of random oodle cross vs the cost of the pretty predicable purebred, reiterating again that crosses used to be free / very cheap. Explain why they need to wait for a pup instead of buy randomly. Breeders are only breeding to demand, not excess, like puppy mills. They care about where their puppies go and, generally, have invested a great deal of time in their breed. If people think they are getting a quality product for a good price, my experience is they'll pick quality over mass produced. The thing that national and state bodies would need to ensure is that registered breeders were ethical, followed an enforced code of conduct,did everything possible to limit health issues but fully disclosed breed issues. We all know purebreds have issues, but knowledgeable breeding and relevant testing can go a long way to reducing the risks.

Marrow bones are brilliant. My staffy would also chew on them for ages.

I did training before food, as it was put down, as that was when we were most focussed. It would be quite literally 5 seconds, the reward being dinner. Started with sit, which just had to be bottom on ground, food given immediately. Then he had to sit longer. Then he was given sit, followed by stay. Then, as he knew he had to sit and stay before food, I started leave it. So I'd put his food down, he would repeat his sit stay pattern, but by doing so would be leaving his dinner until given his release word "ok". High praise for the right thing. With the play, I would drop the toy, stand up and walk off. Didn't really matter where to. I don't remember ankle biting, that sounds like herding to me, but might be an amstaff thing, I've no idea. If he's small enough, just sit on the couch and tuck your feet up. Once settled, get a toy he likes and wiggle or squeak it at him and entice him to play. Watch him and before he gets rough, end the play with good boy, a big pat and a treat he really likes, like a pigs ear. The reason I don't use no is you can give them a reward for doing what you ask, like sit. As soon as he sits, you can say good dog, call him over, do something you want him to do and voila, the bad behaviour has stopped. I'm not a dog trainer. My staffy was my first dog and he was beautiful. I don't agree with tugging on collars. I don't see the point. I prefer to tell them what I want them to do, that way they can always get it right. Funnily enough, all my pets know my indignant"Excuse me!" Which means they have not done the right things. It generally gets met with a look of guilt, followed by doing what they're asked. I must do the combination without realising it as even the horses know it LOL

What type of car do you have? Mine travel in harnesses in the back of an SUV, with the harnesses attached to the child restraint anchors. No matter how safe a driver you may be, others are idiots. I had a car written off at a red light as the guy behind me (I was 10 cars back mind you) thought stopping was optional. From the moment I'd stopped at the light, I watched him drive about 300m and plough into the back of my stationary vehicle, he didn't really brake until he was on top of me. I was on a bridge, so no escaping........ Ever since then, dogs are harnessed for all car trips. When I picked up my pup, he was travelled in the cat crate,but he was a tiny 2.5kg.

I didn't have an Amstaff, but a normal staffy. As a pup, he'd growl when we played - normal for staffies, they seem to be vocal players. If he got rough, growled, scratched I'd immediately stop, stand up and walk off. A few minutes later I'd ask him to play again. Repeat at first inappropriate act. They are very smart and quickly associate their actions with the play stopping. As they love playing with people I found mine kerbed his behaviour pretty quickly. I would not be giving him a treat after inappropriate play. The consequence of going too far is no play. No rousing, no trouble, just no play. I found my staffy learned really well at meal time. After sit, stay he was taught leave it, which meant he wasn't to touch whatever it was. That can be moved to play. If you want to pick up a toy to initiate play, you can direct the dog to leave it. His reward is a game. As mine got more obedient, mid game I'd ask him to drop and leave whatever we were playing with. The point of that was to train him to let go of something when he was in an excited state, which I think is important for dogs with a strong bite. One of my guys favourite toys was a heavy tuggie rope. Excellent for tug, knots on ends for good grip, and he loved chewing on it by himself. Would take a year or two for him to destroy one. Excellent toys. One of the best training things I ever learned is that "no" is not a command. How can you reward no? No what? No don't pant, no don't wag your tail etc. Substituting a command instead of no gives a much clearer direction. Leave it applies to food, to toys, but also if the dog shows interest in eg a cat and you say leave it followed by heel, the dog should leave the object (ie cat) and return to heel. Training the two together gets you an auto heel immediately after leave it. Very helpful for keeping control.

I'd also recommend a dog door into a room where you can leave a fan on. I'll never forget the day a girl I worked with got home to a dead dog, from over heating. It was a staffy or staffy cross. I was paranoid about my staffy as their build can make them prone to over heating. He always had a clam shell with water in summer and an extremely well shaded yard. Wet cement is a good option if it's in the shade all day or fill half a clam with sand, wet it and put it somewhere out of the sun. In his later years, I bought my own place and gave him a doggy door. Always have the fan on all day inside, even when I'm at work, and on really bad days the pets get aircon. My place is very well insulated and stays around 25/26 most days, so aircon isn't needed on normal days. I live in Brisbane, so it can get quite hot. I'd be inclined to leave him inside, initially, while you're at work. I like mine to be 3-4 months old before I leave them for long periods outside. You can set up an inside toilet station so he has a designated place to go. That can be helpful for emergencies when they're young. My westie decided the toilet was his emergency spot, which was helpful. I like dogs to have company, be it another dog or a cat. I got a second dog for the westie pup. She was just turning 3, which is a nice age. She has been very good with him. The reason I like a companion is that I think it stops them getting bored, making trouble and going on the search for a play mate. A friend has an only dog and takes turns with her neighbour to have their dog come all day for play dates. That works well for both of them. Someone had posted the best puppy area and activities they'd set up, possibly in the main forum. I can't remember the posters' name unfortunately.

First dog as a kid was what was thought to be a corgi x golden retriever.

Panto, just because people aren't interested in dog clubs doesn't mean their dogs aren't trained. I rented for over 10yrs with a staffy. I never needed to give references, even though I easily could have got them from agent and surrounding neighbours. I was a long term tenant who only moved when properties were sold. Dog was not destructive as he got sufficient exercise and stimulation every day. A more insightful answer may be obtained from a question such as tell me your typical day. As a renter I never even looked at places that didn't take pets. That was first requirement. Unfortunately not all people are like that and ditch their animals on the basis of finding a place that doesn't take pets...... Why look at it in the first place if you have pets?

I just googled Australian pigs ears (I'm very fussy about food made overseas) and the first two sites had 50 for $73.50, so under $1.50 ea. Great timing for the thread as I need more!

I agree with your last point Lhok. If the gut says no, my experience is it is best to follow it. Your subconscious sees lots of things that don't register and those niggles are it's way of sending a message.

I supervised contact very closely. When I went out the pup went into the bathroom. That happened for about a month till pup was a bit bigger (2.5 kg when he came home, so tiny). Then he was in a play pen when I went out. Again about a month. Then I painted, so both were in the yard while I was painting. That was an excellent way of giving them alone time but being close enough to surreptitiously supervise. That led in well to me returning to work and the dogs being home alone. The bigger dog was very good with the pup. There were two instances where I stepped in as she was a bit nasty but she was excellent with him all in all. We both loved midday nap time, when the wild rascal had a nap for a few hours.

Loved the video LOL I had a cat stirring mine up by sitting on the fence and hissing at her through the window. I dragged a garden hose through the house, lined it up through the window and blasted it off the fence. Worked well. Have done similar with dogs that rush the fence and bark at you when you walk into your yard. Bucket of water over the head soon dissuades them of the notion......

RSA now you mention it, my boy was a woozy traveller too and would get sick most trips. Much better now he is 18 months old