karen15

I have trouble on the phone.... Meg before - July 15 Meg 12 months later Baby Max Aug 15 Max loving his mum this week The two when Max was a puppy Meg is a scream with photos. She'll smile if you say cheese LOL

Sad news. The rotti died on Thursday she was just shy of 12, so a good age for a rotti.

They've had cattle dogs for decades, so the breed isn't such an issue. They currently have 2 dogs - a cattle dog and Rottweiler. Is the puppy likely to learn from them what it would have learned if left with litter mates and mum? My first guess is no as puppy only has supervised interactions, obviously. But maybe its better than no dogs...... Not much I can do about it as they are a long way away from me.

The puppy is definitely not from a breeder. It's a border collie x cattle dog. I'm just surprised as my sister should know better. I'm hoping my niece has the age wrong, kids can do that....

Had a scary conversation with my niece (10 yo) today. They have a new puppy, fair enough. She said it was six weeks old. That's way too young for a puppy to be homed isn't it? I always thought 8 weeks minimum, 10 weeks was better. My puppy was born 26th May and I picked him up 1st August. He was the last to go home and a week or so later than the breeder said he could be collected, but it was when I started my three months puppy leave :D and breeder was happy to keep him that little bit longer for me. I'm hoping my niece is wrong on the pups' age.....

Another thing that might help educate people could be an advertising campaign showing alternatives to oodle crosses, Maltese crosses etc. The dog spotting thread has a number of purebreds that look to have similar type coats and appearance. Something that shows the consistent outcome for purebreds vs the lottery of cross breeding (ie a number of different looking dogs of the same cross). It would be great to show the dogs with different trims so people can realise eg that all poodles don't have a pom pom look. The majority of people have no idea what alternative breeds may be available. So education could help with that. It won't stop the pet shop / online / newspaper ad buy because the dog is available now people, but more discerning purchasers might stop to think. As I said earlier, to me the selling points of purebreds are consistent appearance, and a known breed temperament and traits.

On the PR side, I think the simplest start would be for breeders to actually respond to people who make enquiries. There's a number of threads on here recently with people getting no response from breeders when they have made an enquiry. People enquiring about a dog are likely going to purchase a dog. If breeders don't want their business, then they will go to other sources - puppy farmers, pet shops etc. I think one of the strongest arguments for buying from breeders is you are pretty much guaranteed a consistent product. If you buy a purebred dog then it will look a certain way, it will have a certain coat and it will have particular character traits eg gun dog, terrier etc. These things enable purchasers to make a much better selection of the right dog for their situation than the pot luck that is mixed breeding or pound rescue. Add to that breeders are passionate about their dogs and you are buying from someone who wants the best outcome for their animals rather than some who is only after the money. I read a recent article about Crufts (? the big dog show) with the author commenting all the dogs looked the same, why would you want that when you could have an individual looking mongrel (my paraphrasing there!). My first thought was that is exactly why you buy a purebred as you are pretty certain that they are going to be as described. People don't seem to realise they don't need to be presented like show dogs and the only grooming option is not all over clipping. My two are my first long haired dogs and I'm keeping them in what I think of as a sporting version of a show coat. Not super long hair, but long enough that you can see what they are and they can hoon at park and come home relatively debris free. The cocker breeder I met to learn how to groom cockers is someone other breeders should emulate. I randomly contacted her from DOL breeder pages. She replied very promptly and was more than happy to show a total stranger how to look after and groom a cocker. I recently sent her before and after photos, again thanking her profusely for her time, and she was quite pleased with the results. PS webcam would have been ideal for someone like me who was super excited about their new puppy but couldn't see it for 6 weeks. I would have been showing every one live feed of the puppies LOL

Must say I got my first dog, a staffy, as I had a stalker at the time. Couldn't see the sense in him being outside if someone was in the house, so he always slept beside my bed. He was bark not bite, but serious enough bark to deter someone trying to get in one night. My current dogs are also beside the bed. At the least they are an audible alarm for intruders if not scary like a staffy can seem. Truth be told my staffy would have licked you to death, but he had a serious bark on him.

Tor, I had a staffy. He was the friendliest dog. We found a stray boxer one day, and she didn't have a microchip or collar, so I took the pair out walking the next day hoping her owner would be out looking for her. Looking down, the only difference was the boxer was a staffy on stilts :D My staffy used to do a lot of hiking and jogging. The only issue with him was hot weather as staffies, due to their composition, can be prone to overheating. Like you, having the perfect dog meant my next dog is a totally different breed as nothing would have measured up to him. So a lot of research later, I decided on a Westie. He is exactly what I wanted. Absolutely gorgeous in every way. Someone at work was rehoming a nearly 3yo cocker spaniel, so I got her too. Grooming wise, I do them myself. I wouldn't say it's onerous by a long shot. The cocker is more time as they have such a soft coat. Weekly they are combed and brushed. Takes less than half an hour to do both and I do it while watching TV. Every 4-6 weeks they get a full groom. That involves stripping coats with a mars coat king tool, clipping out feet, trimming nails, clipping ears and the cockers head and tidying up the cockers legs. The cocker takes an hour and a half, the westie half hour max.

KLB maybe follow up your emails to breeders with another email with some personal info (like your age!) and the type of home you can offer and ask for a convenient time to call them. I had found a compatibility test online for westies (from a US westie body) so sent that to breeders I contacted as well, expanding on anything I thought pertinent. I didn't hear back from all breeders I emailed, but heard from enough to find the perfect puppy :)

My staffy was besties with my cat but would send other cats out of the yard, which was fine by me. I always make sure the smaller animal has somewhere they can go to get away. My folks have cats and I'm very strict with the current dogs on how they interact with them as I no longer have a cat at home. My cat and staffy died within 4weeks of each other

Funny you say that Littlegifts. My last dog was a staffy and at about 18months he'd grown height wise, then filled in bulk. He was definitely full size by 3. My understanding is the smaller the dog, the quicker they reach grown up size. So cockers, being smaller than staffies, I expected to be full size by 3, but she just seems to have grown. I don't see her as a rescue. I got her from someone at work who really cared for her. That said, I was her 4th home before she'd turned 3.....

I got my cocker as a rehome last year at 2yrs 9 months old. Being winter, I bought her a dog coat. It wasn't as long as I like but fitted pretty well. This winter the coat has been reassigned to the 1yo westie and fits him well. I've changed her diet from a porridge type thing to royal canin skinny dog biscuits (she's tubby), raw mince and beef neck bones. When I look at before and after photos she looks totally different. Possibly even puppy like in the before. The coat in question is 16" and the rugs I've bought her this year are 20". I thought dogs stopped growing around 2yo, so now I am curious! When I'd met her I would have said she was small. Now I don't think that but it could be because I'm accustomed to her size or she's actually gotten bigger. I can't figure which.

Ps don't get me started on idiots at the vets who think it's a play pen. You don't go to the vet because your dog is healthy! With my old staffy I resorted to making him dog disabled plates and attaching them to his harness. That got attention and the desired result. He had bad arthritis and that neurological issue where they lose control of their back legs. That combined with tiles made him really wobbly and unstable and dogs jumping on him was not acceptable.

I'm in Brisbane and near me we have the best park set up. There's a special puppy + small dog only park and next to it big dog park. Not all parks have that setup, but I'm lucky my local one does. My westie puppy is a lovely player and adjusts his style depending on the other dogs. The cocker might say hi, then does her own thing.

UPDATE Willem, thankyou for your suggestions. I've bought them wet weather coats, make a point of sending out multiple times on rainy days and (ick) go to park in the rain. Each rain event has fewer accidents and she's now even seeming happy, as opposed to upset, when getting sent out in poor weather. Re trained response vs super submissive. Initially I thought her responses were just extreme submission, but after a few months just got the feeling it was a trained response. I say that because once she has realised it's ok not to roll over, she doesn't. Getting her confident enough to sit and stand in the middle of a room has taken work, but she's doing well. She'll sit next to a wall or furniture, but in open space she really didn't want to. Instigating play makes me so happy and she's playing for longer, which is lovely. She stands and offers toys, which is a long way from where she was when I got her. I certainly don't think she was rescued. The person I got her from looked after her very well. The home before is the one I think may have trained the behavior. I was very lucky that a random cocker breeder I contacted before getting her showed me how to groom. I sent her before (#10 all over clip) and after pics (cocker pattern, pet / active version) and she was very pleased with the coat progress. She's very glamorous these days:)

So sorry to hear as a very temporary option could you bandage with an elastoplast type bandage (vet wrap etc)? It would provide some superficial protection until you find a boot. You could use an infant sock underneath so the bandage didn't stick to fur on the paw. Bandaging horse at the moment and a shod 500kg horse takes about a day to walk through elastoplast bandaging, so a westie should get a bit longer. Depending on your flooring it might be a little slippery.

A basic principle of contract law is that you cannot contract out of negligence. If the "injury" to the pet was the result of negligence, then the kennel would be liable. Generally waivers rely on people not going any further. If they see a solicitor they may receive compensation depending on the facts of the case and if negligence is established.

I had exactly the same thing happen to me last week! Only difference was we were in an on leash area. I saw a loose dog on the footpath and significantly behind it dawdled its owner. It saw my dogs and began to make a beeline. I called out 'excuse me can you please get your dog'. No response. Dog is nearly on us, so I called a second time, more brusquely. Dog ended up all over mine and when the owner arrived she basically said my dog is fine. At which point I gave her a mouthful and told her the law is dogs on the footpath have to be on lead and if she wants her bloody dog off lead then the appropriate place is that off lead dog park right there! Yes, we were out the front of a dog park that she just chose not to use. She got her dog and walked off saying it wasn't hurting anyone. I turned around and said it was hurting my dogs. Must have been a wee bit aggressive as another person with their dog offlead, again walking away from park grrrrrrrrr, had turned to watch. Good news is I haven't seen the idiot since.

Having met a young toy poodle at park, I would think they're nowhere near robust enough for kids. My one year old westie dwarfed it. I later checked breed stats and they only get to 3-4kg. That's teeny. My westie was 2.5kg when he came home as a pup and everyone who saw him was surprised at how tiny he was. We've also met and played with what must be a mini poodle. It's not much older than my guy and definitely more substantial than the toy. As said above, I'd be inclined to look for something less likely to break. Kids are quite rough and can easily trip over or tread on a dog. My westie loves it when the little 5yo boy next door comes over. They're wild together.

Who's to say the dog doesn't get out of the yard on it's own and find it's way "home"....... Perhaps courtesy of a friendly car ride.... I'd probably retrieve the dog if it was mine, then argue in court over ownership.

I use Dr Leigh at Samford. She has been fantastic with cancer and other issues with my staffy. Also really liked Ron Woodhouse at waterworks rd vet Ashgrove. He did teeth extractions, eye ulcers and my duck :D lovely fellow.

I paid a deposit for my puppy. It was about 20% of his sale price. I transferred the balance a week before I picked him up (my choice, breeder seemed surprised but I wanted the funds to be cleared when I picked him up). Refunding deposits. As a purchaser I try to be fair. If me pulling out of a sale means the seller lost the opportunity to sell, then I'd be happy for them to be compensated to an extent. If the seller has a waiting list then refund in full would be fair IMO as they haven't lost a sale. Once puppies get slightly older (a few months) they are harder to sell. My reasonable compensation is around $500. Significant enough to discourage silly reasons not to purchase and compensate the seller for the time they've spent dealing with the purchaser and inconvenience of now needing to resell.

Friends have had a few Novia Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers. Lovely dogs. One did bail me up when I was looking after him, but that was my fault. The others have been exceedingly friendly and seem very intelligent.

Thanks Willem. Thanks also to others for their suggestions. I thought my comments were on topic as they are the same issue as OP but in a mature dog that has now been rehomed four times before she turned three. I don't like being angry with her. It's not nice for either of us. Willem, you have a point about park when its raining. We go out daily for an hour of a morning (park followed by a walk), the only exception being when it is wet. I will change that. I've also started sending them out to the toilet before I leave the house. Similar to bedtime routine. In normal circumstances they take themselves out when needed. No issues. Once this wet weather behavior starts, even walking in the yard with her doesn't work. Puppy park would change that I'm sure. I don't think she had the best upbringing. I suspect she may have been crated pretty much full-time. In the nine months she's been with me she's learned how to instigate play. Today was another first with her and the puppy jumping on the bed this morning with a teddy each to play fetch. When I first got her, she had no idea about playing. Just getting her confident enough to sit upright in the middle of a room took ages. The poor thing had been taught that when a person stood up she had to be on her back. To me that is exceedingly sad. She now sleeps next to the couch / on the couch instead of not leaving the crate. Now she can be walked on a loopy lead instead of giving me blisters like she did in the first few weeks. So she's coming along. It's just this wet weather toilet issue. That's all off topic, but is a bit of her background.