Camel

Thanks for the suggestions. The boomerang tags look great but both boys have rolled leather collars because of their coats so they won't work and it still leaves the council tag (I have a metal one rather than those plastic rings). The screw carabiners is a great idea for us. Now to find one thin enough to fit their tags directly on it! Thanks again for the suggestions!

This is a bit of a random one, but does anyone have any suggestions regarding sturdy rings to secure a dog tag to a collar? In the past I have used metal key rings but have found after a few months they rust and fall off and I end up losing the dogs' ID and council rego tags which is becoming costly and troublesome. The problem with the metal rings is they tend to disintergrate really quickly (sometimes in a matter of weeks!) as we often frequent the beach. I have been using cable ties recently and have found them to be a lot sturdier, however, they also end up becoming brittle and snap off. Unfortunately, I'm not in the habit of constantly checking the condition of their tags and want something that is indestructible!

Our bond has always been lodged with the bond office and in the case of pet bond, we give 2-4 weeks extra. Didn't realise it was an issue as I didn't know that landlords weren't allowed to ask for pet bond until quite recently. Did a quick read and the Residential Tenancies Act does not mention pet bonds. So it doesn't outright say that you're not allowed to accept it I gather? But I really have no clue, I haven't been busted yet for this so.. :D

Regarding Pet bond, I'm unsure of the legalities of this but I tend to move around a lot for various reason and therefore cannot use previous agents as references (as staying at a property for only 1 year does not look great). However, I have never ran into difficulties renting with two large dogs as I always offer a pet bond. Some landlords have taken me up on the offer and some haven't so don't know if it's only illegal to ask for one and ok to accept it. It doesn't hurt that offering a pet bond, even though it's not accepted, as well as a pet resume seems to help a lot with rental applications. Just my two cents regarding large dogs in small courtyards: perfectly fine. My TM is great, we've gone from a 6m2 concrete courtyard to a 20m2 yard with no issues. He barks maybe once or twice a day maximum, and only literally 2 or 3 barks at a time. Breed and size of yard are a non-issue to me. But you should always have the final say on your own property, afterall, there are plenty of other places to rent so there's nothing to feel bad about.

You can join up to be a member of Dogs Victoria which will waive the mandatory desexing requirement. I believe membership is a little over a hundred. The other alternative is if you have any close friends or relatives that live within a different council( that don't require mandatory desexing) and register your pup under that address. You can still keep your contact details associated with you pup so this is a viable option. :) good luck!

There are many people that shouldn't own certain breeds. They have no idea how to handle them. Even the most well intentioned people need to be educated how to handle their dogs. For example, (story time) I had a Bull Terrier latch onto my leg a few months ago, and the owner did nothing but stand there out of shock. My boyfriend had to grab the dog and bash it's head in before the owner finally snapped out of it and decided to pitch in to help. After the incident he stood next to me with the dog with the dog trying to jump over my injured leg to play with a puppy on my other side. Months after the stiches have come out, my leg still throbs daily. What makes me angry is (other than the fact that he did not even apologise or leave his details with me) this whole situation could have been avoided if he had the knowledge on how to read and manage his dog. *Sorry, my point is that it's not necessary a terrible thing that certain breeds perpetuate fear to the general public as it keeps the less researched public from getting them. I do also acknowledge that this can have the opposite effect too with people buying them because they're "tough" or whatever...

My Tibetan Mastiff usually gets labelled as a Chow mix, Leonberger or German Shepherd. My Chow is more interesting and contantly gets mistaken as a Sharpei (not sure why as he has quite and open face/no rolls or wrinkles) or a Samoyed, He also gets called an Akita, some sort of a crossbreed and once he even got called a Pomeranian!

Just thought I would add to this as it hasn't been updated for a while. 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Got a boy as my first dog almost 4 years ago as a 12 week old pup. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? As a few others have already mentioned, they were used as all-purpose dogs but now have been bred away from this. Many now possess a heavier head and stocky body and it has become a rarity to see a leaner/taller chow capable of more extensive exercise. 3. How common is it in Australia? This breed has become more popular in recent years due to their calm demeanour, fluffy coat and teddy-bear face. 4. What is the average lifespan? I've read 10-15 years but am yet to find out myself. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? I can only speak for my own chow and my mother's chow. Both have an incredibly high prey drive and will kill any small animal (including kangaroos) if given the chance and once dead, they leave them alone and will not eat them. Other than that, they are a fairly low maintenence dog in that they will not destroy the house when left alone. Obviously this varies from dog to dog but I find chows are great with their owners- will allow you do to absolutely anything to them and will never growl or bite you but are wary with strangers. I socialised him from day one and took him out to hundreds of different places and he was great with strangers up until he turned one and half. Then suddenly one day it was like a switch had gone off and he was afraid and wary of some strangers. He doesn't tolerate crowded situations anymore so we avoid taking him into the city and let people know that if he wants to be pat, he will approach you and then you can touch him. On a few occasions people have snuck up behind him to touch him while he's under my chair resting and get snapped at in response. It never connects as it is just a warning/air snap and while I don't condone this behaviour, it is not smart to sneak up behind someone and effectively scare them while their guard is down. My mother's chow is a little more bomb-proof though and is happy to be surrounded by a crowd of people and pat/taken photos of. Both chows are incredibly dog social and would never start or finish a fight. Mine instead antagonises other dogs and will start chasing and jumping on dogs that have given him a warning growl or snap and then he will need get put on lead. I find chows can be quite rough players due to their big coats and will happily smack another dog around even once the recipient no longer wants to play. This has gotten a lot better with age though. Our chows are territorial and quite dominant in that they will pee on every tree and pole outside of their home, mine will also mount other dogs he deems to be more dominant than him. Recall-wise they are not the best but also not the worst. When around small animals they go into prey mode and become deaf to you so best to leave them on lead. But mine at the park has good recall and will stay away from roads. My mother's dog however, loves to run away and go on adventures and then comes back all muddy (they live on a farm). Toilet training- I never understood why this was a big thing because my chow was my first dog and pretty much came to me toilet trained. Then I got my second dog, who is not a chow, and realised that I should never have taken that for granted! 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? They LOVE their walks and mum's dog gets walked 4-5 times a day and prefers to stay outside. My boy gets walked once to twice a day (1-2 hours) and on the weekends we like to take him somewhere special like hiking up a mountain. Mum's chow is a stockier chow and tires more easily whereas my boy is taller with a long muzzle and is a great jogging partner (they both share the same dad and mum's are sisters). 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? I did and looking back, he was so much easier than my second dog. Of course like any dog owner, we had those terrible puppy moments where they're chewing everything and nip you (he pulled my pants down at the park once!) and you wonder what you got yourself into but generally a great dog for the novice over. Just don't expect them to listen and obey your every command! 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? i have only the odd occasion left him in the house alone overnight or 12 hours and he has been fine. Don't do it anymore since getting the second dog as the other is a destructo dog. 9. How much grooming is required? My chow has been desexed and has quite the mane whereas mum's boy is entire has has a shorter coat. Both dogs only get properly brushed once a month, if even, and lightly brushed for a few seconds almost daily. I find this is enough and prevents matting for us. During shedding season this becomes unacceptable though and I find myself brushing him twice a week for an hour each time. So far it seems like he only goes through one big shed a year though, so lucky me! I take my boy to the beach almost every day in summer and even though he gets sandy and wet, I don't fine I have to groom him any extra, though it does mean the broom and vacuum have to come out though. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? A young chow can be very rough and boisterous but usually they just ignore people. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Entropian is an issue I've personally dealt with and had to surgically operate on. Hips and elbow dysplasia is another common issue that I have not yet personally come across yet. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) Hip and elbow scores. What are the parents like? Note how the parents eyes look (rolled in/teary?). Apologies for the essay but just wanted to convey how each chow can be so different.

I have driven my dogs from Melbourne, through Sydney, to Brisbane twice so have been able to experience 'dog friendliness' in these cities firsthand. Melbourne is great, I take my dogs everywhere and as long as it's outdoors, people are usually very accommodating and even bring containers of water out for us. Cafes at the city/inner city are fine but you just have to wait longer for a seat outside sometimes, which is why I love winter. Nobody wants to site outside when it's cold! I love that you can take them on trains, also buses or trams would be even better. I have to say though, one of my dogs (while muzzled) was attacked a train by an unmuzzled dog whose owner had fallen asleep and let go of the lead, so you have to be careful of situations like that. I found Sydney pretty bad and if we didn't have our car, we wouldn't have been able to go anywhere. We did take one of the dogs around the Opera house but when we went to eat nearby, we got asked to leave. We then had to go around asking every cafe if they would allow us to eat there with a dog. There are a few dog friendly pubs in Sydney where you can actually take your dog inside, so that was pretty cool. And there's Centennial Park which is beautiful and massive. But that was it, if I lived there I would find it difficult to take my dogs out as there are too many places that wouldn't allow it. Brisbane definitely rates as the worst. There aren't really any unfenced dog offleash parks which means dogs are crowded in a small enclosed area and fights constantly break out. You have little chance of bringing your dog to any cafe even in an outdoor setting. I know there are a select few that allow for them but sometimes your don't want to drive 40 mins to get there. Definitely the most undogfriendly out of the three!