Selkie

Thanks! Like you imply, I think the niches for many traditionally accepted breeds have disappeared, at least in wealthy countries. Working dogs are still used for stock, but even the work they do looks very different to what they were doing even 50 years ago. For many hunting and gun dogs, well, not many people rely on wild rabbit or fowl for food any more. People for whom hunting is the primary goal create new landraces, like bull arabs or roo hounds, who better fit the requirements of the new hunting techniques. I know there are groups who do more traditional hunts / hunt training, but those numbers appear to be small, and it appears to me that the needs of the dogs and tradition are big motivators. I think that it's great that people keep traditions and knowledge going, but I understand why most dog owners don't want to. Sled dogs are another example - how many people actually use dogs for transport these days? A few people in tourism? Sport sled racers don't usually use traditional sledding breeds - once again, they use a modern landrace, alaskan huskies.

Because people want a dog with characteristics that will best fit the human's needs, rather than changing their lifestyle for the dog. Which is kind of fair enough. They just want a dog, they don't want to be "dog people". They don't want to have to go to dog shows and get to know multiple breeders in order to obtain a puppy. The common advice given is that when considering a breed, you need to consider what the breed is bred for, and with that in mind, consider what you will need to do as an owner to fill those needs. Working dogs, for instance, are expected to need lots physical exercise (I know it's more complex than that, but this is the perception of the average puppy buyer). The average person, however, does not want to spend every weekend at dog sports. They want a fluffy little teddy bear that is happy with a daily 20 min walk. There are breeds that are traditionally bred as pet dogs - I believe that yorkies and lowchen, for example, are much overlooked. However, I understand that they are not for everyone. Many traditonal pet breeds are ruled out due to health concerns - airways in flat faced dogs, heart and syringomelia in cavs. What people really want is the poodle coat; however, poodles are often too much dog for the average owner. Too smart, sometimes too sensitive, too much prey drive. What the average person wants is a poodle with a cav temperament. Or, they want the lab temperament without the thick, oily, shedding coat. Now, we all know how complex and unpredicatable genetics are, but I understand why people try.

It is possible for a new mutation / recessive gene to pop up, even after many generations.

How long is a piece of string? There are so many variables to be considered here. A lot depends on the breed, as this will influence the tests that need to be done, and size drives a lot of vet and feeding costs. You are not going to get a clear answer, because there isn't one. If you calculated puppy price like a business, and calculated time spent as wages, the prices would, I think, be at the upper end of the range you give.

Bisart have NBT dobies - https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=109896 - you can see the tail looks different to one that has been docked.

Oh, I agree! And I think there's a big difference between talking about the pros and cons of a crossbreed from rescue, and discussion of the commerical crossbreeding of dogs, with the false ideas that are often peddled with the commerical crossbreeding of dogs. Coming from a horsey background, where there's not the same divide between purebred and crossbred, I see the advantages of outcrossing - I think there are some breeds (ie cavs) that could benefit!

A lot of people here are familiar with cross breeds, though, in addition to purebreds. Knowledge of the two aren't mutually exclusive.

On the hair thing - cattle dogs / heelers shed like a moulting shetland pony. They look like they have short coats, but it's actually quite thick, and they tend to have this fluffy undercoat. Everything around them, everything that they come into contact with, seems to get covered in little crinkly undercoat hairs. It happens year round, but is much worse when they blow their coat. This is another reason I wouldn't have one in suburbia - I'd only keep one as an outdoor farm dog. I don't like finding fluffy little hairs in my food all the time.

The amount of space you have doesn't matter, it's the time and energy that you put into a dog. A dog locked in a backyard will be bored and under-stimulated, regardless of the size of the back yard. I grew up with cattle dogs. They are amazing dogs with a lot of potential, but need a great deal of mental stimulation, especially in the first few years. I've met many bored cattle dogs that become barky and nippy as a result. My cattle dogs used to happily follow a rider on a horse all day several days per week, and still do brain work on top of that. I personally find border collies and kelpies more "full on" and more in need of stimulation than cattle dogs, in a way. They tend to have a lot of herding drive, which can make them look very neurotic and obsessive if they aren't properly managed. A good working dog should have an "off switch" and be able to settle when not working, but I've met many pet dogs where this has gone awry. Do not get a working dog because you think a "smart" dog is easier. They aren't. Get a working dog if you want to do working dog things. If you want a pet to sit around the house, look at a more suitable breed. Don't rely on the teens. They are likely to have their own interests, and will likely move out during the dog's lifespan.

It's awful that the bunny's suffering was prolonged - but as someone who works in human health, I understand not doing things that are outside your scope of practice. Working outside of your scope of practice is really not on, as simple as it may have seemed from the outside.

That's what I assumed. Gorgeous dog, but heart and structural brain issues... I assume you'd outcross to cocker or Dutch spaniels? I know there's the King Charles, but they are worse with the airway.

Personally, I think controlling cats would be far more beneficial for small bird species. Cue outcry from cat owners who think that their cats have to roam, and they "wouldn't hurt a fly".

My mum's ACD guards my kids from their own dog. I still don't know if she'd recognise a small baby as human, though.

From the second article :"these products continue to be safe and effective for the majority of animals". From the first "The FDA considers products in the isoxazoline class to be safe and effective for dogs" Of course there is some risk. Everything has risks. You have to weigh up the risks, and in my area, the risk from ticks is high.

Asal, very little of what you have written makes any scientific sense. You cannot remove substances from the bloodstream by feeding cheese, ffs. And the speed at which a substance kills invertebrates tells you nothing about effects on mammals.

https://www.bellingenveterinaryhospital.com/NexgardAdverseReactionFacts.aspx

Giant Schnauzer, if you are willing to put the work in with training. Big dogs, low shedding. Minimal coat maintenance between clips, which you can pay someone to do. Trainable, but have strong guarding instincts.

And it's not something caused by the birth. It's mostly bad luck.

As SchnauzerMax says, the most that you could hope for is getting your money back if you return the dog.

Well, previously I would have said that cattle dogs are a landrace, and people looking for a good farm dog might not care about tan markings or tails. I do notice, however, that they are RPBA memebers, and not a working dog registry. ACDs are also popular at the moment, due to the TV show Bluey, and so are a target for people making quick money.

I still come across the occasional landrace Australian Cattle Dog. The loss of genetic diversity is a pity - pedigree ACDs have been refined to be larger, heavier dogs which aren't suitable for all purposes.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/dog-on-death-row-after-owner-loses-lengthy-council-court-battle/12910878 I don't understand how he is "a risk to children" when all the incidents appear to be dog-directed (either aggression or prey drive)? Obviously he shouldn't have been allowed to escape twice after killing a small dog.

That's worrying. I wonder if the oral preparations have similar effects?

Giant schnauzer? (Just because I want one). Very protective, and if your wife is home all day, she will thank you for the low-shed coat. You'd need to socialise them well with unfamiliar children, but I think that goes for GSD and Mal, too.

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. SAS in dogs is common in some breeds, and it varies in severity - your dog is unlucky to have a severe case. In most breeds, it's likely to be a polygenetic or recessive inheritence, which means that it can pop up out of the blue. Your breeder may not necessarily have had any dogs with this before.