labsrule

My 8mth old lab pup is OBSESSED with sticks and has been from the day I brought him home as a 10 week old pup. I have bushes and trees all around my property and his favourite past-time is foraging for sticks, branches, twigs, leaves etc. He loves being outside and will spend ages just sitting on his outside bed with a stick chewing it up into tiny pieces and everyday I have a mess of chewed up sticks to clean up on the patio :D He tries to drag his sticks inside to chew in comfort and sometimes he is successful in sneaking them in and other times the banging and crashing at the doorway gives him away as he tries to drag in a large fallen branch or one he has actually chewed off a tree :D He has passed his stick fetish onto my two older lab boys (14 & 12) who love the fact that he drags inside or leaves sticks lying around on the patio for them to chew up or play tug of war with He is so obsessed with them that I know he would happily go without any of his toys and just play and chew sticks all day. God forbid if we move to a property without any bushes/trees, he would probably have withdrawal symptoms My only concern with the sticks is when he has one hanging out of his mouth as he does zoomies around the yard, which quite often :D

Somehow I just figured someone would try to read it that way. Everyone in the family clearly has a role to play in caring for the family pet, even if they aren't its primary caregiver. One doesn't need to be a misogynist to express one's "expectation" in that regard to a female counterpart and to ask whether it is asking too much. At the risk of putting a few other noses out of joint, I would make one other observation. I have to say that I find the expectations that have been expressed by some contributors to this thread somewhat surprising. I am left with a sense - rightly or wrongly - that for some of you at least one should not be a dog owner at all unless one is prepared to devote all of his/her time (whilst not sleeping) tending to the needs of the animal. That may be overstating the position somewhat, but I think its a fair assessment. With all due respect, I don't share that view. If that makes me an "unsuitable" person to own a dog in the eyes of some, then so be it. I do not believe that a dog needs my attention 24/7, nor do I propose to even attempt to satisfy that benchmark. Certainly that degree of devotion does not gell with my childhood memories of the dogs I had as a kid - and I seem to recall that our dogs did not turn out all that bad. It is unrealistic to expect a dog to be given attention 24/7 and that is not what the posters that contributed to your thread expect you to provide. I think the main alarm bells that are ringing for us are the bits I have bolded in the following quote from your original post: I live on a moderate sized block - about 650m2. My other half isn't too keen on dogs, so I'm looking for a fairly low maintenance one - preferrably a breed that does not shed all over the place so as to keep the peace. The dog will be allowed in the house, but will probably we made to stay in the downstairs rumpus area - it definitely won't be allowed to sit on beds or wander into the bedrooms. Also, I have two kids, one 7 and other 10. So the dog needs to be good with kids. Finally, I tend to work long hours throughout the week, and my kids lead fairly busy lifestyles. So any dog we get needs to be comfortable with its own company for most of the day and not be too clingy. My other half will probably be home during the day but is unlikely to interact with the dog as much as myself or our kids. I have been following your thread as initially you had the Labrador, my breed of choice, on the list of dogs that you were considering and I thought straight away that your situation is not conducive to having a Lab pup and the more you posted with comments like "I'm thinking that provided the dog doesn't eat her huge collection of handbags or shoes, or shed its coat on her clothes, everything will work itself out. But methinks that if the littled dude/dudette so much as thinks of even licking a high-heel it will literally be in the doghouse.", the more I was convinced that your home would not be suitable for a Lap pup. My concern is that Lab pups can be pretty mischevious as they are highly intelligent and energetic pups and can get up to all sorts of mischief which can be pretty daunting for lab novices, but even more so if one of the partners in the relationship is not onside with getting the pup in the first place. I have even more concern when it is the woman in the relationship that is offside as they are normally the "glue" in the family and I have seen a few situations where the husband has been made to "get rid of the dog/pup" because it did something to upset the woman I can understand your wife's reluctance to get a dog because she is concerned the responsibility for looking after the pup will fall on her shoulders as the novelty will wear off for the kids and you work long hours. When you get a pup, irrespective of breed, you have to expect that there will be some casualties and damage caused by the pup, even for households that puppy proof their house/yard fairly well as it is all part and parcel of raising a pup As puppies grow, they become adolescents, and this stage can be even more challenging than the puppy stage (think human teenagers ) and some pups who never chewed a thing during their puppyhood can turn into destructo chewing machines during adolescence and some puppies who were the sweetest, calmest chilled out pups can turn into rebellious teenagers From what you have posted, I believe your wife would not be tolerant of puppy/adolescent antics so I would strongly recommend you seriously consider getting an older dog, as has been suggested by some other posters. Make no mistake puppies are hard work, even for the most experienced of us, so taking on a more mature dog would place less stress and strain on your household Breeders and reputable Rescues are the best source for these dogs. Good luck with finding the right dog for your family

Thanks for reminder I saw this event advertised I think in my local newspaper a couple of weeks back and thought I must schedule this in my calendar and then forgot all about it, so reminder is very timely.

Definitely not a purebred Lab. In some of the photos I see Rotti and others Staffy, particularly his ears. He is a lovely boy

OMG Macka, Archie does this too !! Sometimes he stays in that position just watching what's going on around him. Front legs on floor, back legs still up on the couch. Must be a lab trait, Mason does it too, OH finds it hilarious! Yep so does Tana and what makes me really laugh is when I have a footstool a short distance from the lounge and he slides his fronthalf off and rests his chin/muzzle on the footstool with his front legs on the floor and backlegs still on the lounge and he watches TV in this position sometimes for quite awhile He has had me in hysterics these last fews days with the torrential rain we have been having as my backyard is like a swamp and when I let him out to go to the toilet he does these mad zoomies around the soggy yard, jumping into the huge puddles and spraying water everywhere in his wake and he zooms around and around and around at such a speed he is actually sliding across the lawn it is just hilarious and cracks me up everytime , even though I have to clean up the mess when he has finished as he is normally soaked and covered in mud

Our puppy and his brothers and sisters were being given away for free ... although we did have to drive for an hour to Goulburn to pick him up. I very much regret posting now because clearly some people disapprove of where we got our puppy ... but we weren't deliberately trying to do the wrong thing. We hadn't even considered getting a dog until a few years later but we had grown attached to a dog at the local pound - unfortunately it wasn't possible to get him and at around that time, we saw the ad for the kelpie/bc puppies. We had read a lot saying that the kelpie/border collie cross can be a lovely combination. The seller was very friendly, emailed a few days after we picked up our puppy to find out if he was going all right and gave us a lot of helpful advice about settling him in when he was crying at night as well as details of what he had been eating, what he might be missing from his old home etc. Clearly she was very anxious to make sure the puppy went to a good home and given that she'd just given us our puppy for free, she was under no obligation to help out. We sent her a lot of pictures of our puppy and videos, too which her son loved. I am not anti pure-bred dogs at all, nor am I critical of breeders of pure bred dogs it's just that my first dog was a labrador/border collie and he was very lovable and my current puppy is also wonderful despite his mixed blood. It doesn't mean that I want to set up or join a forum solely for cross-breeds. I realise that this is a pure bred dog forum but the forum members have been generally been very welcoming of all dog owners regardless of the parentage of the doggies and I've received a lot of advice here which was much appreciated. We never would have bought our puppy from a puppy mill or a pet shop but having considered the home where we bought our puppy, we concluded that the litter was a genuine mistake and the puppies that were being given away were of the age and type for which we had been looking ... My post above was in response to your post below stating "Our puppy wasn't from a backyard breeder". From your post I gather you don't fully understand what a backyard breeder is, so I posted some definitions to clarify what a backyard breeder is. It was not a criticism of your pup or of you procuring your dog from a backyard breeder, it was simply to correct your mistaken belief that your puppy wasn't from a backyard breeder, irrespective of whether any money changed hands.

Our puppy wasn't from a backyard breeder - I think there must have been accidental puppies because the owner didn't desex their (male) dog but you raise an interesting question. I see why you wouldn't take a free puppy from a backyard breeder because it's further encouraging the practice to continue but what about the fate of those puppies? Don't they need rescue, too? Some definitions of backyard breeders: An owner whose pet may have an unplanned litter by accident, or who breeds on purpose. Common reasons cited include: making extra money A person who casually breeds purebred dogs with little or no regard to the breed standard, genetically linked defects or temperament. Somebody who owns and breeds dogs for the purpose of resale with out proving through showing, and health checks, that the dog is worthy of being bred

Because the ongoing cost of the bitch is part of the cost of breeding a litter. You need to factor in things like entry fees for shows, trials etc that are part of proving your bitch is worth breeding from. ETA the average pet isn't DNA tested as new tests become available, hip and elbow scored, yearly eye and other health tests etc that are carried out on breeding dogs. Ok, so what are the costs for shows, etc per year? If the bitch has a littler of 10 pups each time she is bred that's a fair amount of money. I have always wondered about this so would be keen to know the answer If she has 10 pups. I spend about $1000 a year on trial entry fees, training fees etc plus the time it takes but it is my hobby. Also I only trial about once a month not show every weekend. I don't show so you would need a show person to answer that. You seem to have a problem with the fact that someone may make a profit from breeding a litter. They also take a huge risk of loosing the bitch, the pups etc. I don't have a problem with ethical breeders making a bit of money out of what they do, I know most ethical breeders who actually care about dogs will rescue so I have a lot of respect for them. I would happily give that extra bit for the cause of the dog/breed. I'm a curious person, I would like to know what the actual costs are for breeders, that's all. i think that is their business and no one elses business. and i think its a bit rude to ask the question Why is it rude to ask the question? Do breeders have something to hide? Why then should I not buy my next pup from a puppy farmer? Are you for real? Have you not learned anything thru this site. You seem to have a problem with purebred breeders, so why don't you go elsewhere, after all this is Purebred Forum Why don't you direct your efforts and questions on the practice and earnings at the vile puppy farmers , after all they are only in it for the money, nothing else, pure and simple. The dogs health and welfare does not come into it at all i know this topic is doing my head in. i really think some of the posters are in the wrong forum as they really dont want to learn about pure bred dogs bred by ethical breeders. seems there is the start of breeder bashing happening (except if they are talking about puppy farmers!!!). Yeah know exactly what you mean, my patience has worn very thin with some of the posters and threads and they should bugger off and create their own crossbreed forum or join a puppyfarmers forum if they want to slag off purebred breeders

Which state, which Guide Dogs is using the Lab/GR cross? as I have heard the opposite i.e. Lab more focussed, more stable and more trainable. Let me guess which Uni the Lecturer that made the INCORRECT statement about that MOST cross-breeds are healthier than pure breeds. Could it be the same Uni that hosted the puppyfarmers convention not too long ago

Because the ongoing cost of the bitch is part of the cost of breeding a litter. You need to factor in things like entry fees for shows, trials etc that are part of proving your bitch is worth breeding from. ETA the average pet isn't DNA tested as new tests become available, hip and elbow scored, yearly eye and other health tests etc that are carried out on breeding dogs. Ok, so what are the costs for shows, etc per year? If the bitch has a littler of 10 pups each time she is bred that's a fair amount of money. I have always wondered about this so would be keen to know the answer If she has 10 pups. I spend about $1000 a year on trial entry fees, training fees etc plus the time it takes but it is my hobby. Also I only trial about once a month not show every weekend. I don't show so you would need a show person to answer that. You seem to have a problem with the fact that someone may make a profit from breeding a litter. They also take a huge risk of loosing the bitch, the pups etc. I don't have a problem with ethical breeders making a bit of money out of what they do, I know most ethical breeders who actually care about dogs will rescue so I have a lot of respect for them. I would happily give that extra bit for the cause of the dog/breed. I'm a curious person, I would like to know what the actual costs are for breeders, that's all. i think that is their business and no one elses business. and i think its a bit rude to ask the question Why is it rude to ask the question? Do breeders have something to hide? Why then should I not buy my next pup from a puppy farmer? Are you for real? Have you not learned anything thru this site. You seem to have a problem with purebred breeders, so why don't you go elsewhere, after all this is Purebred Forum Why don't you direct your efforts and questions on the practice and earnings at the vile puppy farmers , after all they are only in it for the money, nothing else, pure and simple. The dogs health and welfare does not come into it at all

I have the opposite problem with my lab pup, he looooooooves the rain and goes outside to play in it any chance he gets and loves nothing better than doing zoomies around the wet yard in the pouring rain with a toy in his mouth everytime I let him out to the toilet. He also loves to dig holes in some dirt spots we have and of course it is so exciting when the holes he digs fill up with water With all the rain we have been having lately, I have lost count of the number of towels I have used to dry him off and clean him up with mud everywhere and this is even with limiting his outside time. My two older boys will only go outside to go to the toilet, having a drink etc and don't muck around coming back inside. Thank God we have been having some breaks in the rain, apart from yesterday, so I have been able to take them out for their walks. Don't like the look of the forecast for this week, which is rain every day

What a tragic loss RIP Phoebe :D Condolescences to your family

Well done Katy for looking out for your friend :D and luckily you checked A few years ago, my black lab girl was barking madly one night at some ungodly hr and I had been out for a girl's night out and got home quite late so was too lazy to check out what she was barking at, much to my regret as my car was stolen as it was parked outside on the street and she had obviously heard someone breaking in. My car was insured and it was located the next day, a couple of suburbs away out of petrol as some hoons had just taken it for a joyride and nothing was damaged luckily. I learn't a valuable lesson that night and ever since anytime any of my labs bark, I check it out. All my labs have been very protective of me and my property and have never been nuisance barkers, so if they bark, I check.

I don't subscribe to this "eating before the dog to show you are the alpha" theory I feed my dogs whilst I am preparing/cooking my breakfast/dinner (they get fed twice a day) and they are normally settled/snoozing whilst I eat mine, albeit with one eye open in case I drop a crumb . Have always done it this way as it suits me best.

Thinking of you Jed and sending lots of healing vibes your way. You and your surviving animals are in my thoughts every day and will continue to be so until you are all reunited.

Up until a couple of years ago, I used to use the monthly treatments regularly, but have made a concerted effort to reduce the chemicals I expose my dogs to. I haven't used any on my 8mth old pup yet as we don't have a flea or tick problem in my area and my older boys were last treated over 18mths ago when they had to go into Kennels. IMHO, unless you live in a tick area or area where fleas are a problem or you have a dog that has a flea allergy, then I don't believe dogs should be given flea/tick treatments on a regular basis.

and I am sure despite her feelings for them, Jed will actually be very grateful that they took her babies out of harms way and took good care of them and handed them over without incident. So pleased that everything went so well on that front

Oh no :cry: how terribly distressing :cry: RIP Magnus and Meg and run free with the other members of your family :cry:

I am a diehard Labrador Retriever lover and owner and they are the only breed I could ever own I do however like the following breeds which I admire from afar: Newfoundland Bernese Mountain Dog Pyrenean Mountain Dog Standard Poodle Dogue de Bordeaux Neopolitan Mastiff St Bernard Rottweiler

That's my image as well. All resting together .... Hopefully Jed will be able to decide for herself how she wants this to occur. I think its important, in our eagerness to assist, that we don't make choices Jed may wish to make for herself. Yes, it is such a personal thing and we don't know if Jed wants to return home/rebuild there. Quite a few fire victims find it incredibly difficult to restart their lives in the same place where so much devastation took place and move away entirely. It is traumatic enough to return to a burn't out home where all your possessions are now ashe, letalone dealing with any loss of life, human or animal at the property. No doubt those closest to Jed will take care of things whilst her body mends.

Well done, great idea I would suggest that you ask them to hold onto them until after the auction and Sway could then advise them of the winner's address to ship them to. That way it would save double handling and incurring any freight costs to onship to the winner. Liaise with Sway for her contact details to be provided to Deals Direct. Also ask them to provide links to the actual items they will be donating so these links can be used in the auction thread, so people know what they are bidding for.

It is the smoke rather than the fire that normally kills most people/animals caught in a fire as it is toxic

Ive got the easy bit - Im down south and co ordinating it all but Lesley and Marg had a hard day yesterday picking up the bodies and the survivors.Both will have their hands full ensuring the ones they have taken home will be comfortable and looked after as Jed would want them to be. 2 more bodies were found later in the day after Marg and Lesley had left and removed the bodies they found out - The two adult boxers who were found under Jed's bed so their bodies have been recovered and will be buried as well. So sad. :mad

I am keen to go to Murdoch but my vet wont give me a referral... Why not? I would be swapping vets if that happened to me Hope his paws clear up very soon, poor baby

I was wondering about that also. Can Steve or Toohey give out the address of Caitlin (if she gives permission)? Or maybe we could send them c/- of the Dog grooming lady mentioned earlier. O.K. Probably the best address is 349 Transmitter Rd Wooroolin 4608 .This is Pacers Queensland address and it will be the quickest and easiest to pass them onto Jane when we can. Lesley and Marg are right in there and it will be easier to get them to her when she is awake. Tks for the address I made a donation yesterday but was also going to ask what hospital she was in as was thinking about sending her something. Like so many others who have not personally met Jed I have also admired and respected her over the years and many of her posts have given me a good laugh as she has a wicked sense of humour. Her common sense and knowledge really standout and I enjoy reading her posts and I am sure many of us have learned a lot from Jed. What she went thru was unimaginable horror and I was not surprised at all at her heroic attempt to save as many of her beloved animals as possible. I so hope her beloved Magnus will be found as he and her other surviving animals will be instrumental in helping her through this terrible ordeal. Sending lots and lots of healing vibes and best wishes to Jed for a speedy recovery and Jed and her human and animal family are in my thoughts.