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Throwing this out to the wider DOL community…… scenario is Chihuahua littermates, 2 x males. Went to new homes at 14 weeks, now 17 weeks. Both puppies live in same household but have different owners. Puppies are fed separately but have access to each other during the day for play. At night both choose to go to own areas of the house, own beds and own owners. They have to squeeze between the bars of baby gates to do so, so it’s a very conscious act. The same automatic separation applies when sitting on the couch watching television. Each puppy is normally found next to, or on, their human. one of the puppies is taken out regularly in the car with his human and will soon be starting at doggy school (albeit beginners because he’s too old for puppy classes). both puppies play well with the other critters in the house (doggos and kittehs) and know their names. Is there anything else that can be done for these guys to eliminate the risks of littermate syndrome?

Funny that this topic is current… I had a memory pop up on FB that’s kinda relevant. I was watching my son play rugby with my occasionally reactive rescued American Bulldog (RIP ) on lead (council recreation area so leads required anyway). We were sitting well away from everyone and my boy was happy, relaxed and comfortable. Next thing, he’s literally attacked by an off lead bull breed dog who roared in his face and then attached herself to his jowls (pierced straight through it was later discovered). Her f-wit owner was screaming that my dog attacked his, despite the fact that my boy didn’t even get up from where he was laying at my feet). Luckily I had witnesses and the idiot was reminded in no uncertain terms that his dog was off lead (in an on-lead area) and was the aggressor. They advised the f-wit (rather bluntly) that the dog be removed from the situation or the council and police would be called about the aggressive dog. My poor boy was (despite his very large physical size) quite rattled after the event but soon recovered from his woes with generous gifts of steak, hamburgers and snags from the club BBQ. He earned many brownie points that day because of his level head and sensible attitude.

Harnesses!!!!! The worst thing that could happen to many (not all….but many) dogs. I am currently in Hobart, dog sitting my youngest son’s manic, brain dead Cocker Spaniel. My son has finally grasped the reason why I never put dogs on harnesses while he was growing up! Unfortunately, he caved in to his partner’s wishes and because she’d only ever had dogs on harnesses….he opted for peace. So now, while his owners are away, their dog is in boot camp and is learning how to walk nicely on a lead, sit calmly on a grooming table and sleep in a crate without throwing tantrums that upset his female owner so much that she’d immediately let him out!

No. Just no!

Wrong country for that. Freedom of speech doesn’t exist here and freedom of expression isn’t freedom from consequences.

It has.

I found it interesting that when the story first broke, the animal control officer was quoted as saying that the dog was able to be identified as a pit bull because it had white tips on its toes And again for the gallery…..bull breed jaws do not have the mechanism to “lock”. Bull breeds have very powerful masseter muscles which provide incredible bite force. And that, coupled with a determined mind can create untold damage in a fight situation.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Pay up, move on and don’t make the same mistake again. simples

Have always fed chicken necks to dogs and cats from early in their lives. Freezing them slows many piggies down and hitting them with the meat mallet changes their shape so they’re less likely to be a choking risk.

It would be Greyshaft all over again!!

Personally I am of the opinion that type IS type. It’s what makes the breed standard. Variations of “type” are “styles”. I will use vehicles as an easy analogy…….a car is built a specific way that makes it easily identifiable as a car and not a truck. That’s the “breed standard” or the blueprint/plan of the vehicle. Within that “standard” are variations of “style”….ie a Hyundai i30 is as correct as a Kia Cerato…..both unmistakably cars, just different styles……

Absolutely the first thing that the person who told me and I said. The owner’s experience with this breed and other large breeds is well-known and previously positively demonstrated. I put my hand on my heart and say that I would be very very surprised if any human action or interaction had been the cause of this tragedy!

I’ve been waiting for this information to be made public since the day after it happened. I was given the information and promised to keep it to myself. I have had to sit on my hands and bite my tongue. Some of the comments and speculation in various places has been nothing short of disgusting. What has happened is tragic and pouring criticism and venomous comments inferring that the dog was mistreated or “misunderstood” is absolutely ridiculous and completely and utterly untrue! The victims were well known and very popular members of the Australian dog scene. Many people will be greatly impacted by this incident and I wish Maree the very, very best for her recovery.

I’m probably in the minority but my first question is “have this dog and this child had negative interactions previously?”

Hiya! A few of us oldies have started popping back in from time to time

Have you changed your laundry powder recently or had your carpets steam cleaned?

Many also don’t use photos because of the way other people “steal” them for other uses, the majority being nefarious.

Short answer is NO. Registration papers belong to the controlling body and are required to go with the dog. If the papers aren’t handed to the new owner, they should contact the controlling body in writing with the facts so that the situation can be followed up on. Most states have a 7-14 day limit for the papers to be handed over and the breeder can be brought in front of the judiciary for not doing so.

Definitely let the breeder know. If it were me, I would request at least a second opinion before proceeding. From there things may get difficult and options will need to be discussed. One thing that I would like to put out there, and which may not be popular, but is actually standard under the law is that if your expectation is a full refund, then it is within the rights of the breeder to expect to have the puppy returned to them.

If you want to see more US dog shows, check out AKC.tv There are also breed profiles and a heap more content as well

You need to go back to basics. Firstly, have the carpets cleaned so that no deep odours remain. Dogs tend to be creatures of habit and if they can smell where toileting has occurred before, they’ll head to that area to empty. Then it’s back to basics of toilet training and it’s an endeavour that will require you to put in a bit of effort if you’re going to succeed. Keep the dog within eye sight at all times. Crate or pen it when you’re not able to do that. After sleep, play or car rides, physically TAKE the dog to the designated outdoor toilet area and stay with it until it has accomplished the objective. Keep it on lead so that it cannot wander off or get distracted. Consider using a phrase such as “wees and poos” or “go potty” or whatever so that it becomes a trigger command. After the deed has been accomplished…get excited. Make a big happy production to show how pleased you are. Take note of the body language of the dog before it toilets. This can be useful inside to help you perfect the timing of your dashes outdoors. If there are accidents indoors, don’t chastise the dog after the event. It simply won’t understand and you run the risk of creating a sneaky toileter. Clean the area properly, give yourself an uppercut for botching the timing or body language and go back to basics.

Personally I would be running a mile. Ideally a puppy should come from appropriately health tested parents. The GSP as a breed is prone to a few health issues such as gastric torsion, hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, Osteochondrosis Dissecans, von Willebrand’s Disease, entropion, pannus and lymphoedema. Most of these disorders can be ruled out by DNA testing and those which cannot can be identified physically. As far as cost goes, that’s between the person who bred the puppies and the prospective purchasers. Nobody has the right as a third party to dictate a price. For a carefully bred, health tested puppy from a registered breeder, the range would be from around the 2k mark up to potentially 5k. Realistically a backyard bred puppy would cost considerably less but at the end of the day, any person can put any price tag on something and it’s nobody else’s business. Any goods (and sadly, dogs are considered to be goods in the eyes of the law) are only worth as much as somebody is willing to pay.

Dog parks in general are ok, but if they’re off leash free-for-all scenarios as most seem to be, you might want to think again. Whilst it is very important for all puppies to have early socialisation, Stafford puppies can on occasion be quite problematic. They’re not always a breed that plays nicely with other dogs despite early socialisation and quite often, they’ll play nicely with others until the day that they don’t. And you probably won’t get a lot of warning that the mind set is changing. Staffords adore people and will walk through fire for children, but they don’t always extend the paw of friendship to other canines. They are supposed to be “a gentleman unless set upon” and to a large extent, this is accurate. The problem is that often it doesn’t take much more than a side eye or a muffled growl to start a rumble. And while they may not be the instigators, most Staffords would do anything to ensure that they’re still standing at the end. On leash is much safer and a properly controlled situation is the best one to be in

15 minutes is way too long! It’s like asking a 2 year old human to run a mini marathon! Your child is old enough to learn some basic but important dog ownership rules…. 1) Never disturb a dog while it is eating except for an emergency 2) Be polite and never try to take a toy or bone from a dog unless you’re physically training it to release. Google resource guarding…..you don’t want this to start 3) Let sleeping dogs lie. Puppies need sleep to grow and develop. They may be cute while sleeping but like all of us, can be grumpy if woken suddenly. As mentioned, a safe space such as a pen, a crate or even a mat which can be declared “dogs only” is safest.

The breed standard was written prior to the knowledge of genetics. And you need to remember that the original breeders were mostly very much working class and without much education. A dark slate nose can sometimes appear “almost” black in dogs with good pigmentation. It’s like the fact that genetically, there is no pure black in Staffords. Even the darkest looking dog will have stripes somewhere.