sandgrubber

I think you've stumbled upon something very interesting, Mita. I wonder if a DVD featuring dogs playing, high in positive vocalisations and perhaps with some kind of accompanying product that emitted a variety of interesting scents would make for a good Canine entertainment pack. It would be lots of fun. A DVD could be produced for a few bucks. . . . and might make a great stocking stuffer. Or the whole thing could be compiled on one of the many audio sites that lets you download music. Or maybe create something like a blog or wiki that allows contributing sound bites and then having someone assemble the lot. Is there anyone listening that is tech savvy enough to help push this along? I only know enough to know it should be pretty easy, but there are too many options . . . I feel like I'm ordering from a Chinese menu with no English translations. I know my smart phone does great sound recordings and I can download apps to work in many formats. Anyone else interested in contributing dog recordings if we can come up with specs for format?

Hey, Stone, this thread is about antisocial dog behaviour, and you moved it on to a tangent by blaming the problem on cross breeding, which is somehow supposed to ruin temperament and produce out-of-control dogs. Would you please explain what pedigree breeders do, and what ANKC standards require them to do, to ensure that dogs have stable temperament. Thanks.

Exactly, and if they eat enough of it, liver damage will result too. +2. I only used the stuff once (on bulbs) cause it had the effect that my dogs systematically dug up all the bulbs I had planted and got upset tummies from eating the combination of dirt and blood and bone.

Yup! Your reading comprehension is poor. You are extrapolating without justification. What "appears to you" is not what I said. The ANKC CoE governs what a registered breeder does, not what they are allowed to think (or observe). Abiding by rules does not require that you treat them as God-given ('Thou shalt not' . . . where, other than in religiously inspired writing, mostly from one or two centuries ago, do you see use of thee and thou?). I am entirely within the CoE. I breed pedigree purebred dogs and do required and some not-required health testing. I simply observe that some people breeding crossbreeds are using higher temperament standards than some people breeding pedigree dogs for show purposes. The pedigree system records NO information about temperament, nor does the CoE forbid breeding from a dog with unsound temperament. My respect for the ANKC is lower because this is that case. apologies for this getting to the margin of the topic and getting somewhat agro after being accused of advocating X-breeding. The main point here is that pedigree/purebred dog breeders are not in a position to play holier than thou on the issue of temperament. The strongest position the ANKC takes on temperament is weak:" A member shall positively enhance the reputation of dog breeders and owners by ensuring that dogs owned by the member are not a danger or nuisance to the community. (CoE). Some breeds have seen considerable propagation of bad temperament due to breeders putting temperament low on their list of priorities.

My two vocalize, loud, when they play. It's funny to listen to. I'd love to be able to post some MP3 of the noises they make. And I think it would be hilarious to download some sounds from other people's dogs to watch what mine do when I play them. I don't think we can do this here, can we?

In my house, tick watch is done during morning cuddles using the finger tip method, but extending it to a little training . . . eg, playing with the hair between the pads on the feet and pulling back lips to bare teeth. It's really good to desensitize your dog to these things so if they do have a mouth or foot problem, they won't freak out and bite, or jerk all over the place, you when you go to look. I do two dogs (Labradors) in about 15 minutes. They love the exercise. chest and armpits are the worst places, but don't neglect ears, eyelids, base of the tail. I don't know how many times my fingers have mistaken a nipple for a tick . . . if you do it in the dark, you gotta pay attention to where your fingers are.

Have you ever consider this is not the right forum for breeders of xbreed mongrels. You knowledge of animal husbandry appears to be very limited. I'm totally in the pure breed / pedigree camp, but agree with KatrinaM. There are backyarders I would fault for not doing genetic tests, etc., but who breed primarily because their dogs have been fantastic companions and they and some friends want a pup . . . as well as backyarders who end out with pups through carelessness . .. and those who try to get the perfect teacup -oodle. . . and those who breed FOR aggression. But many pedigree breeders will use a Gr Ch with known temperament faults, and some breeds seem to have gone downhill in the temperament spectrum (eg, the rash of aggressive Golden retrievers) through bad breeding. I would say this is a good reason NOT to get a pup from a petshop . . . . cause there's no way to find out what the sire and dam's temperament were like. I'm with TheCoat, I don't support deliberate byb for any reason. Accidental is bad enough, deliberate is diabolical. I don't know of any registered breeder that does & am really surprised to hear of an advocate of the registered pure breed fraternity that would. Working dog people, working working dogs i.e. are proud & protective of their reputations for quality & wouldn't just pump out any old any old either. Sometimes I can't figure out whether people are one short of a sixpack, or just so enthusiastic about casting judgement that they attack without reading. Stone, it would be interesting to know how you did on reading comprehension tests in school? I did not say I support X-breeding or BYB's. I did say that some BYB'rs breed for temperament . . . some of them do it well. Others are careless, indiscriminate, or deliberately breed for antisocial behaviour. I also noted that there is room for improvement in the pedigree dog world. Many people put temperament too far down on their list of priorities. Some breeds have suffered temperament deterioration due to breeding choices that ignore temperament. Do you understand the distinction?

The same issue exists for words such as 'love' or 'aggressive'. I agree that 'energetic' and 'high drive' are not synonyms. Puppies are often highly energetic, but lack the focus that goes with drive. To me 'drive' implies focussed energy . . . which is often energy that a novice dog owner is likely to have a hard time handling. . . but which a skilled person can transfer to doing a job. Its' best if the 'drive' is described in terms of its focus, eg, prey drive, herding drive, play drive. (I'm a little ambivalent about 'food drive'). But I think it's a good thing for novices to know the word 'drive' even if they use it badly . . . merely knowing the word opens the mind to learning the difference between energetic and high drive.

Have you ever consider this is not the right forum for breeders of xbreed mongrels. You knowledge of animal husbandry appears to be very limited. I'm totally in the pure breed / pedigree camp, but agree with KatrinaM. There are backyarders I would fault for not doing genetic tests, etc., but who breed primarily because their dogs have been fantastic companions and they and some friends want a pup . . . as well as backyarders who end out with pups through carelessness . .. and those who try to get the perfect teacup -oodle. . . and those who breed FOR aggression. But many pedigree breeders will use a Gr Ch with known temperament faults, and some breeds seem to have gone downhill in the temperament spectrum (eg, the rash of aggressive Golden retrievers) through bad breeding. I would say this is a good reason NOT to get a pup from a petshop . . . . cause there's no way to find out what the sire and dam's temperament were like.

Lots of 'depends' in this question. If the dog can easily get out and has been trained to get out, it's pretty safe. Probably safer for a dog who loves water and goes in all the time than for a dog who may fall in and panic. Dog hair may be rough on your filter. If the dog can stand in the pool and accidentally falls in, it is unlikely to drown unless it gets stuck for hours. If you have doubts, better to leave the dog somewhere where it can't reach the pool when you go out for a long time.

No. Of course there are degrees of drive and lots of variation. But in general, I think the term high-drive, used to explain an inherent tendency to energetic and, without proper training and exercise, excessive behaviour, greatly helps the discussion about dogs, training, and behaviour. I hope people can be educated to look out for high drive in selecting a puppy . . . and only take a pup who is likely to have it if they want to deal with the consequences of high-drive.

A small, happy-go-lucky dog may have a hard time in a kennel for many reasons. Perhaps his well being was strongly tied to pack and environment and he goes adrift when his anchors are cut? I would be clear about kennel practices, especially if and how they socialise dogs. Are Loki and Wylie close? Did the kennel separate them? Was Wylie left on his lonesome, or did he exercise with other dogs? How much play/socialisation time did he get? If you can pinpoint what it was that didn't work for him, there's a good chance you can locate a kennel or home-sitting situation where he will have a good time. I'd guess Loki basically likes to have a pack, any pack, and he found the kennel socially comfortable. Sometimes little dogs feel threatened when there are lots of bigger dogs around?

Come on Coat, how many "breeders" stay in the game long enough to say they make an actual difference to the disposition of a breed as a whole? many just do what it takes to get their championship points, get a website, breed a few litters then it all gets too hard. Dogs bite for a lot of different reasons, ridding dogs of fear aggression or their pre disposition to DA, isn't as simple as you make it sound. People forget the same breeders that breed for temprement also provide loving homes, training and socialising. Take the Staffy for example, there is 538 registered breeders listed on the DOL home page, now I will absolutely guarantee in that 538 listed, there will be Stafford breeders who know them inside and out and can supply dogs of good temperament, infact I know 3 Stafford breeders who's dogs are excellent with generations of providing quality pups, not all breed enthusiasts breeders are fools, there is one Stafford breeder I know who can name dogs in a pedigree renowned for producing dog aggression in the progeny, regardless, there is more opportunity attaining the right temperament from people who know their breed than the BYB who knows nothing more than a male and female makes puppies? In the years I was doing a couple litters a year, I was amazed by the extent to which both sire and dam affect temperament. Breeding for temperament is no silver bullet, but it would be a big help. And it would make a lot of people's experience with their puppies a lot more positive.

Guess that's part of the reason that quality dry food brands cost me about half as much in the US as I was used to paying for them in Australia. Not only transport costs . . . but a lot gets thrown out or discounted for being out of date.

Assuming it was just an overexcitable dog bouncing around and being an idiot . . l This takes newspaper distortion to a new low! Out of curiosity, are the worst of the newspapers involved all owned by Murdoch?

I would have purchased the entire animal ALIVE and rung some kind of bloody sanctuary or something like that They make me sick to the stomach Oh really! Have you been following. It was a bamboo rat . . . a big rodent. Now if you're in to rat rescue, I'm sure there are some farmers who would be happy to sell you their rats for live rescue! If you brought your own live trap. Oh, but I'm not sure you'll find a rat sanctuary.

If I were in your shoes, I'd be calling any and all local Rotti breeders. One of them may have a little extra kennel space . . . and they will have had experience handling large dogs. I'd guess that someone who knows what they're doing is going to be able to avoid setting off fear/aggression. Having run a boarding kennel . . . if you're looking for Xmas boarding, you are going to need more than luck to find a place that will accept a problem dog. Most will be booked out.

This attack was preventable!!! The council has a lot to answer for with, a) not impounding the dog earlier and, b) not monitoring the dog after it's previous impoundments. That was the part I found shocking, too. Also interesting that Jess Bretherton (the student) described the dog as being normal, not aggressive. Wonder what turned it vicious. Confusion about dog breeds is widespread . .. and no surprise. More such incidents and you're likely to find other places borrowing the definitions used in Sonoma County, California (where they aren't banned, but sterilization is required and highly subsidized): "Pit Bull" means any Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or American Staffordshire Terrier breed of dog, or any mixed breed of dog which contains, as an element of its breeding, the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit <a name="hit8">Bull Terrier, or American Staffordshire Terrier as to be identifiable as partially of the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier.

Statistically, there are two sides of normal. We also need to pay attention to dogs who are better than average . . . sweeter tempered, more nurturing, calmer, more steady, intuitive of human ways, biddable . . . These are the dogs we should be breeding from . . . particularly as yards get smaller, lives get more hectic, and dogs in general get less opportunity to run free and 'be a dog'.

No problem with loving, guiding, and adapting to a special needs dog, an unstable dog, etc. But they should not be bred from, even if they get their Gr Ch. And people with high drive working dogs should be extremely careful about placing pups in the 'burbs or city. Even if they're normal for working dogs, they're likely to go nuts without a job to do.

Couldn't agree more. I wish the deterioration of temperament was as visibly apparent, and as media friendly, as development of extreme physical characteristics. In my book, the first advice to anyone with a severe behavioural problem should be "don't breed from him/her until you are sure it's not hereditary" . . . and talk to the breeder to make sure it's not a problem running in the bloodlines. Far too many folks are willing to forgive behavioural problems in a dog who does well in the ring.

I've never found the noises dogs make are indicative of much. In my experience, a sick dog usually shows lack of vitality, low energy, and other basically down symptoms. 12 isn't that old for a JRT . . . blind or not. By all means, work with your vet. Sounds like you have a good one. Hope your old puppy is fine, and has just found a new voice.

The can of worms I'm not competent to open relates to deterioration of fats, and possible formation of carcinogens. This will not show up as mold etc., but may show up as the stale/rancid smell of vegetable or other oil that has been left to sit in the back of your cupboard too long. Dogs digestion is very different from human digestion, and most dogs don't live long enough to be vulnerable to some human cancers. Personally, if it smells at all rancid/stale, especially if it's been stored in a warm place, I wouldn't use it. I'm not that bothered by parlour moths and creepy crawlies that occasionally show up in a bag . . . unless they're in there from the first day I open it and the bag looks like a worm farm.

Where I live, we are required by law to do rabies vaccination every three years. Rabies is so awful I'm willing to comply . . . even if the scientific basis for vaccination of older dogs is weak. Once you create loopholes in a protocol, people take advantage . . . eventually this may lead to an epidemic.

Yes, absolutely. Sadly a lot of breeders dont take the genetic predisposition to atopy seriously In my days running a boarding kennel I once called a vet for an opinion on a dog who seemed to be scratching too much. Vet said: "Is it a Staffie?" Skin conditions are all too common in SBT's and ASBT's. Unfortunately.