sandgrubber

A lot depends on your first dog. In my experience, most dogs at 2years, are good with puppies. A few hate them. Some get excited and play too rough. Some are nervous or possessive and might snap. You need to be prepared to watch them and adjust, and be prepared to separate them as needed. It may be worth noting that Berners are not a long lived breed. You may be setting yourself up for a very sorrowful year as two dogs approach the rainbow bridge together.

The article says: 'she was attacked by the large Staffordshire terrier-Rhodesian ridgeback cross at her home'. I'm against BSL, BUT breed does matter. I've known a lot of pitties in the U.S. and lots of SBTs in oz. Can't see much difference...both breeds are mostly waggy and friendly to people, often dog aggressive, and have a few very problematic individuals. Breeding to a large hunting breed like a ridgie can go very wrong.

I'd recommend reading this blog post. http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/03/legs-glucosamine-study-sows-little-evidence-of-real-benefit/

Damn zombies!

Yoli is one of them. She came right back for more.

Rats are definitely sentient. When are they banning rat poison?

All my dogs get a bed based morning cuddle. The logistics get complicated with four dogs and two hands. I have an Springer pup, 8 months now. Her idea of closeness involving lying on my chest and putting her muzzle into my face. Not sure what she gets from it. Seems like she likes to inhale my breath. Irritates me no end, so I push her away with the no command. She comes right back. Curious to know if anyone else has had this problem. Is it a Springer thing? Will it eventually go away if I persist? (I'd love to include a picture, but the dog on my chest precludes selfies).

E-collars can be good training tools, though they are not a silver bullet, and I'm sure there are fools who try to use them as a behavioral on-off switch (and fail). There is absolutely no value in a collar that shocks enough to burn...in most cases you want them to tickle, only. I think most trainers would be fine with banning e-collars that give strong shocks.

BBC News - Dog rescues baby buried alive in field in Thailand https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48311028

Prong collars are widespread in parts of the USA. The abuse I've seen most is leaving the dog (typically a pittie or a mastiff cross) chained with a prong collar. IMO that should be illegal. The trouble I have with mine is that it sometimes falls apart when walking loose. My habitual puller doesn't run off, so it's not serious. A bit of work with the pliers would probably fix it

A review of research findings that may cause some rethinking...or maybe just piss people off https://thesciencedog.com/2019/05/15/the-raw-deal/

From Wikipedia : Experimental studies of rabies infection in the Virginia opossum have shown the importance of the mode of transmission. Opossums became infected when exposed to air-borne virus but were found to be fairly resistant to intramuscular inoculations.[16][17][18]

Biosecurity is harder if you're not an island, especially if wildlife freely crosses borders and wild species are closely related to domesticated species. It'd take a substantial and uninterrupted wall to keep coyotes, raccoons, wild pigs, etc. from carrying diseases to the US from Mexico... or from the US to Canada.

Probably because they LOOK like a torture device while others look like jewelry or garments. Appearances deceive

I'm arthritic and pulling hurts my back and hips. I have two older Labs, both fine with flat collar. One of them quit pulling after a week with a prong collar (12 years ago). One 5 yr old Lab who has been on a prong collar for a couple of years. She seems to like it - she loves having her neck scratched. My ESS pup pulled like crazy on a flat collar and stopped pulling when I put her on a simple cheap harness. I don't see how a dog can be harmed by any device if it's not pulling against it. Possible exception, a halti, which tends to force a distorted neck posture.

It's sad that the intervention of a professional is required. Dogs are naturally social animals. I wish they could be left to wander and mingle as they could in the old days.

Thanks for the heads up. The product name alone makes me skeptical.

The cost of thoroughly testing is huge and, at least in the US, no one lab is internationally certified to do all tests. You need international certification and verification, because where there's money to be made, people find ways to cheat. When I brought my 3 dogs from the US to NZ it came to several hundred dollars each in screening costs, plus a lot of hassles getting to vets at proper intervals, getting papers stamped, etc... and that didn't cover the Asian distemper strain. I can't see any rescue doing all the required work... though a puppy mill breeding expensive breeds might be able to do it and still make a profit.

I've never gotten any reaction to a prong collar... I use it daily in town. You can't see the prongs... It just looks like a fancy wide chain. But I'm in rural NZ. Oz seems to be cursed with holier than thou dog lovers.

There is a surplus of homeless dogs in the South and a deficit in the NE and West coast. Dogs are also brought in from Mexico, and sometimes further abroad (eg, Frenchies, at high prices, from Eastern Europe and dogs meant for eating, with much publicity, from Korea). Restrictions on backyard breeding are highly variable, but in general far fewer than in Oz. Subsidized spay/neuter programs are widespread.

Yes they probably were... In the form of moose turds. Sorry. Couldn't resist that thought. I agree... he sounds like a whacko.

You should get better response if you post under health and nutrition. Would help to know what you feed Deisel and whether there's any tradescantia (wandering Jew) in your yard. Also, where does he itch, where is he loosing hair.

I'd guess the risk is low either way. I'd go ahead and vaccinate anyway to be on the safe side.

BBC News - 'I'm the father to 110 huskies' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47984177

Yes, it should carry him over. If you see severe indicators of pain, call the vet.