sandgrubber

Most reported breed lifespans are rubbish. People reporting how long their dogs live tend to leave off the puppy that didn't make it to two years. Many numbers you hear reported (eg those used by breed clubs) have no clear statistical origin and probably only account for the healthy dogs that live to old age. The Finnish database is, to my knowledge, the only data around that consider ALL registered pedigree dogs. Scandinavians are generally quite selective about breed stock ... I don't see any reason that the average lifespan for dogs of some breed would be higher in Oz than Finnland.

In general, giant breeds are short lived and have numerous health problems. I'd recommend looking up any breed you are considering on https://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmEtusivu.aspx?R=186 Scroll to group and breed, then select health stats. Cause of death is particularly interesting...you'll find the Neo, for example, has an average lifespan of only 5 yr 1 mo. Strange to recommend a Finnish database, but sadly, the Finnish Kennel Club is the only source in the world (happy to be corrected if anyone knows of another) that tracks and makes public, data on health of ALl registered pedigree dogs. Lifspans well under 8 yrs and high incidence of skeletal problems seem to be sad aspects of the big mollasser breeds (if I remember correctly, the Tibetan Mastiff is one exception, but the temperament doesn't fit your description.... likewise for the large livestock guardian breeds). Lifespans under 6 years are sadly common. I would avoid all giant breeds and look at large dogs, like the Greyhound, rotti, etc. Greyhounds seem like a good fit cause they are typically sweet, affectionate, and lazy...but happy to go out for walkies. But maybe you want something beefier?

It's a matter of probably. After second jab at 12 weeks, you can be, say 90% sure the pup won't get parvo if exposed. After jab#3 at 16 weeks, 99% sure. Don't take those numbers seriously. It's a hard thing for them to test, and they don't get consistent results when they do test. Can vary between breeds, may be different if weaned early vs late, could vary depending on how strong the dam's immunity level is. Could also depend on what vaccine is used. Hope this helps explain why different vets give different advice.

The GSD curve isn't bell shaped, it's multi-modal. The GSD originated, I believe, as a farm dog in an environment where guarding was important. If you've ever been inside a traditional German farmstead, you would see that dogs and chooks would coexist. Off the farm, working lines and show lines have diverged, strongly. Prey drive has been amped up in some lines, not so much in others. I'd bet you can find GSDs that would be more inclined to guard chooks than to kill them. I just had a look at the standard. Nowhere does it mention prey drive. Much stress on trainability.

There is no such thing as " a GSD". The breed is diverse! you buy an individual dog. You could probably find a GSD that would suit, and with some training, could get many/most pups to be fine with cats.

Sad story all around. The woman has paid with her life for her good intentions and poor judgement. No point playing the blame game.

The sad side of this story is how difficult things have gotten for the small, hobby breeder who aims for quality. The two dog rule hits hard in much of Oz... you need to be able to run pups on to do a good job breeding. The limited register mentality makes it very hard for newbies to get started. The animal rights mentality demonizes people who might want to give breeding a try...and you must have beginners if you are to end up with experienced breeders. So numbers of quality breeders dwindle. That creates a niche for commercial breeding...and that niche is getting filled. Larger scale breeding need not be bad breeding, nor need it be cruel. In time past, some of the big name kennels on old country estates... at least in some breeds, kept 100+ dogs. Dogs are social animals, and in some circumstances, a big mob of dogs hanging out together can be very happy dogs. Happier by far than the lone dog who gets at best an hour or two of human company a day and very little contact with other dogs.

It's not just commercial breeders who are after the money. And it's hard to support the argument that the KCs are seriously concerned about welfare. If I count the numbers of puppy listings on DOL, I find disproportionate representation of the brachy breeds, especially Frenchies, with Brit bulldogs and pugs not far behind. Now I'm sure SOME of those breeders are breeding away from the health problems associated with their breeds' conformations, but it looks to me like the rapid growth of those registries has something to do with the $3000+ those pups command. True, high prices, in part, reflect the cost of obligate Cesarian sections. But the KCs do nothing to encourage natural whelping and little to discourage un-natural respiration. If someone wanted to breed dogs suited to the dominant climates of Australia, eg, to breed away from heavy double coats in Sibes, Newfies, Labs, etc. they would catch all kinds of abuse from the people enforcing 'breed standards'. I see pedigrees and health standards as good things. Genetics is VERY important in breeding. I wish there were something in the way of temperament standard to discourage breeding of dogs with unstable and undesirable temperaments. Conformation, except where it relates to health and function, is well down my list. I don't think my values are far off those of the average dog loving person. The KCs aren't doing a great job meeting market needs... hence commercial breeding expands. Sadly, commercial breeding tends not to pay much attention to health and genetics, and in many cases, the bitches and dogs involved don't have much of a life. To me all this makes the old, informal, back yard selection process look relatively good, and the option of buying a rescue or non-commercial cross breed, relatively attractive.

With pedigree puppy prices pushing $2000 for a lot of breeds, and respect for 'the pedigree' at a low, there's a big pull for commercial breeding, including cross breeding. No doubt there will be more of the same. Unfortunately. I agree with Moosmum, the old fashioned occasional litter in the back yard wasn't such a bad alternative. I've thought of going back to breeding an occasional litter because it's so hard to find good pups (health tested sire and dam, documented lines) in NZ. No one will sell you a bitch if you say you may want to breed.

A friend of mine breeds rabbits (meat and pets...not the vermin type). She says the gene pool here in NZ is pretty depleted because it's illegal to import rabbits. Semen could probably be imported if collection and transport could be worked out. Does anyone know if any of the companies that do the logistics for dog semen import would work with rabbit semen?

I think some of this has to do with the individual dog. My old girl, who is 13, has almost no elbow callous. Her 4 y.o. granddaughter has pretty good callouses. Go figure.

You have no idea what is going on between mother and daughter. Just call. I'm both an oldie, and someone who is phone shy and addicted to email. Most of my generation would prefer to hear the sound of a human voices. With all the crap that I get in my inbox, I can see the point.

If the breeder isn't into tech, I would phone rather than email. Having a chat with a breeder is a good way to clear things up and establish a personal relationship. You probably don't know for sure that your email even reached her... might be sitting in the junk mailbox.

CIA Trainee Washes Out Of Bomb Detection, Reassigned To Living Room http://n.pr/2xaHv1p

I normally use carry bags for poo pick-up on the morning walk (3 dogs). My usual grocery store is phasing out carry bags in 2018. I support this; no problem with reusable shopping bags. Not so enthusiastic about the notion of reusable poo bags. Can anyone suggest a green alternative to plastic bags? (Carry a pooper scooper for 3-4 k isn't going to work).

I get a message saying the uploader has not made this video available in your country. Do you have something against Kiwis?

Sorry your pup has this. The usual recommendation is glucosamine/chrondoitin(sp?). The clinical evidence that this is beneficial is weak, but it probably won't hurt. http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/03/legs-glucosamine-study-sows-little-evidence-of-real-benefit/ Do work with a vet. There are meds for arthritic pain. Supplements aren't a substitute if it gets bad.

How do they know? Smell and hearing. Also helps that dogs' noses and ears are closer to the ground than ours...and dogs don't assume danger will be seen.

I'd say there are breed tendencies, and dislike of other dogs is common in bull breeds in general. But there are plenty of friendly individuals in most if not all bull breeds, as well as many individuals who pick and choose their friends. Starting young often helps. Expect a lot of questions about getting a puppy at five weeks, which is too young, and illegal in many places. Also, you might want to do a search on blue staffies. A lot has been said about them on DOL forums.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/woman-flees-wildfire-dog-duffel-bag_us_59e22a9ee4b04d1d51822274

The ones that get me, locally, are pig dogs. Various neighbors have 3+ dogs, kept caged, that are left to vegetate, and howl, except for the occasional outing where they are let loose in the bush to hunt pigs. They love to hunt, sure. But few of them even have decent sized runs, and they can't interact when caged.

What impressed me is the water. Toting out enough water for a few dozen dogs by boat is no small chore. And if it wasn't done regularly, the dogs couldn't stay. Also love seeing the dogs play and share food, despite their ribs sticking out. They look like lovely, good natured, animals. Happier, perhaps, than a good many kept pets or shelter dogs.

The fishermen saving Pakistan's island dogs - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41351419

Sorry your pup died. However many many pups are killed by parvo, and without vaccination the numbers would be staggering. A lot of testing has been done on vaccines, and the preponderance of evidence says they are safe. Fake news isn't confined to human politics. Dogsnaturally is a strongly biased source. I started checking sources on the article Jed cites. The first article cited as anti vaccination concludes: "Conclusions/significance: There was no evidence to support an association between routine vaccination and thyroiditis at postmortem examination in beagle dogs after repeated vaccination.". I'd suggest checking all the references before believing the article...or blaming vaccination for your puppy's death.

Moving to New Zealand is another solution .