Gayle.

He is co-owned with the breeder, who also bred Dusty, so eventually he may have some studly duties to do. Yep, first show is likely to be July 18 at KCC. Silvawillow has offered to handle him for me. I have decided I ike dog shows but don't like being in the ring so if I can get regular handlers, he will be shown.

How cute is this little guy? This one's no mutt, he's a beautifully bred little boy with a wonderful pedigree and is the pick puppy of his litter. This was a Dogzonline litter, the dam and sire were owned by DOL members and three of the pups are now DOL puppies. And this one is mine. Introducing Isaak....Tuscamada Twist of Fate. He arrived here from South Australia today, we collected him in Melbourne this afternoon and he's settling in like a little champ.

I did not say I'd lie, I said I wouldn't admit to it. Very big difference. And where I work, anything under 35 hours a week is part time. Fulltime work isn't always business hours either. I have worked very long hours in jobs that were not business hours. I have, over the past decade, bought a number of pedigree cats and dogs from registered, ethical breeders. None have ever questioned my work hours, all were realistic in their expectations....the cat breeders requested the cats not be allowed outdoors, one of the dog breeders requested I take the pup to obedience classes and another suggested I might like to show the pup. None have ever requested references, nor would I be obliging them if they did. I'd just move on to source a pet elsewhere. I take it that's a joke.

Grumpy is now 14.5 years. He's a bit, well, grumpy (!) and his eyesight's fading. He's physically healthy; he came belting into the loungeroom before to see what I was up to and when he found me on the Internet, decided to ransack the bathroom (bathroom door now shut). Hmmmm, Benson does that. He checks where we are and that we are suitably absorbed in what we're doing before he raids the kitchen bin. I kinda hoped he'd outgrow it but I think not.

To be honest, if a breeder was against selling a pup to someone who worked fulltime, I probably wouldn't want a pup from that breeder anyway. All dogs should be bred to be of sound body and sound mind, and if a breeder isn't confident that their pups can cope with being alone for a period of time, then breeding for sound mind isn't near the top of their list. Move on to someone who will not only consider you for a pup, but who will discuss methods of helping the pup settle in and cope with the periods of solitude.

I suspect our Lhasa is also a Malt x, but she does look very Lhasa like and is the right colouring. She's as thick as two planks, but that's not an old age thing, she's always been like that. We adore her and she is getting funnier and more set in her ways as she gets older. We got Benson because after our other dig died, I thought my Lhasa was going to curl up and die of missing her friend. She wouldn't get off the couch and all she did was sleep....for weeks. We brought Benson home and she hated him on sight. It was the best thing we ever could have done, cos she got off the couch, defended her food, defended her yard and came back to life. Benson adored her and still does.

The breeder I bought Benson from asked me exactly this question. My reply...."My last dog died two months ago, she was 14 years old and it was nowhere near long enough". I think that clinched it. The small problem with pop quizzes is that people who lurk on forums know what to answer even if it isn't the truth. If I were ever to source a dog from rescue, or some breeders, for example, I would never admit to working full time. Firstly, it's none of their business, and secondly in some cases, it's an immediate dismissal.

I have a Lhasa Apso...not sure if she's purebred, I suspect not...who is 16 and very sprightly. She's a bit hard of hearing but she CAN hear, and she lives a full and happy life with no health problems aside from a minor skin rash.

On the subject of spouses and dogs, mine is the opposite perspective, but could be valuable input. My husband loves our dogs. Completely and utterly adores them and never has a problem when we add another one to the pack. He has pics of them on his phone so he can brag about them, he talks about them constantly, he emails regular photos of them to his relatives in the US. He doesn't, however, do anything for them in the way of daily care. He doesn't feed them, groom them, walk them, train them. He has never been to an obedience class, and goes to dog shows under sufferance.....although he DOES go, even though I wouldn't mind going alone. His idea of bathing them is to drive the dogs and me to the coin operated dog wash and stand there and watch while I bath them. When he has a day off work, he rarely thinks to include them in his activities and it wouldn't even dawn on him to clip a lead on one and take it for a walk. They go outside on waking, the same as a work day and there they stay. Yesterday I rang him to see where he was as I was in town shopping and he was home early. I had to ask him to exercise the dogs, as I knew he would never have thought of it himself. He was happy to do it once I'd asked, but it simply didn't occur to him they might like to stretch their legs. Our dogs cope just fine with only me to care for them. So a spouse that isn't fond of dogs and might not interact with one isn't necessarily different to one who adores the dogs but just isn't a hands-on type of dog owner.

The two breeders I bought my dogs from don't have a problem at all selling to people who work fulltime, and in fact one of them....the one the new puppy is coming from......has them on 2 meals a day by 8 weeks of age so that if they are going to f/t workers, they will already be used to going a long stretch without a meal. Working fulltime is my lifestyle, that is how I support myself and my daughter, and in the past my other 3 kids. It's a fact of life for many many families and I personally would not have it any other way. Funnily enough my dogs know the difference between me going to work and me going somewhere they might be able to come. They sit and watch out the gate while I'm leaving each morning, and they're usually wandering off by the time I'm at the end of the driveway. But if it's a weekend or a day off and I'm going somewhere else, I get the pleading eyes and "can I please come too?" looks and the little buggers know I'm going somewhere else.

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. Don't worry, lots of us work fulltime and have happy, well balanced dogs that are easy to live with and a delight to take anywhere. I work, my husband works, my teenage daughter goes to school, our dogs get by being home alone and tomorrow we are collecting a new puppy who will also get by being left alone. Not only get by, but are well cared for, happy, healthy and awesome family pets. I don't share the view that dogs need 24/7 hands on care, they don't. They are dogs not children.

My son got an ex-show dog from a breeder. He didn't think his lifetyle was compatable with raising a pup as he's an army officer and lives a fairly unpredictable lifestyle. He checked the listings on DOL for older dogs and found a lovely 19 month old English Setter. The dog was young enough to easily adapt, but old enough he'd pretty much outgrown the puppy silliness and he fitted in right away. There are lots of pedigree dogs in the 1-3 year age group looking for good homes and it's often an ideal choice if you're not too sure about whether a puppy will suit, or if a particular breed is the right one for you.

I have worked fulltime for years and always had pups/dogs. Last puppy I got I took 2 weeks off work to settle her in and she slept the whole 2 weeks. Waste of time really. Tomorrow I am picking up a new puppy, he will be inside on his own til he's big enough to join the big kids outside. He will have a crate with the door tied open so he can't shut himself in their by accident. A warm bed in the crate. A few toys, a bowl of water and some paper on the tiles for his toilet. He will be fed at around 7am, before I leave for work, and around 5pm when I get home. Then a small snack in the evening before bed. My husband will drop home during the day if he can, and will try and get home before I do so the little bloke isn't alone for too long at a stretch, but I'm not overly worried, I think he will be fine and if I rotate the toys each day, he'll find something new to amuse himself with. He will be near a low window where he can see the other dogs too, so that should keep him amused and make him feel like he has a bit of company.

Herding breeds are generally barkers. Not all dogs in all the herding breeds will bark a lot, but they tend to lean towards more barking rather than less. it's part of their make up, their genetic code. It's part of what they are bred to do......move and protect stock. The herding breeds include all collies...rough, smooth, bearded and border....all shepherds and sheepdogs.....German, Australian, Shetland, Belgian, Old English etc..... cattle dogs, corgis, kelpies....and some of them are renowned for their ability to bark long and loud.

No, I hate getting wet so we don't walk in the rain. The dogs seem not to care one way or the other.

I am not against negative comments, I am against ONLY negative comments. Give a balanced view of the breed. If you own the breed and clearly love it, why would you NOT recommend it to someone for whom it might be suitable? Comments such as 'I had to do all this for my dog but doing it would probably kill you to do the same" help no one. Particularly of a breed that is entirely suitable for thousands and thousands of families.

When you only address the negatives of a breed that you own, or the negatives of a particular growth period.......puppyhood, adolescence etc...... It comes across as very condescending. And I realize it's probably not intentional, but it seems that the poster is inferring that while they can cope with these awful habits and this terrible breed of dog, no one else possibly could.

If there were any breeders in the world who even thought about mating a lab with a Wei, they should be lined up and shot. The potential result of that cross makes me cringe with horror.

Btw airedales aren't cute. I can think of lots of positive words to describe them but cute isn't one of them. Handsome, regal, bold ....... But not cute. Very insulting to an Airedale. I get the impression you've never seen one.

Airedale terriers are big. Much bigger than beagles, whippets etc. They are a breed with a strong personality though and can require special handling.

Just because they are a lot of work does not mean they are not enjoyable. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat! I am super puppy clucky and would be thrilled to get a third dog. Just pointing out the realities of life with a puppy. Some people like the idea of a breed but may not be so thrilled with the idea of waking up at 5.30am in the morning to go for a walk in the rain. and yet you said you would definitely not recommend your breed due to the amount of work involved. If you enjoy it, why wouldn't someone else enjoy it as well?

Our cats are far more destructive than our dogs. The cats have destroyed thousands of dollars worth of furniture by clawing it or peeing on it, the dogs have destroyed a few dog beds (benson as a puppy), chewed up some toys and shies (benson as a puppy) and dug a few holes in the lawn........yep benson as a puppy again. I always find it amazing in these type of threads when people try and steer the OP away from their own breed due to them being too much work. If they are so much work and so unenjoyable, why does anyone own them?

My Aussies don't require heaps of exercise. When we were in town they got a walk most days....around 30-45 minutes....but if were working the mushroom hours I'm working now, sunup til dark, they wouldn't get walked all week and they didn't seem to mind. They do love a good run, play, chase of the frisbee, they adore a long sniffy walk and they both love running alongside the bike, but if they don't get it they don't take it out on the house, garden, our belongings etc.

Are they better if they have another dog for company? My dogs might be very destructive if they were lonely, but being that there's two of them plus our old Lhasa, they don't really destroy anything aside from a toy here and there.

I have Australian Shepherds who are currently on their own for most of the day as I am working very long hours at the moment. They are great, but they have each other. Plus we have just moved to a property eminently suitable for active dogs. They tick some of the boxes, but not all of them. They do bark, some more than others and I have one who loves the sound of her own voice at times. Plus they have a loud, ear splitting bark. One of mine is quiet until he starts playing, then he gets fired up and noisy. They shed, but not a huge amound most of the time. However, twice a year they'll give you a snow storm and there's no escaping the fact that they are dropping coat. It gets in everything. When we are home, we spend all of our time with our dogs. There are places in the house they can't go and they learned that quickly, they are not allowed on one of the lounge suites and they accept that. However, they are very much part of our family and we take them on outings with us, include them in our work around the place etc. Even when I drive into town to pick up my daughter, I have at least one, if not two, co-pilots cos they love to come along for the ride.