bladek9

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) OWNED 2 MALE AND FEMALE,SHOW & PET & IN PROCESS OF ADOPTING A GIRL FROM RESCUE. 6. What is the average lifespan? FOR ME OUT OF 2 DOGS, ITS ONLY 6.5YRS 5. What is the general temperament/personality? I FOUND ME BEING FEMALE, THE MALE DOG BONDED BETTER WITH ME AND THE GIRL TOOK TO MY HUSBAND AND 3 BOYS BEST.THEY ARE QUICK TO LEARN BUT THE PUPPY STAGE CAN BE VERY TRYING.THEY ARE VELCRO DOGS AND THEY TALK WITH THEIR EYES.THEY ARE SENSITIVE TO YOUR EMOTIONS.. THEY HARDLY COMPLAIN, EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE PAIN SO YOU HAVE TO WATCH CAREFULLY IF SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE RIGHT.THEY LIKE TO HUNT THINGS IN YOUR BACKYARD, SO WATCH OUT LIZARDS AND LOW FLYING BIRDS.THEY ARE GREAT WITH OTHER DOGS IF SOCIALISED FROM PUPS. MY ENTIRE MALE WOULD LET MY SISTERS MALAMUTE ON HIS BED WITH HIS BONE, WHEN HE VISITED BECAUSE HE ENJOYED THE COMPANY OF HIM.THEY HAVE FUNNY ANTICS LIKE SLEEPING ON THEIR BACKS WITH THEIR LEGS IN THE AIR, LOOKING LIKE FRUIT BATS WITH THEIR EARS STICKING UP OR RUNNING OFF WITH THINGS OUT OF THE CLOTHES BASKET TO HIDE IN THE BACKYARD.THEY PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WITH YOU IN THE HOUSE OR AS MY FEMALE USED TO DO, PLAY PRETEND "NASTY DOG" GAME.THEY KNOW ITS A GAME AND WHEN YOU SAY ITS OVER, THEY STOP. THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL HEART WARMING WAY OF GREETING YOU WITH LIPS CURLED BACK AND PEARLY FRONT TEETH SHOWING WITH THE CORNERS OF THEIR MOUTH CURLED BACK. THE MOST LOVELIEST SMILE I HAVE EVER SEEN..... 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? lIKE ANY OTHER LARGE DOG I GUESS BUT IF YOU CANT DO IT SOME DAYS, THEY DONT FRET. JUST BEING INSIDE WITH YOU IN THE HOUSE OR CAR OR MAYBE EVEN HAVING A GAME WITH OUTSIDE IN YOUR BACKYARD, MAKES UP FOR IT. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? NOT SO MUCH FOR FIRST TIME DOG OWNER.IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE PERSON I GUESS.THEIR PUPPY STAGE CAN BE QUITE TRYING. THE MALES CAN GO THROUGH A TEENAGE DOMINANT STAGE THAT IS NORMAL, BUT YOU NEED TO ADDRESS AT THE TIME. IF THE PERSON HAD GOOD INSTRUCTION AND BACKUP FROM A BREEDER, IT COULD BE OK. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I DONT THINK SO AND IT ISNT FAIR FOR THE DOG.SOME CAN GET QUITE NEUROTIC IF LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES.THEY LOVE HUMAN COMPANIONSHIP. 9. How much grooming is required? HARDLY ANY.MITT IS GOOD FOR A ONCE OVER. HAVING NATURAL EARS IN AUSTRALIA, PRONE TO EAR INFECTIONS IF WATER GETS IN THE EARS WHEN BATHED.BEST NOT TO BATH TOO OFTEN AS SKIN CAN BE MORE SENSITIVE AND CAN GET IRRITATIONS. NAILS CAN BE FILED DOWN IF YOU ARE NOT CONFIDENT WITH CLIPPING.START THIS REGIME AS A PUP.IF THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME INSIDE WITH YOU, THEY CAN FEEL THE COLD IN WINTER WHEN OUTSIDE, SO MAY NEED RUGGING AS THEIR COAT IS SO FINE.AUSSIE DOGS ARE PROBABLY NOT USED TO TEMPS LIKE OVERSEAS. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? MY 3 SONS WERE RAISED WITH DOBES.I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. THEY GOT BOWLED OVER SOMETIMES BUT THEY LEARNT TO LIVE WITH IT.(KIDS THAT IS!)BASIC TRAINING JUST HAPPENS NATURALLY AS YOU BOND WITH YOUR DOG AND TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT.DONT TOLERATE JUMPING UP. DONT ENCOURAGE YOUR PUP TO DO ANYTHING YOU DONT WANT IT TO DO LATER ON.IF YOU DONT WANT THEM ON THE BED, DONT ALLOW IT FROM A YOUNG AGE. YOU HAVE TO WATCH THAT TEENAGERS DONT STIR THEM UP TOO MUCH IN PLAY. THE DOGS DONT GET AGGRESSIVE, THEY JUST START TO TEAR AROUND THE PLACE IN EXCITEMENT.YOU NEED TO BE A LITTLE FIRM WITH MALE DOGS WHEN THEY GO THROUGH THE ' TRYING IT ON' STAGE. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? DCM(Dilated Cardiomyopathy)IS THE THING TO WATCH FOR I THINK , MOST OF ALL. I HAVE LOST 2 DOGS WITH IT NOW. MY FEMALE WAS ONLY 5, SHOWED NO SIGNS BUT DROPPED DEAD AT OUR FEET, AFTER CHASING BIRDS AROUND IN THE BACKYARD THAT DAY.HER MOTHER IS 11 & STILL ALIVE AND HER SISTERS AND BROTHERS ARE FINE, SO I DREW THE SHORT STRAW.YOU JUST DONT KNOW. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU LOOK RIGHT INTO THE BLOODLINES AND ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS. TRY TO CHOOSE A BREEDER WHERE THEY HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE SCREENING.THIS DISEASE IS A REAL PROBLEM IN DOBERMANS.

Yep, I agree to Kelp as it darkens colours making them richer. It does with my dobes tan points. Also I use to livermol too years ago with my horses and it always made their coats a treat.

Sorry, after I saw your cute photo I just had to put in my dobe with his friends lol! I thought I was the only one who did this

I've read that about apple seeds as well ( I use to think as a kid that you shouldnt eat them as you grow an apple tree in your stomach ) I agree not to over do the vegies. I thought it was about 25% of the meal. I did have my dog on the diet to improve his allergies but it made no difference. I used a food processor. I dont think its the consistency the dogs balk at but the vegie taste. My dog wasnt fussed over greens....neither are my bloody boys lol! Dont forget to chuck in an egg now and then, shell and all. Also some fish. I use to buy cheap canned tuna, salmon etc in brine and canned tomatoes. ( the tomatoes were to acidify my dogs urine) Some kelp goes down good and some omega fats.I was buying fresh vegies but then started f rozen ones as it was easier and more convenient. I would blend them frozen and then freeze them again. Overall, natural diet is a lot of work but good if it is beneficial and you see results.

My dobe had one and was a little snuffly but thats all. seems to work ok. My vet told me that it works more efficiently because the virus attacks mucous membranes initially and so it seems more better to administer the vaccine the same way. Sounds logical to me

Make sure if when you bath your dog that you dont get any water in his ears. This seems to start it off I think. Dogs with flopping ears that dont stand upright are prone to this. If the dog goes swimming or you bath him, make sure that you dry right down into that canal with dry cloth and air the ears. I have a dobe that gets this if I'm not careful washing him so after I fold his ears over so the air can get down and dry them out. Fungus loves to grow in moist warm dark places so it makes a perfect environment. From a fungus growth something similiar to candida you can get bacterial infections because the dogs then are at their ears scratching and rubbing and can break the skin. This summer has been more humid so it flares up in dogs.

I was wondering how he was in the flea department. Has he been scratching at all. When a dog scratches it stimulates skin glands which can cause the smell as well. It doesnt matter how much you bath him, if he is scratching he will stink again soon after.

Yep that is what I do. Make sure you've got a big enough freezer. I get a large amount of vegies at once and blend them and put them in seperate bags and write on the bag. I freeze straight away but leave some unfrzen for next couple days. I thaw as required in advance. I dont give the same vegies everynight but change them so he doesnt get bored. I feed my dog twice a day and just give him some bones with meat for brekky. Freeze these also and thaw in advance.This can be different chicken pieces or beef bones. I also feed fish on different days also. I buy cheap cans of tuna, mackeral, sardines or salmon to substitute some meat days. I add a little vegeroni pasta or white rice and throw in an egg no more than twice a week & add liver as well but dont give it everyday.I also add some kelp, cod liver oil & natural yoghurt with the beneficial bacteria ( my dog has had frequent doses of antibiotics lately) & ascorbic acid. I grate a little cheese over his dinner sometimes. If I see bruised vegies on special I grab them all and blend straight away. My dog eats raw spinach, celery, green beans, peas, cauliflower, squash,pumpkin, eggplant, carrot, apples, cheap canned peeled tomatoes & cooked leftover vegies. I don't see a problem with frozen vegies if your short on time. They go through the blender fine still frozen. I do this with beans and peas. Mind you my husband thinks my dog eats better than us Just keep in mind though that we have had drought conditions lately and I don't know if the lack of rain can cause more pronounced grass burning.

Its when the urine ph is high that does it ie alkaline urine. My dobe gets bladder stones and UTIs and he has alkaline urine which I have to control. The vet says it is his metabolism. He has 2 ops already to remove stones. When he has a UTI or the urine is turning high again the grass burns terribly. The vet told me alkaline urine causes it not acid which a lot of people think. Its true too, cause it only does it when we are getting into trouble again. I have also changed my dogs diet to BARF diet to get him totally off kibble because the vet is suspicious of kibble causing his ph trouble and to tell the truth I am too. I have to check his ph levels once a week and he is on acidifiers at the moment but hopefully in the future I can wean him off them slowly. Hopefully the new diet might help his problem. I know one thing he loves the variety and his coat is gleaming again. I would say just be a little wary of a dog if the grass is burning to make sure it isnt harbouring a urinary tract infection. Whatever you do, dont let your dog have a high ph for very long as your dog will end up having stones which can cause blockages. Believe me I have been through this and my dog was operated on 14 days ago. I have spent a lot of money at the vets because of this. Just keep in mind that UTIs can cause high ph and if a dog gets regular UTIs there could be stones present. Best to get it checked out if this is the case to save a lot of trouble later.

I can highly recommend Aloveen. My dobe has skin problems at the moment and my vet recommended this but its not too cheap. It has an oatmeal base to soothe and the conditioner is a cream that you rub in e specially the irritated areas and you leave it on. It's excellent and it works straight away. My dogs coat is so shiny after using it.

In January this year during a 42 deg day I lost my beautiful mare Emma. She was 32 years old. I had her since she was 2 yrs old. Emma was a black bay with large white star. My ' black beauty '. She was bought for me by my grandparents( deceased ) to help me through my parents divorce. I had just hit my teens. I had taught her tricks when she was 4 yrs old. She would open her lips and kiss me right on the face for bread & she could shake hands on cue. She still did these tricks till the day she died. Every kid around the area knew old Emma. Its hard when you lose a little piece of your youth. When she died I felt like a piece of my life was gone forever............ I WANT TO THANK YOU EMMA............................. For being my childhood wish come true. For teaching me & my little sister how to ride For keeping me on track during adolescence when a lot of friends went off the rail. When it came to boys & horses....I chose horses For allowing me to witness the joy of birth for the first time when you produced not 1 but 2 foals at once For giving me a good excuse to skip school now & then & for occupying me afternoons,weekends, holidays. I lived & breathed you. Enjoy your retirement in horse heaven!

Your sad news nearly made me cry. I love cats. My husband ran one of my cat s over right in front of me & then her brother died a few weeks later. They were 15 yrs old. I think he pined for her. My sister did something really sweet. She found a garden ornament of 2 cats nuzzling each other & I couldnt believe how much they looked like my 2.I put it under their favourite shrub & when I had to leave them behind to move to another house I took the ornament and found a lovely place in my new garden.I know it sounds stupid but I think their spirits are there with that ornament