Greytmate

My dogs have never matched the council's computer options anywhere I have lived. Your dog is brown or chocolate mostly. I wouldn't put red, as the dog does not appear red, nor is it genetically red. It has mostly dark pigmented hair. Colour labels used in ANKC breed registration don't always make sense, and neither do council colour options. The important thing is that if your dog is ever picked up, it can be easily identified.

That date is fine, tomorrow is fine.

Yes. You need to learn his body language. Know what his relaxed and happy posture is and how that changes when he reacts to different things. Then if you are out in public, and another dog is approaching, you will find out from him, by observing him, how he is feeling before he feels he has to growl. The big important part is to realise your responsibility as his leader, to do whatever it takes to stop other dogs approaching him (or him approaching other dogs) when he is not in a relaxed mood. If you are not prepared at times to shoo away other people's dogs, you are not really in a position to stop the problem happening in dog parks. Unfortunately many people do allow their dogs to crowd and hassle other dogs, and you need to protect your dog from being exposed to that. If you let him down, by putting him in a situation that he has shown you he is uncomfortable with, the aggressive behaviour will escalate and he will lose confidence in you.

I might be free this weekend (depends on hearing back from somebody). But I would come from Ippy, so not really near you Noisy? Unless you want to meet out near Camira or somewhere and I can drive from there. Love a coffee.

Why should it be obvious? A dog's temperament is a result of its genes mostly. And a dog can be wonderfully behaved in one person's hands, and behave very undesirably with another. I have never owned or raised the perfect dog, but I think the best way to get a great dog is to buy the right dog in the first place, work it and love it, and try to avoid doing anything to traumatise it. Get a dog from a great line of dogs. For the reason i used obviously see where i have bolded. I am firstly specifically requesting if people have raised a puppy to adult hood without making any errors or causing any hang ups or problems. Or if they have done everything right and there are problems anyhow. As to the second sentence ive bolded that where i was inquiring about adult rescue dogs with issues and weather they are rehabbed 100% I find it interesting reading peoples opinions about what makes an ideal dog and what issues are show stoppers. Im not trying to say anyone is right or wrong as it is ALL opinions based. I find dog behavior and training and interactions with people very interesting. How would people know whether their dog's behaviour is caused by genetics or a mistake they made? There are a lot of people that claim that their dog's temperament or faults is a result of its upbringing (or because its a rescue), when often the two biggest factors in the dog's behaviour are its temperament and its current management, not necessarily how the dog was raised. Talking about rehab just confuses the issue. Every dog is in the equivalent of rehab every day if somebody is working with that dog. I just think your line of questioning reinforces the common myth that it is people that train dogs to be what they are more than breeding them to be what they are. Even rescue dogs have genes, the rescue dog is not just a product of neglect or abuse or however it was raised. Being a purebred forum here, I would like to say it again. If you want a great dog, buy a great dog from a great line of dogs. And be proud you bought the right dog, don't take all the credit (or blame) of thousands of years of selective breeding, just cause you do a little obedience training with the dog, or make a mistake with its training or management.

Not really. Conditioning your dog to recall using food as a motivator depends on the method more than the food. The idea is to train your dog to respond to you, and that can be done with any food the dog really enjoys. You can't just rely on using a favourite food and hoping your dog's food drive will overcome every other distraction.

Why should it be obvious? A dog's temperament is a result of its genes mostly. And a dog can be wonderfully behaved in one person's hands, and behave very undesirably with another. I have never owned or raised the perfect dog, but I think the best way to get a great dog is to buy the right dog in the first place, work it and love it, and try to avoid doing anything to traumatise it. Get a dog from a great line of dogs.

It's going to cost you less than $15K to get your dog over and back. Dogs cope fine with a month in quarantine. If you are not going to be earning at least that much extra over there, I would stay home with the dog. Plenty of good jobs here. When you bought your dog you made a commitment, didn't you? Do you parents deserve a ten year responsibility being thrown at them at this time of their lives?

It probably varies, seasonally, and depending on what leftovers go into the mix. The other advantage of 'racing mince' is that it has very specific fat content, so it is easy to get the quantity exactly right. It is generally made of lean roo, with a quantity of pure beef fat added.

I would buy 'racing mince' rather than 'pet mince' from a pet food supply. If pets get crook, nobody cares, but a shop owner wouldn't dare supply dodgy mince to racing people, or they risk a very big financial loss if sued.

All homes visits should have a criteria of what passes or fails. Good rescue organisations can do this, and people need to ask the question, before they hand over any money, or before they agree to a home visit. The main reason why many people wouldn't want to pay it is because they don't see the value of it. Part of the job of placing dogs responsibly includes ensuring that the owner does see the value in what they are getting. When this is done well, and if the home really is committed, people generally are happy to pay a fee and many have offered when they find out what is involved. There would be no value in paying a home visit fee to an organisation that was not run properly. With the lack of regulation in rescue and the obvious problems that some are having (as evidenced by this thread), it is up to the buyer to be happy with who they are dealing with, and make a decision on whether to deal with the group at all. Because $50 is nothing, a paltry pittance, compared to the massive problems that can be caused to a new adopter by irrepsonsible/unethical rescue practices.

I wouldn't blame an organisation for charging $50 for home visits. The number of people that ask for a home visit when they are not committed to purchasing a dog is huge. This wasted time and petrol contributes enormously to volunteer burn-out. I would like to see this become the standard. If people had to pay what it actually costs, they might understand its value better. A group that asks for a voluntary donation rather than an adoption fee probably isn't adopting out too many dogs, or are only adopting to people from certain demographics. This devaluing of their dogs does no favours to other rescues.

I think maybe you should find out what happens in rescue before you speak so harshly against it. There are plenty of excellent dogs in rescue right now looking for homes, and plenty of excellent, desirable rescue dogs being placed in permanent homes by foster groups every day of the week. If you are finding it hard to get somebody reputable to sell you a dog, there may be a good reason for that. Actually I don't have difficulty getting a rescue dog and I am meeting one this week in fact. I KNOW what breed is best for us and what breed would be in the best environment here and I know this better than anyone else who could meet me in 5 minutes and decide for me. I also make it clear before getting a dog that if I think the dog would suit us, that I would only trial it first to make sure. If the rescuers turn someone down, then tell them why and perhaps even try to work with them on what is the best dog to get, because I would rather see the people get a rescue than buy a puppy from a shop or BYB. Jed, I hate seeing dogs in pounds also and I was more than happy to give a cav a permanent forever home here, but rescue decided they would take him first. The purpose of application and screening is so (amongst many other things) that the rescue knows that you know what you are in for. Not to decide what breed you get. Any application I have processed has literally taken hours, and I certainly wouldn't sell anyone a dog after five minutes. The organisation that has the dog in foster care is in the best position to know exactly what the dog is like, and what it needs to be happy, and this may or may not fall into line with what you are expecting based on breed alone. No good rescue group is going to insist you keep a dog that isn't happy living with you, so as long as you are happy you are buying from an ethical organisation, you would be best to answer questions honestly and accept that the foster carer is working in the best interest of the dog and the new family. You don't really know the temperaments or individual traits of the dogs until they are settled into care. Any groups that has a constant revolving door of dogs isn't ethical. But the groups that put the dogs through a proper procedure of care and assessment are doing the right thing and they should be getting the best and healthiest dogs they can out of the pounds and giving these dogs help. Hey Powerlegs. How would you like to spend this Saturday driving out to a home visit, to find that the person has just suddenly picked up a dog from the pound, (after putting in an application to adopt a rescue dog) and didn't bother to cancel the visit? Two weeks later you can answer the phone when they call up to ask what they should be feeding their new dog from the pound and how to get rid of the fleas.

Yes. And if any normal pet buying family wanted to buy a Cavalier, I would recommend they go to Cavalier rescue or a registered Cavalier breeder, and not just pull one out of the pound on their own. The adopter and dogs both benefit with the specialist help and support that can come with breed specific rescue. They can provide the education and info that turns a good new owner into a great new owner.

I think maybe you should find out what happens in rescue before you speak so harshly against it. There are plenty of excellent dogs in rescue right now looking for homes, and plenty of excellent, desirable rescue dogs being placed in permanent homes by foster groups every day of the week. If you are finding it hard to get somebody reputable to sell you a dog, there may be a good reason for that.

Here's my issue, the dogs best interest is to be re-homed to a good family, not to be taken by a rescue group when they could very well go straight to their new home, to then be fostered and the group then choose who can and can't have the dog based on stupid things like wearing PJ's in the afternoon. Dogs best interest remember? If the dog is likely to be placed straight from the pound, then leave it there, don't take it, foster it, raise the price of it and confuse it more. There is a reason breed specific organisations will get these dogs from the pound and I don't believe it's all in the best interest of the dog. Sorry, but I disagree with what you think is in the dog's best interest. Having dogs go through a foster program increases their adoptability. They are more likely to remain permanently with the people that adopt them.

I don't see how that would make a profit. If a dog isn't used to being kennelled, being in a pound will really stress it. The dog is much better off being out of the pound, and into foster care where it can be rehabilitated properly, trained, and time can be taken to make sure it goes to a home that really suits it. That is a much better way than dogs being selected by pet owners directly from pounds with no way of knowing the dog's real nature. It gives those dogs a better chance. They are far less likely to be returned. If we had more people fostering for rescue, more dogs could be helped in this way. It is important that rescuers take on dogs that have a good chance of rehoming, and not just take on any dog that needs a home. There are far too many needing homes and far too few rescuers.

Normal businesses generally don't send staff around to check out peoples living arrangements either. But if they do send staff out, they are covered by public liablity insurance. This is a genuine question.......are rescue organisation employees covered by the same? If they are carrying out their business on private property, I would think they'd have to be. Yes, they should have a public liability policy covering their staff/volunteers. There are dodgy rescues around, but there are many good ones that are run like businesses or properly organised clubs, and they are the ones that will have insurance and other safeguards in place to protect volunteers/members and the public.

Organisations are required by law to protect this information and work within the privacy act. So all you need to do is ask them how their organisation is structured and what is in place to protect your privacy. Normal businesses do not require their staff to undergo police checks just because they handle customer details. Common sense tells you not to hand over drivers licence or credit card to anyone without an ABN or other organisational credentials.

If they have a brown nose, they are liver, and that is unusual in Staffies. Because the gene is recessive, it can remain hidden, and can unexpectedly pop up. For a whole litter though? What a genetic freak of nature that litter would be. Smells like dodgy to me.

So many variables. If the prey drive has been modified to do a herding, scenting, retrieving or coursing role it is hard to compare the strength of drive. Threshold to drive varies. Some dogs go into drive on a hair trigger, others will only go into drive in a specific set of circumstances, yet the drive could be higher. For me, a basic test of strength of drive is 'distractability' while in drive. A dog in high prey drive undergoes physiological changes in its body. The blood is directed away from the brain and internal organs and towards the muscles. It is focused on the prey. It is hard to distract. Corvus you should talk to Garth Jennens who has a Phd on Predatory Aggression in Canines.

I think there are two clubs at Tivoli. I go to the Ipswich Dog Obedience Club. You pay an annual membership, but that includes the 8 week beginners course. There is no particular emphasis on any method of training. The standard of instruction is very basic. I go because I need to get Woody desensitised to other dogs. But I am relying on my knowledge of being an obedience instructor for fifteen years to teach him the exercises, work him properly and help my partner train Coconut. I think if we were totally new to obedience we may have struggled a bit. We didn't join the Agility club because the intention is to get Woody up to novice obedience level, not have him doing agility. Scary thought. If your cav is sound and healthy, I suggest you do try agility, because she will probably enjoy it even if you never do it competitively.

I go to the club at Tivoli on Wednesday evenings. It is a cheap place to train, but I have had much better standard of instruction at other places. I go because Woody needs to be worked around other dogs.

why did you try it if they are lazy and not stressy? There was some couch licking and other licking going on.

I have tried DAP diffuser. It appeases the dogs somewhat. Hard to tell with such lazy dogs. Homeopathy is a scam, so I wouldn't waste any money or time on that.