Greytmate

I have been visiting since 2004. Hey Greytmate, are you able to make it down this year?? It would be really good, but probably not likely at this stage.

I have been visiting since 2004. :D

The beagle tail is supposed to be a flag. :D The greyhound tail may not do much, or may wag slowly from side to side . Happy, confident, anticipation of what they think will happen next.

ok, so what about tail, still, tense, wagging? That can vary a bit. Stiff, slow wagging, or nothing much at all. Neither too high or too low.

You may get a few bristles rather than full hackles-up, but piloerection isn't a defining characteristic of a dog in prey drive. The dog in prey drive has an optimistic demeanor, not a defensive one.

Dogs in prey drive do not tend to growl.

myriad of tiny differences like.......? The 'circling' you mention. Any stalking (inspired by prey drive) I have seen couldn't be described as circling. It is fairly direct. Feet hard into the ground in prey drive, No hint of the scratchy, scenty, pissy OTT (literally) behaviour of a dog trying to assert its dominance over other dogs. Prey drive is heavy and grounded. Elbows bent. Low. Tail not up so much. A dog in full prey drive is much harder to distract than a dog asserting dominance. Much further removed. There are similarities, and it is good to know the differences. :D Pugs in general have a low prey drive. But they are still dogs, and owners have always valued the way that dogs play like dogs. :D

Soley for companionship? Or for companionship and entertainingly despatching any mice, moths and cockroaches? :D People like to watch their puppies play, and while prey drive is reduced in some breeds, it is an inherent dog thing.

You would test for prey drive by bringing the dog into the area where the 'prey' is, and look for various things. The dog's stance, its eyes, its ears, its tail, its movement, its tenseness, will all tell you if the dog is in prey drive or not. An inability to easily distract the dog from the prey can indicate a strong prey drive. Some dogs may 'shut down' during the test if they are weak-nerved. These dogs may show prey drive when in an environment they feel comfortable with. The test is just an indication, it isn't foolproof. But it is much better than not testing at all. yes, I saw that done on RSPCA Animal Rescue with an ex racing greyhound and a swf, what is the difference in prey drive body language as opposed what in my layman terms is a "doggy stand off" i.e two dogs staring intently at each other and very tense bodies? and the difference between circling prey and aggressive dogs circling. Put very, very simply, a dog in prey drive will have its head lowered and pointed towards the prey, where as a doggy stand-off usually includes head up, high and proud and tippy-toes. There are a myriad of other tiny differences that add to the picture. Would never test a dog under eight months of age. Yes, some dogs will show prey drive towards some things and not others. Partly genetic - some dogs show a 'bird tendancy' rather than a 'rabbit tendancy' (based purely on the prey's movement) Dogs learn what is worth stirring up/looking at/chasing/stalking, and what is basically a waste of time and effort. All about what is fun and what is satisfying. Little unexpected things can whip up the prey drive too. High pitched squeaky sounds arouse a deep instinct, and many dogs soon learn by experience why squeaky=fun. Corvus, it isn't just harmless theory you spouting. Much effort has gone into educating people that live prey is not needed to induce a good level of prey drive. Your theory (if acted upon) would lead to cruelty. Not good.

You would test for prey drive by bringing the dog into the area where the 'prey' is, and look for various things. The dog's stance, its eyes, its ears, its tail, its movement, its tenseness, will all tell you if the dog is in prey drive or not. An inability to easily distract the dog from the prey can indicate a strong prey drive. Some dogs may 'shut down' during the test if they are weak-nerved. These dogs may show prey drive when in an environment they feel comfortable with. The test is just an indication, it isn't foolproof. But it is much better than not testing at all.

Sorry that was a really bad choice of phrase, and it sounded harsh. I just felt ill because of what I know. I was speaking with the thoughts going through my mind of dogs that I know that didn't make it, because they were left at unstaffed vet clinics. And also of my own experiences in dealing with some of the hospitals, one in particular. The difference in care you can choose to pay for is truly eye-opening. You would expect if a human went to hospital for two days after an accident, the actual cost of this would be tens of thousands. There are vets willing to provide a service to animals that is almost as good. It can make an enormous difference to the outcome for the dog, and I just don't think people realise how vast the difference is between the level of care you can get at different facilities. So sorry if I offended anyone, but I wanted people to understand that vet costs can easily run into the thousands at some facilities. At the time you just have to decide what is right for the dog. Having health insurance will increase the options for some owners.

How do you know that this pup didn't have complicated surgery by an orthopedic specialist? How do you know what level of care the pup needed? Why would you be a bad owner if you are unaware of the possible costs of intensive care hospitalisation and orthopedic surgery in certain Vet Hospitals on the north side of Brisbane? Anyway, it is beside the point. The OP does not need to see the vet bill, and should not ask to see it. A token "Hope your dog is ok" gift, and an offer to help fix fence or whatever is the right thing to do. It is important that the OP does not do anything hinting of admitting liability. Becky Thatcher, your 'opinion' is unwelcome because a) OP needs to know their legal rights not your 'opinion', and b) if the OP were to say anything or act based on your 'opinion' they could be up for at least $4000 for something they are not responsible for.

For those of you claiming that the $4000 is too high... If the pup had broken bones, it is important that they are set properly so they heal properly. We don't know if the bones were shattered or split or whatever. If the dog needed to stay in one of the really good Brisbane vet Hospitals (not vet clinics), and needed orthopaedic surgery, then the bill could easily be that high. To hear people carry on about the bill is making me feel quite ill. If my dogs was that severely injured I wouldn't just take him to a clinic, I would take him to a vet hospital, and I would expect to pay thousands. I would expect more people here to be like that too. If people are shocked by that figure, maybe they should get health insurance for their dog. Because the alternative might be to take your dog to a cheap unstaffed clinic where it could fade quickly and die in the middle of the night. But hey, they would only charge about $500, is that what people want for their dogs?

It doesn't matter who caused the gaps. If your fence does not contain your dog it is your problem. You know the gaps are there, you need to fix that problem.

We used McColls to freight one from Vic to QLD a few years ago. Worked out cheaper than driving, but not that much cheaper.

Get rid of plastic bowls and water buckets. Use only metal or ceramic. Nobody seems to know why, but it can make a difference in some dogs. I know a couple of dogs with this where the symptoms are controlled by topical application of aloe vera.

Game dogs can be trained to do whatever. Depends on the skill of the trainer and the intelligence of the dog. Dogs that lack gameness cannot have gameness trained into them. For instance, a dog that hesitates when it gets to a fluttering tarpaulin can be trained to ignore all fluttering tarpaulins. But that won't stop them hesitating when they get to something else new and weird and noisy. The game dog doesn't hesitate at things like fluttering tarpaulins. Training is something quite separate from gameness. But you probably would be training a lot differently with a game dog than you would with a dog that isn't game.

Don't shed much? Or not at all? Non shedding breeds include Lagotto, Poodle, Bichon Frise. They all need regular clipping. Many breeds are low shedding, but if we are going to start talking about breeds that "blow coat" we are talking mountains of hair. Do you want low shedding or no shedding? Prepared to clip or not? Prepared to brush? How often? What sort of temperament and energy level does she need? What exercise and training can she provide and how regularly?

No, I didn't even think of that. But I do have a slight bias to support ethical pet product retailers and give them every chance to succeed. If it was a human product retailer, I would probably be making a complaint to council. Dogs deserve good food too, but I would see how the retailer handles this before giving them a hard time. There is less profit in these types of dog treats than there are in the lines on the supermarket shelf, and I would hate it if the supermarket was the only place we could buy treats from. A retailer constantly or knowingly selling infested food should be put out of business very promptly.

Actually, I think you could possibly use 'game' with Labradors. They are also bred to be retrieve fallen game in cold water, adverse weather conditions and to go through brush and uncomfortable terrain to get it. That tenacious determination to retrieve could be called 'game'. That is what I am referring to Kavik. Some dogs retrieve, some herd, some kill. Game is about the solid nerve of the dog that allows it to go into that drive without fear. Factors in the environment will put some dogs off, but the gamest dogs are less affected by those environmental factors. A guide dog would have to be game (by my definition of game) to cope with all the challenges. Of course these dogs are highly trained, so the behaviour they display isn't going to be the type of raw prey drive you see in a ball-obsessed pet lab.

Just some advice for those buying bulk treats and dried product. Check your bag when you buy it for weevils or dust. When you get it home, always store in very airtight containers, and refrigerate if you can. Keep pet food out of your house and away from your own food. If there are weevil eggs in the food (likely), low temperature will prevent the eggs from hatching and the food can be consumed as normal. I think it is more important to support local retailers who don't sell pets but do sell pet products. Unfortunately when their turnover lowers, stock will sometimes deteriorate. We shouldn't write off a retailer because of this, but be aware of what may happen.

If retailers were forced to keep all of their stock under ideal (human grade) conditions, cheap bulk dogs treats would be a lot more expensive to buy. I agree with newfsie, no point getting angry. Spider mites live on live plants, and do not create dust. You have some type of moth or weevil (moth grub). Each single moth would have laid hundreds of eggs in the treats, and they all would have hatched into grubs at once. In the right conditions a very sudden plague can occur. All because there were a few moths around a few weeks ago. Weevils are probably quite nutritious in themselves. But they will infest your pantry if given a chance, and that is the real concern here.

WRONG! Group 3 dogs, in general, are not supposed to show tenacity of bite or any HA or DA tendencies, and supposed to have soft mouths. Guide dogs, for example, are not insecure and unstable. Sadly, they tend to get bested when a DA dog under some idiot's lack of control attacks them. I agree with most people that focus should be on the owner. I think any bloke whose dog attacks a guide dog should be castrated and locked up for awhile . . . after that the dog issue may subside. But legal systems are not very good at targeting yabo owners. I have just spent two posts explaining what gameness is, and in my opinion it has nothing to do with tenacity of bite, HA, DA, or soft mouths. A labrador can be game. So many dogs are bred for guide dog training, but only the dogs with the 'game' temperament will make it through. Unstable and insecure dogs will not. But if you are going to ignore my definition of 'game', and go back to a meaning that just means "bites hard and aggressively", how about you tell us what you think the opposite of game is. It is terrible that the pitbull attacked the guide dog. That doesn't mean the pit bull was gamer than the guide dog at all. I don't think we can comment on that incident unless we could see exactly what happenned. We know the pitbull owner was responsible for allowing it to happen. But there is no way we can claim the pitbull was game or not game. They are dogs, dogs fight each other all the time, not just pitbulls.

Who would be at fault? Edited to add that the company i bought from makes the treats themselves. Basically the weevils have got to the food because of unsealed, unrefrigerated storage, which is not against health regs for dog food. Maybe the company didn't realise the food had become infested. Infestations can build up slowly, or they can explode over a single week at certain times of year. You will just have to talk to them about it on Monday. You are entitled to a refund or a replacement (their choice). I would be happy if they immediately apologised and replaced the food with good food. I would be unhappy if they simply offered me a refund and kept selling infested food to others, but it is up to them what they do. Don't bury the food. Seal it up and put it in an esky till you have spoken to them. Edited to add - Weevil infested food is not necessarily dangerous to people or dogs.

Don't tell us the name of the place. Give them a chance to rectify this. They may not be at fault.