Papillon Kisses

I don’t know, Thistle. Thinking of you.

Your owners corp may not approve a staffy anyway. Many have bylaws that only permit small dogs under 10kg, though some might give exception to an old dog or greyhound. And if they have a problem you then have to go to the tribunal and argue that they’re being unreasonable.

Big hugs.

I don’t think it matters whether it’s play or prey as to the suitability for living with a small dog. They can easily be hurt or scared and then you’ll wind up with a reactive dog. ETA... realised that may be unclear. Yes prey = dead dog. But being mown over or nearly missing being mown over by a fast moving big dog is painful, dangerous and terrifying for small dogs and people need to consider this.

You can buy cat grass as seedlings but you’ll need to pot it on. You can also buy “pet” grass, which is the same thing but packaged for dog people with a papillon on the label. I think they talk about resowing to get fresh tender grass that’s tastier and to have a continual supply if it’s getting demolished. Also if you let it become too root bound it will die like any plant. I just take it out if it’s looking sad, hack off roots about 1/2-2/3, cut back grass too, then put it back into the same pot with fresh soil and give it a drink with seasol. It will bounce back so long as it’s not too far gone. Seeds are cheaper though and sprout readily. You might just need to protect them until established. If they are getting through the grass quicker than it can tolerate you might like to have two pots on the go. I had to do that with pineapple sage.

I imagine most dogs and journeys are fine, but I do know three dogs who have had traumatic flights or flights that could be traumatic for some. The first two examples below there were weather issues so it was a very rough and long journey. Puppy 1: crate trained beforehand, was not traumatised, LOVES his crates. Puppy 2: crate trained beforehand, was traumatised, developed a fear of the crate, owners were able to retrain love of the crate in 3 days. Puppy 3: unknown training history, traumatised, owners unable to crate train, they are looking at getting a different type to see if that helps. So I would definitely see if the breeder will crate train beforehand and ideally also use the Sound Proof Puppy Training app to positively condition the puppy to plane sounds (take off, landing and internal). BTW, puppies 2 & 3 were later diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Perhaps dogs not predisposed to anxiety may have been fine.

Have you looked into Antinol, Sheena? It might be helpful in conjunction with other things.

https://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/ineffective-policies/visual-breed-identification

Rascal, if things don’t work out, look up Family Paws Parent Education. Several of the Aus people do Skype/phone consults (if you enquire, they may not advertise it). They specialise in this stuff. I second switching to soft flaps. We had to do that for Mal though we used a light clear plastic material... kind of like a plastic tablecloth but clear. I think people use it to protect tables but still see them? Don’t know the name!

I don’t have any personal experience with her, but Faith Hynoski at Revolution Dog might be a good fit as she’s also a Family Paws Parent Educator. https://www.revolutiondog.com.au/

What is your parents’ area?

It might not be appropriate, but perhaps you could ask your vet about nutrigel?

I would do as Powerlegs says. Make sure you update their microchip details too.