MalteseLuna

I raised Luna in a 14th floor apartment - it worked very well. She is a tiny dog (2.5 kg) but I don't really see a difference between a house and an apartment if the dog is an indoors dog. Luna only goes outside when I take her for walks, potty breaks etc and we now live in a 2.5 bedroom house with a lovely grassed backyard. She is never outside alone and doesn't have a doggy door so there isn't much difference between when she lived in the apartment, terrace house or now the freestanding house.

Personally - dogs can adapt to any lifestyle with training!

Kylie

I'm not sure if people saw it - but they might be interested.

Dogs Of War

28/02/2011

Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland is the only place in the world with a population of pure dingos, but some authorities say they're in trouble with their numbers declining.

Experts disagree about the best way to manage the island which is mostly National Park and the issue has become highly political.

This program is about wildlife photographer Jennifer Parkhurst, whose passion for dingos set her at odds with park rangers - and brought her to the brink of disaster...

From http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/dogsofwar/default.htm

You can watch it on iview at http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/series/australian%20story

Enjoy!

I've got a bit of experience with pure dingos and sorry, but they don't look pure.

Morphological methods of distinguishing dingoes from hybrids are extremely unreliable. I wouldn't be confident of stating either way without a DNA test quite frankly. That is the main problem with the culling - there is no reliable way of choosing how to shoot hybrids only and alot of information concerning the dingo is biased and colloquial - not based on scientific research.

PM me - I might have some suggestions.

There used to be a thread but it was very inactive - I don't think there are many Maltese owners on the board - or they are all just silent ;)

I pay well above $50 to get my 3 kg Maltese (with no matts) bathed and clipped. I would be very very happy to find a groomer to was competent and charged only $50. Of course I live in Sydney so expect prices to be higher - but then I also hope the quality of the clip is in par (often it isn't).

Dogs all across this state- and even in remote, hard to get to, barely seen humans areas were dna tested in the last few years. The info is in and being collaborated and results will be done by the end of the year for the public.

I am well aware of this - it will be very interesting to see updated figures/data

Try telling pastoralists to leave the wild dogs to breed up, that they 'self regulate' and wont touch stock is a load of crap. When you lose $150,000 worth of sheep in less than 12 months- that it wasnt the wild dogs or 'well their alpha must have died'.

I just said that the scientifc literature suggests that controlling wild canine popoluations via current methods acutally have the opposite to the desired effect. I never said dingoes dont take stock - they surely do as would ANY predator. Hoewver new management methods need to be developed instead of just worsening the problem by using outdated and invalid management methods - population control via. Culling and baiting does NOT solve the problem.

Corvus - im not crying lol just trying to summarise alot of the reading i have done and show the other side

I look on ARAZPA later, but the number in captivity is too small to maintain them as a species for very long. Then there is the issue of the different phenotypes from different regions, which makes each subset captive population even smaller. I'm pretty sure Wilton has devised a very accurate method to determine purity based on phenotype of living dingos now, whereas before you had to have the actual cleaned skull. I'd talk to the WA dingo people though, but as others have said, not much they can do and you can only hope they hurry up and move away.

Your right there are too few in captivity to maintain them as a species for long - already alot of lines have high inbreeding etc.

There is the issue of different phenotypes - i hear there might be some research starting on that

Dr. Wilton's method is quite accurate - and is useable on live animals. It's what most groups/councils/National parks use to assess purity.

Just be aware that pure bred dingos are extremely rare, and you are more likely to see a dingo/domestic hybrid. The hybrids can look almost identical to a purebred dingo with as far as i'm aware, little for the average person to go by for identification.

Actually this is untrue - most research to date suggests that purebred dingoes are common in remote and less populated areas such as WA, NT, SA. In NSW, Vic and QLD however there are large amounts of hybrids and fewer purebred animals. This does not mean that there are no purebred animals.

Unfortunately they probably aren't pure

Hopefully if the dingo rescue get to them, they can genetically test them and if they are pure find some breeding place for them.

Love dingoes, but they are heading the same way as the Tassie Tiger, won't be long till the pure ones are gone

Again - in WA I would actually expect them to be pure.

There is a huge captive population of purebred dingoes. There are so many that most wildlife parks desex them.

They are desexed in alot of zoo's because they don't want to breed them (alot of zoo's are phasing them out as they don't draw big crowds). Additionally alot of the sanctuaries cannot afford to breed extensively or even more than 1 litter a year as there are not enough homes (private or sanctuaries or zoos). This is why alot are desexed not because there are such large numbers.

I think this is very sad - the Dingo is Australia's top level and arguably native terrestiral carnivore - the removal of the dingo would lead to drastic and probably catastrophic changes in the ecosystems of Australia.

I kind of resent the notion of them going "the way of the Thylacine". The thylacine was a whole different deal all together. There are still purebred dingoes in captivity and likely will be for some time yet. They are in fact thought to be instrumental in the extinction of the thylacine on the mainland.

ETA If they are young 'uns it's likely they are dispersing and won't be around for long.

It is true they probably did play a role in the extinction of the Thylacine on the mainland - however it could have been humans as well and the Thylacine numbers were in decline before the dingo was thought to have arrived- there is simply no way to tell. However them being here 5000 years or more and now residing as the top-level carnivore suggests to me that they should be PROTECTED and treated as a native. They have been here a hell of alot longer than Europeans or any of the introduced species such as foxes, rabbits, cane toads etc. Of course everyone has their own opinion concerning this - but the scientific research stands that the dingo is VERY important to the native ecology of Australian in present day.

The eradication of the Thylacine was a political move. There was a bounty due to pressure from sheep farmers, even though there was no evidence they were actually killing sheep. They were not "slowly eradicated by people". They were systematically and quickly wiped out. The Dingo is not being eradicated. It's being genetically diluted. Not directly by people, just by the human love of dogs.

Similar to how the dingo is being wiped out - in its true form - today. Culling, baiting etc does NOTHING to keep dingo populations in check as most farmers believe them to - in actual fact it leads to increased stock predation, increased population sizes (as pack structure is gone thereby all females are breeding not just the Alpha's).

In fact the best way of reducing stock predation is to make better fences, use lifestock protectors like Alpacs/llamas or Maramma Sheep dogs and leave dingo pack stucture alone. - they will self-regulate their population sizes and only the Alpha animals will breed.

Preserving dingo pack structure also greatly decreases the chance of hybrids.

It is still widely accepted that they were instrumental in the extinction of Thylacines and Tasmanian Devils on the mainland. Like it or lump it.

It's obviously not that widely accepted - they may have had a role in the devils decline on the mainland but as I have read the Thylacine was already in decline. Additionally you/we cannot rule out the actions of humans - it's unlikely to have been just dingoes. They are treated as a scapegoat for almost everything - yet most of the allegations blamed on dingoes are untrue.

Kind of sad that the mindset is if there is some in captivity that they are fine and going well, if an entire species is only surviving in captivity then they hardly doing that great. The only true pure strain of dingo exist either in captivity or Fraser Island. Once domestic dogs get to Fraser (and it will happen one day) then all thats left is in captivity, but what a waste......they will never be able to be released as there is nothing stopping the hybrids from breeding with them again. The species is too be extinct in the wild.

I don't think it's right to compare them to Thylacines is all. Thylacines were for starters in their own genus. Dingoes are a subspecies. There are several pariah dogs around the world that are very similar to them. Thylacines were systematically eradicated whereas Dingoes are suffering from genetic dilution. IMO there is nothing that can be done about this state of affairs, so we may as well move on. The dingo will continue to exist in some form even if that form is more like a domestic dog than the dingoes we know today. It's just evolution. Species are not static. If the "pure" dingo is indeed the evolutionary pinnacle of wild dogs in Australia, then even with the genetic dilution the population will eventually drift back to look and behave much like current dingoes. If the dingo is not the evolutionary pinnacle, then a new type will dominate. As much as I'd like to preserve pure dingoes, the only way to do it is through captivity, which is already being done.

I agree that it's sad that the thought of 'real' dingoes surviving in captivity is the reason why it's okay to not protect them.

Dingoes may be classed as a subspecies but so are most wild wolves or wild/pariah dogs - most of which are PROTECTED in their native habitats.

Genetic dilution is a HUGE problem for many wild animals for which there is a domesticated form i.e. wild cats and domestic cats, wolves and domestic dogs, coyotes and domestic dogs, buffalo and cattle...

The dingo will not continue to exist if genetic dilution is occuring - it is no longer a dingo. It is by definition no longer a dingo. A dingo is the native wild dog of Australia not a domesticated dog. It has been wild for atleast 5000 years and likely was feral long before that (perhaps some were tamed but its also likely they were brought to Australia as a food source by travelers not as a pet or companion). They have unique biology, behaviors and even structural differences.

Hybrids are not the same as dingoes - they are often larger, breed 2 times a year rather than 1, are believed to predate on stock more than dingoes (probably because they either don't have the wild instincts or have not been taught how to hunt properly).

Dingoes can be preserved in the wild - nearly 90% of wild canines in remote areas are dingoes rather than hybrids. Additionally places like Fraser Island should be preserved with their wild dingoes intact.

It frustrates me that people think its okay to shoot a wild animal/carnivore for killing prey (stock) - if the animal was a tiger or lion or wolf one would think that the carnivore would be forgiven - but actually most of the times wild carnivores are shot because they kill livestock no matter their importance/rarity.

Even rare endangered leopards are shot for daring to kill life stock. It is absolutely ridiculous. The carnivores were present before us humans with our life stock and farming practices.

Now i'm not saying that I have no sympathy for farmers who have to deal with carnivores killing their stock - obviously its horrible and very damaging financially - but sometimes we have to step back and look at the whole picture or find ways of dealing with the issue rather than simply reaching for our guns.

In response to the OP - I would contact the WA dingo society and see what they say. However they may not have the funds to do anything - alot of these sanctuaries/groups are only scraping by.

I vote Maltese They are absolutely adorable, have beautiful personalities and are little enough that elderly people can lift them up and control them on lead easily.

Mine loves to play however her favourite thing to do is cuddle on the sofa and watch tv (or sleep while people are watching tv).

She does bark but generally only if there is someone hanging around out front.

They are a fairly healthy breed - only issues i would watch out for are liver shunts and luxating patellas.

Some one at my club who has a little fluffy dog did the test and it came back mostly Staffordshire Bull Terrier I don't think it is very accurate . . .

They are horribly inaccurate - massive scam imo!

I would love to do this but I feel that my dog would fail no matter what - she is quite timid of strange things (no matter how much socialization i took her on or still do - it's her quirk). She flattens like a pancake when she sees bins on the road or street grates or hears loud strange noises besides that she would pass with flying colours (with a little training).

I think its great that people can do this kind of training with their dogs - I wish there were more classes going for people!

I wish there were more incentives for people to do this kind of training!

Depends on the state. Victorian RSPCA can't enter without evidence.

Also, they are answerable to the minister, no? Saying they are answerable to no one implies just that - there is no higher authority than the RSPCA and that isn't true.

Megan, the RSPCA is answerable to the 'greater good', which is a far greater position than the minsiter.

Be Green Vote Green, end animal ownership and animal slavery in Australia!

We don't wear them, we don't eat them, we don't own them!

Support maditory desexing of all pets.

I'm not sure if this is a joke or not

Like I said, I don't know each state. But they are all separate entities, as is RSPCA Australia. While it has an overseeing capacity ot really doesn't involve itself in the individual state org's matters. Tarring all with one brush is like saying all teh state's governments are the same, and if one is bad then of course they all must be.

And trust me Rev Jo, RSPCA do not get more power than police.

well maybe i will number crunch for all the state rspca's.

I think this might be something to consider - RSPCA NSW for example is completely different to RSPCA Australia (according to friend who is a vet nurse in RSPCA NSW). The news/opinions of RSPCA NSW or another state might be (and often are) very different to those of other states or RSPCA Australia.

I do think it is very worrying that RSPCA Australia seems to have such a large amount of profit. They are not for profit... Also paying the ceo of a not for profit $120 000 seems pretty cushy! But then most ceo's make unbelievable amounts of money!

Hard Topic.

I personally think all pets should be desexed unless shown, meant for breeding (in a registered breeding program) or for health related reasons (this could be dog sport related).

I think that too many people have oooopppsss litters or think of making a quick buck.

I don't like the idea of a law that makes this so though. De-sexing age is different for each dog, situation and sometimes breed. i.e. small dogs often can't be desexed until a certain size or age as they are simply too small (and vets won't preform the operation).

I would like to see more vets preforming tubal ligation etc - surgery that makes it impossible for the dog to breed but does not remove all sex hormones (therefore development should be normal).

I would prefer to have laws ceasing the sale of pets (dogs and cats) in pet shops. There is no reason for puppies to be sold in these situations. Much better to have a referral system.

A friend who works as a vet nurse at RSPCA NSW told me of an 8 week old Cav puppy that was surrendered 24 hours after an impulse buy at a pet shop. Puppy was surrendered because it peed on the floor and made too much noise. This is why dogs and cats shouldn't be sold in pet shops where impulse buys occur. Additionally the source of the dogs in pet shops is another problem that I would like to see the RSPCA focus on.

Instead of wasting money changing laws why does the RSPCA not offer more free de-sexing days or the government give desexing rebates?

Enforce the laws we have or give incentives to promote responsible pet ownership.

Yay Steve

The poor dog looks terrified and doesn't want to go back to the judge. I am appalled at that Judge's behavior Poor little Maltese.

Maltese Luna

I think you will find the GSD puppy will be very nippy as well - and possibly worse than the Maltese. GSD are a large, high energy, working dog breed.

I think that is the comment of someone that does not have experience with the breed

ANY dog can be nippy, pups need to be TAUGHT by the HUMANS in the situations how to behave

This maltese has NOT, and i would not be bringing another pup into the house until things change

It's a 9 week old puppy - of course it's going to be nippy... No I don't have experience of GSD but I do of Maltese ... I do have friends with GSD and other high energy working breeds and reading the post below makes me think I'm not entirely wrong.

Yes all puppies are nippy and Yes owners should teach them not to be as nippy - HOWEVER some breeds are more mouthy or high energy than others. That is FACT. That is the point I was trying to get across - I could have used general language but was specific to the 2 breeds.

I agree probably not best to have 2 pups of drastically different breeds at the same time. It would be best to keep them separated except for supervised play times and definitely until each dog has been trained, learnt how to play properly with a dog of drastically different size etc.

My female GSD was quite nippy and extremely pushy as a puppy with my mum who had no idea how to be firm and discipline a dog of the size (well any size really) with determination and high play and prey drive (and drive is something you need to know about if you plan on having any dog bred to have medium-high drive for work of any sort).

My male on the other hand, was and is a much more laid back dog, and he hardly nipped and never got pushy with my mum (although I did move out when he was about 4-5 months). His drive thesh-hold is higher, and as a result, is an easier dog for less experienced people to handle. Like any dog, though, he could have become a lot naughtier and uncontrollable without firm and consistent handling.

Yup depends on the dogs personality but most puppies of any breed are like mini sharks until they learn to use a soft mouth or not nip. Puppies require training to turn them into calm, socialized, laid-back dogs.

Personally I would not have those two breeds together. If you have to then never leave them together unsupervised, not even for a minute, highly dangerous - for the maltese.

I doubt very much that the maltese puppy actually bit you? There is a big difference between biting and nipping.

ALL puppies nip and you'll find this out when you get a German Shepherd puppy. I really think you will be on a steep learning curve - have you ever had a puppy before? Have you ever had a large breed puppy or dog before?

Im not really sure the maltese is playing with me of not because I really feel hurt.. ... but if I say no, he will release for few seconds and bite again...

My family own a Malamate in my hometown but I think the maltese is much more better compare with Malamute. That malamute is just crazy and naughty.

It sounds as if the Maltese is badly lacking proper training and guidelines, you are going to be bringing a large breed dog into this situation who is going to be large enough to cause this little dog serious damage if it retaliates. Do you think you can manage this? It will be your dog that wears the blame and a friendship probably will be strained.

I have large dogs and toy dogs in the same household, but they are all mine and all live by my rules and boundaries and we manage them.

Agreed. I would not leave them alone together - the Maltese could be easily injured accidentally by the GSD.

It is a 9 week old puppy - this is the way all puppies act. You (and your friend) need to train the dog how to play properly and not to mouth/nip. The best way to do this is to yelp when the puppy nips to hard, turn around and ignore it. Do not give it any attention until it calms down. Do not hit it, yell at it, continue playing with it. Additionally do not play so much that the puppy gets overexcited.

my crotchedy old maltese (RIP my darling Daisy) and my golden retriever puppy were the bestest of friends. I just never left them unsupervised.

You have two pups that you can train and teach manners. I would work out what is acceptable behaviour and what is not particularly on the basis that the GSD is going to be much larger than the maltese so boundaries will need to be stricter. Have a good chat to your friend about it all and your girlfriend as well to set those boundaries you all need to be consistent.

Take the two pups to a very good puppy school as well.

Gosh you are going to be busy with two pups in the house but it will be so much fun

Is it possible to train my GSD to ignore the maltese when the maltese biting him? My friend's pup ALWAYS bite everything, included people.

Thats why I worried about my gsd pup...

I think you will find the GSD puppy will be very nippy as well - and possibly worse than the Maltese. GSD are a large, high energy, working dog breed.

O.K. - Same as the rest . Im looking for a working party to brainstorm some good ways to go about us building the best relationships with researchers and getting them to look at studies we have in mind.

This will entail options for finding money to put into this and lifting the whole dog research area in this country.

Can I be in two groups please This one and the Purebred Dogs Positive exposure one

Ugh Luna hates the rain - she gives me sad eyes all the time. She will take a step, pick up her paw and stare at me. Once she is pushed into the bushes she will complete the task and run to the door

She has even learnt to "pretend" to pee as she knows she won't get inside without squatting!

Heck my OH is wanting me to get a second because he loves my doggie so much - he was always a cat person... but now he will be forever more a small dog (Maltese) person... he can't stop telling everyone they should get one even talked his parents into getting a Maltese X from the RSPCA

If I said I didn't want the dog on the bed I think I would have mutiny from the OH and the dog ;)

I would also chat to Alan Wilton - he knows alot of people in the field although he will be away soon you can always email him. Claire Wade is very knowledgeable as well.

I also would aim for a PhD project or Post-doc project.

Additionally the project doesn't have to be thought up by the student - supervisors can offer PhD projects to students or advertise them to find candidates.

This is kinda what happened with me - supervisor suggested a project to me that had been suggested to him by a conservation group he is involved with and he knew me as I did my honours with him.

It's great to go out and show your beautiful purebreds around!

I was sooo happy the other day when someone asked if Luna was a Maltese and then started gushing about the breed - astounds me because most people ask what cross she is and upon hearing that she is a Maltese go on to say that they didn't know they were: "so white", "so small", "so cute", "so nice" etc.

We also get alot of looks because she has a top knot :D

I can't wait till I get my net Maltese whom I intend to keep in full coat - now that will be a show stopper and I doubt we will be able to walk anywhere!

HeHe I was only joking Steve, not feeling unappreciated at all. I know what you mean about results where you go... well duh who doesn't know that? The problem with scientists is they need evidence about everything and you can't publish anything based on assumed knowledge. And anecdotal evidence :D blasphamy!!

Say you wanted to do a study to show that cutting down trees was reducing habitat for possums and they are dropping in numbers. Assuming no previous studies. First you need to show that possums live in trees (study one takes about a year). Then you need to show that the possums are actually dropping in numbers (longitudinal study prob take 2-3 years) finally you need to show that it is actually the cutting down the trees that is causing the problem and not something like air pollution etc etc (at least another year) so now it's 4 years later and all you have shown is that cutting down trees is bad for possums...DUH! the important thing is you could now go to the government or the forestry and say "oy stop cutting the trees down it's bad" and you would have evidence to back it up.

I totally agree that talking is a massive first step. If you give some examples of what sort of questions you're interested in I'll have a look and see if there's anything out there already that might help.

Pft the government often ignores scientific research - i.e. research has shown that aerial baiting of dingoes is an ineffective population control method because it (1) breaks apart park structure leading to increased breeding of sub-alpha pack members, increased movements of individual pack members (as the move around looking for new packs/territory), poor hunting techniques by young pack members (i.e. more predation on sheep etc) and (2) leads to increased hybridization. A large body of evidence has shown that dingoes actually drive away invasive mesopredators (foxes) therefore protecting small-medium critical weight marsupials. Additionally the QLD government recently declared them a threatened animal... However the QLD government has just announced they wish to put $1.2 million into aerial baiting of dingoes (mainly to get votes) thereby ignoring scientific literature and experts which say aerial baiting won't help the problem (and may actually increase the problem) and start baiting a recently declared "threatened animal" BRAVO! Would be much more valuable to put that money into scientific research to find valid control methods or ways of protecting sheep which do not lead to further decline of the dingo (./end mini rant).

Depends upon the agenda of the government whether they will accept the advice of experts and scientific research.

What we really need is a government which gives more grants to scientific research - of all kinds i.e. not just human related. You can see this is a massive issue as the CSIRO just had to downsize their ecology (I think) department... yet isn't conservation/ecology/biodiversity one of the main reasons the CSIRO was formed? Unfortunately there is more money in scientific research into climate change or sustainable fuel... people practically throw money at those fields.

Concerning genetic research - yes it can be very expensive - but then it's very valuable if the research is designed properly etc. Look at the research into CL and TNS in border collies etc, a resounding success. This is how research should work - people on the ground go to experts and say we have this "xxxx" question, would you like to research it? We may be able to provide some funds + samples. Then researcher can apply for ARC-linkage grants with industry support to boost the funds and get the research done!

I believe (as a client of the clinic before the tv show) that he actually has very little to do with actually veterinary care at the clinic - he only gets called in for the "tv worthy cases" and most of the surgery's you see him doing are carefully filmed i.e. another vet is actually doing it and Chris just pokes around or does a particular step for the camera before handing over to the "real vet".

I would much prefer to see the real vets on tv - although they might not be as pretty