Sam&Saki

Hey all, long time no see! Hope I'm not posting the wrong thing in the wrong place or driving you all nuts with your least favourite thread topic ;)

I'm after breed recommendations for a:

-Large or preferably giant breed

-Low to medium energy - happy with a daily slow to mid-paced half hour walk (plus play and training sessions of course)

- Happy to be inside, on the bed, on the couch, beloved spoiled family dog - (but with mid-large suburban backyard with shaded deck and 8 foot fences)

-Affectionate

-Preferably not a short-lived breed riddled with health problems (of course we know there's no crystal ball for this.)

My partner of 8 years has always wanted his own gentle giant doggo, but is unsure of breed. He is a strong, solid 6'4" giant himself but has a bad ankle (read: held together with metal pins and significantly atrophied muscle) which means he can't power-walk or run, or walk a dog that is likely to jump and change direction unexpectedly, or trip him over.

He desperately wanted a British Bulldog (although they're smaller than his ideal) until seeing a friends' BB suffering from hip and elbow dysplasia in all 4 limbs at only 2 years old, which utterly broke his heart. Now he has his heart fixed on a Neapolitan Mastiff but I fear they may not be as lazy and gentle as he thinks, and may be just as likely to be short-lived and have health problems He also likes the idea of a Dogue De Bordeaux which I know next to nothing about. I'm wondering if a Newfie or Bullmastiff might be better but not sure if too energetic as pups.

This is all very hypothetical as my 10 year old Akita is our pride and joy and we'd be unlikely to get another dog in her lifetime, unless we found a pup/rescue who she really got along with. But he's starting to think about getting waitlisted with a breeder in future. And if anyone has any tips he'd be thrill to have more breed options to read up on.

Thanks all x

Poor Troy, why in the hell is it necessary to disable certain parts of the forum for certain members, when we can all choose which parts of the forums we want to look at or subscribe to anyway? o_O

That was exactly my concern bullfan.

Thanks all for the input. I did get onto a breed specific rescue who I feel confident will do their best by her. They have the contacts and funding to desex her, foster her and rehome her appropriately.

If anyone ever needs this particular rescue group in future PM me for contact details.

It's a developing breed. So not ANKC registered. Not sure if we're allowed to discuss it here.

Apologies if I should have said 'crossbreed' rather than 'Aussie Bulldog'.

If we were buying a pup we'd absolutely only get a purebred from an ANKC registered breeder, but this is a dog in need of rehoming.

Hi guys, thanks for all the input

The introduction, in my opinion, went ok. Saki was quite confused by all the bulldog noises, and the bulldog was terrified of Saki at first, but that did improve. Admittedly there was a bit of dominance posturing and a bit of rough play just at first but no actual aggression whatsoever. No hackles, no growling, no teeth baring. Wagging tails and lots of play posing with heads and front legs down and bums in the air, and taking turns flipping over to show bellies. & also lots of downtime just lying, sitting or walking side by side. They even shared both toys and food with no drama.

However the bulldog owners didn't feel comfortable leaving the dog with us because of the rough play, and we didn't feel comfortable taking the bulldog considering they wanted someone to take her and keep her immediately - as in no slow introductions, no time to put in for leave from work to supervise the dogs together at first, we would have had to have adopted the dog immediately tonight.

I'm now a tad concerned for the bulldog as they're talking about giving her to a vet clinic to give away for free. This bulldog is a young, undesexed female, and I'd hate her to go to the wrong owners and end up a backyard breeding machine. The owners tell me the vet told them that lost of people like to have a "pair of bulldogs" so they could easily rehome her, but to me that just screams "breeding pair"...?

Can anyone recommend a rescue that could take this girl before she gets given away free to an unchecked home? :/

Thanks all, great to hear your thoughts.

Ruth, interesting that Ivan acts disinterested in the other dogs but actually has behaved better since they've been around... ike he secretly enjoys their company but doesn't want to admit it

I do actually firmly believe that some breeds of dogs have different body language and find it difficult to interpret each other, in fact in large part I believe that's where the akita's reputation for dog aggression comes from. It's amazing how many dogs react aggressively to Saki without her showing a single sign of actual aggression - it's just due to them misunderstanding the spitz body language.

Whereas other spitz dogs are totally fine with her. I don't think it's illogical to bear in mind differences in communication in different breeds, it's may be rarely understood but that doesn't make it not so.

Can't post any pics of Saki I'm afraid, am on the work computer x

Oh absolutely agreed, just wondering if we should give them plenty of time to learn how to interpret one another; or whether that aspect will just never improve...

Hey all,

I have a 2 year old female Akita, a lovely friendly sweetheart of a dog, and live with my boyfriend in a great dog friendly house with a huge fully fenced backyard.

My boyfriend has always wanted a bulldog, and coincidently some friends of his are rehoming thier bulldog after a relationship breakup resulted in them both moving into no-dogs-allowed units without yards.

However I'm concerned that an Akita and a bulldog may not be the best combination of breeds, given their vastly different body language - Akitas with their upright tail, upright ears and ruff must appear to be showing all the body language signals of aggression to a bulldog, whereas of course that's just how a spitz looks. And being a silent breed an Akita doesn't know how to interpret the barking of a bulldog.

Added to that, they're both female and around the same age and dominant, but in different ways.

The two dogs will be meeting on neutral territory tonight, but what I'm wondering is, would they eventually learn to interpret one anothers body language and vocal signals? Or will it be like putting 2 people who speak 2 different languages together, and they'll just never learn to understand one another?

Obviously we will have to sort out what to do for ourselves (and I daresay if we cannot keep the bulldog I'll likely rehome it myself or pass it on to one of you rescue people, as the poor dog literally has nowhere to go except the pound otherwise ) but I would be interested in hearing your thoughs, especially anyone who has successfully owned spitz and non-spitz breeds together.

Thanks! x

Thanks guys, I think I was a tad paranoid - she seem completely fine now and it seems to have stopped bleeding.

Thank god, I was so freaked out I'd injured her!!!

Hey all,

I clip Saki's claws myself regularly and tonight I somehow managed to clip one too close to the quick and make her bleed

We washed her paw, put antiseptic on it and she seems completely unconcerned, in no pain, she's not limping or anything, but it's still bleeding a little

Is there anything I should do, or should I just leave her to clean it up herself? She's alternately running around and wanting to play, then lying down and licking the blood up, rinse, repeat.

(It's only like 5 min later, I guess it'll stop bleeding on its own?)

Unless you paid for the shoot yourself, the copyright lies with the photographer and they can onsell the image to a stock image company who in turn can sell it to any buyer anywhere in the world.

If you signed a full commercial release you've signed away your rights to even being notified let alone paid for any further use. And if you didn't sign anything at all then default copyright laws apply, so, same deal.

If you signed a specific or limited release you could sue them for retraction or payment if you have the time and money to spend on such things...

Awww some gorgeous oldies here.

This is my Kia, at 14 (elderly for a giant breed), 6 weeks before losing her battle with hemangiosarcoma.

She was partially deaf and stumbled a bit at times but so gentle and sweet right up until the end.

She was much more red in her youth, in her old age she became more golden and her muzzle became white.

I still miss her.

RIP sweet girl.

Spitz breeds are independent thinkers, you just need to convince them it's worth their while to do what you tell them and they'll do it Otherwise they probably won't

You need to very consistent and clear in your directions, don't let them get away with something one time and not the next, and always use exactly the same word and hand movement when telling them what to do.

Always reinforce your status as leader of the pack - through eating first, walking through doors first, starting and ending play times on your own terms, etc. Also make your dog sit, drop, or otherwise follow your directions before feeding them, before giving them a treat, before giving them play time.

Having the right type of collar and lead makes a huge difference too - often Spitzies do well on various types of halters, as collars or body harnesses just encourage their sledding / pulling on lead instincts.

Have either of you two put your dogs through basic obedience at an obedience club / school?

IMO if you put your dog through puppy pre-school, socialisation, and basic obedience; you're much less likely to end up with an untrained dog needing one-on-one behaviourist help down the track.

There are obedience schools in virtually every suburb, at all different costs, unless you're so rural you're several hours from the nearest town, there's no reason for not putting your dog through one during puppyhood after vaccinations as a matter of course IMO.

I'd like to think my somewhat informed opinion of the banned import breeds is a bit more in depth than the average idiot who thinks APBT are "man eaters".

In my post you'll see that I said a licensing system (if it worked) would be good rather than having the dogs banned. But unless "the man" comes up with an adequate owner licensing system, I'd prefer the dogs remained banned. Why?

Dogo Argentino - bred as a pack hunter (jaguar, puma, wild boar) and a family guardian.

Fila Brasileiro - herding, guarding, tracking & controlling large game

Japanese Tosa: fighting (yes, I do know that they "wrestle" their opponents, but it's a myth that they do not bite)

Presa Canario: guardian, cattle dog

We see that they're all obviously large, powerful dogs bred for a specific job which requires them to have a certain temperament.

Dogo Argentino: "It should never be aggressive" according to the breed standard. But it does have a "domineering attitude".

Fila Brasileiro: "With its owners and family it is docile." A good thing. But "One of its characteristics is its aloofness towards strangers".

Japanese Tosa: The tosa temperament is marked by not only "patience", "composure" and courage, but also by "boldness".

Presa Canario: Whilst he is "gentle and noble with his family, with great affection to his owner", the Presa is also "suspicious with strangers" and is "especially equipped for the function of guarding".

You can't be serious. If you wanted every breed that had "aloofness", "dominance" or "guarding" in the breed standard banned; there'd be very few breeds left.

You really want Huskies, Malamutes, Akitas and most spitz breeds banned?

Most Mastiff breeds?

Ridgies and some Bully breeds?

Maremmas and CAOs and all the livestock guardian breeds?

So what, the only breeds left allowed will be Labradors and Maltese (which happen to have the highest bite statistics, but clearly the actual facts don't matter!)

Saki loves running around in the water, just came naturally.

She didn't actually swim - ie, go out beyond where her feet could touch the ground - until she saw another dog do so - I think that's how they learn a lot of the time, just by copying other dogs

Proud owner of a "vicious Japanese killer dog", here.

I find just looking at them as if they were crazy, saying "oh really, does she look vicious to you?" and then laughing hysterically works best

Abby looks like a total sweetheart x

Oops my mistake, sorry I thought they were all on the same day!

I really don't care if we don't get a free groom or don't like the professionals, just a good opportunity for on-lead socialising IMO, Saki will love just seeing so many other dogs x

Melbourne:

Saturday 20th Feb

10am - 2pm

Elwood Park, Elwood

Sydney: Victoria Park, Camperdown - 13th March

Brisbane: Musgrove Park, South Brisbane - 27th March

According to the website it's free entry and there'll be free dog washing & grooming, free advice from trainers and behaviourists, "free caricature of you and your dog" (!), and live music, entertainment, competitions, freebie doggy stuff, and so on.

Saki loves these sorts of things. Any other DOLers taking their doggies?

I thought most breeds had rear dew claws, but they were removed not long after birth?

Akitas do, anyway!

Awww, that's so sweet, very happy for you

It's so perfect when your OH loves your doggy too

(& poodlemum, mine's a chef )

Lovely stories, everyone - what a bunch of great dogs

There were 6 or so men working in my paddock. ... As soon as I went out, she got down and went back to friendly mode, but she was still watching. She knew they were allowed in the paddock, but she had no instructions to allow them into the yard, I wasn't there to greet them as friends, so they weren't coming in. As soon as I was welcoming, they were her friends too. They kept an eye on her, but she was all friendly as soon as I said it was ok.

Saki is like this too - it's amazing the way in a split second she'll go from hackles raised, growling in the back of her throat, staring down a worker in the reserve for getting too close to our property line; to being friendly and bouncing around the second I call her off and greet them.

Some breeds do have a far more protective temperament than others. Akitas are definitely another breed that would defend and protect you no matter what. I have absolute faith in my dog but I do hope and intend to never have to test it!

Indian Mynahs are pests with no place in the Australian ecosystem.

Yes, humans are responsible for introducing them to Australia; and as such, humans need to take responsibility for the damage they're doing and take all steps necessary to minimise and reverse said damage; which likely necessitates eradicating the pest species altogether.

If you truly believe no creature should ever be killed in any circumstance, you are shirking responsibility in a way that would end up in the destruction of almost all our native flora and fauna.

Never try to control any pest species again? Ok then, in a few short years Australia's only wild animals would be cane toads, rabbits, cats and mynahs.

If my dog pulls on lead while we're walking, I stop and make her heel before we start off again.

Usually what makes her pull on lead is when we're passing a house with a dog going off on the other side of the fence, so I'll stop and get her to heel and then keep going.

If somebody told me I wasn't allowed to stop on the footpath and to "keep walking" and their wife then called me an idiot, I wouldn't be too impressed either. Bit harsh, IMO.

ETA: The footpath / nature strip / street is public property. People can walk or stop or chat or do up their shoelaces or let another walker overtake them or do all those normal footpathy type things

IMO you can't really try to move somebody along just because they're outside your house and your dog is behaving badly.

Unless they're actually entering your property or deliberately taunting your dog. Or having a nature strip party or something

Oh no! I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Rocco

Congrats!!!

I'd love to see more photos of your dogs, (maybe in the Spitz thread or a photo thread?) they are both so utterly gorgeous!!! :D :D