megan_

Agree. I could lead to long term unemployment for some. The dog's owner should actually consider themselves VERY lucky. Owners are legally liable for what their dogs do - so the person who was bitten could have sued them (and if they were a brickie for example, they could sue for a lifetime of lost wages). The owner could have ended up going bankrupt. I've said it on this forum before. Woe betide any off leash or loose dog that attacks one of mine. The owner would find themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit (and I'm not the suing kind).

The only thing more dangerous than an aggressive dog is an owner who believes their dog isn't. I have a dog who - if stressed enough but comfortable enough IYKWIM, could charge and snap at someone. I doubt very much she could take a finger off, mainly due to her size. However, if she did, then I'd accept responsibility for it. That is what being a responsible owner is all about. FWIW, in Victoria, provocation isn't a defense for a dog attack. The more people say "this is what dog's do" the more restrictions we'll see on our dogs - If this is "what dog's do" when a stranger touches them then dogs shouldn't be allowed in society!

Befoe we condemn the neighbours, the dog might not like them because they look different, smell different, speak differently etc. Don't forget Hector is from an unknown background and may have been poorly socialized as a puppy. Fwiw, my very happy, social boy doesn't like people with cleft palates (and only when they speak). Dorsnt mean they're bad :-)

Get in some professional help. There are many things you could try to desentise him to their presence, and even make them a good thing. Have you tried the "look at that" game when they're in their yard? How much mental stimulation does he get every day? Mine only really like their puzzles when I interact with them too. When you take him on his daily walk, how much "work" does he have to do? Does he have to use his brain (ie you throw in commands randomly)? Does he have a strong prey drive? If so, do you use that at all? Does he play fetch? Does he do free shaping with a clicker? People often think "lots of place to run" is a solution to a bored/problem dog. However, dogs rarely just "run and run and run" on their own.

Happy Paws are expensive though as regular treats :D . To make things stretch further, I use the liver crisps from petswarehouse.com.au ($4.95 for 100g and you can break them up into teeny tiny pieces). They are all natural, no additives and 10% of profits go to Monika's Rescue. I also use their dry food as "treats" - ie I make them work for every bit of food they get. I use Black Hawk - again, no artificial additives. I also roast fresh meat (lamb and chicken) and chop into tiny pieces. Less than 50 g of lamb gets me through agility training for two dogs.

I get my butcher to cut them up into fours.

So if I get AIDS, I should shun the drugs that have been proven to prolong life and should take some herbs instead?? When the 1918 flu pandemic hit and wiped out 1/3 of the world's population, they weren't taking chemicals that compromised their imune system - and yet so many died. No one is saying that you need to take vast amounts of chemicals for no reason, but western medicine isn't all evil and has helped heal and prolong the lives of many. I saw a highly respected naturpath for a while, and every "natural" product she gave me was in a processed form (ie a pill or tonic). She told me that some of the stuff was toxic in its unprocessed state, so it had been extracted etc. Pills don't come from nature you know.... ETA: and if you have surgery one day, are you going to want some morphine to help ease the pain? I don't think the herbs are going to cut it...

No dog should savage a child even if provked (unless the child actually physically harms the dog).

arnica isn't homeopathic. Homeopathic solutions are a little bit of an active ingredient mixed with water (because water has memory). So homeopathic arnica would be 1 part arnica, 10000 parts water. People often confuse homeopathic with natural.

Im confused?? Did he go to the animal or did the animal go to him? I hope he recovers fully the poor thing. But I still fail to see why the dog was outside a school in the first place - wouldn't it have shown tendencies towards not liking children? And then wouldn't the owners get the point of not having it outside the school? I don't know - I think I read the report wrong. But then this raises the issue again of 'you shouldn't go up and pat strange dogs unless you get the owners permission or unless you know the dog personally' - this was a big thing in another forum topic... where the mother pulled over and her two kids got out and one of them was attacked by two huskies or malamutes or something that were on the side of a road in Galston. sad story. no one wins. Maybe the owners gace permission? Most people don't have a clue about dog body language. Maybe the boy walked towards the dog to pat it and then it ran to him. Regardless, dogs that attack children shouldn't be out in public without proper restraints, including a muzzle.

If he was my dog I'd leave it for the time bieng, but watch for signs of obstruction (all or one of salivating, pacing, panting etc) and rush to the vet immediately if these happen. If I'm ever in doubt I give my vet or the emergency vet a call and they always let me know if it is okay just to observe or bring them in.

I think everyone has given you good advice. Direct, yes. Attacking? No. By all means ask your vet, but remember that they aren't trained behaviourists. And most likely neither are the trainers at your local club. Most of the advice I have gotten from vets (who are great vets btw) has been terrible when it comes to behaviour. My vet suggested that I just let my fearful dog go for a run at a popular dog beach. I know her, she'd be on the attack in a few minutes! Of course it is nice to play with other dogs, but if your dog nips them, they might retaliate and your dog - or the other dog, depending on their size - will land up paying the price for it. I see you're in NSW. If so, the best person to see is Steve from K9Pro (he posts on this forum too). That way, you'll have someone see how your dog reacts and give you practical help.

When my boy had serious gastro he did green poos - the vet said it was dried blood? If he is being kicked, then he certainly could be bleeding without you realising.

And you need a qualified behaviourist, not just any schmuck calling themselves a trainer. Where are you located?

Yes - if you give your dog treats then it won't "respect" you. There was an MS puppy at our park a year ago, it used to come every night. It was very lively. The owners got a trainer in who told them to stop all treats. I don't know the end result but I haven't seen that pup for well over 8 months.... I tell people that I'm not giving my dogs treats - I'm making them earn every piece of food I give them, rather than plonking it in a bowl in front of them. This seems to change their view a bit. And if I see another alpha roll I'm going to vomit!

I wonder where this dog came from? I think the source of the dog (be it a rescuer or person who sold it via the paper) bears most of the blame here. The RSPCA (to my knowledge) certainly don't tell people not to take dogs out after one day. They don't teach people how to hold a lead effectively (most people I see hold the leash incorrectly. Even at the Big Dog Day Out I saw a few dogs breaking free of their leashes). Do most rescues do this? I will never forget the night I took my boy to the Emergency Vet because he had swallowed a stick. There was a woman there who was beside herself. She had a cav who had been attacked by a rottie x. The owner of the rottie had the dog for 1 week. She got him from the RSPCA and they told her he didn't like small dogs. Obviously she never drew the connection that this statement meant he would kill a small dog given the chance. My point is, if someone in a trusted position (RSPCA, well known rescue) doesn't say there could be issues and give specific, written instructions on what to do/not do, then most people will think all is okay.

How do you know the UTI didn't just clear up in due course? How do you know that one thing caused the other? Causality is a very hard thing to prove - that is why cigarette companies got away with killing people for so long.

My dog has never had fleas and he doesn't use hoemopathic or medical preventatives. He does a nice poo every morning. By some people's logic on this thread I have just proven that nice poo's prevent fleas. He also likes to carry my knickers on his head, maybe this is what is keeping the fleas away? But seriously, dogs die from heartworm. It is a horrible death. Not worth the risk IMO. Are the people here who advocating it also advocating that the OP use it to prevent heartworm and paralysis tick? Do they know that the solution is something like 99.9999% water?

While growing - good quality adjustable flat collar and lead. Something like a Blackdog one? Once grown, good quality leather collar (if no correction collar is needed) and lead. K9Pro would be a good source. After having my little mini schnauzer get out of a collar with a plastic buckle (and try to run onto train tracks mind you) I would never, ever use a plastic buckle ever again - especially for a strong dog like a GSD. Personally, I'd 'waste" a bit of money and get a decent quality one now, rather than something that looks pretty. The K9Pro ones are a good price.

You inbox is full!

Does this mean I should hold off placing my order until the 28th ??

Good post Aphra. Just wanted to also highlight that a dog can have a very strong prey drive and not exhibit "aggression" in every day life (re: the OP's remark that the dog isn't aggressive). This doesn't make the dog bad, it just means that it needs to be managed properly. I'm not a cat person, but even if I was I'd never get one as I have a mini schnauzer who would try to kill it the second they came into contact (and I wouldn't want to lock the cat up seperated from the family 24/7).

the quote that I posted in response to Julie's post outlines where it says dog abusers are okay. It implies that as long as someone breeds nice dogs and gives them good homes then everything else is "none of your business". So that leaves out the welfare of their dogs, follow-up support of homes etc. Breeders that I know personally who don't health test, easy! 1. The puppy farm (Freedom Kennels) that I got my boy from (I didn't really know about puppy farms then). 2. The ex puppy farm breeding bitch that I got via breed rescue. The puppy farmer hadn't ever taken her to the vet, never mind actually health tested her. Poor mite didn't even have a name. You'll find out more about her in next week when she celebrates two years of freedom (I'm going to do a big post with lots of pics ). 3. Read the DOL puppy pages. I suggest starting with the rare blue stafford. I've rung up a few out of interest and most that I spoke to didn't do any health testing. 4. The registered toy poodle breeder who advertises on gum tree a lot selling her "really, really, really tiny" toy poodles (anyone say "teacup"?).

I don't equate ethical to registries, cross breeds or purebreeds (gasp). Ethics are about how you treat your dogs, how you health test them, home them and provide lifelong support to your buyers.

I am dissapointed in this. Do you really agree with this? As long as the puppies they produce are healthy, are good specimens of their chosen breed (which is subjective to each individual), and they sell them to good homes, what business is it of ours? Can you say, "NUNYA". That is, the conditions that the mother lives in means nothing and is none of anyone's business? I find that abhorrant. I'm not a breeder, but I don't believe that what makes a "good specimen" is subjective to each individual. That is why we have breed standards, dog shows and dog sports - to measure the mark of each dog. The statement above plays to much to the "I think my dog is so pretty so I'll breed it" crowd.