W Sibs

I haven't been here in years but I just read this.  I am so sorry to hear this.. Buddy was one of my favourite boy and I think about him time to time..

I'm so sorry to hear this.  RIP Buddy.

For my girl... I get a baby pool and fill it so the water goes just above the knee and let her walk around it for about 2 minutes. This build muscles around the thighs so it won't put to much pressure on the knees. Also I keep her lean and fit.

My girl was graded 2 on her back knee when she was about 8 months and was told she needed immediate surgery but I decided not too. She is now 5 years old and pain free.

I do give her fish oil tablets, she is super fit and lean. She gets walks everyday (2x 15 mins daily), we walk along the water a lot, I do restrict on her jumping activities (as in no dog sports and no jumping over anything) and she is on a strict diet that I don't allow her to get fat (she will eat me out of house and home if I let her.. she is a pig!)

Emmy does go to a chiro once or twice a year (or when needed) to make sure that things are still going well. Her Chiro says she is doing great and probably won't need surgery in the near future, but she might need one in the far future :)

I'll be there on Easter Saturday with the Samoyeds :)

Im sorry to hear this.

RIP Kibah

Sure do, if the cafe allows. I have taken them since they were pups so they are use of the enviornment.

Both just lays under the table/chairs and snooze while we eat and drink.

I saw a dog getting stressed that it could not see the source of the crying...

T.

This.

The poor thing is confused...

Ignore and continue walking...

Funny because most asian loves GSD but it's a fear thing. Kids are taught to be scared of dogs because of parents thinks dogs are dirty etc, and it's a vicious cycle, and they were never taught anything different as they grow older.

Little dogs can walk for more than 30 minutes :p

I feed my dogs after their walk all the time... i usually wait 45 minutes after their walk to feed them though.

For water, in Sydney with the weather, you should always give them access to water. For crating.. can you set up a big pen area for them instead of crating them and lay newspaper out for them instead?

I won't be comfortable crating a dog for more than 3 hours max at a time.

It's a stupid ad... first time I saw it, I think i muttered 'f!@#ing idiots'

If you must rehome you're out of the picture entirely, not fair on the dog or the new owners.

..and why your friends may not be the ideal new owners .

You'll have to rip the bandaid off all at once .

fresh start.

If you were to do it.. maybe contact your dog's breeder and she can take him back and rehome the dog for you or contact NSW Samoyed Rescue. I wouldnt rehome to friends or family either.

Rehoming is an "all or nothing" sitution... once you give up the right of ownership of the dog, you have to let him go. Not fair for the dog or new family if you keep wanting to see him, taking for walks etc.

I dont get where is sydney where it's hard to travel to get to work...

I am very picky with my puppies and I don't mind waiting a long time for. Like with Skeeter - whom I got from Bjelkier, we talked for a long time on exactly what pup I want and looking for that will fit into my home life but also what I want to do with him, but I trust her to give me that pup. I did go see the pups at 6 weeks old and still then I didn't really know which one I will get. At the end, I did get the pup I've always wanted and so much more (still working out if that's a good thing or bad thing :p Skeeter is a special guy)

If you find a breeder who you get along with and understands what you want/looking for, you gotta trust them to give you the right pup for you. They put in the hard work for the first 8-10 weeks of the pups lives and knows them best...

Saying that, I did have a say in what i thought of the pup and always had the chance to say 'Nope, I don't want a pup from this litter' too.

if its possible.. do you think you can go to a dog show and meet some breeders there?

Em has killed birds. Never bitten other dogs or human but I dont put her in situation where she feel she has too.

Skeeter wont hurt a fly. In fact he is scared of blow flies.. i am dead set serious.

I honestly don't know what I will do... but it's a sucky situation to be in

I usually walk my 2 separately because I like doing some training with them. Also, I like the one on one time with them.

Neither one of them like being left at home.

Mr W walks them together but he likes taking them to the park for a run.

When you meet an Akita, you should ignore them. They seem to like to be able to make their own mind up about you. Usually if you ignore them they will come up and lick you and lean all over you. My guy likes being patted on the chest and will duck and avoid you if you try to pat him on the head. I am not sure if this is typically of the breed or not but Raiden wasn't a fan of being patted on the head either.

--Lhok

That goes the same with most Jap Spitz actually. Maybe it is a spitz thing.

Emmy sleeps on the bed and Skeeter sleeps anywhere he wants.. most of the time he sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed. This morning I found his sprawled out on the back deck with rain dripping on his head...

But this is pretty much how it is before bedtime before Mr W goes to bed.. except now there is a baby sleeping on the bed too.

That little dog should not be at the park at all... poor thing!

As for the Husky... to me, that's normal behaviour for a husky (and most spitz breed) but I would have called that husky away as soon as I saw how scared the little dog was which was making the husky more interested. I would be worried about the other dog in the video though.

Im not wary of other breeds but mindful of. I don't know the other dogs or owners but I know my dogs, so I focus on that.

I have a big samoyed dog and I know on appearance he can come off intimidating to other dogs.. with his coat, his tail and ears are always up and how he stands with his chest out. Not to mention that he is very excitable dog who likes to talk and can be in their faces. I can see why other breeds can be weird around him, so when introducing him to other breed dogs thats not a spitz is important.

That gives me a chance to watch how the other dog is taking it.. if they don't like it, I take Skeeter away. If the other dog invite play, then I allow the play. If the owners are idiots regardless, then there is no play.

LOL - that's awesome.. even the chicken is having a lazy day too!

(this is my experience with my 2 dogs :) )

Japanese Spitz

With people - She is shy and takes a while for her to warm up to people, but once she does, you have a friend for life. Out and about, she is curious about people enough to air sniff them but wont approach them, if you get a poke from her, that's means she likes you. As she gets older she is more calmer and not as shy. Jap Spitz are meant to be a little aloof with strangers though. But if you're a friend, she will be on you like a rash. She can't get enough of cuddles and makes an awesome lap dog.

With dogs - She just stick to her own breed or the dogs she has grown up with. She knows their style of playing and is comfortable with that. If anything, she rather just hang out with her pack. But, you will rarely see her play with dogs at dog parks. She will say hello or let other dogs say hello to her, then she will ignore them and go explore or follow her humans.

With the family - Best family dog I've ever own. She loves her family and most confident at home. She is always trying to please us so training her as been a breeze, she doesn't like us being mad at her so she never does anything wrong, she loves her cuddles (and we love her cuddles too), she is territorial, she keeps Skeeter in line. She is big on routine and is learning to adapt to changes. Cuddle monster to the max.

Samoyed

With people - They are all his best friends.. they just dont know it yet. For some odd reason, old people really really really like him. We get stopped more often by elderly people who wants cuddles, tell me stories about their dogs and sometimes to share their food with him. He is awesome with kids, he knows to be gentle and he will always seeks cuddles from them.

With dogs - he is an idiot. He loves other dogs and he total Mr Social butterfly when we go to the dog park with him. He loves all dogs and will adjust his playing style to suit the other dog. He sometimes needs a reminder of his manners because he can get too pushy and in their face.

With the family - he is the sweetest and most gentle giant of a dog. Love his cuddles, hates being left out on things, always has a say in everything (even when you dont ask him). He is the real baby of the family. He likes his routine but he doesn't care if you change it up for him.. as long as you still walk him. He loves adventure and likes to work. But once you satisfied his needs, he is pretty much as awesome home dog. Lays around and being a goof.

Samoyeds takes a while to grow up mentally and Skeeter is no exception. They are confident dogs and there is no need for them to try to please you therefore they do need a strong/firm owner who has a sense of humour. They are happy dogs that love life and live life to the fullest. They are loud, in your face and sometimes can be drama queens. Saying that, they are also the most lovable, cuddlest and loyal dogs you can own too.

That's so cute.

He's trained you very well hasn't he :D Just put him outside and leave him to it. If he whines to come in too bad, ignore him. Or if you must let him in, then the bone gets put away for another day. Hank is controlling what is happening not you.

x2

Demanding attention is never something to encourage :)

This.

I was going to say he is attention seeking.

Thanks everyone... the Naked one is pretty awesome :)

Congratulations on your new baked family member :)

Can you explain what you did to prepare your dogs for the babies arrival. This is something I'm interested in for if we have a baby in the coming years.

The things I did was teaching the dogs were:

- respect and stay away from the babies things (they aren't allow to touch babies blankets, toys, clothes etc.)

- played baby crying noises

- took them out to interactive with babies and young kids a lot

- taught them there is no playing in the nursery and they wait to be invited into the nursery room.

- also teaching the husband to step up on with the dogs... last month of pregnancy I couldn't walk Skeeter, so he took on more of the doggie duties.

But it's just important not to really change up the dogs routine now.. like their walks and their time with us. Although things have changed, we made sure that the dogs lifestyle they are use too haven't changed too much... we try to keep things as normal as possible. Schedule and routine have changed a bit to adjust with the baby, and they have easily adapt to the change easily. Also, they are family and we include them into everything like always... eg, when Im feeding the baby on the bed, I usually get the white fluffies on the bed with me chilling and keeping me company, tummy time consist of 2 fluffies and 1 naked one laying laying on the floor cooing/wooing and moving limbs.

I'm still working with Skeeter to walk nicely beside the stroller, although Emmy has mastered this skill.