melzawelza

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Crosses, even F1 crosses, can be extremely varied in appearance. It's why visual breed idenitification of mixed breed dogs is typically little more than chance, even when we're talking about dog professionals. 

Halfway down this blog you'll see some great pictures from a 1965 study by Scott & Fuller of the huge variation in appearance of mixed breed dogs and their subsequent progeny. It's a great example of the folly of visual breed identification! 

https://animalfarmfoundation.blog/2016/02/08/breed-labels-when-guesses-turn-into-predictions/

Most vets in my area ( Sydney Suburban) charge what your current vet does, but the vet I go to is like your old one. About $60 for a consult, no charge for follow up consults on the same issue, meds are cheap as anything and only doled out as much as you need - one of my cats needed some scourban for 2 days and instead of selling me a bottle like most would he filled up four syringes from the giant bottle he has and just charged me for that amount. 

Sadly, I think vets like him are few and far between. 

17 hours ago, SmokeyR67 said:

I hate to be rude, but may I ask how much it costs you to insure your dog?

As the others said it's really variable and dependent on breed, who you go with, the policy, if you have multiple pets with them etc. 

I pay about $65 per month (was about $45 when I first insured her but there was a hike a couple of years ago). She's covered up to about $12k from memory per condition per year, with a $150 excess for each condition. They pay the rest. Once she's over 8 they cover 80%, and once she's over 10 they cover 65%. 

I claimed $5.5k worth of treatment for my dog last year from PetPlan with no questions asked. 

I've definitely come out ahead over the years but I don't expect to - that's not how insurance works. Most years I don't claim on my car or house insurance but I'm glad I have it. 

The cost is well worth the peace of mind I had in saying 'do whatever is needed' when my dog was in a critical condition after an accident. I can't imagine the added stress of having to worry about the cost to treat her. 

My dog is left alone 11 hours a day on work days and I work full time. 

I walk her a few times a week and play games/do tricks with her. 

She's lazy as and is quite happy with this. Soon a life change will mean she has a lot less alone time which is wondeful and I'm really pleased about, but her current situation is just fine for her. 

All dogs are individuals - many wouldn't cope with the life your dog or my dog leads - but if our dogs cope, are happy, are not showing any signs of distress or behavioural issues then no one has any right to judge. 
 

People will also make assumptions based on breed or perceived breed i.e "Pit Bulls are high energy working dogs" but again, all dogs are individuals. Some are high energy, some are lazy. Sounds like your dog has a lovely life and copes well with being alone when she is. 

19 hours ago, Panto said:

omg I am absolutely gobsmacked! Thanks for the frank response. I've a friend who sends her 2 dogs there when they go away, the younger one has developed some social issues and it was around the time they had left them there. :/ 

Their problem is their numbers and the level of training and staff experience. From memory they have capacity for around 600 dogs when full and when I was there over Christmas they'd put makeshift kennels in the training shed so they could board even more dogs. Problem is this wasn't on sealed concrete and had no exercise yard attached or appropriate ventilation, so the smell in there was absolutely eye-watering (those poor dogs) and they weren't getting the level of exercise they were supposed to. 

People would pay $20 or $40 per day extra for their dogs to socialise in 'playtime plus' but if someone called in sick or they didn't have enough staff they just wouldn't run it. Owners had no idea of course, so have paid for 2-4 hours extra exercise for their dogs when they actually only got 2x 15 mins per day if lucky. 

Staff were mostly teenagers with little care factor or training to be able to do their jobs properly. The dogs that could cope in kennels and didn't get sick would be okay, but god help those who weren't coping or had an issue crop up while there. 

The owner (who thinks 'any monkey can train a dog') is a sexist pig who tries to sweep major issues under the rug. When one of my training bulldogs got kennel cough and was moved to isolation I didn't see him for about 10 days until the owners came to collect (trainers weren't allowed to deal with isolation dogs for disease control). When they arrived and I went to take him to them he was emaciated with green snot pouring out of his face. He hadn't been looked after at all and when myself and my female supervisors apologised profusely and told them it was unacceptable that this had happened and we would refer it up the chain we were admonished by the owner for admitting fault and were told 'this is what happens when you get three f***ing women involved in anything'. 

Disclaimer that I left in 2011 so maybe it's improved but it has the same owner running the show so I very much doubt it. 

Shane you sound like such a great prospective dog owner! Any pup you bring in to your life will be a very lucky dog indeed. I echo the others re 2 at the same time not being a great idea, and it's great you're having a further think on that. Good luck!

Awesome work!! He's gorgeous! You can periodically reward him for calm behaviour while he's there - going and giving him a (gentle and calm) pat, giving him a treat, and just speaking lovely nice happy rewarding gentle words to him while he's there. 

You'll get there!

Ex Hanrob employee and trainer here. Absolutely would not recommend sending your dog there. 

I do agree with Corvus's comments though that good board/train facilities can be really great for giving you a kick start, as long as you understand that unless you put in the work once they're home they'll just go right back to how they were. 

If you're looking for a board & train option in Sydney that will actually look after your dog (my experiences at Hanrob leave me to never trust a dog will be looked after properly), send him to Pet Resorts at Dural. Added bonus is all their trainers actually have qualifications and ongoing education. When I was at Hanrob I wanted to get my qualification through them it was refused because 'any monkey can train a dog' and therefore qualifications weren't needed. I put myself through it. 

When I get new foster pups they're always tethered to their bed or crated when inside for at least a few weeks. Then they start to get more (supervised) freedom while continuing to reinforce the 'place' command to keep them on their bed when I need to. 

Try putting his bed next to your couch and then use his lead around the foot of the couch to tether him there. Reward reward reward while he's there and calm. Ignore if he spazzes out. 

Start with short periods then build up the length of time. When you start taking the tether up train him 'place' or 'on your bed' or whatever cue you want to use by saying it when you take him there and rewarding him. He'll start to get it pretty quick. 

2 hours ago, ~Anne~ said:

There were a couple of images and the dog didn't look any better in either image. 

 

Its not just disturbing, it's a living and current example of the issue that has enabled the sometimes dangerous distortion of breeds over time.

 

In my view, this is "extreme" leanness. I would go as far as to say it's not a lean dog, but an emaciated one.

I'm obsessed with dogs being lean and fit and am often trying to get people to drop some weight off their dogs and I agree, this dog is emaciated. 

I think it's likely the cone as others have suggested! It's really distressing for a lot of dogs. Mine was really rattled by the sound of it banging on doorframes etc and ended up just standing still and not moving as much as possible to avoid it. Different dog. 

1 hour ago, mita said:

I agree with that generally.

 

 But in the case of Tibetan Spaniels, we try to steer owners to the tibbie community because they'll reach people who are familiar with the breed & rehome with someone there (with full responsibility for who they choose).  There's often tibbie owners looking out for a companion for their present pet.   In fact, several have responded to that latest ad.   The relinquishing owner was delighted when tibbie community mods contacted her & said they'd spread the word among members.

 

A tibbie personality is not for everyone so it can help to go to someone experienced.   There's also a red flag if the tibbie is not yet desexed.  Small attractive breeds can attract people with 'commercial' interests.

 

Another area where people can be helped to rehome their own dog,  is providing tips for how to do that best and most safely.   Even if experienced rescue doesn't take the dog, their advice about that can be valuable. 

No issues at all for what you're describing there - if you've got a breed-specific community then absolutely makes sense to advertise the dog for rehoming to those who are probably most likely to want it as well as the wider community. But that's different to asking a Tibbie rescue to take on every single pet Tibbie in the country that already has a current owner trying to rehome it themselves.

I know the suggestion from people often comes from a good place of wanting a rescue to find the dog a 'good home' but the reality is pet owners can do just that themselves without burdening rescue groups and taking resources away from dogs at immediate risk of euthanasia, especially if information is provided to help them with that like you said, Mita.  

Just a comment on the advice to people rehoming their dogs that I keep seeing crop up - to try and get rescues to take on their dog. 

I don't understand this suggestion. Rescues are limited in space and focus on dogs in pounds at immediate risk of euthanasia. There is no reason why people can't rehome their own dogs (different if they are on a big time crunch or some sort of urgent situation has come up). We should be encouraging people to take responsibility for their own dogs and do everything in their power to rehome them themselves. Rescue is a last resort and has no space or ability to take on all the dogs in the country that are simply needing to be rehomed. 

Definitely a huge issue in some breeds. Neo Mastiffs break my heart.

Excellent, thanks guys!! I've wanted to do a mixed breed test for ages but couldn't justify the cost for something that was basically just for interest sake. The fact that this gives you so much health info gives it a lot more value IMO! 

22 hours ago, Thistle the dog said:

Yup, handed it over to her vet for further noting:

 

Alanine Aminotransferase Activity (GPT) - Low Normal

 

She's a carrier of Degenerative Myelopathy (SOD1 Exon 2) - GA

 

 

She has tested clear of everything else.

It is unlikely she'll develop DM, but it is good to know the signs to look out for so I can catch it early if she turns out to be one of those carriers who will develop it.

 

 

Then there's the interesting things like she's KBKB (dominant black) and Shedding (MC5R) TT (low shedding). Merle isn't in this result yet, hence why it just says she's a black dog genetically.

 

Her inbreeding coefficient is 3% - and recently got a nice graphical showing the coefficient across all her chromosomes!

 

She has no diversity in any of the three MHC Class II's, no diversity is associated with some autoimmune issues but not yet scientifically validated.

 

Nothing else is yet noticeable with her, but I like watching new things get added as research is updated. I also like knowing if she has any genetic predisposition to diseases that might show up later in life. Well worth it, IMO.

 

Thistle this is so interesting! Can you let me know exactly which test you had done to get all this health info? Interested for my pound mutt. 

Edit: Looking at the website I think you did the breeder test for Thistle? 

Camden just stopped breed labelling so that post doesn't mention breed (you're right that he's chipped as a Tibbie) so shouldn't be a huge issue I don't think. Michelle is a showie and knows her breeds and they don't have more than a handful of dogs in care at any given time, I'm sure if someone rings looking for a short-haired Peke she'll put two and two together  

I know the Companion Animals Officer at the Council, Michelle, and she's absolutely awesome. She'll be doing everything to get this little guy home and I have no doubt he'll be safe if they can't find an owner. Camden prioritise rehoming from the pound direct if possible but work well with a lot of rescues - I'm sure if there's any breed specific rescues that are able to take him in she'd be happy to chat. That said I doubt they'd have an issue rehoming him direct given he's small, cute and at least looks a lot like a purebred. 

 

It's weird isn't it!

 

Incidentally one of our local dog parks has a community noticeboard and I'm pretty sure someone's put up these posters:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154607479924126.1073741828.265763274125&type=3

 

I love those!! 

 

That's unfortunate that there is nothing that can be done in NSW  

 

It may even be different for different councils in Vic? but thats what my council (Glen Eira) said to do!  

Yes it probably is - in Victoria councils can pass bylaws on animal-related stuff on top of the state legislation. We can't do that in NSW so every council is working under the same legislation. 

 

That was mowgli not me.

 

Whoops! New forum doesn't put the user's name in the quote - sorry! :D 

 

Are you specifically referring to on-lead dogs who rush humans and/or dogs? Because I know at least two NSW councils who fine owners of loose dogs in on-lead areas. It doesn't matter if the dog is friendly, rude, aggressive or minding its own business, nor whether or not it can be recalled.

I'm talking specifically about off leash areas. There's no requirement in the legislation for a dog to respond to it's owners commands or not be annoying and overly friendly at an unleashed dog park, so the signs like you proposed are unenforceable in NSW (different in VIC as quoted above). If the dog is actually aggressive and its behaviour is meeting the definition of a dog attack, then action can be taken for that offence, but if the dog just keeps coming over and is annoying/overly friendly or boisterous and won't respond to it's owner there's really nothing a council officer in NSW can do. 

On leash areas yes of course, a penalty can be issued for the dog being unleashed. 

 

This happens to me all the time even in on leash areas  There is so much entitlement of "my dog wouldnt hurt anyone", well i dont care if your dog is friendly I dont want your giant crazy dog bouncing on my puppy! 

 

We sometimes go to off leash parks in the middle of the day when theres hardly anyone around and just tend to avoid the people if we can, I don't mind dogs saying hi to my dog, but if a dog is running at full pelt towards us, I will pick up my puppy so she doesnt get bowled over. Then I have been yelled at for "thats not how dog parks work"  and "you shouldnt be here if you dont want my dog playing (charging at) yours".

 

Saying mine is in training, injured or sick generally has better luck than actually being in the right, unfortunately. 

 

1) you can report dogs owners to the council if their dogs are not under effective control (even at the dog park) and are harassing you. Its a good idea to get a picture if you can. I have reported off leash dogs in some streets near me and they went and gave them a talking to/warning, fines if spotted again (which hasnt happened  ). I did first talk to them and give them some info. 

 

2) either you can print out or you can ask the council to look into putting up the dog rules at the park, including things like "your dog must be under effective voice control", "parks are multipurpose areas and you are not allowed to let your dog rush at people or dogs", "dogs not under effective voice control should never be off leash" etc. I think most people don't actually know those rules or anything about dog body language - theyve typically just gone to the park and most people have a "they'll sort it out" and "dogs will be dogs" mentality even when their dogs are being jerks

 

Just a note that none of the bold is enforceable in NSW (unless the dog in situation 1 is actually being aggressive rather than overly friendly/annoying) so Councils in this state would not be able to put up signs like suggested or enforce them. I do believe this is different in VIC. Not sure about other states. 

The council should look to the extensive evidence that mandatory desexing doesn't reduce dogs in pounds and instead typically increases them... and spend the money they'd spend on enforcing an unenforcable bit of legislation on low cost and free desexing programs.