Simply Grand

Absolutely, happens in humans too and as you know it's bloody hard enough for us to try and rewire our brains back to stable/healthy/happy, and we can talk about it and at least have some understanding ETA but mingaling, you can and are working so hard on "fixing" up that faulty wiring and are definitely worth saving

And in addition, experiences, particularly while young when the brain is still developing, can rewire the brain or affect how it develops so there are lots of points at which things can go wrong in a way that can't be changed later even with the best training and all the love in the world.

Or just large! My foster Molly was labelled as a Mastiff x when she was clearly a Greyhound/Bull Arab type mix with possibly every other breed BUT mastiff in her. And she wasn't even tan, she was black.

Interesting points made about small dogs often being quicker to react with aggression, as in biting, than bigger dogs. Now that I think about it I would say I've observed that too. I'd say part of the reason we see is that people don't do anything about small dogs displaying aggression and allow the behaviour to be rehearsed but I also wonder if it is something that happens instinctively if they are threatened because they don't have much else to work with? Their warnings probably aren't listened to, or even noticed, by other dogs or (even more likely) humans so they quickly learn that they need to resort to snapping and biting to be listened to, whereas most people will notice and respond to a bigger dog standing and staring and teeth baring and growling before it has to escalate further.

That's really tragic, the poor wife

Do the ID type ear tattoos on Greys, GSDs, Dobes etc last (stay visible) longer than the desexing ones? I had assumed that the desexing tattoos were not actually going that deep into the skin because they fade so much quicker than actual tattoos on humans and just curious if the ID tattoos are a more intensive process in order to last longer or not? Also, I obviously don't know who does and does not have tattoos themselves but I have a couple of small ones and while they were painful to get there wasn't pain afterwards, just some mild itchiness as they scabbed over so I don't know that animals would suffer much if any pain/discomfort with it being done under anaesthetic. Obviously if it was done without anaesthesia I would expect them to be very distressed about it

Both my boy dogs and all cats (male and female) I've had desexed have ear tattoos, going back decades. This is in the ACT, and also working at RSPCA ACT we always looked for tattoos so I assume it's either required or standard practice there. I am yet to have a female dog desexed, and I can't remember if the male guinea pig we had desexed got one lol! I think it's a good thing even in males due to both crypt orchid situations and the possibility of testes potentially being tricky to feel if a dog is stressed (not to mention the number of found pet posts where people aren't sure if the animal is male or female, let alone desexed), or worse, in heavily matted animals where you can't even feel what's going on Trouble is the tattoos fade pretty quickly, I can barely see them on my 6 and 8 year old boys.

Oh wow Spikey, that's really scary! I'm glad your in laws were sensible about the situation.

Spikey, I just saw an FB post with a news report saying what you've mentioned and interviewing a behaviourist of 30 years experience expressing concern about "every dog deserves a second chance" mentality of some rescue groups. Fortunately this woman hadn't rehomed this dog to an unsuspecting new owner but it appears she may have unfortunately paid the ultimate price for wanting to save him despite his aggression ETA sounds like there were multiple bites to arms and legs and perhaps the dog got the femoral artery and the poor woman bled out...so sad and should never have happened

It is unlikely we will find out exactly what happened but lots of information could be gathered from how the woman actually died (how many bites and where on her body), history with the dog, how long she'd had it (4 years was mentioned but it isn't clear if that was the mastiff or a different dog), injuries to the mastiff and the other dog that was seized if any, where in the routine of the kennels the woman was (was food involved?), had aggressive behaviour been demonstrated before and what had been done in response to it... Both an autopsy on the woman and a necropsy on the dog (which is reportedly to be euthanised) would be ideal but sadly I doubt will happen. It's a shame because I think this situation could actually be really important research wise, it is really unusual for a dog to kill its carer, especially when that carer is apparently experienced with dogs.

I wonder what happened. I hope they do make it public (if they are able to discern it), even though the woman and family deserve their privacy, but it would be a really useful lesson. Did she have the dog for four years and it was highly aggressive towards her the whole time? (Seems unlikely) Did she intervene in a dog fight and the dog was so worked up it transferred aggression on to her? Or did the dog maybe have a neuro issue that made it snap? It would be a shame for it just to be left for the public to think this is something that could happen with ANY dog or any rescue or any mastiff or whatever, without educating about real potential warning signs ETA also interested to know what if any training/management had been done with the dog, had aggression previously been suppressed through punishment?

I looooove puppies but fostering (both adults and puppies) cured me for a while, I was loving the peace and ease of just 3 adults. Hasn't taken long for the cluckiness to come back after a break from fostering though! I'm also having cravings for a cat or kitten... Luckily there's no way it can happen any time soon so I can keep it at bay (will be back to fostering though). As far as adding a third, it's a much bigger jump in work and management than from 1 to 2. I found it really made them a "pack" in the way they respond to things like other dogs, perceived threats etc, much more so than with 2. It also adds an entirely new dynamic and "rules" of interaction - my three have different relationships with each of the others and different behaviours they will exhibit and allow with one but not the other etc. Adding the third affected the relationship between the older 2 as well because the middle one became closer to the 3rd whereas the oldest has a constant power struggle going on with the youngest, even 5.5 years later. In general though they all get along well and I really like having 3. It will depend a lot on temperaments as well, you'll need to match a third to suit both Gus and Rosie, who might have different requirements, but if they are both pretty easy going and especially if you introduce a puppy, it should be ok.

OMG I am getting this for Quinn!

I don't often recommend them but I think if you were at all interested in them an Australian Shepherd could work for you. Smaller than a GSD, Lab, Pointers, Weims and Setters but bigger than most Spaniels, and pretty rough and ready. Fairly all purpose, excellent in obedience, very human focused/biddable but with a bit of independent spirit and Shepherd guardian instinct in them. They definitely need lots of mental stimulation and person time but don't need a full on, full time job like some working breeds. I believe there are increasing numbers of not so great breeders breeding for colour, popularity etc and that can be at the expense of temperament and health, but there a quite a few excellent breeders around to so if you are interested just make sure you do your research

I don't think she can say it has worked any better than his previous recall training until she tests it in the same situation again. She says he had great recall before, and I'm sure he did, but in the near miss with the car incident she refers to a new stimulus over-rode that training. It still seems entirely possible that the situation could arise again where a new stimulus could over-ride the effect of the e-collar. That's not a criticism of the e-collar, it's a reality of any training but I don't find what is said in that blog enough to indicate that the e-collar has been any more effective than the previous training she had done.

Wow!!! The focus from that dog to do a routine that long! And it looks like a lot of the dog's actions are cued by either the music or very subtle cues from the human. BCs really are amazing dogs

Oh they are so cuuuute! Thyme looks super tough in his killer jacket

Hahaha I saw the 80cm Fav Child one in the store the other day, it looked so massive compared to all the tiny ones and cracked me up I struggled finding sizes big enough for Riley (7kg Sheltie) and Quinn (19kg Aussie) in the cheap shops a few weeks ago when the weather turned cool, and 30cm is 5kg Saxon sized!

I saw on FB the other day (week?) that Winston, the gorgeous doggo in RP's OP was adopted after being a long termer, yay!!

Seems like it is unproven allegations either way - if there is no evidence to prove that the kids provoked the dog first there is also no evidence that the dog attacked first. What IS evident (unless the boys or a witness claim the dog was outside the house yard, which doesn't seem to be the case) is that the boys were trespassing and were armed. So if there is no evidence one way or the other, it is presumably just as possible that the boys committed criminal animal cruelty as that the dog behaved dangerously but neither could be proven. It therefore seems unfair that a definitive decision to declare the dog dangerous was made - and I mean legally unfair on the owner because obviously dogs don't have the rights humans do. ETA I am however strongly against naming and shaming children on social media when the information was not made public though the legal process, if that is what has happened

Is there doubt that the boys stabbed the dog on the dog's (owner's) property? I've heard a little bit about the incident when it happened but haven't followed the aftermath.

Oh that's horrific! It would have been terrifying and those wounds would be bloody painful I hope they find the other dog so it can be dealt with appropriately before it does kill someone

Re dosage, I will also mention that Molly had a significant response at 20mgs, her weight was 30kgs

Not flavoured, just dissolvable in water. I imagine it tastes like Aspro Clear, which no dog would drink!!