HeavyPaws

I agree. I'm a parent myself, and am the oldest of 13 kids, so of course I was stand-in parent for a good 20 years of my life. My point is, there are WAY more bad parents than good parents. In a school, there are 99 swearing, yelling, biting, kicking, fighting, spitting, nasty little monsters raised by "Oh, kids eventually grow up. That's when manners are learned" sort of parents to every 1 well-mannered, quiet, obediant, friendly child raised by parents who take the job seriously. Sadly, pet owners often get the first 99 approaching their dogs. I am amazed how many parents let their kids run up to Moon {my Dane}, while calling out from halfway down the street "Be gentle!". My dog's head towers over a four year old's head, and I can imagine how things would go if she was child aggressive and one of the little terrors clutched onto her like a bad mannered leech, which they do. Even while walking past the local shops mothers don't hold their kid's hand when we approach.

When my first Dane was a puppy, I had a 10? year old boy pick him up by his back legs and 'wheelbarrow' him about half a metre, before my horrified shriek made his mother tell him 'now, don't touch the little puppy, darling' Kids can be horrors, many of them raised by people that I'd be loathe to let own a goldfish, let alone a child.

I had no idea what your dog was, then googled. wow, what a stunner! My daughter said "wow, that's a BIG beagle!"

I'm racking my brains trying to figure out where I saw that playground! Such a wonderful looking dalmation

My neighbours are Muslim, and came over to Australia last year with their four children. I have no problem with them, in fact I adore the wife. They all speak great English and are absolutely lovely in their manners. They invite me to their feast days and explain about each dish; it's really nice. However, the first time they came to my house, there was a big fuss over my dane. Padma {wife} said back home, the only dogs that were kept are the ones that guard homes and stores, and they are very, very vicious, and the bigger they were the more dangerous they were. None of her children had ever seen a dog as big as my girl, and they were all very scared. The oldest boy is still petrified of her and protects his sisters by standing in front of them when they visit, but the two girls and youngest boy have come to be really attached to her. Her husband told me to bring her over on their last feast day, they were celebrating their brothers coming over from Islam and he'd told them the girl next door was tougher than a man, and he could prove it. So I brought her over with her spikey collar on, and they all leapt up from their chairs yelling, snatching children out of the way and ducking into rooms. They all had a good chuckle over it when he explained how dogs here weren't fierce, and he called his brothers ladies. They all took photos on their phones of putting their hands in her mouth and feeding her hot dogs from their mouths. She had a grand time, everyone fussing over her and feeding her forbidden foods. She's invited everytime they celebrate anything, they call her something that apparently means "baby pony", but I can't even pronounce it It gave me a smile over how different cultures are. I can understand how they feel towards dogs. If they've been set in a particular way for centuries, there's no way we can expect them to change straight away. They're not like western society, and we have to remember that they don't dress up toy poodles in fluffy pink jackets or cart poms around in prams. The dogs there are bred for a purpose and keep to that purpose, which is not companionship or replacement for children and/or partners.

3 grand is a good price to pay for a breed of dog that is difficult to breed, keep, train and whelp. Bulldog mothers often need 24 hour care with their pups. The pups need to be watched constantly, played with, taught the bases of basic training, taught the basics of bite inhibition, taken to the vet, fed, given toys... The hours that my breeder puts in just to ensure all the pups live and grow up healthy both in mind and body is priceless to me, not to mention the thousands of hours they've devoted to all their bulldogs to ensure the best temperment and health ratings in future litters. I'm happily paying $3000

I have two bags of it in my bushfire pack. It's adored here, a real doggy McDonalds

Or you ask the doc about desexing instead of TL Or you need to make a trip to the school to collect an 'interesting' item from your sons bag which turns out to be training gear that you put in there after your session the previous afternoon I actually told my widwife, who asked how far along I was, that "It's not long until I whelp, I'll drop good" I have another * you refuse to talk to your children in baby-talk but address puppies as "who can sit? Whhhooooo can sit? You! oh, yesyoucan yesyoucan! Who gots lil paws? Who gots dem? I gots dem lil paws!"

Haven't you heard? They're a new breed. They can cook, clean, answer the phone, rub feet, they have Certificate Three in Child Services, they can sew, tat doilies, they're fully qualified mechanics, they can bark in different pitches to signal the severity of storms up to three months in advance, they can read over 12 languages plus Braille, they're motivational speakers in their spare time, fully trained guard dogs, nail art technicians, and their tears can cure cancer. Also, they're not only non-shedding to the point where if they see another dog shed anywhere near you they write them up a ticket and then violently beat them. I have one on pre-order

I'm not going to reward a dog that jumps up on me, barks or paws at my legs when I walk near it. That's very bad social manners and doesn't deserve a reward. If I treated a dog for acting like that, what will they do to people they meet after me? To children or the elderly or the disabled? "Oh boy, I get a treat if I jump on them!" I don't give treats out to curry favour, I do it to help out with manners. I don't make them sit or drop, but I do ask the owner if they can sit and if they sit, they get praise and treats, but all I want is a quiet, polite greeting before I give a treat. I always ask the owner beforehand because my dane is allergic to chicken, and I had issues with the neighbours throwing over chicken from their bbqs in summer, so I know what it's like to deal with that sort of issue.

I'm sorry, I'm one of those people that carry dog treats. I carry liver treats everywhere, BUT I demand a quiet sit or down before I give anything out. That counter-acts me giving out treats, right? Also, to further defend myself, I do the same if I see a puppy, to help build social skills and manners. .......but mostly so I have an excuse to get closer and see if there's a chance for puppy-mooshings and kisses.

I have a better one. I was baking dog cookies for my Dane's birthday, we were going to take these 100 bone-shaped beef cookies with liver frosting to the breeder and have a litter birthday party. I put half of them in a tupperware flip-top-lid box on the counter, took the baking trays, turned to the sink, ran the water, put the trays in the sink, turned back.... and she was sitting on the bench next to the cookie box, just looking at me. I ordered her off, and wondered why she was up there. Half an hour later, I took the two boxes out to the car. I put the first one on the seat, and was left holding a box that felt oddly light. I opened it. A singular cookie remained at the bottom. I was so stunned I actually tipped the box upside down and shook it, and then flipped it back over and peered into it. I searched the kitchen, the oven, even in the sink. I was left standing in the kitchen, a hand to my head, saying aloud "Did I bake...50? But I thought....two trays?..." Then, I saw it. A Dane, slumbering peacefully on her mat. An outsider would have seen only my eyes narrow. I marched over, yanked her jaws open, and beheld a liver-frosted mouth, crumbs littering her jowls. She had somehow managed to get on the counter, open the box, eat the cookies, close the box, and then look innocent. and people tell me dogs are stupid! HA!

I'm not sure Rach. She wasn't yelling or forcing people out of the store, she wasn't even inside the store. She was about 20 metres away from the entrance, in front of the jewellery store, and being quiet. All she said to me was "You'd find this interesting", and offered a paper. She didn't even do that annoying thing the people who want you to fund their soccer teams {or whatever they want} do, like thrust the paper in front of you as you walk. She just held it out as I started coming up to her. I don't see how it'd be illegal, seeing as how she wasn't bothering anyone, calling anyone over, making any fuss or noise, referring to the shop in question at all, or making anyone take her papers. Then again, who knows? The paradise for pets might resent the intrusion into their private puppy-mongering.

The water one is because dog's can't see clear things, so they think the water is suspended in the air, and get scared. My Dad still believes this, and tells me all the time how his mini foxie is so clever, because she's figured out that the water can be picked up, and how funny it must look to another dog, his dog carrying around water floating in air

Epping Plaza is a bit of a drive for me, so I don't go there often. But yesterday *off topic* I had to go to get a print out of a recipt from the chemist near the Big W end. I hate that chemist as a certain petshop is there, a sort of paradise for pets, you could say {not sure if we're allowed to name-drop}, and there's about 9 glass cages of various expensive mutts with people hovering. But yesterday as I walked past I got handed a sheet of paper titled 'The Puppy In The Window' from a young blonde woman. 10,000 X for the paper! I read it in the car and it is fan-tas-tic! It was a little bigger than A4, double-sided, with little subheadings, all in very easy to digest wording with great truths thrown in, true 'shockers' and websites to visit. all about the truths of pet store puppies, where else to buy a puppy, puppy advice and 'puppy myths' about commercial food, housetraining, etc. PLUS a truly great bit about designer dogs and hybrid vigour myths. Now, I'm wondering if anyone else saw the person handing out the papers, or if that person is a member of DOL, or if anyone knew about this, because it had the DOL website listed on here with 'helpful advice from dog owners and breeders' next to it. If so, you're a champion!! A saw quite a few people reading them and she handed one to every person who walked past the pet shop so hopefully they will take it on board and buy pure or rescue! I have some work to do today {grrr queen's birhtday}, so I'll be on later and will add the text from the pages if anyone wants to know what it said. Lady, you are an angel!

I love my Nintendogs game and recommend it. The puppy needs daily fresh water and food, positive reinforcement, walks and responds badly if you yell at it or neglect it. What I find more revolting is the DS games for girls 'My Fashion Idol' 'MakeUp Queen' 'Imagine cheerleader' 'Imagine Babies'. Yah, because that's all life is about for 9 year old girls; hair, makeup, sexy dancing and having babies.

Haven't seen it yet but I believe it's the best piece of advice I can give.. Actually meet your internet-found intended breed, more than once if possible! I was almost 100% SET on an Airedale after meeting a friend's one for the first time, went to a meet, and they just weren't the breed for me. We did not click at all. I was saddened, but it saved me a lot of heartache.

I thought $1500-$2000 would be a good price, considering what you get out of it by buying purebred. And the massive amount you'd be spending on toys, beds, etc, because you just cannot resist buying puppy things. Truly, you can't. It's like a medical condition or something. My intended bulldog puppy is costing us $3000-$4000, pet home only, so feel lucky!

I'm so sorry! What a poor little dear!

Did so. I'm sick of reading bully threads myself. Lord knows I've tried to get through to them, printing pages off the internet, even highlighting relevant parts, but they dismiss it as "you can't trust everything you read on the internet" although you can trust everything you see on Better Homes and Gardens. I'm sorry you seem to have idiot relatives too, Nekhbet

Friend of the family bought an American Staffordshire Terrier from a puppy mill almost a year ago. Stupid reason, their kid was terrified of dogs so they bought one to get him over it. It didn't help, obviously. They didn't research the breed at all, they got one because one of their friends has one and they liked the way it looked. It was walked everyday for about two weeks, then retired to the backyard because it was too bouncy, and promptly abandoned in terms of involvement. It went to training for 6 weeks, one of those $2 a session jobs run by a bored housewife, learning only 'sit' 'stay' and 'heel'. Unneutered. No socialisation with other dogs or people, no extra effort with training {they put it's inability to learn anything down to 'all staffies are dumb', rather than 'we were too dumb to realise that bull breeds need focused training'}, no effort to exercise it beyond twice a week walks to the end of the street. Now they've got someone staying with them who also bought an AST, a young female whose only exposure to other dogs is the aged maltese owned by their grandfather, and they are both honestly surprised that the two dogs are now not only fighting violently both with each other and any other dog they meet, but also *somehow* getting more and more "frusterated" and "bouncing on and biting people". Note that neither of these dogs were taught bite inhibition either. I told them they should research the breed now {better late than never}, buy a training book for bull breeds {the Pigs one}, take them both to proper training classes and also keep up training every day, walk for at least an hour a day, increase socialisation with the help of a behaviourist, and be more involved with them. Was I listened to? Ohhhh noooo, because I'm apparently "not even a vet or nothin', besides you gots a big dawg so ya wouldn't know about no small dawg like a staffy" Then they went back to discussing how they're going to "train" them by walking them past each other on leads, and if they try to fight, they'll "yank them with a choker", on the advice of their electrician buddy who thought keeping a GSD puppy in his caravan for the first 6 months of it's life was the best way to ensure loyalty. Apparently he's a dog expert, and I'm just making up the term "bull breed" because they can't think of any other dog that looks like a staffy and has 'bull' in it's name. Truly? If that fails, they said they don't know what they're going to do, because it's getting "really annoying". Ummm, here's an idea....take my advice?! They even went so far to say to me "Yeah, what dog would you recommend then, Miss know it all?" and I said "None, you're all so stupid that you'd mess up Lassie", which started a discussion about "those Lassie dogs are good with kids", with thoughtful looks at each other, and someone else piping up with "What you gotta do is, buy a Labradoodle, Labradors are perfect with kids and Poodles don't shed or need training so you get the best of the best". When I arked up about that, they said they saw it on Better Homes and Gardens so they'd know what they were talking about. I swear to Dog, I'm in the mood for killing people today. Anyone want to join me?

On a single day, I spent $98 on bully sticks, $100 on toys, $170 on a bed, $80 on a collar, $60 on a lead and $10 on ear-bows. Ear-bows. For a Dane. {they were black with cherry print, so don't blame me, plus she looked miserable and adorable with them on} It would have been $20 for the additional tail bow That's the most I've ever spent in a day, although she didn't get anything else for a month after that.

OH said "what, did she look in the mirror?" She was certainly long-lived!

They're meant to have individual beds? I never knew, having shared my bed with a giant shovel-pawed monster for most of her life.

My Dane refuses to wear a coat, but she's cared for fine when we visit her "brothers" and "sisters" {family's Danes} They're spoiled dogs, they have their own indoor set-up for winter, which is the old horse shed beside the house. There's four open boxes {large stalls}. Each dog has their own one, floored with straw with washable heat-sealing clark rubber stuff underneath that, with a queen-size thermal blanket over the top of the straw, toys scattered and water bucket at chest height. Titan, the oldest Dane at 9, has his own thermally heated doughnut bed. The other dogs as puppies were put in his stall with him to absorb some good manners, you'd go in every morning and see the big old man curled in his bed with a puppy sprawled on top of him, both snoring like champions. Last year they got the internal system replaced, so it wafts warm air through each stall, but not enough to really heat it up. To me, wearing just a single layer of clothes, it's cosy enough to make me want to lie down with them In winter, the dogs prance around the back door and charge into their stalls like a herd of buffalo. They know where the best beds in the house are and sometimes I'm jealous, having to go into my cold bed and warm myself up.