Dju

:D So the tug toy rope things are a good investment then? I had a feeling that the thick ropes couldn't be chewed that easily. But I heard about really tough toys on the market like.. Kong Wubba or something like that, which is impossible for dogs to chew through or something like that. I'll probably opt for the kmart fold-out kid sofas as well, they're cheap enough to break.

That's a really good idea! Our dogs wreck their beds too but they are allowed on the couch and stuff but I may have to copy you and pop one of those in the lounge for them. They even eat their own beds?? Good thing to know, I was going to go ahead and buy an expensive bed for my dog because I figured "oh what the hell, it will last a while" :D

Those are a hell of a lot of toys.. I'll check out the collars though, thanks!! :D

So, as some of you know (well, maybe only a few of you), I'll be getting a puppy soon! Ever the bargain hunter, I've been trawling through ebay and online pet stores, looking for the best prices on the supplies that I need, but how does one know if the product really is a bargain or cheap because it's just crap? So I was wondering if any DOLers could help me out with this :D We'll be buying pet beds, grooming products, food bowls, a crate, and most importantly, TOYS (because they tell me Vallhunds will chew down our house), but we have no idea where to start looking. Has anywhere out there bought something out of those categories that has lasted you and your dog for years? Been great value for money? Have any particular products you'd absolutely recommend to any new dog owner? Spill those secretsssss...

I reckon the best place for things like that is ebay: http://shop.ebay.com.au/?_from=R40&_tr...-All-Categories

Dammit, the price went up! I was considering buying one of those crates too.. Does anyone have any experience with the green crates? For some reason the blue ones attract me more but the sizes are ginormous for a Vallhund!

Congrats Dju Cant wait to see pictures of your little man! You must be so excited Like you wouldn't believe!

Cassie's puppies have arrived!! Four boys two girls so far! :p And one of the boys is for meeeeeeee~!

And exactly the same thing happens on DOL as well. I dunno, dogs lick their balls, eat grass and slightly off meat that has been marinating on bones that have been buried in the yard for the last week and a half... do you want all that on your wounds??

My boy is due to be born in a few short days, woo! Feels like I've been waiting foreeever!

I agree with this

Do we really need a suit for showing? It's hard to find anything whatsoever in a size eight

This is what I'd hope for too! :D I'm not sure to react to the people saying they made arrangements to put their dogs to sleep after they've died! For me, that sounds like a horrible thing to do, putting them to sleep for no reason like that.. I would hope that even if I did die that my doggy would still continue to live a long and happy life well after I've gone. I'd watch him from heaven and when he goes over the rainbow bridge, I'd be standing on the other side waiting for him

Another +1 for Jetpets. They give a breeder discount as well, which is useful, and out of all the companies I contacted for a quote to fly my baby over from NSW, they were actually the cheapest too. I didn't really like Dogtainers that much when I called them.. after I let loose a bit of shock that they were the most expensive pet transport company I'd called so far, it got mighty quiet on the other end :D

I wanna make some bedding for my pup too, Ishy! xD Have any tutorial recommendations for me? I found a nice one for a "condom bed" but that's it

He's adorable!

She's absolutely gorgeous

You should definitely show pics, Undecided XD I'm secretly keeping my fingers crossed that the dog will have a very defined mask and as much of its mom's color as possible (I love yellow/gray Valls), but I guess I'll have to let my breeder choose for me because it needs to have show dog potential!

I heard that neither the dog's true owner nor the woman he saved claimed the dog in the end

That is the cutest thing ever, he looks like he adores you a lot and you him too I guess I'm getting a bit anxious because I have chickens at home and I just want to cuddle and pet them haha! Juzni likes the pets and she'll be happy to sit around for a while, but some of my chooks run for their lives when they see me because they haaaate any form of human interaction lol. I guess it's a bit weird I'm comparing chickens to doggies. ;) But they're all my babies all the same. The cuddle game sounds fun I'm sure I'll love Hugo in any shape and form he's in, and he'll probably be perfect right from the start :p I can't imagine not liking any puppies I get anyways, how can a person dislike a puppy?? :p

But could he still be a snugglebum? I have no bigger wish in the world than to end up with a total snugglebum who prefers my arms more than any ball in the world. There's not a lot of mouths around me who could pass on info about a breeder (all my friends bought their pets from shops, RSPCA, or a friend of the family's accidental litter), and I actually joined this website after I found myself the perfect breeder for me There was only a few Vall puppy listings anyways, and Cassie just struck a good cord with me from the start! Maybe I can be others' words of mouth one day then?

What about show puppies then? Do you still attempt to match them up or is it a case of just picking the best-looking dog with no regard to any other factor? I was a bit worried with how that would go; I want to show my boy when I get him but I don't want to forgo the perfect puppy for me for nothing but looks @Poodlefan: It's nice that you have a trusted breeder already, I've been reading all these horror stories on DOL about unethical breeders and how just because they're listed on DOL it doesn't mean they're any good. Scared me for a bit!

Well imo neither of them are absolutely fantastic dog food choices but Advance is definitely 100x worse than Royan Canin. This information alone makes me wonder if your breeder knows what they're talking to me about in general... I thought heaps of people crate-train their puppies! From this website. My breeder told me to get a crate as well because she said that dogs think of it as their special little cave.

I wanted to clicker train my Vall puppy. You can clicker train any dog, but some are just more creative and quick than others. Erik is extremely fun to clicker train! Haha, that's exactly what Erik is. He is currently sleeping in his favourite spot on my legs on the couch after tearing around playing contact sports with great danes this afternoon. He is unstoppable! Plays with the big boys and pretty bold and fearless. Valls are so spunky. ;) His cuddles are about as extreme as everything he does. Never met a dog that is so cuddly. He doesn't just sit on you or with you. He snuggles into your arms and tucks his head in against your neck and drapes front paws over your shoulders. He does it about once or twice a day, which is just right for me. I'm sure you will be happy with any Vallhund. They are all different, but most I've met have been similar enough in their behaviour to be able to see all the little Vallhund things they all do. They are SO SMART! Oh, clicker training, yeah! The puppy preschool I want to go to asks all owners to bring a clicker along to classes so I guess he'll have to be good at clicker training! :D I am so excited about puppy preschool, I've been waiting for the chance to own and love a dog since I was 10, and I'm finally old enough to be able to afford owning one Your relationship with your dog sounds so sweet! As if I wasn't impatient enough to get my puppy, now you're gonna drive me nuts with the lovely images in my head Smart, are they smarter than Kelpies? :p My dad is the biggest Kelpie-fanboy ever and I need to knock him onto the Vallhund team somehow!

I know, I'm so delighted!! I know about Ausled (and a lot of other breeders, I've been to all their websites... lol...), and hear she's the best breeder in Australia!(Btw, what is a clicker dog??) I don't think I'd have the guts to choose.. at the moment, she's getting us a show pup, but I hope it's also a pup that matches my personality as well, though I'm not sure if that's a possibility, now that I'm getting the puppy based on prettiness and not necessarily personality haha. Still, I've heard that all SVs are quite snuggly, and that's exactly what I want in a dog. A snugglebum when we're at home, with an active playmate when we're out! I do think that I picked the best breed for me though, the personality that Ausvarg's dogs have is just everything I ever want in a dog I'll definitely visit the Spitz thread, if only to post photos of my new puppy when he arrives! :p