shelby-001

I do agree with the article in that a lot of small dog owners allow behaviours in their 'small' dogs that are annoying and would never be acceptable in a larger breed. Some things are non-consequential, like the pulling on a lead! Owner puts it on a harness, if they are happy with that, they're prerogative. What wouldn't be their prerogative though would be if the small dog was lunging at other dogs as it walked passed. If it was and a larger dog retaliated, of course the larger dog would be blamed, regardless of it being antagonized first. I'm not going to pretend that large dogs and small dogs will ever be treated the same, it's a laugh for my 33kg Amstaff to be on my lap (I weigh 49kg), but hey he still gets on there from time to time. Would I chose to have him there all the time no. If I owned an 8kg SWF, I'd probably love having it on my lap all the time. Whether they do it or not to me is not the issue. It's having the manners to accept when they are told no and to move away politely, not yapping n snarling about the situation. I completely agree with the comments regarding how much 'scarier' the world is to a small dog. Of course it is, my Amstaffs are obviously less intimidated than my auntie's shitzus (sp) by all sorts of things. They don't feel threatened by a lot of things a dog so much smaller would. HOWEVER, I do believe the owner can make the small dog comfortable in the world so that these issues aren't a problem. I know a household of 4 Maltese and once introduced to them as a new comer, they retreat to their beds or play as they were before you approached the property. They accompany their owner to the door (silently I might ad), inspect the new visitor, after a sniff n hello, you don't see them again. Unlike Aunties who's go Ape Sh*t for the duration of your visit and get locked in the laundry so they don't nip your toes off. Whoever said that these behaviours are all possible in bigger dogs is 100% correct, difference is most larger dog owners will train this out of them, while small dog owners will just 'remove' the dog or laugh it off as 'isn't it cute, he's so little'. It's not the dogs that cause the problems, it's the owners.

We don't give marrow bones intentionally if we are going out. Occasionally I have given them one, forgotten, gone out and then come home to find them happily gnawing away on them, another time they were asleep and the bones not even a consideration. My favourite for giving them something to occupy them if I am heading out for a while is a Buffalo Pizzle. They get one each and they provide a good 20 odd minutes of chewing, after they have had their 'game' first. They like to run around and tease n chase each other, frantically waving their Pizzle at each other, once they've shown off enough they lay down n chew. They have about 4 cow hooves floating around the yard that stay out there permanently and they just grab one and chew away when they feel like it. Our two have been known to share a bone though. Their meals are not to be shared.... breakfast and dinner are strictly their own (or Lilly would end up the size of a house, she doesn't know how to stop eating). Very rarely do they bother each other over a bone, they are always given one together, at exactly the same instant and they head off in opposite directions. The only item Boof gets possessive of is a pig trotter, but he is normally finished before Lilly and leaves her in peace. If by chance she finishes first and heads in his direction, one growl and she disappears.

I have a friend with a cross of this breed.... I can't remember what it is crossed with, but it is catahoula all over. They live on a property. He is a gorgeous boy, goofy, fun and wonderful!

Thanks guys, I can officially report that it was a fantastic success. We got there REALLY early, to let the dogs look around and watch the other dogs turn up. They have had ZERO socialisation in their lifetime. So to start with we were OVERLY excited to see everyone and everydog!! We settled the longer we were there. So class started and considering they were so many dogs and such a HIGH stimulation environment they were really good. They did pretty much everything right, it was UNREAL. Can't wait til next week........

Hey guys, I'm a lil excited, we are finally going to our FIRST obedience class. At the end of last year when we got Boof n Lilly, it was too late to join as they were closing for christmas in a few weeks and had stopped taking new dogs. This year we have had SO much rain, they have only managed to have one successful night which of course we were out of town for, SO.... TONIGHT is the night!!!! We are predominantly looking for socialization as they get VERY excited by other dogs! But I also think it will be fun for ALL of us, the four legged and two legged in the family!

So true, we give our left over chicken to the vet for the lil sicklings! (I have a takeaway shop) If they haven't got any for a while, they'll come down and buy some.

I have two Amstaffs and neither of them are overly interested in tugging and as for 'fetching' well you throw something and they look at you as if to say, 'YOU threw it stupid, you go and get it', LMAO... every no n then if they are playing crazy together I'll inject myself with a tug and get 5 minutes in (IF that) or get two chases, but then they are over it VERY quickly! Do what they like, they will be more cooperative that way I would think!

Is exactly the same as my besties 6month old RR. Zuka is a purebred, bred by our local vet so I presume it's perfectly normal. Have run into a couple of zuka's brothers n sisters at the vets and they were the same!

Thats awesome, I need to get into the clicker training.... it's wonderful!

going to have to invest in some for my two... these are gorgeous

Isn't chipping now compulsory in NSW? It is in QLD as of last year, all pups sold have to be microchipped. Our pet shop (lil town of 8000) won't sell pups unless they are chipped since the new law and they have an arrangement with the vet if the whole litter is done at once they get it cheaper, and the vet will go down there to them.

Mackay regional council NQ requires a permit for more than 2 dogs

There are a multitude! Are you looking brand new/second hand? How many humans do you need to seat? Do you require 4WD? I own a Holden Combo (it's a barina but turned into a small commercial van). It has the biggest wagon you will get, but only seats two people. We have a tow bar and can tow about 600kg, so I dog trailer is fine, providing it's not designed to carry 6 St Bernards, LOL It's great on fuel and being based on one of the most popular small cars, the repair costs are reasonable as it is common. Otherwise you go to larger vehicles like commodore/falcon wagons, but then your fuel costs go up as do you repair costs, they have 6 cylinders not 4, bigger more expensive tyres etc...... but I guess it depends what you need really.

we only feed raw here and their poops are always firm and for their size very small

Yep we walked Boof. He came home a crying whinging mess (BIG sook), didn't really want to move much the next day, was still relatively quiet the second day, I just got him to follow me around the yard, but day 3 and we were off for short walks, did a couple a day to keep him warn out and stimulated his brain. Lilly we took a little longer with but still only a few days and then just made sure she didn't go nuts with zoomies or jump!

you know now it's mentioned, comparing the colour of dogs to people's reactions its so true that it makes a difference. Shelby- my first dog, staffy x unknown - had this way of turning EVERYONE into an instant dog lover, she'd somehow touch them and they'd fall in love with her Boof n Lilly on the other hand - American Staffordshire Terriers Get me some really interesting looks when we go for a walk, I ALWAYS get the comment 'you must have your hands full there!' yet Lilly is the same size shelby was! I am often told they are 'striking' dogs but never the gooey gaarrry response shelby used to get ALL THE TIME. Now what makes this very interesting, Shelby was an obnoxious dog... in your face! Loving but liked being the centre of attention. Boof n Lilly are much more polite and courteous, yet the response doesn't reflect this. So even in my limited experience of three dogs, it seems this is pretty accurate that black colouring impacts people's perceptions of dogs.

Lucky I'm not supersticious or I'd be screwed..... Two Black n White Amstaffs reside with me, Boof n Lilly. Both are black and both have 4 white feet, LMAO! That's a lot of black dog and white feet. I've never heard of it before, will be interesting to read what other more learned people have to add!

I borrowed mine from family friends for the staffy x that had a cattle property and the current one we have belongs to the OH's parents. They had it on 15 acres they used to own so I can't help there sorry. This is a good point as this is how Shelby use to get over the fence, she jump up at the fence and land on the middle n top rails, then launch over hence the placement of our 'tape'. Mum n Dad have a dog beside them though that clears their 5.5foot fence from a standing start. He's a mixed bull bread probably been purchased as a 'bull arab' or something i'd say and it's like he has springs in his feet. Two rows of wire as an extension to the top of the fence leaning into his yard would stop him but the dog belongs to the son and they are both 'boarding, with his parents who don't like the dog, so no one is bothering.

Ratbag.... she's determined! Thankfully Shelby (my names sake and aforemention staffy x unknown) grew out of this habbit at about 3 and when she moved in with my mum and dad they didn't have to bother!

Hey there, I had a staffy x of unknown heritage that used to easily go over our 6 foot paling fence. We borrowed an electric fence set up from a friend that had a cattle property. She used to launch at the fence, getting her back legs to land on the middle rail and her front feet on the top rail and then over she'd go. The placement of the fence is very important as they need to be 'earthed' for it to work. We placed our 'tape line' (the fence) about 18 inches in the yard from the fence at roughly the same height off the ground. This meant she couldnt leap over it and she couldn't get under it and then go up the fence, there wasn't the room for the required jump. I think she got 'hit' twice, then never went near it again. We have also used an electric fence with our current two amstaffs to stop them going in our truck bay of the shed, they like to chew the wiring, OH didn't like fixing it. They have both been hit a couple of times each, now when the orange tape is up, we have two rows due to the setup of the open bay, they don't go near it. Once Lilly got carried away playing when we ducked to the newsagent and we came home to find her sitting IN the truck bay inside the fence (it was turned off) and not game to come back through. So even though she'd got in with haste and distraction and no ill affect, she wasn't game to come back out once she realised where she was. Lucky we were only gone 20minutes. Our two got out once, we had only had them for about 3 weeks and they got out under the fence. We blocked the gap they had created and we haven't had the problem again and have now had them 7 months. Thankfully this time round I was clever enough to ensure the fence builder put the rails in the neighbours yards and we have the flush side with the palings, no launch pads! The back fence has the rails but the back fence has an array of 'things' hanging off it so the possibility isn't really there. Thankfully though neither of them appear to be that good of jumpers! Boof DEFINATELY isn't, Lilly might go close. Good luck, but my strong suggestion would be to get your hands on an electric fence, they come with different settings so you can start low, if this works great. Otherwise up the anti!

I guess you probably could, but yes, I wouldn't do it if my dogs could get near the gear stick or hand brake. If they are harnessed into a seatbelt clip though they shouldn't be able to get to the front!

I like this response lol When I have to leave the dogs in the car for a very short period by themselves I actually leave the windows up to keep the cool air in from the airconditioning that has been going in my car several hours or so (depending on how long I've been driving around for). In fact I actually sit with them in the car for a few minutes and blast the air conditioner to arctic conditions so it stays even cooler! When I get back in the car it's still nice and cool. I've worked out that this is better than having the windows down and letting the nice cold air escape. This was just the other day I did this and it was only about 20 degrees outside. I have put a lot of thought into this, but I suppose I'm still irresponsible. I've even gone to the lengths of getting another key cut for my combo. The dogs have their blankets and pillows in the back which is segregated by a grill and I leave the car running with all the doors locked. They can't get to the front of the car to cause issues and they soak up the a/c like theyre on holiday, LOL!!!

wow the media really live in their own world huh! I agree with the comment asking why the ranger hasn't acted if the dog is this bad. I also agree that killing a small wallaby hardly makes it a baby hunter or human killer.... it makes the mind boggle at the lack of understanding some people have.

Oh and I forgot to mention my brothers pet shop purchase (that's another story..... :D )...... A Maltese x Shitzu crossed with a BC.... yep, wierdest lookin thing ever and with a name like freckle..... poor thing!

Wow what a thread.... that was amusing :D Some people just make you wonder HUH