trinabean

My puppy is an idiot because she will try to eat anything that falls on the kitchen floor. She got pretty far along on a Jalapeno pepper before realizing it bites back. Then she barked at it.

Love the photos of Earl KelpieHoundMum. Especially the action shot, love his droopy face.

And Hankdog, I can just picture Jake waking your sister with his flappy muzzle in her eye. My Boxer has scared the bejeebus out of me with a similar wake up tactic. Lucky their faces are velvety and flat, no sharp edges!

Thanks all, he's a delightful boy. I don't normally post a birthday thread but he's been through a lot recently, and I'm just grateful to have him. :)

My dog is a dope because he is so curious that he sticks his boofy head into everything. :laugh:

At the beach he digs a hole in the wet sand, sticks his head in, and lets the sand cave in on his head. Like so:

Oh thanks Persephone and Kirislin, I will mention that next time. :)

Not an answer to your question, but it might be of interest. When my dog was at the dermatologist vet recently we were discussing what we could add to Bruno's diet. She has noted an increasing number of dogs have allergy issues with the potato family (I was asking about adding sweet potato).

Oh wow, great information. Thank you

Did they say sweet potato also caused the same issues as normal potato?

I didn't ask about that sorry, so no idea (we decided in that consult to substitute with pumpkin).

Mind you, she was talking about dogs the clinic specializes in, with multiple allergy issues. A healthy dog can tolerate a wider range of foods no doubt.

Not an answer to your question, but it might be of interest. When my dog was at the dermatologist vet recently we were discussing what we could add to Bruno's diet. She has noted an increasing number of dogs have allergy issues with the potato family (I was asking about adding sweet potato).

Oh thanks for that information Staff'n'Toller.

Ok so Cortavance is a bit of a stand-alone product then. I will just keep getting it from the dermatologist vet in that case.

We don't need Baytril at the moment (when we last used it i recall it being about $800 for 8 weeks supply).

If Bruno needs to go on it again though I will ask the vet about the generic Apex laboratories version.

Thanks so much! :)

The sweetest Boxer on the planet turned 3 last night. We sang Happy Birthday when the fireworks went off.

And today Bruno had a goat cake. :D

silent child

I also work full time and although I hate being away from my dogs, I have never had problems with it.. usually I can juggle my work hours with my partner so the animals are never left alone for too long.

No problem there, the dog does not appear to be alone all day. You have made provisions to cater for his needs

It is ok if you can make arrangements for the pup to have alternatives but not if you can't.

Obviously, some of you don't get it, or can't read. If one person reads this and re-considers getting a pup, it is worth it.

If you are a breeder, and are happy to sell pups to people who will leave the pup alone for 12 or so hours per day, it's none of my business. The person I rejected can go to you to get one. You will be happy, you will have a sale, they will be happy, they will have a pup. Will the pup be happy?

No one cares, really.

It doesn't matter if you are offended because you have raised one dog from a pup - what matters is making people think before they do it. There are far too many teenage dogs dumped. All of them were wanted pups, some of them wanted by people who worked full time and thought they could cope, and found they had a dog with problems, that they didn't want any more. There are far too many poorly trained and behaved dogs. There are far too many unsocialised dogs, too many fear biters. Working full time is not the cause of all these problems, but it can be one cause.

Yep, puppies from me are for people who either don't work, or have something in place so that the pup does not spend 10 - 12 hours a day alone.

I've bolded a couple of bits of Jed's post. It seems that plenty of DOLers have something in place to occupy their dog (eg. a dog walker, taking their dog to work, someone to check on the pup during the day etc).

Many DOLers have more than one dog too, whereas Jed is talking about a single pup, left alone for long hours. I didn't read Jed's post as a sweeping generalisation that all full-time workers are bad owners.

More that working full-time can be a factor sometimes. And the less dog-savvy general public often means there are puppy buyers who have not fully thought through their decisions on choice of breed, let alone how they will go about responsibly raising a puppy. Or occupying it while they are absent.

Happy New Year everyone !!

I am going to start 2014 off by putting myself in the firing line.... up front, facing the firing squad !!

Firstly, before people get really cranky about what I will say, I am not referring to each and every home-alone dog or full-time working owners. I know that there are many whose situation does work for them and their dogs but there are just as many situations where it just doest work out and the results can be tragic.

I am Secretary of the Breed Club in my state and I also run our breed rescue and placement service. I can say that most requests to put a dog on rescue or placement come from people who are full time workers. They usually tell me that they love their dog but they just cant live with it and so it needs to be found a new home. Classically, these dogs have been sold at 8 weeks of age to families where there is no one at home for long periods each day, 5 days a week. The house is usually empty of people from around 7.30am to about 5.00pm. Before people leave the house they are often busy getting the day off to a start and when they arrive home, they are often busy with household things such as preparing meals, doing chores or in the case of the kids, doing homework. There is usually very little time each day that can be devoted to giving the puppy the sort of interaction and training that it needs. This doesnt just mean a cuddle or a game or a walk.

My breed needs close supervision while growing up. They need guidance as to the acceptability (or otherwise) of the activities that they choose during the day. They need reinforcement of positive behaviours and distraction away from those that are unwanted. They also have a high psychological need to be close to people and this, at times, can become overwhelming so that when a person does finally appear at the end of the day the puppy/dog is so overcome with excitement and joy to see another living creature that all possibility of quality learning flies out the window. Instead, the dog's hyper reaction to seeing someone becomes the reinforced pattern of behaviour and this can be set for life. It might be cute when a little puppy turns itself inside out with joy at the arrival of its person each afternoon but it is very wearing when the dog is a lot bigger and there is more force behind the jumping, leaping, twirling and barking !!

My breed learns fast and also learns by perceived reward. This means that a lonely pup which finds something to do that relieves the hours of boredom or that runs off some of the pent up energy or simply offers some tactile stimulation, will return again and again to that activity. If no one is there to direct the pup and tell it that the behaviour is not really acceptable, that behaviour quickly becomes reinforced and very hard to change. Because the puppy is often obtained at an age and stage of development where toiletting and house training habits are at a crucial point and where patterns can be set for life (eg surface preference) home-alone puppies of this breed can be difficult to house train. For this reason they often find themselves excluded from the house which in turn leads to separation issues when the family is at home and inside..... where the dog also believes it should be !!.

By the time these home-alone dogs reach 6-9 months of age the owners are often not feeling the love when they get home from work. Their yard may be looking the worse for wear, holes dug, retic chewed, plants pruned and often neighbours not pleased about the barking and door banging.

This scenario is NOT a rare one for my breed. I have never had a request for a dog to go onto rescue or placement where there is a member of the family at home for 4 or 5 out of 7 days except where the owners have become ill or are moving.

As a breeder I WILL NOT sell my puppies to a home-alone situation because I know that it has a very high chance of not working. I dont say that it wont work, but I know my breed and its requirements and therefore I know that the odds are against the puppy growing to be a well-trained and well behaved adult if placed in a home-alone situation while at critical stages of development. I choose homes where there is at least one part-time worker or a family member who is home for a reasonable part of the week. Any more than 2 consecutive days alone and the prospective buyer is politely told that one of my puppies will not be available to them.

This is MY choice and MY right. Needless to say I get people who are cranky that I wont sell them a puppy because they work full-time. I have been abused and called names ...... can see that about to happen here too !!!

I have had people tell me that they will "make it work"...... when I ask how they plan to do that, they tell me that they will find a way !! To me this seems like a huge gamble because IF it doesnt work out and the dog needs to be rehomed it's the dog that suffers.

I have a very strict criteria for selecting the homes for my puppies and I have very little trouble in finding the type of home that I want for them. I may pass up some truly wonderful homes because the puppy will be in a home-alone situation, but that is my choice. I'm sure that there will another breeder somewhere in Australia or a pet shop that will happily sell them a puppy.

A good post Wundahoo. At the end of the day, as a responsible breeder, you would take back a puppy if 'things didn't work out' and I think you are wise to mitigate that risk by selecting the most suitable home for your breed. So often on DOL people lament about the breeders who won't take one of their own dogs back. We can't have it both ways. Many good breeders are very selective about the homes their pups go to. They know what works/ doesn't work for single puppies of their breed.

Obviously circumstances differ from household to household. And the average DOLer is not necessarily the same as the average member-of-the-public puppy buyer. Many DOLers put things in place to occupy their dog (dog walkers etc) while they are at work.

Thank you for the continual interest and views.

The website I was thinking about buying from is based in Australia and therefore should not have problems with customs. But I will certainly check with them about expiry date.

Rather in shock over the vet buying medication and turning it around for a quick mark-up. Obviously I live a sheltered life and shock easily. lol

Am I allowed to post the name of the Australian website that I was thinking about buying from under the forum rules? Just thought other people might be interested...

I'm interested as I buy quite a few prescription medications for my dog, including Cortavance. I had no luck in finding 'Baytril' (enrofloxacin) online through Australian websites, that was pretty expensive too.

I live on acreage here and am somewhat isolated. I have a desexed male Boxer and the summer temps get quite hot. He basically lives inside come summer with the aircon, but he will still bark at anything weird he hears outside and rush to whatever door/window he hears it from. He also has a magnificent smeller on him and can pick up weird scents from inside blowing in through windows or under doors. He has a run under the verandah which he can go out into during the day in summer if he chooses too [easier to check for snakes first before letting him out].

One night when a prowler was hanging around the shedding, he'd scented first and had woken up from a dead sleep and rushed barking to the back door. Who ever it was high tailed and didn't get a chance to break into the shed.

Boxers can be very protective of house and home. He will always put himself between strangers and myself at the door, unless it's someone he knows and then will greet normally. Which I don't mind at all when I'm on my own.

I'm going to second what Noishe said, in particular the bolded bits. We are not on acreage though, we live on a suburban block.

I have to say first and foremost, our Boxer is a family dog. He adores our kids and is very gentle with them. Likewise their friends when they visit (I always supervise carefully, of course). Anyone we welcome into our home, he welcomes. Strangers though, he is quietly watchful of (eg. door-to-door salepeople). He is not generally a vocal dog but when he is, I have learned to take notice. Last time I tried to sleep through him barking and carrying on at what I assumed was a cat, our neighbours were being burgled.

Others have mentioned quite correctly that brachy breeds such as Boxers don't always cope well with high heat. We get high temperatures in Perth through summer but I find my Boxer copes ok, as he has access to the house via a dog door. He will still alert me to anything suspicious, even if he is staying cool inside the house. Frankly, on a 40 degree day, we all seek refuge in the air conditioned house anyway. Bruno just picks a spot to stay cool, where he can watch all three external doorways.

I love that my dog is unafraid of most things (fireworks, storms, loud noises etc). He will immediately check out anything unusual (this can mean sticking his nose into whatever is going on, -it's best to keep him away from paint I've found). :laugh:

And although I'm sure he wouldn't harm anyone, he puts on a convincing display if he is suspicious of someone on/near our property. I admire Rottweilers and Rhodesian Ridgebacks too I must say. For our family though, Boxers are a perfect fit. :)

Yes, that is the sort of list provided in the Ingleburn Vet/ antihistamine search that 2Boxer suggested. :)

Juice my dog is on Hydroxyzine/ 'Atarax' as listed in the Ingleburn vet list. He was put on a prescription for it by the dermatologist vet we see. It does help manage atopic dermatitis and the itching is reduced. We do a morning dose and an evening dose, every day.

Yes, it happens to me walking my boxer all the time. Although i usually cross the road to avoid passing other dogs on the same footpath. Particularly if the oncoming dogs are all over the place on an extender leash, or barking at us. It's just a more peaceful walk if we keep some space.

I can't comment on whether it's a cultural thing to be afraid of dogs as I don't know. Many of the people who actively avoid my dog are caucasion anyhow. Meh, I just figure it's a wariness of large dogs. Who knows whether from bad past experiences, misinformation etc.

Try not to let it bother you GSDowner. You know your dog is lovely, and that's what matters. :)

That is just beautiful, I'm sure Antoinette will love the photo. :)

Just lovely and the story on FB had me in tears, what beautiful people that Phoebe got to share her life with

Absolutely, Stan's mum. Phoebe's people showed such generosity and kindness, even in their grief. Bruno will borrow (and return) a ball next time we're there.

I've pinched this from the 'Love Freo' Facebook page. South Beach is a very popular dog beach in Fremantle. RIP Phoebe.

Phoebe's owners gift to others will be enjoyed:

Trina are you sure its food?

Im not familiar with your older posts but could it be a plant in your garden?

Wandering Jew or something like that?

Oops, haven't been back to the thread and missed your question TruBorders. No, I know for sure that chicken, beef and lamb cause my dog to itch, through doing an elimination diet and dietary re-challenge. Plus he's had dermatologist testing for a lot of environmental allergens (pollens, insects, dust mites etc). Thanks for the thought though, I wish it was just a plant I could get rid of out of our yard. :)

And Ranger00, how did you go at the dermatologists?

Sorry MrsD, I couldn't vote as there isn't an option for dogs not being afraid of storms. I have 1 dog, who is not afraid of storms. :)

ETA: Snap, Minimax is a faster typer.

How tragic.

Hopefully the autopsy will shed some light on the cause of death.

I have a shower hose attachment I plug into my bath tub tap and wash him in there.

Yes, this is how I wash Bruno too. :)

It's early days here as my dog is still young, but I'll share our experience so far. Bruno had the two puppy jabs, he was quite sick after the 12 week one. I skipped the 12 month booster (I talked to my vet, who had already taken up the 3 year vaccination protocols). When Bruno was titre tested at 2 1/2 years old he still had strong immunity to Parvovirus (1:80) but a much lower result for distemper (1:5).

My vet's opinion is that this is because distemper is no longer something that dogs are frequently exposed to in the environment. As opposed to Parvo, which is common in the environment. If we could have just boosted the distemper separately we would have, but it's not available on it's own, so Bruno had a C3.

I'm hoping we can get about 3 years between vaccinations now.

Thats great news :)

There is a house like that round the corner from us. Young family though with a very cranky Labradore that they just let roam every morning. My heart starts to race just thinking about trying to walk by We are usually too fast for him but he is very cunning & sneaks up from behind to try & bite Sonny. It is so unsettling though. I totally sympathise with you.

Yes, I just don't get people who let their dogs roam. Especially cranky pants one who are likely to bite. Do they not give a toss about what could happen to others, or even just their own dog if caught or reported?

I hope they don't move to Qld, Trina. :) This week long-term owner of house at the back has moved to NSW. He owned racing greyhounds that we all loved, including our small dogs and Dook, the American Bulldog pup on the other side.

Terribly worried about who will move in... talk of it being rented. We saw a bloke there yesterday & he leaned over the fence and gave huge pats to Dook, who kept bringing him his ball. News went around the neighbourhood fast. If that's the new owner ... it's a good sign ... he likes dogs! :)

Sounds like a good sign Mita. :)

That's worth a glass of bubbly to celebrate.

Indeed it is DD :laugh:

Glad they moved, hopefully new people will be better!

Yes hopefully. I do feel sorry for whoever gets them as neighbours now. For the moment, I'm just enjoying the freedom to walk down the street without that apprehension about no. 71. No more trying to work out whether the gate is open as we round the corner. No more ninja AngryDog launching out the driveway at us. Bliss!

Awesome!! Wish the neighbours down the road from my place would up and leave. 2 human aggressive dogs that have been out the front several times. In the end, I was too afraid to walk my dogs because I wouldn't want my dogs involved the next time they tried to take a chunk out of my leg!

Yikes! At least this was only one dog-aggressive dog. That sounds worse RubyStar.

bugger, hope they don't move near me :laugh:

:laugh: yes hope they're not moving East either.

Woo hoo that's great news trina

I hope not too Stans Mum. Couldn't say which way the wind blew them though. Hopefully somewhere isolated. With self-closing gates. :laugh:

trinabean

All you need to do now is make sure someone nice moves in.

Maybe put an ad up for new tenants at the local book shop or garden supplies (or other shops kess popular with loud bogans with rude dogs).

I like the way you're thinking Mrs RB. Readers and gardeners are generally good people. :D