Salukifan

Got any vet wrap? If you cannot ensure the sock stays dry, I'd take it off.

Not sure a sock will be enough support. You want something that will cushion the paw and prevent the toes from spreading. If it's just the one foot you won't need a full set of boots. Front or back foot?

What sort of a bite does your dog have? No amount of bone chewing is going to assist with tartar control on a dog with an incorrect (ie not level of scissor) bite. The ONLY thing I've found that works for my Toy Poodle is regular cleaning by the vet. She doesn't have an incorrect bite but no amount of bones have made any difference to the tartar build up

If the same pad is splitting repeatedly, my guess is that it's not healing completely before your dog puts pressure on it and reopens the wound. Sometimes stitches are needed. A boot might be a good idea. But logically, the first place to visit is your vet.

Keep at the front of the mind that you have a dog bred to work.... out in the field, looking for birds. He needs to be given 'work' and plenty of exercise to keep him mentally satisfied. Obedience training is as much about working the mind as the body. They are a 'busy' breed. Keep him busy in ways that you are happy with and I expect you'll find him far less annoying to live with. :) Tiring him out will help. A good run, some chasing a ball or LONG walks a couple of times a week would be a good idea if he doesn't get that now. These dogs are not couch potatoes.

How much formal obedience training has your dog had? How much exercise does he get daily? Your post indicates to me that he doesn't seem to have much self control. This is something that has to be taught.

I'd be paying particular attention to comments made by posters from the ACT and the surrounding region. The vet is well known locally to many in the dog community.

He doesn't have separation anxiety. He's a baby puppy that is using his mouth to explore his world (and to interact with you) and he has the attention span of a gnat and very little bladder control. Sensible crate training will assist with leaving him unsupervised but you've got a breed developed for strong people focus and, by the sound of it, a happy outgoing pup. If you cannot watch him, he needs to be somewhere he can go to the toilet without a problem. Training will help you to understand his needs (and adjust your expectations) and focus an active mind in a positive direction. Search the threads here for 'bite inhibition' and 'mouthing" for more ideas on how to curb this behaviour. :) Have you discussed any of your concerns with his breeder. For responsible breeders, helping new owners to adjust to life with a new pup is all part of the role. Although, if he's now aged 8 weeks, and you've had him for a couple of weeks, its not likely you got him from a responsible breeder.

Sadly, while it continues to cost $190 to walk in the door of the Animal Emergency Centre, and the first thing the Centre wants is your credit card details, some owners will seek cheaper alternatives. On occasion, they will get precisely the result they haven't paid for.

The police have no legal power to round up roaming or aggressive dogs. Neither do they have the skill or equipment. If you're going to bombard anyone in your area with reports of roaming or aggressive dogs, may I suggest that your local Mayor's email inbox is a far better destination. If you want something done, escalate it up the chain of responsibility/accountability that actually has the power to act. The police have enough on their plates.

Well the guide dogs have the access rights as they are performing a job for their owner, the puppy isn't performing a job yet. We see heaps of guide dog puppies accessing supermarkets etc here. They have to go to these places so they can be used to them. I'm not sure why any kind of assistance dog in training would need to get specifically used to National Parks. Bushland is bushland to a dog. State forests would do IMO.

How the hell did this become yet another breed/breeder bashing thread?? It seems some people can't find a good word to say about any breed. Some agendas never change. The boot is going into gundogs now?? Oh sorry, just bench lines. Again. Why must such discussions degenerate into people looking down their noses at something other than their own chosen dogs?

Or maybe it's just under exercised and bored rigid. A dog bred to work needs an outlet. Fail to give it one and problem behavior can be a result. I'd look at the home before writing the problem off as genetic.

Took them long enough...

I am of very strong belief that breeders be it registered breeders or BYB's need to be scrutinised and held accountable for their reproductions. I am really tired of the fact the breeding of dogs is a complete free for all, breed what you want when you want, personally, I would like to see it as an offence to breed dogs without a licence with the introduction of a BSL....."breeder specific legislation" It is not, and has never been a "free for all" for registered breeders.

I'd still recommend pups be homed separately to eliminate the risk. It's all about pack hierarchy and when you have dogs identical in age, size (and even worse, gender) you don't have a clear hierarchy until one dog ends up on top. That may often make the other dog's life pretty damn ordinary if the "top" dog isn't secure in that position. Pack issues aside, I see way too many dogs totally co-dependent on a pack mate from whom they are never separated. It takes a lot of time and dedication to raise TWO pups. Quite a few people struggle to manage it well with one.

There's a hell of a lot of anecdotal evidence that would suggest otherwise. Perhaps one of each gender might be better but I'd neither buy nor recommend a person buy litter mates. I recall quite a major dust up at my dog club some years ago between two litte rmates - and they weren't even owned by the same family.

I would like the Whippet one please if it is still up for grabs. How do I arrange to get it from you?

I find nothing loveable about dogs allowed to menace their communities. My thoughts on their owners are unprintable.

This discussion was doomed the moment it turned towards the attributes of differing breeds. What part of ALL DOGS ARE ONLY AS DANGEROUS AS THEIR OWNERS ALLOW THEM TO BE aren't people grasping? For every dog of a breed someone cites as having acted dangerously, there will be legions of that breed who never hurt a fly. Don't buy into the BSL philosophy peeps - it's a dangerous nonsense.

Not sure who told you this but it's incorrect. The ETT has been a recognised breed for longer than the Whippet and was originally the smaller size and weight type of Manchester Terrier before the breed was divided by size. Given that the Whippet is larger than both breeds, I doubt there is much Whippet in the ETT, if any. I'd say it is possible there is ETT in the Whippet! Thank you HD - got the information from Wikipedia or one of those pages. When I discovered this girl was 3.5 kilos, I did wonder!! I added a bit more. If she's timid, she might find agility a bit overwhelming. Hopefully there's a fancier out there with room for another dog.

Not sure who told you this but it's incorrect. The ETT has been a recognised breed for longer than the Whippet and was originally the smaller size and weight type of the Black and Tan Terrier before the breed was divided by size. The larger dogs were named Manchester Terriers and the smaller ones eventually became ETTs. Given that the Whippet is larger than both of the Terrier breeds, I doubt there is much Whippet in the ETT, if any. I'd say it is possible there is ETT in the Whippet!

Pretty much, the wife is stressing. And the neighbours seem funny. As if they think he's going to eat a baby. But he is so friendly he'd probably lick you to death! To be quite frank, I doubt he has an ounce of dingo in him. He's not an F1 crossbred and I think I'd not be surprised to see popular breeds like ACD, Labrador and GSD in the mix. To rehome based on what he "might" be as opposed to judging him on behaviour seems pretty harsh. Tell everyone he's a Labrador cross and keep him. Where did you get him?

Clip and rug. I'm no fan of jumpers - I think they speed the matting. A decent dog coat is a better option. I clip my own poodles. It's expensive to get properly set up but way cheaper than professional grooming. However most people I know who've aimed to clip their own dogs end up returning to the professionals. It's not easy getting the hang of it and it is time consuming when you're learning. I think your average pet clippers (one fixed blade) are next to useless. You're way better off investing in a decent set of clippers and remember that when your dogs are clipped at the groomers, they are washed and blow dried straight to get a decent finish. You also need to do the hygiene clipping with a closer blade than the coat gets. Personally I find every 8 weeks to be the maximum I'd leave a dog - and its easier if you do it more often.

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