DogsAndTheMob

Yes! Asking my Brittany to heel early in the morning when the dew (and presumably the smell of nocturnal animals) is on the ground is like asking my Border Collie to heel alongside a paddock with sheep in it. I loved watching your Springers work, TSD. I could see so many similarities to the way Honey runs in the paddock. I wonder how much of the difference is because your dogs are trained gundogs, and how much is breed difference.

I imagine someone has already pointed you to This thread.. it is a wonderful resource for puppy owners.

You may have been very unlucky to have problems with dog fights. My parents were (registered) breeders of GSDs and border collies, so I grew up with dogs and I've owned between two and four dogs constantly for the last thirty years. Fighting dogs have been a rarity. Based on my observations, I would anticipate more problems if the dogs were similar in age. Most of the households of dogs I've watched have been heirarchical, although there have been those dogs who couldn't care less. Even when the older dogs grew frail, the younger ones haven't challenged their position. I can only remember two exceptions to this: when my parents' two oldest and most senior dogs died within days of each other, the bitch two down the new heirarchy attacked the new "top dog" - a bitch a year or so older than her; also, a husky I owned walked into my house as an eight week old puppy expecting to be boss. She was the runt of her litter and I think she may have been hand-raised, away from her litter mates. However, I act to prevent problems developing. Puppies are not allowed to harass older dogs, and older dogs are not allowed to bully puppies. I watch the dogs constantly when they are together, and separate them without fuss if either looks uncomfortable. I allow the older dog licence to rebuke a pesky puppy with a curl of the lip or a growl, but not more. If there is friction, the puppy goes into the crate, and the older dog is placed on a down stay. If possible, older dogs have a retreat that they can reach but the puppy cannot - a piece of furniture that they're allowed to jump on, or an area behind a barrier that they can jump over but the puppy cannot. Always remember, people who tell you to "let them sort it out for themselves" will not volunteer to pay your vet bills after a dog fight.

When I was a teenager, my mother and I twice raised puppies from the same litter in the same household. Of the four puppies, one became an obedience champion. The other three obtained their CDX (obedience) titles and had UD (obedience) qualifications when their trialling careers were curtailed. However, for the most part, they were managed, housed and trained separately. I trained my dogs and they slept in my bedroom. My mother trained her dogs and they slept in her room. Would I raise two puppies from the same litter by myself? No. I see too many disadvantages. * The bonding issue is real and I don't want to be the "third wheel" in the relationship between myself and my dogs. * It's difficult to train two puppies at the same time. If one puppy jumps up on a visitor/ chases the cat/ pushes through the door but the other sits quietly, which do you respond to? You can never scold one puppy for fear of worrying the other. Even rewarding good behaviour can be problematic with a second puppy pushing in to share the praise and treat. * If you take both puppies outside for a toilet break or training, chances are they'd rather play. If you leave one inside, he may be "caught short" or find mischief to explore while you're outside. I would, however, get one puppy, keeping my options open for getting a second one a few months later depending on circumstances. There are few sights as delightful as two youngsters playing together. In the 80s, I got a border collie puppy and then, four months later my husband got a German shepherd puppy, but I trained both dogs. The border collie was high energy, even for that breed, and I think he would have been miserable without another youngster to play with - although our backyard soon looked like a bomb site! The BC had no problem bonding to me. He obtained his first CD qualification at 10 months and went on to gain his CD, CDX and UD titles (UDX did not exist at the time). The GSD obtained her CD title but was a "sullen" dog to train. I'm not sure how much of her "sullenness " was because she had bonded to the BC, not to me or my husband. Vislas are very sensitive dogs in comparison to many German shepherds, labs and cattle dogs. (Of course, there are exceptions to this rule!) Unless you are very comfortable training sensitive dogs, you might also be wise to get one visla, and wait until she's half-grown before deciding whether you want another visla or a different breed.

Individual dogs vary in their food requirements. One of my border collies eats more than my German shepherd and stays lean, while the other border collie eats as little as I fed my miniature poodle and still weighs too much. I have also found that youngsters' appetites fluctuate, so I don't fuss too much if they maintain a healthy weight, which I judge by running my hands over them, not by the scales. However, I watch for other changes that might signal problems - bladder and bowel changes, elevated temperature (I can usually feel this by touching their ears), pale gums, lameness, lack of energy, general discomfort/restlessness etc. Occasionally, a sudden change in appetite does indicate something not quite right. Will he let you look in his mouth to check for broken teeth, abscesses or anything else that might make eating uncomfortable? Could he have swallowed a foreign object (e.g. a toy)? It may be worthwhile to buy and open a fresh bag of food. Recently all four of my dogs turned up their noses at their usual dog food (not Royal Canin) but regained their appetites when I opened a fresh bag. It seemed as if there was something "off" about that particular batch of food.

I hope you're in better health today, Persephone.

You might try the Steggles factory shop at Beresfield. https://www.facebook.com/StegglesShopBeresfield I haven't shopped there, but after looking at their price list, I might make a visit.

I'm sceptical about breed identification on microchip records. Puppy farmers and pet shops seem to attach the label that will sell best.

I'm surprised that nobody has questioned the "bullmastiff" label given to this dog. I've never seen a bullmastiff that looked like it. I agree that large dogs can more easily cause injury than small dogs can, but I also agree that you can't judge a dog by the breed. I've met some lovely staffy and bully type dogs, and I've owned some wonderful German shepherds. Conversely, I've had some frightening encounters with harmless-looking dogs. Many years ago, as a dog training instructor, I was asked to help a woman with her 6-month-old border collie x Labrador. The woman handed me the lead and the dog immediately went for my throat. I barely had strength to hold it off me until I could wrap the lead around a post. I believe I would have been seriously injured if the dog had been fully grown. A few weeks later, the dog attacked its owner, ripping her skin badly through two layers of clothes. The vet reproached the owner for requesting the euthanasia of the dog.I wondered afterwards whether the dog had a neurological disorder - ceroid lipofuscinosis perhaps. (Unlikely, but not impossible if it had border collie on both sides of its parentage.) I was caught off-guard because I didn't anticipate problems from that sort of puppy. When my son was born, I took him to visit a friend who was chief instructor at a local dog club. We sat down and I put my baby's basinnet at my feet. My friend's very quiet Setter sat at her side, then suddenly pounced. I snatched up the basinnet and my friend grabbed her dog. We were both experienced dog trainers, but neither of us saw any warning signs for what could have become a calamity.

It's interesting that blue poodles are born black and lighten later. I gather, from talking to owners of blue (not blue Merle) border collies, that their dogs were born blue, but darkened later.

My mother bought two large portrait pictures, one of a lion and the other of a tiger, and propped them against the wall to await hanging. I walked into the room a while later and thought "Ew, what's that smell?" My mother's cat had taken exception to the portraits, and sprayed them both, right between the eyes. It must have taken some gymnastics to direct both streams of liquid so precisely.

Oops. I quoted instead of editing. (Some days, it feels as if the dog isn't the only geriatric one around here!)

No, but I did see a mixed mob of five goats and one confused-looking, geriatric German Shepherd when I arrived home this evening. My husband had been collecting firewood in the goat paddock. The German Shepherd must have slipped in behind him and got shut in.

I didn't. I could see that it looked like a cocker spaniel, but I wasn't sure. I'm not sure why it didn't twig, because I have seen films of working cocker spaniels before. Actually, I have no excuse. Back in the 1940s, my uncle bought my then-teenage mother a cocker spaniel puppy from a top Victorian show kennels. Judging by photos, that dog, and the cocker spaniels she had afterwards, were much more like the working cocker spaniel in the article than today's show dogs.

I hope I get the chance to meet your dogs and JRG's one day - and their breeders/owners/trainers, if course!

Yes. I thought of your wonderful working springer spaniels when I saw the photos, TSD. Are your "crazy dogs" (as you term them in a different thread) also springer spaniels, JRG?

Meet the very very good dogs who helped search the Grenfell Tower As shockwaves from the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire in London continue to be felt around the world, a few unlikely heroes have emerged to capture our hearts. These are the working dogs who assisted the London Fire Brigade during their search and rescue operation. They wear tiny heat-proof booties, and their keen noses and low body weight mean they are much better at searching dangerous scenes than their human mates. Edited to add (before you click the story): I've just looked at the story again, and the expressions in those dogs' eyes tear at my heart.

As your backyard opens into an off-lead reserve, it may be a good idea to avoid noisy breeds and/or get an older, quiet dog. You probably don't want a dog that barks every time people and dogs walk past.

Agreed

Regrettably, there are people who see nothing wrong in giving bows, arrows and knives to children. Of course, they think (or at least say) that their children will only use them to hunt feral animals, thus protecting the environment and native species. It is possible that the children went in there to retrieve a stray arrow. That's still stupid and very wrong, of course - not to mention the extreme carelessness that it would imply!

I think the only thing we can be certain of is that dogs and children can behave unpredictably. i detest the concept of allowing children to carry "hunting equipment" (AKA weapons) and those children should not have been unsupervised. But it happens, and we can't know how our dogs will react when things go wrong. This thread has made me think about how I manage my animals to keep them safe from people, and foolish or even malevolent people safe from them.

One of my dogs started climbing onto the couch while we were asleep. We disrupted the pattern of behaviour by putting plastic blanket boxes on there when we couldn't supervise him.

Friends who live beside the Hunter River near the northern outskirts of Maitland told me they see dingos travelling through their paddocks down to the river. The dingo I saw yesterday was near the intersection of Seaham Rd and Brandy Hill Drive.

I'm sorry, Persephone; I didn't mean to distress you. it is really a horrible lose-lose situation. I wish somebody would find a humane solution.

That must have been devastating, Rozzie. I don't think I'd get over a loss like that. Scrappie&Monty, it might be worth checking with long-term-residents of the area. I know there are dingos as far down the valley as Maitland, and I think they would be in the Watagans as well. Lake Macquarie landholders are being encouraged to join the program Aerial baiting is being undertaken in the Merriwa, upper Hunter, Singleton and Dungog areas. I also feel sad for the dingos, although I sympathise with farmers who lose livestock in such a cruel way. The wild dog I saw was a magnificent animal.