WeimMe

I'll be honest, that blog post really does come across as very intimidating and not very approachable at all and gave a really bad impression. I really hope that most breeders are not like that! With rising public awareness of puppy farms, a lot of people who previously would have purchased their dog from a pet shop or back yard breeder are going to be approaching a breeder for the very first time the next time they are looking for a dog. Not getting any response or being repeatedly told no for the sin of asking the price or phrasing their initial enquiry incorrectly is going to send these people straight back to the pet stores. I would think that given how puppy mills are so passionately despised that breeders would be going out of their way to be encouraging these sorts of people to consider using a responsible breeder, instead of turning them away for such flimsy reasons.

I guess it's different from dog to dog. When my girl was recovering from her spleen removal op I made up little meatballs for her out of roo mince, lean beef mince, mashed sweet potato, grated apple and grated pear (her favourites) and she would have a spoon of natural yoghurt and a fish oil capsule with it to stink it up. So sorry to hear about your beautiful little dog. She is gorgeous.

I think so too. I think that if your pets are indoors, if you are a tidy person you just tend to clean more often to accomodate the extra hair etc.

I'm kind of surprised that this is considered all that odd.... That said a gossipy Dad came to my house to collect his daughter from a playdate and told me in shocked tones about a messy mum who (shock horror) let her two large hairy dogs inside the house. Moments later, Daisy saunters down the hallway :p Apparently I'm OK because my house doesn't smell like dog and Daisy has short hair. Personally I think dogs are much cleaner than your average toddler.

Maybe he could stay inside with the little dog outside until his stitches heal while you work with a trainer on strategies to get him to feel more confident outdoors if you really don't want him inside. All those trips to the vet must be adding up!

That's so terrible! That poor woman, having to see her companion die in such a horrible way And now the other dog will more than likely be PTS as well, all because some idiot couldn't keep her behind a secure fence.

I think that all things considered this incident may be a one off situation. As others have said, it's great that your dog has good bite inhibition and that your son now knows not to lie on the dog. I'd say that she most likely reacted the way she did due to pain and not aggression. We had an incident some time ago where our much loved dog nipped my daughter when she was a toddler (incidentally, to make the child stop biting HER!). I was horrified, but the truth was that my daughter was really hurting her and she had no other way to make her stop. I was in the same room, but it happened so fast couldn't get there in time to intervene. The dog had never shown any aggression before then or since (and this was about 7 years ago now). I don't think that your dog's reaction to being hurt necessarily means that it will attack your child in the future.

Beautiful :) My sister has a Dal - they are such great dogs. I'd love to see him smiling! :D

Don't get a Weim if... You have a temper. During the puppy/teenage phase belongings were eaten (once she ate a corner off a wall!) and the backyard was dug up and criss crossed with running tracks. You are not patient. They have a will of iron and are very strong. Obedience and loose leash walking was challenging. You are never home. A lonely Weim is a LOUD Weim. You don't like being followed everywhere, all the time. You are frail and easily knocked over. When she was younger, my girl was both playful, exuberant, and very very clumsy. But otherwise, they are amazing dogs - loyal, affectionate and beautiful :)

Dammit! Why do I watch that stuff I hope that someone took that poor loyal dog and gave him a loving new home.

I'm in a similar situation to you puppy and stair-wise at the moment...I don't think I'd cope too well with a toddler thrown into the mix! You must be made of sterner stuff than I!! Let's just say that Hugo has his own peeing and pooping schedule that doesn't fit in with the 1 hour rule at all. The hour thing that you read about fails to take into account that puppies also need to toilet immediately after waking up from a nap, shortly after eating and that they seem to pee more often when they are playing or very active or even if they get excited... It might average out to once an hour for me over the course of the day but seems to be more a case of a few hours with no pee break while he sleeps, and then taking him down every 20 minutes or so while he's awake until he wears himself out. That's how I'm finding it at any rate, maybe your puppy will be a bit more predictable. If you live in a Queenslander or a home with a back verandah of some kind it might be worth considering temporarily putting a doggy toilet or pee pads there while you are toilet training your puppy. It's not ideal, but otherwise you will be leaving your little one alone and unsupervised quite frequently.

OP, I'm really sorry that your dog was attacked - I can't imagine how distressing it must have been for you to see that. I hope that he/she makes a full recovery. I think that given the seriousness of the attack and the fact that this dog was powerful and determined enough to break the leash to get to your dog, you must report the attack even if it means getting a small fine as your dog was not on leash. I'm sure you realise now that the leash laws are there for a reason. Just because the area is quiet, or it's really early, or you can't see anyone about or your dog is young/friendly/obedient does not give you any special privileges. For those of us who do the right thing and also like to walk our dogs where it's quiet, early or nobody else is around, it can be scary when large offleash dogs come bounding up to us and frankly, really really annoying.

Do you think that it's possible that mama dog might have escaped from whoever took her and left the pups behind? If that is the case, the culprits can't be too far away. I hope you find them - have you checked with the local vets etc in case someone has found them or brought them in for shots/chipping or whatever?

I don't even think I'd do that to my own dog in case she gave me a doggy headbutt (she'd also hate having someone in her face like that and there's not an aggressive bone in her body). It's a shame that the owner wasn't more proactive in telling the reporter her to back off - his politeness may have cost his dogs life. So much aggressive behaviour seems to be more a case of bad circumstances, careless owners and someone clueless unwittingly provoking the dog.

That's great that the dog is behind his/her fence and not bothering anyone. Someone else may have had a talk with the owner (or complained!).

My nieces were frightened of dogs - especially larger dogs - when they were younger and eventually came to regard my Weim as a friend rather than a terrifying beast by frequent visits and no forced interaction. I didn't lock Daisy away, but she is also a dog who isn't especially interested in getting attention from guests so after a while they just ignored each other and now they will give her a pat. That said though, they were mildly afraid (would cry and ask to be picked up when she was about) and your nephew sounds like he's absolutely terrified, the poor kid. Maybe you could slowly expose him to dogs that are confined and on leash (like a show perhaps?) with no expectation to touch or interact and take it from there. What NOT to do - what my sister-in-law's idiot friend did. Daisy was being baby sat over Xmas on year at my brother's house and idiot friend thought that it would be a great idea to take the opportunity to desensitize her very very frightened son (who suffers from Aspergers) by shoving him in the back yard with a large unrestrained strange dog. I'm sooooo lucky that she didn't bite him...he had her cornered and was hitting her and screaming in her face. I hope that it all works out, the canine/human relationship aside, it would be very difficult to go through life being so afraid of an animal that you would encounter so frequently.

That's great news!

That is very odd... The rules may differ from state to state but here the agent is able to enter the property in the case of an emergency and also if the Property Manager has reason to believe the property has been abandoned (after a day has elasped). I would think that this situation would be covered by both of those clauses. I hope that it's not too hot there and they have access to water. Poor kitties

I think that learning your pups pooping patterns might help so that you can make sure that she's in the right place at the right time. Puppies usually poop when they first wake up, shortly after eating and sometimes after a vigorous play session. I guess it's different for every dog so watching and even making a note of the times your pup goes will help. Your pup will get there eventually :) At least you have wees under control (and there are a lot more of those!).

Forgive me for sounding nasty, but I think that unless the dog in question is both friendly and well trained and the owner is present I think that dogs have no place being allowed out of a fenced yard at all. As much as I would love to have my dog in my unfenced front yard with me while I garden or wash the car, I understand that while she's friendly she is also large and doesn't have the best recall - she might frighten someone by running up to them and that would be enough to warrant a council complaint. If this owner was at all responsible, after their dog had rushed you/your dog/anyone in an aggressive manner even once they'd make sure that gate was closed from then on. If you had reason to yell or feel uncomfortable and she continues to leave the dog unsecured she is demonstrating her ambivalence to the situation. She knows her dog is doing this and probably more people are threatened then just you and she continues to leave the gate open. What's the point in talking to her about it - she KNOWS and is doing nothing. In the meantime, a child might be attacked or someone walking their smaller dog might have their pet injured or killed.

Gross! And I thought it was bad that mine eats their poop whenever the chance presents itself!

So horrible. They should be fined regardless for not having adequate fencing. It's terrifying when all that stands between you and a very agressive dog is a rickety fence that's only just managing to contain it.

My girl had a hermangiosarcoma in her spleen and was given only a few weeks to live. She had the surgery to remove her spleen as she was in good health otherwise (and I just wasn't ready to say goodbye) and nearly 4 years later she is doing fine. Even when the prognosis isn't the best, you just never know. Hopefully it will be something much more benign - fingers crossed for you.

People are so damned litigious. It seems so odd that a person who supposedly loved dogs so much that he'd rush up uninvited and startle the poor thing with in his enthusiasm would also feel justified in condemning the same animal to death for accidentally injuring him. What an arse. She looks like a beautiful dog

If the dog lives with your parents and they are paying for his/her food, vet bills and responsible for walking and caring for him/her, I would think that the decision should be theirs. Personally, aside from suggesting that the dog be desexed I'd be staying right out of it. The dog sounds a bit like a Shetland Sheepdog from your description.