BlaznHotAussies

I was so sure those dogs wouldn't have a chance of ever leaving DAS (alive) Sorry, but these dogs clearly like to escape and stories of dogs (especially those with strong jaws such as those dogs) biting through enclosures and they clearly can't be trusted inside a house if they want to break in (or out!). WHY are these dogs allowed to go back home and there's that lady on here with her dog who merely bit someone on a walk (after getting a fright, with no other history) and has been stuck in limbo for how long now?? And clearly the owners are irresponsible as F... because the male is entire.

Moosmum, what are the main points you'd like to make in a condensed, easy to read form? I am not seeing how understanding biology or physics is going to help me understand your posts.

Ah, yep that would make it tricky to fit a dog in. Probably nicer leaving it to roam the house/yard :) On the odd occasion that we've left our Aussie Shepherd home alone in the yard when we've gone to Perth for a day trip (so away for 12 hours), there's usually been chaff bags and dog bedding strewn around the yard, but it's more that he runs around spreading things in glee not in anxiety. Or he'll sleep in the sun. Pretty much any breed might suit, as long as it's not an anxious type & can be fairly self-contained. I actually had a Border Collie who would literally sleep in the same spot for hours and if weather/time didn't allow he didn't mind not being walked for a few days in a row (big excited leap at the start of the walk then back to dopey wandering, I couldn't even get him to run free at the park he'd just stick to my side and walk)

I think it's great you're doing your research - lots of people don't and end up with a dog they can't handle. One thing I'd like to add is that you may think you have all these requirements for the dog, but I find if you commit to a dog then your lifestyle can adapt. If your heart is set on a German Pinscher then I'm sure you'd be able to tweak your life to suit the dog. And you might as well like the dog you get as you'll have it for a decade or so! Is there any way the dog can come with you to the cafe & maybe have a little area set up in the office or something? The dog would probably love it :)

I would say they are no fuss, but my interpretation isn't that you can ignore them. It's that they are happily self-contained, don't get restless inside all day (I don't know if it was just one of the Greyhounds I knew, but we let him out for some exercise in the backyard, he chased his favourite soft rabbit toy for a couple of throws then laid down in the sun for a snooze - super lazy), don't need hours of daily grooming and they take about 5 minutes to wash and no blowdrying time!! So that's my take on them from the few I've met.

I would look into either a retired racing Greyhound or a mature dog from a breeder. Greyhounds are like any dog and love companionship and a stretch of the legs. They shed but a quick wipe over every other day with a towel would be enough grooming and they don't get smelly (unless their diet doesn't suit, then they can let off some ripper farts). Sometimes they like to dig and do normal dog things like sneak food off the bench and inspect the rubbish bin. The Greyhounds I know have a good warning bark, it's loud & deep. But when you open the door they're just like, "Oh, ok it's just a visitor." and head back to the couch to finish their nap (it has literally happened to me - she was barking and barking but once I walked in and made myself at home she went back to her warm spot on the couch) I don't agree with the concept of getting a breed and hoping it'll be a guard dog. They need a lot of training to get to that point - otherwise how do they know that your friend who's dropping in to water plants for you isn't an intruder (bad example but the point stands). Any dog that displays aggression to a human just because they're on the property (including trained guard dogs - they don't just go to anyone, I hope) should be very, very carefully handled by an experienced person otherwise it will become a liability.

6 weeks isn't exactly often to be washing a dog. I wonder if it's just how her coat is, but perhaps you could try using some Equinade Showsilk Protein Conditioner so soften her coat a bit. Works a treat on horse tails & I use it on my dogs to make them really soft

Yep, when we go to Perth and take the dogs they get a soft serve & a cheeseburger from Maccas considering they accompany us to Perth only a couple of times a year and are generally fed healthily, I really doubt it's going to give them instabetes.

...if you don't like my comments...put me on the ignore list :D ! BTW: ....calling someone 'human trash' and accusing someone of 'severe animal cruelty' without evidence seems to be ok for you?...just little things?...oh well,.... A dog turning from happy & relaxed to terrified when its owner shows up? To me that suggests evidence enough... And that's not what I'm referring to, it's you quizzing MonElite about how long she spent with the dog and the "delay" between calling the owner and dropping the dog off. MonElite, good on you for getting the dog back to his owner promptly. My BC once escaped (from 6-7ft fences!!!! We'd left for maybe an hour and a half for ice-cream, for the humans...not the dog - just for you Willem ) and it wasn't until the next day that we got a call (it was fairly late at night when we discovered him missing and then had walked & driven around the streets searching for him). Apparently they'd fed him & had him inside the house overnight and he'd made himself right at home. He was an extremely timid dog and when my husband went to pick him up, all he did was look at him from the person's bed he was snoozing on. strangest dog.

My uncle's dog used to howl along when he'd sing Copperhead Road. Without fail! Such a cool party trick.

Seriously Willem do you have to pick apart every single little thing someone says...on EVERY thread!? Do you have reading comprehension troubles and does that make it hard for you to figure out loosely used colloquial expressions? Every damn time!!!

Or 10 minutes Yeah I wasn't sure exactly how long a snake would take to kill a human

Ummm..massive difference between snakes and cats. One being that a cat won't kill you within an hour if it bites you.

I normally call anywhere during business hours. I hardly even call my mum on a weekend in case she's busy hahaha. (I'm a tad phone-phobic). Maybe you could send another short email just asking if they would prefer a call to go through the email (or something like that) and when would be a good time to call for them :)

Rubbish our dog is a pet and a work dog and he is a brilliant work dog,even if his trainers are very average!! The pack thing yes I agree That's not my words, I think the gold-coasting is completely ridiculous. Sorry yes I did realise that was not your thoughts on the matter. Someone told my dad that once, so our work dog lived inside, slept on my bed and still worked exceedingly well. He did like to prove a point :) she even came on holidays with us :) It's almost like treating a dog well makes it want to work for you!!!! Who woulda thunk. Tundra doesn't need to be locked up in a run 24/7 to be interested in me. Every time I go outside or stand up (when he's inside) he's following to see what we're going to do. He takes his job as Chief Supervisor very seriously.

Yeah bit scary any snake around is a threat to my animals (chooks, dogs, horses - all very curious creatures) so unfortunately for Mr Snake Im not taking the risk. I do be careful not to run them over on the roads if they're just out around paddocks etc. I actually quite like snakes but not around my house because they're usually Gwardas and they're not friendly.

Rubbish our dog is a pet and a work dog and he is a brilliant work dog,even if his trainers are very average!! The pack thing yes I agree That's not my words, I think the gold-coasting is completely ridiculous.

It's easy to say that if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. But horses, dogs & children (my nieces are 2-3 year olds) may not know to leave them alone so I'd rather not take that chance.

The dogs on my in-laws' farm are in dog runs. The biggest risk with having them loose is the road, the sheep feed lot over the road (more danger for the sheep than the dogs TBH), heavy machinery being moved or worked on & they wouldn't see a dog before they move it. Also with multiple dogs they're more likely to get the whole "pack mentality" thing and run off to chase sheep. FIL also thinks that if dogs are allowed to run "free" or in an enclosed backyard instead of a run they're "gold-coasting" and won't want to work.

We have a weld mesh/chicken wire hybrid around our house, mixed with a couple of panels of dog run (on the end of the verandah). Tundra isn't really interested or sneaky enough to get out, but Cilla can wombat her way under tiny spaces little minx! She doesn't really have any interest in chasing anything or even leaving the house area though, she just likes to think she's in charge. The fence is only waist height, and thankfully they're not the jumping type and I've never encouraged them to jump fences. I have no doubt Tundra would be perfectly capable, he jumps onto the ute no worries. Their main excursion if they do escape (if I'm a genius who forgets to close the small gate when I go out) is to the dam to have a swim and maybe terrorise bobtails

Wow! Sounds like a huge learning curve, for sure. Totally feel you there with the gardening duties & excavations, how helpful! Thanks for the update

Oops, I should clarify that I know that a lot of traits aren't going to match at all between litters or even in the same litter. But does anyone wanting a Designer dog ever actually care about traits besides the outside appearance? I'm very aware of health issues not being cancelled out by cross breeding. If both parents have hip dysplasia, it's not going to magically disappear in the puppies because the parents are of the same breed. I find the trend for crossbreeds disturbing... Saw someone looking for a Chihuahua, but they'd prefer a Chihuahua X Chinese Crested Why not just a CC?

Fair enough, I thought it would be fairly borderline anyway :) That's a good point RE: Temperament, but I really doubt most people who are interested in a "Pomsky" are thinking much about temperament haha. Or even many designer breeds.

I hope this is allowed, I thought it would be interesting to brainstorm different breeds that people cross together to get traits that are already apparent in an "actual" breed EG: Labrador X Poodle: Lagotto Romagnolo, Curly Coated Retriever Pomeranian X Husky: Finnish Lapphund, Japanese Spitz, Schipperke Beagle X Cavalier: Tibetan Spaniel Maltese X Shih Tzu: Maltese, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso (small, cute & fluffy, sometimes with colour? I don't know much about temperament) Pug X Cavalier: WTF I got nothing.

I think you might be getting confused about what breeders mean by "breeding for themselves". My understanding is that breeders will breed with the view to keep the "pick" of the litter but will often sell the rest to pet homes and occasionally to other breeders/show exhibitors. Even from the best of the best dogs, not all of them will be suitable for showing, whether they are mis-marked or not showy enough in temperament, but they'll still be healthy & sound, perfect for a pet home :) If you're looking for a dog to show yourself, probably best off chatting to a breeder whose dogs you like & they might be able to get you started with a nice dog or show you around some shows.