eyeopener

I would take some time to talk to all household members about what was great about your recently departed dog & what where the no so great parts or just didn't fit quite for the household routine etc. then have a look at your list of pros n cons n see if they are breed related or just an individual trait. From there you can decide whether another am staff is right for your household now or maybe it's time to look at other breeds.

I lost a very dear soul mate a yr ago n although his son is here it has actually been a totally unrelated dog that is slowly filling some of the holes in my heart so I think it's more about the individual dog not breed or bloodlines etc.

They are looking into puppy preschool n a doggy day care for an occasion couple of hrs here n there to help with socialization with different people n dogs. I thought it may help him build confidence also.

Pup is stressed ..and lonely and possibly has not a good solid routine and lots of support ?

Pups ,of course do not like crates they need to be TRAINED gently and patiently to accept being locked in. :)

Pups will pee indoors if not watched like a hawk..praised like hell for toileting outside , and given frequent toilet outings..with owner watching and praising ..not just pup alone in the backyard

Pup and owner would probably benefit greatly 2 or 3 5 minute training sessions EACH DAY ..to improve communication ..and build up trust and make life fun :)

What breed of pup is he ? Size may dictate what his owners need to do with him ... maybe ?

She is doing quite well toilet training wise n this is new issue n only of a night so now going to restrict access at those times & do more reg tolieting trips at night.

He is never outside n with them 24/7 which is fine with them they n I where just a little concerned at the level of anxiety when he is parted from them at all

Large to giant breed type pup. Breeder is being very helpful n offering the right advise also. Sounds like we are all on same page so far.

We did not expect he would just know about crating but he won't have bar of it all, door open or shut.

I have a friend who has a pup who won't go out by himself to the point she has to walk onto the grass at night to get him to go out that far n will literally rip at door to get back in. I know puppies want to be with you all the time but its more his level of anxiety when separated that I am concerned with.

Also he is peeling in a bedroom whenever he gets the chance too. I have advised not allowing him access or when he dose have access pee breaks are even more regular than normal.

At first she wished to crate pup on verandah of a night but he just won't have a bar of the crate & until he started peeing in 1 room was not causing any hassle so had been sleeping on a bed next to the couples bed. It's the daughters room he pees in.

What would you advice be considering pup is 13 wks old but only been with them a wk n before that was in a home with many dogs man being his realities n slept outside with his litter mates n then mum in a backyard type situation. Had exsperianced meeting new dogs, cats livestock etc but could do with more people socialisation stranger wise.

Thanks for your help as I am second guessing the advise I have given.http://www.livescience.com/24091-extreme-global-warming-mass-extinction.html

Has she gained weight?

Hi,

Looking for additional information on testosterone levels after desexing puppy, 15 weeks old, and subsequent experience on changes in aggression levels as a result. Have reseached with average saying 2-6 weeks for levels to drop and 50-60% resulting in change in aggressive behaviour.

Puppy displaying severe resource guarding issues since at least 8 weeks of age (eyes glazed minimum, 1/2 hour recovery time) and was very well developed sexually, hence early desexing.

A behaviour modification progam has been in place for the last 3 weeks with significant changes but underlying issue still there, very unpredictable and again escalating since desexing Behaviour modification to continue with the assistance of medication at vets recommentaion for maximum of 4 weeks.

Just looking for anything further anyone may be able to add to help this little lab guy out.

thanks in advance :)

I would be surprised if desexing has much if any affect on this particular dog at all. Yes I would deff desex but when would be based on when was most suitable health & emotion wise for that particular pup. I would be looking into getting some serous behavior modification happening now the sooner the better. Find a good behaviorist or just a damn good trainer who has dealt with similar cases before & incorporate training, exercise, daily routine & a good vets guidenes on the health n desexing angles & form a plan n stick to it long enough to know if it's working or not.

Hello Everybody :)

So I understand that there are people on either side of the de-sex and breeding issue who feel very strongly about their point but I would liek to make the best decision for my dog and myself so I would really appreciate opinions based on our situation, rather than non-compromising individual opinions :)

In 2010 I bought a main register Weimaraner bitch with the intention of raising at least one litter and she is now almost 2 years old.

We've been struggling with keeping weight on her pretty much from the beginning and she has been seen by several vets very regularly throughout her life for various reasons including some minor accidents and she is healthy as far the vets and I can tell, vaccinated (heart worm + c3), wormed regularly and flea treated as necessary (not very often as we live out of town without neighbours/stray dogs).

She has been on various diets and apart from the fact that she is skinny for periods of time (skinny as in, all ribs are visible, pointy hip bones but good muscling around chest, belly and thighs) she does not have any issues. Her coat and teeth are good and she is active and outgoing. She went through a period where she was rather skinny and had anal gland issues for that time but they seem to be linked to the amount of fat around that area and simply do not express properly when they are sunken in to a degree. Anal gland issues have not been issues for several months now.

I feel that it is in her best interest to abolish my plans for a litter in favor of de-sexing her as I do think she will be battling with weight during preganacy and especially whilst nursing puppies. She does not seem overly fond of puppies as it is and being on heat is not her favorite time of year, since she is not allowed in the bed and has to wear "pants" (basically I use budgie smugglers with an open fly for her tail and ladies' pads) inside and in the car during heat to avoid everybody suffocating on the stink :p She bleeds fairly heavily and I didn't keep exact records for length of heat but I believe she stays on for 4 weeks or more generally from start to fnish.

Not having puppies will definately not be the end of the world for me since I love my girl very much and do not want to do anything that is not in her best interest. As it is, I was scared of the pregnancy and birth.

So, does anybody have any advice or opinions? I'm pretty much open to all opinions on the matter since I am as yet undecided on whether or not to de-sex her. She seems to be gaining some weight with her current diet but still only weighs around 25-26 kg. I think around 27-28 would probably be an ideal weight for her but even if she was hovering around the lower end of that, I believe puppies would quickly reduce her back to an unhealthy weight?

I would desex her as long as the thought her of a suitable weight to due which I would say wouldn't be an issue as she dose not sound tha bad. It may or may not help her weight issues but I do know my desexed girls are my fatties here. Is she a bloodline that's extremely hard to access in Australia or th best bitch you have ever seen if no to both questions I would not hesitate or second guess the matter & just make an appointment. Be easier on you both lifestyle wise, good luck.

I find food reliant training dose not work for all breeds unfortunately do they tell you what to use in place of food at all?

I find food reliant training dose not work for all breeds unfortunately do they tell you what to use in place of food at all?

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/226460-a-poor-mans-or-womans-hydrobath/page__p__5488352__hl__%2Bpoor+%2Bmans+%2Bhydrobath__fromsearch__1#entry5488352

Thanks heaps to all just what I was looking for.

I had not thought of the sales etc will start looking out as I have collected some amazing heavy horse harnesses n we get a lot of our fencing, yard n bits n pieces from clearing sales lately. I will start to look out for clearness sale n auctions on farms that had dogs good idea thanks.

I have extra large n small dogs so would be great if suitable for both too. I did see a thread somewhere yrs ago but can't seem to find it now. Also do you think it's bad to blow long coated dogs off with the air compresser just wondering as it say not to use on yourself(we all still do to get hay,chaff n dirt off after being in headers etc)?

Not everyone wants layer back & often a naughty n outgoing puppy will be a brave n smart adult dog in the right hands. You have to match pup to new home & I find you should be very careful allowing puppy buyers to pick on photos etc. I often find I have to steer them to a more suitable pup for their lifestyle, exsperiance & what they r looking for in a dog. I believe much can be gauged from litter play n interactions with people n other animals about the individual pups likely temperament.

Also you do admit that the "real dog" you own was created because someone wanted something different from what was around and its believed that included crossing with a wolf?

Perhaps people see something new and worth working with in the Dingo?

Well right now I have a couple of bushies in my kitchen discussing this very thread.

They have known many domesticated dingos, including some whose owners were not even aware that their dog was a dingo.

They cannot remember a single incident that caused any complaints by neighbours as to temprement or agression being an issue, every one they knew was an excellent happy pet.

The funniest being those city folk who had rescued what they had perceived as an abandoned pup found in the bush and didnt know it was any but a lost pup.

One lady for example, found hers semi paralysed with ticks, the other similarly sick and half starved near a road where they stopped for a picnic. The old bushies knew instantly though.

This breeding and advertising them is a new thing. The opinion in the kitchen is there is far less danger to the public from a dingo pup home reared than any of the BSL breeds so fail to see why are the reasons against them being kept being voiced here.

I have to say if anything any dingo I owned or knew well where quiet dogs that would run away not attack.

So true, they would never the the dog of choice for the ego extentionist's.

To be called a "dingo" by a bushi is no compliment is it?

Like their cousins the cattledog, they tend to dissappear , then wait for the better opportunity to get what they want when your not looking if its food. Love the way they dont think its wrong to pinch something if you dont see them. First trick dad taught me, you trick them to think you have not only eyes in the back of your head, but can see through walls. LOL

Although unlike the cattledogs most dont reappear behind an unaccompanied stranger if they lobb into your dogs home yard or go for the heels either . Never ceases to amaze me how many people end up stuck at the owners home unable to get back out the gate because they dont know its not best practice to enter someones yard if no one is at home and a cattledog is there.

Although some like Debbie do the stand, and do not enter from the first they see a stranger. theres the darlings that let them in then stand guard and wont let them out. the Most embarrassing was finding my new landload waiting for me when I arrived home from work, I had only rescued my new cattledog from the liverpool pound 3 weeks before. she was a corker.

At least he only had to wait and hour and a half, or I might have been looking for a new home

So true my girl was sneaky with it n had a very very long memory for friend or foe, lol. Bur still would never be outwardly aggressive unlike the cattle dogs can be. So true they let you in but no leaving, lol. Best dog I had as a kid was a QLD blue who was as brave as they came n would defend me to the end.

Generally I just turn up gush over the dogs

Yep. Be polite & just njoy your day.

If your dog has a very very rare disease will you donate your dog's body to science? The specialist always ask me if I would consider donating Charlie's body to science after he passes away.

A part of me says yes and the other part of me says no. Logically I will say yes, because then I will get all the answers on why he is like this and if he could help other dogs, then that will be awesome. The emotional side of me will say no... the thought of my little guy getting cut up and everything, just damn near kills me.

I take Charlie for xrays every 6 weeks (his next appointment is tomorrow). Just to see if the condition as spread and see how fast it is spreading. Last xray showed that it has spread to his right hip and upper leg now. They are very amazed that he is up and about walking, and is a happy little fella (for people who doesn't know.. Charlie has a rare disease called Bone Vanishing Disease). I know in my gut that tomorrow they are going to say it's spread more.

I most deff would donate to science both any of my animals & my own messed up body.

Would the McDonalds next door have security cameras that show any area of the Vet clinic.?

That's a very relevant point as most maccas do. I would be paying them a visit ASAP as many times the tapes are taped over & only kept for a few days to review them.

These kennels are ones that have a few things in them I like (and where I originally got the idea to use planters on the runs :laugh: )

They have a great looking platform arrangement

http://www.idigadog.com.au/kennels.htm

Love that platform. I have been cheating n using large square hales atm as they had destroyed the last 1 racing up n down n playing rough on it but the hay bales are not great idea in summer snake wise.

On the other side - look at beagles. In 35 years Ive never sold a beagle to a hunting home - every single one has gone out as a pet and while they muck around here scenting Ive never selected them for how well they scent .Thats why when I send them home they are easier to live with as pets and if I went back to driven dogs which scent and drive you nuts they would be more difficult to live with for those who want them as pets. I don't care if they don't pass scenting tests or go into the quarantine program.I breed pets not hunting dogs and if ever I get an enquiry for a hunting beagle Ill tell them to find someone who has been selecting for that. No doubt that people who have placed a higher importance on hunting think Ive buggered it up but the people who live with them like it lke that and so do I.

Very good point n I think if your pups are going to pet homes primarily then the temperament n work ability n drive sections of my criteria should be based on as a pet meaning ability to thrive in a pet situation n drive being drive to please n be apart of a family etc n having the temperament best suited to a pet placement.

Even when breeding working dogs you have to take into account not all we be placed in workings homes wether it be lack of work ability n drive or that that's just the placement they ended up with so you have to keep pet suitable temperaments that also have work ability n drive which can be hard. It's a balancing act really isn't it.

Also you do admit that the "real dog" you own was created because someone wanted something different from what was around and its believed that included crossing with a wolf?

Perhaps people see something new and worth working with in the Dingo?

Well right now I have a couple of bushies in my kitchen discussing this very thread.

They have known many domesticated dingos, including some whose owners were not even aware that their dog was a dingo.

They cannot remember a single incident that caused any complaints by neighbours as to temprement or agression being an issue, every one they knew was an excellent happy pet.

The funniest being those city folk who had rescued what they had perceived as an abandoned pup found in the bush and didnt know it was any but a lost pup.

One lady for example, found hers semi paralysed with ticks, the other similarly sick and half starved near a road where they stopped for a picnic. The old bushies knew instantly though.

This breeding and advertising them is a new thing. The opinion in the kitchen is there is far less danger to the public from a dingo pup home reared than any of the BSL breeds so fail to see why are the reasons against them being kept being voiced here.

I have to say if anything any dingo I owned or knew well where quite dogs that would run away not attack.

My belief is if a dog has been rehomed in its first year the likelihood of them being worthy of breeding is slim so I would desex it before it was rehomed again n if I felt that was a waste I would run the dog on myself until I reached a decision I felt was best for the dog n that I was most happy with.

I worked in rescue for yrs n still do just only my own breed now n I have 3 TMs that are desexed rescues here so am not against desexing in anyway shape or form.

Why sell any dog without desexing it? no different to a breeder selling a litter of pups as pets not desexed .

I would prefer all breeders to desex dogs not suitable to be bred from, but thats never going to happen.

Of course breeders always know what's suitable to be bred from at 8 weeks. NOT

Rescue may have decided that breeding another generation of dogs is the greater evil than adverse development caused by juvenile desexing but thank God many breeders have not.

AMEN... They whine n bitch about health but have no idea the damage the lack of diverse bloodlines will lead to & that many breed may become so bottle necked they won't be viable at all. Not everyone needs to desex a dog to keep it from breeding until appropriate health checks n maturity has been reached so they can then make a fully informed decision as to whether the dog should b breed or not.

Sorry but I take offence to that. The rescue group I work with and the majority of the rescuers who post on DOL are not whining and bitching about the actions of good breeders. They are distressed at the number of healthy dogs that have to be pts because there is nowhere else for them to go. I will stick my neck out and say I think only a very small percentage of those dogs can be traced back to a breeder or be identified as pure bred so their value to bloodlines is irrelevant. Of course rescue contact the breeder where possible to see if they can take the dog back. I agree that informed people who are in the business of breeding to improve the breed (as opposed to BYBs or PFs) may not find desexing necessary but the reason rescue desexes is because most of the dogs that come through their doors are going to simply be pets and the cycle of unwanted dogs of indeterminate heritage is currently far too high. Your average pet owner is not going to be as savvy about breeding cycles and blood lines and health checks as a good breeder so desexing removes the risk.

As a foster carer of shar pei I also know that supposedly pure bred dogs of this breed are coming into rescue for serious health reasons. I don't think it is fair to the dog to be suffering from breeding flaws that regularly cause them significant eye, ear and skin issues. I can't speak for other breeds but it is heartbreaking to imagine the suffering they go through, with some ending up blind from their lashes rubbing on their cornea for many years or having ears so infected that you can't even see into them, or bald and malnourished as a result of untreated skin conditions. I also fostered a boy that was so heavily wrinkled that the only option to help him see was a forehead lift. He had a wrinkle at the base of his tail as deep as my fingers so you can imagine how easy skin infections would be. He was supposedly pure bred and probably looked magnificent as a puppy. He walked on the fleshy wrinkles on his back legs until he was over a year old and his legs grew longer. He had enough skin for three shar pei. He coped and was a lovely boy but I wouldn't wish that body burden on any dog. He had to be rehomed to very special and commited people. So desexing even of pure bred dogs who should only ever be pets is also sometimes necessary. Health over beauty.

Sorry you where offended. I do not mean rescue dogs should not be desexed n think they actually should be its this desexing n placing on limited registry way to young to really know the dogs potential that I think is an issue to gene pools.

So I've been thinking. And excuse my naive thread, as I'm not as well versed in the nuiances of pure breeding as most of you here, but I've been wondering this: Why are purebreds judged on form rather than function? I mean, we have a certain expectation as to how a particular breed of dog will look, that is true, however, when we recommend a breed of dog we always talk about temperament characteristics. Surely the most accurate way to measure this is to test the dog's temperament against some kind of functional standard rather than the way it looks? Does function always follow form? And if so, where is the proof? Do not dogs bred for function generally outperform dogs bred for form?

I'm not against showing dogs under the current standards, but I just wonder why function is not considered as a general rule with most breeds.

Can anyone enlighten me?

It is hard to do this as you wouldn't want to put American staffy's in a pit of ridgebacks in with a loin etc etc... But that said I think there are way to test for working ability n drive without doing those things & would far prefer to breed with health first, then temperament, work ability n drive n very last comes type coat n colour. IMHO way too many breeders but type above all else & I think this drive to breed cookie cutter images of each other is insane n will only lead to narrowing gene pools further. Specially in breeds that are actually a landrace type nota breed anyway & therefor meant to have differing types all under 1 breed umbrella.

Why sell any dog without desexing it? no different to a breeder selling a litter of pups as pets not desexed .

I would prefer all breeders to desex dogs not suitable to be bred from, but thats never going to happen.

Of course breeders always know what's suitable to be bred from at 8 weeks. NOT

Rescue may have decided that breeding another generation of dogs is the greater evil than adverse development caused by juvenile desexing but thank God many breeders have not.

AMEN... They whine n bitch about health but have no idea the damage the lack of diverse bloodlines will lead to & that many breed may become so bottle necked they won't be viable at all. Not everyone needs to desex a dog to keep it from breeding until appropriate health checks n maturity has been reached so they can then make a fully informed decision as to whether the dog should b breed or not.

I prefer to wait with large n giant breeds but if they come back within that first year to be rehomed they should be desexed IMHO for several reasons.