Aroura

Whatever you choose to feed your puppy, make sure that if it is a commercial food that it is a puppy food specified for large breeds. They contain extra calcium necissary for fast growing bones and many contain "pre-digested" food, which basically means that all the proteins etc are all ready broken down and so are more easily digestable to dogs so the puppy gets more out of it, I found it hard keeping any weight on my pup, Lily while she was rapidly growing until I bought a type of puppy food for large breeds, now she's growing better and doesn't have to eat as much to put on weight and stay healthy. She's also alot shinier. I used to use pedigree pal puppy, until recently when a "breeders formula" for large breeds came out, as well I mix it with pal 'principal'. If you choose to feed your pup on raw meat, rice and veggies you will need in addition a good vitamin and mineral suppliment. But be careful not to OVERDOSE your dog on calcium!!! This is just as bad as not supplying enough. You also have to be sure that the calcium/phosphorus ratio is correct. A couple of raw chicken wings a day do the world of good, whether you feed a home made diet or a commercial diet.

I just want to say sorry for my first post, it was a bit oppinionated and uncalled for. But it is a topic I feel strongly about, when I look out the window at my darling boxer pup, Lily, I could never imagine her in any other way than with her gorgeous floppy ears. I didn't buy her to look agressive or "sharp", I bought her to love her and care for her, and to me love is unconditional, whatever she looks like and personally, I could never make an appointment at a vet to bring her in and have him cut off part of her, she's a whole package and I like her to stay that way, even if it was legal to ear crop here. Besides, she's my baby, and about that comment before about it being the same as peircing a babys ears... I would never peirce a babys ears!

Anyone with a mutt, email a photo to me at [email][email protected][/email], I should be able to tell you what I think it is (im pretty good with dog breeds) but even if I cant, I still love seeing photos of mutts!!! Luv Jeanne

[quote] On 2002-05-09 11:07, GSDmom wrote: That's cool Jennene! Sounds like your dog loves a challenge! How do you teach them to wave? [/quote] To teach her to wave, all I did was to teach her to shake paw and then when she assosiated my hand with her raising her paw I just started waving when she was in an exited "want to do tricks" type of mood and said "wave", so she started to wave! :smile:

[quote] On 2002-05-09 15:22, Anonymous wrote: hi, im looking for a guard dog/ compagion dog and not a boxer, german sheperd,pit bull or anykind of dog like that. something like a bull dog or an airedale terrier or even a kerry blue terrier would be nice right? please tell me your opinion and tell me please what other dogs are guard dog/ compagion dog? [/quote] Airdale Terriors are great, as are schnauzers, standard poodles, australian cattledogs... if you don't mind a bit of hair, siberian huskys and akitas are also great.

Try contacting the rspca (if you have one in your country... I don't know because I am isolated here in australia!!!) and ask them how you can help. I volunteer to look after animals that have been found stray until I find them a new home. Before they go to a new home, I have to take them to the vet and get them spayed/neutered and make sure that where they are going is a suitable home. There are many other ways to help animals, but im sure the rspca would be the best place to start. Good luck, hope you can make a difference!!!

There are many reasons why pit bulls have a bad name. Mostly, as the name suggests, the breed was origionally bred for fighting, therefore, not only is it bred to want to fight, but it was bred to WIN fights, so anyone who is attacked by a pit bull has a good chance of winding up in hospital, attracting media attention... have you ever seen a news report on a chihuahua attack? Another reson the breed is considered dangerous is because of the type of people who commonly own them, I mean the macho people who want a dog to show off to their friends that will attack on command, as well as the people who want a dog to keep locked up in the house all day to guard their property and don't even try to socialize their dog because of this. I think it agreed by all, that it is more the owners fault than the dog, but especially with this breed people should be aware that they are taking on a dog that has been bred for hundreds of years to fight, so naturally more socialization and training needs to take place. Unfortunatly, the only pit bulls I see around here are the half starved pig dogs tied to the back of a ute waiting to be let off to kill. :sad: Its never the case of a sad dog, just sad owners

You have had your dogs ears cropped??!!! No offence, but that is unheard of in this country, and whenever I hear of a poor little puppy with hacked up ears my heart goes out to it. Even if I lived in a country where ear cropping was legal, I would never buy a pup with cropped ears.

I agree with Cadies_Mom,if you don't get the puppy who knows, it might end up in a shelter anyway? If you love this puppy, grab it while its still there, or I know you'll regret it later. It'll love you all the same and you will know its going to a good home.

Bones should NEVER be fed cooked, no matter what the method of cooking is. They are both healthier and safer raw. Ask any vet, there are too many risks involved in cooking bones, even if you have never personally had a problem with any of your dogs many other people have. Bones are also more benificial for teeth raw and more easily digested.

[quote] On 2002-05-13 17:50, Lafayette Kennels Border Collies wrote: I disagree... Ball chasing breeds are usually herding bred dogs. Be them mixed or purebred. All of my border collies are ball crazy. They are supposed to be this way. A herding breed was ment to work and need something to focus thier attention on. Namely, the ball. This is an outlet to channel their energy if they are not doing what they were bred to do, which is herd sheep, cattle, ducks, or other livestock. Having your dog ball-crazy is a very good thing. I have had many cases with what many people humorously call "Obsessive Ball Disorder." If your herding breed does not have a way to channel its enery and work drive, they can become agressive, or boredom biters. Many herders that are kept locked up without a way to channel their energy tend to destroy things. The ball is a good thing. it saves your furnature and your dog from becoming bored and even agressive. Many a herding breed end up in shelters and rescue organizations because the owners refused to channel their herder's energy and they become bored. Ball can turn into a good thing in the long run. Herding dogs are the overall excellers in herding, agility, and obediance. Though the thing that they also excell in is Flyball. This sport has taken the use of the ball and made it into a game that many herders enjoy. It's a great sport for all breeds, mixed or purebred. Another thing that herding dogs love to do is chase frisbees. All of my borders are active in herding, obedience, flyball, frisbee, and agility, and 2 of my dogs are excelling as search dogs. This ball obsessiveness can be turned into something great for you and your herding breed. Instead of teaching them to seek out the ball, they can be used to seek out lost articles or people. I hope this information helps. Because ball craziness is a wonderful thing. I belive that if you don't want a ball crazy dog, which is a dog bred to work, don't get a herding breed. Also, if you are busy all the time and do not have time to work your herder's energy, don't get a herding breed. [/quote] I agree completely with what you just said. I was only offering a suggestion to keeping the dog from hassling everyone who goes out the back door. With my dog Tessa I only ban her from the ball when there are visiters that she hassles, or when mum is hanging out the washing and she keeps dropping the slobbery ball in the washing basket, but apart from that I take her for a walk every morning and throw the ball for her at the park for an hour, getting her to do certain tricks for it such as speak, go up the slide, jump over the chair, roll over, come to heal, stay, wave, shake paw etc. Then I take her for a second walk in the afternoon where she can chase rabbits and run free. I also do obedience with her and once a week I take her out to agility, which she loves and is better than all the dogs there, even though she is only a begginer!!! Another game I play with her on a regular basis is "find the keys" where I hide the keys and she searches the house/backyard until she finds them. Living in a country area I understand the extra responsibilitys that go with owning a hearding dog, espesially considering 90% of dogs at the pound are working breeds that their owners obviously couldn't keep up with. I got Tessa from the pound at 5 weeks old. She also has my 5 month old Boxer, Lily, and my sisters Poodle, Puddles to chase around the yard all day, so she is never bored. I understand what your saying though, a large majority of herding dog owners don't understand what their getting themselves into, and it is the dog that suffers as too, it is the dog that is blamed when it bites someone from boredom.

[quote] On 2002-05-09 15:36, bracco wrote: Aroura, Maybe you can answer this question for me. Why are people so against "breeding mutts?" I read a few posts from a few weeks ago and people seemed to be against "breeding mutts." I don't understand this whole concept. Maybe you can help me understand? [/quote] I'm not sure, I don't understand really myself, exept for the fact that the pups cant be sold for as much and can never be showed. But if the breeder is prepared to be responsible and make sure the pups go to caring homes who will treat them as part of the family, thats what matters, not whether the dog is purebred or not. Dogs that go to animal shelters arent there because thier not purebred, their there because the people who bred them didn't make sure they went to good homes, and the fact is, mongrels are more likely to be dumped because the people who buy them only do because they are cheap. I love my mutt just as much as I love my Boxer. But the other problem about cross breeding is that once a registered purebred dog breeds with another breed it can never be showed or bred again. Dont ask me why, its just the way it is. I personally think crossbreeding is a good thing is you don't plan to show your dog and are prepared to make sure the pups go to loving homes because a crossbred dog is less likely to have genetic problems than a purebred dog. But there is still the problem of those pups breeding and the pups going to bad homes, the way I see it, it doesn't matter what breed of dog or crossbreed or mutt is produced, it is up to the breeders to make sure the dogs go to good homes. It is not the breed of dog, but the person who breeds it and the person who buys it that makes the difference to whether or not the dog ends up in a shelter. I hope that all makes sence and I didn't carry on too much! Take care, Jeanne

My dog Tessa is the same, ball crazy. She is a Australian Cattle Dog/Kelpie/Bull Terrior cross, but we just call her an Australian Ball Terrier :smile: If anyone tries to ignore her, she'll just keep bouncing and dropping the ball at their feet, barking and whining till they throw it. The only thing I can do is to hide all balls/sticks etc where she cant see them and when I want to go outside with her I sit down and give her a back massage she cant refuse. After about a week of me doing that she started to come up for a pat whenever I went outside with her, instead of madly looking for a ball. Hope it helps, Jeanne

I do everything I can with my dogs, play fetch, walk them everywhere, take them swimming, do obedience, tug o war, roll around on the floor with them... Tessa knows how to go up the slide, speak, roll over, wave, shake hands... I also play a game with her where I hide the keys and she go's and finds them, I make it hard... putting them in trees etc but she always finds them!!!! Luv Jeanne

They are a breed, I saw a documentary on them and I wouldn't reccomend one as a pet unless you have ALOT of time to spend with it and have spent extensive time researching dog psycology as they ARE wild dogs and therefore have wild characteristics which could lead to the dog seriously maiming someone. I don't mean to put you off, but I would give exactly the same advice to someone considering a dingo or a wolf. Wild dogs dont take well to captivity. Luv Jeanne

From the sounds of it, what your dog has is called "hot spots" Go to: [url]http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hotspots.html[/url] You should hopefully find some answers there Luv Jeanne

Definately a boxer, they are everything you are looking for and a little bit more. I know that I may be a little bias but boxers truely are great dogs, and are great with children plus they have alot more personality than many other large protective breeds. other breeds I would reccomend would be: Great Dane, Rottweiler, Bull Terrier, Doberman, German Shepard or something like an Irish Wolfhound (thier size is enough to scare anyone yet they are the gentlest of breeds, great for children and excellent companion dogs) whatever you choose, I hope its right for you! Luv Jeanne

I am a great believer in that if you are not planning on breeding or showing a dog, it is best to buy one from a shelter. If you have a cat maybe a younger dog would be best so as you can socialise it. Another advantage of getting a mixed breed is that they are generally healthier and live longer due to the decreced genetic defects. I got my first dog from the pound, and she thanks me for it every day by being the smartest, most loyal loving dog in the world, plus I get the satisfaction of knowing that I saved her life :smile: Luv Jeanne

yes, what you said about crossing lots of dogs to make mutts and then breeding the mutts is correct, but its not as simple as that, they must all have specified charateristics, they cant just pick any puppy from any litter. They have to conform to a certain standard. I cant help you with the shiba inu or the dalmation, although I do know that the dalmation played a part in producing the australian cattle dog. And I do know that the boxer is a result of continually crossing an old english breed called the Bullenbeiser (bred to rouse up cattle before they were slautered as they used to believe that the meat was more tender if a cow was scared before death...) crossed many times over with Bulldogs, which is where boxers get their white markings from. Also another obvious cross is the Labradore x Poodle producing the labradoodle! Luv Jeanne :smile:

I got my first dog, Tessa, from the pound, she was only 5 weeks old and had one day to live. My other dog, Lily, is a pedigree Boxer which I plan to breed when she is old enough. I will be sure to make sure the puppys only go to good homes that will love them for life. The lady who sold her to me did the same, and actually a few days before I went to see Lily someone else had been looking at her and been told he couldn't have her because he wouldn't be a suitable owner. I guess what I am trying to say is that, to an extent, it is up to the people breeding the dogs to make sure that they go to good homes that will love them for life. It is also up to the people who breed the dogs, or who ever buys the dog, to get it micro chipped. Both my dogs and my cat are microchipped so I know if they ever went missing they would get home safe without dramas. It is also law here in australia, and I think it is a great law, because not only does it prevent animals getting lost, it also makes people think twice before dumping thier pets. Luv Jeanne

I disagree with what the majority of people have said so far, a labradore is not for you. Although they are great dogs and make great companions Labs can be very boisterous as they are growing up which may be intimidating to some people. Also, they are not the type of dog that can be left alone all day, they thrive on alot of attention. It sounds to me like a Standard Fox Terrier may be the way to go, but still, a great site that would help you in your tough decision is [url]http://www.petnet.com.au/selectapet/dogselectapet.html[/url] I suggest you go there and see what breed would be best suited to you :smile: I myself have a gogeous Boxer, but as you know they are far to energetic for the average person to handle!!! Luv Jeanne