Black GSD

Nea, I DO believe that you made the right decission not to get one of the Terv puppies. It also sounds like you found a good breeder. The worst thing you can do is NOT listen to the breeder. He/She has been around the puppies since birth. And if they think that the pups will STAY very active, chances are they will! :D IMO, any "breeder" that will just let you come to their house and pick out any puppy that you choose, without listening to the breeders input, is NOT the type of person you want to buy a puppy from.

All those contracts are well and fine. BUT, do you REALLY think that the puppy buyer will even let the breeder find out IF they decide to breed the pup? (I sure don't.) AND, IMO, most breeders wouldn't enforce it anyway. They are generally not made of money and therefor could NOT afford to take the puppy buyers to court to get the dog back. IMO, the best way to do it is, if the breeder has ANY reason to believe that the buyer won't get the pup altered. DON'T SELL THEM A PUP IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

Sounds to me like the puppy needs to be on a leash so he can be corrected for bugging the other dog. Putting him in his crate for doing something that is totally natural dog behaviour most likely won't teach him anything. What does she do when the puppy bites and growls at her or her son? ANd how old is her son?

[quote name='Aonir']You know how we say to give your dog the best diet? Well, right nows a good time to forget about it. Getting her to eat anything (thats not toxic like chocolate) would be good right now. [/quote] EXCELLENT ADVISE!!! She won't be "ruined" for life if you spoil her now. I had a dog that got Parvo (20 years ago.) Needless to say she was VERY sick and wouldn't eat. We tried everything and the only thing she would eat was the canned baby food. She did pull thru (she lived to be 12yo), and as soon as she was well, she went back on her "regular" diet. So like Aonir said, as long as it isn't toxic to dogs, ANYTHNIG you can get her to eat is MUCH better than not eating at all. Good luck. I'm sure she will feel better once she gets home.

I hope you realise that you CANNOT tell how active a dog will be as an adult by how it is as a puppy. Pretty much ALL puppies are active, always want to be doing something, get into trouble ect... That does NOT mean they will stay that way their whole lives. (The exception would be a breed that has a very low energy level. ) But all of the breeds that you like and are looking at SHOULD be active as puppies. And if the puppy WASN"T active and full of energy, chances are that there is something wrong with it and you shouldn't get it.

Sounds to me like they may need professional help. That puppy is the boss of that house and everyone in it. How old is the pup and what breed or mix? What does she do when the puppy reacts like that? The only part that is "acceptable" behaviour is the part about the puppy not letting the other dog take the toys. That is "normal' dog behaviour. And as you know they are DOGS not kids and cannot be made to "share the toys".

[quote name='Malamum']I agree with what Courtnek has advised, however I just wanted to add don't go back to her when she is crying and carrying on. It will just reinforce that crying gets her what she wants.[/quote] GOOD POINT!!! No matter HOW much she screams do NOT go back to her when she is crying. Even if she is only quiet for 5 seconds before you return. I have evne gotten to the point with some pups where I stand where they can't see me. As soon as they stop acting like idiots I go back in. Also, since she is so young, I would return to her and praise her for being quiet.

[quote name='3ofakind'] Even if the testicles haven't dropped they are not that hard to find. Its not like they are bury deep in the abdomen. It is recommended that older dogs who have one or two that didn't drop properly be neutered, the surgery is no more difficult. [/quote] This is NOT necessarily true. They CAN be deep in the abdomen. And if they are, the surgery IS more difficult as they have to go in and LOOK for them since they are not where they "should be". The surgery can actually be more along the lines of a spay if they have to go digging around inside the male in order to find the missing testicle.

What are they "trying" to make her eat? Maybe you could try baby food. (As in the canned baby people food. Try one of the meats.) OR how about hamburger or ground turkey?

Personally, I would find another breeder. I have had both neutered and intact male dogs and NONE of them have marked in the house. They learned from puppyhood that peeing in the house is NOT allowed. IMO, marking in the house is NOT a hormonal issue, it is a TRAINING issue. I also know a lot of breeders (of various breeds) that have breeding males that do NOT mark in the house. And saying that neutering him this young will KEEP him from lifting his leg is also a load of CR@P. I have had males that were neutered young(meaning 6 months, NOT 7 weeks) and everyone has been a "perpetual puppy". (Meaning that they never matured "upstairs".) IMO, that alone is reason enough to wait to neuter. Why would I want an adult dog that acts like an idiotic puppy it's whole life? And as far as those that say, "well the shelters do it". BFD! They also do a lot of other things that any "sane" pet owner wouldn't do!

[quote name='"Cassie"'][quote] As far as I know border Collies are not recognized as a breed by the AKC ... [/quote] Actually they ARE! They are in the Herding Group. (I believe they are also recognized by the CKC now too.)

[quote name='midori115']My vet has told me the same things, TDG. However, Oscar is 7 months old and I am in the process of changing him to adult food now. The vet told me that 7 months was the right time to switch if you use puppy food.[/quote] That is the problem with listening to vets about dog nutrition. MOST of them know virtually NOTHING about it. They learn what they DO know from the dog food manufacturers(sp). (Why do you think they promote/sell Science Diet?) If you ask 10 different vets the same question about dog food. You WILL get 10 different answers. :roll:

I TOTALLY agree with TDG. I don't feed puppy food at all. (I DO however feed a "premium" "all life stage" food rather than your basic "grocery store kibble".) There are a LOT of breeders that also don't use puppy food. Including the one I got my pup from. They are weaned straight onto adult food. If this was harmful do you think that those that make a living in the dog world would feed this way? I sure don't. Think about it. Do those that feed BARF give puppies anything different than the adults? (As far as I have seen NO they don't.) Do baby wolves eat "baby" wolf food? NO they eat the same thing as the adults. (I know we are talking about dogs here and not wolves. BUT, they are still in the same "family".)

[quote name='3ofakind'] Daisysmom - I honestly think it sounds like puppy behavior. If he isn't seriously out to do harm, then it is just play. That is how pups play. If Chelsea wanted him to stop she would put him in his place. I dont think you have anything to worry about. He is a puppy and they have nothing but play on the brain.[/quote] I agree with this to a point. If he is truely THAT obnoxious, Chelsea may very well NOT be able to "put him in his place" without serious damage to Jake or herself. There ARE some puppies that will NOT just back off because an adult dog "tells them to". (I have one.) And if I had left it up to the adult dogs to discipline the pup, I would have ended up with a dead pup. IMO, in these cases it is up to YOU to stop the bratty behaviour.

Unfortunately neutering is NOT the "quick fix" that most people are led to believe. Like the others have said, it can take up to 6 months for the hormonal issure to subside. However there is the chance that his issues are not related to hormones at all and there is the possibility that you will never see the kind of change you are hoping to. I have seen a LOT of male dogs they never calmed down. It is not the hormones it is in their genes. How old is Jake?

Absolutely NOT!! It is YOUR house. She had NO reason to come to your house and be rude.

Well I would imagine that the GPs aren't running loose. That said, ANY dog could cause them harm, or at the very least harass them if not taught differently. IMO it is MUCH easier to teach a very willing breed to leave them alone than say a breed that is more "hard headed". I don't have any problems with my hearding breeds and small critters that they are told not to mess with.

Australian Shepherds are great dogs. All you would have to do is tell the breeder EXACTLY what you are looking for in a pup. Tell them you live in an Apartment so you want a dog that likes to be active WHEN NECESSARY, but also has an "off switch". (Meaning that it can settle down and be a "couch warmer" too.)

I would start "weaning" him off of the "babysitters" house now. It does sound to me like he likes it better there than at home with you. Dogs "tend" to bond with those that they spend the most time with . He may be at your house for more hours during the day, but he gets a lot more "quality" time with the babysitter and the dogs there. Sounds to me also like he may be getting "doggy" meaning he is spending more time playing and interacting with the other dogs rather than with people.

Nea, Do you have Australian Cattle Dogs or Australian Shepherds over there? While they aren't generally considered "apartment" dogs. They ARE easier than a BC. We have 2 ACD/Australian Shepherd mixes and BOTH would be good apartment dogs. They are more than willing to sleep on the bed all day OR go out and "do things". They don't get destructive or annoying if they don't get a lot of exercise. Sure you can find dogs of both breeds that would NOT make apartment dogs, but you can also find dogs of either breed that CAN be apartment dogs.

How do you feel about herding dogs? Like a Welsh Corgi ( They act a lot like German Shepherds with short legs.) Or since you like Sporting dogs (Like the retrievers) how about a Brittany? (Not a "little" dog but smaller than a Golden or Lab.) OR since you are in Sweden. How about a Swedish Vallhund? (They are SSSOOO CUTE!!!)

[quote name='nea'][quote name='Black GSD']Congrats! Hope you ARE able to get a pup/dog. That said, I think A Border Collie would be the WORST possible choice. Since the breed really doesn't seem to matter that much, how about checking at the shelters?[/quote] Well, in Sweden there is only one dog shelter, and they handle only about 400 dogs every year, most of them which are just lost. And there are more people willing to adopt than there are dogs. Also, they don't let you choose your own dog. Some dogs I just can't "connect" to somehow, I can't bond with them as strongly as with some others. And so I want to be able to choose my own too. :)[/quote] Well not being able to choose your own would be a VERY good reason to stay away from the shelter. :D What about a smaller dog. Not a toy or terrier, just something a ittle smaller than a Lab sized dog? My reason for saying this is, if the weather is bad, it is a LOT easier to exercise a smaller dog in an apartment. (And a lot less likely to break something :o .) What is the weather like where you live? Does it rain or snow much?

[quote name='Sanvean'][quote]The most important things we need are that 1. the dog is very trainable, 2. Will not always try to get the guinea pigs, 3. People oriented and very affectionate 4. Can be happy in an appartment 5. Is not prone to too many health problems. [/quote] Well, of course I am biased, but I think a Maltese would be a great choice! They are very affectionate and cuddly, and they are not as active as a poodle or other toy breeds, or as yippy. They are very bright, and some people do obedience and/or agility with them. They do not have a high prey drive. If you get one from a reputable breeder, they have relatively few health problems...probably the most common is luxating patellas, but that happens in most smaller breeds.[/quote] You seem to have overlooked this part of the origional post. :) [quote]I do not want a terrier or toy dog.[/quote]

Congrats! Hope you ARE able to get a pup/dog. That said, I think A Border Collie would be the WORST possible choice. Since the breed really doesn't seem to matter that much, how about checking at the shelters?

[quote name='courtnek'] When I adopted Laurel, they gave me a bag of the food she ate, but it turned out she liked what i feed better, so the switchover took maybe two days....[/quote] IMO, THIS is the thing. They should GIVE you some of the food that the pup has been eating. Not FORCE you to BUY it from THEM. A lot of breeders with this type of mindset also void their guarantee if you DON"T feed the food THEY TELL YOU TO!!! :evil: