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Fraction posted:IANAV, but in my opinion... Walking is fine, light flirt pole is fine, playing with other dogs is fine, fetch/frisbee is fine... in moderation. Unless you have an intense, drivey pup like a herding breed or something that will literally run itself into the ground, you can generally let the puppy decide when it's had enough. Just use your head, give the dog plenty of breaks, and don't do high impact repetitive movements (like jogging or biking on pavement or road) until the dog is at least a year or more old, depending on its size. I try to choose the litter I get my pup from in a way that minimizes the possibility for hip/elbow dysplasia or the like. Then I just use common sense and see what the puppy is fine with.
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Oct 21, 2012 10:23
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Our Aussie puppy, Helo, is almost six months now. He's also already 45 pounds. He's gonna be a big dog! Overall he's doing really well. He learns super fast and is so smart (his latest trick: he holds sit and down until we release him! Woo!). Our one issue with his training though, is generalization. He isn't insanely food-motivated--playing with other dogs and running up to new people are way higher rewards. So, even though his leash manners are great around our house, as soon as we get to dog class he's lunging at the end of his collar. We got him a harness with a martingale at the front so he's turned to the side when he pulls. That works for now, but I'd really like to have him in a regular collar eventually. Also I can't trust his recall around other dogs/exciting people, for the same reason, even though its stellar at home and at the couple fenced-in areas we train him. Any suggestions? He plays with his sister every day at my work, and I can call him away from play with her pretty reliably, for what that's worth.
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Oct 22, 2012 07:15
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Re: harnesses - they are excellent for teaching dogs to pull. Use with caution or get a no-pull harness.soap. posted:Our Aussie puppy, Helo, is almost six months now. He's also already 45 pounds. He's gonna be a big dog! Not sure what you're describing with your harness. It sounds like a pinch harness that squeezes his legs/shoulders together when he pulls. Is this accurate? I'd actually recommend just a standard front clip harness. When we work on these issues in class (and they're hard, I still struggle with greeting with my own dog), the key is not to try and compete with the greet target. In my case, there aren't treats that can compete with new people. The secret is to use Premack - i.e. make the dog behave before they get to greet. We expect a sit and four on the floor until contact with the individual, and then it's game on. If she jumps and puts paws on the person, or breaks the greeting behavior, the person turns around and leaves. Repeat with necessary. The hard part about this is finding someone who can help you practice and follow the rules reliably, but the methods are easy. You can also play the Look At That game at a long distance. This has the net effect of reducing the value of the distraction over time.
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Oct 22, 2012 13:29
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MrFurious posted:Re: harnesses - they are excellent for teaching dogs to pull. Use with caution or get a no-pull harness. The Easy Walk harness has a martingale type feature in the front. In my experience it's pretty useless though - the adjusters on it tend to slip and then it doesn't fit right. Re: recall, we talk about it a fair amount in the dog training megathread too. I think there are a few helpful posts linked in the 4th part of the OP.
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Oct 22, 2012 13:33
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It is an Easy Walk harness. It does require lots of re-tightening! I'll phase it out after we work on his greetings some more. Thanks for the advice Mr. Furious. I'll bribe some friends into helping me. I try to ask strangers not to pet him but they back off once I make him sit (like "oh no, she's training him!") but when I turn my attention back to the stranger to say "go ahead and pet him" I've already lost Helo. Sigh. So yeah, I'm definitely gonna need to recruit my friends. Thanks, a life less. I've definitely been reading the training thread. I was just double-checking that I wasn't expecting too much of him because he is still sort of puppy ADD. I guess that just means that now is the time to do it!
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Oct 22, 2012 16:35
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a life less posted:The Easy Walk harness has a martingale type feature in the front. In my experience it's pretty useless though - the adjusters on it tend to slip and then it doesn't fit right. Shows what I know, I've only actually used the Sense-a-tion harnesses.
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Oct 22, 2012 17:00
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Edit: I am moving my question to another thread!
Hot Dog Day #82 fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Oct 22, 2012 |
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Oct 22, 2012 17:47
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Victory Yodel posted:We just adopted a shelter dog and wanted some advice. We lost our last dog to lymphoma almost 2 years ago and wanted to wait until our daughter turned 5 before getting a new companion. We went to a shelter in "just looking" mode and came home with this cutie: I would prioritize keeping her in a very strict routine for that first month as well, it'll give her security knowing what to expect from day to day.. My dog for instance knows that if I get out of bed, feed her and get in the shower, she's coming to work (or at least, we're going somewhere,) but when I just put on my PJs and and slippers, then give her food and then go turn on the TV and xbox at 7am, then we're in for a long day of snuggling and probably a couple walks. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Oct 22, 2012 |
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Oct 22, 2012 17:54
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Scrubber posted:
What I've heard has been that you can let them run round and play in a garden as much as they like, but should keep walks to 5 minutes per the puppies age in months I think it was. So at 13 weeks she should only have about 15 minute long walks, but it's ok letting her off to play in the garden. With my Shiba I did sometime crate him when he seemed to be getting too tired playing with my akita. He'd just keep going even when he was exhausted but then fall asleep in his crate.
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Oct 22, 2012 18:01
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I'm curious of the threads opinion on something. I want to get a puppy(a GSD most likely, because I love them so much, I grew up with a GSD/akita mix and have loved both breeds since), and have wanted to since I left home, so about 8 years. I'm finally at a point where it is financially feasible for me. The only issue is that my boyfriend isn't too sure about it. He thinks we should wait till we live in a house, because it "isn't fair" to have a dog/puppy in an apartment. Normally I would agree on some level, except for a few things. 1. I work at a doggy daycare, so I could/plan to take the pup to work with me(5 days a week). Not only is this good for socialization purposes(with both people and animals), I also get a huge discount on training services. This means the puppy wouldn't be cooped up inside while we're at work 2. The apartment we live in is dog friendly, including big dogs. 3. We plan to be living in a house, with a fenced yard, in less than 6 months(ASAP), so it's not like we would have a fully grown dog 4. We're both pretty active, and like to go on walks/jogs/trips to parks regularly(my boyfriend goes on a ~30 walk almost nightly as it is) Also, some part of my brain thinks it would make cleaning up accidents a bit easier, since we have (crappy) hardwood floors. I've been supporting us both on my paychecks for a while, so this isn't something I'm rushing into. I plan to get current on my bills and whatnot before(though that doesn't stop me longingly gazing at petfinder  ), and saving up enough that I can buy necessary supplies beforehand. Note: the boyfriend isn't opposed to having a dog, he wants one, it's just that he doesn't think an apartment is big enough, even for a puppy. It's worth noting that our apartment is a 900 sq ft 1 bedroom with more space than we know what to do with, not something like a 400 sq ft studio. For the record, I will most likely wait till we're in a house to respect his concerns, but if the dog of my dreams comes up at a shelter/rescue, and finances make it a responsible decision, I'll go for it  . I've told him as much and he somewhat begrudgingly agreed that that was fine. Tl;dr: is having a puppy in an apartment "fair" when you work with dogs full time, can take it to work, and have it socialize with other dogs/people, the apartment is okay with it, are an active person, and you plan to live in a house in less than 6 months anyways? Wow this turned into a long post. Sorry guys 
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Oct 24, 2012 17:23
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Psychobabble! posted:Tl;dr: is having a puppy in an apartment "fair" when you work with dogs full time, can take it to work, and have it socialize with other dogs/people, the apartment is okay with it, are an active person, and you plan to live in a house in less than 6 months anyways? I live in an apartment with this:  (and another small dog) and I do fine. It means you have to be pretty religious about bathroom breaks. I do one in the morning, I come home at lunch, one right after work and 1-2 more over the course of the evening. It can be a pain in the rear end leashing each dog up, especially if you're more used to just letting them out in the yard to do their business. I give the dogs a 45 minute off leash walk/run each morning, and another 1hr walk/run in the evening. With that set up we seem to be doing pretty well. Some days they'll get more exercise, some days they get less. In my experience, dogs don't do much with the space they have inside - especially if they're getting sufficient exercise outside. I have zero issues with people having high energy dogs in apartments as long as they're committed to the dogs' day to day needs. e: with a young pup you'll probably be taking it out every hour while you work on housebreaking. a life less fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 17:37
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Cute dog  Frequent bathroom breaks aren't an issue, since at work I can take him outside(maybe not every hour, but at least every 2 hours, plus my breaks, and I only work 6-8 hour shifts), plus there's a chance boyfriend and I will be working opposite schedules during the week, so if ever I don't take the dog with me to work, he can let it out a bunch. I mean, when we watched our neighbors adult dog for a week, they said she only needed to be let out twice a day, and we ended up taking her out more like 5 times a day, plus taking her out for walks(despite them saying she didn't "do" walks) .
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Oct 24, 2012 17:48
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The main thing I'd be concerned about with a puppy in an apartment is how easy is it going to be to take them out regularly for toilet training. I've seen plenty perfectly happy dogs that live in apartments. I've heard of people that think it can be good since it pushes people to take their dog out on walks rather than just letting them out in the garden. I'd also say, best saving up enough that you've got a decent amount for any extra medical costs. I don't know your exact financial conditions but it does concern me more that you're talking about getting current on bills and and saving for essential. But, it's up to you and you're at least sensible enough to have waited this long. You obviously have experience with dogs. Just remember, any new puppy requires lots of puppy pictures.
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Oct 24, 2012 17:53
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Psychobabble! posted:Note: the boyfriend isn't opposed to having a dog, he wants one, it's just that he doesn't think an apartment is big enough, even for a puppy. It's worth noting that our apartment is a 900 sq ft 1 bedroom with more space than we know what to do with, not something like a 400 sq ft studio. I think you could get a pup of any energy level. I live in a 4plex, my unit doesn't have a yard and I raised two GSD pups here. Its a pain in the rear end that I can't just stick the in the yard for a pee or to zoom around, but we deal  Lots of walks to the park half a block away, lots of time spent with the dogs = very well behaved and happy dogs.Edit: I say "any energy level" because it sounds like you have an awesome plan, plus access to doggy daybare.
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Oct 24, 2012 17:55
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SatanKat posted:The main thing I'd be concerned about with a puppy in an apartment is how easy is it going to be to take them out regularly for toilet training. I've seen plenty perfectly happy dogs that live in apartments. I've heard of people that think it can be good since it pushes people to take their dog out on walks rather than just letting them out in the garden. The "getting caught up on bills" bit is because we both recently got jobs again, after we both lost our jobs in June. He wasn't able to get unemployment, so I had to support us both with the little that I got(less than 300 for the month after rent). Credit card and other bills kind of fell in my priority list over stuff like food, gas, cat food/litter and various house hold things. Now that we both have income, I plan to start crawling out of this financial hole. As far as medical stuff goes, I definitely plan to save up some for that. I also have a care credit card and plan to get pet insurance(with the hip dysplasia add on if I go with trupanion, since GSD are prone to it), which doesn't cover routine stuff, but will be handy in case of emergencies/accidents. Our apartment complex does have a fenced yard of decent size, for the record. We also live on the ground floor right next to the door to outside, which isn't a major thing, but its the difference between "we have to take the dog out and walk down HOW MANY STAIRS?!" and just popping out our door and around the corner. And yeah, adventure in the sandbox, I think having the access to dog daycare 5 days a week will be really handy, especially because it's set up where I can keep the puppy with dogs of similar age/size/energy level. Not to mention our work trainer is awesome, and I can take classes for dirt cheap.
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Oct 24, 2012 19:05
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You mentioned rescues/shelters, are you definitely going that route? If you're planning on going to a good breeder you may want to start looking now, most have waiting lists so having a puppy in an apartment may well be a moot point.  Otherwise I think that sounds like a great life for a puppy. I wouldn't worry about the apartment thing at all. edit: and to add an anecdote, I got an 8 month old ACD/border collie cross when I lived in a studio apartment with no yard (I was young and very dumb).  Took a lot of work but I never had problems with him and he's an incredibly nice and well-adjusted dog.
2tomorrow fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 21:26
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Hopping aboard the "high energy dog raised in apartment" bandwagon:  Moses was an apartment dog from the age of 9 weeks - 1.5 years. House training was by far a bigger problem than exercise- we were on the second floor and it was quite a treck for a small puppy to get to grass. It took him a while to understand that "directly outside the front door =/= STILL NOT OKAY TO POTTY YET." That, and I slacked sometimes on potty breaks because "really, it's 4 am and I have to get up, dressed, find baggies, put shoes on, find leash, and walk you all the way out there are you kidding me uggggh." We slogged through it though and it was okay. Puzzle toys, mental games, and tons of low impact bike rides kept him sane. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it to have the dawg I wanted.
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Oct 24, 2012 21:27
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2tomorrow posted:You mentioned rescues/shelters, are you definitely going that route? If you're planning on going to a good breeder you may want to start looking now, most have waiting lists so having a puppy in an apartment may well be a moot point. I've also been looking into breeders! The only problem is that most in the area seem to have not updated their website in 2+ years, or at least not since earlier this year  . I keep looking, though.Also, is it a rule that dog breeding websites have to be tacky and poorly designed as hell? Psychobabble! fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 02:20
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Psychobabble! posted:Also, is it a rule that dog breeding websites have to be tacky and poorly designed as hell? Yep. Mostly because breeders tend to be older ladies who have a vague idea that the internet is indeed a thing that exists and they harass a grandchild/niece/nephew into setting up a website for them that they then frequently forget exists. Or at least that's how mine handles her website. I love Pat, but not tech savvy at all.
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Oct 25, 2012 02:46
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Citizen Rat posted:Yep. Mostly because breeders tend to be older ladies who have a vague idea that the internet is indeed a thing that exists and they harass a grandchild/niece/nephew into setting up a website for them that they then frequently forget exists. Half of the good breeders in my breed don't have internet access or like, indoor plumbing or an awareness that the civil war has ended
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Oct 25, 2012 03:01
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Superconsndar posted:House training was by far a bigger problem than exercise- we were on the second floor and it was quite a treck for a small puppy to get to grass. It took him a while to understand that "directly outside the front door =/= STILL NOT OKAY TO POTTY YET." That, and I slacked sometimes on potty breaks because "really, it's 4 am and I have to get up, dressed, find baggies, put shoes on, find leash, and walk you all the way out there are you kidding me uggggh." We slogged through it though and it was okay. Pippa was a 2nd floor apartment dog (who couldn't navigate down the type of stairs they had in my complex) for her first 8 months with me and the issues were very similar. I'd want to run her outside and as soon as she would get past the welcome mat to the concrete walkway she'd start to squat and I'm like NOOO but she's deaf so she obv couldn't hear... That said, we managed, she's housetrained and we live in a place with a yard now and it was worth it.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:03
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I have a question about my 5 month old Newfie (Shanti) and my mom's 5 year old Golden Retriever (Aussie). They are bestest friends in the whole world, and whenever they are together they are either playing together or snuggling and sleeping. However, I wanted to ask PI if it's okay that most of their playing is just running after each other and biting. Shanti has been mouthy since I got him, but the frequent nipping was trained out fairly easily and now he only mouths me when he's overstimulated, at which point I disengage and ignore. I wasn't living in the same province as my parents when they got Aussie, but I don't remember him being mouthy as a pup at all, and he doesn't even play-bite when people play with him, though he will always have a stuffie in his mouth unless he's playing with Shanti. Their biting is definitely playful, and if I get between them and tell them to stop, they will disengage from each other. The biting has never caused broken skin or even any yelping, though they do growl a lot. I interpret that as playful, but if it's not, I'll work on more appropriate ways of energy expenditure for the both of them. They also are around cats on a daily basis, my parents and I have two each. Shanti used to try to mouth them, but he doesn't do that at all anymore, and since he's quite large now, I'm glad for it. Fake edit: Just to clarify, my parents and I don't live together, in case it sounded like we did. The dogs have lots of sleepovers and playdates, though.  Here they are... Look at my Shanti's big meatball head.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:34
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Psychobabble! posted:I've also been looking into breeders! The only problem is that most in the area seem to have not updated their website in 2+ years, or at least not since earlier this year If you're isolating your search for a not horrible GSD breeder to just local, or even just your state, you are going to have a lousy time. GSDs are just one of those breeds that have the supreme poo poo end of the breeding spectrum. Show lines 
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Oct 25, 2012 04:47
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uptown posted:I have a question about my 5 month old Newfie (Shanti) and my mom's 5 year old Golden Retriever (Aussie). They are bestest friends in the whole world, and whenever they are together they are either playing together or snuggling and sleeping. However, I wanted to ask PI if it's okay that most of their playing is just running after each other and biting. Shanti has been mouthy since I got him, but the frequent nipping was trained out fairly easily and now he only mouths me when he's overstimulated, at which point I disengage and ignore. I wasn't living in the same province as my parents when they got Aussie, but I don't remember him being mouthy as a pup at all, and he doesn't even play-bite when people play with him, though he will always have a stuffie in his mouth unless he's playing with Shanti. My two dogs growl, and make all sorts of strange noises and bite each other whilst playing. I do know some people have said I shouldn't let them do that because they might end up hurting someone but they seem to understand the limits on how rough they can be with people and how rough they can be with each other. The one dog will have her mouth open and moving round like he's going to bite my husband when playing but if either of us puts a hand/arm in her mouth she stops immediately and will only lick. An any kids she sees she'll just lick an be much more gentle then my shiba (who just gets overly excited). Of course I think they can be a bit rough for some other dogs. But, generally I think it's better to let them play. But then mine don't really met up with many other dogs. You should probably keep an eye on things, especially as your newfie grows larger. I know my akita an one cat use to play an I don't think my akita quite understood she got too big to play with the cats, they tend to stay out of her way (apart from one that she tends to leave alone for some reason).
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Oct 25, 2012 11:33
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uptown posted:I have a question about my 5 month old Newfie (Shanti) and my mom's 5 year old Golden Retriever (Aussie). They are bestest friends in the whole world, and whenever they are together they are either playing together or snuggling and sleeping. However, I wanted to ask PI if it's okay that most of their playing is just running after each other and biting. Shanti has been mouthy since I got him, but the frequent nipping was trained out fairly easily and now he only mouths me when he's overstimulated, at which point I disengage and ignore. I wasn't living in the same province as my parents when they got Aussie, but I don't remember him being mouthy as a pup at all, and he doesn't even play-bite when people play with him, though he will always have a stuffie in his mouth unless he's playing with Shanti. Are they snapping, or do they keep their mouths more open/loose? That's one indicator I use to decide if.play is fine or going too far. I get the feeling from your post it's the latter, well socialized dogs will mouth and even bite other dogs(especially on the areas like the cheeks). It sounds like they're just playing; if they start snapping at each other and getting more aggressive, separate. For now, it just sounds like they're having fun. Kerfuffle posted:If you're isolating your search for a not horrible GSD breeder to just local, or even just your state, you are going to have a lousy time. GSDs are just one of those breeds that have the supreme poo poo end of the breeding spectrum. Show lines Yeah, I'd rather deal locally, or in a drivable distance(like to Oregon or Montana). I had my ragdoll shipped to me and it was so stressful
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Oct 25, 2012 14:14
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uptown posted:I have a question about my 5 month old Newfie (Shanti) and my mom's 5 year old Golden Retriever (Aussie). They are bestest friends in the whole world, and whenever they are together they are either playing together or snuggling and sleeping. However, I wanted to ask PI if it's okay that most of their playing is just running after each other and biting. Shanti has been mouthy since I got him, but the frequent nipping was trained out fairly easily and now he only mouths me when he's overstimulated, at which point I disengage and ignore. I wasn't living in the same province as my parents when they got Aussie, but I don't remember him being mouthy as a pup at all, and he doesn't even play-bite when people play with him, though he will always have a stuffie in his mouth unless he's playing with Shanti. It sounds just fine. If you're concerned they're getting too hot, call them away from play, reward with a treat and allow them to reengage. If both seem into restarting the play, let them go. If one seems to want to chill out or leave, take the more active dog away for a bit of a chill out period. It sounds like your two dogs are doing just fine with each other. One thing to keep in mind is not all dogs like to be gnawed on like that. Your pup may realize that Dog X likes to play like this and Dog Y likes to play like that, and adapt play accordingly. Or you may need to step in if your pup gets overzealous with other dogs. Some dogs' play styles simply don't mesh well. For instance, my herder likes to chase and bark and wrestle fairly aggressively. She doesn't adapt her play style well at all to other dogs, so I don't allow her to play with most dogs unless they pretty obviously into her craziness. My friend's field Golden is crazy and will wrestle and chase and bark with my dog, but he'll play much more gently with other dogs -- he's smart enough to realize that to continue playing he needs to adapt his approach. Monitoring who your dog can play with is pretty easy, if you have to go that way.
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Oct 25, 2012 15:25
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I'm really close to putting a deposit down on this little guy. Spent about 30 minutes talking to the breeder so far, and have been very impressed with her knowledge and the answers she had to the list of questions in the OP. Anyone care to take a look at their site and see if any red flags pop up? http://www.bigsheltiekisses.com
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Oct 25, 2012 21:12
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Goldmund posted:I'm really close to putting a deposit down on this little guy. Not too bad. Not great, but I don't see any glaring red flags by any means. My biggest issue is that the dogs don't DO anything. I think they have one male with his championship finished, but I don't see any other titles, confo/sports/etc, on any of their dogs. I don't necessarily care if they're not breeding agility/obedience champions, but Shelties are notorious for having incredibly soft temperaments. I would say that they're too soft, as a breed. I'd be concerned that the dogs' and pups' will have that same too-soft temperament if they've not shown that they can hack it in the performance world. I guess having a soft dog isn't the worst thing in the world if that's what you're looking for, but I find these dogs terminally boring and very difficult to work with. A lot will develop fear issues and be perpetually stressed and shut down. Sharp, active Shelties are a pleasure to work with. Unfortunately they're becoming pretty rare to find.
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Oct 25, 2012 21:35
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That sure is a show breeder
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Oct 25, 2012 21:44
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Goldmund posted:I'm really close to putting a deposit down on this little guy. I'm not seeing the health testing she has done on either parent on OFFA.org. Has she done it and not sent it to OFFA? If that's the case I would want to see proof if I was getting a puppy from her. I would also ask why she appears to have chosen not to test for eye abnormalities before putting a deposit down. The sheltie club requires that for receiving a CHIC number so I'm guessing its a problem in the breed. All in all they don't seem terrible and if she can provide that information I think she would be a alright breeder for picking up a family pet. I like that they put their contract right on their site and even though they recommend certain foods and vitamins they aren't required in the contract. Edit: After digging through another breeder's cached page to try to figure out the dam's pedigree I discovered the sire, Forbes's, great grandmother is also the dam, Pompeii's, mother so I personally would want to know what qualities they are hoping to really cement into their lines by linebreeding on her. Not to say inbreeding is a dealbreaker but I would want to see a lot of thought behind it. vvv Why did they choose to breed to him before he was 2 and had final testing is something else I would ask. vvv Instant Jellyfish fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 21:52
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Thanks for the input. I'm looking for a pet, no plans to show or compete at all. My previous dog was a sheltie, and I had one as a kid as well. Terminally boring seems pretty harsh, both of mine were active and intelligent dogs. I'll call this evening and get some more info on the eye testing. She said that they had complete tests for both sets of grandparents, but wouldn't be able to do one test on the father until he was two years old (not sure if that was for eyes or not).
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Oct 25, 2012 22:08
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Goldmund posted:Thanks for the input. I'm looking for a pet, no plans to show or compete at all. My previous dog was a sheltie, and I had one as a kid as well. Terminally boring seems pretty harsh, both of mine were active and intelligent dogs. She was referring to the watered down nature that comes with active dogs that are bred to be focused only on showing. Not Shelties as a whole.
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Oct 25, 2012 22:19
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Goldmund posted:Thanks for the input. I'm looking for a pet, no plans to show or compete at all. My previous dog was a sheltie, and I had one as a kid as well. Terminally boring seems pretty harsh, both of mine were active and intelligent dogs. I'll call this evening and get some more info on the eye testing. She said that they had complete tests for both sets of grandparents, but wouldn't be able to do one test on the father until he was two years old (not sure if that was for eyes or not). So did she not test the dam then? This is the dam's mother who only had hip testing done but her hips are good and her father who also has good hips but no other testing recorded. There is no record of the dam as one of their offspring but sometimes records get messed up. Definitely ask for either record numbers you can look up yourself for the parents or to see paper copies. Even preliminary testing since the sire isn't old enough for final OFFA scoring would have been a good idea before breeding him. Just for your knowledge here is the sire's sire who does have his eyes tested as well as hips and thyroid and his dam who only had hips recorded.
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Oct 25, 2012 22:23
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^^^ Thanks for thisKerfuffle posted:She was referring to the watered down nature that comes with active dogs that are bred to be focused only on showing. Not Shelties as a whole. Ahh, I see. Hopefully that isn't the case here. My in-laws have a farm about 30 minutes away with 20+ sheep, so he'd have opportunities to work on his herding instincts. Enos Cabell fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 22:30
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I would ask quite a few questions about the temperament and personality of sire, dam and other dogs of her line. If words like quiet, reserved, nervous, withdrawn, cautious etc come up I would maybe reconsider. You don't want those things in a pet either. Also most breeders will sugar coat their dogs' issues so words like that can belay deeper problems.
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Oct 25, 2012 23:00
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Like just as a general point, most websites will keep records of the sources of their traffic, ie the links people click to get there. So, any time you post a hyperlink to start a PI discussion on a specific breeder, you should bear in mind that the breeder will probably end up reading the discussion too - which might, if you're a puppy buyer, make things a little awkward. I always wonder if people realise this when they post links to breeder websites!
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Oct 26, 2012 09:50
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notsoape posted:Like just as a general point, most websites will keep records of the sources of their traffic, ie the links people click to get there. So, any time you post a hyperlink to start a PI discussion on a specific breeder, you should bear in mind that the breeder will probably end up reading the discussion too - which might, if you're a puppy buyer, make things a little awkward. I always wonder if people realise this when they post links to breeder websites! Judging by most breeder websites, I doubt they're that savvy. If you're really just that paranoid, the best thing to do is view the source code on the breeder web pages and see if they have a Google analytics tracking script implemented.
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Oct 26, 2012 16:36
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Tiny Faye posted:Judging by most breeder websites, I doubt they're that savvy. If you're really just that paranoid, the best thing to do is view the source code on the breeder web pages and see if they have a Google analytics tracking script implemented. According to ghostery, they do not, and I really doubt most do.
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Oct 26, 2012 16:40
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edit: I'm being dumb and just going to play it as safe as possible.
Three Olives fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Oct 26, 2012 |
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Oct 26, 2012 19:08
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My vet said if our puppy was showing signs of being weak or sickly then we should wait until the last round. But since he was neither (he had gotten over some parasites fine and was being quite energetic/healthy), he advised it would be fine to let him out and get used to the outdoors (at 12 weeks). However, every area is different and if you've got known stray dogs in the area and your puppy is already known to pick up colds/bugs/diseases, I'd wait.
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Oct 26, 2012 19:19
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