Dog Advice
 

We're looking at getting a dog for the family. We don't want anything too big and the local pet store recommended a Wookie Dog as being suitable to what we are after.

Anyone got any experience with this breed?

Re: Dog Advice
 

Don't know the breed but pictures look very cool! Apparently the Star Wars look a like of the dog world!

BUT please don't buy from a pet shop. They often use "puppy farm" style breeders. When buying a puppy you really should meet the parents and puppies take a lot from the early environments, a 2 ft wide perspex box doesn't do much for them! There's many, many lovely registered breeders who take a lot of time and pride in breeding healthy, happy puppies!

Rant over, big pet hate! :frown:

Re: Dog Advice
 

No, I can't stand them! I will go to a pound or rescue centre.

I must say from googling, it does look like a cute dog

Re: Dog Advice
 

No experience with that breed but I have a multi shitting poo which I had from a puppy and a Lhasa Apso x which was a rescue pup. Got the rescue last year and she was 15 months old and had been poorly treated. She is a joy as is the other one.

Neither dog moults and both are easy to keep. Have you considered a rescue dog? I got mine from www.petrescue.com.au

Picture of Nellie (the rescue attached)

Re: Dog Advice
 

My kids have a petting sitting business and we're always taking different types of dogs (having had kelpies of our own in the past) and I agree the shitsu crossy little guys are really fun and nice to have. One of our regular customers actually thinks he's human and I believe him, I think he's like that cat in Sabrina and has been banished to a human body.

The Wookie does look cool though, hope we get one of those as a guest soon. We have two poodles at the moment and when they leave us we have a pug booked in.

Re: Dog Advice
 

my god i can see why they got the name. that dog looks exactly like chewbacca!

Re: Dog Advice
 

Yeah, funny hey!

How long before people realise this is a wind up?

Re: Dog Advice
 

wow. I almost thought it was photoshopped.

any second now i imagine

Re: Dog Advice
 

Dunno about wookies (that *is* a great picture)

but for any kind of 'easy to manage' family dog you cant go wrong with a Cavalier Spaniel. Any vet will recommend them... and they are hellishly cute and cuddly.

http://melbourne.adoodau.com/adpics/...3354f64df3.jpg

Re: Dog Advice
 

Can I reiterate the pet shop/ puppy farm thing....????

How many years has it been since dogs were sold in pet shops in the uk? for many, many reasons.....

i would be going to a reputable breeder and meeting mum and dad before buying a "new" puppy.... Or as WE did, going to the pound, local resuce centre and getting their advice... tnere are too many puppy farms and concerns from buying from a pet store are hatyou dont know the puppy history, they are separated from eir mothers early and may have socialisation issues.... As well as issues tracing back genetic problems that some breeds are prone to... Eg hips in alsations, deafness in dalmations, stupidity in weimarannas....


if you havent owned a dog before they will give GOOD advice on the kind of breed that would suit you... They DO get puppies, if you're fixated on the puppy thing, but they road test older dogs to makesure they dont make mistakes when homing them..... They will look at your circumstances/ family make up and try and match you with a dog that will meet your needs.... they personality test them and everything.....

All my mates at work have got theirs through the same rescue centre and not one of them has taken a dog back because it was wrong for them, or had unnatural or antisocial habits... Unfortunately we're in WA... Or I'd say deffo go to K9 rescue......

Re: Dog Advice
 

cute:eek:


These look cuter:lol::unsure:

Re: Dog Advice
 

Lots of genetic health issues with Cav King Charles though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalie...harles_Spaniel

Re: Dog Advice
 

You want a great family dog (that isn't a woose dog? :D)

Go for a Staffie pup - they are great with kids, brill family dogs. :thumbup:

Though I will say, you have to research where they have been bred. From past experience, you want evidence they are from English heritage, right down the blood line.

Re: Dog Advice
 

Take a test...


http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

Re: Dog Advice
 

that would be my advice too.... Also Known as the Nanny Dog.... Wouldnt have touched one with a barge pole in the uk, but Socket choose us...it wasnt our decision.... And he is BRILLIANT....

Re: Dog Advice
 

:wub: aawww, pics pics pics. :thumbsup:

Re: Dog Advice
 

We got Rocky from the rescue centre and although he has HD due to his previous owners kicking him, it has been rewarding watching him grow and go from a dog that is terrified of water, underweight and hungry to a dog that loves swimming, even dives under the water to get sticks, takes his time over his food and due to not being able to go off the leash in the park (bad hip), he enjoys his life, going out for walks, out for rides in the car and ending the day on the sofa with me and the two cats.

You really can change the life of a rescue dog by proving humans are not all bad, and that he/she will never go hungry or short of attention.

Now that means an awful lot to a rescue dog in my book.:wub:

Re: Dog Advice
 

Have NO idea how to do pics.... Would need assistance and co opertaion from Kevin, and until she NEEDS something (usually cold, hard cash) I have NO chance of getting that help... That and she's living at THe1's and is training tonight in some kind of martial arts that looks exceedingly dangerous.... i hope her nose doesnt get broken... Its such a pretty, perfect little nose.... Or her ears... Would hate for her to develop a cauliflower ear due to her new hobby....

ONE DAY I will do it.... Unless anyone on here who knows me on facebook knows hoe to take my piccies of the Hounds from Hell on there and put them on here, You'd have my ok to do that.... All too technical for little old me...

Re: Dog Advice
 

My Cav Chipmunk. He's just a little bigger than our cat and just loves to be around people. :wub:

Re: Dog Advice
 

Ha ha - BS - you are joking right lol

King Charles are lovely, very friendly (aka thick as two short planks). They make nice companion dogs but a virile young man like you needs a bit more - well manpower going down the street. But you are probably going to neglect it with all those hours you work until you (very soon) make your first million.

How about something like this one - kind of looks your type
http://myfunnypics.org/v/funny-dogs/...coach.PNG.html

In a non pervy kind of way you know.

My take on it all is:
say no to pet shops
say no to designer dogs (posh name for crossbreeds that have been bred for cash reasons except in a very small number of cases).
say no to pet shops
say no to any dog in the paper or advert over 150 that is not desexed, vaccinated or from a breeder.
Giant breeds last 8 years or so and have joint problems often so if you get a really big one, then make sure you feed them a specially designed large puppy food.
working dogs -kelpies, collies, ACD - I love but do need attention and stimulation - so if you are going to leave all day, try get an older one that you know has settled a bit and hasnt got prior concerns, or if your wife is home and wants to walk them a lot - great.

Re: Dog Advice
 

Whatever gave you that idea? Not many on this thread have picked that up by the looks of it

:rofl:

Re: Dog Advice
 

Admittedly there are some - but most can be avoided by using a reputable breeder.

Near Brisbane "Cavtown" in the Lockyer Valley (google for contacts if you like) breed excellent dogs. Our Cavie 'Xena' is now 11 years old and apart from daily heart medication (easy enough to give) has had a life free of any breed related health problems (2 close calls with paralysis ticks - but it doesnt matter what breed of dog you get those are a pest).

Re: Dog Advice
 

I saw a show on tv in the UK about a 'reputable' Cavalier breeder who knowingly bred and sold litters from a Crufts winning bitch who was a carrier of the genetic disorder Syringomyelia.

http://www.cavalierhealth.org/syringomyelia.htm

Dogs bred with skulls too small for their brains isn't a good thing.

Edit: I'm not sure (as I don't have sound at work), but I think this might be a snippet of the show I was refering to.

Re: Dog Advice
 

Sounds unpleasant - but with all the Cavies and owners I've met I've never heard of a single one suffering from this. I hadnt heard of this condition until it was raised by someone 'hystericalising' (my word) on a completely different forum where there was a similar 'Which dog' thread came up.

None of the cavie owners had a clue what this SM thing was. (So how common a problem can it be?)

Re: Dog Advice
 

It seems quite common.

SM is rare in most breeds but has become very widespread in cavalier King Charles spaniels. Some researchers estimate that as many as 95% of CKCSs have Chiari-like malformation (CM or CLM), the skull bone malformation believed to be a part of the cause of syringomyelia, and that more than 50% of cavaliers have SM.* It is worldwide in scope and not limited to any country, breeding line, or kennel, and experts report that it is believed to be inherited in the cavalier King Charles spaniel. CM is so widespread in the cavalier that it may be an inherent part of the CKCS's breed standard.

* A 2011 study of 555 UK cavaliers, reported by their owners to be symptom-less, found 25% of one year olds and 70% of 6+ year olds had SM. - from the Cavalierhealth.org website.

Re: Dog Advice
 

I question the 'zOMG'-ness of a condition that is so severe nobody even seems to notice it exists as it has NO SYMPTOMS. ;)

Re: Dog Advice
 

A study of 555 dogs in one country does not make a worldwide epidemic. Does that study also say a random sampling of dogs or was it only show dogs or dogs from the same breed lines?

Re: Dog Advice
 

Don't know Dorothy, but the abstract of the paper can be viewed here:

http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/cont...00062.abstract

Re: Dog Advice
 

Get one with short hair. Much easier to find and remove ticks.

Re: Dog Advice
 

Mabel has watched too much "Time Team". To keep her happy,I told her that the rock she had dug up was in fact a tessellated tile, left over from when the Romans invaded Auckland.

Wonderful dogs, Jack Russells, great with kids, never get tired of playing, very intelligent (compared to some of the kids I teach!), you can not be 'down' with a jack.

Re: Dog Advice
 

I love Jack Russells. Years ago, used to do dog-walking to earn a bit extra cash, and loved walking them . . . loads of energy, very intelligent, loyal and love to please their owner.

The most deranged dog I ever walked was one of these . . .

http://image52.webshots.com/152/1/62...5gslNrE_ph.jpg

Re: Dog Advice
 

I fully agree with this. If no one bought dogs from them they would stop selling them. A good dog breeder does not allow their pups to be sold in a pet shop.


We have had 5 Cavs over the years. Our black and tan is a young 13 yr old and everyone thinks she's a pup. They are the gentlest, most affectionate dogs. When I originally wanted to get a dog I went to see a vet and asked him what breed he recommended to suit my lifestyle. He said a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and he was spot on. :thumbsup:

Whatever breed you choose please chose one to suit you and your family's lifestyle and not one just because it looks nice.

Re: Dog Advice
 

Here you go...

Re: Dog Advice
 

YAY!!!!!! Thanks boss.... The hounds from hell... The staffie is Socket and the grey thief is lecky... Lecky is terribly posh, her daddy's a POM, she has a pedigree as long as yer arm.... Unfortunately she was brought as a puppy by a family who had never owned a dog before and didnt know that with big dogs YOU HAVE to be the biggest bitch in the pack..... theythought it was hilarious her chasing the screaming kids round the house all day... Until she got so big... They had No idea how to bring up a dog to live in a pack, with your family being higher up the pecking order than she is... we got her aged about 7 months and its taken a hell of a lot of hard work to get her liveable with...

She sits on HIS lap to watch TV.... Which is a shame, coz she'd make a great coffee table if you stuck a glass top on her and she would lay still for long enough.....