lefty's random dog thread.

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That was fast. Breeding?

lefty

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Originally Posted by lefty

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That was fast. Breeding? lefty
Airedale. From Don Turnipseed at High Country Airedales. She seems like a great dog and Don is a good guy. I went up to his place last weekend and met him and his dogs. She had three sisters and a brother. She was the second largest of the litter. Her sister was the biggest and most forward/independent but she was the sweetest and most responsive to humans. Naturally I wanted her sister but my better half chose this one. I think it was a good choice as she is just really sweet and has totally bonded with us. When we got there the dogs had as yet never been inside a house. He let them inside so we could watch how they responded to the new environment. Many dogs freeze when they hit hard wood floors or a novel environment and two of her sisters did but she sauntered right in and had her tail up in no time as she checked everything out. Once we got her home she got right into the swing of things in the house. She is a bit shy about going outside and the cats- after a good swat of claws to the face- have her terrified. That's ok as she will soon be able to kill them at a whim and I want her to respect them. She is very mellow, not a spastic puppy that just is falling over its self trying to get in your face. She seems like a very self possessed dog. Don said he did not handle them at all when they were young, his theory being that if you have to handle a dog from birth in order for it to respond to a human then they are not really domesticated. He's been breeding this line for about twenty years and says he's got it about where he wants it. He does not hand feed the weak or glue the ears. He showed me a bear that had laid up one my dog's ancestors as well as a few huge boars they had caught, all mounted on his wall. He also apparently does very well at the various trials - one of his dogs was the only to be able to finish a "master trial," whatever that is- although they don't really like him because he does not hew to the same ideas of what makes for a good dog. All in all a very good experience and I'm happy with the dog. My boy is over the moon. He named her "Nixie" which is a water monster/spirit from Celtic/British Isles mythology.

Well done.

His theory about not handling puppies is interesting. I have to agree about supplementing the weak.

Is she from his hunting line or pet line? He has both doesn't he? Are you going to hand strip or clip? Turnipseed have any thoughts?

lefty

He does mention both on his site although he never made any mention of having pups for both. I told him what I wanted and he just told me all the pups he had, he did not divide them up by purpose. He mentioned her sire and some siblings and I recognized the names from the Real Working Airedale board.

She does have a great retrieving instinct. Frankly she is more companion than hunter so if she has less of a prey drive it won't be the worse thing in the world. She will be pretty big. She has siblings that are over 80 pounds.

As per clipping I will hand strip as much as I can, if it turns into too much of a chore I will clip. He mentioned clipping his, they were still a bit long haired as he expected at least one more frost.

btw, the first victim of her puppy teeth was that book Dog Man. Now it truly is dog eared.

Originally Posted by NorCal

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btw, the first victim of her puppy teeth was that book Dog Man. Now it truly is dog eared.
Hide your shoes. By the way - think hard about the dog on the bed. Once you go there it's hard to come back. And pick up a Fox 40 and start her recall. lefty

Originally Posted by lefty

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Hide your shoes.

By the way - think hard about the dog on the bed. Once you go there it's hard to come back. And pick up a Fox 40 and start her recall.

lefty

Yeah the idea was to let her sleep on the boy's bed only. However since that night she has not really wanted to, so we might just roll with no dogs on furniture of any type.

Ideally she could sleep outdoors but around here that might not work out so well, too many folks to bark at and I think the boy might have something to say about it.

Any thought on a basic trailing guide? Is there a gold standard?
Any reason I should avoid the SPCA, Humane Society, parks and rec. type group training?
I always just winged it in the past but being in a suburban area there is less of a margin for error.

Training? The only thing you can get two trainers to agree on is that the third trainer is full of ****.

Are you anywhere near Emeryville CA? If so, I would check out Francis Metcalf - great guy and fantastic trainer. Also take a look at Mike Ellis. Buy a DVD or two. Mike is a very respected trainer of trainers and is in Fairfield, CA.

Dog parks are for people to socialize. If you want that go, but they don't do a hell of a lot for your dog unless you use them as a training/proofing opportunity. But then all the other dog "mommies and daddies" will think you're weird.

A couple of sessions with these guys will get you started in the right direction.

lefty

I'm trying to find a decent apartment that allows dogs and it's a nightmare, especially since a good chunk of the ones that allow pets won't let you have a real dog. =/

Originally Posted by GQgeek

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I'm trying to find a decent apartment that allows dogs and it's a nightmare, especially since a good chunk of the ones that allow pets won't let you have a real dog. =/

I went through this myself when I moved to Nashville for a few months. Unfortunately I can't offer much advice, as I got lucky and a friend of a friend of a friend of my aunt rented me a place.

Are you running into size or breed restrictions (or both)?

Originally Posted by dcg

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I went through this myself when I moved to Nashville for a few months. Unfortunately I can't offer much advice, as I got lucky and a friend of a friend of a friend of my aunt rented me a place.

Are you running into size or breed restrictions (or both)?

So far just size. Haven't mentioned that I'm getting a rotti to anyone yet.

A few questions for the dog people here. My girlfriend and I are thinking about getting a dog. So I have a few questions. First off, I want an English bulldog, she wants a golden retriever. I'm not against getting a golden and she is not against a bulldog. We've also thought about a chocolate lab. Which is a smarter choice? I mean, I understand that bulldogs can have health issues, and usually do have health issues, but I really want one. Am I being stupid in wanting a bulldog b/c it will inevitably be a harder dog to raise and maintain than the other options? Or are some of the negatives of a bulldog just exaggerated?
What are the advantages of a bulldog or a golden or a choc lab? Although I realize that labs and goldens are so very close that they will likely be the same in comparison to one another.
Also, what are the advantages of buying versus a pound or shelter? I would rather not spend a ton of cash just to get a dog, as raising one will be expensive enough. However I've been told that pound dogs can be notoriously hard to raise unless you get them as a puppy and raise them yourselves. On top of that, are there any advantages in getting a puppy versus getting a grown dog? Other than the puppy would require a lot of work, are there any distinct advantages?