Dogs.

[5030]

Always remember, DOG spelled backwards is GOD.

 

[jyoutz]

Aside from when I was very young, and my family had pure bred bull mastiffs and earlier dash-hounds, all my own later dogs have been mixed breed, pound retrieved dogs. These earlier kennel raised pure bred dogs, as I remember, were easy to deal with. Just off the shelf, here is your dog and it will behave. All of these pound dogs I later got, had problems. I would take on the problem dogs as we lived in the country and I thought I knew enough about training dogs that they would come around. Our current dog, is the best of dogs, yet he has his issues. He is getting old and still has his issues. He can't be around other dogs at all. He will immediately attack any dog smaller than him. I believe this now to be the most difficult area of having a pound dog. Some things, you can not train them out of, cause they are sort of fixed.. Especially about them being social to other dogs.
So, for the jury to decide, do I get my last dog, after this one passes, from a breeder/trainer and not the pound? Or does it make any difference?

I have only owned pure bred Australian shepherds. They are extremely easy to train and smart. And every one seems to have similar temperament and habits. They are great companion dogs and I have never met a vicious one.

 

[goeduck]

Neighbor got what is supposed to be a 4 year old Ausie Sheppard and Newfoundland mix today. Seems Like a great, great dog. I think it looks more like a spaniel cross, but what do I know.

 

[oosik]

My neighbor to the south is a big time rancher. Thousands of acres of open range lands - hundreds of head of cattle. He has three dogs - all are pure bred Australian Shepherds. He travels around his land on an ATV. One of his shepherds - Molly - rides on the rear luggage rack.

Here he comes to visit me. Over hill and dale. Molly sitting up real tall - looking up ahead - over his right shoulder. He stops in my yard - Molly stays on the ATV unless he tells here she can get off.

I like Molly. She is friendly and tolerates all the poking, probing, sniffing from a very rambunctious Brownie.

 

[orezok]

A couple of years ago I joined a project called https://dogagingproject.org/about-project/ It it is coordinated by 28 major universities and research centers around the world. They are studying 10,000 dogs throughout their lifetime to get information on health, longevity and how it related to the human species.

My dog is Kali who is a rescue and now about 12 to 13 years old. I have submitted all her health records from my vet, answered a multiple page survey regarding her living conditions, a sample of her mouth saliva for genetic testing and a myriad of other information. Kali is dog 2750 in the study.

Yesterday I received a copy of her genomic report which shows the following. Looks like her and her ancestors got around. Others is the second pic.

Since the cost is totally free and provides an abundance of info regarding your dogs health, possible future health issues and other lifestyle issues, consider joining the program.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

We just sold our house and moved. About 3 nights in at the new house, our shepherd started sniffing at the TV stand and alerted to the drawer.

I finally went over and opened it up and let her rummage through it. Well she kept alerting to the back of the drawer.

So.... I removed the drawer and shined a flash light up in the cavity.

One of her balls was wedged in the frame.

We can't fill a Xmas stocking with new toys for her.

She will park her bottom under the stocking and and wine and cry. Then start yipping at you to give her the toys. I actually removed her from the house the next year, wife filled the stocking along with the kids stockings. Then I brought her in an hour or so later with the same results. She went right to the stocking and alerted on it. Then got increasingly demanding

One of our lab (mix) dogs is similar. He can smell one of his favorite red rubber balls if it's sitting in a desk or kitchen drawer. He can also smell one if it's sitting in the sink if he walks by. The other 2 not so much, but this little mutt has an amazing nose.

 

[ponytug]

Congratulations! As an adult, German shepherds are the only breed that I have owned. We have been lucky to get washouts from police K-9 training.

We buy the Costco lamb and rice formula, but have used Royal Canine in the past before it was reformulated (and then caused problems), but I have heard that the Royal Canine has been reformulated.

A few tips from someone that has had a few, and fostered a few more; German shepherds love having jobs to do, so daily training / job will help their mental outlook, and despite the fact that they are used as police dogs, they respond much much better to positive reinforcement than negative. I know of a couple that had bad scares in the wrong hands and were never the same.

All the best,

Peter

 

[SARG]

Dogs are without question .... The best love money can buy.
The picture shows Maggie & Barnaby. They have the same parents 18 months apart. Mom is pure Bernese and Dad is a Bernadoodle.

 

[goeduck]

Thank you for the detailed reply! I appreciate it.
What brands of food are considered to be good?

I buy Blue Buffalo but I am not married to it. Seems to be a good brand as far as I know. Speaking of the protein source in the food, I have never tried lamb as some mention. I guess because I don't like it (too fatty for me) but I probably should not let that be the reason. When I got my last rescue, the adoption place her on Costco salmon and I switched to chicken. Anyone researched this much?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I was presented with a german shepherd. A very cute and great dog! But I'm clueless about her nutrition. Does anyone have this breed? Any advice is appreciated.

Dogs are opportunistic omnivores, so can eat the same thing you eat. Don't spare the table scraps, including vegetables. We make our own dog food, which starts with 10 lbs. of chicken hindquarters that are still $0.69/lb, add berries, fruits and vegetables in season, sweet potatoes for carbs, and steel cut oats for carbs and fiber. Pumpkins and other squash helps with digestion. We do a 30 quart stock pot full, then freeze it in leftover plastic containers, mostly cottage cheese containers with tight fitting lids. This is WAY cheaper than canned dog food, and we know exactly what is going into it. It's a healthful stew. Plop some in a bowl, add some salt, and it's perfectly good people food too. It tastes pretty good, which the dogs appreciate. Dogs and people have spent the last 30,000 years eating at the same table.

EDIT: be sure to avoid human foods that are poisonous to dogs, like chocolate, garlic, onions, grapes/raisins.

The advantage of kibbles is the chewing is good for the teeth and gums. A feeding at my house, for a large dog, is a cup of kibbles and a cup of warmed doggie stew, mixed together and served. Last night they also got leftover broccoli, cauliflower, and steak fat table scraps.

Whatever dog food you buy, look for the aafco label.

Startups - AAFCO

AAFCO is here to help you and your business navigate through the many regulations associated with the business of pet food.

petfood.aafco.org