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Dogs III - the return of the furbaby thread


Which Tyler
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On 6/17/2021 at 11:16 AM, Alarich II said:

It was legal here until the end of the 90ies, so my parents boxers still had a docked tail, but ears already uncropped. 

Here in Sweden it was legal until 1989, I think. It's still something you can find out in some European countries, though -- Portugal still allows it, Czech Republic, some of the Balkan countries.

On 6/17/2021 at 11:16 AM, Alarich II said:

The origin of the tail docking afaik is that the Boxer was bred as a service dog, that could be used in the Police. So the docking was done, because tail wagging (which they are prone to do) in close quarters can break the tail when it smashes agains a wall or a tree.

Yeah, the working dog status was the reason for it. By the time the bans came in place, the breeders who preferred docking argued in vain that boxers would have tails that were too long and thin and prone to damage, but there's no real evidence of that on a breed-wide scale. Several of our boxers had veritable clubs for tails, in fact; never had a single injury, and those boys could wag their tails, let me tell you.

OTOH, Winter has a rather unusually long tail, and just the other day got his first real case of "Happy Tail" where he managed to whack just the end of it on the corner of a chair as he wagged his tail, and sent blood flying everywhere. And then managed to repeat it a couple of times in the following days (we had my brother-in-law's family over and he was just too pleased to say hello to the niece and nephew).

 

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Sigh. Bailey has at most eaten three partial meals in the last week or so, and hasn't even tried to for a few days. She's even turning down ice cream and has lost ten pounds since she first got seen close to two weeks ago and 20 since her last scheduled checkup in April. Vet says she's likely gone from not being in much pain to being in a lot of pain and it's time. I decided to take her home for one more night of TLC and am going to have her put down in the morning. Was hoping she could at least make it through the summer, but it was not to be.

:crying:

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/10/2021 at 9:43 AM, Which Tyler said:

This morning, I had to carry the venerable old lady upstairs for the first time :crying:

I'm not ready for this.
It's not my readiness that counts.

Guinness is doing better now; but still a definite limp in her front left, to go with her existing arthritis in both hips - not exhibiting much in the way of pain from them, just irritation that they don't do what she tells them to. Currently she's more upset from her guts, having eaten something she obviously shouldn't have - worried that it might be something in our new wildflower "meadow"

 

 

 

Otherwise, we're meeting an adolescent Ridgeback X Labrador tomorrow with a view to re-homing him at the weekend.
We've never re-homed before; but hopefully dealing with a new 5 month old isn't TOO different from dealing with a new 2 month old.

 

Am currently working on a plan that makes sense for managing the introductions with ourselves and our girls - and running it past our dog trainer to make sure we've covered all the bases.

We're being as flexible as we possibly can be, as we're the ones receiving the dog, not the ones with the emotional wrench of giving him up; but we want to know what we're doing once he's here.

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First pup gonna buy. Sub tropical climes. Till Medium hair accepted. Size must be medium or large. Low cost maintenance. Lots of exercise. Friendly. 

Spoiler

And no stupid horse jokes at my expense 

Thanks in advance 

Edited by The_Lone_Wolf
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25 minutes ago, The_Lone_Wolf said:

First pup gonna buy. Sub tropical climes. Till Medium hair accepted. Size must be medium or large. Low cost maintenance. Lots of exercise. Friendly. 

  Hide contents

And no stupid horse jokes at my expense 

Thanks in advance 

Sounds like a labrador / pointer / boxer to me.
Golden / Flatcoat retrievers come in if you prefer medium hair to short

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I am a committed fan of Boxers, and there are plenty throughout the world in different climates. I've seen videos of Boxers in Thailand, Panama, Argentina, India, Egypt, South Africa... they're everywhere.

That said, because they are brachycephalic, you would want to make sure that any Boxer (or other brachycephalic breed) has good nostrils and a good nose length. I believe in more tropical regions you'll often find that the boxers there have a lot of the American lines, which are longer-nosed than what you see in continental Boxers.

But if you get that, you'll have a terrific medium dog that will love going out, running around, and having fun.

OTOH, if the "lots of exercise" is something like a lot of long-distance running, you'll probably want something else. Boxers have power and enthusiasm but not necessarily great at pacing themselves.

Edited by Ranivaka
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2 hours ago, The_Lone_Wolf said:

First pup gonna buy. Sub tropical climes. Till Medium hair accepted. Size must be medium or large. Low cost maintenance. Lots of exercise. Friendly. 

  Reveal hidden contents

And no stupid horse jokes at my expense 

Thanks in advance 

You are 17 and that's not really an optimal age for getting a dog. Especially a large one. Dogs will tie you down wrt to housing, moving, vacation, going out etc. Between commitments like school, college, first jobs and an active social life, your dog will come second more often than is probably healthy - especially for a pup that will grow very quickly into a big animal that needs proper training. Add to that the maintenance costs (vet, food, etc.) and I believe you should seriously reconsider and wait maybe 4 to 5 years. Or if you must, get a smaller, active breed like a JRT - clever dogs, active, receptive to strict training and much easier to transport than a medium to large dog. My aunt got one and that guy is not one of those annoying, endlessly barking rubber balls, but a serious mouser with a calm attitude.

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1 hour ago, Alarich II said:

Or if you must, get a smaller, active breed like a JRT - clever dogs, active, receptive to strict training and much easier to transport than a medium to large dog

My native breeds are all like that, that or lithe like cheetahs, but problem is can't find any pure. And the rest of the advice burst my bubble. 4-5 years (unless I go blind and get to have a guide) . I'll wait. Thanks a lot. 

4 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

Sounds like a labrador / pointer / boxer to me.
Golden / Flatcoat retrievers come in if you prefer medium hair to short

Thanks 

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My grandfather owned a few Alsatians back in the day in India (called German shepherds everywhere else, I guess they are still fighting the old fights back there). They seemed to do ok. One thing I never bothered to think about then was how they did with a vegetarian diet (my grandfather was a pretty strict vegetarian, and I cant imagine they allowed meat in his house). Might wanna think about the best breeds that tolerate low-meat meals.

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13 hours ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

My grandfather owned a few Alsatians back in the day in India (called German shepherds everywhere else, I guess they are still fighting the old fights back there). They seemed to do ok. One thing I never bothered to think about then was how they did with a vegetarian diet (my grandfather was a pretty strict vegetarian, and I cant imagine they allowed meat in his house). Might wanna think about the best breeds that tolerate low-meat meals.

Gee, thanks. By the way, what was your grandfather, colonial nabob? 

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On 7/7/2021 at 10:18 AM, Which Tyler said:

We've never re-homed before; but hopefully dealing with a new 5 month old isn't TOO different from dealing with a new 2 month old.

Meeting was a great success; got on well with myself, and both our dogs; and seemed active and curious throughout; you could see him and my younger working out how to play together, and you could see him and my elder working out where the boundaries lie. All 3 tails were wagging throughout.

He seems well trained and socialised - only query is that he's never met a cat yet; which will soon change.

He's coming to live with us on Saturday.

Now we just need a new name for him as he shares his name with a nephew of ours.
Kobi => Beli Mawr / Bélénos (Either way, called "Beli"; I'm sure @Theda Baratheon will approve); or possibly Kobi => Loki (obviously there's a lot of Loki's out there these days)

 

Concerns over Beli Mawr / Bélénos is the pronunciation - the former could sound like Belly More; the latter like Belle Anus (consequently I favour the former - he's not a cat!)

Edited by Which Tyler
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7 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

Meeting was a great success; got on well with myself, and both our dogs; and seemed active and curious throughout; you could see him and my younger working out how to play together, and you could see him and my elder working out where the boundaries lie. All 3 tails were wagging throughout.

He seems well trained and socialised - only query is that he's never met a cat yet; which will soon change.

He's coming to live with us on Saturday.

Now we just need a new name for him as he shares his name with a nephew of ours.
Kobi => Beli Mawr / Bélénos (Either way, called "Beli"; I'm sure @Theda Baratheon will approve); or possibly Kobi => Loki (obviously there's a lot of Loki's out there these days)

 

Concerns over Beli Mawr / Bélénos is the pronunciation - the former could sound like Belly More; the latter like Belle Anus (consequently I favour the former - he's not a cat!)

That’s a cute name and named after the sun god so has to be friendly hehe!! 

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On 7/7/2021 at 11:31 AM, The_Lone_Wolf said:

First pup gonna buy. Sub tropical climes. Till Medium hair accepted. Size must be medium or large. Low cost maintenance. Lots of exercise. Friendly. 

  Reveal hidden contents

And no stupid horse jokes at my expense 

Thanks in advance 

Sounds like a Labrador is what you are looking for. Either way, what others said.

A dog eats up a lot of time, and you are probably not in the best age group for that. Low maintenance cost. Bigger breeds tend to have more issues with their joints than smaller breeds. If this is your first dog, you should ask yourself, whether a pup is a good starting point.

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On 7/7/2021 at 11:31 AM, The_Lone_Wolf said:

First pup gonna buy. Sub tropical climes. Till Medium hair accepted. Size must be medium or large. Low cost maintenance. Lots of exercise. Friendly. 

  Reveal hidden contents

And no stupid horse jokes at my expense 

Thanks in advance 

From my personal experience:

If you’re going to buy, I definitely suggest looking into character traits of specific breeds. Align the dog’s need for exercise and extroversion with your lifestyle and how much time you can spend with on a daily basis. I also suggest getting a breed that’s not too stubborn and learns easily. Definitely suggest a female, especially if you want a large dog, they are much easier than males. Either way, neutering and/or fertility plan is very highly recommended. The appearance of the breed should be the last factor to consider, but definitely not in the top five things you base your decision on. 

Bear in mind that puppies are very active, they need attention and they grow very fast into very large and very bratty, albeit adorable teenage dogs. The most important thing you can do for your puppy (and your future self): training from day 1 and tough love. Also bear in mind that large dogs are strong and heavy, they are more difficult to control and take care of. 

I’ll stop preaching and answer your actual question. 
My recommendations for medium to large sized active dogs with short to medium hair that are relatively easy to train and take care of: Labrador retriever, Boxer, Vizsla
Golden retriever, Border Collie 


 

 


 

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