Dogs

My rotweiler. I removed background 🙁

Well done, Kev – a modelling dog! 😀

Got a black labrador years ago, that once put a tooth through a fine slide of “Sally B” (the aircraft). My own fault though leaving it at dogs height.

Would go for a black lab again – maybe a yellow one with black eyes.

Come to think of it. Missing a lot of “old” dogs more than some people I’ve known!

Best regards
atc pal

Or you could go for plain stupid like Marley… had him put down a week ago… I do kinda miss him but I won’t get another dog… we had some snow a while back and he didn’t like it much…

Originally posted by VLM Flyer
From a veterinary point of view, the German Shepherd is a wreck. They are prone to hip dysplasia (an inherited malformation of the ball and socket joint of the hip, in some cases the “socket” part is not there, rendering the dog severely lame).

Ive heard the reason german shepherds have this problem is because they are bred to have the height of the hind legs lower than the front legs, purely for looks.

How about a BOXER called Silence or Manners:D 😀

😮 😮 😮 “I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven’t got the guts to bite people themselves.” – August Strindberg:D 😀 😀

That’s a good photo, and he’s a lovely colour.

Cyrus

My 4 y.o. red-nose pitbull…

I used to have a Greyhound called doris. Lovely dog, very affectionate and friendly and always happy to see people.

I hope to be getting one by the beginning of next month. Either a Beagle or lab. I will be visiting Battersea Dogs home within the next few weeks.

I can’t wait. 🙂

We have two black Labs , Cassie and Buddy – we also have 2 Golden Retreivers Maggie and Belle , we tend to buy a new one every three years so we always have 4-5 dogs , I did have a long haired GSD , Sasha , until recently but she had severe hip problems and unfortunately had to be put down . All are working gundogs and are very well natured with kids.

White GSDs are generally healthier than their darker counterparts, but although overfeeding can increase problems with the hips, hip dysplasia is an inherited defect rather one that is caused by mismanagement. A vet can x-ray the dog from around 18 months old and score the hips. The worst score is 106 per hip, and in some areas of Scandinavia, hip dysplasia has been virtually eradicated owing to a very rigid breeding scheme whereby dogs with a score of less than perfect (0 per hip) are banned from breeding programmes. This problem also affects some varieties of the Belgian Shepherd breeds, though most notably the Malinois is about the soundest, and a good worker. The Laekenois is rare and the long coated versions (Tervueren and Groenendael) have inherited temperament defects.

Kev, Duke looks like a right little star! 🙂

Geforce, I have a white German Shepherd cross named Cara, although she also answers to ‘Wolfie’.

She’s a rescued dog, and I got her when she was four years old. She’s a very energetic dog, but also has a great temperament and is very good with my little boy. But she’s also a very alert dog, and likes nothing better than a good bark at everyone who comes anywhere near the house.

Like Golden Retriveres, German Shepherds can also be prone to hip problems, but so far Cara’s been fine (she’s now seven). She does take a lot of exercise, and with big dogs you do have to be quite disciplined with their food as it’s so easy to overfeed them; this is when the hip problems can start. However, she went for her annual boosters a couple of weeks ago, and the vet remarked on how healthy she is, so I must be doing something right! 😀

Sorry Phantom, mistake while translating. Something I got to remember. In dutch we say ‘races’. Four dogs you say? Well, I want to have two again (the other one died last year) because we are overrun by cats, and I really dislike cats. I want my pets dumb and well trained!

Actually, does GWB has a Jack Russel? 😀 Now I understand his attitude. Maybe I’ll get a Jack when I’m retired, old and grumpy. So I can tease the mailman.

Also, I hate poodles and yorkshire terriers. Actually I hate all small dogs, especially the ones owned by old grandma’s.

Kev – I love those photos, Duke sounds an ideal dog, and it’s good that people are prepared to give rescue dogs another chance. I have an Auntie who only ever takes rescue dogs, her current dog is a Springer Spaniel, a hyperactive breed, but lovely nonetheless.

And in more relaxed fashion comtemplating a little light reading….

PII.

Have to agree with you on a ‘mutt’ or mongrel as we call them over here. You are right about health concerns compared to pedigree dogs and they tend to show less ‘in-bred’ problems of the kind experienced among Staffies. My current dog is a Border Terrier cross. He was obtained from a rescue centre. When we had him he was painfully thin and subdued. He’d been roaming loose for about six weeks and bore the scars of several fights. We even had to teach him how to play. Now he is a very robust, hardy dog who plays 100% but is equally happy to crash out by the fire or amuse himself with his toys. He is fiercely loyal. I was walking him on my crutches one day when a gang of youths started being aggressive towards me, that is until Duke growled and snarled. Never seen anyone run so fast. He has a wonderful temperament towards both people and other dogs. In fact, on the park I take him to there are a number of dogs of all breeds who get on well and play together without problems.

Here he is by the river at Llangollen in Wales last saturday.

Regards,

kev35

I hate to admit that we have something else in common Geforce (I hate it when that happens….), but at my house we have four dogs, and we love them very much.

First of, there are different “breeds” of dogs, not different “races”…lol. First time I’ve ever heard that I must admit.

We have two Golden Retrievers and I must say they are a very enjoyable dog. They are light hearted, and they love to get out and exercise and play with you. They also have a passion for retrieving (surprise there), and swimming. Combining the two is fun for them as well. Sometimes Golden Retrievers are prone to hip dysplasia, but you can take measures to help prevent that, not the least of which is good exercise and keeping your dog in shape, which it sounds like you intend to do.

Also, I’d recommend a mutt if you can find one that fits your idea of what you want your dog to look like. Mutts are great because sometimes they combine so many different things. They are also much less likely to get sick than pure-bred dogs. We currently have two mutts and we’ve had others in the past. The dog I grew up with was a mutt, and she was the best thing that could have happened to us. She wandered up one day when I was about 4 years old, and lived until a couple of years ago. We full truly luck to have had her.

Good luck with your new dog, and don’t forget about your older dog.

The only sheep dog types I have ownership experience of are Belgian ones. Avoid the Tervueren and Groenendael, they have an inherited personality defect which can make them suddenly become very dangerous and unpredictable (it’s called “rage syndrome”). From a veterinary point of view, the German Shepherd is a wreck. They are prone to hip dysplasia (an inherited malformation of the ball and socket joint of the hip, in some cases the “socket” part is not there, rendering the dog severely lame). They also suffer from haemophilia and, I believe, an inherited digestive defect. The Border Collie is a superb dog if you can make time for it. Walks in the park are no good for this breed, they need their brain exercising as well!! Training classes, obedience, agility and flyball suit them perfectly. If they do not get kept busy, they have a tendency to take out their herding instincts on everything, including children!!! The Old English Sheepdog suffers from similar problems to the Tervueren and Groenendael. The Labrador is one of the most placid of breeds on the whole (not counting my dog!!) which will take as much or as little exercise as you can give him (or her), and is usually long lived. But in the end, the choice is entirely yours Geforce.

Irish setter.
I had one when I was a kid , that’s great dog.