Are dogs clever or stupid?

> (...and our Staffie never farts)

That's a first, perhaps you could breed a new strain.

When my stepson's lets rip you have to done a noddy suit.

Neil

Sheperd's. Sleep between bursts of energy. Watch what ever is going on carefully. Most likely to miss behave when they can't be seen - knowing what they shouldn't do helps a bit. Some people call them sly due to this. Their idea of saying I like you might be a nip rather than a lick. Periodically will go to each end of their territory and bark loudly. Likes to creep up behind people who call and can't see them and bark to make them jump. If some one calls who is nervous of dogs they sense it and think they must be up to no good and usually growl. Have to be careful about that. Very considerate about children which can be a problem - sitting on a bench on a high street and a tiny tot walks by so dog licks side of kiddies face. Some parents can get very upset. If they like a tousle with another dog in the park owners can get upset as they can be a bit rough, other dog rolls over and gives up and is very likely to get a nip as a result. They have had a name for biting in the past - all down to nipping. Go out for a while when they feel that they should be going too and they may go wolf mode and howl. Some will sample any food - down to owners really. Big problem as lots and lots of things will cause them to sick it all up. I'm reminded of a 1/2lb of butter. Best thing to do is to stick to dog foods and not let them try anything else. They are pretty intelligent dogs in an odd sort of way and are a bit aloof but let people know when they want a fuss or to play.

They like company. Both of the ones we have had will follow me around and watch what I am doing for hours. It's often said that only people who are around all day should have them. It can be useful - bad behaviour - out into the garden for a hour or two. Usually they know why that has happened and don't even start barking - the usual way they persuade people to let them back in the house. If they do something wrong they will skulk around knowing that they are going to get a good telling off.

Powerful strong dogs as well which can make handling difficult for some. It's surprising given how skinny they are under their coat. Many will train very well but it can be hard going.

When buying any dog as a puppy it's probably best to not buy the biggest in the pack or the most timid one. The big one may be a bitch or a dog. We have always had bitches but don't mind cleaning the mess up when they come into season. In fact when they see us cleaning up they help. I have mixed feeling about just having a dog spayed to get round this but do what many show people do. Have them done when they are 6 or 7 years old as they may get cancer. Pretty likely actually. Puppies shorten a bitches life so not too many litters. One or two far apart is best. We have never had one but have been tempted a couple of times. It's best to try and find a good pedigree stud if people do that. Expensive but gives more control of what the puppies are likely to turn out like. They are often show dogs but personality is most important.

John

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"> (...and our Staffie never farts)

That's a first, perhaps you could breed a new strain.

When my stepson's lets rip you have to done a noddy suit."

I don't think it has anything to do with breeding but does have much to do with diet. We mostly feed a dried food - Royal Canin, Burns or James Wellbeloved for example - and peace ( and good air quality) reigns!

At present though we are in the process of a feeding "field trial". She had a visit to the vet on Monday for a few issues ( £250 ish!!!) which included the extraction of a couple of teeth - hence she is on soft (and expensive) food . So far we have not noticed any air pollution issues but, as they say, we are holding our breath!

Norman

Edited By NJH on 21/04/2016 16:46:12

We looked after a Pug, boy, he could fart for France and I knew a trick or two so went and bought some charcoal biscuits and in a couple of days he was fine. So much so he would want to be with me all the time, they are ugly dogs and it seems he latched onto me and would do all I asked him to do. Took him to the fields and he raced about very happy to be out there. Maybe his wind was causing him distress?

Gavin changed from dry to wet to address 'air pollution issues'. I think every dog is different

Neil

John

We went through the "breeding" thing with our first Staffie - what a performance! ( I will gloss over the details of the mating) but we ended up with five pups - 4 bitches and one dog. In preparation we had laid vinyl sheet flooring in the kitchen where it was warm and set up the bed there and we were there at the delivery. Very cute pups and mum ( although it was her first litter) dealt with them fine. They all prospered and grew quickly...... one morning though I came downstairs to find that they had managed to pull the vinyl sheet FROM UNDER THE COOKER!! and then proceeded over a short period to rip it all to pieces.

Having the pups was a great experience, we kept one for ourselves and ( after a bit of a anxious period) sold the other four. ( If you don't know about Staffies I can assure you that keeping an eye on 5 young mischievous pups is exhausting! ) In the end though it was a great experience, we gained another dog and made a few bob. This was some years ago and both are now long gone however our current bitch - as featured in my avatar - is related. We got her from the breeder of our original dog. She came down to stay for the weekend and brought two pups with her for us to see. The one you see on the left took one look at us and quickly decided that we were a soft touch and that she would stay!

Norman

Hmmm!!!!----Do you think I should stop feeding the mother in law dog food then ?

Sam

No I think you should be respectful and courteous to your Mother in Law and feed her only the finest, most succulent and expensive foods, that she likes.

( Don't think I'm going to give you any assistance in hassling the dear old lady !)

N

My father in law had a terrier, the family used to buy the dog soft squeaky toys, he loved these, took him about 10 seconds to get the squeaker out. They moved to rural Kent, the dog got into next door's chicken run and took all the squeakers out. Neighbour wasn't impressed, nor was FIL when he got the bill.

Oh dear Dave!

Mr Father-in-Law was a farmer and decided to breed a few rabbits ( for the pot). One day the hutch door was not latched securely , the rabbits got out, and my wife's pet Jack Russell terrier quickly laid them all out, dead, in a row! She was in F- in - Ls bad books for some time!

N

try garlic rosaries on the door handles ... seems to work with mother in law...

We now never feed ours liver after a serious of unfortunate effects( and a lot of cleaning up the mess).

Not sure about Shepherds as ones I've known like to bark on principle just to watch people jump. Best thing I ever did was buy loads of tennis balls ( ex tennis club) as they still have a lot of bounce ( as do the collies) and ,with a decent ball thrower, make walkies really fun. Still have to watch 'em as the art of "Poo rolling" is a favorite trick. Fox poo it seems is a great delicacy as merits really rubbing it in. Needless to say the bath room needs a good clean, as the dog(s) sulk.

One of my most memorable calls was to a very well off lady who decided to breed her Red Setter..without too much thought of possible consequences.

It had a litter of 14 pups in spring before a summer..when all her friends had holidays abroad booked. By the time she homed them at 14 weeks old her very, very smart home needed a complete makeover....

One of our shepherds usually quickly destroyed squeaky toys. The one we have now rarely does. She just makes them squeak. As a result she has lots. We usually buy her a couple at Xmas 'cause she likes undoing presents. Initially we bought her a couple of the indestructible toys the police use but the only one that interested her was the ball with an off centre weight in it. Periodically she looks like she is trying to understand physics - she put it on a smooth surface and watches the odd way it rolls. Few mins later fetches something that squeaks.

Yes they do seem to like creeping up behind people and barking with a big smile on their faces - generally people they have never seen before.

John

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