Show us your pets

[MudMuppet]

On 7/5/2021 at 9:39 PM, Matthew du preez said:

we are hoping to get a german shepard pup, in spring time... pure bred.... and i have a german wwii dog training book... hopefully i can teach the dog to be a mean machine at my command.... security around here is very very important...

https://www.pfalzerwald.com/
https://www.clarochel.com/

Both German Shepherd Dog Federation of South Africa breeders in Hekpoort & the cradle area. My Koda was a litter of both breeders and train at the same club. He is 8 months now @ a health 30kg.
 

[Matthew du preez]

3 hours ago, MudMuppet said:

https://www.pfalzerwald.com/
https://www.clarochel.com/

Both German Shepherd Dog Federation of South Africa breeders in Hekpoort & the cradle area. My Koda was a litter of both breeders and train at the same club. He is 8 months now @ a health 30kg.
 

there is a dog training place in hekpoort???? i live really close to there

[DJR]

13 hours ago, MudMuppet said:

https://www.pfalzerwald.com/
https://www.clarochel.com/

Both German Shepherd Dog Federation of South Africa breeders in Hekpoort & the cradle area. My Koda was a litter of both breeders and train at the same club. He is 8 months now @ a health 30kg.
 

On the couch like a bike????????

[Plentipotential]

Wire haired Dashund. 12 weeks old. 

[Patensie]

And then there are ACDs...this dog is jakkals clever. I really enjoy Rocket. He can go on a 5 hour mountain hike/run or a 90min mtb ride, but has an off-switch.

[Dusty]

Our pack out on a hike. 

[Andymann]

Managed to save a bit of cash by not buying beer so splashed out on two of these from Pet's Planet SA.  They were on special.

I don't think I have ever seen her this comfortable on a cushion before!

[geomark]

20 hours ago, Patensie said:

And then there are ACDs...this dog is jakkals clever. I really enjoy Rocket. He can go on a 5 hour mountain hike/run or a 90min mtb ride, but has an off-switch.

We used to breed and work them when I was a kid, phenomenal dogs, but "busy" like most working dogs if not worked. They can trot incredible distances, keeping up with us on long rides, often rotating legs for a rest and running on 3.  The last one perfected causing *** with warthogs then leading them back full charge to my mother on walks ???? Had some of the red roan colour variation as well.

[Duane_Bosch]

A little update on my Malinois.

 

His rate of learning is quite incredible. He got sit pretty (the balance needs work) in about 15 minutes total. I don't train a single thing. I mix it up so his rate of progression is probably slower than if I had to concentrate on one thing.

 

I'm teaching him 3 versions of leave.

one I drop treats and tell him to leave. This is probably the most important thing he will ever learn. The word release must mean you leave it and never touch it again. God forbid there's a dog in those jaws when i need that command.

I am also teaching him release. This is with a tug toy. The word release means you're getting it back

And drop it is for the game to continue you must drop the tug toy or the ball. That's primarily for the protection of my fingers.

 Last night he was jumping through a hoola hoop. THERE WAS LITERALY no training. we just coaxed him with a tug toy that he likes. He got it pretty much immediately.

That's the good news. The bad news is his farts and turds are byblical and he's about 1/2 an hour from finishing off his hammock bed that he's had for all of 2 weeks. The company that makes the beds sells replacements so I guess he's not unique in this respect.

 

I'm really looking forward to incorporating him into our runs. My other half is much faster than me and if he's with her only a fool would try to attack her.

[DJR]

Nice to hear about your training Duane. I'm at an " interesting" stage with my training for Stella (Labrador). She is now 18 months and basically she knows all the commands I need to teach her (voice, whistle and hand signals). 

What makes it interesting now, is that she is in that terrible "teenager" stage where she has figured out that she can try and push her luck. She will hear the whistle, stop and look at me, clearly cocking her head and thinking "how long can I put this off before he does something?" If she is is a stubborn mood, then I get challenged all the time.........but luckily I know that I just have to wear her down and that she'll grow into adulthood when around 2 years old.

The old guy who taught me about retriever training once said that to have a very smart dog is both a delight and a challenge, because they learn the right thing and the wrong thing equally quickly. True words.

Edited July 14, 2021 by DJR

[Andymann]

15 hours ago, Duane_Bosch said:

A little update on my Malinois.

 

His rate of learning is quite incredible. He got sit pretty (the balance needs work) in about 15 minutes total. I don't train a single thing. I mix it up so his rate of progression is probably slower than if I had to concentrate on one thing.

 

I'm teaching him 3 versions of leave.

one I drop treats and tell him to leave. This is probably the most important thing he will ever learn. The word release must mean you leave it and never touch it again. God forbid there's a dog in those jaws when i need that command.

I am also teaching him release. This is with a tug toy. The word release means you're getting it back

And drop it is for the game to continue you must drop the tug toy or the ball. That's primarily for the protection of my fingers.

 Last night he was jumping through a hoola hoop. THERE WAS LITERALY no training. we just coaxed him with a tug toy that he likes. He got it pretty much immediately.

That's the good news. The bad news is his farts and turds are byblical and he's about 1/2 an hour from finishing off his hammock bed that he's had for all of 2 weeks. The company that makes the beds sells replacements so I guess he's not unique in this respect.

 

I'm really looking forward to incorporating him into our runs. My other half is much faster than me and if he's with her only a fool would try to attack her.

Maybe just check on running with a Malinois - we have a Golden Shepherd and the Trainers at puppy school recommended we do the running thing really really slowly to help the joints in later life - it's taken us about 2 years to get her up to 10km - we only started running after 12 months and it's taken another 12 to get her up to 8km.  My Wife trained her like she would if someone approached her and asked for a program to do a 10km run from zero!

Grace (the one in my pic above) was a rescue and obviously didn't have the correct nutrients when she was a puppy - we've had two knee operations done and her hips are toast - she really struggles in Winter, and it's really sad to see. We didn't want a similar thing to happen with Lucy-fer the Devil dog!

[Dusty]

15 minutes ago, Andymann said:

Maybe just check on running with a Malinois - we have a Golden Shepherd and the Trainers at puppy school recommended we do the running thing really really slowly to help the joints in later life - it's taken us about 2 years to get her up to 10km - we only started running after 12 months and it's taken another 12 to get her up to 8km.  My Wife trained her like she would if someone approached her and asked for a program to do a 10km run from zero!

Grace (the one in my pic above) was a rescue and obviously didn't have the correct nutrients when she was a puppy - we've had two knee operations done and her hips are toast - she really struggles in Winter, and it's really sad to see. We didn't want a similar thing to happen with Lucy-fer the Devil dog!

This is good advice. No puppy/young dog should be running any distances.

[Duane_Bosch]

18 minutes ago, Andymann said:

Maybe just check on running with a Malinois

Ja we will ease him into it very slowly. And only much later this year. We're following the advice of our Vet and only when he give the green light will we start incorporating it slowly.

We're feeding him plenty of the most ridiculously overpriced dog food known to man so his nutrition should be solid.

 

As far as running with a Malinois goes..... We're probably going to have to up our fitness game a lot when the time comes. Coz they can go and go and go.

Edited July 15, 2021 by Duane_Bosch

[DJR]

45 minutes ago, Duane_Bosch said:

.............We're feeding him plenty of the most ridiculously overpriced dog food known to man...............

We found that Stella farted something terrible on Brand A and switched food until we found one that didn't make her fart the most foul of gasses.............yes, you guessed right............the most ridiculously expensive brand known to man!

[gemmerbal]

The following may or may not be of use to you:

I fed Quintus Doggobone Raw up until about April. He was in great shape, very lean and muscular. The assessement made during the championship show was that he was lacking substance and was a tad underweight. At that point i decided that i just couldnt afford to feed him 2,5kg of raw a day (at R17/500g serving) in order for him to bulk up to the breed standard. My dogfather who has over 30years experience in breeding and judging (internationally) rotties recommended i switch to Omega, which is developed and manufactured locally. Quintus’ growth since then has been exponential! Lucky for me I get Omega direct so i dont pay R900 odd for a 20kg bag at the petshops but R860 for a 25kg bag. 

My only real issue with feeding him pellets is the stool sizes are GIGANTIC. With raw, more than 90% of the food is absorbed and the stools break up after 2 days, unlike this starch molehill that never seems to disappear. 
 

People have differing views on raw, but if i could justify spending R85 a day then i would probably have stuck with it. But if someone with over 30 years knowledge makes a suggestion i guess im better off listening. 

[DJR]

Talking about dog food:

I know people often recommend feeding raw dog food and I understand that it is the most natural way to do it. BUT, because I have Labradors, and they are notorious for gaining unwanted weight (some say they can get fat on the smell of food ????), and then being very difficult to put on a diet, I have always believed in keeping them on a very strict diet and never allowing them to get fat. My dogs are working dogs and unfit and fat is not what I want. So, I find that a good quality dry pellet diet is just easier to measure and control. They get absulutely nothing else. No treats, no extra helpings, no left-overs, except on a work day, then they get a double scoop that evening. 

Edited July 15, 2021 by DJR