Need opinions on new puppy's breed

[jacks'thunder]

Any or all breeds, have the propensity to be a problem in the wrong hands. If I were younger, I'd still love to own a Bull Terrier. (Not to be confused with PBs.)They have always been one of my most favourite breeds. Another favourite breed of mine, is the Airedale. In the '70's, I attended a training session in England, where they were training Airedales for police work. Agencies in the UK, seem to think them a little less 'trigger happy', than German Shepherds. I no longer train dogs, but still want an Airedale so much, I can almost taste it.

Lizzie

I have an Airedale! Her name is Lucy! Very "one track minded" but the sweetest girl ever!

Super Smart!!!!

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Oh Mary Lou, that is terrible! I'm so very sorry for her (and you), that must be very traumatic. I am trying to judge this little guy by his personality and not his breed but I do admit, it's tough. Mostly because I know what he is capable of if he ever gets mad or feels provoked. Not saying all pits are bad, but personally, I've heard/experienced alot of bad things with them. We've had four dog human-related deaths in the past decade within a thirty mile radius from us and all have been pit or half pit related. It angers me that people know what they are capable of and still allow them to roam freely. Again, I'm not saying all are bad - there are way too many in comparison to the bad you do hear. But people who let their animals roam don't really care about them anyway and they're the ones who shouldn't have them. :-(

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Stacyrz, I've noticed that he scratches nonstop. Especially at night time. We are in the desert and while our nights reach the 30s, it is a very dry environment. He has a small amount of dandruff, so I believe hs skin is dry. Fleas, ticks, etc arent a problem in this area. So could it be weather related or food allergy? I read that pits tend to have skin problems, especially ones with blue. I was hoping you could share your experience with this?

 

[chandab]

Stacyrz, I've noticed that he scratches nonstop. Especially at night time. We are in the desert and while our nights reach the 30s, it is a very dry environment. He has a small amount of dandruff, so I believe hs skin is dry. Fleas, ticks, etc arent a problem in this area. So could it be weather related or food allergy? I read that pits tend to have skin problems, especially ones with blue. I was hoping you could share your experience with this?

Dog food with high corn content is often the culprit for skin allergies. [And, don't let "maize" as an ingredient fool you, that's corn, too.

] My Aussie got hot spots before I switched her to a food with a lot less corn in it, couldn't go completely corn-free, as I couldn't afford those dog foods (and they aren't available to me); but Purina ONE lamb and rice seemed to agree with her (there are other lower corn foods, I try to find one that corn is at least 3-4 down the list, and definitely not one with corn listed first).

 

[KanoasDestiny]

I'll have to check the labels next time I go to the store. The only store we have around here that sells dog food is Walmart. We do have a feed store but they only have one or two types and the owner herself told me they don't get fresh bags in often because dog food isnt a big seller for them. Sure wish we had a local petsmart or petco, or maybe even a pet shop. :-( Thanks Chanda, I do think Purina One is sold at Walmart.

 

[StacyRz]

Stacyrz, I've noticed that he scratches nonstop. Especially at night time. We are in the desert and while our nights reach the 30s, it is a very dry environment. He has a small amount of dandruff, so I believe hs skin is dry. Fleas, ticks, etc arent a problem in this area. So could it be weather related or food allergy? I read that pits tend to have skin problems, especially ones with blue. I was hoping you could share your experience with this?

Yes! That is exactly right about the blues tending to have problem skin. Keeping him on a good corn free diet from the start should help a lot with that! You could also add fish oil or flaxseed, but I would wait until he's completely switched to the new food before adding supplements. No reason to add this and that if he does well on a new kibble ...

Oh and if he is your only dog, it may be afffordable to feed raw. Balancing their nutrition isn't terribly difficult and if you start researching you'll find tons of differing opinions on whether to add veggies or not, as well as which organ meats are best to feed. I fed a very basic diet and it was very easy.

When I was working and had extra money, I fed my (at the time 6) German Shepherds who were in Schutzhund training a raw diet, and WOW!! That was the healthiest I have seen any dogs

No scratching or dry skin, the shedding was cut down, their muscle tome was great... I can't say enough good things about a raw diet... Of course I have to add "talk to your vet" LOL But it worked wonders for my dogs... Stacy

 

[txminipinto]

My experience with "Pointy" earred dogs (and yes natural ears) is my experience from 12 years in veterinary practice. These are just the dogs that I found were more likely to bite. One coworker was bitten so unexpectedly and savagely by GSD that he ripped the flesh from her arm exposing fat and muscle. I'm not saying all, but I take greater precaution when introducing myself to these dogs than others. Of course, no breed or type should be sterotyped as there are all good and bad examples of each breed. This is just my experience when approaching strange dogs. The floppy earred dogs usually greet me with tail wagging and tongue at the ready for a face washing.

Regarding the scratching. Are there any spots on him where the hair looks thinner? Being a puppy, bring this up with the vet. He may need a skin scraping to see if he has a mild case of mange.

 

[chandab]

I'll have to check the labels next time I go to the store. The only store we have around here that sells dog food is Walmart. We do have a feed store but they only have one or two types and the owner herself told me they don't get fresh bags in often because dog food isnt a big seller for them. Sure wish we had a local petsmart or petco, or maybe even a pet shop. :-( Thanks Chanda, I do think Purina One is sold at Walmart.

I think its CostCo that sells Kirkland brand, and if it is, I've heard good things about the Kirkland dog food. Don't know if there is more than one formula and if particular formulas are better than others. Don't have a Costco even remotely close.

 

[Helicopter]

Speaking of dogs that bite the vet. I had a Cocker Spaniel who did just that..........but gosh he loved his mother. I called him my little love machine.

Your puppy looks adorable. Good luck with him.

 

[chandab]

Speaking of dogs that bite the vet. I had a Cocker Spaniel who did just that..........but gosh he loved his mother. I called him my little love machine.

Your puppy looks adorable. Good luck with him.

My MILs last Doxie bit the vet, more than once; she warned him (dog wasn't fond of strangers, especially men), but he wouldn't believe her. so out came the muzzle.

 

[mydaddysjag]

He is a large breed puppy, so honestly, he doesnt need "puppy food" which can often cause rapid growth, causing joint issues in large breed pups. You will see they make large breed puppy food, which is fine to feed if you want, but its also safe to feed him food targeted towards adult dogs. If you only have a walmart to get food from, I would say your best food option is probably Purina one Beyond, Chicken and oatmeal formula. Its corn and wheat free, chicken is the first ingredient, its very palatable, and its reasonably priced. You want to stay far away from any food where meat or meat meal is not the first ingredient. I prefer at least the first 3 to be a meat or meat meal, but you wont find that in any food at walmart. That said, I did have one dog who we always tried on expensive grain free foods, and higher quality feeds, and what he did best on was the purina one beyond chicken and oatmeal, go figure lol

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Well, today I found out why he is scratching. I've lived in this town for 31 years and not once have I heard of a case of fleas or ticks. But sure enough, Andre has fleas. We called the vet and they told us that both fleas and ticks are in this area. That is news to me! :-( I'm freaking out truthfully. I picked off close to sixty I'd say, and I couldnt really see anymore, but now I have a fear that they're everywhere. I've done seven loads of clothes, vacumed, lint-rolled our furniture, sprayed everything with dawn dish soap, and tomorrow we're treating all the pets with flea meds (except for him and our elderly rabbit). I'm sooo scared our house is going to get over ran with bugs. I feel so dirty!!!

 

[JAX]

MeganH

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Wow I would have guessed this was a Boxer and Akita mix! Does her tail come up over her back somewhat? Or is it a straight out/down tail? Kinda funny cause she also looks similar to my Sheba Inu. Love the look of this dog by the way.

And the OP pup is very adorable too! I am one of those who has had several PBs in my life and dont have a bad thing to say about them with the right owners... And dont get me started on those that are anti Doberman!! Sweetest dog I have owned in my life was a big beautiful red Dobie. I cannot argue for the Chows though as I have had one that was VERY much one person dog and one that was forever just a big fluffy puppy her whole life. For the most part though I do believe that how they are raised and treated is the best thing for any breed of dog.

 

[Mona]

You will need to treat him too!! He is not too young...if you do not treat all, you will not get rid of the fleas and they will just multiply all over again. You need to spray the carpets, dogs, and anywhere the dogs have been. Fleas basically only stay on the dogs to eat...so in other words, if they are not eating, they can be anywhere the dogs are/were. You may even need to buy some "flea bombs" to set off in your home, but to do it, you need to make sure you have all pets out while it is being treated. Fleas are also notorious for living in the sand.

 

[JAX]

KanoasDestiny

I dont know how important it is for you to get the lineage on your new puppy but there is a way to do it. My brother just did this on his 3 dogs. It did explain some of the "habits" of one of them. She likes to chase and bite heels. You would never know it to look at her but sure enough he ran the DNA test and she is almost 1/2 border collie...

If you would like to check it out here is the link.

www.wisdompanel.com

I believe the test is $50

Hit mixed breed identification test and it will give you info. My brother was thrilled at how much info it gave him, it listed which breeds and what percentage of each the dog is. Apparently people are even using these tests now to make sure their papered dogs are really pure bred and doesnt have a tiny bit of something else mixed in. IDK i liked the mixed breeds myself, they just seem healthier!!

 

[Carolyn R]

Siphotrol II works very well on all stages of fleas and ticks including eggs. It has pyrethrums (sp?) in it. They are natural oils that work as an insecticide. It was recommended by my vet as it works well to interrupt the life cycles.

Jax, that is pretty cool with the breed testing!

 

[Lizzie]

And don't forget KD, to spray your car too. It will no doubt have fleas in it. Seven dust works wonders for fleas too. This especially if you powder around fences, trees, building etc.

Don't waste your money on these supposed DNA tests, to tell you what your dog is. Most don't even come close and not all breeds yet, have DNA actually defined. It is a very clever way for some to make money though.

Lizzie

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Thanks guys. On Friday I found (and picked off) around 150ish fleas. Saturday we found just under 50. Yesterday we found 4, and today none!

I hope that is a very good sign. He's been outside since Friday, only coming in so that we can check him. It's weird, I've always assumed that fleas liked to run and jump. These ones seem to be attached to him, and don't run unless I upset them and then they just burrow back into his fur.

On Saturday I started wetting his fur with a vinegar/water solution, and starting tomorrow, I'm going to start using lavendar/water on his fur and collar. We applied salt to our carpets on Saturday and just vacumed it today. Tomorrow I will use the lavendar/water solution on the carpet and furniture, along with another thorough vacuming.

We haven't seen any fleas anywhere, other than on him. We did do a monthly treatment on our two dogs outside that he has been sleeping and playing with. He's too young, we couldn't find a product that we could safely use on him. I'm also not too keen on using poisons on our animals if I can help it. Our cats, indoor dog and rabbit will also be getting lavendar/oil put between their shoulder blades as a preventative measure. The smell apparently repells the fleas. I also sprayed the outside doghouse and sleeping area with flyspray (which also kills fleas).

We don't live in a "flea area", and I'm desperately trying to keep it that way. I told Mark not to bring anymore animals home from outside areas.

Here's a couple of older pictures of him. He's almost doubled in size in the two weeks we've had him. He has blue going down the center of his back, and also his tail. Does anyone have any idea what his color would be considered? I looked up a bluefawn, and none of them seemed to have his markings.

 

[Mona]

The black hairs are considered to be sable. So he'd likely be considered a blue fawn sable.

 

[StacyRz]

He's definitely a blue fawn. In his breed the dark hair can be considered brindle, but it doesn't look like he has a typical brindling pattern (striping)

I say blue fawn

Here is a link to the ADBA color chart with a pup his color

My link