Question by KristyW: What breed is this dog, and what’s a good name for her?
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2486307180102280098Wjrqsh I adopted her when she was young and named her Lily because i had the name picked out already, but now that she is over her extreme illnesses that she had when i got her (giardia, food allergies, SEVERE worm infestation etc.) Her personality has changed and she just doesn’t seem like a Lily to me… I would like a “doggish” name, nothing like, Sarah or anything, but not Spot… you get what i mean… and slightly butch, since she’s a tough little dog. I would also like to know what breeds she may be, I think beagle and jack russell, but my stepfather SWEARS she has treeing walker or feist in her…. She is about 10 months old now and weighs 22 pounds, her legs are EXTREMELY long, the photo doesn’t show that well, but she is a very leggy dog, her paws are VERY compact, her tail is curved and her ears are oddly set, half perked, but they lay to the sides rather than forward. Any help in either question is really appreciated.
She’s a muscular, strong willed dog, she has A TON of energy and is very mouthy… She has a deepish bark for her size…
If she was a male, it would be SO much easier for me, because all the dog’s i’ve ever owned in my entire life have been female (mom thinks males are stupider for some reason, so she never owned any) so I’m out of original female names…
I adopted her when she was only 6 weeks old, and at the time, she was so lathargic and ill from the giardia and worms that she had that her personality wasn’t clear to us until she was around 4 months…
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/665776 here’s her dogster profile…
She’s already a little confused about her name, Because i rarely actualy CALL her Lily, she mostly get’s called Billie, Wiwwy (pronounced the same, just using w’s instead of L’s) and Zilly… lol… I think i have just fallen out of love with the name Lily
Oh, im not concerned in the slightest about changing her name, people who adopt older dog’s do it all the time and they dog’s adjust quickly and with no major issues…

Best answer:

Answer by FANCYS_MAMMA
she looks like a sassy to me ..name wise

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Question by sciencechick: Will there ever be a reason to even attempt a new breed?

Are there any new breeds truly on their way to being recognized by the AKC (or UKC or whatever reputable club you look to)? Could there be any breeds being created now (not just being refined from years ago) that may eventually be recognized?

Should there be? Do you think that the breeds out there should fulfill every possible dog owners needs, or do you think that a new breed (done right) could be beneficial?

Designer dog supporters love to say that “all” purebreds were mutts at some point, and while those origins are not always true and completely unrelated to the random breeding of mutts, does any argument about creating a new breed even matter? Should people either find a breed/ individual dog in a shelter that fits their needs, or is there a niche that has yet to be filled?

I think it would be nice to have a truly hypoallergenic dog but that still doesn’t mean that you can have a one size fits all dog for anyone with allergies, and since they are skin shedding, salivating animal I think it really is pretty impossible.
I am inquisitive
Good answers, but you are forgetting one huge thing Fur and FIction: breeding true! The standard does not mean they breed true- you can write a standard for anything you want it won’t make it reality. No matter how good of a purpose the dog was bred for, how is it a breed without predictable results?

I know that the AKC can’t recognize all breeds, but some of these “breeds” still do not produce predictable results. Mini Aussies are the equivalent of teacups, and even if they were recognized wouldn’t they just be a different size of the Aussie we have?

And Bengal cats are problably the worst breed I have ever heard of as far as “playing God”, its from a wild animal not just making a breed! We domesticated dogs, I have no issue with slectively breeding for a purpose. Bengal cats are a different issue…

Best answer:

Answer by Fur and Fiction
You really love to spark the great debate, don’t you? =]

I do believe there are many breeds in the making. A faily recent one, the Shiloh Shepherd, has gained quite a following.

Though there are many who will disagree with me, I consider the Mini Aussie, Shihloh Shepherd, and Silken Windhound (among others) to be breeds.

I think it all comes down to what our definition of breed is. Some refuse to recognize dogs not registered by the AKC. While I appreicate a good deal of work the AKC does, it cannot be denied that one of the biggest supporters of puppy mills is the AKC. In their own commericals they mention kennel inspections- no doubt inclduing inspections of puppy mills that pay hundreds in fees to register litters each month. And who is one of the largest producer of designer breeds? Puppy mills.

So if the AKC is supporting an industry that makes thousands off of designer breeds, how reputable is the AKC when it comes to definiing what is and is not a breed?

Dogs such as the Catahoula Leopard Dog have been in the United States for decades, yet is still not recognized by the AKC. Does that mean the Catahoula is not a breed?

The same is true for registries in other countries, and while I understand that it is truly impossible to recognize absolutely every breed, there are many people who shun breeds because they are not recognized.

To me, a breed is a dog that has been bred for a purpose (often work related), a dog that has a breed standard set by a parent club, has enthusiasts, and has gained some kind of recognition with reputable breed books.

To answer your question, I do believe there are breeds on their way to being recognized by the AKC. Two breeds were added last year (the Pyrenean Mastiff and Swedish Vallhund), so I am sure there will be more. I also believe breeds can, and will, be created now. However, this is not to say that the correct way to “create” a breed is through designer breeds. I do think a new breed, done correctly, could be beneficial. I would be more than interested in seeing what types of breeds are possible in the future, given the variety of breeds we have today. Dogs have gotten more and more diverse over the past several hundred years, and will continue to do so. I only hope the selective breeding is used for health just as much as it is used to give dogs a new look.

I agree that it would be nice to have a truly hypoallergenic dog, though I think the real cure to that problem would be eliminating “the allergy” rather than the allergen.

EDIT: So many good points. And so my inexperience shines through =]

I agree, breeding true is the most imperitive part of creating a breed. I do wonder how many breed standards have been adjusted because the original standard was either impossible or incorrect (for the work the dog is being bred for)? And so a breed must include predictable results, something I was trying to say yet apparently couldn’t find the right words for!

It isn’t my battle to fight, but I know quite a few people who would argue the skin off anyone for comparing Mini Aussies to teacup dogs. I have seen quite a few well bred Mini Aussies, which is why I have the opinion that I have. The breed has a breed standard, and predictable results when wellbred dogs are used. Unfortunitly, puppy stores have caught onto the Mini Aussie craze (the reason I was involved with Mini Aussie rescue over the summer).

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Question by sunny: My 2 1/2 yr old mixed breed dog recently is getting big very itchy bumps he scratches so much. They are on his
They are on his side and mostly on his back. They are “clustered” maybe 6-8. He scratches them and they bleed. I have given him medicated baths, put anti-biotic cream, hydrocortizone cream, which brings some relief but they dont go away. Has anyone had this happen to their dog?
I have changed his dog food thinking it may be an allergy. He comes back in the house like that when he goes out to use the bathroom or just “hang out” in the yard. He doesnt get it from being in the house, only when he comes back in from outside. It isn’t ticks or fleas. If they were ticks I would see them would’t I and be able to “pull them off”? And fleas, I would be able to see them. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP

Best answer:

Answer by Cavalier & Beagle Lover
Take him to the vet. It’s probably an allergy.

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Question by Ebbah: I need real Info. Spitz Breed dog. Any tips for retraining a Shiba Inu after major surgery?
Re-training after major surgery

Ok, I need some major help. Here’s a little background. I work in a adoption center and I got my shiba from a puppy mill that was being shut down (the guy ended up in jail and lost his land YAY!!!). He was a puppy when I got him. We’ve been fighting allergies since he was about 8 months old, but, we put that on the “back burner” due to his knees. He was diagnosed at a 1 1/2 years old with luxating patella in both back legs. Class 4.5 out of 5 on the right and class 5 out of 5 on the left. Anyway, he was in surgery with in a month of diagnose. It took about 10 months and 3 surgery’s to finally fix the problem. As any shiba owner knows, they have a very wild personality. Before the surgery’s he was great with other dogs, good with strangers, even kids. After the surgery’s and being out of commission for almost a year, he has taken up the mind set of “I’m going to hurt you before you hurt me.” He is very timid around new people, and doesn’t give any dog a chance to get near him. He starts growling and if the other dog feeds in to it he starts bearing teeth and escalates from there. If, however, the other dog doesn’t respond at all, just ignores him, he’ll be bark and no bite and will even start playing with the other dog once he gets to know them. He’s turned into a very insecure dog.

After the knees got settled, we went back to working on the allergies (it’s very expensive and we had to move slow), and now he’s turning 3, the allergies got 100% worse to the point where he has to wear an ecollar 24/7. So he’s just miserable. And training has become very difficult when you can’t even give your dog a treat and he hates his hypoallergenic dog food. We’ve just started allergy shots, which can take up to 6 months to a year to work, so we’re slowly getting the allergies under control.

He’s now 4 years old. Now that we’re just getting the allergies under control, his left knee needs another surgery. It’s popping in and out again and has turned into a class 2 luxating patella, on it’s way to a class 3 (that knee gave us so much trouble the first and second time). My vet wants to wait a month or two and wait for the allergy shots to work more before we lay him up again. My concern is that he hasn’t really recovered emotionally from the last time, and he will regress more into instinct and become more wild.

PLEASE HELP ME HELP HIM!!

P.s. And take a lesson from me, DON’T BUY FROM A PUPPY MILL! All I do is hemorrhage money on him.

Best answer:

Answer by Sam P
sorry

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Question by Love-A-Bull: What breed of dog do you have? And what food do you feed your dog?
I am just asking this question out of curiosity really. My husband and I own and LOVE American Pit Bull Terriers. We fed them Beneful, and then switched them to Iams when we saw commercials for Iams and thought it sounded great! We then did some research on dog foods and what was in them, and saying that we were furious and disgusted at what we had been tricked into feeding our dogs doesn’t even begin to cover it! I know that it’s our jobs, as responsible, loving dog owners, to do the research and find out what foods are best, but like so many other people, we thought we could trust these commercials that make these popular dog food brands look so great! Big mistake! When we found out that the first 5 ingredients in the Beneful we were buying were.. Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Wheat Flour, Animal Fat Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols. And the first 5 ingredients in the Iams that we switched to, thinking it was a good food were.. Chicken, Corn Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Dried Beet Pulp! These are just the first 5 ingredients and both have by-product! And then, look at all the corn in both of them! Dogs can’t even digest corn, so why put it in the dog food?!

So, after figuring all of this out, we immediately switched our dogs to Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dry Dog Food for All Life Stages.. Chicken, Brown Rice, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Barley. After only a few days we saw huge changes in our dogs! Our breed of choice, the APBT, is actually a pretty sensitive breed, they are prone to food allergies and skin allergies. When we were feeding our dogs Beneful and Iams, there were several times when we had to take them to the vet because of skin infections. They would get these little scab-like bumps on their head or chest. And because we were buying crap food, not only did our dogs have to go through that, but we paid so much more in vet bills for medication, and medicated shampoo, for these skin infections! And, as if that’s not enough, they would end up with runny, greenish, horrible smelling stool, they would randomly throw up sometimes, it was bad! Within a week of switching them to NB, all that went away! They looked better, they had more energy, they had nice, beautiful, clear eyes, they didn’t poop as much and their poop didn’t smell as bad, their breath wasn’t very bad anymore, it was just amazing the changes!

After seeing how great they were doing on NB, we decided to try another good-quality food, one that I feel is just a bit better because it has more meats. So, we switched our dogs to Canidae All Life Stages Dry Food… Chicken meal, turkey meal, lamb meal, brown rice, white rice. And then one more time to the Canidae Grain Free ALS.. Chicken meal, turkey meal, lamb, potatoes, peas. Both of the Canidae foods we have used have been great! Love, love, love them! : ) So yeah, I wanted to see what breeds people own, what dog food they feed their dogs, and I also wanted to see if anyone had a story like mine, where they saw a huge difference after switching their dog to a good food.

I also had a question about NB vs. Solid Gold. I personally think SG is a wonderful dog food brand! My mom owns 2 Mini Schnauzers and they are prone to the food and skin allergies just like our APBTs. Anyway, she feeds her 2 dogs NB Sweet Potato & Chicken Grain Free Dry Dog Food.. Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Meal, Potato Protein, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Chicken. Her dogs do great on it and NB is a good-quality food, so I haven’t said anything to her about changing their food, I had no reason to. Not to mention, she buys her dog food from PetCo, and as far as I knew, at least up until just recently, the only good-quality food PetCo sold was NB. So, I went with my mom the other day when she went to get food for her boys, we picked up the bag of food and turned around to walk to the register, and what do I see.. Solid Gold foods! : ) I got SO excited! lol! I told my mom that I can’t believe they had SG, and I told her we had to check it out! We looked at several different kinds, and eventually my mom decided to go ahead and get the regular NB that she always gets, and get a bag of the SG Wee Bit (dry food for adult small breed dogs)… Bison, Ocean Fish Meal, Brown Rice, Millet, Cracked Pearled Barley. She is going to see if they like the SG, and if they do, she’s going to switch them over to it! : )

Now, my question is, do you think NB or SG is better? They are the same price. My mom gets the small $ 13.99 bags, and both NB and SG are the same price for the same amount of food, but for their weights, her dogs will be eating about 1/4cup less food each day if they are switched to SG. Again, they are both good-quality, so I guess it will come down to what her dogs like best, but what do you think? Both NB and SG have a couple different meats, and they both have other things that aren’t bad, but that I don’t like quite as much. So,
what’s your opinion on that?
**ADDED** I wanted to add, I didn’t just recently learn this and switch foods, this happened over 2 years ago. We first switched our dogs to the NB about 2 years ago, if not longer, and then in the span of a couple months tried the different Canidaes, and we have had them one the one Canidae for over 1 1/2 years. I just thought to ask this because the thing with my mom at PetCo happened yesterday, so I was just thinking about it.

But thanks for the answers.. Well, thanks to the people who actually gave me serious answers! : )
I have never heard of Bil Jac dog food, but I just looked it up, and now I have that added to my list of horrible, disgusting, low-quality dog foods. It’s full of by-products, corn, etc.. Yuck! : (

Best answer:

Answer by marisa
i got 2 dogs & 2 cats
we have a min pin mix she is lose her teeth so we feed her soft beef& chesse food
then we got a puppy boxer mix with Shepperd we feed it dog chow

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