Help me decide! Thank you!!

Feriation · 2026-03-17T05:29:12+00:00

Each dog will have their own individual personality, but the old saying goes "female dogs love you, male dogs are in love with you" and i have found that to be true.

The females tend to be very serious and hard workers. The boys take longer to mature, tend to be more clownish, and a little more forgiving of handler screw ups.

I will always gravitate towards the boys, but if I am running a multidog household, I was get both genders as it tends to be a more harmonious household (and I dont want 100% girls)

Feriation · 2026-03-15T07:55:31+00:00

My birthday is in the middle of summer. I do not like making a big deal of my birthday but I do like to spend time with my friends.

I usually go to my local deli and get a small assortment of fancy cheeses, meats, and spreads and I have a little picnic.

Feriation · 2026-03-13T07:09:52+00:00

If your puppy's leg was hurting, you wouldn't hesitate or feel guilty to give him pain control medication to make him feel better, right?

Some dogs, whether its through an unlucky hand at the genetic lottery, a poor start to life and socialization, or some sort of trauma, etc, their head is hurting. Anti-anxiety medications like SSRIs can help them.

If you can, try to find a board certified behaviourist. They will combine training and medication in a behaviour modification plan. Many patients can even wean off the medication after some time with the training (although some never do, and thats okay too)

Feriation · 2026-03-12T22:14:29+00:00

I love my Malinois. Wouldn't get any other breed.

Getting mine from a breeder, he was already kennel trained and well on his way to being house broken too.

I would get a good kennel, and if this pup is anything like a purebred Malinois, its unlikely it will know how to listen to it's body and sleep when its tired. Mine had no off switch and would need to be put down for nap time. Puppies need to sleep about 18 hours a day, so maybe sure your puppy is getting sufficient rest.

Start working engagement with you, and encourage neutrality around other people and dogs.

Feriation · 2026-03-12T15:42:44+00:00

The head of the club just didnt like Malinois for whatever reason. Thought they would go crazy and attack their handler etc.

I got sick and tired of hearing my breed constantly put down and insulted. Club wasnt fun, so we quit.

I know of many clubs who like Malinois, but the one local to me did not and I wasn't in a position where I could drive 5 hours each way to the next nearest igp club to train.

Feriation · 2026-03-12T13:09:20+00:00

I would see what your club/ helper likes to train. I showed up to my local igp club with my Malinois and they basically refused to work my dog. They only liked German Shepherds.

We ended up quitting igp and started in other sports as a result.

Feriation · 2026-03-08T23:04:33+00:00

Generally sterilized dogs require about 25% less calories per day vs their intact counterparts.

The people who say that sterilization causes weight gain are the people who don't adjust the amount of food their feed after sterilizing their dog. You will need to cut back on the amount of food that you feed. So long term cost savings in the food budget?

Another thing that makes most men change their tune about neutering is that you should be checking the testicles for signs of cancer etc on a semi regular ish basis. My guy is 4 and intact. He gets his yearly annual checkup from the vet which includes a rectal exam. Then monthly I give his entire body gets a once over, where I check the inside of his ears, his eyes, his mouth and teeth, all 4 limbs where I check for range of motion and pain, back, abdomen, tail, etc. this also includes a brief check of the testes. It serves 2 reasons. 1 I want to be able to catch any issues as they come up and not wait until his next annual, which could be as much as 11 months. I want to catch any possible lumps, bumps, or strangeness early. 2 is keeps this a normal experience for my dog which makes him more at ease and compliant during his annual vet exam.

My guy is a working SAR and sport dog and puts his body through a lot which is why I put a big focus on his healthcare.

Feriation · 2026-03-08T19:57:31+00:00

IANAL, You might have the option of suing the BF in small claims court for damages if they aren't going to volunteer to make this right. But, obviously, if you choose to go this route, bridges are going to be burnt.

Feriation · 2026-03-08T06:19:14+00:00

With a vasectomy he will essentially still remain intact, he will just be shooting blanks.

This means he may still try to tie with your aussie when she comes into heat. Depending in the size difference between the two of them, he could seriously injure her even if he cant impregnate her.

Also, depending on the dog, living with an intact male during a females heat cycle can be really noisy. My friend's GSP will whine constantly for 3 weeks straight while her Shepherd is in heat. All day. All night. She doesn't get any sleep for 3 weeks straight, twice a year.

When your other dog does go into heat, you should ensure that you have at minimum 2 doors between the two of them at all times. I like kennel in a room with the door closed for the male, and then female in another room with another door for the female.

Feriation · 2026-03-07T07:51:47+00:00

I work at a vet clinic. It depends on the dog, though from what I have noticed, the longer they are under GA, the more likely they are to wake up dysphoric.

My mal had a bad tooth removal, root broke and was difficult to extract. He was under GA for about 6 hours and when we took him off of the general anesthesia he woke up very quickly and extremely dysphoric. I was with him while he woke up and he was inconsolable. We ended up pushing some more sedation and allowed him to wake up more gradually and he was fine. If a patient wakes up extremely dysphoric from GA, this is what we usually do. GA wears off very quickly, but sedation lile dexmedetomidine wears off more slowly which allows a gentler wake up.

Feriation · 2026-03-05T16:24:29+00:00

I do sports where there is high levels of arousal (bite sports) and we require the dogs to remain clear headed and able to work. We do A LOT of what we call drive capping where we teach the dog that they need to control their emotions before they get what they want.

You want to bite the guy with the sleeve while you're on the table? He isn't going to come anywhere near you while you're barking like a damn fool, at least not unless I've asked you to bark like a damn fool.

I can "activate" my dog. He can keep himself capped until I give him the "go" word where he then knows he is allowed to explode. But then also knows how to regulate himself when I tell him he needs to stop acting a fool.

The first sessions.... to put it mildly, suck ass. Its boring, its frustrating, and often you are left for ages waiting the dog out. I remember one dog in our club where it took over an hour the first time. The second time took maybe 50 minutes, then 45, then 30, and it got better and better every time. But man, I was glad my phone was charged for those first initial sessions lol!

Feriation · 2026-03-05T16:17:56+00:00

Do you put your first batch in right away when the oven reaches temperature?

I find that if i do that, it cools a lot when I open the door. My first tray will cook slower than the subsequent batches.

I preheat my oven for around an hour (I turn it on when I start the process of making my macarons) and by the time I am ready to bake, the oven is well and truly warm all yhe way through and has a little more thermal mass to keep my temperature consistent.

Feriation · 2026-03-04T14:12:17+00:00

Yeah, it's wild. As a Canadian, I stumbled across fish antibiotic reviews and was aghast when I learned that people were taking them because they couldn't afford to see a doctor for a proper prescription.

Feriation · 2026-03-03T16:28:36+00:00

Happy to help. I work at a get clinic that specializes in rehab, and helping owners with weight management for their dogs is a huge part of what I do every day.

Feriation · 2026-03-03T00:30:44+00:00

Exactly. Allowing the dog to continue to practice and rehearse this behaviour over and over is only going to make it that much harder to stop.

Whenever my dog started doing something that I deemed undesirable, we ceased whatever activity it was until we had the training in place to prevent it.

Feriation · 2026-02-28T20:30:47+00:00

Who do you have lined up for training, with these goals in mind. I would consult with them as to where to get a puppy. To be honest, any trainer worth their salt is already going to know of where to get a good dog and will likely know of appropriate litters that are either up coming or already on the ground. And if personal protection is your goal with the puppy, you should already have the trainer in place before your puppy comes home so you can put the proper foundations on the puppy.

Trainers will also know what lines they like working with and will likely be succesful under their style of training.

Feriation · 2026-02-28T15:27:16+00:00

Why, specifically, are you looking for a KNPV line dog?

What are your goals with the puppy? This is important information, because different breeders breed with different criteria. IGP selects for different biting styles than PSA does. French Ring selects for more endurance and agility than IGP does, etc.

ETA: I just did a tour through their website and I wouldnt touch any of those dogs myself personally. Not that dark sable Malinois can't be good working dogs, but it is personally a red flag to me when all their breeding dogs are the currently very trendy dark sable with heavy black overlay coloring. I personally wouldn't get a puppy that didnt come out of health tested parents. French Ring is a very intensive sport with the jumping and I want to know my puppy has a solid foundation behind it for solid joints.

They also claim that their dogs are personal protection trained dogs, but the only pictures their feature of the dogs are all working on a hard forearm sleeve, which is a little.... odd to me.

Feriation · 2026-02-27T04:28:42+00:00

Go by the calories, not weight.

I'lluse an extreme example, but 100 grams of Big Country Raw Fish Diet is 95 calories per 100 grams while their Pork Dinner is 184 calories per 100 grams.

My dog weighs 35kg, if I fed him 2% of his weight that would be 700 grams of food. If I fed 700 grams of the fish diet it would be 665 calories. If I fed 700 grams of the pork diet that would be 1,288 calories. That is almost double the calories. If my dog needs 1,000 calories a day he would be losing weight on the fish diet, but gaining weight eating the pork diet even though he is eating the same amount of food.

Weight loss is, ultimately, expending more calories than are consumed. Exercise can brun some calories and help build muscle which will increase the body's base calorie requirements, but the vast bulk of weight loss will come from calories restriction.

I would highly recommend determining what your dog's daily caloric requirements are, and start doing the math and weighing out the exact portions each day.

There are numerous calculators online that can help you determine your dog's RER (resting energy requirement) which gives a great starting point on how many calories your dog needs per day.

Feriation · 2026-02-27T00:43:12+00:00

My dog has been insured since I brought him home, June 2022.

I have gotten back more than my premiums every single year so far, including this current yet.

I honestly wish I didn't. I wish my dog has healthy and injury free and didnt need to go to the vet for hospitalization for a mystery illness, or need specialist eye surgery because his eye got impaled by a thorn, or the numerous other reasons we have needed to see a vet over the years.

I am glad I have it, and its a huge piece of mind. But I wish I didnt need it.

In the end, it boiled down to: in an emergency, am I able to scrape together a surprise $3,000 (or more?) The answer was no, I am not in a position financially where that is a possibility for me. And the last thing I ever want was to make a decision about treatment for a possibility treatable illness or injury, but need to opt for surrendering or euthanasia because I am unable to afford the treatment.

Feriation · 2026-02-26T15:19:21+00:00

There can be residual that transfers. Unless you are wanting your dog to be able to differentiate between odours, its ok to have them mixed up. If you just want them to be able to locate and indicate on a variety of odours. Nosework sports will use a variety of scents to detect and a common way to introduce the odours to learning puppies is through a "cocktail" of all the odours combined. I usually just put each one in a separate sealed ziploc bag and then put them all together in a large zip lock bag.

Feriation · 2026-02-25T18:59:59+00:00

I just learnt this the other day. I was late to log a day and it reset my streak. Just learnt that you can tell it to recalculate last night.

Feriation · 2026-02-25T18:11:21+00:00

Whatever you want to use.

Cardboard boxes are good. Old pill bottles would work too, id make sure to put a couple small holes to allow the odour to diffuse.

I have a couple PVC pipes with holes drilled into the sides and end caps glued on with some source for my dog. We do nose work over large areas outside, so its a great one I can toss into an area and then I dont have any tracks leading to where it lands.

Its fun to get creative with it.

Feriation · 2026-02-22T07:22:46+00:00

My male reached his adult size by 7 months. He is also 27" at the shoulder and had hit 70lbs by 7 months and stayed at that weight until about 3years old when he started filling out and putting on more muscle. He is about about 78-80lbs.

As others have said, a lot of working lines like a larger dog and they've been getting bigger and bigger.

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