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How.... Mr. Parcelan.... uughhhhhh:
btw, this is for JooJoo:

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A sleep deprived Azakias stammered:
If you go purebred, there's a higher chance that the dog will be inbred. That is actually why a lot of pure breeds have health problems.

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There have been a few outbreaks of technically pure bred animals getting out. When 101 Dalmations was released, and when it was re-released (and especially after the live action movie) there was a rush on dalmations. It happens whenever a wildly popular movie features a specific breed of dog. In any case, puppy mills started mass-breeding them, using bad credentials, etc.

That's where the inbreeding thing in recent years came up. A mother is bred to a male over and over, not given at least one heat where she doesn't get pregnant between litters (most legit breeders like to have several heats, if not a year or two between breeding their animals; they see it as a financial investment as much as anything, as a bad reputation or a reputation for unhealthy offspring can ruin you in one litter in the breeding world), and she dies. The father's then bred to one of the daughters, etc etc. You don't need many males. Females are the big deal. In any case, it doesn't take very long for genetic defects to start showing up. Hell it doesn't take very long for unusual psychological characteristics to start breeding true.

Disney in particular (in a surprisingly wise move) gave an assload of money towards educating people about the breeding thing.

HOWEVER, legit breeders are in fact VERY reliable sources for pure-bred animals. They have all sorts of vested interests in keeping the breed lines pure and healthy, and in keeping the breed's reputation high. Given that even one unusually poor litter (you get a bunch of whittles or whatever due to the roll of the genetic dice) can spell problems for a breeder, things can go to hell for them financially pretty quick. People get pissed when their thousand dollar investment has congenital problems. Lawsuits can hurt, even beyond any possible settlement; you have to pay to fight the lawsuit.

That having been said...I have always wanted a little british bulldog. They're adorable, and I remember this one that a pet store owner had. He used to truck around the store, good natured, affectionate but real gruff. Tough guy. But he was just adorable.

Here's something for Ja'Deth

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Mr. Parcelan had this to say about (_|_):
Okay, I'm off to go pick him up now!

Here's something for Ja'Deth

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Aside from the fact that's a female, it looks remarkably like me.

Housebreaking tips?

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Mr. Parcelan probably says this to all the girls:
Aaaaaaand he just peed on my pillow.

Housebreaking tips?

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Catch him in the act, then negative reinforcement.

Contrary to popular belief, rubbing their nose in it half an hour after the fact...doesn't help.

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Densetsu's unholy Backstreet Boys obsession manifested in:
Catch him in the act, then negative reinforcement.

Contrary to popular belief, rubbing their nose in it half an hour after the fact...doesn't help.

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Addendum: Every now and then, take him outside, put him on the grass, and don't let him move until he poops or pees. Then give him positive reinforcement. Train him so that he knows this is 'his spot' for going to the bathroom.

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Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael had this to say about Cuba:
BTW: My mom got a Chow-Chow puppy this week. She is SOOOOO CUUUUUUTE! And a little sweetheart too.

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Make sure you go to great lengths to socialize her as a puppy. Chows are one of the breeds that don't much like strangers unless taught very young, and they can grow up to be dangerous.

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Nobody really understood why Densetsu wrote:
Catch him in the act, then negative reinforcement.

Contrary to popular belief, rubbing their nose in it half an hour after the fact...doesn't help.

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This is another myth. Punishing the dog will only make it afraid of you, or make it associate going to the bathroom with fear.

You'll notice after a short while that the dog will get a certain look about it when it has to go--take it outside quickly and praise it profusely when it goes. If you catch it in the act indoors, just tell it, "No," firmly but not loudly, then take it outside and praise it when it goes. It'll get the hint very quickly.

Also, make it a point to take it out often even if it doesn't have "the look." That'll help prevent accidents and also get it used to using the bathroom outside.

Finally, make sure you have a little crate for it to sleep in. And that you take it out right before bed, in the middle of the night, and immediately upon waking. It'll be a pain for a month or so, but after that it should be able to hold it all night. It'll whine at first, but dogs really do like being crated--it gives them a safe comfortable place.

If you can, I really recommend not paper training it indoors, as it's better that it gets the idea that going indoors isn't ever the right answer.

You should also get it used to you petting it and handling its food while it's eating. You don't want it to grow up into one of those dogs that growls and snaps at anyone who approaches while it's eating. Just talk nicely to it and pet it and get it used to you taking its bowl away and giving it back. It'll save you problems later.

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Bloodsage had this to say about Robocop:
Make sure you go to great lengths to socialize her as a puppy. Chows are one of the breeds that don't much like strangers unless taught very young, and they can grow up to be dangerous.

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Ehhhh...We've had two chows. One came from my stepdad...who beat Q (that was the dog's name) a lot before we came on the scene. Q was EXTREMELY protective.

Hugh (the one we got when Q died) was a little sweetheart. We had everyone meet him, get to know him, and only once did he ever snap at me, and that was, I gather, more of a "testing my place in the pack" sort of thing. I punched him in the head (yeah overreacted, but it startled me) and he never did it again. We wrestled around on the grass and stuff. He was a big sweetheart

I imagine that's what'll happen with Michaela (the new puppy). We got her even younger than we got Hugh, so she'll have alllll sorts of experience with people, AND animals. There's our old mutt PeeWee, three cats, etc.

I mean look at Mastiffs. They were bred to kill wolves. But if you're resolute in training them, and take the time, they're great animals. Same with Dobermans and Pit Bulls.

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The logic train ran off the tracks when Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael said:
There are breeds more prone to aggressive behavior, but I think it's unfair to say any dogs are inherently dangerous. Any dog, ANY DOG can potentially be bad if you don't train it.

I mean look at Mastiffs. They were bred to kill wolves. But if you're resolute in training them, and take the time, they're great animals. Same with Dobermans and Pit Bulls.

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That's sort of true, but some breeds have aggressive tendencies bred into them. People have been breeding the aggression out of Mastiffs, for example, for hundreds upon hundreds of years. . .and they can still be dangerous if not socialized properly.

Some breeds, unless one takes conscious precautions, will end up dangerous or aggressive.

We've had a Hungarian Greyhound, and three German Shepards. One was put down because he was old and essentially blind and crippled. The other one was hit by a truck. He was very friendly and obediant and very playful. The third we gave away because we couldn't handle him properly. He had a pinched nerve in the spine that was making him act crazy and this farmer had more land then us and was willing to have the nerve looked at. My father didn't want to pay for it so we gave him away.

Looking forward to having a pet in a few years though. Definitly looking for an Arabian Greyhound though.

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Ryuujin had this to say about the Spice Girls:
I absolutely will not touch a Chow Chow without a catchpole. They're just too duplicitous.

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That or you're someone they don't know and are wary of, and are probably hip to the idea that you want to take them someplace they don't want to go.