The one thing you would tell a prospective owner (Ute/NI) General Chat

Get fit!!

My brother and s-i-l have an NI; he was two years old when they got him last year. He really is the most beautiful dog with a fantastic character and wonderful temperament. He is also very tall for the breed. Recently i have started walking my older BC with them sometimes; NI trots along at a pace that almost has me and my dog jogging! I get a really good workout when we've been out together. Who needs the gym!!

I know what you mean, I had mine out for nearly 1 1/2 hours tonight, and they just kept on going - running around, chasing each other, chasing squirrels, playing with other dogs, so they must have covered the distance several times. Not even tired when they came back, started playing in the yard then!!! Me, I came in, put my feet up and made a cuppa!

We have two other dogs and still can't leave Freya in the house, when we're out ( is destructive) She has to be locked in our utility room (with Mia)... with bare floor and nothing to destroy, apart from the architrave... which she's had a good gnaw at :?

But on the flip side, she's sweet, beautiful, intelligent, loving, eager to please and my constant shadow :smt049

Angel can be left alone for up to 4 hours without a problem. Misty however can't be left fo so much as 10 minutes without causing mass destruction, but as long as she has Angel with her shes fine without human company the problem only occurs when she 100% alone. Whether this is a breed issue or just because unlike Angel shes never been alone I couldn't say.

It is often reffered to that they can suffer from SA but I don't think it is because like people are suggesting that bad dogs are being bred from but due to the pack mentality this breed seems to have. As for saying Mals & Sibes don't suffer when I was looking into getting a mal it was one of the many things I was made aware about the breed so not so sure about that statement.

Say goodbye to your well manicured lawn?!

That goes without saying

Imana is fine as long as she is with Harley but the same as Angelmist's dog she has never been alone, always has the others with her. I think SA is personal to each dog and personally I don't think it has anything to do with the breed. I have know GSD's who would tear a house apart and others who don't. As a child we had a Lab mix who sytematically took the kitchen apart if left, but as there was nearly always someone at home he never got used to being left

But yes the little darlings do like to dig

Do they ever Between Luca, Shaan and Storm, I've got some cracking craters

Don't leave them alone with wooden windowsills! That's more wood bitten off the windowsills in my bedroom - as I read this thread! I now need a new one

On the whole, Loki has been fine on her own when I go out - I think Soochie, one of my parrots, keeps her in tow!!

If I go out longer, perhaps into Glasgow, then I put her in her crate with one of her stronger toys

When I go out, I put Lupi (10 months now) in the hall with Phoebe (lab). Far as I can see, they just sleep the whole time, don't even eat the post.

Lupi is fairly patient, if I go upstairs he either lies in the hall waiting or lies on the couch watching the door.

The main problem I get with him is chewing, but he's young. In the morning when the alarm goes off, he pulls my covers off - but if I fall back to sleep - he (and probably Phoebe) go on the rampage and chew / destroy rather expensive items, papers and cardboard boxes!

He likes to sleep in the hall anyway. When I get home, I see a couple of large ears pop up behind the glass door! I'd be more worried if he didn't and came down the stairs....

I shut all the doors and put my other two dogs in the front room as one of them can open all the doors except the kitchen and frontroom. Seems to work quite well. Lupi is also fine at waiting in the car and outside shops (though I worry someone will pinch him.

He's just too clever, he knows when I have a sleeping tablet, because when I eventually wake up there is a trail of descrutiveness to clear up - the only thing that sets him off otherwise is if Phoebe and I go out together - with either one of us he is fine.

Oh and another thing - I'd say to prospective owners is build up the strength in your arms - Lupi's perfect to heel until another dog appears in the horizon! Train as much as possible from an early age.

Hey Tania... does he do , jumping up and down on his back legs thing, when he meets another dog? Freya must look like some rabid beast... so embarrassing! (Only does it on lead though.. disappears up her own backside, off lead)

Mine go up on their back legs when they see a cat perched on a wall or something, they remind me of the meerkats!
If they see another dog they don't know and the are off lead, they drop down and stalk it. At this point I have to reasure the owner that they are not about to eat it! Rape and pillage is usually the order of the day!
I have them on dogmatics now as my right arm was beginning to get RSI So I have my arms back to their normal length now!

I must say that Tala now 5 months old dose not wreck the house, we have a ridiculous amount of toys and hide chews about the place so if she feels the need she either chews them or our 5 year old GSD chloe, she comes to bed with us at nite and sleeps till our alarm go's off, if we have a lay in she gets on the bed and sleeps there till we get up!

Since i got her she has chewed the corner of a small cabinet, but only slightly i have been able to repair it and again the bedroom when she was younger she chewed the side of the wardrobe again fixable.

However she see's herself as a bit of a Charlie Dimmok and enjoys nothing more then unpotting plants and digging holes in the garden, we have enclosed all our flower boarders with that plastic orange tempory fencing and it has worked a treat! Now the plants can grow in peace and she has made no attempt to get through it!

Keena does the meercat thing on lead Stands up in a perfect straight line and makes me laugh.

Awww, and I thought she couldn't get any sweeter :smt007 :smt007

Running Cloud, all I can say is you will eat your words in a few months, they get more adventurous as they get bigger and go for the larger type of demolition jobs

Oh yes They're the dog worlds answer to houdini ;-)

Loki does teh meercat thing too . It's so graceful.

I will have to keep a watchful eye out, and will report on her wrecking skills as she gets older!!! Ugh you mean it gets worse, thought we had got away with it!!!