Dog owners' guide to Heidelberg

[mere 76]

Agree about energy level. They will have plenty of help.

As for "too popular" I don't see PWD becoming the next Lab or Golden Retriever. Right now so many people want the expensive mixes (AKA 'designer dogs') that I do not think this will sway it that much. Yes, there will be more interest in the breed, but Spaniels and Terriers didn't rise in popularity when presidential families had them.

 

I still like the mutt from a shelter... if anyone gets publicity let the shelter/rescue dogs get it. :rolleyes:

[anichka 2]

That's one part of the debate I forgot - the fact that they want a rescue dog, and it's not like there are a lot of PWDs out there just waiting for homes (which, naturally, a lot of the mailing list people believe will rise if one ends up in the WH). There have been some interesting "conspiracy theories" about how they will manage to adopt one, including one about Senator Kennedy's latest addition of a PWD pup.

[Bipa 5,814]

I found a few web sites and breeders in Germany Key words to search for are "Portugiesischen Wasserhund" and "Cao de Agua Portugues" if you want to google some more on your own.

 

Wasserhund am Neckar

wasserhund.com (under construction)

Gute Zeit Kennel

http://www.amigodopescador.com/ (puppies in Portugal available)

 

Germany isn't all that far from Portugal where there are tons of breeders... and it's part of the EU so not hard to cross borders ya know

 

Let me know if I can help at any point along the way.

Cheers!

[anichka 2]

Thanks Bipa. I've seen quite a few EU websites (as I mentioned, there's one in the Netherlands - Casa Hoya I think), and I know I will probably have to travel outside of Germany for my next pup if I decide to get one while I am there. It would be pretty cool to get a PWD from their homeland! Who knows, I haven't had my boy fixed yet, so maybe he'll even be a father some day (though I have a LOT more research to do before I would even consider it).

[rhody 3,170]

Back to the original questions. This vet speaks English in Heidelberg and has an emergency clinic as well.

 

If you will be living in the center of Heidelberg and do not have a car then there are some opportunities to walk a dog off leash by walking up into the mountains/hills. If you live in Weststadt or Rohrbach, there are some trail heads that start right off the street but the trail is steep but doable if you are reasonably fit. Sometimes there a lot of people up there so you may get grief.

 

As for dog clubs and training, you have to check them out. Each club seems to have a different philosophy. Some are run by people who train police dogs, some are into agility and all that. I am in to neither of them because all the people I met around here into that stuff are like people obsessed with their children becoming sports stars or something. And this is the country of Besserwisser so be prepared to have every Fritz, Dieter and Heinrich tell you how to train your dog even if you have experience training hunting dogs for example. Some clubs have a kind of trial membership and you get to go to so many training classes with other dog owners with dogs of similar training levels. I joined just to have the puppy play with other puppies and become well adjusted to other dogs.

 

On a last note, if you are really into spending a lot of time with your dog and want a garden and such, you should probably consider some of the smaller communities that surround Heidelberg. There are a lot of nice ones up in the hills around the city and out in the flat lands in between Heidelberg and Mannheim. I walk my dog in a really nice forest that has a sandy ground which it makes it much drier than some of the fields and forests which become mud 1/2 the year. There are also some lakes for swimming near the Rhein. Typically, you can just pop out your door, walk down the street and you and your dog can be in a field or forest. As for off-leash, this is generally tolerated by most people if you train your dog properly and can get it to heel when you need him to. For example, if a cyclist and coming by or something. Occasionally, you'll get the old German guy who tells you why you should have your dog on a leash all the time. Most Germans I know walk off-leash around here as well unless the dog is known to chase down prey in a hunting area. Unfortunately, hunters here can protect their livelihood by shooting a dog who does this.

[Bipa 5,814]

The idea that hunters will shoot any dog running around the woods is a bit exaggerated. In Baden-Württemberg, hunters MUST first try to humanely catch the dog before starting to shoot unless the dog poses an immediate danger to wildlife and humans. (though be careful in other States like Sachsen-Anhalt, Saarland und Brandenburg where hunters may shoot any loose dog in the woods that isn't under the immediate, close control of a handler!) Obviously if a large dog is munching on a carcass and aggressively turns on the hunter then they'll have to resort to killing it, but in Baden-Württemberg they won't actively target a friendly dog happily sniffing around. A bigger problem would be having your dog accidentally shot during hunting season, though that's also very rare.

 

I've met hunters who admit they will threaten careless people who let their dogs run free out-of-control with shooting, but they rarely follow through. I've got two terriers with very strong hunting instincts, and I've learned the hard way that I cannot ever let them loose in the woods 'cause they'll chase after every rabbit and field mouse. Accidents happen, and they have gotten away from me once or twice. So I have spent a bit of time chatting with hunters, and was reassured that they wouldn't just kill my dogs out of hand. They'd be concerned that my dogs might be young hunting dogs still in training belonging to another hunter.

 

Oh, and the amount of paperwork and red tape afterwards is quite daunting. This is Germany, after all.

 

see: Regelungen der Länder im Wald- u. Jagdgesetz zum Führen von Hunden

(in German, unfortunately the links to detailed laws of each State don't work, but the overview is good)

[rhody 3,170]

True Bipa, I know quite a few hunters myself and some say they would never shoot a dog under any circumstances if they were hunting down prey. Like I said, "if the dog is known to chase down prey in a hunting area". This means the dog gets away from you, is long gone from your control and is close to getting a deer or similar. This isn't the same as happily sniffing around. However, some will shoot because once a dog breaks the skin on a deer with a bite, that deer cannot be consumed. As some hunters make a partial living from this, they aren't really pleased with this outcome. I think the law is insane but it's there and they can do it - even in BW.

[anichka 2]

Thanks again for the advice. Re. shooting dogs, it's similar to the UK since farmers can/will shoot your dog if it is worrying livestock. Luckily most of the fields near my house are just for crops. I really have to work on training him to heel more. Some days he's really good, but others he's a stubborn little boy, so I have a ways to go.

 

I've been leaning towards Weststadt in my searches, so I will keep the trail heads in mind. Maybe in a year or two I'll be ready for more rural life again, but after living in a village with a population of 150 for the last year and a half, I'm craving a bit of town life again. Walking my dog has always proved useful in meeting people as everyone likes to stop and ask what breed he is or tell me random things like "he looks like a hearth rug." One thing I miss with the pup is sidewalks! I am looking forward to walks where I don't have to dodge cars passing by at 50+ mph on winding country roads.

[anichka 2]

Another very important question to me - any advice on dog groomers around HD?

 

I have little hope of finding someone who is experienced with PWDs as they seem to be pretty rare there. The woman who grooms Lasz here in the UK had only done one before but she does a fantastic job. He was groomed by someone else once and ended up looking more like a poodle than anything - I am pretty sure that woman didn't even look at the laminated grooming chart I gave her (while his usual loved it and even asked where she could get her own).

 

I am contemplating investing in clippers, etc., so I can do it all myself, but I have a feeling I'll have even less storage space there than here, so I don't want to do that quite yet.

[Bipa 5,814]

Can't give any advice on groomers in Heidelberg, but I have brand new clippers I just bought sitting here all charged up and ready to go. As soon as I get my nerve up and actually clip Joey, I can let you know if they're any good and give you a review. Thank goodness Joey is a mutt so I don't have to make him look like anything special. As long as it is short and he's comfortable then he'll be happy this summer. And as long as folks can stilll recognize that he's a dog then I'll be happy. :lol:

[anichka 2]

Haha, yeah, Lasz gets some interesting cuts sometimes because of the matted hair, which makes him look like he's balding in some spots.

 

I've done some research into clippers and would get either an Oster or Andis. I've heard that dogs are generally better behaved if you can get them on a grooming table (another expense and need for space), which is contrary to my usual method of wrestling him to the living room floor with scissors - not pretty results for either of us.

 

Good luck, and post pictures of the results if you can!

[rhody 3,170]

Here is a Hundesalon on Eppelheimerstrasse right near the PX on the way to Eppelheim. Unfortunately, the animal on the web site is more like a barking cat but they should be able to help a real dog like yours. Can't say much about dog groomers in general as I have a Lab and he is low maintenance in that respect. Just need to hose him off occasionally. ;)

[anichka 2]

Thanks rhody. I got a bit of a chuckle out of their website - certainly looks much posher than his current "salon" (a converted outbuilding at a kennel).

[Guest]

Hello, we are new on this web site and have been in the Heidelberg area for about 8 months now. We are wondering if anyone can offer advice on dog kennels. We would like to travel over our American holiday weekend of May 22-25 and both kennels we have used in the past are not available. We live in Sankt Leon-Rot and have used the kennel here and one lovely kennel outside Coleman Barracks in Mannheim. Can anyone offer up names of kennels they recommend or even dog-sitters? We have a golden retriever and a little golden mix and I hate leaving them behind, but sometimes they just can't come with us on our trips. I'm willing to travel to outlying communities to make sure they are safe and happy while we're gone. Thanks so much!

[anichka 2]

I have a friend who has offered to dogsit for me in HD. I could ask her if she'd be interested in watching yours if you want. She has a small flat, but she loves dogs and really misses having one. I think for a weekend she would be fine with two. I would be willing to watch them if I am out of temp lodging by then. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

What are the names of the kennels you have used in the past there? I've tried to keep my boy out of them in general but I had to put him in over Christmas when I went home to the States, so it's always good to know of decent ones.

[rhody 3,170]

 

Hello, we are new on this web site and have been in the Heidelberg area for about 8 months now. We are wondering if anyone can offer advice on dog kennels. We would like to travel over our American holiday weekend of May 22-25 and both kennels we have used in the past are not available. We live in Sankt Leon-Rot and have used the kennel here and one lovely kennel outside Coleman Barracks in Mannheim. Can anyone offer up names of kennels they recommend or even dog-sitters? We have a golden retriever and a little golden mix and I hate leaving them behind, but sometimes they just can't come with us on our trips. I'm willing to travel to outlying communities to make sure they are safe and happy while we're gone. Thanks so much!

I may be around that weekend and I could take them. I have a 2 year old chocolate lab and a large garden. My dog goes to the forest or swimming nearly every day and maybe we could do a swap and you can take my dog for a weekend sometime. I could do that for you too Anichka. As long as the dog is friendly to kids and other dogs and likes to go swimming or for nice longish walks, I am OK with whatever breed or mix it is. PM me if you are interested.

[anichka 2]

Sounds good, but I am not certain about my dog. He's rather shy around other people at first. He takes a good 15 minutes to warm up to someone, and then he has to be able to approach a person on his terms - slowly. He hasn't really been around kids much (I am single, no kids), so I couldn't say how he would be. He can be a bit rambunctious with other dogs - really likes to play, but he doesn't seem to recognize when other dogs aren't interested and he will keep prancing around in a play stance. We could always meet one day and see how the dogs get along in a neutral setting, though.

[rhody 3,170]

Heh - sounds like my dog almost. Except he warms up to anyone in 15 seconds. I always bring a new dog out in to the garden to see how they interact before letting them in the house anyway. But yeah, a neutral setting is good to get them accustomed to each other. If he is swimmer, I can show you a lake near the Rhein in Bruehl where dogs are tolerated.

[anichka 2]

Re. kids, after thinking about it more, I might be a little wary about my dog for two reasons. He likes to jump on people (even though I have tried hard to train him out of this habit), and he might knock a kid over. He's also a bit mouthy. I don't know how that would compare to a lab since they are mouthy too. He doesn't bite, but he will use his mouth (gently) to get me to pet him sometimes. Kids might react differently to that sort of thing than I do.

 

And despite being a "water dog" he hasn't done much swimming yet. When I took him camping in Cornwall last year, he only went in the water to try to drag me out of it, and when he couldn't, he stood on the shore barking at me! He will only go in to get a drink so far. Never has gone out far enough on his own that his paws aren't touching the ground.

[rhody 3,170]

Sometimes a dog needs another dog to learn to swim. Mine has taught a Golden by just jumping in and looking back at the other dog with the hey come on look. It doesn't always work if the dog does not want to swim but if they have that genetic wiring they usually follow on in.

 

But anyway, your comment about being unsure about kids reminds me that you should consider dog liability insurance (Hundehaftpflichtversicherung) because even if you have 100% control over your dog, which is impossible anyway, you never know what damage could happen. I have a policy for 2 million Euros and I think it cost about 100 per year. You should also consider personal liability insurance for yourself as well. Even though you will be under SOFA, anything you (or your dog) does in Germany is still covered under German civil law. I recall a story about a guy whose dog jumped in front of cyclist who fell off and sued the guy for damages, lost wages etc. He didn't have insurance and had to pay out of pocket 15k plus court costs. It is still no comfort that in Germany law suit judgments are lower than in the US though so insurance is still a good idea IMO.