# Question on Watchdog, Gaff, Colby???



## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

So I was just having some fun and looking more into Nevaeh's ped. Well I seen that she has watchdog, gaff in some areas but then a little further back I see that she has Colby? Is Watchdog and Gaff bully. I don't really look into bloodlines at all but I know I have heard these mentioned. Also under the Colby dogs she has it says the breeder is J.P. Colby? Is he the one that made the colby bloodline? Here are some of the Colby dogs she has--
-CH Colby's Paddy 
-Colby's Jenny
-Colby's Tige (Tige was considered the 35# champion of America and a great sire of game dogs.Tige became even more famous after defeating Dan Roses Captain in 3 hours 27 minutes.)
-Colby's Mag (Full sister to Colby's Pincher. Mag won serveral fights, some against males.)
-CH Colby's Pansy
-Colby's Rose
-Colby's Red Nail
-Colby's Pincher (One of the best match dogs that ever lived!)
-Colby's Neli I
-Colby's Neitz
-Colby's Bunch
-Colby's Goldy
-Colby's Bill Spring

All these Colby dogs are on Nevaeh's Dam's Sire's Side but then on her Dam's Mother's side that is when you get the Gaff, but then on Nevaeh's Sire's ped is where watchdog comes in! So even though she has tons of Colby lines, she is still considered a bully because of the crossing till now? Well no matter even if she is a bully, she is the most sweetest dog ever, and I truly love her soo soo much because she is my daughter's guardian angel and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Nevaeh watching over Kaydence in her soon to be dog house!









Kaydence resting on Nevaeh









Nevaeh waking Kaydence up with some Love









Nevaeh at 6 1/2 months old.









Nevaeh posing as usual.









Okay she is starting to get bored.


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## cane76 (Aug 16, 2006)

as far as i know all dogs of the apbt breed and amstaff can trace there linage back to colby stuff as he was if not the first one of the first to import the breed to america and if it is true that the bully is a creation of am staff apbt show dog crosses also steming from fighting dogs that they also can trace there linage to colby dogs.
I consider the watchdog and gaff lines to be bully,gaff is a staff line in my opinion and watchdog is a bully line that's fondation stock was made up of larger working pitbull's
by a guy who i believe abandoned the strain for the american bulldog breed.
and since the creator has no hand in the type anymore people do with it what they will usualy do when something like that happens,take it in another direction,breed for exagerated aesthetic,and coat color.
Todays watchdog strain is not what it once was and to air on the side of caution,id say many represenitives of the modern type are examples of impurity and poor breeding practices and some are no dout through backs to the older foundation dogs.
mostly crossed into a few other working lines of apbt[eli] i believe.


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

Yah, thanks Cane, so I went and looked at what watchdog she did have and it is GR CH Watchdogs Zulu in her 6th generation, and it has the breeder as Watchdog Farm and the owner as Watchdog? So would that be the orignal dog, also Watchdogs Big Thor and Watchdogs Zulu. Have you heard of any of them? 

Yah I looked more into the gaff in her ped and she has alot of great foundation gaff. I am overall happy of the outcome from her breedings because she is a wonderful pup. I am hoping to one day see if she can do something like weightpull. We will see though!


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## cane76 (Aug 16, 2006)

yes they are some foundation stock of Casey Couturie{sp]


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

Thanks again Cane, I just thought it would be fun to see who and what is in her background. I have never really paid attention to what was on a pedigree before and actually it is kind of interesting.


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## cane76 (Aug 16, 2006)

If you search watchdog and TNT on here photos of those dogs will be available,for some reason my photo bucket doesn't work but a advertisement for the american bull dog journal or gazette or whatever has a photo of 4 good looking dogs.
























wait it does work,nice,you dont have to search those threds for photos,they never go well anyhow,and turn into arguments within the first couple posts usually.


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

Yah those are some awesome looking dogs, I have all 3 of the studs on that paper on her ped. Here are the pictures from her ped of all 3! I think Blue Bully is extremely good looking.

Lol, I guess this explains why Nevaeh is on the heavier side!


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## ARK_Kennel (Jun 5, 2008)

Wow.... Those APBT sure do look BULLY.


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

I believe watchdog IS more of a bully breed to some. I think it always depends on who you talk to whether something is bully or not. I know that Nevaeh has tons of drive, so call her what you want, but I know what she is to me.


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

Well in all fairness there were some bully looking gamedogs that were not blue or from bully lines. I like the old watchdog strain those were some nice looking dogs and depending on who you ask your going to get different opinions about the line I have heard people say old watchdog is apbt but todays watchdog is bully guess it just depends on who your talking to neveah is a beautiful girl and I am sure you will do lots with her :woof:


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## ericschevy (Nov 10, 2006)

SadieBlues said:


> I have heard people say old watchdog is apbt but todays watchdog is bully.


I've read the same thing numerous times..


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

LOL, I have also been reading the same thing, which leaves me clueless on whether I call her my APBT or my bully! Her sire was only 65 lbs. and her dam 45 lbs. The gaff and watchdog that she does have in her peds are the foundation stock, none of that new watchdog. I have a feeling she will be around 60 lbs. when full grown, right now she is a bit overweight, bleh. She puts on weight so darn easily even after all the running, swimming, and excersizing she does everyday.


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## ARK_Kennel (Jun 5, 2008)

Mrs_APBT_America said:


> LOL, I have also been reading the same thing, which leaves me clueless on whether I call her my APBT or my bully! Her sire was only 65 lbs. and her dam 45 lbs. The gaff and watchdog that she does have in her peds are the foundation stock, none of that new watchdog. I have a feeling she will be around 60 lbs. when full grown, right now she is a bit overweight, bleh. She puts on weight so darn easily even after all the running, swimming, and excersizing she does everyday.


She could have a thyroid problem.


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

> She could have a thyroid problem.


What are the other symptoms of that and how would I know if she does? When I took her to the vet for a check up and mentioned the weight, he said she looked really healthy that she was just really solid and a growing puppy! She acts extremely healthy, very alert. I will keep an eye on her though, like I said, she is 6 1/2 months and 50 lbs. but just by reading some of these other threads, I see alot of people on here where there dog weighs the same if not more, BUT it us usually the bully breed. Well, I will just have to see how she turns out and her overall weight.


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## cane76 (Aug 16, 2006)

i believe another symptom is unpredictable or uncontrolable rage,since you live in nor cal you can take her to UCD vet hospital,they do it all and I'm not sure but i believe if you let a student preform the procedure it can be free,don't quote me on that,could just be a rumor.


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## buzhunter (Sep 3, 2007)

No kidding? I better get myself checked.:angeldevi


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## cane76 (Aug 16, 2006)

My old dog Cain was supicious of that condition or it was sugested to have him cheched,but i didnt do it because his time had come,and it was time for him to leave the earth.
I actually dont even know what a thyroid is,ha,do humans even have one?


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

Well she definitely isn't unpredictable and doesn't have any uncontrollable rage, thank god. She actually has no rage at all. She gets along great with all our animals with no problem, no aggression. Supervised of course. I don't believe she has anything wrong with her thyroid. I just think she is just on the bigger side because her parents, well mainly her father was bigger. I see nothing wrong with it though, just more to love.


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

> I actually dont even know what a thyroid is,ha,do humans even have one?


I couldn't even tell you what it is, lol.


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## ARK_Kennel (Jun 5, 2008)

Ok, haha, funny.... And yes humans have thyroid glands too.

Hypothyroidism and Dogs 

HYPOTHYROIDISM

You may have noticed your dog is putting on a few pounds lately although you haven't changed its diet. After taking your pet to your veterinarian, it has been discovered that your pet has an under active thyroid gland. Just what is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is a disorder in which the thyroid gland (two small lobes located in the neck ) secretes insufficient thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism isn’t life threatening, but it does diminish quality of life. Once diagnosed, however, the disorder is relatively easy to treat.

The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormones that are critical to maintaining your dog’s normal metabolic rate. This is the speed at which the body converts nutrient energy into energy fueling the body. If the thyroid gland degenerates or becomes inflamed, it can no longer produce sufficient quantities of hormones. As a result, cells don’t convert the nutritional energy it needs into biologically usable fuel as fast as usual.

This decreased cell function causes a number of physical changes in a hypothyroid dog. Nearly half of such dogs gain weight (with no change in diet). Over a third become lethargic and mentally dull, and just under a third show hair or skin abnormalities. Hair-producing cells slow down, so there is less hair growth and more hair loss. Skin-producing cells slow down, so there is more wrinkling and seborrhea (dandruff) . Also, hypothyroid pets may suffer an increased propensity to joint disease, especially ligament damage.

Some veterinarians also suspect a link between behavior problems and hypothyroidism. Increased aggression is the most commonly suspected behavior change, but some veterinarians speculate that a few hypothyroid dogs may develop anxiety- related or compulsive behaviors. If your pet develops a sudden behavioral change, have your dogs thyroid status examined.

Since the physical signs of hypothyroidism develop gradually and vary from dog to dog, the disorder often goes undiagnosed. But veterinarians have found that hypothyroidism typically develops after 2 years of age and is more common in certain breeds such as golden retrievers and Doberman pinschers. While all owners should be on the lookout for changes in their dog’s appearance or behavior that suggest hypothyroidism, owners of middle-aged dogs or genetically predisposed dogs should be especially watchful. If you notice any signs, consult your veterinarian. By simply taking a sample of your dog’s blood, it can be determined if the dog has hypothyroidism. At Columbia Veterinary Associates, we are recommending testing as part of our senior health examinations.

Diagnosing hypothyroidism would seem to be as simple as measuring thyroid-hormone levels in the blood. However, this simple technique can give an inaccurate diagnosis because some illness such as Cushing's disease- overactive adrenal glands-- and medications, such as cortisone suppress the level of circulating thyroid hormones. The most accurate test is the - thyroid stimulating hormone -TSH- response test. In this test, the veterinarian measures thyroid-hormone levels in the dog’s blood, administers TSH (a chemical that stimulates thyroid-hormone secretion), then remeasures hormone levels to determine whether the thyroid gland responded by producing additional thyroid hormones. While the TSH response test is reasonably accurate, it is expensive to administer. Also, this hormone is now difficult to find because of decreased production by the manufacturers.

Newer tests are available, that are as accurate (although not 100 percent) and less expensive than the TSH response test. With these tests the a combination of the levels of thyroid hormone -T4- and a specific thyroid hormone-Free T4 - as well as the level of TSH in a dog’s blood are measured. Hypothyroid dogs have both a high TSH level and a low free-T4 level.

Veterinarians treat hypothyroidism by prescribing supplemental thyroid hormone, which the owner must administer to the dog orally once or twice a day. These medications are initially prescribed according to your pet’s weight. Your veterinarian will closely monitor your dog in the initial stage of treatment by retesting the thyroid level- T4- to make sure the animal is getting the appropriate dosage. Too little hormone won’t alleviate the signs, while too much can cause a dog to develop hyperthyroidism (excessive thyroid hormone causing agitated and overactive behavior, weight loss, excessive drinking, and excessive urination). Once thyroid- hormone levels have stabilized within a normal range, your veterinarian will likely check the levels every six months to every year. The dose levels of medication used to treat this disease in dogs is much higher than the rate use to treat hypothyroidism in people.

Once treatment begins, most hypothyroid dogs are increasingly active and show fewer behavior problems within a week. Hair growth typically accelerates in about a week, too, although bare spots may take months to fully grow in. Most dogs begin to lose excess weight within 2 to 4 weeks of starting treatment.

If you suspect hypothyroidism, consult your veterinarian. The treatment for hypothyroidism is straightforward, and the medication is relatively inexpensive.


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## Mrs_APBT_America (Jul 19, 2008)

Nope, definitely doesn't sound like Nevaeh has that, hmmmm.........but my *husband* might, I mean... it did mention laziness and weight gain without changing the diet. Hmm... I might just have to look into that!! Lol,


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