Good posts Russ and Susan, and I'd certainly add Dobes to the list of NOT suitable dogs for beginners. Most of the reputable Dobe breeders will not sell Dobe pups to families with small children unless the family has prior experience with working breeds.

Excellent point from Susan regarding having the emergency kit ready for dogs as well. I keep a kit in the house and my suv.

I always carry Gas-X in the event of suspected bloat. My vet recommends it to potentially buy you a little extra time on the way to emergency.

I keep Kaolin Pectin on hand for use in dogs for minor upsets and diarrhea, rather than Pepto Bismol. Many vets will tell clients that Pepto Bismol is fine to use, but it contains salicylate which can cause irritation and even GI bleeds in some dogs. If I were in an emergency situation where access to a vet might be limited that would be a risk I'd rather not take. It might be fine in 20 dogs, but potentially deadly in the 21st. Not a risk I'd take. Kaolin Pectin can be found in farm stores or by mail order and is usually sold for calf scours. Kaopectate used to be the same formula as Kaolin Pectin until they added salicylate to that as well. Warnings did go out to vets at that time they changed the Kaopectate formula. At farm stores the Kaolin Pectin is usually sold in gallon containers, but it's cheap, lasts a longtime, and can be transfered to smaller containers.