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spottychick

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Everything posted by spottychick

  1. Could be a number of things. She just might be easily startled because her senses aren't as good as they used to be. Like other have said, she might be just reacting to pain. Also, if you have another dog, is the other one accidentally stepping on her or bumping her when she's asleep etc? She might react to you touching her if she thinks it's the other dog and she's giving him/her warning just in case! Take heart, my old girl lived till she was nearly 19 and had health issues along the way (after about 14) and went blind and a bit deaf (or at least wilfully deaf LOL) but she was happy and kept her personality right to the end. I just adjusted my own behaviour to deal with her needs and she gave me all she could back - which was a lot!! I'm glad Lilly has such a lovely home in her "dotage". :p
  2. Oh no! Do you know if he's still there??? Maybe you could let the Dally Rescue people know. Which shelter is he at?
  3. You don't have to buy anything. Try this one http://www.gimp.org/ Somewhere online there is also an add-on for it that makes it more like Photoshop for those who are used to PS. Just google Gimp and you'll find lots of info and free tutorials etc
  4. Oh that's terrible. Maybe he just got out and someone has him. I sure hope he's okay...
  5. LOL I think I know what you mean. Makes my head hurt tho :D And thanks! He gets better everyday and I'm loving him atm :D ETA Also I'd add my welcome to lupinbunny and congrats on taking on your adoptee. It's worth persevering with them and just keep in mind it may take a while. THe first thing he's doing is trying to work out what's going on now that he's suddenly in a new place amongst strangers etc. It's a lot for a wee doggy to take in just to start with!!
  6. bwahahaha @ Saggy Flats!!! Tassie is a fascinating place - it's like nowhere else LOL I know where Ouse is - it's actually the geographic centre of Tassie I heard. To be honest that area isn't the nicest in Tassie but pretty much of all of Tassie is nice IMO. I've always loved it's name hee hee. I also love Stoner.
  7. Yes I should add that there was just one occassion where Tango actually got growled at by me and smacked on the rear before being sent out LOL BUT it was a serious situation and I had tried being nice for some time. My impression is that he was pushing the boundary on that occassion way beyond where he'd gone before so I reacted and decided he needed a firmer response. My feeling is that if I reacted like that all the time tho it would just make him more fearful and confused and the fact that it rarely happens meant that when it did happen it had a huge impact on him. But that's the only time so far I've had to get really full on with him and mostly I correct him gently and use praise a lot. But it really is an individual dog thing and I had help from expert folk at working out where he was coming from.
  8. As the owner of an adopted dog Tango who snaps without warning I sympathise with you. But I am concerned about your use of words like "growl" and your comment that you held his muzzle to establish "dominance". Apart from one very serious issue between him and my female dog I have not used any form of "dominant" punishment to try to stop Tango snapping. My aim was to make him feel very secure and remove stress from his interactions with me and the other dog. I am no expert but I believe it's a mistake to think in terms of dominance and submission when talking about human interaction with the dog. He needs to trust you above all else and if it's your hand that makes him feel scared or uncomfortable he won't trust you. Making him get off the couch is a good idea if he does it when he's on the couch with you. BUt for now I wouldn't let him on the couch at all. He needs to learn who's in charge (which I see as much different to "who is the dominant one"). You are not part of a dog pack, you are the warm, benign leader who is the giver of all food and other good things. Getting up on the couch should be earned and only happen when he's adjusted and behaving himself, if at all. It sounds to me like the bites are play biting - not aggressive - and he doesn't know the damage he can do. But I'm not there to see it so I can't say for sure. It's possible when you growl at him he doesnt really understand why. He probably needs a lot more time to learn the ground rules and NOT lunging in faces or biting them is one of the rules he must learn straight away. BUT he has obviously been allowed to do it up until now so it's going to take a lot of patience to train him out of it. Personally I'd go with gently gently but firm. I also wouldn't let him mouth your hand in play for now. If you can, when he puts his teeth on your hand, go very still and stop playing with him. I would also use a lot of happy praise and very little growly telling off. I used the TOT program (and am still doing it) with Tango to teach him very gently that I'm in charge and to help him develop control and confidence. It has had a remarkable effect. If he snapped at me or my other dog he was either put outside for a while or I withdrew my attention from him. Sometimes he got a firm but very low key and calm "No!" but most of the time I just immediately walked away from him and refused to interact with him for a while. He's not completely trustworthy yet but my goodness he is certainly improving in leaps and bounds. Sorry this is all random thoughts and I am by no means an expert - hopefully others can help you with more coherent advice
  9. I'm not sure about all this but I think the Midlands council are okay as I have spoken with them about it in the past (just needed it because I had 3 dogs). I think the Break O Day Council (as long as it's not in the middle of St Helens) and Dorset Councils are too. It really depends on your individual situation and all of these councils cover areas that are very rural and away from large populations. WHy have you scratched Brighton and Clarence off? Have you already asked them about it or did someone tell you they were not good. It seems to me the issue with those councils is more that they are in the middle of a city with dense populations while Central Highlands is in the middle of nowhere (LOL Well not quite but close hee hee). To me the bigger issue was not the Council but the neighbours. When I lived in the Northern Midlands area the Council were fine with me having 3 dogs but because I needed a kennel license to do it - and that depended on the neighbours - it didnt happen and I had to move to a different area. The neighbours in that town didn't like newcomers from the mainland so were ready to object to anything I wanted to do. They are well-known for it. LOL So don't move there whatever you do!!!!
  10. Yes true - I guess that's a tough call because if she's not caught and the dog continues to do it there will be more innocent dogs harmed and it's likely to end up in the news anyway. At least if you and your Aunty are involved in getting it into the newspaper you have a better chance of focussing the story on the owner and not the breed of the dog. But yes, difficult call.
  11. PS Can you get those pics published in the Mercury along with the story of what happened and an appeal to find the woman responsible????? Sorry - maybe I'm going on a bit but this has really upset me. Those two dogs look so loving and innocent I just can't bear the thought of them suffering because of some ignorant freaking moron woman and her not having to suffer anything herself. How many other dogs have been attacked by this psycho duo?
  12. Oh that's so upsetting. I feel like crying for them. Those poor dear little dogs. What a complete Ar$ehole that woman is. THis happened in Hobart right? I feel like travelling down there and going to that park so I can look out for the creep myself. She wont be happy if I get hold of her. Can you say where this happened???? BTW It's worth noting that the woman put PEOPLE at risk iin this scenario as well as other dogs. It wouldn't have taken much for this to have involved damage to human beings like this too.
  13. Hey corvus, I liked your post and thought you made some interesting points based on your own experiences. I'm interested in checking out this "silky leash" idea. I also have had wonderful success using a long "lunge" lead with my out-of-control adopted dally who is now becoming a beautifully mannered member of our family. I'm thinking of bringing in clicker training with him because he does seem responsive to training and I can't say I'm brilliant at it (altho I do okay) so a system like that would be a big help to me. Personally I don't see any problem with you or anyone else putting in their own thoughts and ideas when someone asks a question like this. Just because someone posts a different idea, I don't see how that means they're automatically implying someone else's idea is wrong!!!???? Cheers
  14. God I am so sorry this happened. They look like such lovely lovely dogs and didn't deserve this BS. That woman needs to be flogged. THoughts being sent for them. Arrrrggghhhhh I'm sick of these dead-brains owning dogs.
  15. Hi spottychick, money issues is no excuse, it could result in the death of a dog. Vets often don't expect to be paid pronto and allow for accounts to be paid in installments. I know certain people that are as tight as a fish's backside and dread spending a dime. I know of other individuals who spend money on themselves like it is their last day on earth yet when it comes to spending money for their pet's welfare they would sooner look the other way! Not in my experience - and not in the experience of many other people I know. I spent a fortune on my dog when he had cancer, always paying in full at time of visit - and then, when I'd run out of up-front cash (after about $2,000 worth of vet treatement) not one of them would help without up-front money. I couldn't even get his pain-killers from them. I ended up getting some "under the table" via the internet through connections I made on chat groups but God only knows what would have happened if I hadn't had that avenue. THe vets didn't particularly care. And it seems that's not unusual - which is why this particular group keeps a stock pile of them to share with poor dog owners who run out of ready cash. Not having any money is absolutely a consideration for a lot of people, especially if they've already been seeing the vet and spending money on their animals and sometimes people need a couple of weeks to scrape some more funds together. It's not "an excuse" it's just the reality that some (many) people face sometimes. Clearly she was not avoiding paying for a vet because there she is, in a vet clinic .................. AGAIN.
  16. I used to use and recommend haltis but have found a lot of dogs get very distressed wearing them and lots of people use them badly. These days I recommend the front attaching harness like an Ezy Walker. I've seen the most incredible results with these harnesses even with the most boisterous and boofy dogs. I only recommend the front attached harness now and halties are pretty much off the menu.
  17. Oh and back on topic - I don't think anyone can put down that woman, who they don't even know, for taking her dog to the vet and trying to solve it's health issue. She may have tried the ABs and seen a small improvement and waited to see if it continued or she might have money issues and needed to save money up for the next vet visit or there could be any number of reasons for what the OP saw at the vets. I think people should be less quick to judge.
  18. It should It does! The phrase "mind your own business" and the acronym "MYOB" for it were around LONG before the accounting program. THe makers of the software just used the phrase/acronym as a clever name for their programme. So yes, that's what MYOB stands for - both the original phrase and now the accounting program (ie mind your own business as in "take care of your business with our brilliant program")
  19. Really? I didn't know that? What about all those sections/threads/posts about rescue dogs and pounds and stuff? I'm a bit taken aback by this info. But in any case, I don't see the point of this comment in regards to the topic of this thread. I'm not fond of APBTs to be honest - I've had so many bad experiences with them but I've also had bad experiences with kelpies, border collies, blue heelers, German Shepherds even a vicious lunatic springer spaniel once. Unfortunately the bad experiences have been more frequent and more severe with APBTs but every single time the owner has been a nasty piece of work. I always feel sorry for the dog because I can see why it's behaving so badly - it isn't having a nice life. Clearly it's not the breed that's the problem and to me it's stupid to think it is. So I hope it is not a lost cause for these dogs because I'm positive if they were kept out of the hands of certain people we wouldn't be having this discussion.
  20. Most oils such as lavender, Eucalypt, Tea Tree are very potent and concentrated. I would be reluctant to use any of these oils on my dog, especially on a regular basis.
  21. You can use a natural herbal wash instead, something simple you can make up yourself - like Rosemary tea which apparently also helps to keep down fleas. Just make the tea, add it to some warm water and then dampen the towel with that. I wouldn't use Eucalyptus oil.
  22. Hmmm yes, I agree there's a problem with the statement "those who sell dogs for profit" although I know what you meant. It's not about "profit" - it's about greed. I see no problem with responsible breeders making some money from breeding puppies. Perhaps we just need to refine that bit! :cool: Also, re "the owners" I'd add "owners who keep dogs tied up for weeks on end in the backyard" or "owners who don't feed their dogs a decent diet" or owners who beat up their dogs..... actually the list could go on. Maybe there's a better way to say this that covers a range of serious owner sins! But your list would exclude me from owning dogs too. I didn't research dalmatians as the "best breed for me" before I bought them - I just met one and loved him so I got one of my own. Six dalmatians later and I'm still getting dallys. But one of them I bought from a crappy irresponsible BYB when she was only 6 weeks old. Why? Because I'd met the puppies previously when a friend took me to see them to distract me from my grief over losing my mum. A couple of weeks later someone told me one of the puppies had died when a horse stepped on it. The breeder had been leaving these tiny pups alone all day in an open yard with horses, goats etc with no thought to their welfare. Fortunately, they had all been bought and moved away (even tho they were very young!!!) from there except the one I'd been most taken with - a gorgeous girl with a V shaped dot pattern on her head who I had nicknamed Venus. The lady I spoke to thought Venus was in danger of going the way of the other puppy. I had to get her out of there - so I offered to "look after her" and then eventually bought her - known to everyone now as 'Pepper'. So, yeah I agree with others here - perhaps that bit needs some work! Great idea tho
  23. Thanks! Got a PM about them too so I'm checking them out
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