Belijae

Dalmatians smile - not all, but many do. A dally smile is not a snarl of a sign of aggression, they do it when happy or sometimes when caught being naughty... look for the madly wagging tail Forge doesn't really smile but I can induce one if I wipe under his eye in a certain way

Yep, my husband has had pants chewed at the pockets because he left treats in them so yeah, this is a strictly under supervision toy lest I want to make one for each round of treats.

I have no doubt that the design is patented or similar, so I don't think I could sell it. Plus you obviously can't see how shoddy my workmanship is in that photo :D I don't think Forge minds, he he he...

Material cost $22. There was lots of left over material, so I've now made 3 plaited tug toys of different lengths and thickness and I've also made a cover for his wubba which he chewed the legs off one day when I wasn't looking. So now his wubba has legs again

Pic of Forge using the treat trapper I made.

I'm getting mine from an online store - www.gameondogs.com.au There are other aus websites with her products and I seem to remember one saying you can collect in Sydney. Aidan2 - yep a simple towel is another good one bertandsally, as soon as I remember my photobucket login I'll add a photo... been a while since I've been on the forum

I have been looking at ways to slow my dally Forge's eating and give him some extra mental stimulation. A friend showed me their Nina Ottossen toys which I found very interesting so I checked out her website. The toys look pretty good so I've ordered couple of the plastic versions, but there was one I couldn't see on any Australian suppliers websites but looked pretty easy to make... well it is pretty easy to make, just a few squares of material sewn two ways through the center like a +. I used Victoria polar fleece from spotlight and I've used the scraps to braid some tug toys too. Link to Nina Ottossen's Treat Trapper - There's a video at the bottom of the page of her dogs using it. Forge love's it so I'm hoping he'll love the proper toy's I've bought when they get here.

Gold Coast QLD Savilles Butcher - Their outlet is at Helensvale (not in the shopping center) and is a bit cheaper for some things I was getting their 'Vitamince' - minced chicken meat scraps and carcasses 6 containers for $6. The containers are the rectangular types takeaway food comes in, found this very convinient to just pull out a container at a time and defrost.

Rip Bingley. You were loved like any dog could possibly hope for.

I have a black dog one too after having a draw string pouch and the black dog wins by a mile. I didn't know about the inner pouch you could get - I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

Good work sharpie! Keep it up. He might have lapses in behaviour, but don't give up. If you are patient and persist you will both reap the rewards.

...with a guest appearance by Toby!

Woohoo! Looks pretty flash. ...and Awwww.

It could be that he is frustrated that what used to work to get attention now does not. It may take a long time for him to stop trying the old behaviour - even if it works some on the time dogs can hold onto these behaviours. It working sometimes can actually make the behaviour stronger! Watch him doing everything, so you get to know his body language (this is important to know, not just in this situation). Move away as soon as he starts to move to roll onto/into you - pre-empt his behaviour if you can and don't let him do it. Keep ignoring unwanted behaviour and don't forget to reward even the most insignificant good behaviour, especially to start with. Reward him for being calm with all four paws on the ground with brief calm attention or treats or both. Be aware of your voice and the way you move - your voice can elevate his excitement and so can quick movements. I know it can be hard when you desperately want to control your dog, but if you try and actually be calm both within your head and what you do with your voice and movements, it can really help. Your dog is young and he needs you to show him what appropriate behaviour is in all kinds of situations. Be patient and all your hard work will pay off in a big way. You mentioned it was hard to hold his focus. Have you heard of or tried clicker training? It involves marking desired behaviour with a click or marker word like 'yes!' which is followed by a reward (often food, but you can use toys if that is what motivates your dog). It requires good timing to mark the behaviour and can be useful training tool. There is plenty of information on clicker training here on DOL as well as the rest of the web. Like these... clickersolutions.com clickertraining.com There are so many ideas and ideology about how to train dogs. My ideas about how I will do things is constantly evolving as I read more information and I borrow techniques from here and there - you have to find what works for you and your dog. I like Suzanne Clothier's approach (so far from what I have read and experienced), here is a link to here website which has some very interesting free articles. I recommend even reading ones that you don't think apply to your situation - I was glad I did. flyingdogpress.com If you don't mind a bit of reading, she has written a book called Bones would rain from the sky: deepening our relationship with dogs. I read this recently and can appreciate her approach to training and how we view our dogs and the things they do. It is not a 'how to train' book with step by step instructions, however it is thought provoking and has examples of how certain problems were remedied. By changing they way I thought about some things, I have definitely noticed an improvement in my dogs behaviour through our improved connection with each other.

Whoa! good dog! I bet you are glad you picked him up and brought him with you. That could have been a very sticky situation.

How horrible, I hope you are okay! - sorry, I can't give any advice about improving your dog's watch dog skills.

I give Forge pigs ears - generally when I want 5 minutes of peace. I'm always around when he gets one, don't think I would give one to him then leave.

Wow! Congratulations, that is an incredible achievement - plus the first in Aus! That must make it doubly special. Well done to the whole team.

Forge had a discoloured nail, which the vet said was a fungal infection, like tinea and suggested the stuff you would treat your own foot with from the chemist. We were at the pharmacy and the lady asked us some question, we said 'dunno, our vet said to get it or the dog' she said "oh, that's so sweet!"... I don't know what was sweet about it, but she thought so.

Yep, Forge loves it too and I think it overflows into the rest of the things they do.

yay Stella! Good on you both! I'm fairly new to it too - isn't it a great feeling when your dog is working with you.

Forge has cut his foot on glass a couple of times (smashed glass on our walks makes me :rolleyes: ). We just tried to keep him fairly inactive until it healed - he did a good job of keeping them clean himself, so we just washed them out initially and left him to it, but regularly inspected them for any signs of infection and his healing progress. They didn't casue him any grief, but if they had we would have been off to the vet. He was fine to go on walks again about 3 days after the cut happened.

I've read his book. I took and use some of what he said, but don't neccessarily agree with other parts. From memory, the parts I didn't use were a little over the top than what I thought was necessary in my situation.

Yep, the barf patties, raw mince and even a bit of steamed chicken when you don't want to get too stinky works a treat. I often use a good quality firm dog food roll with meat, vege and other goodies.

I hate the number of over weight dogs I see out and about - the poor things look and act old before their time. Maintaining weight on growing puppies can be a bit of a juggling act as they go through growth spurts and plateaus. My family think my 8 month old dalmatian has a greyhound's profile - tiny waist and huge thighs. I swear he eats more than I do.