persephone

Agree. I trained dozens of guide dogs 'the old way' :)

LOL> The Boss is way more patient Than I thought !! he had Smoke with him today . yes Smoke threw up all over the tray of the 4WD . ( The Boss says it's 'nerves' - and he may be right .) yes, Smoke threw up whilst riding on the bike ( one of the many reasons The Boss wears canvas "chaps" to protect his legs ) yes, Smoke did listen and do some work . yes, Smoke is the same as Don - can be with you - then in a millisecond has dashed off at top speed somewhere else completely *sigh* Trials & Tribulations!! ha, ha - Yesterday , Don's mum had 'an outing' with The Boss ... she has decided she's retired She will be sorely missed . She isn't called "little Bitch' for nothing ! She has always been a strong and intent worker . She now saves what she has to sort out the youngsters - like a stealth missile!! Luckily she does have another job ;) She is a great "meet & greet" dog when groups of visitors come . She LOVES attention, and is all soft & cuddly , and folks love her name !! She is also an excellent swag/couch/car seat warmer . Molly, Pudden & Ash 'put up' a very old and rather large buck kangaroo this morning . It is just SO sad , seeing roos just a few metres from the house , and so thin & weak This fella tried his best to stand & deliver ..but was wobbling and weaving ... Please let me know if I am posting too much of this stuff - And don't imagine a doggy utopia ;) it's a no-frills lifestyle , including off duty restrictions by the use of chains - tough love , and work which involves much effort , both mental and physical ...

We aren't to know you have checked out the breeders' pages - there was nothing mentioned in your first post ;) Sometimes it's a waiting game . I presume then that you have contacted these folks? Work out the temperament you want , the health , and the body shape/size ..THEN go for colour ;) look around and find dogs you like the behaviour/look of - then see if their breeders have pups coming up, maybe? Also, many folks buy pups from interstate ...if the breeder is one who produces terrific , sound and well-bred gold puppies , why not consider flying one over ?

LOOK HERE :)

yes! :)

aww- LOVE the pic of Callie with daisy , and Shez ..with her 'mature dog' smile :)

Hmmm - wonderful is not a word i would use LOL Busy , full, stressful, interesting .....

he was certainly not afraid of being IN the yard with them - which is a good thing . Working goats the dogs need to be ready to just dive in ...and if it hurts ..to dive in harder next time ! Feral goats have not had the experiences of being herded , like most sheep do a few times as they are growing up , and goats think quicker than, and behave differently to, sheep. I remember watching old Leo (now retired) handle troublesome Billies .! The dominant Billies would try & escape..or squash the dogs .... and Leo would get extremely P'd off . Leo would dance around , then race in & grab a hairy muzzle . Caught off balance , the goat would flip over , or just be brought to a standstill ..eyes bugging . Leo would let go , and 'escort' it back to the mob - usually a much more willing animal.Sometimes this 'lesson' needed to be repeated . Some of the older bigger Billies will even threaten the motorbike , and /or humans , and yes, they do cause injuries Good goat dogs are such a treasure!!

Ash was free running this morning as usual .. then everything went quiet . VERY quiet . No play noises, no scratching on the back door .... Walk outside . call ASH Whistle . nothing. THEN - I remembered The Boss had put around 100 feral goats in the yard last night . oh No ... if they happen to get out - it's thousands of dollars gone ... Drive quickly to the holding yard ( about 300 metres away) See the goats all standing calmly in one part of the yard - not puffing or anything ... then a small blue face , with a grin and lolling tongue appeared between the rails ! there was no noise ... I called him & he hopped into the cab - SOO happy with himself > THEN I breathed .... A young pup in a yard with feral goats - this can be a really bad combination animals can get stressed & injured ...pup can get injured/killed ...animals can panic & escape .. It seems to have worked out OK - I will need to remember now , & not leave him unsupervised !! The Boss had a chat with young Ash only a couple of days ago, as they were watching TV , and Ash decided to come to me - straight onto the loaded coffee table & then to my chair The Boss will be very cross with me - but very pleased with Ash :) young Merle ( pudden's sister ) worked for about 3 hrs yesterday ..riding on the motorbike ( up front on the petrol tank , as she's too inexperienced to leave on the back platform, ) She 'worked' with the others ... with no real plan, but she followed them - so all in all - went well .

:D

Was there a particular reason she was not chosen ? here are some you/she may have seen ... LINK LINK LINK

Amber - you've done it again ! :) :)

This little guy is in NSW :) So is this one Queensland? yes, one here and one here

Sorry you have both lost old friends How do you know if you are buying from a puppy farm/BYB? Simple . if the 'breeder' is not registered with their state's Canine council ..and the pup does not have a pedigree... you are buying from a BYB or puppy farm . this should help :) CLICK HERE excerpt : Finding the 'right' dog may take months :) what state does she live in ?

He's got a dodgy back - but nothing new that I'm aware of. He's just about due for a 6 monthly seniors check up. Will add it to the list of things to ask the vet... Best of luck with it ..poor Scotty ...

perhaps there are changes in the way his body is perceiving different pitches etc of sound ? Can't remember if you mentioned anything - but has he had any injury to his head /neck ? Ever since I had a fall 2 yrs ago .. my sound perception has changed somewhat . For months some sounds would physically HURT ... Even now .. if my neck is playing up .. certain sounds are just really uncomfortable .

such a good update :)

AArrrgh - too much cuteness!!! That photo is the epitome of puppy -ness !! What an absolutely adorable little fella ............. Lord I am glad I am not really a dog hoarder .....

..well, this morning zI left her in the car during the dawn Service at our place ..and she howled the place down! I had to let her out ... and she was at least quiet ..slinking around ..eventually finding 'her' bed in the kitchen. Most folks soon recognised she waay timid - and just ignored her :) I was happy - there were about 70 people & noise & kids ... :)

While I am MOST displeased with MM's prey drive getting her doing stuff like chasing cars & roos I am MOST proud of her behaviour today amongst strangers :) We have had lots of people around - so she spent a few hours in the car very near the activity just watching/listening this afternoon . No barking , no chewing or distress ... she slept , and a few times I would see her head pop up & look around , that's all :) Tonight she said that she was going to stick with me - so .. she did . Compared to last weekend when she growled /barked at everyone ... she was relatively calm around the sensible folks who knew(or responded happily to my request) to just ignore her .She did a few 'sits' and other things in their presence, and enjoyed some chicken skin & kabana ..and would just gently remove herself to a safer distance ... Mind you, we BOTH got a bit upset with those who said .."she needs socialising !" "here, Molly ..Molly , SIT ..Molly blah blah blah " ..this, following the poor dog around & getting in her face .... and were upset when I asked them to please just ignore her . "but she NEEDS socialising .. let me pat her ...." Arrrgh.

Glad it was found early, and I hope that she will soon recover!

yes I have had this happen here - where one gets very snarky , and won't let the other near a youngster ...

Oh ... that does not sound at all good . Thinking of you both

;) here are 76 pages of fantastic information /discussion for you . Just remember , with pups it is VITALLY important to get all the nutrients balanced to ensure a slow , even and strong growth , :)

yes- that's what I make dog beds from ! :) Thistle is VERY well catered for this Winter :D She looks great .