persephone

My Hamlet rabbits/roos/foxes/crows/mice/sheep .... he cannot be walked away from the house unless he is on a long rope...and he will kill if he catches whatever he is chasing. He is a Koolie X English Cocker.

Oh This is something which would probably best be handled by having a professional visit you and see exactly what's happening. Where do you live? perhaps someone on here could recommend someone good for you?

Pea straw, lucerne, wood chips, hay, most things like that are fine It does depend a bit on what plants you are mulching, the area involved, and how you water. You can use gravel/river pebbles too ,don't forget

yes. it is entirely normal for pups to yip/bark when excited or cheeky or whatever . Whether it is acceptable/appropriate in a certain situation is another question. I am not there to see her body language ,or hear exactly what the noise was, so I have no real idea what she was expressing . By all means ask her trainer , and work with her as they advise .

No. Human toothpaste is not meant for dogs . if you really want to brush your dog;s teeth- there are special dog toothbrushes/toothpaste available , AFAIK... or why not just use lots of nice meaty bones ? They do a terrific job at keeping teeth clean

In my experience, many pups teethe without obvious discomfort /extra chewing , etc. Just make sure she has lots of bones to chew The breath? Must admit to never noticing, as dogs' faces are not allowed near mine I could imagine a blood smell.. but there shouldn't be a rotten/yuk smell? If you say she has an upset tummy- maybe the breath is a part of that? Or maybe she has teeth which are not falling out quickly/hollows in her gum which are retaining food scraps? Lots of chicken frames etc to clean her mouth :D..and contact the vet if it gets worse .Tonsilitis can also do it- but she would probably show other symptoms ...

Oakway- Iam not a trainer's bootlace .....despite having trained/worked with dogs for many years I respect that you have studied and have your certification I respect that you have experience. HOWEVER advice on manhandling dogs and the use of ecollars is best given in person, and after assessment of the dog and the situation , don't you think?

sounds like it!

You should see her chasing rabbits in her bucket head disguise !!

Digging obviously gives her a real "high" .... kinda like chewing gum/smoking/chocolate... I second the digging pit idea!! Lord- where you are there's plenty of nice dirt/gravel around !! find an area ..even on teh concrete! make a container out of sleepers or something... walls would need to be nearly a metre high..and 3/4 fill it with soil //add a few treats/a bit of someone's lawn /turf for the smell .. dampt it down, and see how she goes.

She is a horror - tough and smart .. and a sleaze She was a working dog until she hurt her back some years ago.. then she weaseled her way inside ..... oh, my back hurts, I can't stand the pain, I need to be inside ...... (where I can sneak the cat food and catch the crumbs and be fed breakfast in bed) She also is 'top dog' outside.. only weighs about 14 kg .. and bosses the bigger dogs around . she had to be washed after the escapade this morning, of course- fat, garbage all over her and her bucket!

Indigo who's the boss you or the dog. You are the pack leader and the dog does as you say. You also say this....she heels when I insist. Well insist she doesn't dig. You also say she isn't destructive in the house....of course not, you can get to her quickly to correct her. Now nobody tell me I don't know what I am talking because I do. 1. Instructor at obedience 2. Titled dogs in obedience 4. Passes at Best in Trial level 5. Held an obedience judges licence. When you find the dog digging, run towards her making loud noises. Push her to the ground and roll her around manhandling her. This is what the pack leader would do if she disobeyed. Let her know it is wrong to dig. If that fails think up things that are displeasing so that when she digs she will blame herself for it. It's also very easy with electric collars. Put one on her and let go out side and when start to dig zap her. If you are not standing close to her and do this every time she starts to dig she will soon blame herself. Make the dog blame herself for digging. She will soon learn that digging brings bad results for her and she will think she causes it and should stop. Just make sure you are well away from the dog when she gets zapped in this case you want the dog to blame herself. If you want the dog to blame you and see you as pack leader, try the first method. I agree with this post. You can stop wrong behaviours, the dog will associate digging with your displeasure. Tell the dog what to do...(or not to do) and it must comply. So how is manhandling or shocking a dog telling the dog "what not to do". It's just an assault for no reason that's clear to the dog. If the dog is already digging, it probably wont' even know why you did it. There's no command, no cue, no required behaviour being taught. Indeed, the poster who recommends using a shock collar you shouldn't be near the dog at all. Pack leader dogs don't beat up other dogs for doing what is natural, non-confrontational undirected behaviour. The analogy doesn't wash with me. How does "leadership" get involved when you want the dog to "blame itself" for doing something wrong. This is a perfect illustration of why "obedience training" and "behaviour modification" should not be considered to be an automatically complementary set of skills. Having an OC Obedience dog doesn't necessarily mean you know anything about modifying unwanted self rewarding dog behaviour. Hell I can think of at least one multi state title winning obedience trialler whose dogs could not be reliably recalled under even low distraction outside the ring. Conversely, I can think of very talented behaviorists who will never darken a trialling ring. +1! +2 !!

This is Gert gert is about 11 gert has a wound on her side. gert has a 'bucket' on to stop her licking said wound. gert is a bitch gert has not let the bucket stop her doing anything. gert can bash weeds, run thru fences, hunt feral cats... gert can also JUMP up into the back of teh 4WD traytop and get into the rubbish which was about to be taken out to the tip!!! gert took a milk carton with roast drippings in ..and of course got it over her head ... when we saw her stumbling around, she looked like an alien box/bucket headed garbage monster. AAARRRGGHHHH gert is a bitch!!

get a different bedding- something into which he can snuggle/make a nest .....cover the crate, and put it somewhere warm?he obviously doesn't like having a coat on :D Oh- he only CHEWS the coat when alone? First reading I thought he only had teh coat on when he was crated ;) How big is his crate? Can he easily turn around, etc without rubbing on teh sides? perhaps the coat catches on the sides, or makes static electricity, and annoys him?

I hope you are sending this information to the KONG manufacturers - it may help them design something different/better?

Ermmm , I think having Huntingtons disease excludes her from a lot of things ....

*snap* staranais.

I have never trained a lab using treats ( have never done clicker either, so cannot really help ) I just use voice/praise However- are you sure she is licking because of the food? It's not anxiety related? Does she lick when you give normal voice commands only?

A GP , for example can diagnose and treat a lot of things, however, for specifics, there are specialists. I see this is a similar thing .. for potentially dangerous/serious behavioural problems, a one-on-one consult in the home environment with an experienced professional may provide the better help.

I think that is like asking how long is a piece of string How long has puppy been ill? What treatment did the vet give, and what is the supposed cause? What 'bland diet are you feeding, and for how long have you been feeding it?

Ermm are you sure it is a flea allergy/reaction? have they seen fleas or flea evidence?, or have the dogs been allergy tested?

X2 Thumbsup

Sorry , but it is a case of 'have to' ,as your two girls can not just spend the rest of their years in a backyard.. the hole-digging/fighting will worsen. They will probably start to bark , as they desperately try and find something to occupy their minds .They may well go a bit crazy The money you spend on different collars/mixtures/muzzles could be put toward using someone who can advise you. It DOES need to be a professional behaviourist ..not just a business which guarantees stopping dogs barking/jumping up etc . It is hard, and I'm sorry.

OOh I think, provided they will keep in touch with you, and know you will take her back if difficulties prove too much for them...it could work ?