persephone

Sheepdogs also have to a) obey commands-instantly. b) act on their own if, for example, left with a mob of sheep to 'shepherd ' along a fence or trail for some kilometres until the human returns, or if a sheep breaks away etc .

He is a baby- and now everything is different. Changing food is not what he needs right now - What he is on will do fine for another week or so ..then follow what Sandra777 has said What will be best for him right now is to be happy and relaxed and eating well .. so he associated your house with his yummy food- changing food abrubptly after just a day or 3 could be very stressful, and also lead to diarrhoea, which is NOT good for babies Looking forward to pics!

Flower spiders are attractive little things ..and yes, he/she did indeed capture that fly ! Flower spiders hide in flowers,and pounce! Some info

Kirislin: Canon 7D, 50m 1.4, 100mm macro, 70-200. Bellatrix: Canon 5D Mark II, 50mm 1.4 (and the 1.8), 24-70mm 2.8L, 100mm 2.8 Macro, Speedlite 580EX II JS: Canon 1000D, kit 18mm-55mm & 55mm-250mm, 50mm 1.8, Speedlite 580EX II SchnuzaeryBoy: Nikon D80, Nikon D700, 50 1.8, 18-50 2.8, 28-80 3.5-4, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, SB-400, SB-900, 1.4x TC, 2x TC Becandcharch: Canon 40D, 50mm 1.4, Speedlite 580EX II and a kit lens I dont even know what it is as I never use it! persephone :point&shootonly here Fuji finepixS8000sfd and a sony cybershot DSCN1

Said the Spider to the Fly..

yes, perhaps no food items, in case of fights things to tug- a couple of soccer balls to thump around... maybe a cardboard carton or three to jump on/rip up/hide in? perhaps a clam shell or other wide and shallow container filled with water ..and a few floating toys?

R I P Cloud.

someone suggested these at some stage ..might be worth a look! http://www.ratzapper.com.au/

It may not be the food at all- he could have a tummy bug, or something irritating his stomach?

OK- are those dogs out there with high prey drive triggered by the sight or scent of the prey, d'you think?

It's a weird thing- there is a 'switch' somewhere, as Hamlet sleeps on teh couch with our cats- but will kill a feral one, no problem. rabbit chasing he adores, but as he bays the whole time he's running, usually, he's not an effective hunter .

Anything you put on a nose will be licked off in about 30 seconds, from my experiences , but you can try paw paw- it's good

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 !!