persephone

Yep..I agree, wolfie..especially if a dog's working instinct kicks in..it will want to do things the way it is being "told" to..NOT the accepted human way Our pups are basically taught to come and to sit...then the rest is done as an 'apprenticeship" with the sheepwork. Different, I know, with it done as an entertainment... excuse my ramblings

there are the recognised commands..or, you can use your own! Unless you are doing it in competition or whatever..make up your own Our dogs use some like this.."go out" or :go Back" to go out after sheep, "watch'em" literal translation...don't let the sheep make a move...pay attention! "fetch 'em in"..bring the sheep to me "behind,or "come behind" come back to me..and to heel. "PUSH"...used in yards mainly...be forceful..bark & push sheep thru gate or up race-way There are lots more..,including the basic "stop" and "drop"and just about all of them have a whistle or hand signal equivalent...much easier, and carries better in a noisy sheepyard. I don't do any of it now..but ahve trained a couple of dogs for our own use. Mind you....trial work is something else! the work involved there is terrific! Ours are very good workers...they do a lot of it! They go off (with the bosss) to work on different properties..and work sometimes with mobs of a thousand or more sheep at one time..in paddocks of 10 and 20 thousand acres! Some of them are also very good at working the feral goat mobs..yarded and sold. Dogs for this work have to be very strong..and quick,and not take NO for an answer..goats have much more thinking power than sheep..and very hard heads with sharp horns! Enjoy it!! :D

Our dogs tpo, enjoy rabbit and 'roo ..and goat, and mutton, and feral beef rabbits are good food..the cats chew them up bones & all as well

Hi..I will suggest doing things in little bits, over a period of weeks......like... stand still for a few seconds..treat stand still for a few seconds LONGER...treat stand still for a few seconds LONGER and have paws OR tail touched briefly...treat stand still for a few seconds LONGER and have paws OR tail picked up...treat and so on, and so on. You may also like to try the watching TV scenario IF she is happy to sit on your lap while watching TV..GRADUALLY start exploring her ears,paws etc and , importantly STOP BEFORE she starts wriggling, or pulls away..so it may only be the lightest touch today.. a bit more tomorrow....then, using a command like "show me feet"..do the same with her standing or sitting next to you....slow, but may be worth trying? I have tried this... and it can work.

Oh....poor dog, and poor kids...

ermmm she is a very GOOD TRAINER!! ;) I haven't much advice, and no exp. with these giant breeds.Will just say tho..that if she continually gets the good stuff...of COURSE she won't eat "dog" food Be strong, do research on what is best for fast growing giant breeds, and don't change around to suit her tastes. She looks gorgeous!

Our working dogs get wahtever carcase meat is around, and I have found that they do blow up a bit with the fattier bits..eg flaps. It does make them very uncomfortable..and they smell very 'dead' next day

Oh ;) You are right in saying that he had a good life ;)) He wasn't ill for long, and was being cared for. thinking of you

With the yelping, etc..he may be in pain....from a pinched nerve in the neck...maybe then having an effect on the blood flow? Just a thought. would a spasm of the heart muscle cause pain such as this? This may make him yelp as well..... Poor little thing. A dog I knew with hypoglycaemia just used to suddenly go "Flop" and get very anxious. We had a Koolie bitch with heart probs..her front legs used to spasm, and she would go rigid....

six months..and full of life !

we have outside and inside dogs....I am happy for dogs to be outside Most of ours are. He is a dog..yes.. but a PUPPY, and his nights HAVE changed, and he no longer has his companions or bed. he will go thru an adjustment phase...and be missing the body warmth/contact/companionship.It is to be expected. Adult dogs can cope a lot better, IMO.

Poor pup..he wil be confused he wants to be near you..he has had you alongside him for months, and now he has no-one. He is a teenager, so to speak,so yes, he will get excited, chew things and play rough. Please take the pup to a puppy "school" or training session...you all need to learn how to compromise Puppy may be happier if, at bedtime he gets the largest meaty bone you can buy...or a "kong" toy full of yummy things to occupy him. A bed is needed..so he feels warm and safe. buy old quilts or towels from the op shop,maybe. He doesn't know why he is suddenly outside.... When you take him to the vet for his desexing soon, have a chat to the vet , perhaps?

;) Yep..it is up to his human to prevent him making errors in judgement keep paperwork well out of puppy reach!! Do not leave him unattended in areas where you have important/dangerous things. , like documents,power cords... provide interactive toys.... and change them every couple of days so's he doesn't get bored Give him very LARGE raw bones...guyaranteed to be MUCH more of a lure than paper !

Domination? Sounds just like what she would be doing with her furry littermates...they climb all over each other, and chew/mouth each other. :)All very normal, and to her..your young ones are now her littermates.She is a baby ! Ideas to stop this? well... just a couple from me.. you can keep her in a separate area from them until you have taught her some basics...like sit ,'Off' ..etc. You can provide her with lots of interactive toys..like a "kong", some various sized balls, which she can roll on, grab with her paws and chase. You can also try here... http://www.petnet.com.au/pethints/199607.2.html http://www.wagntrain.com/PlayBiting.htm http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18373/1627/4

an irresistible food ? The one that is there when a dog is very hungry! Sorry... I agree..no treats or table scraps until he eats his meat & veg, or dry & whatever. Have you considered how/where he has been fed previously? That may be a clue...maybe he was fed alone..maybe with others> Maybe outside? Best of luck.

Yep....clip hair on feet...check ears as well! Some grass seeds do pop out eventually, after an abscess type reaction which IS very painful, and can last for a couple of weeks :D The seeds DO travel, as someone said..and this means surgery to locate and remove them .Messy and expensive! When I worked at a vet..often people would bring a dog in fairly soon...a squirt of "local" in the hole..a fish around with forceps, and "bingo!" ) DO KEEP HAIR SHAVED on feet.

) good news!

Well done !!! That little girl is very lucky indeed ) Hope to see lots of pics of her now ! Hope the other one gets rescued... sounds as if the mum meeds to be as well-she may be very anaemic and ill herself, which is why she couldn't produce milk!!! Poor dogs

ack..double post, sorry

I always fed soaked to my danex, Kieran (avatar), One day he scoffed some dry, and within a few hours was dead from bloat/dry.

Don't be frightened.... but I would suggest perhaps go see another vet for their opinion She is on treatment, and has you to look after her... she is a lucky girl:) Maybe another vet could help explain things, and clear up your confusion ?

a maybe.... if there seemed a lot of fluid in the nasal spray.. perhaps , instead of forming a light , easily absorbed mist, it travelled on down to the lungs to cause problems? with a tiny pup, and very little membrane to soak up the spray..could this be a possibility? Poor little thing

Hope this works..he sounds as if hewould really enjoy that work ....*fingers crossed*

URK! Not best practice. That said...a couple of "old bushies" I knew had a sure-fire way to stop digging ;) Pups had a few nails cut very short..to the quick. When they dug..it hurt! They did stop digging ....guess sore toes for a few days was better than more severe punishment for digging huge holes in unwanted places... different times, different ways...

Bonnie working dog, and raw meaty bones