persephone

All sounds promising..it will be slow healing...take it easy with food and be patient ... He will be annoying you again soon enough Hope he is more comfortable again tomorrow!

and, BB..controlling ( she thinks) the 2 pets. edit..she is 7 mths old

here are mother and daughter, Caillie and Dolly working a few sheep. They are a good team:)

here are the five workers...just taken..they are still a bit weary from their week's work. Rest day today, then back into it tomorrow.On the left-hand side are 3 generations. Oldest on top, youngest in middle.The brown boofer is our working man :D the others are "the girls" edited to add...certainly no beauty contest winners here...but that is not what we look for!! we value even the ugliest

Love that story about rick When I left school many years ago...I worked at home with the sheep. My little mini foxiexwire-hared dachsie was one of the BEST yard/truck dogs we had!! I trained her on a fishing rod/line for the early stuff...she just adored it all!! She couldn't jump onto the backs, but in a tight-packed yard would beg to be thrown up! She would run over their backs , barking, and if she found one which seemed , to her, to be a bit slack..she would start digging , usually just behind its ear, and barking at the same time!!!!! Thank goodness I have to go do some cooking now..or I would be story telling still......

Oh...with learning the sheep -herding which some of you are doing...do you actually get to know about what the SHEEP are thinking, and how they are expected to behave in a given situation? I always remember my grandpa teaching us as littlies to watch the sheep..., which one was the leader, which direction they would'break' into, were they hungry, or young, or tired, or 'dog-wise'.....all goes to helping anticipate which commands you need Oh, and btw..have not trained a dog on sheep for AGES...but it is still in the blood!

) we are in the bush, NSW..S/W . I will try & find some pics..don't take a lot of the dogs, actually WE got our first Koolie about 25 years ago, I guess.She died young and from an accident,but we were hooked! I guess the thing with our dogs is that they HAVE to want to work, and have the instincts there. If they are not dead keen...well, they will never be 100% dedicated to the job.Yes, they will obey us, but never be 'self-starters', or bring their own thinking into what they do WE had one boy....died a few years ago at 15... he was always called the 'union' dog LOL Wouldn't work happily if it was hot rainy after 5pm too prickly he would just stop, and either get back in a vehicle, or even head home! Mind you, when ON the job...he often was amazing ! Once, he didn't come home for 24 hours...we looked at night...thought he had been snake btten or something whilst working... anyway...he DID make his way home eventually and we went next day...did some tracking, and found he had been with about 6 sheep the whole time! They were 'stragglers'...he found them ( this is the terrific independent bit we like) and unfortunately got a bit mixed in his directions, missing the gate! He stuck with them though, poor boy...wouldn't even come when we called him...then wandered the 5 miles home next day the stories.....

Oh..I do like this thread! We have our own "bush-bred" workers..Koolie predominately,with a helping of kelpie .Will post pics of some of our crew later. At the moment we have a team- mum, daughter , and grand-daughter who work well together Ours are specific to requirements in this part of the world. VERY short coat for coolness and to avoid getting prickles and sticks tangled. LONG legs...they have to run many many miles in the paddocks , and be able to see over bushes and tall grass ( when there is rain) DARK pigmented pads/noses/ear tips/ eyelids where possible, to avoid sun damage, and blisters from the hot sand. "EYE" ..to help control these very strong-willed merinos. Low body sensitivity....don't want sooks deciding that being stepped on or butted is no fun! Also when used for goat yarding, a lack of worry about pain is a must!! Goats don't act in a polite manner at all! GOOD independent thinking...our dogs are sometimes left in sole control of large mobs of sheep for a couple of hours..while humans are off mustering or preparing yards etc. The dogs need to keep calm, and keep the sheep moving in the direction pointed out Also when putting sheep thru yards and races, the dog needs to see what is required..if the sheep are slowing, if a race is too empty... Our dogs are worked according to what they prefer. We have ones which are 90% yard , and some 90% paddock We also have a couple multi-taskers. Our old yard dog of excellence is retired now..sadly..but his son has taken over, and now at age 3 is just starting to show his thinking and reasoning :)He has to be muzzled unfortunately..he hasn't the patience of his dad, and will nip...but is very good at what he does! The property on which they are working at the moment is shearing over 10,000 sheep..so there is a lot of work for everyone!! I do love the look on that "Trim" !! Beautiful approach

ours come to a standing stop... so they can be instantly on the move if a sheep "breaks" ranks..or whatever

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.