Danois

It's different in NZ as NZ does not have the same position on public liability etc as Australia

(sniped quote) Just to clarify - common law is developed through decisions of the court i.e. case law. Which means there must be case law which supports the proposition that if you put up such a sign then its an admission of liability. But no one can seem to point to any decided cases. If there was a case about it - you'd easily be able to run an argument re common usage of the signs and that they're used as a warning that there is a dog on the property and not as any admission that the dog inside was dangerous and you knew it would bite. Anyway - in NSW - Section 16 of the Companion Animals Act 1998 provides a statutory defence is your dog bites a person if they are trespassing on your property.

I'd allow 6 weeks on a new food before reassessing

How long ago did you change foods? Sometimes you will see coat change etc as their systems adjust to the new food.

I have seen conflicting advice re Polaramine. 1 place said max of 6mg dose and another which did not state a maximum dose - just used the 0.4mg/kg dose rate (which means I would give 24mg). The 6mg dose did nothing.

I would have thought Dr Karen Hedberg at North Richmond given she is a GSD specialist (also a breeder).

http://www.chromadane.com/whites.htm This is an interesting and informative article on white danes. The Chromadane site has numerous articles on canine colour (in a wide number of breeds)

We've done the Lake Parramatta walk before too - was a really nice walk. It was not well marked in one part and we ended up on the fire trail so it was a tad longer than we'd planned Balls Head was pretty empty for a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. I also found a nice hidden gem elsewhere but am keeping that one quiet :D

I'd stay out of it and also not keep on about it. At the end of the day what she is planning on doing is not illegal - more a moral issue and it cannot be expected that everyone has the same views on things. I have some friends which do things I don't agree with - I simply keep my mouth shut as its none of my business how they choose to live their life.

I used the book on the weekend too - my planned walk was put off due to the amount of rain in the area but we went up to Balls Head Reserve instead and enjoyed the bush walk in the middle of the city.

I posted this back in October when the issue was discussed. So - you dog can be unrestrained in the backseat or in a soft crate. The reason for the change re dogs in lap was around drivers being distracted while driving. Needless to say it is prudent to ensure that you put in place some measures to ensure your dog does not become a missile in the event of an accident.

Sorry to hear what happened to your puppy. From my experience the hardest 'challenge' that you will have is your own emotions and mental state. Your emotions will be going down the lead to the dog when you enter the park. If you tense up and send that down the lead then your dog will think there is something it needs to be worried about and behave accordingly. Its hard but you need to be calm and relaxed about it. My dog was anxious the first couple of times back in the park - submissive and did a nervous pee but I ignored it. After that he bounced back fine but I ensured he played only with dogs I knew and was comfortable with initially. I reported it - even if nothing comes of/ you don't pursue it the report then at least the council have a record of an issue with the dog in question. It means the next time it happens, your earlier report will help the owner of that dog who might not have been so lucky. There always seems to be park talk re which dogs to avoid and who attack etc but no one ever seems to report it to council. You may want to consult with a trainer/ behaviourist re the reintroduction and have them with you on the first trip back to the park to help you understand the body language etc. That might help keep you calmer too.

http://www.chromadane.com/chlinx.htm#linkk9color There are a lot of articles linked here (scroll down) re coat colours in different breeds. The Punnett Squares article is a constant reference source.

~Erin~ sells them through her shop Two Small Puppies

A cat litter tray??

Could be that the food is not the best one for the dog - I thought the rehydratable food was for weaning. Otherwise cut the food back to the recommended amounts - weight gain should be slow and steady - you may be simply feeding too much and the dog's system can't cope hence lots of bowel motions. All that aside - if it has been going on a week then you should take the pup to the vet for a check up. They can dehydrate easily at that age.

Hey Dan, what's a snap around collar? Go into the dane thread - a page back I think and have a look at the video sas posted.

Check chain and a leather lead. I used a check chain mainly because its the easiest one to put on and take off The other thing I like about it is I can easily slip it up into show lead position (he knows this means I want something different from him) if needs be. Am about to start using a snap around collar for training.

Boo gets taken out for toilet at sometime between 11-12. He gets up when I do most mornings (around 8am) but simply decamps to the couch and does not go outside and by the time I leave around 9am he still has not been outside usually. On weekends he can go a good 12 hours before I finally kick him outside to go to the toilet. If he needs to go out during the night (rarely happens) he comes up beside the bed and nuzzles at me. Once I stir he jumps over me on to the bed and sits there waiting. If I do not get up, he hops off and repeats.

And that's my point - if you are putting clips on youtube to teach people tricks for their dog then you need to be actually teaching the trick properly. Teaching tricks is not about simplifying them but about building the behaviour so that you have a solid trick at the end of the training. I can teach my dog to lure into a bow in about 30 seconds but it will take several more sessions (always a max of a couple of mins when teaching new behaviours) to then add the command word, then increase the bridge and then ask for the behaviour without lure.

tell me about it. I lost track of the number of people who told me my dog was too skinny. I found I got weight on him by feeding him 5-6 small meals a day (this was post gastropexy so kibble were softened). Porridge has helped too.

Do you realise that you have the same issue as the last video? It does not demonstrate that the command 'bow' has been learnt by the dog - it just shows the dog being lured into position with food. Can you take some video of him being given the 'bow' command (either voice or hand signal) without any luring whatsoever? Using a clicker is no different than using a marker word like Yes - it just provides a more unique sound than a word.

I mix 1 cup of rolled oats (just homebrand ones) with about 1.25 cups of water and microwave for 3 mins. Let it sit for a few mins and then pour over milk (I've been using rice milk but others use goats milk) until it is the same consistency as you'd eat it. I mix it through his kibble for breakfast.

Would the dog eat porridge made with goats milk?

Would you not be better increasing the bridge between the action and the marker to get them to hold position instead of constant treating i.e gradually increase the time between them going into a bow and marking the behaviour? There is also a chance that when you move the hand out in front of the dog to bring it back in again, that the dog will break easily to follow the hand forward for the treat. Have a look at this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUAaRxVz7WY - it shows how to build the behaviour up to stop them going into a drop without the need to use an arm or lead under them.