The Spotted Devil

I thought the same. Some can be shy/reserved but I've seen some really bold little ones too.

Agree with Staff - Animal Eye Care are fantastic. Cannot speak more highly of them. They were itching to try a new surgery on Dizzy's half eye but weren't willing to put him through it because he was coping so well with 1/4 of normal cat vision. I know it's a tough situation but you are capable of dealing with it. One day at a time :) x

What is your criteria? They have to be norty :D

Interesting question Jo.....in my VERY limited experience Em and Barkley were chalk and cheese as puppies. Allowing for normal puppy madness and a trainer in training Em was fairly intense and focused from the start. Barkley was a real boy :laugh: I think it will take him longer to get his act together but well worth the effort! Not sure if it's lines or gender?

Yes, puppies in crates here at night until they're old enough not to get up to mischief! Zig was in an open crate in a puppy proof room and now has one at the foot of our bed. Em has only just graduated to a bed as she is like a thieving magpie :laugh: The living area is Em proof but not the bedrooms. When I had a young pup living with us for a few months he slept in a crate in the living area. There just wasn't enough room in our bedroom! I've been away for a month and I believe Em has been snuggling up with Mr TSD and the 3 cats every night! Now why did I buy her that lovely new bed again???? As for the cats, they rule the house and are well versed in putting puppies in their place gently but firmly. Dizzy needs supervision as he plays a bit too roughly with pups but the girls are good. Pup learns from the start that no chasing (unless invited to play) and sniff at your own peril. Baby gates and tall scratching posts are great for providing the cats with an escape route but good training and supervision by the human is essential. Have fun!

I know what you mean Malamum! The weather turned unseasonably warm and the snow melted away. The last week it has been incredibly cold.... -15C (apparent temp -24C) and we've had to leave the taps running to stop the pipes freezing at home. Yesterday we got a nice dump of snow (depending on whether you were north or south of the city - the shelter is north and home is south :D ) but this morning we had 3 inches in 3 hours. The interstates were a mess with trucks jack knifing and cars spinning off the road during the morning commute. There are some definite advantages at leaving home at 5.15am Every chance I could, I snapped a photo...my rental is the white AWD.... It took 15 mins to scrape enough snow off so I could drive home... Sunrise from yesterday... The "Bark Park" off leash dog run opposite the shelter....the girls were threatening to toboggan down the hill on trash can lids. I offered to pay $20 if they'd let me video it :laugh: I think the director has forbidden it...I can't think why :laugh:

Personally I like my pups to have lots of free play and training to work their sponge-like brains. If they go out on leash for a walk it's for socialising and training. Nothing wrong with a tired puppy but power walking (or trotting for the pup!) is a very unnatural gait for a puppy and I'm not sure that it does their development any favours.

Sandgrubber, that is the feeling I get too. I'm currently in Ohio collaborating with a large county shelter.

I'm guilty of not watching the DVD but my dogs do a lot of shaping (Em is especially good at that and throws a zillion behaviours in the hope of getting something) and I have pretty good timing. Plus it's the method of choice at our club. I also use cheese cubes instead of toys. I love it because it gets the dog thinking and encourages independence from the very beginning. Now if I only I would trust them more.....

That is a lot of food! My Dally is on Artemis and is difficult to keep condition on at times - 4 cups a day for a short period does the trick.

I met an ex-pat (Aussie and Pom) couple living in Paris. I was telling them how amazing it was that dogs could go everywhere. They had a Dalmatian and said they didn't think it was that great and of course the dog has to go everywhere because everyone lives in apartments and there is no open space (as in zero) where you can let your dogs off leash to have a run or even train. Interesting perspective from the other side. Every country has its good and bad. I'm in an area of the USA currently where I've never seen so many dogs used for fighting and protection. The neglect and abuse is overwhelming.

Congratulations to the Dally, Gr Ch Jendally Smooth Criminal ('MJ') on gaining his Grand at this show I think MJ is only 3.5 years old.

Caz I have related your tragic story to the vets, interns, techs and staff at the shelter here in Ohio, USA that I am collaborating with, in the hope of raising further awareness. They were incredibly saddened by the events and took the warning very much to heart. Take care x

Agree also that the remote is not brilliant but it's a bloody sight better than Mr TSD :laugh: (he is sending me daily updates on The Zoo to help with the long days and homesickness so I can't be too hard on him!) Once the dogs understand the game I find their performance doesn't drop if the thing doesn't open - which is more likely when you're trying to do distance work and more advanced stuff. If anything they get MORE excited - they begin to understand that they have done the exercise perfectly so where's the damn treat!!!!! Bright sun doesn't help the remote either - Clean Run have a really good article on the pros/cons of the RT and the MM. Both have their merits - for me the RT is small and easy to fade or sneak in to a course when they're not looking and I can use yummier treats. Plus it's cheaper. It has it's faults absolutely but the manufacturers are very up front about them and I just work around them. I'd like an MM as well but I just bought a pair of Muck Boots to bring home so really can't justify it :D

Thanks for posting the link ness - it's been my night time :D What sheena says is true - but I knew that before I bought it and use it for very specific exercises and situations. Loading individual treats every time - I make a big deal of baiting it (like a bait plate for obedience). In the beginning the dogs nosed it but now they realise that won't work and it builds so much enthusiasm and excitement for the exercise. Zig is a notorious self rewarder if you leave a toy etc at the end of an obstacle so this is great for him. Noisy - yes, a bit - but I conditioned the dogs to it first so they associated the noise with success. Even the cats come running if I'm training indoors and Em lets Lilly eat her treat :laugh: I've used it for change of position (Zig), dumbbell retrieve (Zig and it made a huge difference to him - running to the reward, timing etc just added a real edge to an exercise that he has never fully embraced) and weaves (both). For Em it was the revelation she needed for independence and focussing forward without game in the picture :D I've tried getting Mr TSD to help but, as mentioned previously, his timing is not his strong point and I wanted to be able to reward minute improvements. My goal this year is independent contacts for both dogs and I will include the Ready Treat in the plan - I have done some early work and the results are promising. At club training I will sneak it into the middle of a course - Em loves that as a surprise!. I don't use it every day or the same way for every exercise but I love it as another tool for problem solving.

Get a ready treat from Clean Run. Best. Purchase. Ever. Apart from all the other stuff :laugh:

How sad but poignant and special too. I'm very sorry for your loss but glad you got to say goodbye in such a supportive environment :) Run free Tia

Isn't she a cutie Nice forward focus RS What are you doing up so late on a school night? :laugh:

I agree. One of my foster kits had an eye removed due to severe cat flu. Distressing for me but he barely noticed!

This. Definitely.

Yes what Jed said. When my ESS was young I noticed her front feet were turning out. I looked more closely and she was actually turning out from the shoulder. Joint laxity isn't uncommon in working Springers particularly when they are growing. As she physically matured her joints firmed up nicely and she gradually came good. I wasn't concerned as I chatted with her breeder about it. I tried to ensure she wasn't hooning around on slippery floors.

Ain't she sweet! Funny how dogs adjust their playing style too. Zig plays with female Dallies on his hind legs - lots of noise and it's rather crazy. When Em was a pup he would just lie on the deck whilst she jumped on his head and used his ears as tug toys. As she grew up the play style developed and they would wrestle on their back legs with lots of teeth. Em played quite differently with the Springer pup I had staying recently (lots of low wrestling and waiting for pup to zoom past before leaping at him :laugh: ) But she never plays with other dogs like she does with Zig and Barkley. In terms of "jealousy" I've never had a problem, even with the male pup that Zig wasn't overly fond of (because he's a boy!) At the end of the day I dish out everything the dogs value - food, treats, attention, play and exercise. They're too busy concentrating on HOW to earn the reward to be bothered arguing about it. However, puppies can be darn annoying before they learn some manners so I would remove old bones etc (or the pup) if the adult was being harassed. Zig would grump at Em but she would flip on her back and, whilst he was having a sniff, she'd grab the toy or bone and bolt Simply Grand - your comment about 2 dogs vs 3 made me laugh :D

In considering what I wanted in a 2nd dog I also considered the needs of the other residents, including Mr TSD, Ziggy and the cats. I wanted a gundog with heaps of drive but it needed to be soft and pliable in the house for the cats and Mr TSD (Zig walked all over him :laugh:) Ziggy, as an entire male, just adores puppies and particularly the girls :p Em fitted in beautifully - great off switch and sweet enough to get her own way with Mr TSD without it ever becoming an issue. Soft with the cats, Zig adores her and she's the perfect training partner for me. I have a different relationship with each dog - they have different strengths and weaknesses in training and I really appreciate them both as individuals. From the beginning they had training seperately and together. I would leave pup home to sleep or with Mr TSD and take Zig on a long walk. It makes it easy to separate now as necessary: I tell one "See you later" and they are on the couch asleep whilst the other is bouncing at the door raring to go walking or training.

How exciting! Sometimes you just need to see what suits them. My Em was "Rosie Puppy" for several days (her mum is "Rosie") until we could settle on her name. Enjoy her!

He'll have you trained in no time E That photo is