The Spotted Devil

Yes it's very flimsy unfortunately so I would probably only consider the tunnel for baby puppies. I don't touch weaves until 12-18 months and even my stick in the ground poles from the USA are only just strong enough!

Yes Woof N Hoof is a good start!

One of my Gundogs - LOVES guns because they represent FUN, sleeps through thunderstorms but HATES hammering on the deck and me using a meat cleaver. I suspect it's the vibrations rather than the noise but it's hard to be sure.

When I played the traffic noises my Dally barked like crazy! Living in the hills lol

When there's a thunderstorm we all go outside for a training session under the verandah - fast snappy sits for cheese or a game of tug. Helps the youngsters when there's a confident adult dog there too. I also play sound CDs and do lots of crashing and banging with my litters. Strictly no creeping around when I have baby puppies!!!

Well done! Puppies generally don't have enough time to process that they need to get to the front door and use the doggy door. So you can teach him to go through it as a separate exercise but don't expect him to put it all together for a while. Personally I would rather wake up than leave puppy pads down.

Yes! BUT you really must get up to take him out at night. I bank on disrupted sleep for a few weeks and they usually surprise me by learning to hold on overnight very quickly.

Definitely not too late. Crate training is not about leaving pups in there for extended periods - it's just a management tool when a) you are asleep and b) you can't directly supervise. My dogs LOVE their crates and it's so handy. I just flew my 6 year old Springer for the first time and she was so much more comfortable about the experience because I played crate games before and after each flight. Poos and wees to clean up ARE a problem and won't get better - I do everything possible not to allow puppies to pee inside....no drama if they do and mine tend to pee near the door, i.e. they've been telling me they need to go out and I've missed the signals. It's toileting now but in a little while it will be CHEWING!!!

Yes my bed is a luxury earned....puppies sleep in a crate next to my bed until they are not only toilet trained but will reliably sleep through the night without collecting all my shoes! This might be up to 12 months for some. When you hear pup become restless take him/her outside to toilet. Then quietly back to the crate with no fuss. If you are likely to sleep through then put a bell on his collar. When Ginny started sleeping on our bed she just could not resist playing with the cats - it was chaos! I quietly popped her back in her crate - consequences! And she quickly realised that hanging out with the big kids required a new level of responsibility. I've got one of my pups back for a holiday and so 3 Spaniels on the bed plus cats, no wrestling, no shoe collections. Looking forward to my new King size bed being delivered though :laugh:

Its about 30minutes away but happy to travel for distraction work etc :) is that on a specific day of the week? and are non-event people allowed? Shes pretty good with all the distractions at home - she's very into fetching the ball but will wait until released if i ask her to sit/down and then throw it etc I have done lots of jumping around/crazy movements/thrown food or toys etc But we haven't really started working on distance work yet though so i cant get her to go from sit to a down from more than 1.5 metres away at this stage I also havent played music or doorbell noises though so will try that too :) I have PM'd TSD but not sure if she has received it Sorry! Had a crazy week. Will reply as soon as I can. My apologies!

The government has no choice. They don't have the numbers in the Upper House. The Independents understand how flawed this legislation is. The thing is if they hadn't backed the ethical breeders into a corner the ACTUAL puppy farm and pet shop legislation would have passed with barely a whimper. No one likes a puppy farm. But poorly written legislation is no way to fix it.

In Brisbane this weekend for a seminar with Em - our flights are 6am/7am so she is flying in the coolest part of the day. The 2.45am wake up time is a killer though :laugh:

PM me please and I will give you the names of two trainers that I'd trust with my own dogs.

A lot of the kennels will do drop off and pick up. I would recommend Cottage Kennels in Plenty. Leave the dog with them, travel over and arrange to pick the dog in Tassie

dartuche shoot me a PM and I'll put you in touch with the right people. Certainly don't discount going interstate.

Something really interesting that has popped up in my training... I love using tug to build arousal in agility in particular. My Spaniels have an awesome tug around food, water and ducks which are HIGH distractions. However if you THROW the tug, ask them to retrieve it and then ask them to play tug they shut down quicker than you can say "working lines". They are hard wired (genetics!) to retrieve and deliver gently to hand. I've discovered that I'm better off rewarding the retrieve with food and using tug as a balance break.

I used to live in Wylie. That would be very scary!

Both. It's quite clear from studies that it's a combination of genetics and environment including maternal stress during gestation.

And there's plenty more that haven't been listed either!

It's a massive achievement in such a short time. But it's not over yet.

Yes there were therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, conservation/pest detection dogs and livestock/sheepdogs plus breeders and handlers. Plenty of media - print and press - plus reps from Dogs Vic and Independent MPs who came out to hear our concerns. The power of Dogs Vic members with the support of Dogs Vic MC - writing to MPs, media and sharing on social media - has resulted in the government holding off on introducing it to the Lower House until next year. It was supposed to go through today. Not bad I think.

Fingers crossed one of mine will get an early Christmas present...flying her to Brisbane for Susan Garrett's H360 seminar. If we don't get a working spot then I'll audit the entire weekend. That will do them for a start lol. Especially seeing as we only had 3 weeks notice!!!

Feel free to cross post on FB or wherever... Now might be a good time for the #nothappydan Labor government to stop just making stuff up and #amendthebill It was about destroying the model of puppy farms, not about creating more red tape and heartache for ethical breeders. A dog's breakfast just about sums it up. http://purebreddogs.org.au 2014- Pre election - Labor says puppy farm crackdown, 10 only bitches and 5 litter limit. The backdown on the 5 litter limit is what hurt the Lib/Nats the most. We joined the protest on that. 2015 - post election. Labor restored 5 litter limit and says their 10 bitch limit is coming as per their promise. 2016 - Labor introduces bill with 10 bitch limit for puppy farms and 1 bitch limit for any other breeder, claiming it was their election promise. Any other breeder was never mentioned until this bill. It was never an election promise. Also in the bill are Foster carers, rescues, working dogs, obedience clubs, working dogs, cats and birds You have been fooled by the deceptively named Domestic Animal Amendement (Puppy Farms and Pet Shops) 2016. It is much, much more than that. #dumpthebilldan Purebred Dogs Victoria #amendthebill #brokenpromisedan http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-04/puppy-farms3a-victorian-opposition-announces-further-crackdown/5790676

is it just me who thinks they held the inquiry to show they are prepared to listen to concerns. but that it was all just a public relations scam? to appease the masses so they hope wont get a backlash like baird did? There are two "theys", the lower house has a govt majority so the Bill passed easily, the upper house does not have a majority, they have more greens, minor party and independent members and it is the upper house which is holding the inquiry.............the issue has become a political one............I don't believe this inquiry is "going through the motions", they are investigating flawed legislation based on incorrect premises in some aspects, and written without proper consultation of all affected Yes. On all counts.

We definitely are :D