The Spotted Devil

Zig's only about 23-24kg and all muscle too! Although he does tend to lose a kilo just getting out of bed to greet me in the morning Despite a morning doing obedience and an intro to flyball at the club today, Zig was being a right git and mischief maker half an hour ago....too much sleeping all afternoon! I took him outside with a tug toy for 10 minutes and had him going through the 'weaving poles' (garden stakes stuck into what's left of the lawn) from various angles. We both had an absolute hoot and he's being very good now....just quietly whining for his dinner The only time I use the tennis ball is to encourage speed and confidence at agility and to get Zig into the water at the beach.....although he doesn't seem to like picking the ball out of the water and getting salt water in his mouth, the big sook!

I'm feeding Artemis to Zig at the moment - very happy with it......although he eats about 4 cups a day If you have the time, instead of feeding her in the bowl, try using her Artemis kibble as training treats in the house.....clicker training is a great start. This is what I do with Zig (takes a long time and lots of jackpots with 4 cups!) and he is so lovely and calm in the house because he is mentally exhausted I just let Zig run free at the park and incorporate some obedience work (6-7 recalls, sit stays, drop etc) as well to keep him on his toes. Mostly we go to the beach in the morning - it's extremely addictive for both of us. Once you get the car travel sorted you won't want to go anywhere else ETA: You will have fun with her - the "nutters" are always a blast to train if you work out what makes them tick!

Will she tug? Would be a very constructive reward if used with her obedience training. Swimming would be great too - lots of ball chasing is not ideal for her joints. A moderately high protein diet can be more satisfying too, meaning you can feed less - plus cooked pumpkin to fill her up! How old is she? ETA: It's usually recommended that you can safely halve what she was originally eating to get the weight off her, provided she doesn't have any underlying medical issues of course.

Need to consult with LPCRA (that's Leopuppy04CleanRunAddict).....will PM you soon laffi

A stress response doesn't need to be inherently good or bad, if that makes sense - it can encompass any form of acute or chronic arousal. Definitely the visual aspect is important. If you don't have a crate that fits, try keeping her in place with a good strong harness and blacking out the windows to avoid over stimulating her

My first thought would be to put her in a crate in the car (provided she's crate trained) and cover with a blanket - would that be practical? Perhaps also combine with a calming natural approach - I was just reading a journal article about how effective pure lavender sprayed on a cloth can be for car-stressed dogs.

yes you should come! You can be my bucket bitch and take a pic as we cross the finish line A bucket bitch - going to look great on my resume ETA: Nice start Rebanne

OMG that sounds like my house......plus 2 cats and without the 10yo!

you missed a big one here...often dogs don't do what they are asked b/c they don't actually understand what is bing asked of them. People forget that dogs don't speak English. The dominance discussion doesn't really interest me. If my dog doesn't do what I ask, it's either b/c they don't understand what I am asking or b/c I haven't made following that command worthwhile enough for them. Great post Vickie The part I highlighted is just so, so true. At the recent pet expo a 'trainer' (and I use that term lightly) from a boarding kennel approached me and, with no invitation, informed me that my dog was dominating me and could do with a good dose of "compulsion training". Then he gave me his card If I hadn't been on a commercial stand and being paid for my time he would have copped a whole lot more than a simple eye roll Oh, and then he apparently went back to the Dalmatian breed stand and told them how stupid Dals are - he didn't make many friends that day

I incorporate tennis balls, squeaky toys, soft toys, tug and food into training - mixing it up keeps Ziggy fresh and on his toes. The only problem is ensuring that another dog doesn't want the tennis ball as well so I use it carefully and try to keep track of what's going on around me In fact, I started with a squeaky tennis ball - only a few weeks ago Zig really got excited about it and last week he transferred that enthusiasm to the tug toy!

Come in Spinner

Whoo hoo! That's brilliant Hey Mooper! I had pgrad orientation this week I'm not feeling quite so petrified now

LP is a toy expert! :cool: I contacted CR to ask if they are going to have any free shipping soon. Will let you know as soon as they reply :D Not just toys laffi......

Thanks to all the CL addicts for their advice on tug toys I think I like the look of the Sheepy Tail Tug Toy.....it's just what I had imagined! Will be chatting to LP about some other possible selections.....lest I become an addict too

A very good lesson in trusting your gut feeling

Sorry to hear that Mooper but very, very pleased you have caught it in time Sending many Ziggy licks Jack's way (plus a whole chicken roasted on the Webber if that floats his boat )

LP - that's a great idea to send it all to you......so you're going to weaken eh? Last night was fun - Miss Brontë is exhausted today but very, very content How many sheepy tuggy thingies does a Dally need? Was thinking about this one - needs to be soft but reasonably tough....Zig was going completely nuts last weekend with an old soft tug toy (first real nutso session in public) but he gets bored very quickly so a variety of toys is the key with him. I might be interested in a focus-type DVD too - any suggestions? Something that I'll want to watch more than once please :cool:

I'd love to get one of those sheepy tug toys that you posted about in the contacts thread, laffi. Having not ordered from CR before, I'm not sure if it would be easier to just order direct? Otherwise I'm happy to throw my hat in the ring Disgracefully addictive website though I may find another 'must have'

Dally owners often encourage their dogs to drink more water (to prevent kidney stones) by adding a dash of low lactose (i.e. pet) milk to the water.....might this help?

I just played this and Ziggy went nuts at Dharma's yelping - barking and whining and generally turning himself inside out I had to turn the sound off Great effort Kirty

I'm hanging out PF My physios have forbidden me from running/cycling (loooooong term back injury) - I would be in a crumpled heap for a month probably Zig wouldn't run with anyone else either - he's such a sook He'll eat it up, though, and hopefully I will too! Hmmm....can you suck it up and eat it up at the same time??????? :cool: ETA: Would Darcy like a Vic holiday - he is a cutie

Notice that I'm not training for it.......it's called being a piker Maybe next year when Zig is 3 and my back is up to it I've been told that the hardest thing is that the pace is too slow for breeds that extend out.

I think I might have to volunteer to help out at the Dally Club ET.....this could be a hoot

I wonder at the breeder not asking the questions you did actually, Kelpie-i...not a particularly good sign. My Dal breeders gave me the absolute third degree and I respected them all the more for it :D

Not a trainer but, oh my goodness, I've lost count of the number of people I've talked out of getting an inappropriate puppy I try to ask more questions, find out what they are really looking for and recommend some breeds or other options. Quite often people have their heart set on a puppy purely because they love the look of the adults but have no idea of the commitment required. I recently talked a lady out of a Dalmatian puppy and gave her a contact for GAP Victoria.....the lady was very lovely but she had absolutely no idea. I used to feel bad, but I don't anymore....it's awful to see an unhappy dog AND an unhappy owner - sometimes they are determined to do the right thing by the dog and keep it but they just cannot keep up with the exercise/training requirements no matter how many private lessons they have. Just wish I'd got to my neighbours BEFORE they had purchased their Lab x Poodle.....and they researched breeds extensively apparently - picked this breed for their intelligence Oddly enough, they think they got the blonde in the litter. Oh, Cosmolo - have sent a few people your way of late....a lovely lady with a very sweet Collie (rough) puppy and a few others.....I think you need to send me some business cards :D