The Spotted Devil

Oh crap ;) Really, really sorry :D Run free at the bridge handsome lad

Just in answer to this part...if the dog already has heartworm, the prevention medication will kill the heartworm causing them to move through the pulmonary artery into the lungs. That's also why treatment for an infected dog is so complex...you have to kill the worms very slowly so as not to kill the dog in the process

Sorry - no suggestions from me....I just use the removable shower head to wash my Dally. Dals can have sensitive skin so I use a very gentle shampoo called Aloveen, rinse very thoroughly and only wash him every few months. The less I wash him the better his coat looks! Can we please have photos of your Dals in the Dally breed thread Here's a linky :D

Personally I would continue to keep the cats and pup separated. Leave it up to the cats to choose when they want to be in contact with the pup. Keep pup on lead for controlled introductions....practice calm "sits" and food rewards or a game with a squeaky toy. If you let the pup chase the cats until he becomes "bored" you may well end up with a whole other problem when your cats start urinating inappropriately or getting UTIs as a result of stress. My Dally adores the cats and play bows to them, offers toys to them and tries to play/chase. Despite his best intentions it can be very, very stressful for the cats. I set up the house so the cats can access most rooms and yet pup cannot. The kitchen is completely dog free and I place a couple of dining chairs in the doorway....cats can get in and out still. To the main bedroom, I have Zig's soft crate covering the doorway. The cats can enter and exit at will. When Zig is calmly lying down, the cats will often approach him for a good sniff and sleep in his bed and play with his toys whenever he is not around At no time ever is Zig permitted to chase the cats.....although I suspect one of my Burmese is starting to see the fun side and is encouraging it :D Even if the cats are playing 'chasey' Ziggy is required to remain in his bed, next to my side. It can take a lot of time, patience, consistency and hard work but I have no doubt that it's worth it in the end. I've been confined to bed rest for a few weeks....most days I am fortunate enough to have one cat in my arms, another in the crook of my knee and one mad Dally teen snuggled in his bed by my side

I like to keep things simple......my lad is NEVER allowed anywhere need the washing line or any other temptation without supervision. Then I can correct and praise as necessary. It prevents him learning how much fun these things really are! Unsupervised, Zig is a walking garbage disposal/shredder/mischief maker Supervised, he is an absolute delight Oh, and he's 14 months old, gets exercise appropriate for his age and plenty of mental stimulation.....he's just a curious, busy, fun-loving Dally

It's amazing - I remember Sue Hogben from many years ago when I was living in WA and she was trialling her beautiful GR, Dancingate Golden Tonka. I was really new to trialling and she was an inspiration

Oh and also have a read of the trick training forum - it's brilliant and full of good ideas

I can't suggest a book but if you're concerned about timing and co-ordination, try watching a game of sport on TV such as AFL and click every time the commentator mentions a specific player's name. Or you could come up with something else if sport isn't your thing I also can recommend the Black Dog i-clicker with wrist strap that I purchased on-line

Not a silly question at all! I trained my ACD the "old fashioned way" too....she was a beautifully behaved dog (CDX) but I still wish I knew then about clicker training. I'm using clicker training with my young Dally - not exclusively but more than I planned because he gets such a kick out of it. The idea is to provide a very accurate marker of the desired behaviour (associated with a small treat as positive reinforcement - I also add "good boy!") so timing on the part of the trainer is absolutely essential. I should add that you can use a verbal marker (e.g. 'yes') but I prefer to work with the clicker - horses for courses I guess I've taught everything from a heel position to straight 'fronts' to touching my hand (or other object) with his nose and whacking an object with his paw. Once they get the hang of an exercise you start randomly reinforcing the behaviour. Sometimes it's just fun to get the clicker out and have no plan. One thing I did with Zig was to place a bucket in the middle of the room and click/treat any interaction with it. In the beginning he had no idea what was going on and gave me a sit/drop/stand in attempt to gain a reward. Then he just sat and barked at me in disgust However, he looked at the bucket and I clicked/treated - the look of wonderment on his face was sensational.....by the end of the short session he would stick his head in the bucket and wait for his reward. It seems to get the dog to think outside the square a little.....and they present you with behaviours that you could never work out how to teach sometimes! One of the best things is that it's a lovely, fun way to tire a puppy/young dog out when you don't want to be over-exercising those precious joints. Or when you're not well, you can sit quietly in a chair and train your dog! ETA: Once the dog volunteers the behaviour, you introduce a command. Once that is well established you only reward when you ask for the specific behaviour. Hope that makes sense! ETA (again!): It also allows you to break down a very complex behaviour into small, manageable steps.

Hi Bomber Have you spoken to the breeder? A good breeder should be the first port of call as it may be something they have dealt with before and can give you good advice :D What breed of puppy to you have? I know you've had him for 3 weeks but you didn't mention puppy's age - it may be important info :wink:

Better put a "graphic photo" warning on the thread title

I have been following this for some time and really don't understand where you are coming from. The Pawman, from what I gather, said the dog could not be rehabilitated and should be PTS. The OP wants a second opinion (as would I!!!!) and has been highly recommended to try K9 Force (of whom I have little knowledge other than what I've read on this forum). What's the problem? You mentioned that the 4 trainers the OP has tried all have a great reputation in Brisbane - having just re-read the thread, the OP only originally mentioned 2 by name - DogTech and The Pawman. Jane Harper was recommended but the OP wants to wait and see K9 Force. The OP tried a club in Caboolture and only named it when asked by you: carloslex: "What club did you use? I have tried a few here in Brisbane and my own individual opinion?" Rottielover01: "Sorry, it was at club grounds, the trainers were TeamWork Dog Obedience. I don't have anything against Alex or Maureen, both very nice people, just didn't help my situation." The live-in trainer was never identified so I don't see how you could have an opinion on their reputation. carloslex: I'm sorry, but there are many different levels of aggression. You can't possibly equate your dog's behavioural issues with the OP's dog unless you have personally assessed the behaviour as a trained professional. caroslex: So, do you mean to say you have had personal experience with these 3 trainers? They haven't been "publicly ridiculed". The OP said: You yourself said: The only trainer that the OP spoke negatively about was DogTech: What do you know about the franchise? Who was your trainer? How sure are you that you both saw the same person? This one has got me thinking... Rottielover01: carloslex replied: Remembering that at one point the OP said: I think it's time to let this (3 month old) thread go I look forward to your further updates Rottylover01...perhaps you should start a fresh thread. And yes, I do have a lot of time on my hands at the moment

I know your question was directed at BL but......simply put, meat is high in phosphorus and low in calcium. Bone, however, is high in calcium and low in phosphorus. A deficiency or oversupply of either mineral can be detrimental. Raw meaty bones provide the perfect balance. Hope that helps

Just for a start....read this thread first

PM sent Will be interested in how you go Inspector Rex :p

I'm pretty sure horus is using this for his Dals too.

Maybe the cupboards need some toddler locks to prevent busy puppies getting creative.....

Oh, she sounds like soooo much fun to work with!!!! Amazing how young and yet so much energy! What about some scent work? That was and remains one of my favourite ways to tire Zig out - I make him wait in the hallway, show him one of his all time favourite toys (always soft and squeaky ) then hide it somewhere in the house. He goes completely bananas for this and I'm making it a little bit harder for him by laying distractions around. What sort of surfaces is she walking on? I'm sure that makes a huge difference in the walk lengths too - the bitumen and concrete in the city is so much less natural.

One thing I missed....how old is puppy? Do you mind me asking what sort of training you are doing with her? Only because Zig was a nutty pup and it was also hard to channel all that energy (and we have a tiny backyard so not much to investigate - I'm jealous of your acreage!)

Thanks for all the suggestions - some really good ideas At the moment I'm stuck in bed but once I'm up and about again I will be practicing (without Zig) a lot.....could be a very entertaining walk to the train station for anyone watching

Thanks feralpup - great website

Love the vid LP I'll leave the commenting to the experts though Slightly OT....but are you going to do CCD first? I do all my training with no lead or collar.....CCD was never around when I was trialling way back when ;)

If Ziggy is anything like his sister I will just wish you luck 'cause you will need it . LOL - is Miss Rosie giving you a hard time? In all seriousness, Zig is just a delight to work with....I'm really surprised actually how much he throws himself into his training...he actually gets quite anxious if he can't work out what to do! I'm breaking all the exercises up into small parts and using lots of clicker work...more than I intended initially but he just works so well for it. I was having trouble with straight, close fronts but did some searching on here....his third lesson today and he's 100% got it when I'm sitting down (great tip) and nearly got it when I'm standing.

I'm having a lot of fun working with my mad young Dally for obedience. However it's been a very looooong time since I've trialled a dog and so much has changed and been refined! The only handler foot movement I was ever taught was to step off on the left foot for "heel" and on the right foot for "stay" From reading a lot of the training threads I gather there are thoughts on foot patterns for halting and turning. In terms of heel work, I have been working on the heel position with right about turns only and the automatic sit so as not to confuse either of us Any advice would be most welcome

My Dal is 14 months old and a rather intense young lad He has adequate exercise for his age, plenty of mental stimulation and company for most of the day/night but you know what? I wouldn't trust him on his own in the house for more than 5 minutes! Seriously....if I or my OH can't watch him he's in his crate - that simple. Doors are shut, his soft crate forms a barrier to our bedroom so the cats can get in and out in peace and everything is out of reach (shoes smell loverly to a dog - after all they smell like you!). Apart from that I've taught him a "leave" command which takes a LOT of persistence and consistency to work. The only thing I've had damaged is the phone because I thought Zig was ready to be trusted in the house while I had a shower....boy was I wrong! But he had the biggest "grin" on his face when I found him quietly gnawing away on it - no point in telling him off either as he was way past the point of pinching it. The wonderful thing about having an OTT, destructive dog IMO is that they are just so easy to motivate when training - I use clicker training, tug toys and lots of praise to work that brain of his.....he throws himself into the training, gets confused and a little stressed trying to work out what I want but when he "gets" it - what fun! Then he's exhausted and happily goes to his crate or his bed for a snooze. With regards to toys, do you rotate them or are they all lying around for him? Do you play games with the toys? It's not much fun playing games on your own! Zig also gets his food via training, stuffed in Kongs or in treat balls/cubes. Every day he has to work for his food and work for me to play games for him. There's lots of ideas in the training forum too - do you go to obedience lessons with pup? It can be a frustrating "stage" but I think it's really important to work with your pup and channel that excess energy into something constructive. Sorry for the long post