The Spotted Devil

The X-trail is THE best dog car for it's class - especially if you need to go off road like I do (plus the raised seating position for my back). I agree the economy can be average - I would go diesel. However the new shape makes me

You should see Em shake from head to tail when I put my white retrieving jacket on. It's quite something!

For brief periods the crate is fine provided you make it a positive experience. Keep a portion of your pup's ration aside and use it to stuff a few Kongs or similar. I put pup in the crate and leave them with a stuffed Kong or frozen raw meaty bone (appropriate to dog size) and get on with what I have to do. Next time around I will have a larger pen which will attach to the crate as I'm getting a new one for the whelping box. Nice to have but not absolutely essential. Vebopet has some great set ups - good quality and great value.

In Vic? Codes of Practice and associated legislation is administered by DELWP (previously DEPI, DPI). It may also come under council compliance but you will probably end up dealing with the RSPCA Inspectorate.

Tart :laugh: The first thing that made me take notice was how "clean" Em was. Normally she's messy as all get out!!!

It's frustrating isn't it! Em went forever too - behaviour changes, discharge limited - and she just never got around to ovulating.

Funny you say that Christina. Had a split with my girl just before Christmas. Currently she is 4.5 weeks pregnant. My repro vet said she saw a LOT of weird seasons last year.

Yes I agree but I guess that's where the powers of observation are important. Generally I start slowly with an unfamiliar dog - just a touch and feint - very Spaniel like play actually - and then build it alongside sufficient self-control. I party with my Dally but it's relatively hands off. A party with my ESS is more like WWF!

I think it's hard to nail down as there's a lot of variation between and within breeds - I just have to look at my Dally and my ESS - definite breed differences and I suspect gender differences and then if course is the human factor - what I bring to the table, my timing, my response to mistakes and successes, my ability to engage with each dog (play!) etc etc. I don't really think it's an emotional desire to please us but it's certainly about the relationship and what they find rewarding. Just on that, sometimes when I'm training agility I will set up a test that involves the dog knowing there is a plate of food beyond the jump (this is rehearsed a couple of times) and then we approach the jumps in the same way but I give a verbal turn cue to take a different jump and they get a reward from my hand (or thrown). Now I party with my dogs when they get it right - if they happen to ignore the verbal and race to the bait plate I don't party at all. I load the plate again, race at it full speed but give the verbal cue to turn and the dog makes the correct choice. I think that's pretty cool. And if you want an example of where if doesn't work you just have to look at some of my classes in the first week - folk dangling food in front of their dogs and still being ignored.

Ears go up! Ears go down. Ears go up! Ears go down. Ears go... :laugh:

It would concern me more, actually .... Agreed. I was just thinking about it and was about to come and edit my post.

The "cover up" would annoy me as much as the injury. Trust is critical when someone is responsible for my animals!

Gorgeous! brightstar I do take your point but I would question the suitability of a turkey shank as a suitable bone to feed anyway. Weight bearing poultry bones break up into shards really badly and I just don't feed them.

That's sad but I wonder if it was just the novelty of the food rather than the fact that it was raw?

The same cannot be said for seratonin production. There are some interesting articles about the impact of low exposure to sunshine on dogs. Lower reproductive rates are one observation. Here is one article. There are others, and research papers also. For sure but I don't think anyone here is talking about leaving their dogs in dark rooms all day. All I'm saying is that dogs don't need direct sunlight for Vit D - windows block UVB rays required for Vit D production in humans and a common thought is that the same applies to dogs. The research suggests that indirect exposure to sunlight through a window is sufficient to promote serotonin production. You have to weigh up the risks at the end of the day…desexing, feeding, housing, security etc. Separation anxiety can also be relieved in the first instance by allowing a dog to stay inside when the owner is out.

Thanks folks. Might be ideal especially at that price!

Are they water proof Maddy? I'm looking for a small kennel for the kitty litter in their outdoor enclosure..

Are you releasing the dog back to play? If so, I give you Premack. One of my favourite theorists! However it is much more complicated than that. There's intermittent reinforcement (the 10 spins) and all the emotional stuff that goes with it. Need to go eat but it's an interesting discussion!

My dogs are predominantly indoors - I, too, am fortunate to work from home quite a bit. The doors are always open unless it's freezing and the dogs have plenty of filtered sunshine. Dogs rely on diet for Vitamin D and gain minimal amounts from sunshine so that aspect is not a concern.

Yes I heard this today. It's a good start.

So sorry

Yeah Eau de Labradore is certainly unique :laugh:

Yes the Frog Toggs are great if it's really wet.

I should have added my dogs seem to enjoy walking in the rain too...no coats in general as they get to run on muddy paths and get filthy. I have used a coat on occasion for Zig when it has been bitterly cold. I take it off for his free running part and just have it on for the on leash walk. Em is so busy darting this way and that way after bird life that she doesn't need any help keeping warm.

Waterproof jacket but I often get too warm walking so end up taking it off and just enjoying the rain. Once you're wet you're wet :D