The Spotted Devil

Tears streaming down my face!!!! Steph that is sooooo Gus lol but freaking brilliant!!!

:laugh:

Adults and pups here are only together under supervision until I know each can hold their own. I decide what is appropriate behaviour from cats, pup and adult dogs - some growling from adults is completely appropriate (as is a hiss, spit and a smack from one of the cats) but bullying is not allowed. Bullying behaviour is that which goes on without any regard for the other animal's response whereas appropriate behaviour varies depending on the pup's response e.g. pup harasses adult who is drinking/has toy etc, adult gives warning growl, pup backs off (or comes up with a smarter strategy!) and adult resumes normal programming - to my mind that is ok and is good learning. Hope that makes sense! Bullying I will interrupt or separate. I do lots of one-on-one work here so no one feels left out!

Oh no - another enabler. I have 3 of Sam's lovely wing jumps, and PNUs - traffic cone - can do. Me? Never Em and Zig came home from the weekend just gone with 8 passes between them - 2 passes for Em's JDM title plus a Novice Gambler quallie and 3 Masters Jumping plus 2 Masters Agility passes for Zig. And every other run was oh so close. And I am having SO much more fun :D

For the most part I train with 2 home made wing jumps and a traffic cone....

Tassie, H360 has turned Zig from a dog that struggled to make time in Masters Jumping to one who is consistently running 8-10 seconds under SCT.........

Cool coat? Fan blowing on ice?

Maybe it's been suggested to feed vegetables as a filler so the dog can lose weight. My ESS only has 1.5 cups dry food a day aside from training treats.

I wonder if they will charge a premium for monthly payments...?

But nature also ensures animals mate every season, which changes the hormone balance. And a lot of animals die very young in the wild, the domestic cat being a classic case study. (Just playing devils advocate - I have an entire dog and entire bitch).

It's something we certainly watch for but I haven't heard of a dog being bitten or dying at a trial - I've only been in the sport for 3 years. I think most dogs that get bitten (in general) go after the snake. Even with people the advice is to leave them well alone and they will leave you alone. I have seen a dog freeze as it was doing a retrieve and the alert person on the thrower plus judge and handler immediately stopped and cleared the area.

Just noticed this... Important update about our dog & cat policies At Petplan, we are constantly looking at ways to improve our customer experience and the insurance products we offer. We understand the passion our customers, veterinarians, breeders and the pet community at large have for their pets, because all of our staff are pet owners too! In light of recent concerns raised by customers that have been highlighted in some sections of the media, Petplan have reviewed a clause in our policy wording. In future, we will not require payment of ongoing monthly premium instalments in the policy year following the death of a pet where a claim has been paid for veterinary costs and/or other medical expenses. Moving forward, we will continue to offer our customers the most comprehensive pet insurance products in Australia, and are steadfast in our commitment to promoting positive pet health and animal welfare in all our endeavours. Kind regards, Doug Ford (QPIB) Dip Fin Services (Broking) Managing Director Petplan Australasia Pty Ltd W: www.petplan.com.au

Hi Samara What breed is your pup? Do you want to rough shoot? Compete? Have you asked your pup's breeder? I'm not sure of anyone in the Geelong area but you would be welcome to attend the Beginners Training Day coming up: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/260172-retrieving-training-days/page__pid__6590318#entry6590318 Most of us travel quite a bit to train and compete. I will be doing 4 and 3 hour round trips to teach on both training days. You could also check out the Retrieving Australia forum and post there: http://www.retrieving.org.au/bb/index.php?sid=ae1f9e9feb5f60826e0445730a41992f

It's times like this that I really love DOL :laugh:

I wouldn't worry about the garlic and parsley too much - the former was associated with repelling fleas but this is a myth arising out of some long ago research. The latter might freshen the breath but excessive amounts can cause loose stools. For your Dally, canned salmon is relatively moderate purine (compared with tuna) and is a good source of dietary vitamin D but I'm not sure how much he'd need. A supplement might be easier as B_j pointed out. Hugs to the old fella :)

Here's another litter… Meeting Darcy and Emma... Bold little Emma…

That's adorable! You absolutely must take a video of it next time! :) He's an amazing lad...these are not the pics I was thinking of but they were the easiest ones to find... Starts in a drop... Everyone getting more confident... In the kitten room at last!!!

I think one trick is to not bribe the nail trimming moment so the treat needs to be out of sight. Reward vs lure produces a very different result. My Dally always hated his nails being done - typical of the breed they are big, thick nails that sit high up like a cat's and never wear. I started with one nail followed by a race inside, race down the hallway to the cupboard for a special biscuit. Then it was one paw - race. Then 2 paws - race. Now he lines up for his turn as soon as he sees the trimmers come out and is happy to stand still for all 4 paws to be done even though he still doesn't love it. He loves the race more than he hates the clippers.

I'm so so sorry Pheebs I can only tell you what I did when I made the decision to put my dearest Brontë to sleep just over 12 months ago. I made the decision at the vet in the morning, then brought her home for one last special day. I cuddled her and told her how much she was loved. I carried her outside to sit in the sunshine, visit the chooks and pick pink roses for her. After all her illness we had a "normal" feeding time with Brontë trying to pinch the chicken I prepared for her and telling me off for being too slow. It's one of my favourite memories. Later I cuddled her quietly and administered a sedative. We had the last appointment at our vet at 7pm. We were given all the time we needed to say goodbye. No regrets.

Baby gates are brilliant for when kitty gets older and can jump :) You may have to work with one dog at a time (on leash) and reward for calm behaviour. My dogs are restricted to our living area during the day and there is a decent size scratching tower the cats can retreat to (or jump the baby gate) - mine all get on superbly but I had a temp puppy recently who was a PITA and I really had to supervise. In my house The Cats Rule but they are not allowed to bully either. When I have foster kittens my Dally (in particular) is just fascinated by them - I put him in a drop stay and the little mites end up climbing all over him and chasing his madly wagging tail. Priceless!

I'm not sure there is one "size" fits all. I often have first time owners in my classes with dogs that I probably would not have recommended - some of them start off fairly clueless to be honest but some of them also turn out to be super dedicated, keen to learn and make for great dog owners. Added to that, there is as much within breed variation as there is between breed variation. A dedicated owner plus a breeder who can match, advise and support really opens the options up. I had one ACD (family pet in my teens and agility dog in her youth) for 17 years, followed by a break of 2 years. I will always be grateful that the Dalmatian breeder of our choice let us have a pup - one full-time student and one full-time worker in a rented house interstate. We demonstrated we were committed, that was enough for them and they have been repaid 10-fold with his successes as a performance dog, advertising star and as our family member.

Yep! My dogs are titled in 4 sports in total and are currently very active in agility and retrieving. I just did 5-10 min training with each one and, apart from that, they have entertained themselves for much of the day (Em running up the back block and Zig snoozing in the sunshine). I also take classes and the main thing I draw from my experiences is simplify, simplify, simplify! Sounds like you're doing a great job!

Freaking adorable!!!!

There is a stunning Lowchen training with us (competing in Novice I think?) I think they are a super little dog but his owner was telling me he doesn't have much of an off switch. I just love his attitude though.

Resist this megan. I dare ya! :laugh: (Thanks to Claire Murphy for this great photo of Em from Warrnambool the weekend just gone).