Diva

Sounds much more encouraging, fingers crossed that he continues to improve.

Any news?

If you are looking for a chiro at any point, Sandra Hassett at Phillip is both a vet and dog physio. I've used her for my dogs with good results. There are also animal chiros around that a lot of local people use, but I find if I'm not sure if something is just injury related it's reassuring to use someone who is also a vet. (And in case anyone is wondering, I have no vested interest, it's a genuine recommendation based on my own experience as a client.) Good luck, I hope it's nothing too serious.

Thanks dogdude, I'll try that. I'd love to get her tucking into sits. Watch her at a gallop and she's a very agile dog, ask her to drop and she flings herself to the ground, but watch her put herself into a sit and it's like she is tackling the theory of relativity, LOL.

Yes that makes sense - I hadn't thought of retraining with me sitting down, that will change the look of it to her and help break through the rut we are in. You are right she doesn't quite get it at the moment, she understands she is to come straight to me and sit, but that's it really. I've been trying to backchain it standing but she was just getting confused. Thanks for the tip.

Hi This is probably a simple question, but I'm having a brain lapse and would appreciate some tips. I have a large (about 75 cm at the whithers) young dog which I have just started obedience training. She comes in fast on a recall and close enough so she just 'bumps' my stomach with her nose, but by the time she rocks back into a sit her head is a good distance away - I can touch her without moving so its probably OK by the rules, but it's not the look I am after. Her back feet stay planted from the time her nose touches me to the sit, but she rocks back to sit and is long enough in body that that creates some distance. How do I get her to move her back feet up to sit, rather than rocking back? She is very soft (young sighthound) and just getting the hang of this training thing, so whatever I try needs to suit that temperament. Any suggestions?

From experience with one of my dogs I'd avoid splinting, vet insisted it was necessary but her toes refused to heal at all until the splint was removed and she could put a little weight on them. The splint was also a disaster for bone density in her leg, which was described as 'egg shell' like (from an x-ray) when the splint was removed, had to be very careful with her to avoid a leg fracture until normal use built it up again. If it happened again I'd just keep the dog quiet (not easy I know).

If they have been slaughtered for human consumption I wouldn't think there would be any more need to freeze goat than mutton or lamb, unless they were feral rather than farmed. I can't help with the fish. The only fish I feed is Salmon heads (or tinned sardines/tuna) and they don't get any special preparation.

That would be an interesting study.

There a certainly very different opinions around on feeding pork and offal, for fear of hydatid or trichinosis contamination, and some find pork too fatty for their dogs too. I buy human-grade pork and offal and feed it raw without any problems, but I understand why some still can't trust that. My dogs get: Wild rabbit (whole, and a huge favourite) Chicken (whole, pieces, frames, necks, hearts, livers, feet) Lamb (off cuts, leg roasts (when cheap), shanks, necks, kidneys, heart, liver) Beef (off cuts, heart, kidneys, liver, brisket bones) Pork (roasts (when cheap), tails, hocks, whole legs) Duck (frames and wings) Salmon (heads) Goat (liver, and meat when it's cheap enough) The only meat they can't tolerate is kangaroo, and it's only one who reacts to it, but it's easier to feed them all the same so I skip it altogether these days. I avoid feeding weight bearing bones from large animals because of the risk of slab fracures of the teeth, but most of the other bones get entirely consumed. They get a BARF mix for the veges occassionally, but less often than most BARF feeders probably. A good kibble is an occassional back-up, in case it's someone other than me feeding them, but here is no doubting they do best on the meat/offal/RMB's.

It's 13% for the Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organic

My dogs really like it, and they don't much like kibble as a rule. It's not a large enough part of thier diet for me to judge how much it is influencing their condition really (they largely get RMB's and BARF) but they certainly haven't suffered for being on it, which is not true of other super premiums I've tried.

No I don't think I agree that it's a negative punisher. The 'unwanted' behaviour simply elicits no reponse, nothing is changed in the dog's environment, there is no consequence, the stimulis conditions are unaltered. If the reinforcer was in sight and removed at the wrong response I'd agree it is a negative punisher, also maybe if I used a no reward maker (I need to think about that one), but if simply nothing happens? It's not then negative punishment in my lexicon, maybe we are using different frameworks. Edited to be a bit clearer, hopefully

Not sure why you would only focus on + and - punishment, and exclude + and - reinforcement? The way I think of it, punishment, both + and -, works to decrease the likelihood of a behaviour occuring; reinforcement, both + and -, works to increase the likelihood of a behaviour occuring. So if I want to instill a behaviour, rather than shut one down, I'll go the reinforcement route. Works for me too, I respond very well to reinforcement

I'm by no means expert in these things, but as I understand it Vit K is crucial in blood clotting, it's presence is necessary to activate clotting. I think the rat poisons which work by causing internal bleeding, like warfarin, do so by reducing the body's ability to make stored Vit K available for these processes. The common antidote for people and animals is to administer Vit K. I imagine an excess of Vit K is possible, but it doesn't seem to have the same risk profile or consequences as overdoses of the other fat soluble vitamins. Happy to be contradicted if anyone knows more.

Freezing meat does not kill bacteria, it just slows down or stops their multiplication until the meat is rewarmed. Freezing does kill some parasites.

I don't think you are wrong piper, a sales pitch pretending to be a third party recommendation is what it looks like. Bonmedia the name of the outfit that runs the ebay store that sells Val Bonney's products.

There is a DYI hydrobath place in Hume, dog world I think it's called. I don't use it but know several people who do and they have force dryers. On the up side, all the grass verges and unwatered parks were mowed here the other day, maybe they are on their way to your suburb next. The grass was unusually high because of the summer rain and I'd taken a lot of my usual walking routes off the agenda because of grass seeds and snake paranoia, all back to normal now.

I certainly don't add fruit to their food but they are free to graze on it in the yard if they want to - strawberries, blueberries, blackberrries, apricots, cherries, plums, apples and pears - they have no interest except for the strawberries which one will nibble on sometimes. If they don't want to help themselves I won't make them eat it by adding to their dinner The current foster does like to chew the zucchinis, but I think that is just for fun.

Black Dog have a 5m lead and an 11m tracking lead

But I bet the dog came! If my young Borzoi won't come I lie down or pretend to be interested in something on the ground, she can't stand it and has to come see what I'm doing. But she is still a youngster and hasn't had much training, if she is actually interested in something else she responds far quicker to the recall than if we are just mooching along, when she seems to think she can take it on notice and get back to me. For the more general question, the answer depends too much on the situation and the dog for me to tick one of the answers, it's not a one size fits all situation. I don't consider myself purely postive either, I find I use P- and R- as well, although very little P+.

L & L, have you considered a consultation with a specialist orthopaedic vet? I expect the kind of trauma you describe is beyond even a really good general practice vet's expertise. A`specialist would be able to give you a better idea of the options and likely outcomes. I know we have a good one here in Canberra as she performed a carpal arthrodesis on my dog's injured leg, but you are sure to have someone closer. Settrlvr is right about getting some kind of Bowen or other muscle therapy, dogs compensate for the disfunctional limb by putting excessive strain on other muscles, it helps with their general wellbeing and comfort to get them 'rebalanced' occasionally. That said I do know a couple of three leggged dogs and they cope really well, especially it seems if the missing limb is a back leg. Cazz, whatever you decide your dog will not "blame you forever", dogs just don't think like that. Good luck with whatever you decide, it's a hard decision. Ane, if you had the kind of work you describe done on a dog for just $150 more than amputation your vet is a saint. The normal cost would be in the thousands.

I'm no expert but as you aren't getting many replies as yet - Many obedience clubs have 'kindergarten' classes starting from 3 months of age and a well run kindy class is a good place to continue socialising your pup. I'm not in your area so can't recommend anywhere but if you post in the training forum I'm sure someone would have recommendations. If you have friends with stable, well mannered older dogs they can be an asset too. Just be careful to avoid free running with dogs you don't know or trust, you only want good experiences at that age. She is totally gorgeous.

Maybe they are do-gooders, or maybe it's just to easy to leap to judgement and whack on a label.

In regard to your last post TonyMc, yes some people do expect their dogs to fulfill their needs in ways not appropriate or fair on the dogs, and you end up wih confused or highly stressed dogs as a result. Totally agree. That's not confined to rescue dogs though, or even the imagined abuse scenario. While most 'average' rescue dogs owners may have turned to rescue because they preferred to help a dog in need, they aren't necessarily more or less prone to this problem than the average owner, the abuse reasoning is just closer to hand when their understanding and experience doesn't stretch to cover what they are seeing. Pure breed owners may be more prone to blame 'bad breeding' for example, often just as falsely. There are lots of messed up people needing help with more than their dogs around, but even more well meaning people just in need of a bit better understanding of the species they have taken into their home. I think we have lost a lot of that experiential learning about animals through the generations but most people I have come across are open to it. Maybe I am just an optimist, but I have seen lots of people move from making excuses for their dogs behaviour to learning to modify it, with half-decent, objective and sensitive advice. Edited to add that I don't disagree with with your basic premise abut setting boundaries at all, however the do-gooder label is unhelpful. Most people benefit from information, presented so as to make sense to them, not snide labels.