Aphra

My local, not very big Coles supermarket has clickers and treat bags for sale in the animal section. They're quite good quality and pretty cheap <$10.

Frankly, given the number of dogs coming through rescue who nobody had bothered to train at all, which is probably the reason they were abandoned in the first place, I reckon they should be grateful that Milan's message has been so popular that people are actually interested in training their dogs. Dogs are pretty robust in their interactions with each other, they are not sickly infants prone to the vapours if they receive a reprimand. I don't think alpha rolling is safe or effective, but the message about clear leadership and consistent discipline is a good one for dogs on the whole. Perhaps the British have solved the unwanted dog problem and can now turn their attention to less important issues?

He's probably got kennel cough; it takes a while for the vaccines to work and most dogs from pounds seem to get kennel cough. Most dogs recover in a week or so without too much drama, if there is a lot of coughing you can use Benadryl Original cough medicine ... 5-10 mil up to four times a day. If he seems distressed, the cough gets much worse or there is coloured snot coming from his nose he probably has a secondary infection and will need antibiotics. Basically treat him as if he was a child with a cold ... warm and quiet.

Godwin's Law And certainly the credibility of the watchdog site is pertinent to the discussion. If the motives of the witness are clearly biased because of a financial interest, then the facts and the way they present those facts are naturally going to be suspect. If you were serious about investigating issues around PETA or the HSUS then I'd expect that you would validate any issues presented by the watchdog site using other sources. I'm not even sure why you're all lathered about PETA and the HSUS who have little visibility in Australia. The RSPCA don't exist in the US, so I'm assuming the CCF don't have anything to say about them at all. And really, calling people "blinkered supporters" because they "quibble" over is dishonest and a bit hysterical. You can be opposed to PETA but wish for any criticism to be based on spin-free facts on the grounds that intelligent opposition needs to be both intellectually defensible and ethically viable. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title...6_Berman_.26_Co. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Front_groups

I'm reposting this, it was written by a really excellent American trainer called Virginia Wind, so the copyright is hers. I've found it a really excellent technique for introducing new dogs to each other while keeping everyone safe and unstressed. Meet Me in the Middle – The Best Way To Introduce Dogs Training article by Virginia Wind --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meet Me in the Middle – The Best Way To Introduce Dogs Parallel Walking and Arcing (ala Turid Rugaas) Parallel walking is the best way to introduce dogs to each other. Sometimes dogs will get along right away, but it is always better to be safe than sorry if you have the opportunity to be safe. You will need an open area; parks are good places for this. Empty areas of parking lots are also good, or even a quiet street can work. Start at the same end with about 40’ between the dogs if possible. If 40’ is not possible, then be as far apart as you can. If either of the dogs reacts to each other, move further apart. Note: “react” does not necessarily mean lunge and bark. Watch the other dog – if the other dog doesn’t like what the dog making a fuss is doing, you’ll know the dog making a fuss is reacting. If the other dog doesn’t care, the dog making a fuss is not “reacting”. Dogs always know when another dog is serious, we don’t. What to do: if one dog is making a fuss, and the other dog is not concerned, do not reprimand the dog who is barking/lunging. Be a tree. Stand still. Be quiet. Wait. The dog will eventually stop making a fuss (I promise! I know it will feel like forever, but it won’t be forever). What the dog has just learned is that barking and getting excited around another dog causes –nothing- to happen. This is a very good thing for a dog to learn. Walk in parallel to the “end”, the “end” should be a comfortable distance, this is not a marathon. Then turn and walk back. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Let the dogs look at each other, let them stop and sniff the ground and look around. This is a very casual walk, always with nice loose leashes. Dogs are much more likely to be reactive on a tight leash. Slowly move closer and closer together as you turn at each end. Watch the dogs for any signs of stress or reactivity. When you are about 10’ apart, then one person stays at one end and the other person walks to the far end because it’s time to start arcing. Start walking directly towards each other. When you are about 20’ away from each other, start arcing towards your right so as you pass, the people are between the dogs. Each of you makes a semi-circle so when you pass there is about 20’ between you. Then you arc back to the middle and walk in a straight line. Go to the “end”, turn and come straight towards each other again. Slowly get closer and closer before you start arcing and slowly decrease the arc so that you are passing about 3’ from each other. The dogs will probably be showing friendly interest in each other or not be paying much attention to each other and you’re done. Grazing (ala Pam Dennison) If you think a dog has any food aggression, do not use grazing! You will need a somewhat large area, having 40’ between the dogs to start is good, but this works in smaller areas, as long as they can safely be held away from each other if there is a problem. Both people start tossing food on the ground. In reactive dog class, we use cheese balls, big puffy orange snacks, because it’s very easy for the dogs to see them. Let the dogs start snacking. Slowly toss the treats closer and closer together. Eventually the dogs will be eating right next to each other. Because the dog’s heads are down, the dogs are “not a threat” to each other and will calmly accept each other. Note: At any sign of aggression (watch the dogs tail positions for clues and watch the other dog for a reaction), move the dogs further apart by tossing food further apart. Alternatives 1. Neutral territory is always better than the resident dog’s property. A neighbor’s lawn, the sidewalk a few houses away, any place you can utilize is better than the resident dog’s property. 2. Taking a walk is always better than not taking a walk with the dogs. Dogs learn a lot about each other just by walking with each other. 3. Outside is always better than inside. If there is no alternative, use the resident dog’s yard. If possible use an unfenced part of the yard. This allows dogs multiple escape routes and is less stressing. 4. Lighted areas are always better than dark areas. 5. If there is no alternative and the dogs must meet in the house, do it in a room with more than one entrance/exit if possible. 6. If there are multiple dogs in the home, introduce the most submissive dog first and go up to the more dominant dog last. The lower ranking dogs are warning system and if the scaredy cat dog(s) accept the new dog, the higher ranking dogs will usually accept the new dog with no problem. Key Points 1. Always proceed slowly. If you rush things or are impatient, the dogs can pick up on your tension. Take lots of deep breaths, relax and use the time to observe the dogs observing each other so you can learn more. Observing dogs is the best way to learn about dog behavior. 2. If a dog is making a fuss, remember to watch the other dog. The other dog will always know if the fuss is a threat or just a fuss. 3. If a dog pulls, be a tree. Stand still. Be quiet. The dog will eventually stop pulling and will learn that pulling means that nothing happens. 4. Keep the leads as loose as possible. So many dogs are reactive on tight leads that there is a book written about it. 5. Get “Calming Signals” book and video by Turid Rugaas and observe and learn from her. For example, most people think that when dogs are stiff while being sniffed by another dog, this is “scary”. It’s not. The stiff posture while allowing other dogs to sniff is telling the sniffing dogs “I’m not a threat”. Copyright 2003 Virginia Wind

It's probably good to balance this with some information about who the "Center for Consumer Freedom" actually are: http://www.consumerdeception.com/index.asp A couple of extracts: and I'm not a fan of HSUS or PETA, but the CCF aren't a disinterested watchdog, they have a vested financial interest in discrediting these organisations on behalf of big business.

She will eat, I was rewarding her last night with some lamb off-cuts which she happily gnawed away on and finished over night. She was quiet all night, although she was probably very tired.

We got a new foster dog yesterday who is about four months old, a Silky Terrier blend, as cute as a button, very sweet tempered and very smart, BUT, when she's left alone she barks and barks and barks and barks ... and this is not just lonely puppy barking, this is verging on hysteria. When she's with you she's happy, out-going and well-behaved. When she's not with you she's the canine equivalent of driving a spike through your ear. Unless your neighbours were all deaf she's not a good rehoming prospect. However, I spent about ten minutes with her last night. She was in a crate and every time she barked I turned my back on her, when she was quiet I praised her and gave her attention. Within that short time you could see her actually rethink the barking bit, so I think she's very trainable. At home last night I did basically the same thing, put her in a crate in a room, every time she barked I left the room and closed the door, only going back to her when she was quiet. This morning I went through the same thing, although she has escalated her barking a bit and it took me a while to get her quiet enough so I could let her out of her crate. When she was running around with me I basically ignored her unless I initiated contact, and then I made her sit before I gave her any attention, she picked that up pretty quickly too. She slept quietly through the night without making any noise, so she can stay quietly by herself if she needs to. I suspect that as a very cute little puppy she got lots of attention when she was noisy just because she was cute, and then got lots of attention when she was noisy because its the only way to shut her up, so the behaviour was both taught and reinforced. I'm not a great dog trainer so am I on the right track? I will need to have her at least behaving reasonably before we can find her a home, and I'll probably need a simple program for her new owners to follow to keep her on the right track. I realise that she's probably been doing this for much of her short life, so it might not turn around immediately, but the sooner the better for her (and me :-). Any suggestions most gratefully accepted.

In the 1940s an Italian writer called Piero Scanziani saw some dogs of this type and was so impressed by them that he began a kennel to breed them. The first six such dogs were exhibited in Italy in 1946 and the standard was codified in 1949 by Dr Scanziani. I think it is generally accepted that there were a number of out-crosses to other breeds, including the Mastiff, in order to achieve the modern type of dog. 3. How common is it in Australia? They used to be quite uncommon, but are increasing in popularity. There are now a number of registered breeders, and, sadly, a number of backyard breeders. 4. What is the average lifespan? 8-10 Years 5. What is the general temperament/personality? I write this description on DOL a while ago which sums up my experience with them. It's a bit like someone crossed a big clown with the Terminator and then added a whole lot of slime to the result and called them Neapolitan Mastiffs. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? My male is a very active dog and requires quite a lot of exercise. My female is a bit more sedate, but she's still pretty active. They don't have the activity needs of a Border Collie, but they do seem to need to run, although not all that far or fast. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? I wouldn't think so. Mine are pretty stubborn and hard-headed and they like to make their own decisions. They are also big and very strong, so their size might pose a psychological challenge to a first-time owner. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I think that would depend on the dog. They can be incredibly noisy, so if you were going to leave one alone you'd want to make sure it was happy. They seem to thrive on routine, and are happiest when things happen according to an accepted plan. 9. How much grooming is required? Not much, they have short, bristly coats. They shed strangely once a year and can look extremely moth-eaten for a few weeks with brown patches, bald patches and flaky skin. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Emphatically yes. They are very far from gentle giants. They are rough, strong dogs. Mine play by head butting, slapping each other with their paws and barreling into each other. They don't seem to have any idea of personal space at all and wherever you are they seem to have got their a nanosecond before, just in time for you to trip over them. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Yup. The Neo has a small gene pool. They can suffer hip dysplasia, hyperthyroidism, cherry eye and heart disease amongst others. The exaggerated skin folds can lead to skin problems. Being a large, deep chested breed they can also be prone to bloat. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) From Magnufi: http://www.magnufi.com.au/health2.htm

Sorry for the off-topic aside, but ... Sadly, we had to have Wilma put to sleep yesterday. When we took her in for desexing she was found to be full of mammary cancer. It's so sad, she was such a sweet tempered and funny dog; she adored humans and just wanted to be near them. She should have had a lovely life with people who cared about her instead of being used as a breeding machine by some low-lifes. Vale sweet Wilma, I hope there are any number of tummy rubs over the bridge for you.

I think we've got the mother of your Wolfie girl Cazstaff. I only worked out on Saturday that there were two very similar dogs, and Karley said they were mother and daughter. The mum (I called her Wilma) is the funniest dog, she looks like a coffee table crossed with a flokati rug.

I hope your dogs recover soon Winterpaws. But a tip for getting runny poo out of the carpet. If you get up as much as you can with paper or whatever, then cover the patch with cheap shampoo or the kind of cleaner which is a bit thick and viscous the stuff which has run into the carpet rises to the surface and be cleaned off. You'll then need to clean the patch with clean water a few times so that the cleaner is all out.

Thank you! I'll pass both of those suggestions on. :-)

I've had a request from someone who believes they have a pair of aggressive Labs (?) for suggestions for a behaviourist or trainer in Adelaide. I don't have any details, but I'm imagining perhaps a couple of active dogs without much leadership. In any event, if anyone knows anyone they might recommend who could help (as good at training people as dogs!) I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

I think I'd be delighted my Neos and my Anatolian didn't have sufficient drive to protect me like that. Their nerves might be up to it; I'm not sure mine would be!

Well, I dunno poodlefan. If you tried to throw me in the swimming pool I might well bite you hard and scream like a banshee.

Well, my Anatolian is a nice boy and is perfectly civil in public. However, I think the discussion here is about two, slightly different things. The first one is about the potential of any dog to be willing to protect its owner, whether that's due to some understanding of threat, or simply pack or resource guarding. I think anecdotally its true that for whatever reason, there are many dogs of many different breeds who will offer some kind of protective behaviour, with or without training. But the second issue is more about how individual dogs or breeds will deal with a threat issue. I believe that one of the reasons why the working breeds, such as Rotties or GSDs are better suited for training in personal protection work is because they will rely on the judgement of their handler. My experience with the guardian breeds, which is, I admit, limited to my own dogs, is that they are pretty independent about making a decision as to whether protection is required, and will rely on their own judgement and not their owner's as to when to escalate or back down. So, anecdotally, my ACD sees something worth making a fuss about he'll desist if I ask him too. If my Neo thinks that there is a threat, he's not really interested in my opinion. I can call him back but he'll be unhappy about it, and left to his own devices will patrol until he believes there is no longer a threat. And from the history of the guardian breeds that makes sense, since the LGDs and guarding breeds were expected to do their thing independently. It makes them unsuitable, on the whole, for PP training because once they respond to a threat they'll want to make their own decisions about what to do about it. I have no idea how far any of my dogs would take this behaviour since they've never been in the situation, and if something did happen, I'd think it was my job to protect them and not vice versa. So for me their role is purely symbolic.

But presumably there is some instinct in dogs to"protect" (whether that is just warning off, or actual damage) their territory or resources? I would have though that protective behavior in a dog is probably about guarding a resource (where the owner is the resource) or defending their pack and territory, which are also resources? I have three dogs from guardian breeds (2 Neos and an Anatolian). My male Neo displays guarding behaviour, although I have no idea if that would translate into protecting me rather than his territory. My female Neo would run and hide. The male Anatolian has run barking at someone who came into the paddock one day when I was with him. When the person turned out to be someone he knew he settled immediately. Both the male Anatolian and the male Neo are friendly with people in general. The female Neo is shy and nervous and won't go near most visitors, known or unknown. In both instances I'd say they were protecting their territory and I happened to be in it, but resource guarding is pretty typical dog behaviour, whether the resource is me because I hand out food, a bone or their favourite bed.

This is how I feed my dogs as well. I feed a mixture because I live in the country now and it's harder to get as much raw food at a decent price. So my dogs get kibble + in the mornings (+ a bit of Nature's Gift tinned food/or tinned sardines/or yoghurt/or a raw egg/ or whatever). When they go into their runs they get a bone (raw) to chew on and in the evenings they get one or two chicken frames. Occasionally they will get some of the Ecopet roll for the evening meal instead of chicken. I usually supplement their kibble with a couple of flaxseed oil capsules and the older dogs get glucosamine. They are not noticeably less shiny/healthy/active then when they ate all raw.

Except, of course, that I don't lick my privates ... I use malaseb, but I'm glad for the other ideas to keep on hand.

I'm glad your boy is OK. My little dog Rupert is like this, he's always scavenging for food. He's a whippet X and despite my best efforts looks like a barrel on legs; he'll eat anything that doesn't run away from him and seems to have a sixth sense for hidden food, even a molecular-sized crumb lurking in the long grass. He'll steal your lunch, go through the rubbish, nick the big dog's food, steal horse feed, eat the cat's food, he'll even lick the cats in case they've got a bit of food left on them. One night he ate what must have been a couple of kilos of chook pellets, he was bulging with food, even his eyes were popping he was so stuffed, in years of owning greedy dogs I have seriously never seen anything like it. Any other dog would have bloated and died, but the next morning Rupert was as right as rain and waiting impatiently for his breakfast. So in honour of Rupert and dogs like him:

Thanks Rappie and Winterpaws. Will send you an email Rappie, and I'd appreciate the info Winterpaws when you've got time. The vets are treating her with steroids, I don't know about antibiotics, I'll know more this afternoon. This little girl has already escaped death twice, it seems so sad that at the point where she would be able to find a loving home she should get so sick.

This morning Fortuna's blood count had dropped further and her only option was a blood transfusion. I had a long talk with the vet, and with Trish, but I decided that I would ask the vet to have Fortuna PTS. This was not on the grounds of cost, but because she was declining and hadn't stablised, so that putting her through a blood transfusion might be just prolonging the inevitable and stressing an already sick cat. I went down to the vet clinic to be with her when she was euthanized, but she died ten minutes before I got there. It was a gentle gift from her, because at least I could be sure I'd made the right decision. She wasn't with me for very long, but Fortuna was a lovely cat. She was a shoulder cat, so when I was in her room cleaning her litter trays she'd be draped over my shoulders purring in my ear. She loved climbing trees, so when I let her play outside more often than not she'd be up one of the big pine trees keeping an eye on things. She was a gentle girl who happily curled up with any foster kittens for a nap. I'm just sorry she didn't have the chance to find her own home. Thank you to everyone who replied. I suppose at the least I've learned another thing about cats. ... apparently it occurs more often in dogs than cats, so I thought that someone here might have had some experience. One of my foster cats was speyed last Monday, she seemed to be OK, a little quiet, but normal. Late Saturday night she suddenly seemed really flat, white gums, uncomfortable, vomiting a bit. I suspected an infected from the speying, kept her comfortable overnight and off to the vet Sunday morning. Her red blood cell count is a third of what it should be, and this is the condition they suspect. I've never even heard of it and I'm a bit shocked. I'm not sure what will happen - if she's not likely to recover without extensive treatment she'll probably be PTS because we don't really have the funds to cover last-ditch treatment. I'm happy to do any nursing that is required, but I have no idea of the prognosis, from what I've read on the web the outlooks seems poor. She's a really lovely cat, incredibly affectionate and seemed, before this, to be pretty healthy. Has anyone dealt with the condition, in cats or dogs?

I fed my dogs the Bonnie working dog for a long time and they did well on it, but the formula seemed to change and it wasn't as good. At six months of age I wouldn't worry about feeding her the working dog; many large breed dogs are better off with the adult formulas even as small puppies. Currently I'm feeding my dogs the Ecopet dry food which; $34 for 10 kilos, so probably more at the expensive end. I've also fed the Supercoat working dog, which is a decent food, but seems increasingly difficult to find at feed stores.

I prefer flaxseed oil to fish oil as well. Since I've been giving them flaxseed oil my female has had no recurrence of the odd skin infections she used to get on her back. They were all on fish oil for years, but the flaxseed oil seems to be better for them - my male Neo's coat is magnificent this year, after a winter on flaxseed oil. I give them the capsules of oil, since mine are big dogs I just use the suggested human dosage.