Staffyluv

I wasn't a harness person until I started training Nix through k9 Pro. Zig was always a bit of a puller and he was trained out of it. Nix has NEVER been a puller and only had a harness until she was about 5 - 6 months old. If you train them right, dogs don't pull on a harness or a collar. Get onto Bec at K9 Pro for some tips on training for no leash pulling - it is a dream program and so easy to implement (and it works). Just in case anyone hasn't seen her yet: Ironklad Amstaffs Girl on Fire (Phoenix or Nix for short).. Just turned 13 months old.

For a puppy, I like the Puppia ones (they slip over the head, like a shirt and then the strap clicks up the back). Nice and soft for a puppy. I still use the largest ones as car harnesses for both my blockheads.

I have a bull breed here that was diagnosed with HD when he was very young. From the get go, we have used a chiro to help keep him aligned, he has regular injections (cartrophen or carprofen - something like that).. Last year (he was 4 yeas old at the time) we finally did stem cell therapy, after updated x-rays showed he had HD and ED, with his right hip being quite severely affected) His cells were harvested and two weeks later he was injected with his own cells in all joints. It was something like a one in one hundred chance but he had a 'flare up' from the injections in two joints, so had to be treated with laser and a heap of pain relief. He came good about week later and has never looked back - he continues to improve now. I no longer see in limp around after a run at the park. He can run and jump like all healthy dogs but I do limit the whole jumping thing because it is better to be safe than sorry. We still use the chiro about every 8 weeks (instead of every 2-4 weeks), just to keep him well aligned (he is a bull breed and plays hard). He also goes to Hydrotherapy, where he walks on an underwater treadmill for about 20 minutes now (it started out being 5 minutes and has built up) - this isn't cheap but totally worth it, as his muscle tone has improved so much. I don't know any one in Sydney that could help with this but our specialist vet, would know colleagues that could help. I would be happy to ask next time we are over for a check up, if you like. It's not cheap but honestly, the best thing we have done and I wish I had done it sooner - because the results we've seen are so amazing.

Good write up Rebanne and so true. I often questioned myself with Ollie dog years ago - where do you draw the line for treatments of terminally ill animals?? I stopped all his treatments and he still lived another few years, so we did well. But when his time arrived, it was quick and my gut told me he had enough. I still remember the vet saying that he could put him on a drip for the day but I would be back there again next week but it would buy us some time.. We had all the time, we needed - Ollie's timing was beyond bad (we had lost my husband just 3 weeks earlier) but I just couldn't bring myself to 'make him last another week - just for us'. So we said goodbye and it broke my heart but I also knew he was at peace. tdierikx - the save them all brigade are a nightmare. I see so many of them on the facebook groups donating money to save dogs that really shouldn't be saved. One recently was an really aggressive dog that even bit the hand of the handler when testing the dog with food - but they were still trying to save it. There were at least another dozen in the pound that were nicer dogs, would be better candidates for rehoming. But no - they put a 'this dog has been abused in the past and we must fix it' tag and then scream for donations... There are so many fraudsters in rescue now it isn't funny. Last week a 'rescuer' had a female (not spayed) beagle in care and was selling her for $400 on a buy, swap, sell page because she has spent enough money on her and won't get her money back, if she has her spayed...

Yep, he has come from being the most distracted dog, I've ever known, to one that actually likes to work.. We sure have come a long way - with the help of a few trainers and instructors over the last few years..

Thanks - there were some amazing dogs and handlers there. Our judge said it was the most impressive CCD ring he has seen in a while. It was challenging, even for the more experienced handlers and dogs with some of the distractions. There were a few of us that were real newbies to the ring and it was a bit nerve wrecking (I know it was for me - I was actually looking for excuses not to go ahead the day before, as you know). Thanks everyone - I am still in awe of my lad. He really did me proud on the day.

Thanks guys - we are pretty happy with our pass and look forward to competing again soon.

After my nerves almost getting the best of me - we finally entered and PASSED our first obedience trial. With a qualifying score of 90/100. The judge said he hasn't seen such a high scoring CCD ring in many years and that we should all be very proud of ourselves! 2016.7.9 Zig passes CCD Obedience trial by Jodie, on Flickr

OK. To the OP, please don't feed your dog chicken necks - I am sure there would another suitable alternative. My point was more to hide some sort of food around the yard (or where the dog hangs out most of the day), so it gives her something to do while you are out. Giving her something she is ALLOWED to do, may keep her amused enough to NOT do the things she isn't allowed to do.. I find dogs become troublesome, mostly when they are bored.

It definitely sounds like separation anxiety. First things first - start putting up everything you don't want trashed because it will take time to get settle the dog and retrain. Have you considered a thunder shirt? I have had good success with one for my lad - he only has anxiety when he is in unfamiliar places but we put his thunder shirt on and he is a lot less stressed. I have had a couple of foster dogs with issues - crate training helps heaps (especially when the dog sees the crate as a safe and secure place to go. I cover my crates with a sheet - over the top, down the front and back and one side (leaving the other side open, so the dog can come and go, while training. start by putting a few really good treats in the crate and reward the dog loads (lots of good puppy and pats).. Then leave it for a couple of hours and repeat. Then repeat after 15 minutes and again after 4 hours - vary the times between training. I find that if the dog sees the crate as a positive place, they will often settle in there, if you go out... Note this takes time, patience and consistency.. Also can you offer her toys, bones, kongs or other treat dispensers (I freeze cottage cheese and some tiny kibble bits in mine).. If you have a couple of dogs and one is a resource guarder - I probably wouldn't do the treat thing, unless you can be home and monitor the situation.. A big marrowbone can take hours of chewing fun. Can you introduce games for pup to play while you are out - hide and seek (put a few chicken necks or something around the yard and teach pup to seek them out).. Good luck - DOLers can probably recommend a behaviourist in your local area..

It seems like a lot but they're all completely handmade from scratch (so a lot of time goes in to them) and the quality is amazing - it will last the lifetime of your dog easily! Mine still looks as good as the day I got it at least 3 years ago. Yep, totally agree with Mel - the quality is outstanding and they will easily last a lifetime. My lad swims in a couple of his and has had one of them for 4 years and it still looks and feels like a new collar.

Another Ruthless fan here... Zig has 4 collars and 4 leads from them now - I adore them. The work is beautiful and you can't go past the quality.

Thanks TSD, right now it is looking extremely promising.

Thanks, it is good to hear others experience with it as well. I am glad to hear your client is doing so well!

It's been a while since I posted but thought our journey might help others. I found Ziggy at the local pound nearly 5 years ago no. At the time he was about 6 months old.. I always thought he had a funny gait and seemed 'stiff' in his back legs all the time. At about 18 months old he kept limping and we initially thought it was a knee issue. Our vet did x-rays and it showed quite bad HD in his right hip (he had some serious wear on the ball joint from where it was rubbing against the rest of the joint). His left hip was also showing wear and tear but not as bad as his right hip. So we have mostly managed it up to a few months ago when it was obvious he was having more pain and pulling up sore more often (he is a very active dog, walking, running and doing obedience). So the decision was made to do the stem cell therapy. First he was x-rayed again and this time his elbows were done again and it showed significant degeneration in all his major joints. He had some fat harvested from his abdomen about 4 weeks ago and then Wednesday last week he went back in for the injections. Both hips, both elbows, his knees and hocks were all injected. They take the stem cells from the fat and on the day of the procedure, they take blood and mix the stem cells with the blood (they spin something out of this as well).. Coming home, he seemed to be in a lot of pain - it was a long night. The next day, his pain didn't seem to lessen, so by mid morning we were back at the specialist for more pain relief and they also applied a pain relief patch (that would last a few days). He came home and pretty much slept the rest of the day and night away. Limping out to go to the loo a few times (I was taking him water, so he didn't have to get up much) - he had no interest in food at all. Friday rolled around and he was much happier. Still limping a bit but didn't seem to be in pain - just stiff. Saturday (just 4 days after), he was bouncing off the walls. We did our first 200-300 metre walk and he wasn't ready to get home but we were limited to short walks on lead. Sunday, more improvement and he was walking around with no stiffness to note. We did 3 x 200-300 metre walks down the street and back and he was happy to be out and about. Monday, it is almost like he is back to normal. No soreness that can be noted and he is positively bouncing off the walls and hanging to get out of the house. So we did 2 walks of about a kilometre each. Tuesday he didn't pull up sore from the longer walks yesterday but I gave him a slow day. Today, just one week since the procedure and I took him to the offlead park for a walk around. He loved being off lead and he even ran a bit but I limited this because he isn't supposed to be running too much just yet. He will continue to improve up to 90 days after surgery - so I have pretty high expectations :) He won't ever have to have the procedure again but if he becomes lame later on, we can do another procedure where they take blood, spin out the good stuff and inject that directly into his joints again. The initial fat harvest cost $1800 The stem cell extraction from the fat and subsequent injection procedure cost $3000 (with the extra pain relief - note not all dogs will require this extra pain relief).. So it is cheaper than hip replacements and so far, it is looking like it is going to make his quality of life, so much better.