Staffyluv

He swims in this one nearly every day and the lead stays on, so it goes in with him. zig 5.5.13 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr If there is a puddle or mud, he is in it.. Zig wet dog 2 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr

If it helps any disintegratus, Zig swims in his collar nearly every day. He rolls in the mud, digs, scratches and does all the doggie stuff that staffs do. I clean it every couple of weeks and use the leather conditioner on it as well - sometimes I do it once a month (shh don't tell Ruth).. Both of Zig's collars and leads, still look brand new. The leads are so soft in your hand and strong - Zig is a puller on lead and gives them (and me) a mighty workout sometimes. I will never buy anything other than Ruthless leather now I have it. Still pondering one of their gorgeous harnesses - or a new collar in red and aged brass.. There is loads to choose from and they customise as well.

I forgot she called it DOLS - she's a freaking moron. Sas, I would send that email to the silly girls boss.. Show them what they have working for them. Maybe when there are consequences to their tirades they might back off a bit - the whole lot of them are the same.

I have 2 Ruthless collars and leads and both exceeded my expectations by miles. One flat collar for just cruising around town and one martingale training collar. I have a normal lead to go with the flat collar and the longer training lead (that you can change to 3 different lengths). Training Collar Zigs new collar 11.12 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr Flat Collar IMG_0239 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr Let me assure you they are made tough from the loveliest leather - it is soft and very strong.

I have never cut Zig's. We have a concrete drive down the side of the house that he plays fetch on. I walk him on the footpath for about half his daily exercise (the rest is on the grass). When ever I notice his nails and think I should trim them on the weekend by the time the weekend gets here, they seem to be fine again. In all of Ollie's life, I think his nails were cut twice and that was when he got older and didn't do as much exercise. He was walked the same as Zig is every day (unless it is really bucketing down).

Just read the update - so sorry Anne. Poor Boof. Writing it out does make it clearer (it used to for me). I can't offer any advice on the spleen stuff, just wanted to send good wishes your way for the lad.

Saw this on Facebook this morning and thought it was cute

A bit of a brag today - fat head did his training on a loose lead. The whole session was loose lead. Can you believe it! He was standing next to a 6 month old cocker pup and a 2 year old BC cross - only about 2 metres away from him on both sides and he sat there and focused on me the whole time. Don't you just love the great days

I have that book on my reading list but unfortunately I have been so busy with work that I just haven't read anything that is not tax/accounting related in months.. I think you are spot on in teaching tricks for getting that rehearsed response, when they panic. Zig just gets really excited. It doesn't help that his focus is on pups these days as they are probably more excited than a calmer older dog. He seems to gravitate toward all the excitable dogs. If there is a dog bouncing around, he wants to be in that as well. I have found walking away a good tool fort this as distraction and or blocking just doesn't seem to work, we have to leave so he can't see the other dog so excited. We are back to training today and I haven't taken him for a run this morning to burn off energy. I am going to test him to see if I can use that energy to get his focus. He is always on a bit of a high when he runs and excited because he just loves to run full pelt as fast as he can. So my plan today is go in calm and focused from the get go.

Am I the only one annoyed that they only play the first part (haven't seen the second part yet) over and over and over again.. They always take a good ad and flog it to the point of being ridiculous. Last night in one ad break, they played the first part of this ad twice in four ad breaks, in the same show... But I concur he is a very handsome and clever dog. :D

I used to use RR for my old stafford. I would just open his mouth and put a few drops on his toungue (the same as for me).. Or I would put 5 drops in his water bowl (held about litre of water).. Ollie used this for years. I haven't tried it on the new guy yet but then he doesn't really need anything like it.

Good job. If Zig sat still long enough, I would put him up. He is sitting at just under 26kg, has all vaccinations and is healthy as a horse.. I think they would have to lightly sedate Zig - I will ask at the vets next time I go up if they ever need it. Question - do dogs have different blood groups like humans or is it all just the one type?

My kids were always taught to ask if they could pat a dog - never just approach one..

Oh thanks so much for those video links - I will have a better look tonight but I think they are just what we need.. I am more comfortable with him Snook, I think because I watch him more - I see things I didn't notice before. Even things like the twitch and lengthening of his neck, when he sees something interesting in the distance - it is so subtle and if I see it and redirect him, he comes back to me every time.. I think the times I don't see this little movement is the time that I lose him. I scored so well taking him to obedience, the instructors there help build our confidence as well.

Excellent in thinking to teaching more tricks! I don't know what club you go to but it helped my dog when I changed clubs and went to one that used the yellow ribbon/bandanna that says "give me space". So the other handlers gave my dog room. It's not so much that he needs space - it is more his distraction when there are other dogs close to him. If they are close, he seems to just want to play but if we move forward or back from the line (not sure if this is out of his line of sight while he is working or not) - he works so much better. I will definitely be teaching him some tricks to keep him occupied between learning commands - this seems to be his time for the biggest distraction, while we are waiting and listening to the instructor. On that note - does anyone have any You Tube links or DVD recommendations for teaching tricks? I can read about it but find I learn better by seeing what is done..

This guy isn't in your area (he is in NSW) but this might give you some ideas. He uses old garden sheds, cuts them down and encloses the front sections.. Pet runs

Agree with others - check the DOL breeder pages and also check out this on breed standard and some information on those who have bred or owned the breed. DOL Breeds 101 Amstaff

Good job with Mr Justice, Snook - he is doing so well.. Zig and I went back to intermediate obedience this morning and I had high expectations - I don't know why, I just did.. It took 45 minutes for him to settle into working - all he wanted was to go to the other dogs. Major (Choc Lab) and Zig are now in separate classes as they have exactly the same temperament and can't get enough of the bouncing around in each others faces - so that makes life a little easier. He was definitely overstimulated and it took me way to long to get his focus. Not his fault - totally mine. Going back over the session, once I got home and thought about it - he gets bored in between doing stuff (there is lots of instruction time and not so much actual doing time).. So I am going to work on a couple more tricks and get him working in between doing what we are supposed to be doing in class. I find if I can keep him one or two steps in front of the other dogs or behind them (not in the line with them), then he works better. Mind you once I got his focus, he was awesome and did everything asked of him - I think being back in such a large group of dogs was just so exciting.. Back to the same old issue I have always had - his focus when other dogs are around.. He just seems to value other dogs over everything else. He also picked up all the new things straight away - it is almost like he already knows what I want him to do most of the time.. I did come away thinking about how to keep his focus more - doing tricks in class while we wait is the best one I can think of. I am looking forward to the challenges this time around again and improving his focus..

I was amazed at how much room is in the bag - I have everything in there and I could easily fit much more.. So many pockets to put things in.. We are just getting ready to leave.. Here is hoping all the stuff we have been doing over our 4 week break is enough to keep him on track when we get back today.

I am so sorry to hear Kobe is gone shepherds. Take a deep breath and take care of yourself. When I lost Ollie dog, I don't really remember the days surrounding his loss - I know what I did but I think we get a but numb to it (grief does funny things).. The Rainbow Bridge forum will still be there in a few days - post when you feel ready to share. RIP Kobe, there are lots of DOL doggies gone before you that will look after you.

Thanks all, We are back to training tomorrow morning and our bag is all set up now. We have kept up the commands and I have been trying to introduce the drop on recall - where he comes running back and drops in front of me. Bugger did it perfectly the first few times and now keeps running past me. I wanted him to do it as I was so impressed with the gorgeous GSD who did an advanced obedience demonstration on our assessment day.. Zig had a play date today with a little poodle and they had so much fun. I tried his recall while he was playing and it was fine. Thanks for the idea about the ginger biscuits. I tried them and he bought them back up about 10 minutes into our trip. Maybe it is because he has never had anything like this before?? He is raw fed except for a very small amount of kibble he gets in his kong if I have to go out for a long day at work. He also gets a bit of devon and cheese as training treats but he is mostly trained with a tennis ball (as he doesn't have much interest in food at all).. I might call the holistic vet and see what she suggests.

Chilled out (with my socks) Ziggy 16.3.13 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr Mud monster - if there is water anywhere, he is in it. Zig wet dog 2 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr One of my favourites - I love his not so little white paws against his brindle coat. cute boy Jan 2013 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr

The oldies just break my heart - it seems so unfair that such a loyal animal can give the majority of his life to an owner, only to end up in a pound. I realise there are often crappy circumstances, like elderly people moving into nursing homes or passing away and the family don't want the dog (personally think this is a bit heartless) but it has always happened and always will. The excuses like we are having a baby, getting new carpet etc annoy me immensely. All we can do is take opportunities to remind people that dogs can and often do live much longer than 10 years - so they are a big commitment. As a dog lover, I probably hold my boy in much higher esteem than my family would if anything happened to me. In saying that, the youngest has promised he will look after him forever (and his girlfriend adores Zig as well)..

Juice if you read it they weren't my dogs. Someone deliberately let the dogs out. Sadly they were told they can't have a lock on their gate as it needed to be left available for services to get in and out such as meter readings. THey have now been told the correct info but they have just moved into this house and sadly lost a very much loved member of their family. Thanks for your imput. Hope it never happens to a furbaby in your family. Your poor friend and her poor dogs - what a terrible thing to happen. As horrible as it is, Juice is right - both sets of dogs were on the loose (whether they were let out or just escaped. How they were loose isn't relevant - don't get me wrong, that doesn't make what happened right in any way). As no one was there, no one knows which dogs were out first or which dogs started it, so all they have to go on is that both sets of dogs were on the loose. Some dogs will fight, both big and small - it is unfortunate when a small dog takes on a big dog (and vice versa) because the end result (without intervention) will rarely be a good one. I hope your friend and her dog can just move on - concentrate on getting her dog well. I really don't think that legally there is any recourse for getting funds back. I would however keep an eye out to see if the other dogs get out again and report it immediately - if they are serial escape artists, maybe being caught a few times by DAS rangers might make them do something better to keep the dogs in.

Happy Birthday to you Tempeh