poodlefan

Guilty Seriously contemplating this. Yes, have bought a yard with house attached. ;) Every jacket pocket I have seems to have liver treats, nappy (poo) bags or both.

I'd be more worried about him being cold. Any reason he can't be in a warmer room in his crate?

Ah... . not everyone..

Mine won't touch it

From reports I heard, it couldn't possibly be worse than last year.

I've also seen you make a quantum leap in ability in the space of a two day seminar Barb. Sometimes all you need to do such leaps is the right instruction from the right person who can demystify things for you. Same goes for course walking. It's an art. It can be learned and then practiced to see great improvements in both handling strategy and execution.

Nature's Gift also does "Mini Treats" or similar in small bags. They are very palatable kibble like treats.

Sorry to hear this - it's traumatic enough when its a strange dog that attacks yours. You've got some hard thinking to do... sounds like constant separation will be now required to keep the old boy safe. You may also wish to engage the services of an experienced trainer to assist with evaluating and managing the problem.

Find another trainer. If the current one isn't assisting, you deserve to spend your money on someone who will.

I'd say that's got more to do with the trainer than the dog.

I just tried the 1800 number and got a "temporarily suspended" message. Maybe they're moving?

Two different dogs bred for two different purposes and with quite different temperaments. Which of the two temperaments do you prefer? I prefer gundog temperament over the working dogs.. but that's me. A dog that is good with children is the product of careful selection, training and socialisation regardless of breed. Even then careful supervision is required. No breed is "great with kids" unless the work is put into them.

Have you tried sending an email??

My condition appears to be late onset. I get itchy about the 5 year mark. You've definitely forgotten how naughty pups can be by then.

Got my numbers yesterday. Saturday looks like the biggest day. 195 Hounds!! Should be a great weekend for dog watching.

Seems like a rough deal to me when the folk who do all the hard work get penalised by not being able to exhibit when other locals who do nothing can do so. I understand that there may be perceptions of bias but I still think its a raw deal. Its not so bad here where there are plenty of shows to enter but in more remote places, I'd have thought it would be a significant disincentive to joining a show/club committee.

Observations from training handlers: * Dogs don't care how good a trainer/handler you are provided you don't frustrate the pants off them or abuse them. Most dogs want to be with their handlers and please them. How well the team performs tends to matter more to the handler than the dog. If the dog has a good time, that's enough for them. * Handlers who start the first sentence after you explain something to them with "I can't" or "yeah but", sometimes have to be encouraged to suspend doubt or criticism and simply TRY what you are suggesting. As a handler I have to remember this too. Provided the suggestion isn't dangerous or damaging, trying won't hurt. Sometimes those who think they can't do something can surprise themselves. * Know all handlers are the worst of all to try to teach. When people continue to argue or refuse to take guidance from me, I stop trying to coach them and focus on those willing to have a go. Instructing handlers is a relationship - it doesn't work when one side of the team refuses to cooperate. * Handlers who act out their frustrations on the dog need a time out.

Vickie I think Step 1 is to make people aware that they do it.. because in my experience a lot aren't. For people, I try to encourage them to find the positives in what they can do and to view any shortcomings as just areas to work on. My pet hate is handlers who blame their dogs for their own lack of training and poor handling.. and I usually succumb to the overwhelming urge to point that out. But only in very positive and caring way of course. ETA: I can recall one handler who took a succession of drivey happy dogs through to slow, unwilling agility dogs with her negativity towards herself and them.. very hard to watch but in the end you tend to give up trying to coach when nothing you say or do changes their attitude.

Corvus, I hope for both your sake and your dogs that your run of good luck continues. Most people who say they've never seen a serious incident in a dog park get to revise that statement in the end. Fingers crossed its not one of your dogs on the receiving end. Of course most people want to take their dogs to off leash exercise areas. However not everyone who visits has the primary objective of letting their dogs socialise with other dogs when there. As it currently stands, other park user's behaviour makes it downright unsafe for many tiny dogs and pups to be there. There shouldn't be muggings at the gate, ganging up and chasing or dust ups over toys but they all occur. As I pointed out, no amount of socialisation will protect a dog or pup from physical harm - either intentional or not - if its in the wrong place at the wrong time. 60kg dogs and 3kg dogs is not a safe combination unless careful supervison and control is exercised by BOTH owners. If you want to talk the language of rights and responsilities I'd put it like this: In order to have the right to use an off leash exercise area, you should accept the responsibility to effectively control your dog and prevent it from interfering with others unless other owners permit it. I can dream but while off leash parks remain the law enforcement voids that they currently are, I doubt much will change.

That day has come and gone.. a long time ago. I think the behaviour I find the most objectionable is that those owners who express concern for the safety of their dogs are somehow held to be "over protective" or the inference is given that if the dog can't cope, there's something wrong with the dog or its upbringing. Advice like "don't pick your dog up" neglects to face the reality that a dog on lead, on the ground is a sitting duck for aggression. It can't fight and it can't flee. My advice is if you can't pick your dog up, let the leash go and give your poor dog a chance to defend itself.

Cook it.. at least initially. Then work backwards to less cooking.

oh no she is just a pomeranian and too be honest she only barks for attention, not that this is a good thing but she doesnt bark at everything. we just want her to realise that barking won't get her what she wants...... how to do this however is another story Yep, fixed my comment. I'm no great believer that teaching a dog to speak on cue eliminates unwanted barking. My dogs all sit on cue.. it doesnt' mean they don't sit any other time. You have to be absolutely rigorous in ensuring that her attention seeking behaviour is not rewarded... ever.

Ignoring her is about all you've got. You bought the wrong breed if you wanted a quiet dog I'm afraid.

There's a difference between what a dog can tolerate and what constitutes a risk to its safety. One can be managed by good socialisation (up to a point) and the other can only be dealt with by intervention and/or avoidance. No amount of "exposure" prepares a dog to handle being bitten, shaken or crushed. Sure some dogs can learn to cope with unacceptable rudeness or aggression by others. That may be fine for some dog owners if they detemine their dogs aren't at direct physical risk of harm. However, the question I ask myself is how desireable are the coping mechanisms dogs adopt in these situations. They cope by submitting to behaviour they shouldn't have to tolerate, by becoming pre-emptively aggressive, or by flight - all of which are hardly desireable responses IMO. My 4.5 kg Toy Poodle has had her butt sniffed by dogs up to Newfoundland size and she's fine with it. However a dog that wants to mouth her, grab her or squash her is NOT a situation where I'd expect her to "cope". She has little capacity to stop unwanted behaviour by a much larger dog without an aggressive response or flight.. not what you want to see in a multidog situation. I consider it my responsibilty to keep my dogs safe. Tiny dogs need more protection because they have less ability to withstand inappropriate behaviour or to defend themselves if they have to. Its that simple. If you don't have a tiny dog to protect count your blessings but I'd suggest you walk in the shows of a SWF owner before you determine that their concerns about dog parks are fantasy. Tiny dogs and baby puppies die in them. That's an indeniable fact. Despite the "aggressive SWF" stories that prevail, a significant proportion die because they meet the wrong dog, belonging to the wrong owner and through no fault of their own. That's also a fact. What the dog park bullies fail to care about is that tiny dog owners pay registration for their dogs and should be entitled to exercise them safely. A strategy of avoidance denies their dogs the freedom of safe off leash exercise in many dog parks and that's plain unfair. Same goes for owners of very young, very old and invalid dogs.

Yes, buy a crate and quickly!!