poodlefan

Nope. I'll start panicking on Thursday

So who's going guys? It's Howie's and my first show for the year! I know Diva and SSM and BMP are entered. I know some local ESS folk are going too. Who else should we look out for? It shouldn't be too dry this year! Forecast is 29 and showers.

Stroke was my first thought also.

My oldest boy Big Ted is taking on the Mynah problem one bird at a time. He killed three fledglings last summer. I can't say I was heart broken. Haven't noticed a nest this year.

Unless its paralysis ticks, venomous snakes or mosquitoes.

Yup! He hear's the rats and nudges her to follow him! I didnt think that was an indication though! I figure he just wanted to rat hunt with a buddy! I think its the little things that make me wonder. Like yesterday I dropped passionfruit icing on the floor. They both ran over and then stopped and no one would lick the icing. So I was like "One of you clean it up please.". Nothing happened for a few seconds and then Bitty moved in to lick the icing. Bubby just sat in front of me, giving me a huge smile so I have him a cookie for being a gentleman! Then they both trotted off after Bitty was done licking all the icing. I always thought one of them would muscle in and nab the icing before the other! Tonight, drop a nice piece of cooked meat on the floor and see what happens. :p

Yes, you are right...just have to get over that thought of needing to "protect him" that is nawing inside! If I decide to go as above and relocate him into the laundry and doggie door access do you think that he will get confused about being in a different location for sleeping, eating and toileting all over again when he has had everything down pat almost so far. No more confused that when you do it later... when it will be even more established as a habit. He could still sleep further into the house overnight. The more closely you confine this pup, the more he'll be forced to eat, sleep and eliminate in the one small space. That will destroy his natural inhibition about NOT eliminating near his eating and sleeping areas. Destruction of that inhibition is one of the reasons why pet shop pups are often nightmares to toilet train. He also needs access to sunlight, fresh air and space to romp in to develop into a healthy adult dog. If you're worried about his security, confine him to the backyard out of sight of the street and padlock gates when you are not at home.

And if they get back together, what then? Put the matter beyond any doubt and get him to transfer the microchip into your name. If he goes missing, I'm sure you'll want to be the person who gets the phone call. Make sure you register him with the council in your name too. I've seen quite a few versions of "papers" produced by unregistered breeders for their dogs. Some simply have the parents names. Is that what he's talking about? Was Dad's name xxx Silva Cloud and mum was Buffy?

Let's not forget that a pack order exists among most social animals for a reason. A stable pack lessens conflict. No pack order could equal a general free for all if competition is likely. No pack benefits from that. My 'alpha' dog doesn't fuss over much but all dogs know when they've pushed it too far. That goes for visitors too. Bub didn't you say that Bub leads their night hunts in the back yard?

I should have mentioned that...thanks! We don't have anywhere undercover that he could be protected from the weather; here in Melbourne we can have 4 seasons in one day, as we "joke" about. He can be outside when he gets a bit older as we have a good long area at the side of the house where he can have access to the laundry and will have an outside kennel. I'm just not confident that he would know how to protect himself from the weather yet, being a GR, I'd assume rain would not bother him...but me...that's another whole issue! I'd be teaching him to use a dog door and giving him laundry and outside access ASAP. Can't help with a recommendation on a puppy pad - have never used them.

Any reason he can't be in a pen outside during the day?

I'd say if neither dog wants a resource too badly its possible. But if there is competition, there will be a winner and a loser.

So sorry to hear of Hooley's passing Sandy. Run free Hooley

If all the dogs are with me, I use a Ccrates Securapen and a show trolley.

For a one day show? 3.5 hours each way. For doubles or triples? Longest so far is 5 hours I've driven 12 hours for a specialty.

If a Pug can get a tracking title, there's no reason why an Akita can't try.

How are your fingers? Honestly, I don't know about Cairns but you can't ruin the look of a Border through stripping it'll grow back if you pull any undercoat out accidentally, and it's the same length all over so :D Good on you for learning how to do it :D A friend and I handstripped another friend's Border Terrier at an agility trial once. Foolish foolish owner leaving a Terrier with two poodle owners. We stripped out her body and left her with lovely puffy legs... Dutch clip terrier style. :D

I think we'll be seeing more of it in future and it's fine by me PROVIDED that dogs get the exercise, training and stimulation you mention. However, Aussies don't seem to have embraced that as readily it seems as some O/S dog owners do. Dogs aren't as integrated into their owners social lives here as they appear to be in some places overseas. Even large active breeds are apartment dwellers overseas. Big big commitment and my guess is many are walked by professionals during the day. I'm certainly no fan of dogs being crated for 8+ solid hours per day (as no doubt you've already guessed ) If owners are prepared to do right by their dogs I doubt there's any breed that couldn't live happily in an apartment. But gee some would be a serious commitment. Problems don't arise from having a particular breed. They arise when people buy them ignorant of what they are like and are unwilling to meet the dogs needs. Australia certainly doesn't have a monopoly on dumping dogs. We have DOLers who have apartment dogs. Gomez and LukeW spring to mind. .I said they tend to do it. Maybe I've been unlucky but that's my experience. The whole point of developing purebred dogs was to make some characteristics more common in a breed than others. A breed developed to have lightening fast reflexes, courage and tenacity and to use its voice and its teeth to hunt is going to retain those characteristics to a fair degree. It never ceases to amaze me that people obtain JRTs having no knowledge of their past or their characters. As you suggest, perhaps few are obtained from responsible breeders. You cannot fault a dog for what it was bred to be - but many people seem ignorant of the working past of this breed. Few breeds developed to hunt out of sight of their handlers are quiet. If you want to know where your hunting dog is, you'll select one with a voice. And no, I don't think JRTs are the worst barkers I've met. I reserve that title for the Finnish Spitz. Read how the breed is hunted and it rapidly becomes obvious why.

So you'd be happy to see 4 month old pups kept inside alone for 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week? Sorry but I fail to see how an active pup is expected to achieve any form of toilet training or any sort of decent muscle development in such a situation. They'd have to be crated or penned in separate rooms. A pretty sad future for an active little working terrier IMO. I'm no great fan of debarking but I think that would be kinder than life in a crate. This all seems to be going over the top & ridiculous. The post is about 2 puppies age 4 months old, that is still a baby age. They have a normal thing of barking over a toy or to play & a cranky neighbour complaining. We now have All this breed bark. They are not stimulated/exercised enough. They need a behavourist. They will always bark like this if its not stopped now. Its better to debark them than to follow the suggestion to seperate them for a day or a few hours a day to break the habit. They are a breed that is trouble & dumped in the pound a lot. Having 2 pups the same age is trouble. Overkill I reckon. Bit scary reading all this. The habit needs stopping so seperation, done kindly or teaching the command Quiet by distraction, spray bottle or whatever works to make them understand Shut Up is done by many owners of 2 pups or more. Have had to do it myself. No one said every individual in the breed barks. I said they tend to be barky. Others disagree. 30-40 minutes a day isn't enough exercise? It's way too much IMO. These are babies. How can you guarantee that a few days of separation will cure barking. It's definitely worth trying but the OP has said it can't be done outside. How do you teach pups to be quiet when you're not home Christina? The pups aren't noisy when the OP is home.

I like this idea too. Unless a pup catches a leg trying to climb out If the pups are to be penned, only a roofed pen would be safe to leave them in unsupervised.

Muttaburra: So you'd be happy to see 4 month old pups kept inside alone for 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week? Sorry but I fail to see how an active pup is expected to achieve any form of toilet training or any sort of decent muscle development in such a situation. They'd have to be crated or penned in separate rooms. A pretty sad future for an active little working terrier IMO. I'm no great fan of debarking but I think that would be kinder than life in a crate.

Ok, so you'll be looking to a dog that tends to be quiet indoors but is capable of plenty of exercise outdoors. That says "sighthound" to me, probably starting with a mature dog. A retired racing greyhound good be a good match.

That description describes the life of a hell of a lot of dogs, not all of whom drive the neighbourhood beserk. I'd wouldn't recommend any dog for such an environment but I'd NEVER recommend any dog with working roots and a high level of activity. Strangely I've just described a lot of 'purebred' pound inhabitants.

To be honest, I have read more crap on breed pages about Jack Russell Terriers on the internet than I could poke a stick at. Jack Russells are excellent companion dogs, quite suited to the suburbs and some even being quiet and settled enough for apartments. Their main requirement is a certain level of human companionship, and guidance and training from that human, a moderate amount of exercise and some mental stimulation. All easy things to provide in the suburbs. So how do you propose the OP provide what's needed to keep these pups quiet?

Small yard = lower energy dog or a lot of exercise and stimulation. Size isn't the best measure of that. If you're going to be living in a fairly high density residential situation a lower level of reactivity in a dog would be something to strive for too. Is body corporate OK with this? A lot aren't. Thanks for the information... Where i live(ayers rock) is very small population of people(500) I live in housing that allows me to have dogs. Where i live the speed limit is 40kms and one of the quietest places in Australia, on the residential side of things:) Any dingos in the area...? A small dog outside is a meal to those guys.