poodlefan

My advice would be to go to another vet... more than a week with both adult and baby canines can result in warping of the position of the adult teeth. My oldest dog's mouth is a case in point because I knew no better at the time. My vet's advice is more than a week of overlap - remove them. :D

If a dog is working wide (but otherwise has focus), I generally look to see what the handler is doing in terms of body language.. when you round the post, where are you looking Gamby.. what are your shoulders telling the dog in terms of where you are going. Try looking at the post (if its a person look at their ear from the middle of the figure 8... focus on the posts ear on the side you are going.. when you go round the post, look at the other ear until past them and then focus ahead... see if it makes a difference. It often does. Also watch your footwork.. I don't change cadence doing figures 8.. .same tempo used I just change the length of my stride..smaller steps when dog is on outside of me so he doesn't have to rush.. longer steps when on inside. I find this helps to keep the dog moving smoothly.

I've got a couple: Equating a dog's sexual behaviour to one's own... eg. men who won't get a male dog desexed because its "cruel" or people who think female dogs "need" to have a litter. Washing dogs every day... because that's what people do (yep, know a couple of instances of this) Constantly, dressing dogs in clothes which don't fit their bodies correctly. Edited to add some more: *Confusing "love" with "lack of discipline" with resultant behavioural issues Treating dogs and human family members as equals in the pack - with resultant behavioural issues. Treating early signs of aggression and or guarding as "cute" - with resultant behavioural issues (you see this in smaller dogs)

Sounds like he's retained his baby canines. If they've both been there for more than a week, its time for the vet. Sometimes a few tugging games can help, but not always I'm afraid.

I know how you feel N&J.. .I had my 18.5 year old cat Haile PTS on Monday. Console yourself with the fact that Sunny had a long happy life and was eased to the bridge before she suffered. That's what made the decision to have Haile put to sleep that much easier - it was time. ;)

For the boys (black) I use Oakwood Pearl Rose Shampoo with a touch of Essentials Coat Oil in the final rinse. For Lily (white) I use the Plush Puppy whitening shampoo. I like the Oakwood (ozzie made) - at $55 for 5L it goes a long way. ;)

I tie my dogs ears up (hair only, not leather) for meals. Out come the hair elastics and the dog's start jumping with excitement. Others use snoods. :D

So you don't want poodley long ears? Mind you I like shaved ears too. :D I was just trying to figure out if the length had been shortened (which you say has happened).

I can't help it Natashja... I just...want.... to..... clip his face.... arrgggghhhh. :D :rofl: Have you trimmed his ears?

I've got a book with those old clips in it Natashja.... poor dogs - not very dignified. Mind you I put big pants on my youngest so he does look like he's wearing chaps sometimes. I do something like the retriever clip on the boys. I've been toying with the idea of doing a baby doll on my white toy for a giggle - but fortunately if I lie down for a while it goes away. So far, in addition to mud, sand and burrs, I've removed the following from my dogs coats: Green Algae Duck Poo (bright green on a white dog) Rotten Kangaroo Dead Seagull Newfie slobber They may be poodles but they are still dogs. What's with the rings around the neck???

Natashja: Ah yes, the "teddy bear' - that trim is in the Kalstone book. The Bichon trim is also popular for non-poodley looks. I'd resist the urge to completely shave your boy... try to keep a little length on the head and legs. A good groomer would scissor rather than shave those. Shaved legs look "unfortunate" unless they've been done with a comb on the clippers. You tend to see longer looks on purely urban dogs. I suppose that's because they simply don't get muddy or covered in grass seeds - come summer, my dogs get pretty grotty and getting all that stuff out is simpler when longer hair is confined to head, ears (on two of my dogs) and legs. Personally, I can't imagine not having a shaved face but that's the versatility of the coat - you can have it anyway you want. Some of old novelty clips like the "cowboy" have to be seen to be believed.

Gillian there's a good selection of trims (and colours) here http://www.poodlesinaustralia.com/trims.html Even the show "puppy trim" might suit what they are looking for.

I'm glad I don't have to maintain that coat T-Time!!

Gillian, most people end up clipping the coat for the comfort of the dog and to lower coat maintenance. They do it before coat change which often doesn't occur until the dog is 12-18 months old. A long coated poodle in summer is a hot dog - maintaining the coat (especially unwrapped) if the dog has any kind of out door activity is time consuming. It picks up burrs and dirt very easily. The long hair knots at the base very quickly and you have to be THOROUGH to stop it matting. It also takes a loooong time to thoroughly brush dry a long coat - ask any poodle showie! I've added a pic of a corded Dwarf poodle to give you an idea of how long coat can grow. This dog would have those cords bunched up when not being shown. It has had the hind end clipped in the traditional trim. It takes ages to thoroughly dry a corded coat - ask any Puli showie!! Cording was the original method of keeping a poodle in long coat - before the advent of electric dryers and clippers it was far more common. These days its a rarity but still permitted in the ring. Last Corded dog I saw here in Oz was a silver standard exhibited some years ago at Poodle Club of Victoria's show. If your friends want a long coated poodle they could consider a modified traditional trim like Scandanavian, Junior Lion or Continental which would give the dog a nice long jacket but keep the legs free of really longer hair.

If they have no intention of clipping his body, they will have no option but to cord his coat like a Puli's or simply cut it off in clumps leaving the dog looking moth eaten. No amount of brushing will stop the coat from matting resulting in pain for the dog. Even the most dedicated of show people CANNOT maintain long coat without wrapping it. They need to understand that non-shedding coats will matt at the root as old hair breaks off. If they think body clipping is cruel, they need to reconsider that view. I've added a before and after on what an unclipped poodle can end up looking like. The dog in the picture had several KILOs of coat removed - imagine how hot and uncomfortable it would have been. I've seen plenty of people who aim initially to keep their puppy clips going on adult dogs... they all change their minds.

Curious, To groom a poodle (or any dog with that kind of coat), you need to slicker the coat to the skin and then use a wire comb to go over any longer hair (by longer I mean longer than a body clip) to remove any knots. Only use of a comb will tell you if your brushing has been effective. The problem for many poodle cross owners is that the people who sell these dogs don't give any advice about how to groom them. "Only needs clipping every 8 weeks" doesn't tell you much about between visit maintenance. Dirty coat matts more easily so "only wash once a year" or similar rubbish doesn't help. Hell, I can see the matts on the dogs in the photos on one more prominent poodle cross breeder's website. Learning to groom a poodle takes a bit of time, more in terms of how to get a good finish than the actual technique of using clippers and scissors. However, most breeders will show you how if you buy a pup from them and if you join a poodle club/group you'll be able to find people to help you. The best guide to grooming is Shirley Kalstone's book - name escapes me right now but Dymock's sell it. Grooming gear ain't cheap - a decent set of clippers, scissors and a dryer will set you back in excess of $1,000. Of course you can get some good bargains second hand.

I'd say it depends on how seriously you are going to train and what obstacles you want to train on. My club doesn't allow people to start training until their dogs are 14 months old. When you think about comparing a 14month old toy breed with a larger breed, you can see that age is merely a guide. The ideal time to start doing jumps and other obstacles that put pressure on joints (that includes weavers) is when your dog's growth plates have closed. The only way to know that for sure is an x-ray. If your dogs are not lean and super fit, I wouldn't do more than poles and contacts on the ground and tunnels. I wouldn't do those things until at least 14-15 months. Its all to easy to break a dog... err on the side of caution. I wouldn't start doing much until you start classes. Its far to easy to train bad habits that then have to be undone unless you are experienced.

Erny: Totally agree Erny and I definitely try to demonstrate an exercise to people who haven't seen it. However, what I'm talking about is the kind of instructor who when a handler says "I can't get Fido to sit " instinctively reacts with "here, give ME the dog". The fact that I can get Fido to sit doesn't necessarily help Fido's owner to get Fido to sit unless I watch what's going on and help the handler to get it right.

What you are looking for in an instructor is a good HUMAN communciator with problem solving skills and some ability to motivate their class. I'd want to know their basic training philosophy and then I'd be wanting to SEE them with a class. I know brilliant dog trainers with high achieving dogs who are lousy instructors and I know people whose dogs ain't got a title that are brilliant instructors. If you can't communicate the methods to handlers you aren't going to be a good instructor - having to take a handlers dog from them is not helping handlers to train and its something you see some instructors constantly fall back on. Not all instructors have worked with all kinds of dog training issues before. Its their ability to think outside the square of their own personal training experiences that sorts the wheat from the chaff for me.

There's being left safely outside and merely being left outdoors. Will the pup have adequate shelter.. the right kennel or access to a warm, safe, cosy place (NOT just the laundry or garage unless proper shelter is set up there) will be important.. Then there's the yard.. is it puppy safe? Are the fences truly adequate for a pup that will be able to squeeze through far smaller gaps than its owners are likely to consider a problem. What toxic plants are out there for a curious pup to chew? Will there be stimulating toys etc? Left on its own, a pup will find ways to amuse itself - one way or the other.. digging, tearing up the irrigation system etc are all options for a bored and unrestricted pup. No point in blaming the pup if this happens. Lots of pups cope on their own from 8 weeks on. But there are a number of minimal standards that need to be met for this to work well. I don't think its appropriate to rely on a neighbour for feeds and company - a family's dog should be a family's responsiblity to feed and raise. What happens if a gate gets left open etc? Who do they want the pup to bond to - the neighbour or them? How will the neighbour be weaned out of caring arrangements. My first option would always be for a dog door and limited access to a warm and cosy spot inside. The owner should try to do at least some of the during the day feeds.

JBBB: It was pretty basic. Heel for about 15 paces, about turn and heel back (dog not to pull on lead, no auto sit required if you didn't have that). Then a "wait", leave and recall to you (only to end of lead length)... no sit required again. Judge was looking simply for "willingness to work". Its easy but not a given - we had a dog fail it at the start.. I agree - go the onlead option.. no reason not to. Edited to add, remember to train on the bike at the ET pace of 10 kph... so dog is comfortable gaiting at that speed.

Darcy my mini poodle got his ET title last Sunday. I did the obedience bit and my friend Michelle the biking (I suck on a bike). Darce was the smallest participant in the ET by quite a margin. He is run for an hour a day off lead over bush tracks and open grassland. About 6 weeks before the ET, we introduced him to the bike and he had one or two 10km rides a week. That increased to 15km two weeks before and he had some 2 hour offlead runs. Neither his temperature nor heart rate increased over the duration of the ET. His normal resting heart rate is around 65. It was 85 before the start (pretty exciting environment), stayed there for the first two vet checks and it was 64 for the last one. I maintain that off lead running over varied terrain - lots of hills where I walk - is the best conditioning a dog can have for almost ANY activity. Edited to add - it was a requirement of the ACTCA that all handlers be financial members - best to check this with your local canine control. You also need to take the dog to a vet (with paperwork provided by Canine Control) for a vet check within 14 days of the test.

Was he a poodle Rozzie? Looks like one in the pic. I'm sorry for your loss. RIP Keera - I hope my dogs go the same way.

MGR: I hope his bill reflects that statement... I was advised to have patellas corrected while the dog is young.. otherwise arthritis sets in. In your shoes I'd have done the same. I'd be more cautious about her hips though.

Mygirlruby: I can't see that you really had a choice. Just out of interest, what kind of flooring have you got? I'd be keeping Ruby off polished boards while she's incapacitiated. Sounds like crate rest is the go... and I'd be CARRYING her out to the loo.. If you can restrict her that much, I'd be giving pain relief too. One of my boys has had a patella op - he was up and around without bandages within 24 hours. Sounds like poor Ruby's procedure is more serious. I'd be looking for any further work to be done by a specialist orthopedic vet - is that who did this op?