poodlefan

Mrs Dog, obedience CAN be fun. It needs the right trainer, and a person who does'n't value winning over enjoyment for the dog. Unfortunately, a visit to any major obedience trial will show you more dogs doing it because they feel compelled to rather than because they enjoy it. Gee when you see a happy dog responding nicely to its handler, its joy to watch.

I'm no huge fan of obedience but if you concentrate on precision and on making it fun for the dog then she'll enjoy it and become accustomed to a range of experiences that will prepare her well for other sports. I still reckon that a dog with a range of titles says alot about the handler/dog relationship. Of course, your dog's breeder will love you too. Just make sure you find a good positive club... I'm sure the Sydneysiders can point you in the right direction.

ML I agree that is not as fun as the other sports but still a damn good way to get used to competition. I equate it as the equivalent of doing dressage before going onto show jumping. My 8 year old and I are back in training for his CD.. he'll probably be the only greying dog in the ring.

Riles have you thought about a bit of competitive obedience? Helps both you and your dog get used to the sights, sounds and nerves of trialling.

Riley, I'll ask you the same question I ask all young dog owners keen to start agility.... what's the rush? Your dog can have a long sports career if you manage it carefully. Not starting too young is a good management practice. [climbs onto soap box] Don't under estimate the stresses agility (or flyball for that matter) place on a dog's joints and muscles. For larger late maturing dogs, the best gift you can give them is to wait until they are fully physically mature before you start agility training in earnest. Yes, you can probably do jumping and weaving from 12 months but at our club, whilst you can start flyball at 12 months, you have to wait for another 2 months for agility. For a larger breed of dog, I'd be waiting until 18 months (possibly longer) before doing any serious jumping training. Whilst many people do compete successfully in agility and flyball, it takes a talented dog and handler to do well at both (I think the challenge is more on the handler as dogs adapt quite well). I'd advise doing one or the other for a couple of years. I couldn't tell you which one to try first. There are some differences between the sports. If I was to describe flyball in one word I'd say it was 'speed'. Agility is about 'control'. Agility dogs must focus on the handler and react to changes in body language to achieve directional changes. Flyball dogs don't have to do this. Agility does involve much higher jumps than flyball. Flyballers (at our club at least) rev their dogs up into barking frenzies. All the dogs on the sidelines bark too. You can hear when its flyball training from some distance away. If your dog does that at an agility comp or at training at our club, you will be politely asked to remove your dog so that people can hear each other. I ask that such dogs be removed from the training ring while I explain sets etc. I would strongly recommend you find a good sports vet and have your dog assessed structurally before commencing training. Knowing your dog's weaknesses (and they all have them) may help to guide your decision about what sport you do and how much of it you do. Both sports are not without their risks either. Flyball dogs seem to do cruciates with some regularity - my old vet reckoned flyball dogs bought his BMW. BTW a spinning dog on an agility course is usually a sure sign that the handler is cueing it too late - spinning tends to be a sign of frustration. Bar knocking tells me that the dog doesn't have a correct jumping style, has been mishandled or is sore. Dogs's don't generally knock bars for pleasure. Edited to add - I think its wise to bear in mind that doing both agility and flyball is twice the training and probably twice the stress on the dog physcially. Add competitions thats a big load on a dog.

Someone probably invented a "K9 Unit Utility Clip" or similar... All jokes aside, the number of 'screamers' installed in your house makes a differnece to the effectiveness of your security system. I have one and its damn loud. My installer has 12 in his.

K9: Ah no... drug detection. Reasoning was interesting. They found that larger dogs like labs and GSDs tended to tip people off that there was detection work happening at airports. They trained mini poodles becasue they could be carried around and were less conspicuous... Of course most police dog handlers didnt' want to be seen with one until they told them that they were "special covert K9s..." Did the job though.

K9: Hey my next door neighbour (the police dog handler) said he wouldn't want to have to get past Big Ted. All that ankle bite work I've been doing appears to be paying off. I think mini poodles are under rated for security work although LAPD employs them in another role. Have added shot of BT in pursuit mode for those unfamiliar with my dogs.

HR: Perhaps you missed my "back to base" description? Unmonitored alarms are worthless in my opinion for the very reasons you cite. Same as car alarms - unless YOU hear it, don't expect any else to react. As I said though, realistically the biggest threats to your personal safety come from those you know. Sobering but true. And yep, I am fairly confident. Dealing with crime statistics is part of my job. I've also lived on my own on and off for about 30 years. I've been burgled once - in Sydney - when I wasn't home. There was no alarm system and no dog.

Jintanaut: Have a good hard think about that. A trained protection dog is categorized as a 'dangerous dog' under much local legislation. That means it must always be onlead and muzzled when it leaves your home. Unless you buy a dog and train it specifically in bite work, you are not going to have the kind of 'protection' you seem to want. Realistically, your greatest risk of attack comes from people you know. A good security system, combined with a dog that looks like it means business is probably all you need. A bit of environmental security, some routines about getting from your car to house etc and a personal alarm will see you very well covered. The presence of any dog will deter burglars. A back to base monitored security system, complete with 'panic' alarm will get the police/security dudes to your door faster than a dog will.

Megzz: It won't hurt but it sounds like you are not going to get satisfaction from this breeder. For what its worth, get an experienced vet to check out your next pup very soon after you get it.... patella luxation can be detected in a pup. You'd have more chance of satisfaction closer to the date of purchase. Show your girl anyway. It will give you the entree to meeting other breeders and to seeing what dogs you like and what dogs you don't. It will also improve your eye for a dog and may give you a chance to find a mentor who can guide you in the breed. For what its worth, many breeders will tell you that the first 'show' dog they bought wasn't the best foundation for their kennel but taught them a lot about the breed. Worst comes to worse, consider Francesca as your "L Plate" dog - she is going to teach you so much about showing, about dealing with seasons etc. IF you do desex her in the end, you will still have learned a great deal. Unfortunately, as with this thread, some lessons are going to be painful.

Response from Breeder: Lots of people don't know how to recognise patella luxation. Many more don't complain to breeders when the problem comes up. I can think of a few Chi breeders who would take issue with idea that all Chi's luxate. The bit about vets differing on assessment is true enoughl Except for this breeder by the sound of things. My experience is the reverse. A pup can lose minor luxation as increased muscle development holds the patella in place. This occured in my toy poodle. Feeble attempt to excuse what is a fault in any dog. If you bought a show dog on main register and she has a structural defect then you wanted something more than a companion. I strongly recommend you seek a specialist opinion. This is still a young dog so there is scope for improvement. Perhaps increased musculature may assist. I'd show her but reserve my decision about breeding until you get a specialist opinion.

Hey LP, that's exactly what I was thinking after I posted about rodents. Have you seen the size of the teeth on those things. I don't think my dogs could hold their breath long enough to catch one - they sure swim well.

Go to another vets! 4 days off your food ain't normal from where I sit. I'd be seeking a second opinion as a matter of urgency. Not offence to vet nurses but I'd want a qualified professional opinion on my dog. I'd be thinking about blood tests at this point.

Knowing my wimps, the lambs would be quite safe. They are more into rodents.

LP: Sounds like an idea. I could throw a whole side of lamb in the backyard too.

Lillysmum They are pretty good - not much chop on the canines but only tearing stuff cleans them. My guys all have great teeth apart from the canines.

Lilysmum you can go to any proper butcher and buy a cheap cut of steak and they will put it through the mincer for you. Personally, I just buy people quality beef mince. I mix the veggies into it VERY thoroughly. You will find feeding a variety of bones will be best for her teeth. Chicken wings are a good work out for the littlies and I also use quartered lamb necks. Bring stuff to room temperature and she should find things more palatable. Don't freak about the offal. Its a small part of the diet. I find mine make do on the odd bit of liver or kidney mixed into the veggie mix.

I don't feed my dogs straight fruit/vegie mix. I add eggs, yoghurt mince and offal to it. Its about 60% veggies. That's how Dr B says to feed it and I found by starting with a relatively high proportion of mince and reducing it, my dogs adapted quite readily. None of my dogs will touch straight offal. White tripe is essentially valueless in terms of nutrition - its basically nearly all water. I wouldn't bother with it. I personally think you are taking things to extremes. Perhaps you should revisit Dr B's feeding recommendations. I would suggest you accustom this dog to eating a higher proportion of more palatable foods and adjust slowly. BTW - oxtail will not be an appropriate raw meaty bone for a small dog - they won't digest the actual bone. I'd recommend you stick to more digestable bones like chicken necks and wings initially and use larger bones as your recreational bones. Dogs are essentially carnivores who will oppotunistically eat some vegetable material - I suggest you add a bit more meat initially. I have heard Dr B say you can do a rapid or a slower swtich to BARF. I would be guided by your dog in that regard.

Megzz I'd suggest you have a good talk with your vet about it. One of the issues with luxating patellas is the wear they put on a joint. Sometimes surgery can stave off arthritic degeneration so the earlier you do it the better. Depending on the severity of the luxation you also have to consider the risk to the dog of a traumatic luxation. You need to know what grade you are dealing with. I'd consider surgery for anything over Level 2. Improving the muscle on a dog can be a big help to it too. I have had one of my dogs operated on for a luxating patella. 7 years on he is still going well.

Megzz is there any particular reason why you are still feeding Supercoat Puppy? Your girl is now fully mature.

You can always put it on a luggage trolley or similar. I love checking out how different agility people move their gear - you see all sorts of methods.

I would never tether a dog in circumstances where he/she would be at the mercy of other dogs and people. Its simply too risky. Buy yourself a wire crate (they are usually cheaper than soft ones) and use the month to accustom Beau to being in it. Left in a crate with a pigs ear or similar, I'm sure he'll be fine.

Saw a dog fitted with a Sporn Training Harness at the vet's this morning. He towed his owner out the door on it.

Since the OP requested facts and fallacies, I'll add my views. The halti is frequently marketed as a more gentle method of restraining a dog that is based on the way a horse halter works. Halti's are nothing like horse halters. When you fit a horse's halter, you should be able to put your hand between any part of the halter and the horse's head. A halti is fitted tightly. Horses are large animals and generally the pressure on their halters is downwards and on the poll (top of head) and bony part of the nose. A halti applies pressure sideways (and on a small dog upwards) and directly on the very sensitive part of the dog's face below the eyes. Despite being championed by many positive trainers, haltis are the ONLY correction tool that are CONSTANTLY AVERSIVE whether the dog is pulling or not. I find nothing "positive" in their use. Dogs can and do learn to pull on them. They have their place (as to most dog training aids) but their place is not in the hands of an inexperienced handler or ever on a small dog IMHO. The new versions that apply pressure downwards and onto a flat collar are meant to operate like horse martingales. Once again, that assertion is false. They are far more restrictive than a martingale and have the potential to do serious damage in the wrong hands.