Pawfect

Interesting about the comments regarding the different types of drive (herding vs prey). TBH I highly doubt my dog wants to kill them, she's a softie & such a sook, but I'm not sure what she'd do if she got one & don't plan on finding out!

Thanks for all the comments. Just thought i'd give you an update: I've re-done the GP enclosure so that it's now much more secure & dog proof, & they still have room to run & hidey spots to go to inside and outside if they're frightened. Unfortunately the dog can still see in, & separating them all the time isn't working out. However, although my dog is still very interested in them, she's not spending hours stalking them anymore & gives up after 5mins of watching. She's stopped trying to dig in (i'd put metal fencing sheets all around the pen so there's no way she can anyway). She's more interested when they're inside on our knees rather than in their enclosure thankfully. My other dog cries at the pen sometimes, but I think it's because he wants to go in and eat all the poop...ewwww!! Piggies seem happy.

Thanks for your replies - looks like i'm doomed then!! ???? I'll keep an eye out for a more secure metal cage for their outside time & just do a dog shuffle in the meantime. Their everyday cage for inside is on a stand & she can't see into it, so has very little interest thankfully. It's just too small for them to be in permanently. Should note also the inside playpen I mentioned is just for brief periods of 'floor time' out of their cage, on the horrible days they can't be outside in the pen. They wouldn't get much of a chance to nibble on it. ????

I have 2 small fluffy crossbreeds, & in the past have had cats & fostered small kittens (1 dog loves them, 1 is a bit scared), cockateils (1 dog not interested unless it's flapping in his face, 1 is scared), a galah (both dogs were terrified - galah was a bit of a meanie), & fostered puppies (both dogs were terrified) & other dogs (both dogs fine). Since they seem to have very little prey drive (so I thought!) I decided to adopt some guinea pigs, however one of my dogs is VERY interested in them, & i'm worried it's not in a good way!! She's the dog that's usually scared of everything too!! I've let them meet through wire fencing, & let the dogs have a sniff of the guinea pig area, bedding, etc (& of the guinea pigs themselves when we've been holding them (& another person holding dog so they can't make any moves). One dog has a sniff, lick, then loses interest. The other is completely obsessed & shakes with anticipation, howls, & when the piggies are in a run outside she'll watch them FOR HOURS & try to dig into their enclosure when i'm not looking. Today she accidently got locked in our garage where the piggies were in a playpen made of material & netting, & she ripped small holes in the netting until she bled & managed to pull out all the towels that were under the playpen. This is not like her at all!! (She's usually a giant lazy blob & never gets up to mischief - doesn't even like toys much!). My plan was to only use the cage the piggies came in for inside overnight (it's secure but small), & have them in a giant moveable playpen outside during the day (with small hutch for shelter inside it). That way I could mover them around the yard when needed. However there's no way i'd trust my dog to not destroy the playpen if I wasn't supervising (plus her constantly watching is scaring the piggies). What can I do to de-sensitise her to them? Or am I doomed?? In the meantime what should I do to keep them safe? (The china-made hutches & runs available in all the stores seem a bit too flimsy IMO to keep her out).

Thought i'd post in here in case you haven't seen my post in general section. Admin pls delete if this isn't allowed. Just trying to give a plug to our 30th Anniversary Family Fun Day, at Heathmont Animal Hospital THIS SUNDAY 10am-2pm. Pets welcome. It should be a good day. We'll have market stalls, food & drinks, petting zoo, games and competitions, raffle, CFA Fire truck & face painting. We'd love to see you there :) Oh and we have space if a dog rescue group wants to have a stall. PM me for more info ;)

Hi!! I just thought I'd give a plug to our 30th Anniversary Family Fun Day, at Heathmont Animal Hospital THIS SUNDAY 10am-2pm. Pets welcome. It should be a good day. We'll have market stalls, food & drinks, petting zoo, games and competitions, raffle, CFA Fire truck & face painting. We'd love to see you there :) Oh and we have space if a dog rescue group wants to have a stall. PM me for more info ;)

sorry posted twice!

Sorry for the late reply - haven't been online enough obviously!! I guess anything from maltese size to mini-poodle they're considering. Any breed as long as it fits the above criteria

I hope I can post here (admin pls move if this is in wrong spot). I work at a Vet & we're interested in hiring a dog groomer to work 1-1.5 days per week with possible increase in days further down the track (we're rather flexible). Experience is essential, but doesn't have to be extensive. We're a pretty easy-going team, and so are our clients ;) Even if you can only fit in one day per fortnight, that's ok. We're located in Melb's Eastern suburbs. If anyone on here might be interested, please PM me for more details. I'm happy to answer any questions. TIA

My friend is wanting to adopt a rescue dog, but is struggling to find one that'd fit in well in their household, so I said i'd be on the lookout for her. They're after a small dog that's good with kids, cats and chickens. Not too excitable (they have a gentle almost 4yo that used to be terrified of dogs, but is just warming to them so don't want any negative experiences for her). Dog will be very well looked after & loved. They live in Melbourne. If you know of any that might be suitable, please let me know :)

Thanks Bully!

Very true Cosmolo!! My brother has just bought a crate to try, but with the cone on her head it's not working out. Cone is off Thursday though so hopefully she might be a bit better afterwards. If she doesn't settle though I think he'll have to use sedatives.

She's being confined, but not by crate. She's in a room about the size of a large toilet cubicle. I think the only way to keep her sedate though would be with sedatives unfortunately

Thanks! I've passed on the info. He's not keen on crating, but a giant crate is a great idea. I've sent him lots of info on crate training regardless ;) While he was at work the other day, the cheeky girl managed to chew up her food & spray it all over the walls, tipped out her water, eat her bed & and scratch up the doors....even though he had a lady visiting her during the day so she wouldn't be left for too long by herself!

Perhaps, but he does work longish hours - would it be ok to crate a dog for 12hrs or-so per day? She's never been in a crate before except at the vets (where she is beside herself terrified just walking in the door!). I think it'd take some time & training before she'd stay calm in one