Nushie

thanks guys - he already knows how to catch treats but generally in the middle of a training session he just gets so excited that half of them bouce off his face and then he runs after then. I dont want him to do that, i want to be able to treat him and then move on without losing focus for the session. I will try holding onto the treats until he calms down and takes them gently i guess it will be slow at first while he figures it out but hopefully he will pick up on the fact that if he is calm he gets the treat quicker. Thanks for all the tips.

Just after some ideas/advice on how to give treats during training. I know that sounds like a weird question but Jager (pug) gets so excited during training - he is very food motivated - that after one or two he starts getting my fingers as well. Not biting them and generally it doesnt hurt at the time but after a 15mins twice a day my fingers end up being pretty sensitive from just constantly being scrapped by his teeth. I use bits of devon or chicken as rewards and even if i use a lower value reward it still happens. I have taught him "gentle" so that he gently takes food from my hand but during a training session I dont want to have to stop everytime to reward him. I just want to reward and move on. Any ideas on how to stop this? Bigger treats - he tends to stop and lose focus if he has to chew it. I try to give the reward in front of him, so that i am not offering from above to discourage lunging for it. but that hasnt really helped either. He doesnt break from his sit or anything, just lunges is neck and head forward as soon as the treat is in range. Do i just stop, step back and work on only giving his treats when he takes them gently?

I have never had a problem until we got Jager. He is a very licky dog and even though I have trained him out of licking me (my boyfriend likes to be licked), sometimes he forgets and i just make sure that i wash my arms straight away or else i just get so itchy and it drives me nuts. But if i wash straight away then i am fine.

Our breeder gave us a 1.5kg bag of the food she was feeding when we picked up Jager. So check with them first. Check before you pick the pup up so you can have a bag waiting at home and dont have to race around when you realise your local place doesnt stock it or something.

Cant help with all of them but as for the steel framed dog beds, have a look on gumtree there seem to be a few around for around the $20. We used to use old hessian horse feed bags as the cover for them, maybe visit your local feed store or riding stable for covers?? As for the dog loo, we bought a pet loo and were cleaning it how it was recommended and we never got the smell out of it, so i started putting crystal kitty litter in the collection tray and washed the base with warm water with washing powder disolved in it. We had 2 fake grass squares on rotation and each week we hosed one off and soaked it in hot water with washing powder overnight and then hosed it off again and let dry outside. Got rid of all the smell out of it.

This worked! Ran the update and we are in business!! Now to filter through my thousands of holiday photos and start to sort them out :)

Amazing pictures! Whenever i go to the zoo the animals are always just sitting around doing nothing. how to do you catch them being "interesting"? Do you zig zag back and forth, revisiting past enclosures numerous times in a day hoping to catch some activity??

Didnt even think of that! I did get a disc with my camera, just assumed it was a manual on disc so never looked at it. I will check it out when i get home. Thanks for everyones replies. When i went to the Photoshop site to see if my camera is compatible my camera is listed on there so it should work fine. But i will check for updates when i get home to make sure that MY version is current :) Thanks guys can always count on you!

Hi all, So we got Photoshop CS6 I shot all my photos in NZ in RAW and JPG. So i have just downloaded them onto my external drive to start playing around with them, and Photoshop wont open the NEF files.... So i googled it etc and it said i had to convert them in Bridge, so i followed the instructions and it said to convert them to JPG. Is that what I need to do?? If so what is the point in shooting in RAW just to convert it back to JPG?? I have to be missing something but i just cannot find the answer in google! Any links or advice is greatly appreciated, the DVD didnt come with a manual and i have searched the directory where it was installed and i cannot find a softcopy manual either. HELP!!!

Hi all, So the last few weeks i have been really motivated to get into obedience with Jager and i have sourced my local obedience club (which was also recommended by a friend of a friend) so i have contacted them and they have a compulsory night session and then the following 2 sundays morning sessions. Which would normally be fine but they only run them once a month and unfortunately this month and next month i cannot attend either the night session or one/both sunday sessions. It really is just my luck cause normally i am never this busy! So i put my name down to attend in October.... But in the mean time i would like to keep motivated and start doing some obedience on my own. Jager already knows the basics sit, drop, stay (for short periods etc.) but they are just want i have taught him at home. I would like to start something more "formal" like what they will be doing at club lessons. Does anyone have any good recommendations on DVD's that i can buy that will start us off. They can be part of a series or not. IWe havent done a lot of heel work so will have to start at the basics. Also where does everyone do their at "between meets" training? In your backyard, down the local park? I guess until we sort out a good focus then we will be best to start off in the backyard. Its not very big but we can incorporate inside without any problems. Thanks guys!

Just thought i would pop in and ask some advice on nail cutting and dremels etc. My pug hates having his nails cut. We used to do it ourselves and when he was a pup we took one too short and it bled and we havent been able to get near his with nail cutters since. So we started taking him to a groomer every 6 weeks (we used to play down at the beach so a good proper groom every 6 weeks just kept him schmick and they did his nails). Every time i picked him up, i would ask if he caused any problems and they would say he was fine, but i never specifically asked about his nails. We have now moved to Melbourne and i have tried cutting his nails and i still cannot do it. He wriggles and finches and moves and if someone holds him he just flips out. So we took him to a groomer, who when we picked him up said that they couldnt do his nails. So since then i have been working with him and getting him used to the nail trimmers, he is fine, up until the point where i pick up the trimmers, these are roughly the steps i have taken, each working progressively and not moving onto another step until he is settled and relaxed. I use the approach and retreat method so have him sit, move trimmers in front of him, move them away, treat, repeat until relaxed - take a break - do it again - some steps i spend days on before moving on to the next. Have trimmers on ground in front of him, give him treats Have him lay with trimmers in front of him Pick up trimmers hold them for a moment put them down. Pick up paw with trimmers on the ground Pick up paw, pusj trimmers along the ground. But if i have his paw in my hand and i go to pick up the trimmers, he snatches his paw back, if i hold his paw he twists around, throwing himself onto the ground or into the air until i let go. I dont know how to overcome this, i have spent weeks on this step and if i go back he is happy and relaxed again. Do i just give up with the trimmers and start slowly with a dremel? New tool = no associated fear?? I have booked into the vet this weekend to see if they can trim his nails. I hope they can without sedating him...

I have an Easi-Yo and its how i make the yoghurt for Jager. I make it up once or twice a week (depending on how much i eat of it :)) its super easy and the powder can be bought from Coles (i dont know about Woolies) for about $3 and it makes a litre. I just throw a tablespoon onto his breaky each morning. And it is super yummy!

Personally I love seeing demonstrations - be it agility, obedience, flyball etc. Homemade stall items, like knitted jumpers or handmade collars/leashes etc. I love looking through those stalls more than the big commercial stalls (but free treats and sample bags are always good from them!) Make it a dog friendly event. I have been to a few "dog expo" type events and they have been dog free zones. Seems pointless to me. Generally i wouldnt take Jager with me, but its nice to know that he is welcome there. Obviously make it leash mandatory :) Competions for the kiddies?? Maybe an under 10 years obedience comp where the child has to get the dogs to sit, drop etc?? (everyone wins a small prize) Maybe like a comedy skit about the rights and wrongs of dog ownership??

I think I would be to embarrassed to do that? Hi Mish - I am new to photography and I think it would be a great help not just to you but to me (and other beginners) cause we could see the result and have people comment on why it did such-n-such and how to fix it. I dont think anyone here would be cruel in comments and i think that the feedback would be helpful. There are some awesome photographers on DOL and i have learnt alot from reading through the "photo challenges" threads as there is some great feedback on the photos in there. I think that others that have questions and wanting to know why things aren't working as they expect will contribute and add their photos too. Guess I am just saying that there is no need to be embarrassed :)

Great shots! What camera and lens did you use? I'm just getting into photography and knowing what everyone uses helps so that i can compare :)

Jager loves coke bottles. If we have a 1.25lt bottle i give it to him, he spends about 30mins chasing it around the floor licking the end trying to get the dribble of coke that is always left in the bottom. By the time he gives up the bottle is crushed and squished. It is the PERFECT to use as a treat dispenser :) Put a handful of treats in it, give it a shake so that they work their way to the bottom around all the crushed sides. It usually then takes him anywhere from 15mins to 1.5 hours to get it all out. Depending on how crushed the bottle was to begin with. Note 1: remove lid and plastic ring Note 2: if you have floorboards - make sure you are out of the house, the noise will drive you crazy!

Maybe i was looking at the wrong one on their website. Might look into it, thanks for the website.

Thanks for this. So i looked up the 50mm Prime Lens and to get the AF-S version that Huga suggested its about $500. The one the guy recommended was just the AF version so cheaper. Might hold off and just see how i go with the kit lens. If the prime lens isnt really much good for landscapes then i am not in any particular rush to get it before NZ then. I had a quick look at one of those flexible tripods thought that might be useful and they are pretty cheap too. I dont think i need a big one, just a little one to start with and i can stand it on top of stuff if i need to get more height. Cheers :)

Awesome - thanks Huga and TLC - I might suggest my boyfriend get it for me as an early birthday present :) Fingers crossed for a clear weekend in Melbourne so that i can get out and start practising. Edit to add that the kit lens is an 18-55mm.

I did it!! Finally :) Ended up with the Nikon D3200 with the kit lens. Its currently charging!! Now that i have the camera, here is another question for all you keen photographers. The guy said that i should consider a 50mm Prime lens. He said that it was good for portraits and landscapes. Normally i would just play around with the camera and see how i go but i am heading off to Queenstown, New Zealand next Friday and lets face it, there will be plenty of landscapes to be shot. The lens he recommended was about $250 but JB have 15% off all their cameras and lens until Sunday. Do i splurge and get the prime lens? Will i get the use out of it? Can i use it to photograph the dogs and horses? I know it seems weird asking you guys and not the dude at the store who should know his stuff, but i just don't know if i fully trust him to not just tell me what i want to hear so that i spend more $$. Now i am off to read the manual!

If you are going to approach your neighbours i would just say that your sheep has been attacked and that you suspect wild/stray dogs and that you thought it best to warn all your neighbours so that everyone is aware. That way you arent blaming anyone and if by chance it was their dogs then they might think about keeping them contained better. I dont live in the country, but its a good start.

So just went onto the Petstock website to find antlers. Do you guys get the "spilt" one or the "naturally shed" ones? I cant give Jager pigs ears but he is fine with Venison ears so i thought i would try antlers as i cannot give him other big bones to chew on.

Only suggestion regarding toileting is when you get up in the morning, take him outside and stand outside with him until he goes. Seeing as he has held it all night it wont take long for him to go in the morning. Just stand around and wait. When he does go, make a fuss of him and treat him so he knows he has done the right thing. If he can hold all night he should be able to hold while you are at work so do the same when you get home. Cant help with the barking though. Good luck and i am sure that there will be plenty of others that will offer suggestions for you.

I used to soak the grass overnight in the laundry sink with some washing powder, then hose it off in the morning and let it dry. Got rid of all the pee smell. We wanted to use fake grass cause we wanted it to resemble real grass as my brother had a back yard and we were looking to move to a place with a courtyard and wanted to encourage him to use grass. But towels are a good alternative cause as you said, they are way easier to wash :)

As a cheaper alternative we used a plastic tub lid from Bunnings, some fake grass cut to fit the lid and then just put kitty litter in the lid and put the grass on top. Whenever we went to my mums place we used it as she only had a concrete back yard and it worked fine. Just threw out the litter and hosed down the lid and the grass - easy!