RiverStar-Aura

I feed frozen bones because when buying in bulk, they store longer frozen and its easier to just give them to the dogs straight from the freezer. I find the turkey and chicken wings still retain a bit of spring when frozen so they're not entirely solid. I've also yet to find a cut of bone that slows Zeus down when it comes to eating them. Regardless of size, he powers through them and is done in no time. Feeding them frozen means he has to work just a little bit more.

Zeus is fed frozen turkey wings and Kirah is given frozen chicken boomerang wings. I source both from Woolies and I'm actually needing more at the moment. Both my dogs are fantastic with bones and don't require supervision. They've never squabbled and know that they get one each.

We have a few regulars like that too. There's a nearly 18 year old mini foxie cross who just keeps plodding along and we all dread the day his owner comes with the sad news of his passing. A couple of times he's turned up without the dog and my heart stops, until it's explained he sneaked out without the old boy as he was asleep. There's another who's currently 19 but we only see her occasionally too; she's deaf and blind and suffering doggie dementia. On the flip side we have an old man who's just shared his 80th birthday with the park regulars last Christmas. He owns a gorgeous 6 year old mastiff cross which he, rain, or shine brings to the park twice daily. His love and devotion to the rescue boy is totally awe-inspiring!!

I find the 'I don't want to pay the exxy price of a pedigree' argument ridiculous these days. People are paying more now for their designer mongrels than they would a purebred dog. My designer dog Zeus was nearly $1500 but my pedigree Aussie was half that.

I still maintain that the attitude towards breeders by the general public is still based on past ideals. The breeding world used to be quite elitist, so of course those wanting pet dogs would steer clear. This elitist, exclusive and even snobbish idea has long since vanished and the public need to move with the times. I let my breeders know if I'm after a pet only because I feel as a buyer, it's relevant to the breeder. That way, if they have a family waiting on their list for a show prospective pup, everyone will be allocated a pup best suited to their needs. I do feel it sad that going to breeders for pets is way down the list with pet shops still probably sitting at the top and pounds/rescues and GT following close behind. I have nothing against rescues, they do awesome work, but I feel rescues of breeders should be first port of call for the future buyer. The Veruca Salt mentality also has to stop. Puppies are not an 'I want it now' thing and take careful planning and consideration. Choose wisely and your dog will be so much more than 'just a pet'; they'll be family!!!

The problem with 'giving in to sad eyes' is that a lot of people don't adjust their regular feeding schedule to accommodate all the extra treats the dogs are receiving. I'm out at work most of the day so I have no idea how many snacks they're given by the family so their breakfast and dinner are adjusted accordingly. Neither are gaining or losing weight so my balance works well. I find the comment that some people (not here) keep their dogs fat because they're lazy, shocking. So many health problems arise due to obesity -- those poor dogs!

I give my two dogs a lot of treats during the day and as such, their main meals are reduced to balance this out. I've mentioned before that my 6.4 kilo Aussie gets a tablespoon of Royal Canin Mini twice a day and she's in perfect condition. I tried increasing the amount but she started getting fat. Likewise with Zeus. He's 14.8 kilos and lovely and lean and muscly. He gets 1/4 cup Royal Canin Medium twice daily and I couldn't be happier. Feeding is a lot of trial and error regarding amounts per dog, per type of food, but if you're willing to put the effort in, once you've found the balance, maintenance is easy!!

That's how I view it too. I'm mean I'm not a toy nazi at all and am quite happy to have other dogs join in a game of fetch provided it's on my terms. I need to know the other dog well before I'll include them in a game because if it's a strange dog, I don't know if it has possession issues or not. My own dog Zeus also likes to glomp in on others' games of fetch because he enjoys chasing the dogs, not the toys. However, I call him back before he even gets near the other dogs and distract him with food or his own toy. If he continues trying to approach the playing dogs, I leash him and take him to a quieter spot away from the games.

Korbin there are actually instances of this happening. I think sometimes the dogs can get too familiar with their surroundings and deem the park to be 'theirs'. It happens at my local park with some of the dogs who go every day. One dog in particular actually approaches and barks at people who walk through the park without a dog, but he's fine with people who have dogs with them and yes, I've seen all too often a herd of dogs rush up to an on lead dog and bark in its face. Most of the regulars are pretty quick to call their dogs away, but the way I see it, they should be more aware of people approaching and stop their dogs before they have the chance to rush off. It is very intimidating to both dog and owner to be rushed at -- even if they are all friendly dogs. To the OP, you've unfortunately encountered the attitude I absolutely HATE regarding off leash areas. For some reason, the majority of people who use them seem to be of the opinion that the park is for their dogs to become involved in a massive 'free for all'. I tried commenting on one particular off leash park's FB page that I'm allowed to do any type of training I want in an off leash park without having dogs rush at me. I was vehemently shot down saying that if I want to do training, go elsewhere and if I didn't want my dogs interacting with other dogs, I shouldn't be at the park. How one is supposed to work on a reliable recall with distractions when you're not allowed in a place that creates distractions is beyond my comprehension. This particular park also has a ban on bringing toys to the park for your dogs to play with. I can sort of understand this rule as some dogs get highly possessive, however, if I bring a toy to toss for my dog, I shouldn't have everyone else's dogs stealing the toy away. Again, I've been told if I want to play fetch, do so in my own backyard not at the park. When I commented that not everyone has a backyard, I got shot down again with replies of 'why even have a dog then?' The attitudes of this particular crowd is one I avoid like the plague -- as others have mentioned. I commend you for being responsible enough to keep your pup on a lead whilst you work on its training. Recall is by far one of the hardest things to teach a dog -- unless you're one of the lucky ones who owns a dog that naturally just wants to hang around with no recall training whatsoever! Stick to your guns; you're definitely within your rights to walk your dog how you see fit. Off leash area doesn't make being off leash compulsory.

why do you tease your dog and why does your friend allow her pets to be terrorised is my question? if your dog came onto my property and broke into my pets cage, in the house or yard, yeah I'd be screaming for blood. Same as if my greyhound went next door and killed their pet rabbit. Breed does not allow your dog the right to seek out and kill other peoples pets. If pet rat/rabbit/cat trespassed onto dogs property then so be it, I'd be sad my dog killed, but I had them contained, the owners of the interloper didn't. This I'd just like to point out that I don't allow my dog to terrorise her pets. My friend was the one who decided that it would be a good idea to let my dogs into her house to see what would happen. I knew what Kirah would do so I snatched her up as fast as anything but not before she'd had a few snaps at the cage and she was quickly put back outside again. My friend is not the bright person and thought the entire scene was funny but I was horrified; she's never done it again and she won't after I gave her a good what for. Edit: we were sitting playing games and I didn't even know she'd let the dogs inside as she's never done it before knowing my dogs are outside dogs. I thought she'd gone to the loo and the next thing I know, Zeus is coming around the corner and I knew where Kirah would head so I tried to cut her off.

Oh you'd be surprised. There's a lady who is often seen at the local dog park carrying her pet rabbit in her arms or with her cockatiel on her shoulder. I asked why she brought them and she said that they like going on walks but don't like dogs. Yet she's at an off leash park with them? I did let her know that Kirah, who I'd leashed upon her approach, would quite happily eat her rabbit (no joke) and she replied that perhaps I shouldn't be there with her. Umm ... Oh-Kay then! All the while poor Kirah was licking her lips and most definitely wanted to eat the rabbit. The problem here is that I'm well aware that I own a terrier and don't own pets she was bred to hunt and kill. I therefore can't teach her that bunnies are friends, not food because we don't encounter them -- unless they're wild in which I don't care if she does catch one. That being said, if I hadn't leashed Kirah and she'd jumped up, attacked and killed this pet rabbit, who really shouldn't have been in an off leash park, I'm sure the rabbit's owner would've complained. Would she be within her rights to complain over her own stupidity?

There's currently a thread in the News section that's got me thinking. The particular story is about an attack on a Pomeranian and it has me thinking about what is acceptable 'attack' behaviour from a dog and what is unacceptable. Where does the line get drawn? Obviously, in the case of the poor Pomeranian, the attack should never have happened and the behaviour is completely unacceptable, however, the reason I'm asking is this. I own a terrier and my best friend keeps pet rats, mice and guinea pigs. Kirah has shown her true colours and goes into full 'eat the rodent' mode when shown a cage of my friend's rats. In the very unlikely event that Kirah should get a hold of these rodent pets and kills them, (it won't ever happen because my dogs stay outside her house when visiting) my question is this. Should she be deemed a 'dangerous dog' and seized and euthed because she's killed or does her behaviour get overlooked because of the types of animals involved i.e. rodents? I'm only asking because these rats, mice and guinea pigs are her pets so her value on their lives is much the same as a person's pet dog or cat. Would people or the media go all stir crazy if a staffy or 'pit bull' attacked a cage of pet rodents or would the behaviour be written off as 'they're terriers; it's what they do'? I just think these questions can raise some interesting discussion. Edited to clarify my question so it's not just in regards to media but to all people.

Do you know if they run events like this in NSW at all? I'd be very interested in getting my beagle x involved in scent work because he's really good at finding things I hide around the backyard. I'd be keen to see him go further but have been unsure where to look.

I don't make my own treatments either but do rotate them. During summer with all the biting insects, my guys are given Advantix -- poor Zeus gets terrible allergies to biting insects. During winter I get sick of trying to guess the weather and treat them with Comfortis, which covers fleas only. That way I don't have to worry about the annoying rain!

I just did a quick gumtree search and found this beagle boy -- he's 1 1/2 and an inside dog. I don't know if he'd be suitable but he looks lovely! http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hillbank/dogs-puppies/hugely-regretable-giveaway-1-year-and-a-half-old-beagle-/1023440843

Leah82, how have you found the no-pull harness? It looks really good and am thinking about ordering one for each of my two dogs who are both pullers too.

The ones that get me are the oldies; there are too many 12 year plus dogs being sold. If I'd been bonded to an animal for that long, there's no way I'd have the heart to sell them. One that currently got me was an ad selling an 18 month old dog because "I'm having my fourth child and won't have time for him". My mum had five children and we also had Poochie. It's not that hard to fit a dog into a busy schedule if you make the time to make it work. Perse, would you like a hand searching for a suitable dog for your friend? What type are you looking for? Maybe someone here will know of a suitable candidate.

I have to say that I was trying to work it out :laugh: . Nothing like auto correct to give us an I got Dog Ob(edience) Buddy from it okay. But then again, using the touch screen of my iPad, I've often had similar trouble with the double letters too!

My latest purchase for my bubbas have been some gorgeous handmade mink blankets by the lovely Andisa! Hope she doesn't mind me plugging her work because these are the third batch of blankets I've had made and I can't speak highly enough of the quality!!

No way would I leave a limited slip collar on my dog if they're free to run about eg in the backyard or off leash. I witnessed a poor young cocker spaniel with her leg caught in hers when her owners left it on at our off leash park. It happened when she was down the steep embankment of a creek and she couldn't climb back up as her front leg was caught in her collar. Her owner was heavily preggers at the time so I had to help rescue the poor girl -- it could've been much more disastrous. I'm just glad her owners have learned to not use the martingale on her at the park!

Isnt that just lovely. So the people employed to protect the community are now being protected from the community? And their families are as well? Fabulous. Gotta love vigilantes. Shooting dogs which were well behaved, and had owners on hand is hardly "protecting the community" Hopefully the polie and their families are moved somewhere with few people and no dogs. It appears that there was no reason for arresting the dog's owner. I just want to point out that the police were in the process of dealing with a potentially dangerous situation and don't need a douchebag bystander making the situation worse by playing loud music and strutting around like a complete and utter toss-pot. He deserved being cuffed and arrested, but no the dog didn't need to die that way. Having said that, the dog did appear to jump up at one of the officers seconds before he was shot. This guy deserves what he got -- he had no reason to interfere with the police in the manner that he did. The way he was strutting around was like he was deliberately trying to antagonise them -- he has no one to blame but himself for his stupidity. And sadly, his dog had to pay the price. RIP Max. I'm sorry you had such a moron for an owner. May you find peace over the bridge.

My own two dogs can get into an overly excited, hyped up playing session too. One weighs 6.4 kilos the other around 15 kilos. When they both get so overly excited, the best remedy I've found is to separate and give them a cooling off period. I don't mind the excited play, but once Zeus, the larger dog, nipped Kirah (6.4 kilo one) too hard and a brawl started because Kirah is a typical, unforgiving terrier and wanted to tell Zeus where to go. It resulted in me having to pick her up and she continued carrying on in my arms and, when I thought she'd calmed, I put her down, only to have her try to start round two -- Zeus meanwhile had no idea why she was so feral. My two only get this hyped up over a game of fetch, so after this one kerfuffle, I've learnt to stop play before it escalates too far. If they get to excited, the toy goes away. Once they've calmed, I bring it out again. It may be a similar case with your friend's staffy. Just make sure she supervises the play and if she feels her dog is getting too rough, she needs to step in and separate them. Sometimes dogs do get so excited they forget themselves and their manners; we just need to calm them down and help them remember sometimes!!

Diva I totally understand about feeling guilty leaving one dog behind. My two dogs both require some firm one on one training, but I've been unable to suck up and leave one behind without feeling so guilty. As you currently have a Bassett Hound, the cost of feeding wouldn't really be impacted as I imagine you'd put them onto the same food. It's not like my situation where I'm buying bags of both Mini and Medium breed kibble for two dogs. I have a friend with three dogs and hers do occasionally have scraps so you'd need to make sure your current dogs don't have issues with the new one -- this might be made easier by the fact you'll be moving so the yard will be more of a neutral territory for them.

How I could I be upsetting the balance by feeding the roo mince? That'd be like saying humans are upsetting the balance of their perfect diets by eating the occasional chocolate. I've yet to see any disastrous results with my feeding regime so I'll leave it at that since my dogs' diets aren't what this thread is about

And this is why I stay out of all discussions regarding diet. *eye roll*