RiverStar-Aura

It's having a young dog that makes me glad of daylight savings too! Zeus is a sun-riser so as spring approached he'd been waking up around 5:30 - 6am and barking like mad because he wanted his breakfast. Now he's quite happy to wait quietly until 7 - 7:30am for his brekkie and is happy to get his dinner around 7pm when it starts to get dark. I'm pleased now because otherwise I was VERY tempted to buy him a watch!! :D

I agree with Tez about those garlic, horseradish and vitamin C tablets but boy do they taste foul! If you don't have them with food, you'll be burping up the evil flavour (it's happened to me at work when food wasn't available!! :D )

alexmckay yep that's the frontline plus I use although I use the one for medium size dogs as Zeus weighs only 13.7kgs. Those prices probably aren't too bad but I haven't bought any for a while as I don't use flea or tick treatment during winter (there's no fleas around so I don't see the point!). I will admit that I'm not too worried about flea/tick treating every month/2 weeks because as I've said, I don't live in a high flea or tick area so they aren't a huge deal. I'll treat my animals when/if the problem occurs.

I'm so pleased to hear that your woofers are doing so much better! Although it sounds as though you've literally made yourself sick with worry so now it's time for all of you to take care and get some much needed rest. :D

I've been using Frontline Plus on Zeus and so far haven't had any problems but I don't think I live in a high tick area because in the 20 or so years my family's had a dog in the same location, not one tick problem. Fleas on the other hand ... I'll see how we go this summer but I may have to look into something stronger. I find Advantix good but I don't use it because I have a cat and I'm worried that just having her in close proximity could make her sick from it.

She could be feeling the "only girl" syndrome too! But on a serious note, is Chief much bigger than your staffies or are they around the same size at the moment? Because if he's bigger, that may be a part of it too. Bella seems to be acting very much like my cat's reaction to Zeus (I problem we're all still working on!). Maybe give her a room that can be "Bella's space" and no Chief allowed and re-introduce them slowly. It must be hard getting a new dog because both Bella and Chopper have had an established hierarchy for 5 years now and in comes Chief who muddles everything up. Who is the more dominant dog out of Bella and Chopper? If Chopper's number one, Bella may feel as though she has to fight for her spot as number two and therefore isn't as friendly with Chief as you'd like them to be. It's a really hard situation you've got on your hands but hopefully others have some really good ideas and if in doubt, there's always training! Hope I've helped a bit, I'm still new at this "owning a dog" thing!

I agree with what everyone's said; definitely let the owners know about the dog getting out because I'd really hate to see something happen to it (eg. hit by a car, stolen or run away). Maybe you could even offer to take it with you when you're out taking Poppy out because it really seems horrible to have any dog tied up in a yard. I'd bet that it mostly wants company and to play with other dogs and I totally agree about the CKCS having wonderful temperaments; I don't think I've ever heard/seen an aggressive one either. Good luck and let us all know how you get on!

I'd throw the Australian Terrier into the mix because they're great family dogs and are amazing with young children. My family bought Poochie when my youngest brother was about 5 and we'd had an Aussie before her too when my oldest brothers were newborns. They'd stand up to the boxer too as they're quite tough little dogs! As for grooming, they don't really require much and they love company so you can't really go wrong. I hope the family really thinks this decision through because buying a dog purely because the 10 year old wants something she can carry around and sleep with at night isn't really the right reason to be getting a dog IMHO. If that's all she wants buy her a toy dog; many toy shops have numerous breeds to select from. But good luck to the family anyway; hope everything all goes well!

I'd be cautious with the beach because a lot of young dogs/puppies can find the waves intimidating. My Zeus is a beagle cross and he loves the water now but was completely terrified of the ocean as a puppy because the waves bowled him over and he couldn't control them. I love the idea of buying him a shell because Zeus has one and absolutely loves it (once he stopped eating and destroying it!). The local off leash park we frequent also backs onto a creek and many of the dogs there are water crazy so he just follows them in now. I call him my psycho water baby!! :lol: Start with something shallow and calm and gradually deepen the water, but give the beach a go too but again, stick to the shallow, less rough parts and let your pup decide how far in he wants to go. If you keep at it soon you'll have a water loving pup! Good luck!

I was really sorry to read about what happened to Riley -- I actually couldn't believe that something like a kong could do that. I absolutely agree with Octavia about Riley being the pack leader but I'd like to ask it Riley and Mia went out together with other dogs around. If they did, maybe Mia was more confident around other dogs because she had big brother Riley to protect her from whatever horrors she'd face in the big world. Without Riley around she'd probably feel vulnerable without his protection. I also feel that Mia may need some help to overcome this aggression because I'd really hate for something to happen when she snaps and could cause damage to either another dog or to a human (even if only accidently). My thoughts are with you during this hard time and I really hope dear little Mia gets better soon because I know she'll be missing her dear friend as much as you are. You might even find that she can still smell him around but can't understand why she can't find him anywhere. My Zeus still searches for Poochie in the garage every morning and even sleeps in her kennel some days so I guess he misses her to some degree still too. Hugs and kisses to all!

What a complete and utter bonehead! What I've noticed at off leash parks is that a lot of dog owners don't know the difference between rough play and attacking, but to allow a dog to attack ... ARG! You guy wins hands down!

This is a pretty cool topic! Dogs are such clever creatures. My beloved Poochie wasn't a fetcher; if I threw something for her to retrieve she'd look where it landed then look back at me with a "well you threw it, go get it" look. Too smart for her own britches! She also wasn't much of a trick dog in general, she just enjoyed my family's company. One thing she did was lean against a wall in a sideways sit, which in the 7 small months she was alive with my puppy Zeus around, managed to teach him to do too. So even though she's not around, every time Zeus leans against a wall, I see her. Zeus on the other hand, because I'm old enough to play a part in his upbringing, I've been teaching him the standard set of tricks: sit, drop, stay, shake hands, roll over and play dead. I'm finding it hard to introduce new tricks now that he's older because if he can't understand what I want he'll go through all the tricks he's learned trying to work out which one will get him the treat. It's cute that he gets frustrated but it's frustrating for me when he doesn't pick up on the new trick! :lol:

I've heard that getting a position as a vet nurse/assistant is quite hard as there are actually few positions available. Don't let that put you out though! Volunteering at the RSPCA isn't something I'd be emotionally equipped to deal with as I'd want to take all the animals home with me -- I have enormous empathy for all animals I've recently found out and anything remotely sad makes me bawl for weeks! Have you thought about taking in a guide dog or assistance dog puppy for training? That's something highly rewarding. But give it a go, I think it's great that you're willing to say yes to volunteering (even if it is just for starters!). Hope you find what you're looking for!!

I had kinda firgured there was no place for mixed breeds in show. I guess I was just curious after seeing all sorts of cats/kittens (moggies) in shows. Then again, they are mostly shows like "prettiest eyes" etc ... hardly breed defining! :lol: Thanks for explaining about the desexed vs. entire girls because I didn't even know about the 2 coat drops either. I'm still new to the whole "owning a dog" process and now I'm finally able to be owner and trainer I find there's a lot I don't know.

I've been looking into showing dogs for a while now, but have recently decided that I don't have the time or dedication for it just yet. One question that's been bugging me though is why can't show dogs be desexed? I understand it's a show rule but I don't understand why. How would a judge know if a bitch has been desexed or not? Also, can mixed breeds enter competitions or is showing just for pure bred dogs?

Zeus is a major tough chewer so he's had marrow bones (after one night he's devoured the marrow inside and eaten the ends off it) so I usually just stick with giving him small treats now instead. After Poochie's teeth issues (from eating only canned food and table scraps) I want to look after his teeth as best I can so I now occasionally give him Pedigree Denta Sticks which I love watching him chew. He lies down and holds them upright in his front paws and gnaws away at it. I refuse to give any dog pigs ears as I was given one free and gave it to Poochie. Huge mistake!! Due to her lack of teeth she tried swallowing it whole after it had softened. It got stuck in her throat and I had to give her the doggie Heimlich to get her to cough it back up. She did, eventually, but when I tried to pull it out of her mouth she went "feral" on me and growled and snarled, which I knew she would because she'd always done that with bones and raw things so she swallowed and choked a second time before I could finally get her to cough it onto the ground and I stepped on it and threw it out. Gah! What terrible things!

I agree with everything that's been said. Mostly I feel it's just luck although I'd like to say that some breeds may be prone to living longer than others. Both of our Aussie Terriers lived to 15/16 and I know Poochie was neglected when it came to vet checks and such. We had Poochie when my 4 brothers and I were aged between 5 and 12 and I didn't know that dogs were supposed to have yearly vaccinations until I was 21 or so (Poochie was about 10 years old at this stage and I took on the responsibility of caring for her). She was fed on table scraps and canned food until about 7 years of age when she had to undergo major dental surgery to fix all her rotten teeth and since then we changed her diet to Lucky Dog dry food. We were pretty lucky with Poochie considering it took 2 vets and 13 years to discover she didn't have grass allergies that she had mange mites appear every summer and the only reason we had her put down was because her kidneys failed her. Even then it took about an hour to administer the needle because I think she knew what was happening and she fought it to the very end. She was a stubborn and tough little bugger who I'll always miss. But yeah (I ran off topic a little ) she wasn't fed anything special or had regular exercise but she was able to entertain herself with the massive blue tongues and mice around our backyard!!

I've actually always wondered about dogs being able to sense infections. I frequently get infected toenails (due to years of ballet) and whenever I had an infection, Poochie would always make a beeline for my toe and start licking. But in all seriousness, why on Earth this man didn't just go to the doctor before it got so bad is beyond my comprehension. It must've been ridiculously painful and I don't even want to think about what kind of gunk it would've been oozing (because if it smelled ... ). Some people are just really, really, REALLY moronic!

Since I love this breed so much I thought I'd add my two cents! 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I've had 2 Aussies growing up, Brutus and Poochie and am currently searching for my next Aussie puppy. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? They were bred in Australia from a mixture of Terrier breeds to work on farms as herders and rodent hunters. 3. How common is it in Australia? Unfortunately Aussies are not at all common in Australia, however, oddly enough they seem quite popular in the USA. 4. What is the average lifespan? Probably about 12-15 years although Poochie was about 16. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Aussies are amazing little dogs with personality abounds. The best description is a big dog in a little dog's body as they have such drive and intelligence. They tend to define the Australian lifestyle and can be laid-back and also be loveable larikens (Poochie had a gorgeous habit of sitting sideways so you could almost picture her with a beer in hand). Aussies also love people and make the best companion and family dogs and are awesomely loyal and protective and I've found they are very tolerant of other pets (cats especially). I also agree that they are fearless, cheeky and extremely fun-loving! 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Aussies don't require a lot of exercise but a 30 minute to an hour walk every day should be enough to keep them fit, entertained and fight boredom. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Aussies are highly intelligent and aim to please their owners, however, they can have a stubborn streak. I suggest a first time Aussie owner research the breed and talk to their breeder, but definitely give this breed a go!! 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I'm not sure with this question. Poochie was an only dog, however, she was best friends with my cat Calypso and they were both often outside in each others' company for most days. When she was younger (before Callie), my 4 brothers and I (aged between 5 to 12 years) were often all outside playing games of soccer or handball, which she joined in (she had a habit of hogging the ball!! ) so she was rarely left alone. But I guess you could train the dog to be happy by itself but seriously, why just have one Aussie? Two would be much better!! 9. How much grooming is required? Not much grooming at all is required. Brush about once or twice a week and wash when necessary. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Not at all. Aussies love games and children and make the perfect family pet. All dogs require training and to learn acceptable behaviours and the key with Aussies is like Bailey's Mum said: they are not a "cute toy/handbag dog/baby" so don't treat them like one! 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Not that I've come across. Our local vet has said that Aussies seem to be such sturdy, robust dogs that not much effects them. That said, both Brutus and Poochie went deaf with old age, but hey, humans get that too!! ;) 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be). Since Aussies are so sturdy, there's not really much to ask in regards to hereditary health issues but I'd ask about diet, vaccinations and worming. Also, work out beforehand if you want your dog for showing or just as a pet. Poochie was only a pet because she had some white markings, which aren't conducive to the breed thus making her not show quality. I don't know just how much has changed with the breed in the 16 years I've had Poochie so I'll have to think of questions to ask the breeder I get my next Aussie from!!

I used to have so many people ask about my Aussie Terrier Poochie too. They'd insist she must've been a silky terrier x maltese or something weird and when I informed them she was a purebred I'd get the "are you sure?" look! Lately I've been seeing Newfoundlands and a Weimaraner who's about 8. I don't know if they are considered "rare" but they are from a location, which seems to have a lot of rescue dogs, mixed breeds and staffies. Oh and there's a lady down the street who owns a black Scottish Terrier and every winter she walks him in his gorgeous red tartan coat. So damn adorable!

My 14 month old beagle x jack russell has started mounting every dog in his sights. I've heard this is a sign of dominance but I don't really understand his need to dominate ALL the other dogs at the local off-leash park. He's mounted dogs from mastiff crosses, staffies, samoyds, terriers and even german shepherds! . Is there a way for me to stop this horrible and unnecessary behaviour? And he's also been desexed so that's not an issue here. I don't want my little zoomer to be known as the randy boy of the park! I feel I should also mention his playing technique with the other dogs too. He tends to be a stirrer and nips a lot too. He'll run up to a dog/puppy, get its attention by teasing it then he zooms off when it starts to chase. If the dog/puppy stops, Zeus comes back for another turn and this continues until he gets bored and moves on to another dog. I've also noticed that he tends to be quite rough when playing too and will egg the other dogs on until they're all nipping at each others' necks and rearing up and are in all quite rough. Is this too much rough play or is it just what dogs do? This whole socialising at off leash parks is a new thing for me and I'd like to make sure I'm doing it right by my dog and the others at the park.

Oh boy have there been times where I've been so completely annoyed by my Zeus-ling's behaviour that I've told him I'll leave him behind at the off-leash park when he doesn't get in my car or acts up. He's nearly 14 months but boy can he be disobedient and a right royal shit when he wants to be. But in the end, I love him to pieces and would never leave him behind ever because he's my Zeus and I love him. I just wish he wouldn't be quite so psycho sometimes!

I've been reading through the forums to try and work out the best flea and worm treatment for my puppy and I think I've just managed to confuse myself even further. Zeus is currently on Frontline Plus, however, I'm concerned about its effectiveness due to reports from local dog owners saying it hasn't seemed to be working as well. I'm not terribly worried about ticks as I don't live in a tick-prone area, but I'd like to keep the fleas under control as I have a cat and many of the neighbourhood cats like to congregate in my backyard! The other problem I have is with worming treatments. These have always confused me because when I read the packets they only ever seem to cover a few so I'd need about 2 or 3 different types to be fully covered. Zeus currently has Drontil Chewables every 3 months and a yearly heartworm injection, however, I'd like to find out why many of you here seem to be against it. I'm interested in your opinions because I'd like to be more informed next time the vet asks if I want the injection. Are there serious problems caused by the injection and if so, what would be the better alternatives? Is there a worming tablet that covers all intestinal worms and heartworm? I'm finding there are just way to many products to choose from and I have no idea. I'd like to do what's best for my pup and keep him really healthy and active!

I'll definitely try that but just for clarification what do you define as being unscented? Once I touch something unscented won't my smell contaminate it? Or do you mean to find an object that would ooze my smell (say like a blanket I've slept on) and mix it in with other blankets (say the ones he sleeps on for example)? I want it to be morning so I can give this a try. He's a really quick learner so I can't wait to start his training! Thanks for the tips!

Hi all! I own a beagle x jack russell pup who's 13 months old and I was wondering if any of you know how I'd go about teaching him how to "find". His sniffer works well but I'm unsure on how to go about getting him to search out certain things. I guess I'd love to have an unofficial sniffer dog!