Snoopy21

Scary! I'm so glad she is ok. I just wanted to say that we have had a couple of leash malfunctions that led to our dog getting free. Once she ran in front of a milk tanker! It was terrifying. I think it is due to the thick d-ring on the harness. When the dog twists, the d-ring forces the snap on the lead open. Nothing wrong with either piece of equipment, just the angle or the twist. You could try a leash with a firmer snap maybe? We use a front attach harness and a choke chain, both snapped to the same leash. It looks like overkill, but we haven't had any accidents since, and it stops the harness from drooping at the front which keeps our girl comfortable. It is vital that our girl stay on lead, she is very large, her recall is unreliable and she has very high prey drive - so we double up to be safe.

I am so, so sorry Cazstaff. I can't imagine your hurt right now. Huge hugs to you from here. Sleep peacefully gorgeous boy.

So cute! I thought the dog was like, "Can't I jump in the puddle too?"

Not to mention the right to life propaganda written over the top.

Thanks huski. I use a harness with a fairly thick D-ring and it usually happens when Willow suddenly turns around or shakes, so it could just be the combination of the two. I could send it back, but then I would have to use another leash which would make me sad. I'll email you.

I love my K9 pro leash, the leather is divine. But my the clip sometimes mysteriously undoes. Is this generally a clip issue or is it just mine?

Willow goes mad at European wasps and has worked out how to kill and eat them without being stung. She gets them up against the windows, flicks saliva at them until they can't fly, scratches at them with her paws until they are dead and then eats them. Crazy dog! They love to eat meat, so if there are any old bones or scraps of dog food in bowls they are attracted to them.

I agree that anthropomorphism is rife in movies, children's television, advertising and digital media. Look at the movie Cats and Dogs, where dogs 'pretend' to do dog things like sniffing each other to hide their human like activities from humans. Many more advertisements portray animals in human situations, and we laugh when we ascribe human emotions to animals in things like lolcatz. Really it is no wonder that children are confused about how to approach animals. It comes down to the number and quality of experiences they have had too. People tell their children to keep away from the dogs, shut dogs outside their whole lives, deliberately seek dogs that look like soft toys for their children, and don't make the effort to teach their kids about dog body language, or to socialise their children with dogs.....that too has become someone else's responsibility. And schools and dog education programs don't have ability to provide practice and experience in this area. Dogs are the same as they have always been. Society's expectations have changed.

You might do well with a laundry detergent with enzymes and warm water. I have a green stain from Willow's effort last week though, so maybe don't take my advice.

Gorgeous! How old is he Persephone? He has the most wonderful smile.

Thanks for the reassurance Persephone. She is totally back to normal today, zoomies and hunger still intact. The rain stopped so I went out and found the remains of the wallaby. She had eaten a lot of it, so no wonder she was sick. Silly dog. It's not like she is starving or something.

We aren't really rural, so I'm hoping no one uses poison as a control. All our neighbours have dogs too. This isn't the first time she's decided to feed herself but she doesn't usually eat stomach and contents so maybe that's what upset her. She probably did eat way too much also. We are in Tassie - so we don't feed offal due to the hydatids legislation. It was certainly gross when I was scrubbing it off my carpet last night. The smell was foul!

Willow is looking very sorry for herself today. Yesterday she caught, killed and partially ate a wallaby in the back yard Last night she had a huge vomit consisting of a lot of fermented smelling herbivore stomach contents, pieces of skin, bone and fur. It was also packed with worms. I relaxed a little, thinking it was a bit 'better out than in' but she is still creeping around looking very sorry for herself today and retching every now and then. No temp, gum colour good, slow and careful but not overly reached, and no pacing or drooling. She is a large deep chested breed so we watch carefully for bloat but no signs like that. Can I just leave her to it? She was looking for breakfast this morning, but I fasted her just in case. She is laying low and sleeping a lot and I'm worrying that she hasn't perked up a bit. Vet?

Or maybe the owners could not live with the risk that their dog might maim someone else? I could never look at my dog the same way again if I knew she had bitten a child's face this way. It would not be fair for her to live in a situation where she was always looked at by her own family as a child mutilator rather than the reliable dog that we know and love. My intellectual mind knows that any dog, including mine, is capable of biting a child. I do many things to minimize the risk of this occurring. But my emotional self would find it hard to know what to do if that bite did happen. I would be guilty, upset and angry at my dog. Is it fair for her to have to live with that?

Cutest puppies EVER! I want.....

Well he has a red nose so he MUST be a pit bull! ;)

It is a difficult situation. Made more complicated by some councils charging over $50 to make a complaint about a barking dog.

But then I wouldn't have learned all I have learned on my journey. Sure I may have had a dog that walked on a loose leash, but we wouldn't have done half the other things we have, or met the people/dogs we have met, or decided which tools and methods suit us and which don't. We would never have started clicker training which we really enjoy, nor been exposed to a real variety of techniques. Absolutely....it would have been great to have found a fantastic trainer first off. But to be honest - we didn't even know we needed one initially. And yes - an inspiring trainer is a great asset. I certainly walked away from Aidan's classes feeling ready to take on the worst dog in the world.

I have used a prong on Willow. Using the prong in conjunction with a training program - we had some good results. I did not feel very confident with using the prong, and being an inexperienced trainer, found using a device with a written program a challenge. I sought further help because of this and found an alternative that suited me better and that I could feel more confident about. In my location there is not a huge choice of trainers, most (all?) of whom would not support the use of a prong making it hard to get local help with that program. Aidan was kind enough to invite us to his classes and things are much improved. I am much more confident and Willow is getting the exercise and stimulation she needs.

It is scary. I will padlock the gate, but doubt it would stop them. It is scary to think about my sweet, sweet girl being put in such a situation. My neighbours dog went missing from their dog run last year.

Thanks Aidan.

I said it was my fault? I struggle to maintain the consistency required for this stubborn dog. I am not wanting the blame to fall on anyone but me. She heels just fine at obedience but I have struggled to translate that to regular walks in our neighbourhood. And as I said the lunging and pulling is a million times better. The trainers I used were awesome and have given me good advice and assistance. Is using a harness to walk on really the end of the world?

I have a strong dog and I use a front attach harness too. I find it really great! It just means that she won't yank me off my feet when something unexpected happens like a bike hooning out in front of us or a dog/cat rushing out from somewhere. I see it as a safety back up and as a great training tool, and it meant that she was having some success I could reward in the beginning. It is also more comfortable for her as she was having quite a bit of chafing around her neck from her collar (she also lunges on lead and I was worried about her hurting herself in the martingale I was using). It also allowed her to get some exercise and mental stimulation even when her leash manners were not ideal. I have done 3 years of obedience training, and sought the assistance of 2 other trainers. It has helped me immensely and our leash walking is a million times better than it was. But still not perfect. I am the first to admit that that is my fault. But this is the first dog I have trained and it has been a learning curve. I will do things differently next time - but it will be a different dog and a different situation. I feel no shame walking Willow on her harness. She is happy, and I am happy.

I live in Hobart and don't have a padlock on my gate. What is to stop someone simply cutting it off? Or snipping a hole in my rear rural fencing and taking my dog? Hopefully she is big enough to deter them from taking her. Everyone knows everyone's business in Tassie, so there would be many, many people who would know about this, even if they weren't actively involved. That is what makes me sick.

Frufru - the thing we have found crucial is proper straining of a wire close to the ground. Or girl is not a climber, so the height was not an issue. The fence is basic weld mesh with 2 wires along the top. Wallabies push under the fence in our experience, lifting it so the dog can get out. Never underestimate the cunning of a repeat escapee either. We watched our girl go along the 85m of fencing sticking her head through and lifting to see if she if the fence had any give. She checked between every 2 posts. Where she thought there was give, she put her head under (bum in the air) and pushed, wriggled and rocked to stretch the wire. 2 weeks later she is still trying it out at every given opportunity. Replacing posts, running 2 new strained wires and clipping the weld mesh to it has made all the difference The deer fencing looks good. The weld mesh we have a mini poodle could stroll through easily.