Aussienot

I am picking up a puppy flying on Virgin on Wednesday afternoon. The breeder says she will be at Toll Freight on Loop road. Have looked at the airport map, have googled Toll Freight, and Virgin Freight, and Where to pick up a dog from Sydney Airport, look for Loop road in the area, and am still none the wiser. I have seen a freight area near the international terminal but this appears to be all Qantas. Can someone please tell me where the areas for dogs at Sydney airport is located? I can read a map, but if I can get lost I probably will.

Perthgirl, I understand why you are frustrated. I had the same problem in getting breeders to even respond to me at all. This was no reflection on me as an owner, but there was a barrier between me as a puppy buyer and the breeders who had puppies for sale. And I gave up. I could has easily found one from a byb, but didn't want to do that. I didn't just want any pup of that breed, I wanted a thoughtfully bred, genetically healthy, temperamentally sound and well raised puppy. A few months later I was at a show with a friend, started talking to a breeder (of a different breed), got very excited about the pedigree of her next litter, and ended up with a much better puppy. And have made a friend of that breeder. 18 months later couldn't be happier with him. And in January, I made contact with another breeder, have been in contact with her constantly, and my new pup arrives Wednesday. So keep trying. It can be done. Perhaps try visiting a show or two, and see if you can strike up a conversation with some breeders. Yes, some breeders won't give you the answer you want (or any answer at all!) and they are fine with that; but many will respond and be lovely.

I found this on the petinsurancepro website (googled Is Malaseb shampoo safe for human use) and it appears not. "Although some of the ingredients found in this product are also found in products for humans, Malaseb is only for dogs, cats, and horses, and should not be used for humans. " It didn't say why not, different PH balance, maybe?

They will be adopted for the wrong reasons. They will be adopted for the cute factor, which will fade, and the "novelty" factor, which will wear off quickly when reality sets in. They will also be adopted by the sympathy martyrs (I'm the only one who can save her). No intelligent, caring and informed owner in their right mind wakes up one morning and thinks, "I'll go out and adopt a deformed, disabled dog today."

Finally, some sensible commentary following a dog attack. The media could do so much good telling people how to avoid attacks, and how to handle your dog so this kind of thing does not happen, but they never take the chance to share knowledge. They are too busy playing up the sensationalist angle.

I frequently import commercial quantities of fur and skin style dog toys. Quarantine always open the package (must send the sniffer dogs wild) , but I've never had anything seized. I think as long as it's treated it ok.

Yagoona shelter has needed renovation for at least 10 years. RSPCA spent a fortune building a new shelter in Rutherford just a few years ago rather than spend money on Yagoona. They knew the government would respond to a "Yagoona will be shut down" threat. So taxpayers are footing the bill so that RSPCA can spend their money in other ways. They have plenty of resources to take care of the animals they house, they just don't choose to spend their money on the animals. That's what I object to.

There is no guarantee that any two dogs will get along, but your best chance of success is one of each sex.

I had a good giggle over that story too. They have let yagoona fall into disrepair, then claim poor. They certainly have enough descretionary money to put towards TV shows and advertising that could be directed into improving facilities for animals and staff. Perhaps shave a few staff off of their media department and and head office?

AWL is a respected organisation and the Queensland AWL is a shining example of AWL ethics and beliefs. They have a successful trackrecord of increasing rehoming rates and decreasing euthanasia rates. I think the move will be a big step forward in welfare and wellbeing for companion animals in Ipswich city council.

My dog Tarot did this as a young pup but quickly grew out of it. When she started to grab the lead, I would face her and walk backwards, patting my legs and urging her to follow. She always did, and as soon as she caught up, I'd turn around and walk forward normally again. When she started thinking about following me, she forgot about grabbing the lead. This went on for a week or two, and I was thinking about how to solve it, then one day I noticed she had stopped playing with the lead on her own. With her, I didn't re-direct to a toy because I didn't want her in intense play mode when we walked. She can be a high drive little rocket, and I knew the solution lay in reducing arrousal.

I don't allow marking by watching the dog, and interrupting with a quick Uh un!, any sound to break the dog from the act. You have to watch them persistently and stop persistently until they realise marking is not allowed. Inside marking is just wrong in my house or in my dog daycare. Outside, be a natural dog and mark where applicable.

When my dog was bitten by a tiger snake, my vet came in on Sunday night to treat him. He did let me know that every dose of anti venom cost $700, and I kind of gave a sharp intake of breath at that, but there was no question that trying to save his life was worth anything. Four days of care later, he did die, sadly. I don't know what the vet would have responded if I'd said I couldn't afford it, but I do know he cried when Finn died. I am sure that if I agreed to the amount, he would have let me pay it in large installments. Most small vet practices don't have a good cash flow, and I can fully understand why they need payment for goods to continue in operation. At AWL, we occasionally would have a nearby vet ring us when a dog needed treatment to live and the customer did not have income to pay. If it was someone we could treat in the shelter vet clinic, and the dog could be transported, we would work out a payment plan with the owner. We only charged for products used, a flat rate for vet time, and a small amount for daily care. Extremely discounted rates. Fewer than one in ten every paid anything, and fewer that 1 in 20 ever paid off the account. So helping people out to benefit the animals is something only a well funded not for profit can do. No business can survive without getting paid. A vet may start off naive, but they don't stay that way if they want to keep their practice going.

Inspiring - thanks for putting this up. Great focus on that puppy!

I have had both breeds, and my choice would be to go with the Ridgeback, because I like a dog that makes me laugh, and they can be as active or as lazy as their owner. Mine was a one person dog, but not aloof. I could motivate him to do "my stuff" by giving him some form of what he wanted. (Premack principal) Training a ridge will test your powers of positive reinforcement. My Dobe was too smart. Easy to train, harder to manage. It was living with a naughty 4 year old, who would never grow up to be reasonable. Highly trainable, highly motivated, impossible to exhaust. She excelled in obedience, was part of a Doberman drill team, did agility and flyball and wore me out daily. Both breeds can be great if you get the temperament right. Good choices, whichever you decide.

I didn't know RSPCA and PETA were merging . . . . I attended on of the RSPCA Scientific seminars a couple of years back, and the information presented was interesting and well documented. But something about the marketing spiel on this one sounds like it could lack balance. Personally I don't think making me work is justified, but I don't see my animals paying the bills yet.

My vet earned my loyalty when I overhead him telling someone else that my dog Finn's death was the worst thing that had happened in the surgery all year. He was gutted that he couldn't save him and the practice staff cried about it for weeks. It's very tough to remain compassionate yet be professionally detatched enough to do your job. And then get up the next day and do it again.

Several years ago I encountered two Jack Russells running loose in the Blue Mountains National Park. Noting they had collars and tags, I put my own plans on hold, walked the dogs home, and called. Owner was visiting the area, had assumed it was a good place to let them run around loose. He was extremely unhappy that I had interfered with his plan. I explained that there were some aggressive dogs in the area who had recently killed a dog, and a busy highway, and it was not safe. Took him about two hours to find the motivation to come pick them up. He promptly let them loose again, and by the afternoon the female one had been hit by a car and killed. I would have taken them up to the pound without their collars if I knew the owner was such a jackass. They were sweet and attractive dogs. I wish a council ranger would go and have a talk with Dingo's owner, and also smack him up the side of the head.

So, um, how much livestock do you need to have guarded? The breed was never developed for pet ownership or to be companionable to people. It was developed for protecting livestock. It's easy to fall in love with the idea of owning one from pictures, but the reality of owning one is very different.

It is so disrepectful to small dogs to assume they can't bite or be aggressive, or it's cute if they are. I still carry a scar on my finger from a Chihuahua bite when I was a child. If the dog involved had been a big dog, the story would not have have taken such a lighthearted view of the problem. In fact, if this had been a big dog, I don't think there would be a story at all.

What is it that you need to know about BARF? What to feed, how much to feed? Have you ever raw fed before, or are you looking to take that leap? Generally with raw feeding I would feed more meals per day to put on weight, not load up any meal with more food. I wouldn't change the meat/fat/bone/calcium ratio or add anything new. I curious why you purchased this dog if you were so unhappy with her condition.

I use an extra length human treadmill for the dogs. Suitable stride room for the biggest dogs. It's been modified with perspex sides and front, and the motor housing is on hinges for easy vacuuming. The company next door to the dog daycare sells and repairs exercise equipment, and he sourced and modified it for me. All up about one third the price of the fit for life ones, which I though were too narrow and premium priced. Been very happy with it. Most dogs love to run on it, and three have mastered the running jump on. Two are absolute maniacs, and will sit on it, looking at the controls, then looking at me, then looking at the controls, . . . . Only my own dog really hates it. Might be worth a call to Jason from J Tech in Penrith NSW. PM me if you want the number, or email.

I'm a big believer in "never get your dog a dog." Another dog may not be the friend and playmate you imagine for your first dog. A second dog may bring bad habits, and two dogs can be more than twice as destructive as one. If you want a second dog, great! If you've got time, money, space and inclination for two, go for it. Work on the interpack dynamics if you need to, and hope that it's love at first sight between them. They can be good company for each other, and it can be a lot of fun. Just make sure you are getting a second dog for the right reasons.

Doesn't free feeding contribute to eating issues? Normally the sight and smell of food is a trigger for appetite. If the dog can see and smell food all the time, the trigger becomes exhausted. The dog loses the ability to tell when he is hungry. The appetite and food disconnection can cause under or over eating. At least, I think I learned that at somewhere. I've never been in a situation where free feeding was the only way to keep a dog at a healthy weight.

Some training should start the day you get your dog/puppy, and continue daily for most of his life. My GSD was in group classes from 12 weeks (I lied and said he was 16 weeks to start him early.) He already knew how to sit, drop, stay and had leash manners at that age, I just wanted him to get used to working with other dogs and people around. When a dog is learning, it's all positive, happy, rewarding. The worst a pup gets is no reward and try again. I mix training and playtime. And all sessions are short and frequent. Exercises are easy and you make the dog's choices easy. From about 6 months, I start proofing and start trying to improve performance (faster, straighter, stability) and lift distraction thresholds. Drive training can be started. A lot of people wait until the dog is 18 months or two years, huge and unmanageable. So much harder that way. So much more temptations to use corrections. Better to set a firm foundation of learned behaviours and build from that.