luvsdogs

Luvsdogs....did you look at this video of how they go about taping their BC's ears in America Not sure if I would go to that much trouble to get a pricked eared dog...besides, pricked eared BC's have a different personality & if they were artificially pricked then they wouldn't match the personality IMO The poor pup certainly wasn't enjoying the whole experience. To the OP Natasha M, I think I would leave well alone at this stage as the link by GRD says the ears go up from 3 to 6 mths, also that taping is not 100% guaranteed.

I personally think she looks adorable with the ears as they are. I had never heard of taping ears until my border collie had one prick ear & one semi-erect as they should be. Her breeder & friend suggested I tape the erect ear. I tried several times by putting double sided tape in the ear to bend over the tip. It worked to a point, she mostly carries it erect but it will fall forward when she's relaxed. I had seen a bc pup with very low ears have them taped as a baby. Later photos I've seen of him as an adult show that they are still low.

Does the breeder have a theme for the rest of the litter? I would have thought their pedigree names would have been decided on before going to their new homes. All my pets have names that describe them in some way, like birth months, colour, markings etc. I looked up some Aboriginal baby names. Alkira - the sky & many more http://www.baby-name-list.com/Australian%2...aby-names-1.php

Have a read of this, it may help. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/raising-puppy

From what I've heard breeders say about the nuisance calls they get from the public wanting puppies NOW I can see this breeders point. Also maybe she said no papers because you said in your email that you wanted a 'pet only'. On the other hand if I was getting a pup from a breeder I'd want the Limited register pedigree papers. From websites I've looked at searching for a pup & dol ads, most have waiting lists, some have pups that they can't find homes for straight away. If they have pups needing new homes & you want to secure a pup, they require a deposit. I think it would have been helpful if you had at least told the breeder what you wanted to do with the pup. Being a working breed it needs to be more than just a pet. Do you want to do obedience, agility, herding with the dog?

Have a read of this, particularly page 8 Orthopedic Disorders. http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHea...euterInDogs.pdf

Yeah the boys of the household voted for Spin (Mainly because they want to make the command word 360 lol) I would be careful teaching tricks like spin (with spin always go the other way as well), beg, jumping over, crawl etc until the growth plates have closed as they can be damaging to growing joints & bones. Good tricks for pups are as already mentioned, shake which leads to high 5 which leaves to wave. You then can teach both paws & give each one a name. You could also try speak on command & retrieving, things that are handy in later obedience trials if that's the way you'd like to go. I never taught them to my pup & am having problems with them as an adult.

How did Archie go today while you were at work?

She certainly looked the part & from what I could see took an instant interest in the sheep, unlike Tilba who needed a couple of goes to even acknowledge that they were there.

Truley amazing. He certainly knows how to put together fantastic routines.

Do you have the link? & what are the best times to watch?

Same here. Years ago when April was alive & my boys were younger they always said to her, go find mum, & she would come to me. One day oh came home & told her to go find Jenny, she looked at him like, huh? I told him that the boys always told her 'mum' so he said go find Mum & she did. It's just a title, why confuse the dog with alternate names especially if you have human kids.

Love his little cap, & Lola is having a lot of fun with him. A match made in heaven

When I 1st decided to stop vac April & ignored 2 reminders the vet rang me to ask why I hadn't been in to vac. (see my above post to see why) After much discussion he finally agreed that vac could last up to 3 yrs, at the workshop I had heard possibly 7 yrs but that was b4 the current 3 yr vacs available now. He said that KC lasted 6 mths & others 3-4 yrs but as it was too hard for some ppl to remember this so they still recommended annual vac & also it was a chance to check out the dog. I wasn't convinced. At that time titres were mentioned but had to be sent to the US & when I asked another vet she said that it was more expensive so they still recommended annual vac. My present border was given her 1st annual vac at 16 mths then at 2+ a 3 yr vac. When I took her for her annual KC vac it cost nearly as much at the C7 the year b4. When I brought it up the next time I saw the owner vet of the practice I was given the run around saying it is only about $6 more for the KC but at I said it was more than that. We both seemed to be on a different page. Maybe your vet was meaning the KC vac. or just wanting you to come in get the extra payments. They used to say if you missed a dose you needed to do the whole series again. I wish I could remember the name of the US vet that has researched all of this including the protocol for puppy vaccinations.

I stopped vaccinating my 1st border collie at 9 yrs old after going to a workshop & 1st learning of the probable over vaccination. At the same time 2 friends warned me to be careful vaccinating April as their dogs of a similar age died following vac. My son's dog had her last annual vac at 7 yrs old because I knew I was soon to get another pup. She hasn't been done since & is now 10 yrs old. Back in the day before parvo virus we vaccinated our pups for distemper & that was it for the rest of their lives.

The are brilliant dogs. Tina has a DVD now that shows how to teach the tricks she uses in her routines. Don't know if it will be available in Aus.

Belle, Bette, Kitt, Sash, Bree, Brooke, Kate.

Can also use empty 2 ltr cordial bottles in the same way, but when using these bottles make sure you take off the plastic ring 1st. Replace before they become too damaged. Empty cardboard boxes, the roll inside the plastic wrap/foil in which you can put kibble & squash the ends or fold them over.

I have heard on another thread that dollers recommend Nature's Miracle. I have bought a bottle to try on old stains. I haven't used it yet but it's believed to be a "Miracle". As he's going on the carpet, I wouldn't let him have access to it when I can't keep 100% eye on him.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup#p/u/22/IR7TvrUQ_1k

Thanks. I suppose it is easier for me because the Maltese is a toy sized dog and thus there is pretty much one size available, but we have spare bowls and a spare collar when I my last dog was in her puppy stage so I will use them for the time being. Really? Do you have some links or references to assert this claim? http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/alpha-roll-or-alpha-role

http://www.petsinthecity.net.au/dr-kersti-...aviour-services I've heard she's the best there is in Australia. She is expensive, but well worth it.

I don't know if it's been mentioned before, but have you thought of adopting a dog from a shelter? There are hundreds of maltese/crosses in the shelters needing a good forever home.

The only thing that worries me about taking my dog to beaches in NSW is the ticks. As I don't live in a tick area my dog is not on tick treatment. For those in the same situation what do you use for tick preventative & have you ever found ticks on your dogs after visiting the beach? Nikki's Mum I agree. My nephew, who grew up with various dogs, & lives interstate came to visit his sick mother with his 2 1/2 y/o daughter. He was telling us that she had been attacked twice by dogs & he grabbed her out of harms way the 2nd time & don't remember if he said she was physically harmed. She is now terrified of dogs & to prove the point he said to her while we were in a cafe, "where's the doggy?" She immediately had a look of terror on her face & jumped out of her seat & stiffened. I think this is such a shame that he is using this to terrify his child, my 1st thought was she needs a dog, but they live in an apartment & he's not the type to see reason. In his teenage years his dog was protective of the family & when we visited with my young son I had to be careful that she didn't go for him when picked up by the family. We were told to be aware of the dog's temperament. There should be more in the media of ways to approach dogs & how they can enrich our lives.

101 things to do in a cardboard box. http://www.sithappens.us/index_files/Page3283.htm