Stitch

OK, I think I can resolve this discussion on head halters. I didn't realise that it was HEAD harnesses/halters you were referring to. Personally I have never liked them however as I show this dog and also do obedience they are just not what I want to use. I tried the adjustable martingale collar up high on the neck and it was OK, definitely better than a loose one but nothing beats the choker used high up. I think in this case that the Illusion collar may just be what is needed but as I don't think I can get them in Australia I will have to use what is available. The excitement in this dog is now progressing to situations that weren't 'yipped' at before!!!!

I really appreciate everyones help with this one as there is no doubt she is a challenge!! Staff n Toller I have a PayPal account so maybe I will be lucky and find someone in the US that sells that book and has PayPal. If I can't I will get it from Australian source. Thanks for the links Wuffles. What is a front attach harness??? I have various harnesses which I use in the car, never to walk with as my lot would turn into pullers very easily and yes there is a possibility that she might end up doing acrobatics. She is that type!! Nekhbet that is a great idea with the adjustable martingale, I will try that one. Corvus, yes she is definitely a 'keen bean' which is what makes it soooo difficult to address her issues. She seems to be constantly looking for the 'main chance' in everything I do or she has to do. I have been trying to get her to wait as I get through the door and then allow her to follow but it is very hard going. She just will not wait - wait being the command. It always has to be on the lead and she just keeps pushing the envelope. I can't help but feel that if I could only get through to her, find the right technique, she could be so good. Just don't know if I can find a way to communicate with her.

Where did you get your copy of Control Unleashed Corvus?? I can't find anyone in Australia that has it. I have adjusted her routine as much as I can however there are things that have to be done as they are now eg. like going to bed. I certainly let her wait whilst others have their turn - I can only imagine what she would be like if I only had one dog, she would be running the place!!! Going through a doorway, I ensure I am always first - well sort of as she will wait until I am in a position that I have least control and even though she is on a lead she will zip through. Everything is a battle of wits!!!

Many thanks for all your replies. I will try to get my hands on that book, it sounds good Wuffles. Nekhbet, we have two kinds of collars around - the martingale and the choker chain so I am oh sooo familiar with them. If this girl has the martingale on it is very difficult to get any attention at all from her. The choker is also ignored unless it is positioned right under her ears. I was thinking that Cesar Millans Illusion collar would be good for her but they don't seem to be available in Australia and I don't like giving credit card details out like that. So, I use the trusty choker chain. Anyway - I get a very limited acknowledgement that I am on the other end of the lead. Very little eye contact as 99% of her attention is given to everything else that is going on around her and there is obviously not enough time in the day for her to see everything. I have often wished that I could get her to relax more but with this one I just don't know how to teach her that as she seems to be incapable of listening which I suppose means that I am unable to find the right method of getting through to her.

Yep, I know what you mean. Trouble is that I am always doing that - it results in that particular issue resolving but after a few steps there is another issue then another issue and it just goes on and on. There doesn't seem to be any instance of the 'penny dropping' until the excitement level drops which can take quite a while. When she pulls on the lead I just stop and she will come back but the next step she is out there pulling again, and again, and again. Arrrggghhh!!! The enthusiasm for life that this dog has is wonderful but it can be very very hard to take as she can go from 0 to 100mph in 2 seconds. I would really like her to relax a bit.

I witnessed this kind of behaviour when I was riding with three dogs following behind. The smallest dog did something unpredictable and was hurt by the horse. The other two dogs immediately set upon it but stopped when I called them off. The small dog ended up with some mild leg damage which healed well after vet care but it always amazed me how they could go from all getting on well together to 'lets pick on the hurt one' in a space of a few seconds. I can only presume that the 'pack mentality' kicked in and the small one was seen as 'prey' for a while.

I have a dog who has a barking behaviour that comes from excitement caused by anticipation. eg. when I am putting her to bed she is madly looking around for things to bark at. when I am taking her for a walk she is looking around for things to bark at. or when I take her into any new environment, etc. It is not a loud demanding bark but rather a soft to medium strength 'wahp' and very annoying!! It is usually accompanied by shaking with anticipation too. The worst part is that it is very difficult/impossible to stop. I can try to distract but the anticipation at the time means that the dog is looking around on a continuous basis and doesn't actually focus on anything I say or do. Given that this behaviour cannot be 'corrected' what would you suggest could be used to improve this behaviour. I would like to add that this dogs mother was very similar although not as bad.

Yes, I have Advance Puppy and now that you mention it I thought it was smaller too. Manufacturers are always changing things - lets hope the weight stays the same cause thats the important thing!

You know, just because you get your dog from a 'BYB' doesn't mean that you are going to have problems!! I breed and show dogs and do everything possible to raise healthy and happy pedigreed dogs BUT I would never say that I or people like me are the ONLY ones who can do that. Do you ever wonder how we managed to get, raise, breed and enjoy dogs prior to being a 'reputable' breeder became the vogue??? There are always a certain percentage of 'bad eggs' in everything you do in life including the dog world and there are always going to be health issues in dogs, cats, etc. and humans. As a 'reputable breeder' I just do my best to try eliminate any forseeable problems in health or temperament of the puppies I produce. I care about my dogs and also my puppy buyers but I don't presume to have the monopoly on that!

I ask for pain relief for every dog I get desexed so ring your vet and ask them for it. Don't recommend you get Rymadil but there are others that are just as good. The dog shouldn't be left in pain so give your vet a ring.

I also had trouble with my Dobe, he has had a lot of problems with dull coat and skin problems over the years. I changed him over to Uncle Albers about 3 weeks ago and I noticed today that his coat is actually starting to shine again! I must say I am impressed - UA isn't pretty food but it certainly seems to be doing all the right things and at a very reasonable price too!

I used to buy the minced chicken frames from Leonards but it always smelt of ammonia. I know they use ammonia to clean their benches etc. so I presumed it came from that. I stopped buying from them because of it - then I started to buy it from a large wholesale butcher in bulk. I found if they just minced the frames it was OK but if they put offal in the mix it smelt absolutely rotten and I would throw it out (they said it was OK when I complained). Because I bought it in bulk, it came in a big plastic lined box and I wouldn't know what kind it was until I got it home. It presented quite a challenge to keep it for the next garbage collection. I used to mix it with VAN and during all this time (several years) my dogs would get gut upsets every couple of months which I put down to them just being dogs and eating things they had found in the paddocks. After one particularly bad batch I decided not to buy it any more and switch to Dr.Billinghursts prepared BARF mix. A miracle occurred - no more upset stomachs, no more vomiting, no more skin allergies!!! I would never buy minced chicken frames again!!! I buy the raw chicken & turkey necks from Woolworths and have never had any problems and they don't smell - they also have a use by date on them. In an emergency I did buy raw chicken necks from Leonards a few weeks ago and guess what - they smelt of ammonia!!

Thanks for your replies. I can remember a product called 'bitter aloes'. Does anyone know if that would be OK for dogs? Oh and, I have taken her to the vet twice for this - I must say the vet wasn't that interested and said just to put the cortisone cream on it. Of course the dog licked it straight off, to the point that it made an open wound. It was my decision to put the 'cone of shame' on her - if I hadn't it wouldn't have healed at all. I applied antibiotic cream (which I had) onto it and it gradually scabbed over. Now there are no scabs but she is still showing some interest in the spot and I don't want to take the risk of her breaking the skin again so I have put the collar back on again. This collar thing can't go on forever though poor thing - I might have to take her back to the vet again BUT..... Every vet visit costs about $65-$85 and it seems like I can do a better job of fixing the problem than the vet did! sigh!!

I have stayed in many hotels in UK and USA that allow dogs to stay in the rooms with you - much more difficult to arrange here!! Maybe if dogs were allowed to be more a part of our everyday life there wouldn't be as many socialisation issues.

One of my girls was repeatedly licking a spot and caused the skin to wear away. She has had an elizabethan collar on now for 2 weeks and the area has generally healed up however when I took the collar off she went back to licking it a bit. I think it has developed into a little bit of a habit so I wanted to paint something that was nasty tasting but safe onto the area to make it not so enjoyable. Anyone know of anything that would work but be safe for her to ingest??

I agree with Persephone, this is absolutely typical bitch behaviour in the pack that you have. Either the bitch pup will automatically and hopefully smoothly become the alpha bitch or else your older bitch will suddenly decide not to take the crap anymore and a fight will ensue. Definitely start to feed separately and start giving the pup some serious dog training/obedience class lessons on a daily basis so you remain pack leader. Desexing is a good idea as you are not going to breed from her however it won't solve all your potential problems. Don't put the dogs in the situations that you know will bring on the aggression or competition - it is only asking for trouble!

A documentary that was factual and not emotive would be interesting. I would be very concerned however that us registered and ethical purebred dog breeders may run the risk of being lumped together with the puppy farmers in the eyes of the uninformed. Before you join up with Animal Liberation I would suggest that you research exactly what their aims and beliefs are when it comes to keeping and breeding dogs. Just so that you go into it with all the facts.

You can now get specific medication from the vet for travel sickness. This is NEW as you couldn't get anything for it before and the vet just told me about it because he knows I have a Dobe boy that has suffered from travel sickness for years!!! We actually got around the problems by putting a HUGE wire crate in the back of our utility and transporting him in that. He was much better with the wind in his face LOL!!

Do you take her to obedience classes and do basic training every day??

I believe a decision was made today. It was announced at a Dog Show but I was in the ring and couldn't hear it all. Oops!

Hmmm, me too!! Can you get Big Dog Pet Mince down there?? They have a website www.bigdogpetfoods.com It is minced raw meat and minced bone in a frozen 2kg large sausage format. I mix it with their Dog Mueslii and my lot love it more than the BARF! I feed both.

Have you tried buying Dr.Billinghurst BARF which comes already mixed with veges etc. and is frozen in sachets ready to defrost & serve?? It comes in Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Kangaroo, Rabbit, Pork & Combo.

Thanks for your replies. I have found Samford Pet Resort have recently taken over and improved the Northshore Pet Resort. It is a bit easier for us to get to, so I hope it is as good as Samford. ETA: Moggill is good - at this stage it is our second choice.

I am looking for another good boarding kennels north of Brisbane as The Pines where I usually go is fully booked. It is for just after the school holidays in October so I was surprised that they would be fully booked at that time. I always worry about putting my lot in kennels - I am sure everyone else does too!! Anyone had any really good experiences recently with boarding kennels?? It would be nice if they had a pick up service but not essential!

As others have said, get a big wire crate & crate train him - problem solved!!! I don't know why there is a resistance to crate training by new puppy owners, is it perceived as cruel???? It is by far the most reassuring & relaxing thing for a pup as long as the crate training is done with positive reinforcement not punishment!! And it is certainly not cruel!! It is EASY to achieve and it is also so stress free for the new owners - no barking at night when you and the neighbours are trying to sleep! As the dog gets older the crate becomes their safe den, my older dogs put themselves to bed at night when they are ready themselves. All I do now is give the going to sleep cookie!!