Jigsaw

Beautiful bubs!

He's gorgeous!

A child's t-shirt or Lycra sun shirt can also be used as a improvised thunder shirt. Pull it tight by using a rubber band to hold the excess or tie a knot. The anxiety wrap is slightly different incorporating the back legs. I understand that some dogs prefer one over the other, just depends on the dog I guess!

Was hoping that it would be better news for you. Hoping you're both back together with each other soon.

Hope all is well and she just needs some charcoal tablets. Sending lots of positive vibes.

Good boy Hoover! Well done with your training! Some dogs like the texture of the wood and like to chomp down on it and the plastic is a good place to start then. Is the dowel part of the plastic dumbell less thick than the wooden one? Being thicker can make them roll it around in their mouth too.

Are you a member at Hillsborough? They have a Wed evening class, (which I generally use as distraction training). I think you have to be in Green. If you're further up the valley around Maitland there is Cessnock club and Telarah(sp?) who do evenings as well. I believe Telarah is a positive methods training club. Can I be a stickybeak and ask who you've been training with? You can pm me if you'd rather.

Looks great! Wish it was more commonplace. I've heard of one breeder having a set up that pups had to go through a close sided tunnel with a flap that pups had to push through to get to their dinner. They also had to cross several different textures underfoot to get there too.

See another professional. Corrections can sometimes make the biting worse.

In the video it looks like Hoover is holding the dumbbell too far back in his mouth. It should be held just behind the canines. If it is held any further back dog's tend tom roll it or mouth it. Teaching a secure hold of the dumbbell is important because if the dog is mouthing the dum bell they can easily drop it. One thing you can try is holding the dumbbell at the end and continuing to hold it while the dog takes it in their mouth. When the dog has hold of it you pull very gently giving a little resistance to the dumbbell. Most dog's will hold the dumbbell a little tighter then. Also check that the dowel part of the dumbbell is not too thick or too thin for your dog's mouth. You can also use you finger to train the dumbbell - you start slowly with the dog putting lips on your finger, then teeth pushing on, then teeth opening and so on. You can really feel how good a grip they've got on your finger. You can then transfer this to the dumbbell, same process. I would back chain the sitting in front position. That is the dog is given the dumbbell in "front" and holds it there, learns that that is where the reward is. Also watch how you are taking the item from the dog's mouth. Are you going to use one hand either side of the dumbbell or one hand underneath? Be aware that some dog's see the hand coming and spit the dumbbell out! So I try to desensitize with the dog holding the dumbbell and I gently tap the sides and she has to hold until I give the release command. Some dogs (and this is my dog) have the chase and pick up but not the retrieve, as in return it to me! Of course keep the reinforcement rate high, break up sessions and sometimes you have to work through a point of frustration with the dog to get them to hold it longer.

Bridges. My girl doesn't like crossing bridges, mostly bridges carrying traffic. Wooden bridges aren't too bad but traffic or metal bridges I can get drooling and splayed legs, so we generally avoid them if we can. Takes out some our best walks unfortunately.

What a horrible thing to have happened to this family. Absolute tragedy.

It's pretty scary watching that. I think the growling is real if you watch the dog's breathing. How many times does the dog have to say "back off"? I do wonder whether it's a case of the dog "owning" the couch and surrounds rather than protecting the baby.

My dog likes the vacuum cleaner, she comes running inside because she knows it means lots of treats. I did vaccuum her once (maybe twice ) when proofing a SFE. She has a pretty solid SFE, still working on the rest .

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/taskforce-to-investigate-pet-euthanasia-20110815-1iuhz.html Taskforce to investigate pet euthanasia August 15, 2011 - 5:06PM Cats and dogs in NSW are facing "high rates" of euthanasia, with more than 150,000 put down in state pounds over the past five years, the government says. In an attempt to combat the number of killings, the NSW government announced the state's first Companion Animals Taskforce today. The taskforce will promote responsible pet ownership and will also investigate animal breeding practices and puppy farms, as well as desexing and micro-chipping. Advertisement: Story continues below The announcement comes after NSW council pounds revealed that a total of 32,000 dogs and cats were euthanased in the past year, a spokesman from the Department of Premier and Cabinet told AAP. "Recent statistics show that, of the animals arriving at NSW pounds each year, about one-third of dogs and nearly 70 per cent of cats are euthanased," Don Page, Minister for Local Government, said in a statement. "These are shocking statistics and the establishment of the taskforce recognises the rights of the tens of thousands of companion animals, and will ensure that their voice is heard in Parliament." The taskforce will include members of the Animal Welfare League NSW, the Australian Veterinary Association, the Cat Protection Society, the RSPCA and the Pet Industry Association, as well as the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Division of Local Government.

I think he's a stunner! He's going to have all the girls chasing him I think! :D

Simon is adorable!

My brother saw my dog wearing her Thundershirt and asked why was she wearing a straightjacket?

I would add to Corvus' list that keeping things very low key before you leave. Put the dog outside (if that's where you leave her) about 20 minutes before you leave. Keep all interactions minimal before leaving, try not to be too verbal with her or give her too much physical attention. It's not about ignoring her just letting her know that she can function independently of you.

That is one hellava cute face! Definitely need progress pics as he grows up!

He's such a geat dog - really good balance!

What a good looking, happy dog he is!! I think he's going to have a ball living with you!!

I've found the Thundershirt to work well for my dog and does calm her down when environmental factors get her a bit hyper. However she does not like the noise of the Velcro at all.

What a cutie! You couldn't help but love that bundle of cuteness!

Poor pup. http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/07/korean-scientists-create-3m-glow-in-the-dark-dog/ A cloned beagle named Tegon is the world’s first transgenic dog: her body produces a fluorescent protein that glows in ultraviolet light. Researchers at Seoul National University report that the genetically modified dog glows fluorescent green under ultraviolet light after consuming a doxycycline antibiotic. The team, led by Byeong-Chun Lee of Seoul National University in South Korea, created the dogs. “The creation of Tegon opens new horizons since the gene injected to make the dog glow can be substituted with genes that trigger fatal human diseases,” Lee said in an interview with Yonhap news agency. Lee feels that because there are at least 268 illnesses that humans and dogs have in common, the use of dogs that artificially display such symptoms could aid treatment research for human diseases. Dogs metabolize drugs in the same way as humans – making the testing of treatments more transferable to humans. Already known in the scientific community for his earlier achievements, Lee and fellow researcher Woo Suk Hwang are the duo credited with creating the world’s first cloned dog in 2005.