Jigsaw

Very normal. Especially if you've had very wet conditions in the past few weeks. It usually sends most pups a bit backwards. I don't consider a dog to be toilet trained until you've gone a month without accidents!

Just to add that some people may have disabilities that are not visible but have need for ADs.

I haven't heard of any Sydney stuff happening lately. I'm going up to Queensland to the Chicken Camp though!! Looking forward to it!

Even a postcard sent to the person from all the different parts of Australia or the world can help. All those people in all those different places.

It's mainly due to the tapetum lucidum in the eye which depending on the eye colour of the dog will change the colour reflected in the dark. It's my understanding hat dogs with blue eyes have a thinner tapetum hence the red reflection. More info Here

A lot of rescued dogs seem to form attachments very quickly and I've found that this sort of behaviour seems to happen with some dogs in some households. I would be starting with stopping any lap or couch privileges for the moment and provide the dog with a bed or crate it can go for a comfy spot. If there is a particular time that this sort of event is more likely to happen eg when kids go to bed, put the dog in another room so behaviour cannot be rehearsed. I'd also suggest some Adaptil spray - family members can spray it on themselves, lasts about 45mins from memory. It might help But best idea would be if the rescue group has a trainer or behaviourist that works with the group, the new owners should contact them and ask for advice. I'd be doing it sooner rather than later before a nip becomes a bite.

Was there anything else happening in the background? Kids screaming, car horns? Perhaps someone threw their bag on the ground nearby causing a noise? There could have been something else happening around you, that you maybe were not aware of (and the dog was) that occurred when the little girl came up and the dog was responding to this and perhaps has paired this with the girl approaching.

This would be an ideal opportunity to explain to the public why puppies should still be with their mother and not in a pet shop and why it's a good idea to see the parents of puppies.

Agree with Alkhe. It was never going to be easy with a 5mth old pup from a pet shop. I'm glad you tried to help the people and the dog though, it may give them some idea that the next one may not be so hard if they put a little more consideration into the purchase of a puppy.

We had our first go at tracking on Saturday. My girl just absolutely loved it! I could barely get her nose off the ground from the moment we got out of the car, although not an unusual feat for her. :laugh: . We did three tracks with my scent and then another track with an unknown, as she was doing so well, and she worked it beautifully. Even when she went off track a bit she got herself back on track without too much fuss. Looking forward to our next go, which will hopefully be next Saturday, we might even get a corner instead of a straight track!

Another Ruthless fan here! Special order was no problem for them !!

:laugh: Very clever!

I'm looking forward to more pics and stories as your journey unfolds. Rakim's a legend for his tree top walk on that mesh! Hope there are no hiccups or dramas along the way! Safe trip!

Sophia Yin has some good articles, this is one on "potty training" as they call it. She also has a book on Perfect Puppy training - comes in ebook form too. There should be a link to the relevant part of the book on toilet training on the below webpage, which should be for free. http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/a_foolproof_potty-training_plan I would also be suggesting that your friend teach her dog some husbandry exercises, such as looking in mouth, ears, eyes, touching paws, ano-genital region, gentle restraint. Part One of this book. (Sorry I can't shorten the link for some reason) http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ment3XYVpr0C&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=gentle+restraint+training+for+dogs&source=bl&ots=lMTiMoW-aI&sig=uEPOvh4tKULZ_Ap6W9qCNAVSM4E&hl=en&sa=X&ei=z2efT-XpCMqciQfQ0_36Dw&ved=0CGYQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=gentle%20restraint%20training%20for%20dogs&f=false

Some ideas on recall http://www.kathysdao.com/articles/The_First_Steps_to_Teaching_a_Reliable_Recall.html

Vickie and Steve Austin are just starting up their new TAFE course in Sydney. I'm not sure how to put the details up here but if you send me your email address through PM I can forward the details on to you.

Can't keep a good koolie down too long! Obviously she thought she needed a better grade of convalescent food than what you were supplying!!! :laugh:

IMO I think some of the appeal of the "whatsioodles" is their shagginess. Shaggy dogs appeal to a lot of people more than a frou-frou poodle, so I do wonder if this is some of the appeal with the crosses. Most of us buy with our eyes first. A standard poodle is a big dog, and might just be too big for some people, although I've seen quite a few big whatsioodles. Unfortunately Joe Public when looking at a bouffant styled poodle doesn't always see a dog they can get down and dirty with, running in the park, swimming etc. Maybe it's time to get some pics of poodles in action out there, both frou-froued and shaggy. There are some just as lovely to poodle alternatives as have been posted by others, they just are not always as well known. I've met an absolutely delightful Bedlington a few times, he loves to tug and get in with the other dogs!

She looks like a gorgeous bundle of puppy fun! Congratulations!

She's gorgeous Dyzney! Congratulations!

Valeri Farmer-Dougan, Ph.D. is a researcher with the Canine Cognition Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Illinois State University. Her laboratory is currently investigating and identifying canine behavioral problems as well as positive behaviors, in dogs with and without disabilities. To read article with link to study go here

When my previous dog was pts I saw him for ages. I felt like he was hanging around to make sure I was alright. I still miss him terribly and still have his favourite toy, a stuffed wombat. I can't bring myself to throw it away.

She's a really lovely looking dog!

There is a breed of cattle that have the same gene defect, not the prettiest looking beasts in my opinion!

There's probably not a lot you could say to someone in a casual manner. Most people are embarrassed by the dog's behaviour hence the hitting so as to be seen to be in control, and as Weasels said "doing something". If you say something you're likely to be abused as well. Hitting the dog is possibly likely to increase it's frustration and aggression when near other dogs. It's possible the dog may redirect the aggression to the owner as well one day.