macka

Ok my top 3 dog photos...

Haha, sure why not! I may have to do my top 3 dog photos as well then!

Love this one! Great expression!

Mine weren't that hard to pick as I didn't take very many photos this year. :p Hoping to get out much more with my camera in 2010! Mt Lee, Kosciusko National Park Sunrise at Kaikoura, New Zealand Reflections in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Post your top 3 photos from the year here! I'm just digging mine out of the archives, then I will come back and add them to the thread. ETA, they don't have to be dog photos!

If you think it is attention seeking... the way I deal with any attention seeking behaviour is as soon as the undesired action is performed, take the pup straight to a time out zone (I use the laundry because it's boring and there is nothing they can destroy in there). Leave alone for 3 min then let them out again without fuss. Suggest to him at this point that he plays with a more suitable toy - offer one to him. Do this every time he touches a rock. Be consistent: it may take up to 3 weeks, and you may see an extinction burst (ie it gets worse before it gets better) but it has worked for me for a couple of attention-seeking things Leia used to do. Thanks Macka Will it still work if the behaviour is outside and he will have to be taken through the house into the laundry inside - ie more attention to get hime there? If so laundry will be a good option for us too - will have to train OH and teenage son too. It is a very annoying behaviour. Jut make sure you are not giving any attention, as that is what he wants. Just as soon as he does it lead him by the collar straight to the time out spot. Don't say anything to him, don't give him any eye contact. If you have a suitable area closer to outside it will make it easier for you (the key is it is safe for the dog and somewhere where he can't see you) but don't use the crate because you don't want to pair it with punishment. A bathroom, laundry, or spare room will also work - so long as there's nothing he can chew. I have sued this method to stop Leia from jumping up at the kitchen counter and also from touching the bin in the bathroom - it took me three weeks of doing it consistently but it worked. Edited to add: it also helps to set him up to succeed so if there is anyway you can fence off his access to that area it removes the temptation.

If you think it is attention seeking... the way I deal with any attention seeking behaviour is as soon as the undesired action is performed, take the pup straight to a time out zone (I use the laundry because it's boring and there is nothing they can destroy in there). Leave alone for 3 min then let them out again without fuss. Suggest to him at this point that he plays with a more suitable toy - offer one to him. Do this every time he touches a rock. Be consistent: it may take up to 3 weeks, and you may see an extinction burst (ie it gets worse before it gets better) but it has worked for me for a couple of attention-seeking things Leia used to do.

Are you taking her out to toilet at that time? Personally I would start sleeping her much closer to you - in your room - then gradually move her further away, metre by metre, to the desired location.

Hi Shaun A ramp sounds like a lot of trouble to me (but I am not very handy! ). Personally I would just leave the doggy door for when he gets a bit bigger, especially since they grow so quickly! But totally up to you. I hope you join us in the lab thread so we can share in your countdown and new puppy excitement! Cheers

Can I ask what you cover in the puppy course? Well it is four modules and I am only up to the second one. But so far, it has covered the following: Selecting a puppy from a litter Puppy Development Preparing for pup to come home Toilet training Bonding Leash training Drive Building Crate Training TOT Socialisation Handling Vets Leashes and Collars Recall Puppy Body Language NILIF Move Shaping Greeting Visitors All of the above of course comes accompanied by Steve's wealth of experience and unlimited email support.

It is by distance - I am doing it by distance. I live in Sydney but I still consider Steve reasonably far away!

Are you going to do Steve's puppy course with your new pup? I recommend it - I am doing it atm with mine!

I very much agree with this too, and would add that sometimes training them what they should be doing is simply a matter of catching your dog doing something good and remembering to praise. At the same time as doing my "time outs" punishment with Leia I really tried to take note of any time she was just sitting or lying down quietly in the house and praised her for it. Sometimes just pats/verbal, but sometimes I'd surprise her with a treat. At first she probably thought I was a bit mad but she soon caught on that quiet, calm behavior is what I want when inside the house. We also at the same time stopped playing games inside the house, so as not to confuse her. We still train inside, but games esp with a ball are outside only now.

When I was having issues with my dog jumping up at the kitchen counter or hanging around the bin looking for things to steal no amount of yelling or telling her no or water-squirting had any affect on her whatsoever. What worked in the end was every time she jumped up at the counter or touched the bin I quietly and calmly took her to a time-out spot and left her there for a few minutes. No yelling, no getting angry, no back and forth. It took 3 weeks of doing this very consistently to break the habits - but now she NEVER does these things any more. You have to be consistent and of course you have to catch them doing it for this method to work, but it works. ETA I found the yelling/getting angry to be counter-productive with my dog as she just fed off that excited energy I was giving her. She was doing these things to get attention and the yelling etc just gave her that attention, even though it was negative it was enough for her to keep doing it.

No don't worry about it Erny - you can keep posting in here that way everything is in one place.

Thanks for all the replies and insights. Where do you get this Calendula tea from? Health food shop?

Think I might go get a scratch test for allergens done first and then evaluate from there depending on the allergens.

Doesn't really seem to fit that well in this case.

Artemis Fresh Mix Adult - Analysis As I said though, she has not been on this food long enough yet to properly evaluate how she is doing on it. Also given her allergies seem to be seasonal I am not convinced it is food related, but I guess I don't know.

Wow. Not easily! I suspect for Leia it is most likely pollens/grasses as it does seem to be seasonal. I had heard about these injections but I guess I won't know if that's a possibility until I go talk to someone about it. Yeah... she has insurance but unfortunately this is a pre-existing condition. It would be worth it if it could solve the problem though. That's exactly how I am using it except replace cotton wool with tissues. I think all of the things I am doing at the moment are pretty useless unfortunately :D , hence this thread.

Vets are like GPs Macka.. they don't all think outside the square and a lot of them regard alternative remedies as quackery. In some cases they are right!! Well I guess I am at the point where I am willing to try something new for her. She is only just under 2 years old...I'd rather she didn't have to suffer while we just "manage" the allergies for the rest of her life, the poor girl.

If you think it is worth going to see a dermatologist/natural vet then that is something I will definitely consider. Neither of two vets I have taken her to so far have even suggested that. :p

At the moment she eats Artemis Fresh Mix Adult plus raw meaty bones, mostly chicken wings, necks, frames, drumsticks. She probably has not been on the Artemis long enough to evaluate how it is going for her - I only switched her over to that from Eukanuba a month or so ago.

My poodle-X, Leia, has suffered from allergies since about 6 months of age. One day I came home to find her covered in a blotchy red rash and welts on her stomach, and ever since then she has had occasional flare-ups. We don't know exactly what she is allergic to, but her allergies are worse over spring/summer. So far on our vet's advice we have just been managing the allergies as best we can by bathing her in Aloveen to help with the itchiness, putting Derm-Aid cream on the rash/welts, wiping her down with a medicated shampoo solution after walks, etc. If it gets REALLY bad we do have steroids which our vet said we could give her for up to 3 days in a row - however we have only ever done this 3 times, and it is something I would like to avoid as much as possible given the potential side-effects. She also gets recurring ear infections which my vet says is linked to the allergies. I have been cleaning her ears out with diluted malaseb but this doesn't seem to prevent the infections. I have been recommended by my lab breeder to try Epi-Otic in her ears instead because unlike the Malaseb, it apparently has a drying agent to stop the ear canal from staying moist?!? Keeping in mind I need something that i can use even while the ears are red/sore, so preferably not too irritating. Overall she has been pretty good this spring, however this week she has had a flare-up and is currently on ear drops for a bad ear infection and has red welts on her tummy this morning. :p I guess I am just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat with allergies and if anyone has any suggestions for how to better manage/treat these that would be great. Thanks

Personally I think you will have enough to worry about on the day...honestly the day just flies by and you will barely have a chance to talk to all of your guests let alone fuss over the dog. I'd only do it if one of your guests is prepared to take care of your pup the entire time. Which may not really be fair to them as they'd probably like to relax and enjoy your wedding too! Why not ask your photographer to do a wedding pre-shoot to get some nice photos of the 3 of you before the big day?