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For us, we have found the best way to leave him is to totally ignore him when we are getting ready to go. No playing, speaking, touching and especially not looking at him. When I'm out the door and heading for the car my head is facing the clouds as he tries to get my attention (almost tripped a couple of times doing this ) but he realizes that he is not coming with me. By leaving the house this way, he settles quickly. HTH and goodluck. It's not easy leaving the little one but they are ok in the end. PS: We always leave the radio on and a light if it's late. PPS: Shyla is beautiful!

For ants, try sprinkling a good amount of talc around the place. Apparently they hate walking on it!

Ness, thanks for that bit of info re Dover. The thing is, I really liked the guys and set up at Holdfast. He would occasionally be put into day care there and had a great time but I was 'sort of' told off for not taking him in earlier in the day....my pup barked too much....but Karen, the key player there was fantastic. I am not into 'punishing' my dog but he does at times need to be told or he will take the advantage. Trying to get him to settle calmly on the mat was totally impossible. Having said all this, my dog knows what he is meant to do but unless I give him 'the evil eye' he'll try to slip it past me.

We did our puppy classes at Holdfast and they were great. Unfortunately my dog was not suitable for the style of obedience they advocate. I have a Terrier who is not food driven and he thought the 'total positive training structures' gave him the complete right to disrupt the classes for the entire session. Totally ignoring bad/naughty behaivour, not being able to say 'no' or 'settle' well, my dog thought he was in heaven and turned into a hoon whilst his mum on the other end of the lead turned a blind eye The only advice the trainers could give me was to have him desexed but he was still a baby . I decided to call it quits, it just was not working for us and I'm sure they were happy we didn't continue. We have since sorted out a lot of his naughtyness (except for today) and I thought of trying the Dover Gardens Dog Club. Is anyone familiar with this club? Sorry to hijack your thread Fevah

I'm also keen to find this info. Live in Glenelg too. I have a 1year old male who, although not too bad, does require obedience. He's medium size, around 20kg. We spend a lot of time at the dog park on Oaklands road but that's just for ;) ;) :D ;) And the humans there are pretty cool too!

I had similar concerns with my pup. It was recommended I change his drinking vessel, which I did, from s/steel to glass - that worked. Secondly, my pup LOVES ice cubes. So, each evening I spend some time with him where I slide them around my kitchen floor and he chases them and gobbles them up. He has a ball and I am happy.

Sorry I'm not a multi, otherwise I'd get you down monthly....that is if you could drag yourself away to little old Adelaide

Not ALL mobiles I always bush first, tidy up and trim if required, check for knots behind ears and in the legs and anywhere else. Wash and dry the dog. Finish with a comb or brush. I am very much aware of the hair knotting from the drier and manage accordingly. I clean ears, tidy up pads etc, use good product. I have my standards that I would require if I were paying for the job and am nationally accredited with distinctions (never got a distinction in 11 years at school lol). Whilst I admit there are plenty of cowboy operators, there are those of us that do it right. Rovearound, you sound great Good on you for taking such pride in your work. Which state do you operate from?

That's EXACYLY what he did.....oh golly, I'm getting all mushy now.....time for a big cuddle with my Moof

Clyde & Luckypup, you are both right. This was my first time and although she was a lovely girl, I guess I expected her to do it all or at least tell me that she could at a cost. Not that I found it expensive at all and would have been happy to have paid more. Anyway, will be going to salon in the new year where she is familiar with my breed. Sheriden, I would definitely hope to get a pup from Lynden. The last pups he had were from the same parents of my boy and a little brother or sister would have been great. Murphy's temperament and disposition is just beautiful, from the moment I picked him up from the airport he just 'moved in' with lots of affection and just a lovely openness of trust. I'm working on the pictures. I've got hundreds of them but just don't know how to post but have booked in a lesson for next week. It's a disgrace I know....

That's so funny Poor old Mr Grumpy I will start the 'eat it or loose it' tonight. I was so concerned of his lack of interest in food that I always have a scoop of kibble in his bowel but this is just wrong, plus, he never ate it anyway. He will sit and stare at me until I give him the ok to eat but as he has never lunged at his food it is only for half a minute. I will do as you do with Mini. I'll give him half an hour. Apart from this my little boy (Murphy) is such a cuddly baby. We adore him and will more than likely get another one some time next year (when one is available) so he can have a buddy to hang with. Totally taken with the SCWT and I can't believe how many people we walk past stop to say hello :rolleyes: Just about everyone thinks he is a mix of several breeds that is incredibly handsome :wink: Aw, we don't mind as long as they give cuddles. Thanks for your advice, all the best.

Hi Sheriden, mine hasn't worked out this 'hiding under the bed' business yet....thank god he can't read! The new brush isn't too bad, it's very similar to the slicker but bigger and seems to be more cushioned. I did manage to get a tangle out from under his chin without too much of a battle....well, maybe a medium battle! The itches is something I am trying to sort out. The vet cleared him from hot spots so I am happy there. I started the Evening Primrose Oil shampoo recently (vet grade) and it is giving him a little relief. Sheriden, he just wont eat much and me being an aussie/greek, it goes against all my natural instincts. I have spoken to Lynden and he assured me that his dad is also a picky eater so not to worry about it too much. I'm going to have to sort this out with him. He's never really liked kibble. We started with Royal Canin and then I tried Orijin. He's not interested in either. He is also given a couple of chicken wings and/or necks plus boiled chicken (with some liver occasionally). And now he has decided that he doesn't like chicken anymore. I've offered him lamb, beef, fish, (either cooked or raw), leftovers, but, he walks away and I know he is hungry as it has been 3 days of him sucking on his bone. Tonight he ate half a bowl of boiled pasta with a little butter and cheese. Having said all that, he is at his ideal weight with lots of muscle so I guess food just doesn't do it for him and I shouldn't get too hung up about it. Anyway, sorry for the rave. How is Mr Grumpy going? I recall you posting about his sudden aggression when you had a friend stay, is he alright now?

Thanks Sheridan, what a coincidence, just gave him a bath tonight. This time I did brush him before the shower but he is a little bugger with the grooming. I purchased a new brush yesterday, it seems to be more gentle than the slicker and he was happy munching away on the old brush until it was shower time. Normally I would brush him again when he is almost dry, thanks for the advice I'm using EPO shampoo as he has an itch here and there. So the deal is made, he gets to eat a brush whilst I brush him....hope the Reject shop have an endless supply.... He looks so gorgeous, I could eat him!

Had the same situation with my boy. Totally unfocused on our walks and just pulled to get somewhere fast. At 20kg, walking him was not much fun. Tried the 'gentle halti' and my dog reacted so badly I was terrified he would break his neck. I made the mistake (apart from trying it on him) to not clip on his normal collar as well so I could have just taken the GL off him straight away but we had to make our way back home. Luckily we were only up the street. Then moved on to the harness. The only good thing was that he was no longer chocking but his walking behaviour was still bad. Spoke to our training group leader but as they do not advise on any form of correcting a dog I found them of no great use. The only thing they could come up with was to have him desexed :p I was doing this alot :p Then I found a dog behaviourist/trainer who came and spent 3 hours with us. Very smart man. My dog isn't 100% yet but we are getting there. The most valid point I learned is that I cannot take my boy out for a walk if he is excited. This excitement makes him pull like he is late for a very important date For example, today we were all ready to go walkies, house locked up and we were in the back yard, he was so excited and barking for joy. I just sat down and asked him to sit beside me calmly. It took half an hour before he complied. I then picked up his lead and went to the first side gate where he had to sit calmly whilst I opened it and we headed to the front gate where again he sat and waited for the ok to enter the footpath. This whole process took over half an hour. My only responses to him were sit, stay, good boy, in a very quiet calm voice. (Plus a lot of silence) Our walk was good, he didn't bolt and was more focused than the past. He is learning that we only go for walks when he is calm. If he starts to get a little ahead of me I just stop. But he is nothing at all like he use to be. Get a professional in to train you. They are worth their weight in gold.

I didn't really have a bad experience, the girl was lovely and I am sure if I had asked her to follow up with a brush she would have. She was here for a good hour and I was happy to pay her. It's all ok though, I will go and see Goldie and tackle my boy to learn to LOVE his grooming, with her, every week or every day if need be :wink: PS: Hope you have the valium....for me...!

Thanks for your replies Goldie, will be in touch with you soon. Have been telling my little boy all about you and to say he's excited to meet you is well, an understatement! I'm afraid you will have your hands full

Hi, a good friend of mine arranged a dog groomer to come and wash my boy. She said she had done my breed before so I was ok with this as she was highly recommended. She was a really nice girl, very patient as this was his first experience and he can be a handful. I had no problems She washed him with the medicated shampoo I gave her and did an excellent job. My question is this. When she blow dryed him, which took some time she didn't brush or groom him. His hair looked great but when I tried to brush him the next day I found it was a little tangled. Is this standard? he is a single coated Irish Wheaten and I have wanted to take him over to see Goldie but haven't had time. Is it normal to not brush when the blower is used? To be honest, I always follow up with a good brush after I bath him so am just curious

Hi Shoshana, how is Rosie today? Did you hear back from the day care centre? I hope they did the right thing here. All the best with the op, please keep us informed.

PS: I'm from Adelaide too.

I have also taken my pup to a day-care centre where we do obedience. On the last occasion he came home limping and now after 4 weeks of vet care and confinement he seems on the mend. Very sorry to hear of your pup's ordeal. The poor little girl. You're welcome to pm me if you wish to exchange info.

Thanks for your replies. For me, I don't mind him crated at the Vet's, it is the safest option. But he is young and stupid so barking when he wants something (in that environment) will probably happen. Settrlvr: I am trying to curb this barking of his. He doesn't do it too often, just when he thinks it is his last resort to get his way. I appreciate your input. It's not as easily done as said though. That challenging age puggy-puggy & nekhbet: Looking back, I do not think they were joking. I will be asking further questions to get a clear definition from them next week. GR8P2: Gosh, what a lousy Vet. PS: will call you next week for an ass shave Christina: Hmm, some people do.... Lucknow: I would not want my dog tethered, it's not safe, so I agree. Janba: He has been crate trained but the last 2 months out grew it and is not destructive in the house. I guess at the end of the day I have become aware of this and will do what is necessary to try and avoid any additional drugs given to my dog. I will (if the need arises) endeavour to stay with him for his duration at the vets and certainly take him home asap. At least this has enlightened me to avoid a possible situation if need be in the future. And by the way, I can appreciate the untenable situation the staff have to deal with when faced with a loud, demanding or scared screamer

I agree about the noise sending everyone nuts Janba. Was at the emergency hospital last week and one pup was barking the entire time I was there, at 3 - 4am. Guess it kept the Vet awake on his shift. I dunno, it just made me feel uncomfortable. If my pup had to spend a day there (hypothetically), this place will silence him with more drugs

Took my little boy to the Vet's for x rays the other day (didn't require them in the end). He's a typical excitable pup, 5 months old and gorgeous As we were waiting, I was apologising to the nurse (in advance) that he will probably bark a bit in the back room and she said "oh, don't worry, we have drugs for that". Honestly, I thought she was just joking around and laughed. Consulting with the Vet, she said the same thing and I was/am somewhat Is this common practice? Someone tell me I'm being too precious here

I agree with Jey. Goodness, this little fella is such a well behaved pup in every way and a little help from me if something spooks him or is uncomfortable is not IMO spoiling him or jumping to his every wish. Yes, he is a dog but a very happy one!

Wouldn't you know it? After I posted this question he has had several drinks I will take your advice Jed, he is getting a new water vessel and he likes the cheep stuff best!