Tassie

Nobody have done more or tried harder. And now you are doing the hardest thing .. giving her relief from pain and confusion. Such a hard thing for us to do, though. .

Oh that's a shame @The Spotted Devil. But yes, you're right @Jess. It really is hard to juggle .. and especially when instructors are trialling. I'm currently trying to work out a calendar for a Foundation Agility block at our club ... It's just going to have a few big gaps..

Hi Boronia. Not sure about your pup with the struvite crystals, but I changed my dogs from BH Fish and Potato to the Grain Free Salmon when my old girl was diagnosed with Lymphoma early last era and our holistic vet said go grain free. So I'm about on my 3rd big bag for my now 9.5 year old BC boy .. he doesn't get a lot - about 3/4 of a cup morning and night. He also gets quite a few treats in training during the day .. but his weight is maintained nicely at 21.2 - 21.5 kg. (My youngster is primarily raw fed (ig Dog Barf patties) but does get some kibble for treats and in her pacifier (Kong). That 52 % protein is misleading, isn't it, but if you scroll further down the Black Hawk Salmon page, you'll find tabs for Ingredients list, and Guaranteed Analysis .. in short 28% protein, 18% fat 2% protein.

It's a good guide if the breeders show or do performance sports with their dogs, or showcase puppy buyers who have done this .. that will sometimes be apparent from their websites. Although my present puppy has a lot of NSW lines behind her, they are predominantly Black/White lines, so I can't really help. Your best bet is perhaps to try contacting some breeders on DOL that you think might be OK, and asking some questions, as well as having some ideas of what you want to do with your future pup. Oh, and I would be prepared to be more flexible than "3 hours driving form Sydney" -- that limits your choices significantly. Both my current dogs have flown from interstate, with changes of plane on the way .. no problems. They have also travelled long distance by car as babies, with no problems. Just saying. One of the standard pieces of advice we give is to go along to a show and have a look at some dogs, chat with some breeders .. but for the most part they will be Black/white, Blue/white or possibly Red/white or maybe occasionally Black Tri.

Sadly it does sound as though this old darling is getting close to the end. I've been lucky too in my dogs... although my 15.25 year old agility girl was diagnosed with Lymphoma earlier last year .. held at bay by Prednisolone for 6 weeks .. and thankfully no pain apparently. She did get tireder and less active little by little, and with that cancer, she also had some neurological issues .. so some little collapse episodes, which gradually got more frequent. The timing of her passing was pretty much obvious, thankfully .. although I did wait an extra day so that she could be helped out by her lifelong vet. Friends had a young Sheltie with a tumour which sounds similar to Jeune's although in a young dog, it was more aggressive, so they only had a week. I'd be guided by your vet, and your own observations. It's the old quality of life thing .. when they start to struggle, and/or they're not doing the little things they've always enjoyed, we have to start planning how we're going to help them. Thankfully we can help our animals in ways we can't help our human family members and friends. Hugs to you .. it's always tough, no matter how old the dog is.

Yes .. I was going to say Croydon too. They do have an agility program too - or they used to, although your pup is too young for that, but at least you know they're looking at preparatory training for that too. And a big yes to Awesome Paws for agility. I would go there if I could .. a bit far to travel for me - from southern Tasmania!

Pembroke or Cardigan? You could contact Dogs Qld, and they may be able to point you in the direction of some breeders. There is a Welsh Corgi Club of Queensland, affiliated with Dogs Queensland, so it would definitely be worth contacting then. The club would be able to advise you of health considerations/genetic problems which ethical pure bred breeders belonging to their State affiliate will be considering in their breeding. There's also the Welsh Corgi breeders listed on Dogzonline.

Yes .. the microchip is on the record ... here at least, dog cannot be registered without the microchip.

So glad she's dong well, @shells.. And thanks so much for that link. Very interesting, and really helpful information, particularly in Tassie, where we don't routinely use tick protection since our proportion of paralysis ticks is very small .. but presented with the voice change and the paralysis and the lack of tick protection, most owners (and possibly vets) would immediately suspect tick paralysis.

It's worth checking this. In my municipality .. and I think all over Tasmania, ... the answer is Yes .. you are required to notify a dog's death ... I actually returned the lifetime ID tag our council issues, but in any case, they would put the death against that tag number in their records, so that no one else coul use the tag on an unregistered dog. Sorry for the OT, @westiemum.

LOL Perse ... probably not in southern Tassie .. in the roaring forties. Dog could end up in New Zealand .

If your mum and you can be patient with this little one a bit longer, and just keep on with the things you're doing, keeping things nice and calm .. lots of things that she really likes as treats ..she may well yet come round. I'm thinking of a friend whose ex breeding bitch rehome small breed was good with other dogs, and with her and eventually her husband, but initially scared of her own shadow when she was out and among people. My friend (an experienced trainer) just took her time, lots of treats from close friends .. and over a couple of years the little dog, while still a bit wary of strangers has settled down to the extent that she has taken to tracking and gained her TD title .. although there were a few little bobles with male judges following behind her, and male tracklayers to be found. I'm also wondering if you've tried Adaptil .. either as a diffuser or on a bandanna. I know a lot of people are having success with it. As far as the grooming goes, maybe if you start a new thread in the Health and Grooming forum asking for recommendations for patient kind groomers in your area .. ideally there may be someone willing to come to your mum's house.

Just a couple of quick suggestions. I can't remember if your mum has taken her for a consult with a vet behaviourist. This sounds like a situation where some medication might be in order while the training is going on. The going backwards must be upsetting all round, for the dog as well. And my suggestion would be for your brother to have some soft treats, or semi soft .. just small ones, and try just opening a door, gently tossing a few treats on the floor and stepping back out again. So then the hope would be that the dog builds up a pleasant association with your brother. It may take a while.

@Thistle the dog .. that's one of the benefits of having Rally O .. especially now the Honour exercise has gone. Just you and the dog having fun .. and you can talk to them .

So sad for you and your situation. I had a similar situation many years ago with my first dog. She was older, but doing OK.. but her back legs would go on her every now and again. Then it was her front legs, which made it hard for her to get up by herself. (She was being treated with the somewhat limited range of options available back then.) Then one morning I let her out on my large sloping block to toilet, and heard her barking later .. went out to find her cast like a sheep, downhill into a bush. She was unable to get herself out .. and since, similar to your situation, it was nearly the end of holidays and I would have to go back to work in a few days I decided that I could not take the risk of her falling .. either inside or out, and being unable to get up and get to water or toilet. So, very sadly, I decided, with my vet's agreement, to say goodbye before she deteriorated further. She was still eating, and still happy enough in herself, so it was really hard. I think I made the right decision, hard as it was. And you're so right .. this is the really tough side of owning our beautiful dogs. You will make the right decision, with your vet's support .. and you will grieve for your lovely girl.

A few thoughts ... #1 .. I think you need more help with your dog than you will get from the internet .. so it would be good to get some hands on help from a positive behaviourist .. there are some good people in WA, depending where you are. #2 My strong advice would be not to take him to a dog park. Yes he can behave nicely sometimes .. but it's giving him opportunities to show behaviours you do not want to see repeated ... plus he could get hurt. #3 the fact that he's clingy with you although in a bit of an extreme way, is a good thing IMHO. I see you're going to desex him soon .. that will be a good thing. Subject to what an in person trainer says, I would be spending time with him at home, in the house and in the yard, teaching him 'stuff' ... tricks .. anything, Getting him used to learning and finding value in working with you. Other family members can join in games like "round robin recalls' .. everyone has treats, and is sitting in a circle .. small at first. and one person at a time calls the dog excitedly, and makes a big fuss of the dog as they reward him for coming to them. Lots of fun and lots of exercise for a little dog .. mental as well as physical. And yes .. you may not have made a great decision in getting this dog ... but in telling your story, you may help someone else to make a better decision .. and I for one admire you for sticking with him and looking for ways to help him have a happier life.

Tough situation, but as usual the DOL hive mind has come up with good ideas. I have to say I agree with RuralPug about the need for mental stimulation being a higher priority than lots of free running, especially for working dogs .. my experience is with Border Collies, but I'd say it's true of Kelpies. It may be a little hard for the family to do, with very small children, but hopefully they can manage it.

A couple of good starting points there .. and I really liked your 'family meeting' .. good start. If you're in Perth, you're in the home of great dog training opportunities, so I'd definitely follow those up. And the breed club is another good recommendation. Best of luck with your 1 year old puppy .. cos that's what he is. .. puppy with attitude. But since he wants to be with you .. you've got a great starting point.

Hope your dog is recovering well. Just in case you haven't come across it, you might want to read up on Exercise Induced Collapse in Labradors.

I've only had one pup that didn't eat like a horse from the first day (including ones straight off many hours travelling) .. but I did have one BC boy who was quite a picky and reluctant eater for a couple of weeks after he arrived .. quite a worry when you're used to vacuum cleaners. I'd probably be feeding smaller amounts more often while he's settling down. Main thing is the vet says he's fine .. so it's a bit of a behavioural thing - but could be some anxiety in there as well. COmlex little critters puppies are. ETA - he's a cute little man .. and that paw is just there ready to wrap you around .

There Is some ground bone in them, but you can always feed some other recreational bones. There are some veggies in them too, but again, you can add more. I do when I'm not being lazy. Big Dog patties are about $8.00 /kg at my feed store .. they come in 3kg boxes (12 patties). My pup is 9 month old now .. 13..5 kg at last weigh in .. must do it again .. and has been on the patties .. with some additional kibble, and quite a lot of training treats of various kinds - since she came at 10 weeks. She seems to do very well on them. (Mind you my kibble fed boy does well on his kibble LOL.)

Or if you're a bit lazy and don't have much freezer space, or room for an extra one .. you can buy something like frozen Big Dog Barf patties. Useful for travelling too. But not the same as doing your own, I guess.

II had the salesman measure the width of the back of the Rav4 when I was looking 8 years ago. Luckily he was a BC person, and was happy to do it. And when I went to get the car, they guys put the back seats down for me and moved the dog crates over to the new car. Now that's service!

That is scary! At least in Victoria there was the opportunity to lobby pollies effectively, since it had to go through Parliament.

What an amazingly kind offer, RuralPug. I do so hope the OP takes you up on it.