Tassie

Also have wire crate in the back of a Rav 4. Mind you, don't often have to cope with those temps, although I did driving across the Nullarbor. I usually use a white towel, soaked in water draped over the crate to keep it cool if I have to leave the car (not dogs) in the sun. I've also (at home or places where it's safe, put a big towel on the outside of the back window .. just held by the door corners. But I really like the silver shade clot stuff (although I've put mine somewhere safe or lent it to someone.

"Collar grab" game is very powerful. We teach it in puppy classes, and it converted a previous dog of mine from a crazy crocodile if his collar was touched, to a dog who would stretch his neck out to play the "Gotcha" game as I called it. Just a little caution .. although we call it collar grab, the shaping starts with a very light touch from under the chin .. touch mark reward ... rinse and repeat, gradually increasing the touch, then as appropriate, adding 2 hands, and coming in from the side and then the top. You can also pair this with the recall ... call, touch collar, mark reward and release to be free again, ... so into the 'bounce' type recall training. Sounds like you're making great progress .

An online course I'm doing has a challenge at the moment .. see if you can get in 15 recalls a day with your dog ... short, long, wherever the dog is up to .. so 15 opportunities to reward! That's a lot of deposits in the recall bank. Can be in the house, outside in the yard .. depends on where the dog is up to. Fun challenge.

Thanks for this info Starkehre. Definitely knowledge is power. And where something has a simple autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, and an available DNA test, it would seem unethical for breeders not to be using it. And it does the dog world no credit that some are putting their heads in the sand, or worse still vilifying those who are upfront. We are so lucky in this day and age to have the tools to limit the occurrence of avoidable conditions without the heartbreak of test matings.

Totally get that. It can get a bit overwhelming. Great that you're doing the CMT course. I'm hopeful that more and more people will become aware of the importance of this kind of maintenance for all dogs really, but especially for any of the performance dogs. Just talking with a friend the other day about the various strains on dogs' bodies. in tracking and obedience as well as the obvious agility and flyball. And hopefully conformation people are becoming more aware of it.

Just a little bit envious of both of you. But apart from last weekend's bills, I've got a working spot in a Fenzi class on Canine Conditioning .. a follow on from the first two parts I did in 2015 ... and same instructor as the Canine FItness Trainers 4 part course I just audited. I'm a little bit addicted. ETA excuse ;-)

While I agree with what Maddy has said, and I have no knowledge of the product whatsoever, it has been discussed on the forums. You can search for topics .. the search panel is a small one towards the top right of the forum page. But anyway, here's one that came up. It might be worth sending a PM to sas for some more information.

Now there's a surprise TSD .

+1

I wish .. it's exciting that he's here ... but there's a limit to how far the $$$$ will spread.

Just a thought. I personally wouldn't reel the pup in. In a situation where you have called and she hasn't responded, I would be walking to her .. "Oh dear, how sad, you missed your chance of a reward." Then try again, but not letting her go as far. But before that I would be working along the lines of your plan, starting short ish in low distraction areas, and using a marker (clicker or voice) to mark when she responds to your calling her (recall) name. Then telling her how super she is as she rockets back in for her reward - treats, toy play (even better). (You will have already built up a really big reward history for that name in the house and yard, so that she associates hearing that name with getting a super reward, and then probably being released again. RInse and repeat.) As you see her starting to respond really reliably to that name, and you've got your timing and reward delivery down pat, then you can start taking it on the road. Couple of things about this ... it's not like the formal obedience recall, where the dog has to come right in to you. That's a separate game. This one is about the dog including you in the picture, hence marking the head turn response to recall name. In case you did want to do some formal obedience later, it's a good idea to have a separate emergency recall name, rather than using the dog's name, as in competition, you don't want the dog moving on her name. The emergency/play recall name should be short, sharp, with hard consonants, and something you can yell easily. So my BC Rory's emergency recall name is Big. And the other thing .. it's best not to put her in a situation where she has the opportunity to reinforce herself by ignoring you and running around like an idiot. So that means, during the training process, you'll have a long line on her. It can be just literally a long line .. attached to a lead handle is good so that you don't risk rope burn. Having said all this, there are different ways of achieving the end goal. Others will probably be along with some other ideas.

Thank you for the Jimmy pics. He is just adorable .. and handsome too.

That's a really positive update. Good that the breeder is on board, and that you have ruled out pain .. always important to do. You can do some at home play training with her .. just teaching her tricks etc .. where there is no pressure on either of you to "get it right" . That should help you to keep building a great relationship with her (based as corvus said, on giving her choices to earn rewards (whatever she finds rewarding) for making "good" choices. There are some great Youtube resources .. have a look at kikopup (Emily Larlham), Donna Hill and Deb Jones .. who all have some useful clips for working with puppies. Thinking about rewards, permission (to do what the pup wants) can be a powerful reward, so if she's allowed on the couch as long as she gets off when asked, you can use permission to get on the couch ..for a cuddle, or just a little bit of rest from training, as a reward. So maybe use food or something she finds attractive as a lure to encourage her to get off it, deliver that reward, and then give her permission to get back on the sofa. This says to her that like all good things .. you are the keeper of the good stuff in life, but if she makes good choices (i.e. does what you're asking her to do - once she understands it) then you will deliver the goodies. Sounds like you're on the way to a great life with your puppy. Feisty as she is, she would probably enjoy dabbling in some dog sports. I've seen Cavs do really well in obedience, rally, dances with dogs, agility, tracking, nosework ....and the list goes on. .

An uncle and aunt had a clown of a black Labrador many years ago, in the days of outside dogs. They used to give him his meal in one of the old fashioned rectangular enamel pie dishes with a wide rim. If the weather was bad, they would put his dinner up in a sheltered open shed, so that he could eat in the dry. Mick would look at them in disgust, pick up his pie plate by the edge, carry it out into the weather to its "proper" place under the clothes line .. at which point he would settle down and eat it. You're so right .. their foibles are so funny.

Sounds like you're pretty much on top of things. Yes, confinement can be a bit confusing for pups . . ideally when they are put in the confined area, it's with a particularly special chew object or interactive toy, so that they see the confinement as a good thing right from the start.. But as long as there are separation areas (for the same of both little people and puppy) that's fine. Your kids will learn so much by helping care for and train the pup, apart from the lovely companionship that a pet dog can bring.

My goals for 2017 are mainly in the areas of keeping the dogs fit and happy, continuing to try to improve my skills and Rory's, and having fun. Miss Kirra is retired, but al almost 15, still likes to have a little play when we're training - on low heights, since she doesn't see too well .. but she gets so happy it's worth doing little bits. Had a scare with Rory last October, when he was not fully weight bearing on his left hind one day. Both my vet and a rehab vet were of the opinion that he probably had a minor CCL tear, so we scheduled TTO surgery. Had a few weeks wait because the vet was going to be away, so he was conservatively managed on anti inflammatories for that time. My somewhat puzzled vet phoned me on surgery day to say that with Rory anaesthetized, there were no signs of cruciate ligament damage. We decided to x ray anyway, given he's 8, to check the state of the joints. The verdict was "beautiful knees", no signs of damage, and no signs of arthritic change in knees or hips. (Thumbs up for conditioning and supplements.) Phew! So I've been rehabbing him slowly over the summer break, and we're now ready to get back into some more serious training. First trial down here is mid February, so that will give us an idea where we're at.

Wow ... you are doing a great job to manage all that! A couple of thoughts .. and you may already be doing it. In your situation, I would be making use of xpen, baby gate and crate to try to make it easier for you, the kids and the pup. So there can be a defined space for the puppy to go into for some quiet time .. maybe with a stuffed Kong or something, and spaces for the kids to be puppy free when they need to be. It makes time outs easier. Even the 2 year old could understand (though not necessarily follow) the concept of puppy only space. As you get the routines sorted, the 7 year old could have fun teaching the puppy some tricks (using hands free, force free methods.)

She's gorgeous. And it sounds like that situation was just a bit of a blip .. there will be things like that, and as you say, sometimes they're picking up on things we can't. Good on you for getting her out and about a lot. Personally I wouldn't be in any rush to add dog parks. They're not the best place for all dogs, or for growing pups. Play dates with friends, and finding good classes to go to are great too.

Welcome to DOL ... a great place to visit. Between us we can usually help. Hard to know, but I'd say you might be on the right track .. and you did the right things. (Well done on the work on bite inhibition too. ) So maybe note the experience, as you've done, as something to keep an eye on. Now you know how she shows a fear response, if you can get in immediately with a calm response .. turn and go as you say to your pup something like .. "Oh, I forgot something . we'll just go back this way". Of course she won't understand the words, but saying something like that will help to keep your actions and voice neutral, but at the same time letting the pup know you respect her need for a bit of distance at that moment. And do we get to see a photo of your cutie?

Harder to see on a coated dog, although looking from the top you should be able to see waist, and from the side, tuck up and tuck in. But agree ..popping them on the scales pretty regularly - I pop in to my vet office when it's not busy - and hands on. I like to place my hands on the dog's back, pointing back towards the tail, thumbs either side of the spine, and fingers over the ribs .. the last few. Same sort of thing as TSD is saying .. with only light pressure, you should feel ribs (think of running your fingers across the back of your hands). Your dog must feel a lot better now she's trimmer.

My agility/tracking/rally BC girl is a month and a half short of her 15th birthday. While we don't do formal walks every day. I live on a sloping acre and a quarter block, so a few ambles round the place gives her a bit of varied exercise, and she's happy enough to go for a leash walk around streets or in the park where our dog club is. I did take her with me for a consult a couple of months ago with the rehab vet who has started in practice down here, to see if it would be OK for her to do underwater treadmill sessions (I was starting it up with my 8 year old boy). I also asked about the strengthening and conditioning exercises which we were already doing. The answer was yes .. she was good for all of those. And to continue on the supplements we were using. Since Kirra has early stage kidney disease, NSAIDs are out, so our holistic vet made her up a kidney sparing herbal arthritis pain relief powder. So she's had 7 sessions of UWTM now .. we've worked her up slowly, gradually increasing time and pace (though still slower than the boy. We do that once a week .. and she apparently likes it, and is doing well. I'm really happy with what I'm seeing. Her shoulders seem stronger, and she reaches nicely. And now when she's standing, there's hardly ever any eastie/westie foot placement. Her rear end seems to be strengthening too, from the treadmill and the other exercises. While she sleeps a lot, and is getting quite deaf and doesn't see all that well, she's always up for some "training", since that involves treats. I certainly think that if the dog is up for it, and you have vet clearance, exercise for the oldies is a good thing physically and mentally, and I'm a big fan of cross training, particularly for keeping the core, spine and rear assembly as strong as possible.

So very, very sorry Ggardiner .. what a horrible thing to happen. You must be devastated. And in answer to your question, yes I do know at least one person who had a dog die as a reaction to the Proheart 12. That was several years ago ... but was a young healthy dog. Please make sure an adverse reaction report is made to the authorities Veterinary Medicines Authority .. whether it was the heartworm injection (most likely) or the routine vaccinations, or the combination, it is really important that the data is recorded. While it won't assist you, it may help a little to know that you're doing something to help prevent other people going through the same tragic experience.

Welcome little Jimmy. Well worth the wait. Adorable little man. Lots of fun times ahead.

RIP dear Stella. Heartbreaking to let them go, even when we know it's the right thing to do. So sorry to hear.

Thistle, if it's getting used to the 'something over the head' that you really need, a much cheaper solution is some hila hoops (from the cheap shop .. but get the bigger ones, and an old sheet or bedspread. You start with shaping the dog to go through the hoop . . then through 2 hoops close together, then 3 .. or 2 further apart. Then put a towel or something over the top of the hoops ..and progress to a row of hoops with a bedspread/sheet over them. Obviously with loads of rewards fro bravely going through. This recipe worked really well for a biggish greyhound girl we had at class. She has become quite the tunnel suck now :laugh: . Oh and for anyone else reading this, be aware that the weave pole spacing is not ANKC regulation .. it's narrower. And second what TSD said about age to start them weaving. ETA ... for balance equipment, we've found that Hart Sport is a good source .. much cheaper than the specific dog stuff, and reliable.