Tassie

Doing everything right! These pups will be a credit to you! +1 And had to laugh at the well behaved out, terrors at home. Bit like some human youngsters too

Love it when a cunning plan comes together. You and the puppers are obviously doing great .

No gundogs, so no retrieving :) , and we dabbled in flyball, but didn't find it very satisfying, but the BCs and I play in obedience, rally, dances with dogs, agility, and tracking, We like them all - well my old girl doesn't believe in obedience - my bad training :D , but will play at rally. There is certainly more variety in agility, and lots of different things to learn, but DWD provides lots of opportunities for creativity, and tracking taps into the dog's natural instincts. One of the things that is so cool with modern methods of dog training, is that foundation training for many of the sports are the same or similar, so that you don't have to choose too early in their career. A friend's Dobe has just gained her Tracking Championship, and her other Dobe is close behind.

Thanks for the photo ... she is really lovely.

Way to go young Ginny :laugh:

looking forward to a good update from the surgery.

Christina said And if they allow selling at 7 weeks (which is highly undesirable IMHO), it is highly unlikely that the kitten will be desexed before going to its new home. Vets down here don't like to do them too young .. the one who did mine likes them to be at least 12 weeks but prefers 14. So I don't see how that would help the unwanted kittens/feral cat problem in the least. (Rules for registered cat breeders are the same here ... minimum 12 weeks, microchipped, and must be desexed if not being sold to another registered breeder.

Started to do this, then realised I had already done it .. for two dogs.

Wishing you good results for the U/S, koolietas.

+ 1. Maybe just playing around with her in your yard in the dark would be better. Let her get used to the dark first, with no pressure. Some tiny bits and pieces, with lots of treats and/or toys. Building up a great and trusting relationship with her is IMHO, the most important thing at this stage. She's still a baby :-). (Speaking of which, do we get to see photos of the cutie?) :laugh:

Bless him .. he looks so comfy ..and probably very pleased with himself ;-)

I guess one of the considerations for you Sheridan, is needing to get them out and about separately as well as together, so that they can see a lot of what the world offers, as has been suggested, hanging out in places where there are lots of comings and goings. Large hardware stores like Bunnings have lots of stuff happening, and cute puppies will always attract people, so that they have the chance to have nice, managed introductions. I think it's important to take each one out separately, at least part of the time, so that they don't become too dependent on each other, and so that you can see and manage what's going on more easily. Weird things will worry them. Sitting at a sidewalk café one day with a couple of friends and their dog, my older dog, and the baby boy. All was going really well .. lots of chat and meeting with café staff and other patrons ... until the bus came and pulled up with noisy brakes pretty much outside. Poor Rory thought it was a fire breathing dragon I think, but I just walked him up and down to have a look at it, and it hasn't been an issue since.

It's run by the Delta Society ... I think it operates in SA as well as down here in Tas. Other States have similar education programs run by different organisations. From memory, it's been going for six or seven years .. maybe more. This describes the program. ETF typo

That's the plan, mita. It's not much of an added burden, since Delta tries to reach as many primary students (and some child care centres) as possible with the Dog Safe program .. which teachers will often supplement with a dog care theme.

So very sorry the time has come, Teebs. Always heartbreaking. Comforting thoughts on their way to you.

We have a Classroom Canines program started this year down here. Part of the protocol is that all children in the school have the Delta DogSafe program delivered before the Classroom Canines start working .. so while it doesn't guarantee children will necessarily follow the 'rules', they have certainly had some education about ways to behave appropriately round all dogs, and especially the dogs in the school.

Super litter, and super choice. She's going to be a heap of fun. Loved Dizzy helping with crate games..such a good puss cat. :laugh:

COngratulations . So glad it went well for you both.

Fair point HW makes about the fitting in the car ... and certainly the Bernese Mountain Dog is not your ideal jogging partner, but the ones that I've know are happy to go for decent walks .. few km. And certainly the females at least are within the 30-35 to 50 kg weight range. Just saying :D . Actually, I was just looking at a longevity survey on a breeder's site .. it seems like the longevity of the BMD is increasing ... a tribute to careful breeding I think.

Welcome! :D I have known some absolutely gorgeous Newfoundlands and especially Bernese Mountain Dogs. The Berner is one of my favourite breeds - in fact I would consider having one, except that they are not really agility dogs ... and the other downside .. there average life span is less than a medium or smaller dog. But from the lifestyle you describe, I would think a Berner would be ideal. Based on the ones I know, hanging out with their people (and cats) is their mission in life, with the added bonus, that if the dog sports bug does bite, they are happy to try their paw at a bunch of stuff. I know Berners that are really good stock herders, and good obedience and Dances with Dogs competition dogs. You will know the next bit ... just make sure that you get to know who's breeding lovely sound Berners, and make contact with them, even if they don't currently have a litter on the ground.

All of the above ... but I would add (from experience with helping handlers in a puppy class at dog club), one of the keys seems to be timing - going slowly at first ... waiting the dog out, while at the same time, as TSD says, being prepared to reward approximations/darned good tries'. I like to use delicious, lickable treats - puppy can lick but not get the whole treat until criteria are met (whatever they are for that stage .. eg, if training down from stand, I will sometimes reward elbow bend as the first stage. Best trained at first when pup is tired already. Kikopup (Emily Larlham) on Youtube has some clips that might be useful.

Good on you for wanting to keep up with training and getting out and about with your puppy. Yes, there are some risks, but as alpha bet has said, unless there's a rampant parvo outbreak in your area (unlikely at this time of year in Vic, but check with your vet, there are more benefits in taking your pup out and about to see the world. I personally would avoid places where there are large concentrations of dogs under less than adequate control, but local dog training clubs are usually reasonably safe places. The clubs near me accept puppies into puppy class as soon as they have had their second vacc ... so usually about 12 weeks. If you qive us an idea of you general area, we should be able to give you some suggestions of training clubs/classes that might suit you and your pup.

Depends on what you consider affordable. And whether you want dog inside. I have stayed in the unit listed down the bottom on this link. Completely secure yard, and the unit is pleasant. My go to place looking for dog-friendly accommodation is Stayz/pet friendly, but you can also find things by googling the town/area + dog friendly. This site came up for Dubbo dog friendly Hope that helps.

How much fun were they having .. and what a beautiful setting for a game of zoomie/chasey ... love the way Elsie just kept giving him a chance .. and then he got smart and waited to try to cut her off at the pass ... squeaks are adorable. Thanks for sharing.