RubyBlue

It seems that no one has posted about this yet.... Sooo...in case you missed it on Catalyst last night: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3572667.htm

Saw a lady with one of these on her dog. After losing so many tags I'm getting one of theirs next.

For me this would be the way to go. I'd probably separate them when you can't supervise - and/or when there are valuable resources around. One of the wise American dog trainers - can'tr remember which - once wrote an article called something like "Treasure the growl" - pointing out that it's inadvisable to reprimand a dog for growling, as they may simply eliminate that warning from their vocabulary, and go straight to action. Exchange BC for lab and that was our situation to a T!

Well written! I had to buy a second crate for my adult dog after I kept finding her curled up in the puppy s crate. To me that speaks volumes about the dogs attitude towards her "cage"!

Whitehorse council have mandatory reg at 3 months and desexing at 6months. I got into an argument with one of the staff when I tried to register my then three month old puppy as entire...she said he had to be desexed, I said according to your rules he doesn't yet.... it went on for a while until another staff member there corrected her!!! Thankfully his papers came through before he was 6 months. I also wrote them a nice long letter containing several papers showing the health problems associated with premature desexing and now have noted that they have a little clause below saying that exemptions will be allowed on veterinary advice.

*cough* troll *cough* this has gone well and truly

I disagree here. My young 4.5 yr old dog - very fit and healthy developed diarrhoea which turned out to be cancer (he had it in the lungs, liver, spleen, intestine). This was over a 3 week period. He had not been sick before in his short life. The tests etc cost me over $2200.00 and I got back $1800 within 10 days of the bill being sent to my insurance company (Bow Wow Meow). I have never had an issue with the insurance policy and have found that the few times I have claimed for my other dog (which have been for large amounts), I am quickly paid. I don't have the thousands of dollars sitting there to spend on these unexpected vet bills (don't think many people would) and I can claim up to $12K per annum. But you did in all of those cases, right? Or am I missing something? I thought that you had to have your own money up front, and then the insurance company reimburses you later... Yep, and Id be curious to know how much you have paid in premiums each year and how much you have paid them in total over all the years? Insurance companies are not charities, they are in it for the money. They need to keep their shareholders happy by turning profits. They are not going to do that if they let their customer come out better than them financially.

This is what my dad always says: "Insurance companies are in the business of not paying claims"! Ive had a couple of big vet bills across the course of one of my dogs so far 6 years of life, and have still come out well ahead of where I would be if I had paid for insurance every year. Not to mention that my comprehensive car insurer screwed me over repairs to my car even after the damage was fully covered by the other persons insurance.

Mine seem to want to be busy around dawn and dusk. Other than that if I let them they will snooze all day and night.

Interesting footage Dezzy. Admittedly made me feel a bit motion sick :p Dyson passed his track 1. Got a bit distracted by some roos but made it back to the track and finished off well. It was the first time he had seen a tracklayer laying in plain sight under a tarp. Wasn't too sure what to make of it - figured out quickly when the food appeared though. He's still dragging me round the tracks but its at more of a constant pace now and less charging back and forth and lunging at the end of the lead. I got a comment about rescenting him when he was distracted. Its something I've never practiced or used...when ever the dogs got off the track before I've headed back to where I last knew it to be. They have always taken off from there. I have always thought that if I rescent them whilst they are off the track then they are going to search around for the track where they are. What are everyone elses thoughts on rescenting?

yes..grand mal (not maul) seizures are terribly damaging , and exhausting , and rob a dog of quality of life. Another vet who WILL answer questions and do tests is a very good idea. Tonic clinic I believe it is now called. The suddeness and severity of the attacks would really concern me. Id be worried about brain tumours or something environmental. Its been a while since my epileptic dog passed so im not as current on the literature as i used to be but my understanding was that epilepsy was diagnosed when there was an absence of any other explainations. Time to get a vet who is capable of more than just administering vaccinations.

Appollo Archie Armand Arminius Asher Aussie x2 Axl Bailey x 4 Balou Bandit Banjo x2 Bardigrub Barkly Bart x 2 Barton Baxter Basil Bear x2 Benji Benny x2 Bennett Benson x2 Benz Beowulf Bert Bertie Billy Bing Bluey Boss Boxer Brady x 2 Brock x 2 Brockie Brody Bronson Bruce x 2 Brutus Bud Buddy Bundy Buster Caleb Caramel Carl Carter Cash Casper Cedar Champ Chance Charlie x 5 Chester Chester McNoggin Chevy Chip Chisel Coco x 2 Cobber Connor x2 Cooper x 4 Cowan x 2 Cruise Cuba D'Artagnan Dakota Dalton Damit Danny Darcy x 3 Dashx2 Deakin Deek Dean Declan Delgado Denver Denzal Dennys Dog Deputy Dexter Diablo Diesel Digby Digger Dinky Disco Doc Dog Douglas Dozer Dragon Drifter Drogo Dumas Dylan x2 Dyson Ebon Eddie EJ Elijah Elliott Elvis Edge Enuff Esky Fender Fergus FEZ Fido Fionneaghan (Fionn) FlashBazil Flash Harry Fox Frank Franky J Holden Fred Gandor Gimmick Granger Greedy Griffin Gus x 3 Guiness McGuinness Gypsy Hail Hamish Harley Harrison Harry Hemi Henry x2 Hiram Hogan Hudson Hugo x 2 Ivan Jack x 3 Jackson Jacques Jake x 3 Jasper x 2 JayDee Jethro Jett Jingles Jock Joe Jonty Jordan x 2 Joshua Judd Juggie Kahn Kaiser Kasper Kaos Kiba Kei Kippy Kisho Kobe Kyle Kynan Kyojin Kyzer Leo Leroy x2 Lestat Link Logan Louie Louis Luca Lucky Lughie Lukas MacKenzie Magnus Manny Mars Maui Maverick Max x 4 Maxey Maxie Mel Merlin x 2 Merlot Merry Micah Midge Milky Milosh Minook Mistral Mogwai Mocha Mokha Morrison Morris Moses Mr Darcy Mungo Murphy Murray Nammu Napoleon x2 Ned Nelson Nicky Nigel Nikolai Nipper Noah Nova Nudge Nugget Nutnut Oberon Obi Odin Ollie Oliver Onslow Oscar x 2 Oso Oz x 2 Payton Percy Piikki Porsha Porthos Punch Quick Rafe Raffy Ralph Rambo Randy Rasta Rauri Reeve Remy Rex x 2 Rhaegar Rhino Rico Riku Riley Ripley River Roary Rocks Rocky x 2 Rolly Rommi Rookie Rory Rove Rover Roy Jones Jnr Ruff Ryan Rupert Rusty x2 Sam Samurai (Sam) SARGE Scout Scrap Scratch Sebastion Shadow x2 Silas Skeeter Snitch Snoopy Sonny sox Speed Spencer x 2 Spike x 2 Sport Spud Stanley Steed Sterling Storm Sully Swanky Tama Tango TanninBazil Tazz x 2 Ted Teddy Tey Dog Theo Thunder Tiger Tirra Toby x 2 Toffee Tonka Trojan Trusty Tub Tusca Tye Tyrant Tyson Ulf Valentino Viserys Vulcan Wade Wags Walker Walter Watson x 2 Weave Will Willow Willy Winston Woody Wolf Xander Yelka Zac Zander Zedley Zep Zephyr Zero Zeus x 2 Ziggy Zontie

Never had to try it but did read in a book about placing bricks around the washing line and then some wire trellis on top. In theory the surface is uncomfortable for the dog to walk on and so stops them jumping up at the washing. I have no idea how effective this would be and the thickness of the wire would need to be tweaked to suit the dog Im sure. From watching my own puppy crash through several chickenwire and garden trellis wire fences I would think something that would remain ridged under the weight of the dog would be the better option.

I'd be very upset if I was required to have my dogs leashed whilst on my property - particularly if they were under my supervision. From your story it sounds like she tried to control her dog out of courtesy whilst you were passing and you were a bit abrupt and impatient with her causing her to retaliate. Perhaps you should reconsider the way you approach her tonight. Or walk a different route.

Thanks for the ideas guys. My other dog pulls too so I already have the gloves and wrap lead round behind and lean back technique but at 6kg lighter (and much calmer) she is much easier to manage. I like the knot idea, I might also look at getting a new rope that's easier to hold generally. My mum jokingly suggested getting a rockclimbers harness so I can brace against him :p So... I am thinking the next track I do with him I will lay myself to cut down some of the excitement. I will let it age maybe 45 -50min (30min certainly doesnt make a difference) and in the mean time he can have a good run. I will look into a new rope. Whats the problem with lunge reins dogdayz? Its been years since I last lunged a horse but the reins are similar to the blackdogs leads arnt they?

She's gorgeous! I kept my pup in a small crate in my room, when he stirred at night I took him outside on a lead (I have a large garden) and gave him a few minutes to toilet then back in the crate and lights out. If he didn't toilet then I tried again 5-10min later. It didn't take long for him to get in a routine. As far as food goes, mine was initially on 4 meals I can't remember how much per meal but certainly finished it all. If she is otherwise healthy and leaving food it may be she is getting too much. You could also try feeding it to her in other forms such as in kongs or as training treats.

I second Cosmolos advice. My cats will stand up to my 8mo lab but he recently worked out that if he bounced around enough he could make them run. I have had to go back a few steps in his training and now watch him like a hawk when ever they are around. If he shows the remotest bit of interest in them then I'll distract him. Our cats are much older and have grown up with dogs and this is now the second puppy they have dealt with. My sisters cat did not grow up with the dogs around and is much more wary of them, though he has never been chased and is now quite happy walk past them, sniff them or sit in the kitchen without any issues. Unfortunately chasing the cats is rewarding for the dog and confirms to the cats that the dog is a threat. Every time it is allowed to happen it will escalate the problem. It is up to you to make the environment safe enough for the cats to want to risk venturing out.

Hi all, sorry I have been absent for a while. My thesis is finally handed in :) I was wondering if I could have some brain storming help with my new pup. Hes 8 months old and tracking fairly well, he can certainly manage a track 1. however he wants to do it at turbo speed. He literally runs the entire track. If Im lucky he will do it at a canter if Im not he will literally drag me around. He's 30kg and on slippery surfaces with a wet rope - Im worried that this could get dangerous, not to mention that judges dont run. I need a way to slow him down. I am thinking of trying the foot step method that they use for schutzhund tracking and going back to square one and retraining him. My mentor recons I just need to make the tracks harder by aging them longer. The problems with that is that Im not sure why he is pulling. He's an excitable bouncy pup and my gut tells me that hes just getting too hyped up but it is also at the back of my mind that it could be due to anxiety and he's trying to get it over with quickly. If that is it and I make the tracks harder then he'll get worse.... Has anyone else had this problem....how did you fix it???

Probably higher energy level and far more hair and slobber than the OP is after....I can certainly vouch for them as a family dog though.

I think you ought to pick the breed you like for all other reasons, rather than specifically as a guard/watch dog. Guarding behaviour is not isolated to specific breeds. I have labs and the dog I grew up with was incredibly laid back but certainly showed his willingness to physically defend members of our family on a few occasions. My 6yo female is an amazing watchdog. I know if someone is walking on the other side of the street or approaching the car. She has kept my neighbour - who knows her very well - off my property when he was trying to turn the alarm off. He was convinced she was serious, Im not sure how far she would really take it but she certainly makes her point. My 8 month old pup is starting to show some alert behaviours, with some encoragement Im sure he'll end up being a good watch dog too. Perhaps you need to think exactly what you want. Barking when someone comes to the door is very easy to teach (and a large dog barking at you is very intimidating). I am convinced that just about every dog would do their best to physically protect their family if push came to shove.

Yep - we got 18months out of him. The thing about chronic renal failure is that you know how it is going to end and in my own opinion worrying about whether the food is corn, wheat, meatbased or whatever no longer matters as much as evidence of whether it works to slow down the progression of the disease or not. One of the things I read about was the benefits of fish oil in slowing down the disease, k/d had lots of added fish oil whereas u/d did not. Im not sure about the other kidney diet brands - but something worth thinking about when you are looking into them. I also remember reading something about blood tests and kidney disease and that a fairly large amount (2/3 to 3/4 is sticking in my mind but off hand Im not 100% sure what it is) of kidney function is lost before it can be picked up in a blood test. If it was my dog Id take "borderline" with a pinch of salt and start being proactive about taking the load of the kidneys asap. Good luck. Its not the nicest disease to manage but if your dog is like mine then he will still get a lot of quality time with you.

You never know with a rescue dog. Mine has a thing for short stocky men with beards. she has met two with me who are both lovely and dog savvy but her reaction has always been to rush up barking then hide behind me. No amount of high quality food rewards will encourage her to approach (after her initial reaction) and if they get too near she growls and backs away. she is the same everytime she meets them. Really makes me wonder about what may have happened to her at the hands of someone with a similar appearance.

Congratulations to everyone who passed at Knoxs trial this weekend. :)

I used to have this problem with my two. My younger one was the anxious one so I used to feed the old boy breakfast and take Milly for a run, an hour later we'd be back and I'd shut her in the laundry with her breakfast in a kong whilst Jackson and I plodded around the block for a few minutes. The other thing I used to do was drive them to a dog park so he could plod around a sniff and Milly could chase the ball.

I changed Milly from Micha...I also thought it had to be similar sounding but my dogs answer to their nicknames which sound nothing like their names... Just pick something you like and say it whilst rewarding her...she'll soon get it.