alpha bet

Surely we have to have some faith.... each puppy farm that is hindered is one puppy farm less..... It might be one thing for puppy farms to be operating under the radar without a permit.... but if you know of one you are within your rights to complain to council.... If you write to complain to council they are required to follow this up. If found to be true they can fine/prosecute the individuals - if they continue to operate then you have to keep the pressure on councils - if they apply for permits it gives the local neighbours and other individuals a chance to let council know their feelings. It is up to the general public to some extent to assist/nag council to do their job. Councils - especially the poorer country councils, do not have sufficient staff - Mitchell Shire for example is one of the biggest geographical shire and they currently have approx 3 or 4 by laws officers - their job is to sort out all the by-law problems, such as burning off on the wrong days, stock roaming on roads as well as the normal ranger duties. We dont have to be eternally negative and believe the RSPCA, Dogs Vic, Local Councils etc are all just going to stuff up. Nothing to stop us as ratepayers from pushing them in the right direction.

First time I heard of this and I have lived in the Shire for 25 years..... glad that RSPCA, Dogs Vic etc. had this covered.

Have to say that I do agree with this statement. It is important that you work with your dogs to ensure that they can operate as individuals and not create issues of separation. Your puppy is 9 months old, not really a puppy anymore but a teenager - if there are other issues such as your home not being safe to leave the dog you can always place the dog in a boarding situation for the day. The stress levels you and your dogs can experience at a Royal are bad enough without adding the stress of a worried young dog. You have plenty of time before the Royal to get your dog used to spending the day at home alone - Then you can go to the show with your older dog and concentrate on having a great day with that dog. Best of luck at the trial.

Can be difficult to give advice online, especially if not sure of all the facts. Firstly, hold old is you staffy Missy and the amstaff Buster. Secondly, are Missy and Buster desexed. These points can be key in deciding when to step in and when to let them sort things out. I have had a large number of amstaffs come thru training school and have found that it is important to teach them to contain their 'enthusiasm'. You achieve this by monitoring their behaviour in high excitement situations (such as playing with other dogs) and keep blocking them if they start to raise their levels. With experience the amstaff will respond to light blocks from the handler and you generally find they will play more relaxed and turn the cheek if another dog becomes worried/upset/excited and wants to react strongly. It is then easier to step back and leave the dogs to sort thing out themselves. You are in charge of all the dogs. As an 11wo pup the other dogs will still see her as baby.... she will get away with more now than she will in a few weeks. However you should also act if she is overthetop.

lilli..... sorry dont understand your problem with my post..... after all thought you were posting to get other members thoughts..... don't expect you to agree but nothing wrong if someone has some ideas that may differ from your own. have a nice day

My dogs dont exactly cuddle up but they do have one habit that I find really amazing. Keeda (my blue girl) has always been a clean dog, licks her feet and pulls out grass seeds from her coat and between her toes - but what really surprised us washow she woould lye in her bed and Giget (my black girl) stands over her so that Keeda can pull the grass seeds out of her coat. Even my black boy cleans his coat and Keeda also pulls grass seeds of him. Ive never really seen one dog groom another dog like that. Anyone else seen that!

The most simple solution is usually the most obvious.... just that the powers that be don't wish to address it. Number 1 objective should be : Pushing for regulation to prevent the sale of puppies thru petshops. One of the reasons the commercial puppy farmer gave at the Building Better Dogs Seminar was that the registered dogs are not being produced in sufficient numbers to meet the public demand. Although we do have to question where these statistics are coming from! It is not necessary for the Purebreed Associations nor the RSPCA to restrict the Association membership from having litters. Chances are the industry would start to settle into an acceptable level as the excessive breeders have lost the avenue to 'dump' excess puppies via the pet stores, hence they are likely to reduce their breeding program over time, whereas the 'acceptable' breeders are often breeding with some puppies being pre-ordered and/or only running one litter at any one time which gives a stronger likelyhood of homeing all pups. Stopping the Pet Shops provides the advantage of: 1. immediately removes the spontaneous purchase of puppies by the general public. 2. removes the retail outlet for the BYB who thinks they can make some quick bucks. 3. no longer provides the commercial puppy farmer with a retail outlet; or for somewhere to dump their excess stock. 4. even the Registered Breeders who have excess stock will not be able to dump them (without papers). How can we start to Halt the Pet Shops ? The easiest way is to start to hit them in their wallets. Lets place stronger restrictions on the Pet Shop instead of the Association Members. Making it more difficult to get a pup thru retails. Some examples: 1. Live animals cannot be sold to people under the age of 18 (proof required) and therefore cannot be sold by staff under the age of 18 - - (responsible adults to ensure correct education - same as selling cigarettes or alcohol). 2. Staff member must have received a certificate to authorise them to sell live pets. This could be like many industries that require the staff member has competed a course (e.g. forklift license / OH&S / St Johns). These could be run by Lort Smith / RSPCA etc. - could be a two day course that costs similar to other industry courses which allows for these charities to make some extra money. A certificate could have a life of 3 years (same as First Aid) to ensure that the holder is able to ensure they are updated with any state laws. 3. Public who wish to purchase a dog/cat have to fill out an application form - This must have proof of identifaction so that the pup can be microchipped and registered prior to collection. Perhaps the form needs to be authorised by a JP and then they can collect their pet in a couple of days. This is a similar system to the application for gun laws. I know this is somewhat wishful thinking - however perhaps we need to aim high....... get rid of the petshops and leave the breeders alone.

See if you give a council officer too much control it goes to their head...... common problem.... Heard of one case last year where a resident used a council cage to trap a cat in her own backyard and as it was a weekend and the local ranger was not responding she took the cat to a neighbouring council pound. Sounds reasonable.... bloody Ranger then charged the resident with Removing the Cat from the Shire..... luckily the judge was reasonable and threw it out with a rap on the knuckles for the Shire. Any #@__*&head can do a short TAFE course and get a job as a Ranger. Especially in the country shires..... but this does not necessarily give them the brains to be any good. Imagine if they give the ranger the right to decide to put a dog down immediately.

I belong to APDT and IACP - love getting my magazines from each of them as I get different perspectives. One of the biggest problems I found with the APDT conference was when a vet showed on screen any Rescue Assessments that might indicate a dog being held or placed in any position the dog didnt like, then perhaps 2/3rds of the crowd would sigh and moan about how the poor dog was suffering. This made it hard for the speakers to show any 'Rescue Assessments' because the crowd had to settle before the speaker could go on with their talk. Disappointed me that these 'dog professionals' weren't able to sit back and be impartial and watch what was happening instead of rushing into a judgemental position. Whereas at the IACP conference the attendees just came up with loads of questions to what the rescue people were looking for etc. Refreshing to see a much more positive appoach to a speaker.

Ginger is a stomach settler as well as good for headachs. Works with humans and animals. Ginger biscuits need to contain ginger and not just a flavouring. Can be best to buy some basic ginger jubes (not chocolate covered). I buy a ginger root from the supermarket and grate it - you can also add to dogs food or make a ginger cookie - there are plenty of receipes online - dogs love them and they are easy to make. 3-4 cookies before and a few more during the trip. The back of the stationwagon gets the most sway and can give dog a rockier ride. As you have only had dog for a few days it may be the dog associates the car with stress situations. Signs of this will be that the dog might be resisting/reluctant to get in car on their own, starts to salivate before the car even moves. If this is the case there is some work needed. Try putting the dog in the car just parked in the drive, feeding a few treats and then leave there for 10-15 minutes and then let dog out. Do this everyday for perhaps a week. The objective is to make the dog happy to be sitting in the car, then try very short trips - Just around the block for 5 minutes and then home and release dog. Build the dogs confidence and enjoyment of the car. Best of luck

Read another post in puppy problems about dog digging that was entered today. Same things apply with the pot plants and clothes off the line. Im assuming your pup is in the 6-9 months..... Normal teenager behaviour.... which is likely to settle as he matures..... provided it doesnt become a fun habit that is. Don't have dog off lead when clothes on the line, or best to temporarily fence clothes line or put up a tempory clothes line in another location. Easy to do over the winter, think of inside the garage or carport. Move pot plants to the front yard until dog grows up. Avoiding the issue is the easiest and cheapest way. Using balloons of water can be just the best fun for dogs like labs.

Its just dogs being dogs. Certainly dont crate a dog when you are away for a long time at work. Some dogs like to dig, some like to chew, some pull washing off the line - usually its a phase and they will grow out of it with maturity so the objective is to fill the time or avoid them getting into the bad habit until it works itself out. I just dump a big pile of river sand in the middle of the back lawn - leave it piled up as the pup will probably love to roll around in it and play king of the castle, pup will dig and jump and run around the pile and gradually spread the sand around the lawn. It is great for the lawn and sand also cleans out the dogs coat. Once the sand pile is depleted if you need to, just get more sand. To start him off with the digging in the pile you can bury some toys and dog treats. Your backyard is going to be vulnerable when you have a puppy. Be very careful about putting down any fertiliser as this will encourage your dog to dig more - and remember garden beds are often softer and moist with is very inviting for a digger pup. Also move pot plants to the front yard where the dog doesnt have access, they can go back when dog is older. If you have any part of the garden that is precious you need to fence it off so the pup cannot destroy. Otherwise wait till pup matures and then you can replant.

Your dog is a teenager, this phase can last till she is 12-15 months old. Perfectly normal that they can get over excited in the company of other dogs. Standard obedience training is really difficult at this age and you probably find that it doesn't seem to relate back to your day to day activity. You know your dog is generally good and just trying to be happy and friendly but you feel embarrased about how rough and pushy your dogs behaviour is. Most dogs don't get enough social work with other dogs (and I mean with dogs other than with your dogs). Never be afraid if dogs have a bit of push and shove back at your dog, this is just social conflict, an older more experienced dog is just trying to teach your dog better manners. Ideally, see if you can find a private dog trainer in your area that works on building the dogs social skills and manners. They should be able to guide you through the social process. You won't believe the difference this will make. If you cant find someone then seek out people at the park or training who have mature fun dogs and ask if you can let your pup interact with them. You can always leave your dog on a long lead to play and then tug and release each time your dog is toooooooo pushy. There are lots of great people out there who are relaxed and happy to help. Shame your not closer - you could have fun in my classes.

You are welcome to contact myself. Happy to have a chat and find out further info. Im in Wandong, not far from Bundoora and Im used to working with shepherds and dont have any issues working with dogs with 'dominance' issues.

Way back in the 70's, I wanted to leave school and had the chance to work as a kennel maid at the Guide Dog Centre. I sooo wanted to do that but my parents said that you could never make a living out of dogs. Stay at school and then get a job that pays well and have dogs as a hobby. And being a good girl I did as parents advised. I stayed with dogs throughout - training and trailing and then showing and some breeding as well as getting into horses and dressage and jumping as well as earning money and building a house and family. Working with animals was still always on my mind and part of my plan (hence why I bought acerage) and it took 20 years and then in 1993 started offering dog classes and then in 1998 opened up a boarding kennel. Now I earn a good living but it has taken a lot of planning and input to build up my own business - so my hobby now pays our way and hopefully will offer another 15 years plus of income and fun. I'm one of the luckiest people around, being able to work in my own business doing what I love. Moral of the story - don't worry too much - do whatever comes your way, the life skills you will learn will always come in handy. If you do set a plan don't be afraid if your goal takes 20 years to begin.

Have been working with aussies for years now and generally find them a really easy dog to handle. They usually don't have anywhere near the high work drive of the Border Collies or the GSD. There are probably a number of factors to why you are experiencing problems. Your dog is only 10 months old. Perhaps you are having too high an expectation and getting stressed won't help the situation. You have had some advise here to perhaps remove your dog from the distraction of of other dogs i.e. walking on the other side of the street etc. However I would suggest that the reverse might be part of your solution. You stated that your dog is good off-lead with other dog but then he ignores you. Also that he is better off lead than on lead, when he is around other dogs. Both of these comments make me feel that both of you haven't developed complete social skills. Therefore you are unlikely to find agility will help as he will still be more motivated to the other dogs than working with you. We run classes which are based around the social work and then we commence working with the dogs introducing various excercises with the handler and as much as possible still off-lead. Perhaps a bit complex to explain online but we basically build the base blocks of ensuring 1) home environment - must offer the dog with the support and security as well as sufficient excercise. 2) Social skills - that ensure that the dog has the confidence to deal with many types of dogs as well as different species (i.e. even bring the goat or pony into class at times) Building the dogs ability to cope with different stresses. Only when these are in place will you find that you can work on the Potential of the dog (trailling excercises, . So my advise is find ways to increase your dogs social skills - If you dont have any trainers locally offering social classes perhaps you have friends with good older dogs and you can work with your dog off lead in a different backyard with other dogs which can be leashed. Using food to motivate your dog to work to you - try using trick training for a while instead of the traditional excercises as this will provide both of you more fun and you can build up your repetoir to show off to friends. After a time you will find you can go to off-lead parks and you can introduce some short training excercises into his play time. Good luck.

Vic Dogs website now has published the AVA recommendations of every 3-4 years for the C3 injection (havent checked the other state bodies but would assume that would have followed the same) - this has become the standard recommendation, which means that any associated clubs should be accepting this instead of insisting on the annual vaccination.

An adult male GSD that is within size to the standard would be expected to weigh 35-40 kg at maturity. My boys have usually stayed in that range and I worked at keeping their weight stable. My last boy was top sized and he stayed at 37 or 38 kg right up till he passed away at 11 years old, still with great hips and hocks. I must say it concerns me when I hear about them being in the 50kg range as this is obviously too heavy or else the dogs are being bred too big. the standard is written to try and keep the breed at their optimum height weight ratios.

Went to APDT conference in 2008 and 2009. Found some of the speakers a real letdown and some that I hadn't known anything about to be brilliant. Conference had probably 400 participants or so in 2008 and about 300 in 2009. With accommodation, conference fee and travel it probably cost me about $1000 for three days on each conference. So I might have been expecting too much. Roger Abrantes (Danish) spoke in 2009 he is an ethologist - absolutely brilliant sessions on animal behaviour. The APDT had brought out an American for 2009 who was a 'specialist in dog aggression' she was damm useless and didn't have anything constructive and just kept talking about different dogs she had in class and was very critical about the handlers. I was really disappointed as I was really hoping to hear about some good methods. In 2010 I decided to put the money into a trip to the USA for a IACPT Conference in Texas. I was there for a week and had four days at the conference with about 10 speakers covering many different aspect from Marketing, Rescue Centres, Dog Parks and Autistic Kids and Dogs. There were also demonstrations with Long Lines, E-Collars, Trick/Movie Work. There were about 180 participants from all over the United Sttes and they were incredibly friendly and willing to sit and chat about different techniques which was really refreshing. I had a great time and am already saving to go back to the USA next year and will be incorporating visits to some different training schools in LA and perhaps visit some of the Service Dog Training Centres. So as a conclusion - go to any conference with an open mind - just don't try to have too big an expectation.

I use coprice in my boarding kennels. Most of the dogs are happy to eat it and don't seem too worried - poos seem fine and I have to say some dogs come in using a 'particular brand' who have horrendous poos but after a few days on the coprice they seem to be sorted out - There is a choice of either family dog or the working dog depending on the individual dog. Often owners change their dogs over when they see how well they do. Another advantage the Australian Made and Owned - no colours, no preservatives.

Even the Vic Dogs Website has now placed the vaccination recommendations of the first adult vaccination at approx 15 months and after that every 3-4 years. I would think this should make most people here feel fairly confident that this format has gone thru enough scrutiny and make their own decision. Perhaps there is also a case of the companies producing the vaccinations havent bothered changing their paperwork yet or even just using up their existing paperwork. Over the next 12 months we will probably see all the paperwork sorted out.

One thing I do with dogs in class that are rough or snatching - guide the dog to the position you want and click when achieved. Then hold the food with your hand closed over it and present it near to the mouth. Ignore all reactions of the dog trying to get the food out of your hand until he stops and just looks at your hand, then open your hand and present the food. Dog may try to use his teeth on your hand but a closed fist is not easily hurt. He may also use a paw or his mouth to push at your hand. Just ignore. If the dog still tries to snatch the food as soon as you open your hand then reclose your hand quickly and wait until he is licking your hand in the attempt to find the food. When he is licking his mouth and mind are softening as tho trying to work out how to get the food, then ease your hand open and his tongue will find the food. In no time he will realise he needs to be soft in his response or the food just isnt available. I don't use any voice at this stage as I want him to work it out for himself. Once dog has solved this you can use the food without any problem he will understand that the food is yours until you decide to give it to him.

Depends on how north you are I've been running classes for the lat 15 years in Wandong - which is 20 min north of epping. new website still under construction - www.dogsvic.com.au

Aussie Shepherds - Last litter March 2010 5 dogs and 1 bitch. Born under the dining room table - open plan house with slate floors. Heated whelping box and we drape a blanket over the table which creates a den. Makes it really easy to manage as I work from home most days and allows me to see what is going on with the pups all the time. Mother dog has the opportunity to come and go as she wishes. Other dogs also can move around and generally mum has set the rules as to how close she allows them near the pups. We also have two cat who wander around and at times go and sticky beak at the pups. We have found that the Aussie bitches seem to be happy to share the washing of the pups and my older male GSD was allowed into the pup zone once they were about 3 weeks old, then the male became kinda like a fun uncle. Once the pups start to move around we open one side of the box and place a pen around to give pups a bigger area. We start with newspaper on the floor and then progress to mats of drybed that are easy to wash. By about 4 weeks if the weather permits we have a small pen and shelter set up on the front lawn (we live on acerage so the front lawn is still private) then the pups start to spend time outside during the day. Night time they come in and sit around the lounge floor with the family (human, cat and dogs). by this stage they are starting to go to the same spot for toilet so we just put newspaper down there and have a few mats elsewhere. time for bed pups end up going back to whelping box with a smaller area fenced off. Pups are handled heaps from birth - various kids and adults sit around with babies snuggled into their necks. We fence of the lounge and dining area with portable pen - use a stool so the older dogs can step up and jump over if they want to go outside. from 5 weeks I start taking pups for walks around the farm and then usually two pups at a time start having turns going out in the car and visiting friends homes. Thats the routine until pups go home between 8-10 weeks.

Generally each dog has a bed on the floor of different bedrooms, thats were they tend to hang in winter but hot summer nights they often prefer to sleep out in the yard. Pups are raised under the dining room table so even when a bitch has a litter the mum isn't very far from my bedroom. We have even had occassions for some of the pups to end up sleeping in the dog beds in my bedroom as well. Pulled the carpet up and put slate thru the bedroom to make it easier for the dogs..... Gee Ive got a good hubby.