FionaC

maybe try this http://www.snooza.com.au/products/d1000.shtml they are expensive but would be worth it if the dogs don't destroy it

yup - we cut them into pieces, mix with same size bits of cabanossi and kabana - freeze and then a handful in the treat bag (mixed with the same portion of a dry treat) for training and you're off

Hi Fiona. The velcro will naturally usually slip to the back because of the lack of weight in that section. And that is the best way for it to be worn. The veins that are closest to the skin are under the neck mostly, similarly to ours. The Collar will cool the blood in the veins as it flows near the surface of the skin. excellent - thats what I thought (and what was naturally occuring) but I wanted to be 100% certain (oh and the red paisley one looks very very dapper! )

Morty has had his on this afternoon as a trial - it went on easily and he's not touched it since it went on so its obviously not annoying him or anything... but ... is the velcro supposed to be at the back of the neck or the underside?

dawwwwww he looks so delicate

Hey Dyzney I'll also do the feedback through Ebay but wanted you to know that the collars are here safe and sound - they arrived earlier this week but I could only get to the PO Box today on my day off .... I love the red one and its definitely not tooo girly for Morty! Thanks

Companies like Royal Canin do junior versions of adult large breed food ... we have a large breed and started him off on RC Maxi Junior (up to 15mths) then moved him over to the regular Maxi (adult) mix - they seem to work it out based on the final outcome/weight of the dog (so maxi is for dogs that end up being 26-45kgs) Our boy came to us on Eucanuba but we moved him to RC when the bag that the breeder sent with him ran out .....

;) yeay! - ok so I'm a little biased for Doc and Polo here Josh is the beautiful Flatcoat isn't he? - congrats to you both ....

So who did end up making the team? (sorry to read Chopper didn't this time!)

Hi princesszelda. On ebay, I sell under the User ID of Aussiepetstuff or you can do an ebay search on Polar Collar or Polar Pad, and this will also bring up the Polar Product listings I thought that might have been you! - I'm trying to wrangle Mort now for a measure-up

not just the Spitz group - the GSP one should be up for sale in a few weeks - 12mths of DOL member's GSP's at their finest with the plan that $5 from every sale going to breed rescue

good grief - ummm not common at all (one would hope) my boy loves everyone and every dog - he gets upset when another dog doesn't like him .....

10 facts about Mort 1. He is our first dog together and my first dog ever My OH had dogs growing up but I didn't (aside from a Boxer when I was a very young child) ... so he was 35years in the making for me .... we spent so long choosing the right breed for us and checking out breeders and their dogs ... but always there was a reason for not getting one - until Mort ..... 2. Morty although only having been here for 15mths - I believe has saved me 100x over I had lost someone (my Great Aunt)who meant the world to me last May .... and a year earlier I lost my beloved Grandfather ... I didn't know how to do anything other than breathe after losing Aunty as the pain of losing them both crashed in on me all at once ... I kept smiling and kept going about my day to day life but I wasn't there inside and I know those closest to me were getting really worried about me .... when I was having time off work around the funeral I found out that Mort's breeder (who we'd long admired her dogs) had a litter coming and to cut a long story short we put our name down for a pup ... fast forward a few months and this amazing little bundle came home with us ... being able to concentrate on bringing a puppy home gave me something good to focus on and things got a lot easier and happier He is so intune with things sometimes, I had a few melt downs coming up to Christmas and on those occasions he was there next to me with his head in my lap just watching me .... I often wonder who sent him cause he feels like he was a gift from someone who knew me so well - sometimes there is just a look he can give and I feel like my Pop or Aunt is close by, if he is mischievous its almost like I can hear my Pop's laughter in my head ... he helped me heal I believe ;) 3. I knew I wanted him from the first photo I saw There were only 3 in his litter (his sister is owned by a DOL member too) 2 were boys and that's what we wanted .... but when I saw him as a newborn I knew it was him and I cried the day we were told that he was the one coming home with us 4. Mort is very social and as such has made us more social and has pushed us out into the world We now go to Obedience training twice a week, start some Agility training as well... we have gone to Sydney for training days, met other GSP owners from DOL... helped out with GSP rescue... gone to shows and trials and stewarded at both Obedience and Agility trials - its amazing .... we also go to the beach 3-4 times a week during the warmer months for a run after work and we've met more people since getting Mort in August last year than we have in probably the last 10 years .... I never thought I would have a life that works around (even in part) of a dog but now we plan our weekends around training and in future it will be around trials .... We even went to the beach on Christmas afternoon so he could have a run .... and the place was packed! 5. Mort snores and likes to sleep on his back Its incredibly undignified and when he was entire it was quite in your face as he has such shorthair! 6. Mort is very subtle when waking you up in the morning He puts his front paws on the side of the bed and leans over lying his head on your neck (if you're lying on your side) of on the pillow next to your face if you're facing him - he then "huffs" his jowls so as to "accidentally" wake you up 7. He got my OH to let him on the bed! Being a large breed dog my OH didn't want him to get into the habit of sleeping on the bed so Mort wasn't allowed on the bed when we first got him (he was crate trained) but in July this year when we went to Jindabyne (so the dog could experience snow ) we had a king size bed and it was in a small room so I got out of the bathroom one evening to find he and the OH zonked out on the bed but still with plenty of room for me ..... so now he is allowed on the bed until both the OH and I are in bed then he goes into his crate in the bedroom and sleeps there ... but he took longer than the cat did to finally wear my OH down (the cat took 3 days before he was under the covers!) 8. He gets called all kinds of names He gets - Mort, Morty, Morty-monsta, monsta, Morty-mouse, mouse, bubba, handsome-boy and Mortimer when he has been naughty! 9. He has gotten me to do something I thought I would never do I refer to me as "mum" and my OH as "dad" and my parents and inlaws as "grandma/granddad" when talking to Mort - and he knows who I'm talking to cause he will "find Granddad" if we tell him to .... we even speak about Talin our cat being his "brother" ... I thought only crazy-dog people did things like this but that's ok cause I'm quite happy being a crazy-dog person :p 10. He is names after a character in a Terry Pratchett Book My OH got dibs on naming him cause I named the cat and he has always loved the character of Death in the Pratchett Discworld Novels .... Death's apprentice is a kid called Mort in a couple of the books - so that's how he got his name - his breeder I think still thinks we are a bit loopy for calling him Mortimer but he really suits it and we have only ever met 1 other dog called Mort before (and thats a Rottie at training) and I know that DeadSheep has a Mort who is a Chi ... so its nice having a dog that doesn't have a common name when you're yelling it out at the beach! ;)

yeah he's a beautiful boy (Doc's owner is the breeder of my boy)

GO CHOPPER! (and GO DOC the GSP!!!!)

What a beautiful photo! "Strength is not just for the mighty"

Well done Chopper! My boy's breeder has her dog Doc on the team and I can't wait till its more widespread cause Mort loves to launch himself into the water so Dock Diving may be an options for the future!

I am so very sorry - RIP Bindi .....

Ooooh, that's good to know! Must look into that, thank you! no worries - we had a bout of KC here about 7/8weeks ago - only a mild version but a teaspoon of the Jellybush twice a day for a week seemed to help

I didn't realise Manuka honey was so different from other honeys! I had heard of it, but thought it was just another "fancy variety", if you get my drift....I'll grab some tomorrow when I get into town!!! You'll have to fly to the Eastern States to get it Willow! :D It's not allowed in WA now Why is it not allowed????? WA is relatively disease free compared to other Australian states and honey is made by bees from flowers.......and Manuka Honey is made in NZ..... can't remember the name of the specific disease they are worried about, I did google it once..... I used to buy NZ Clover Honey (absolutely heaven!!!) from the Kiwi Shop but then they had to stop importing it - that was about 10 years ago now you might be able to find Jellybush Honey though in the Health Food Store - this is an Aussie version and I think its as good as the Manuka honey - its a lot cheaper as well

When we got Mort we got the relevant paperwork (pedigree, vaccination, microchipping) but also a copy of The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson which was a great read as a new puppy owner - also got a bag of food and a toy with the scents of his litter plus a box of worming tablets, the pet insurance details for those first few weeks .... As she has a website the mating of the sire and dam were listed on there and their pedigree's are listed as well so it was easy to track through and see what/where everyone sits .... As first time puppy owners this was great!

wire - try these - made by an Aussie DOL'er and they are chemical & preservative free http://www.happypawstreats.com.au/ Also try if you can track them down (they are a bit scarce at the moment) venison ears - they are dried rather than fried and get the 2 paws up from my GSP

What sort of scale of cost are we looking at for a Tibbie puppy - just a ball park idea as I know things vary significantly between breeders/lines etc How are they in terms of being able to be trained for Obedience or even Agility - are they a breed that would enjoy doing something like that? Do they blow coat/moult frequently? or are they infrequent shedders? How well do they fit into a house with other breeds? especially gundogs? (with the fact in mind that gundogs seem to grow up very very slowely and behave like silly-buggers for several years before calming down)

re: training pads v's fake grass .... I chose the grass cause it was the closest visual match to the real thing - to me training pads look a lot like other items in a household that you mightn't want peed on ..... we only bought 1/2m of fake grass - and a plastic painting sheet (for underneeth) ... you can then wash it off with detergent easily (it just hangs over our line when needing cleaning) Ideally if we had the capacity to have him outside/indoors safely (whether via a dog door or in a run) we would have gone with that but we have an indoor cat (so can't use the dog door concept) and we didn't have a run ... the grass was our next option and for us it worked really well as Mort was inside from 8am - 4pm by himself M-F from the start (I had a relative call over at lunch or I dropped home at lunch to give him his meal for the first 2 weeks but after that we moved him into 2 meals a day)

He lasted 2 days longer than Howard did. hee hee - but GSP puppies aren't the smartest