sheena

I have also heard the report about Proban, so that's why I give it a rest over winter. It "might" & its not proven, shorten the dogs life, but so will just one tick left undiscovered by the daily search, especially if it is in an area like, up nose, in bum, inside ear...places we can't get to. Unfortunately, I don't have any better choice as my dogs are in swimming every day & the Advantix doesn't seem to work in that situation. Permoxin is a rinse, same ingredients as Advantix, which you make up with water & apply all over. It's not waterproof either I am not looking forward to this years tick season, as I now have two border collies to worry about

We are in a tick area in NSW. During the cooler months our dogs get Advantix fortnightly & from about October till March I give Proban tablets every two nights. I buy the largest Advantix & split it up & apply it with a small syringe you can buy at the chemist. Unfortunately, supplies of Proban will start to dry up as they are no longer stocking it in Australia, due to a problem with getting hold of one of the ingredients. Neither of the above methods actually repell the ticks & stop them getting bitten, they just kill the tick while still small. When the ticks get really bad, I will sometimes use Permoxin as well as Proban as it is better at repelling them.

I have an English pointer and a RIdgie cross. Both are 7 months old and have been on BH for about 2 months. They primarily get kibble only, with dinner I also give them some mashed veggies and mince, chicken neck or kangaroo mince. Neither dog really have any flab to loose but the pointer struggles to maintain weight. Her ribs are quite visible but my vet has told me not to worry too much as they fill out as they get older. 3 cups a day each just seems to diminish the bag so quickly! I note that your two dogs are still really puppies at 7 months. Up to 6 months of age they should be getting twice the recommended adult rate for their weight, which if they were only 6 months & weighed 20 kilos, then they should be getting 3 cups a day, at least of adult kibble. They are both large breed dogs, so probably should stay on puppy rations for a little longer ie. 3 cups a day. When they become adults, then you would slowly reduce the amount you feed them. This is just how I read the instructions...I stand to be corrected if I am wrong. But I would imagine, it wouldn't matter what brand of food you gave them, with two large breed growing puppies you will go through the food. That's just logic IMO

I guess all dogs are different & it is only a guide. My 19 kilo very active BC girl gets 1 cup a day plus half a turkey neck & training treats & any more than this & she starts to put on weight.

I am sorry if that means that I am not entitled to an opinion. When I clicked on that link, I got an American site selling from America. She was also asking if anybody had heard of it....up until now....no...have you

I really can't understand why anyone still wants to buy dog food made & owned by Americans. What's wrong with our Aussie foods That way you are supporting Australia & Australians & keeping the "food miles" to a minimum ;)

What do you mean by central NSW...if you contact us, I could get in touch with my lovely son-in-law... you can PM me or just email on [email protected]

Ha Ha, it helps when you have a lovely son-in-law that works for a courier company, & who'd do anything to keep his mother-in-law happy

I bought a halti for my BC girl to stop her pulling & I used it with a second lead attached to her collar & used them like double reins on a horse...the halti only came into play when she pulled. I havn't used it now for a long time, as she is good just on the collar unless very stimulated. There is a better one out now which works from the back of the head & is supposed to be a lot kinder & effective.

I thought of you straight away when I first read this thread. I remember visiting you & seeing your lovely apple trees which your dogs seemed to love. Our dogs like mandarins, though we try to remove all seeds.

For me it's just before bed time at night, when both BC's have finished there dinner & been let out for a wee...it's then fun time in the lounge room. I start off with a bit of clicker shaping games/trick training, with them, one at a time, then they sit nicely while I bring out the basket full of "special" toys, then it's a free for all, followed by "quite" time & cuddles from both me & OH, then into bed...love that time of night,

Someone her a while back on DOL, had a chihuahua cross border collie...not sure which dog was the bitch. They had the hide to say it was very cute....I had to reply that I found the whole idea sickening

My BC pup has one eye which always seems to be weeping. Other than that, it is fine, not red & no conjunctivis & some days it is almost fine. It has been like this for a while & the vets have never commented on it when he has been to see them...so I thought it might just be a puppy thing. Someone suggested it might be a blocked tear duct, but I thought I might take him to the vet's tomorrow & get it checked out. Any one got any other suggestions?? I have been putting Eye Clear by Natural Animal Solutions in it, but he is becoming almost impossible to do even though OH holds him for me.

Frankly, if they were mine I would go right back to basics & start training them as if they were new puppies. An excellent book which will take you through all this is "The Focused Puppy" available from Clean Run & currently on free shipping for $24.95. http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=2502&ParentCat=449 And I would start off with TOT (Triangle of Temptation) an invaluable excercise in self control & dicipline which can be practiced several times a day..every time you give them something...practice TOT http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/64101-triangle-of-temptation/ It sound to me that maybe they have had very little training at all. I would also suggest such things as crate games (crate training) & learn how to use a clicker & condition them to this to play shaping games, teach them tricks etc. & above all be consistant. Maybe join the Coffs Harbour Dog Training Club, that's the one we belong to for our agility, & maybe some of their classes, like Canine College could help, but I would be doing lots of training at home first, taking them right back to basics. If you go to my website http://www.grevilleacottagebordercollies.com/ I have provided a page there with lots of suggestions for books/DVD's/training articles & games which we have found helpful in training our dogs. Sorry we don't sell the books etc, just recommend them I don't think you would need to employ a behavourist at this stage, unless they are savage little buggers, just get in there & train them yourselves...have a go...it's not hard, it just takes time, patience & consistancy & make it fun.

Most people these days have internet or phone banking & do transfers over the internet or phone. I feel that is much safer than using my credit card with paypal I guess you could send a cheque to your supplier. But electronic transfer is the way to go IMO ;) Paypal guarantees your transactions so if there are any problems, they will reverse the transaction. And you also don't need to give out your credit card number etc, just your email address, so nobody will know where the money is going (whether it's a bank account or a credit card). Also, PayPal ensures that people can't access your card and take out more money than you agreed to. It's much safer than using a credit card, actually I might have to find somewhere local to purchase it from.. I don't like giving out my bank details and I don't even know how to write a cheque. My suggestion would be to contact Julana at Ipswich....her husband works in Brisbane & maybe you could meet up with him & do a cash transaction [email protected]

Most people these days have internet or phone banking & do transfers over the internet or phone. I feel that is much safer than using my credit card with paypal I guess you could send a cheque to your supplier. But electronic transfer is the way to go IMO ;)

Thanks Guys for taking a look. I am very pleased with it & have just added a "Visitors' Comment Page" ......who wants to be the first

Well, I think I have almost finished my web site. It will probably never be finished as I will be adding to it as time goes by. Feel free to take a peek & give me feedback. Was fun to do, but, geeze, it took a lot of time. :D http://oz.dogs.net.au/chocolateborders/default.asp

I practice sit stays before he gets fed, let out of his crate or enclosure, also for going through gates & doors, as well as what you are doing with the distance, distractions & duration. Not sure what else to add, except maybe getting him to stay, while you walk/trot/run past him, sometimes releasing him to join you & sometimes going back to release & treat. This exercise is very good for reinforcing stays on contact equipment. I dont think he would get bored, just don't overdo it...quit while he is still wanting more

I understand what the cause of the stain is, but what is the cause of the tears....is it because of a blocked tear duct. My BC pup has a weepy eye & someone suggested a blocked TD. His eye is otherwise quite healthy looking & no conjuctivitus.

A lot cheaper getting it from Clean Run at the moment

I have one of these & they are a great bait bag & at only $15.95 plus free shipping, they are very good value. They have no hinges to wear out & are held closed with a magnet. http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=727&ParentCat=449

We are not sheep country, only cattle & kangaroos, lots of them. So I will put it past the vet next time we are in.

Simple...teach you pup not to jump on kids ;) & educate the kids as to what to do when they greet the pup...have some training sessions involving the kids. There is more to it than just being a tree.

We live on a farm but our dogs only get freedom when we are with them. We have a house yard fully fenced & divided in two...the dogs have the back part & the front is for my garden & electricity readers etc. There is never any need for anyone to come into their yard. Around the top of the fence is a hot wire connected up to the electric fence, so they only try once to climb or jump over. They could dig their way out if they wanted too, but if they tried that, then we would hot wire around the bottom of the fence as well. We have quite a few stray & wild dog/dingo x's around here so it's for the safety of our dogs as well. Around this way, you don't usually warn your neighbours about their dog, cause if something does happen to it then you are the first they blame & some guys can get really wild. We wont tolerate any chasing of livestock & usually fire a shot over the dogs head & they don't normally come back after that.