sheena

Fixed my dog ....young border collie with high prey drive (also very intelligent)

When you go on your walks take with you lots of treats & a water squirter bottle. Be very aware & as soon as he even starts to think about lunging squirt him on the neck with the bottle & at the same time saying "No" or "Ah Ah" or whatever you say when you are not happy. The treats are for when he lets a car approach & doesn't do his usual lunging together with lots of praise. I had this problem with my border collie with cars & with other dogs, kids on skateboards etc. & it cured her. It didn't take long & all I had to say when I could tell she was thinking about it was "Don't you even think about it!!" & she would turn & look at me, the car would go past & she would get treated & praised for being good. I think the timing has to be pretty good as to when you deliver the water squirt.

I have one of these black dog pouches & even after putting vaseline on the hinges, it still snaps shut on my fingers Doesn't actually hurt but is very off putting & now my dog knows in advance that I am getting the treat ready as she can feel my whole body tensing against the "snap" I prefer to use the pocket of my trousers but then they get a bit smelly.

I did email the organisers of the event about a week ago & have had no reply I will check out that last suggestion, it looks good. We were also thinking about Camp Tailwaggers as it has been highly recommended, but not sure how far it is away from where the trial is being held. Thanks everyone for the replies

The dose is 1 tablet per 10 kilo of dog every second day. So with my 18 kilo dog I get 100 days for 100 tablets, which just about covers the really bad season in our area. I get them on-line from this person for $58 plus postage, which is pretty cheap. www.callicoma.com.au Ok thanks.... so 100 tablets would last me 9 doses If your dog weighed 111 kilos :D , then yes you would get only 9 doses....but that is a very big dog. For my 18 kilo dog I get 50 doses (100 tablets).

The dose is 1 tablet per 10 kilo of dog every second day. So with my 18 kilo dog I get 100 days for 100 tablets, which just about covers the really bad season in our area. I get them on-line from this person for $58 plus postage, which is pretty cheap. www.callicoma.com.au

I use Advantix every two to three weeks. I buy the largest pack then squeeze it into a very small container & use a small needleless syringe to measure the appropriate amount to use on her. The amount is .1ml per kg of dog. On my 18 kilo dog I give a little extra ...about 2.2 to 2.5 ml. this way it works out a lot cheaper. From November to February I also put her on Proban. However even with both Advantix & Proban being used she still gets covered in little grass ticks & sometimes I resort to the Permoxin as well. Unfortunately, the ticks have to still attach & bite before they die & fall off. Sometimes I feel I am really giving her a chemical overload....but what is the alternative :D

We are thinking of coming up to Southport for the WAGG Agility Trial on 20th November. Any one know of a caravan park close by which allows dogs....a cabin would be good. Our dog sleeps in a crate & would be happy on the verandah of a cabin.

A jar of 100 Proban will set you back $65.oo plus depending on where you get it. I use Advantix & buy the biggest amount I can then squirt it into a very small container & use a syringe (needless) to apply a dose of .1ml per kilo of dog plus a bit. So for my 18 kilo dog I apply 2.5 ml per fortnight. Shortly she will be going onto Proban as well as the ticks will be getting really bad after all this wet weather.

Maybe a good tick collar might be the answer. Something like Killtic (spelling??) will still cost them around $15 each.....but much cheaper than a trip to the vet with tick parallalys

I would say so as Coffs Harbour is not that far north of Port & it is a real haven for ticks. any where on the north coast is tick country. Put the spot on well before they leave home & daily searching is vital as the spot on is not 100%. I use Advantix.

We have won some dried pigs trotters & I am a bit reluctant to give them to my dog as they look very hard & plintery. Are they OK or should I throw them out There are a lot of these "dried bone" things on the market....what's the general opinion on their safety

Yes, we were the noisy group with the freisan vests on. I would have been in the same events as you I think, though I didn't get to meet you For those who missed out. here are a couple of photos...eat your heart out

We had an absolute blast The people were friendly, the judges were friendly (not like one we had at the Armidale Trial this weekend....what a sadist) & all the courses were fun for the dogs as well as being challenging. The surface was great to run on & fast & thanksgoodness it was all under cover cause it rained. Bindi just loved all the runs & now we have to find some more ADAA events to go to so we can get her final pass for AAD, so we can go in the games next year. The dinner sunday night was fun. Hope they can hold it there again next year. Only one thing I found a little difficult, & that was the great crowds of competitors walking the courses at the same time & then having to wait for up to two hours before our run came up....maybe they could split the walkers into a couple of groups....just a suggestion

What a dreadful experience. I would certainly recommend reporting the attack as they may be regulars to that beach, if the girls said they have been there before. Please may I ask what beach are you talking about so as others may avoid it. This happened a few years ago at Red Rock on the NSW north coast. An old GSD which his owners walked religiously twice a day & was a real local icon was attacked by, I think, a bull mastiff & was lucky to survive.

I will see if I can get some Plush Puppy Revivacoat or some No Nots. I think the Plush Puppy is probably only available on-line I just had a go at spraying her tail with water & Know Knots conditioner (not No Nots). Felt I was getting no where fast. In desperation I made up a solution of 1 cup white vinigar to 5 cups water & steeped her tail in it. Guess what ;) out came the knots with very little effort. I probably made the solution a bit strong, so I think I will go & rinse it out. We're off to the Grand Prix at Tamworth day after tomorrow, so must look our best

I have been a bit reluctant to use a horse product as I am not to sure if it might be toxic to the dog when she licks her coat. Obviously this is not a problem with horses. Has anyone tried any of the Plush Puppy range I have just bought a little bottle of Fuzz Yards Natural to try, but at $17 for 125 ml it will send me broke in no time Mind you, I don't mind being sent broke if it works.

She has a really lovely coat...it's just her tail which gets in a mess. I don't believe in bathing as often as once a week. All she needs to keep clean is the occasional swim. I comb out the dead coat on a regular basis & that's not the problem....it's her tail.

What is the opinion on the best spray in/leave in conditioner that detangles well & leaves coat fresh but not overpowering. I find it most difficult to get the comb through my border collie's tail.Usually I wet it well & smother it with conditioner...comb out the tangles (takes for ages) then wash it all out. Within a few days it is all tangled up again & she hates me playing with her tail for too long.

I give my adult 18 kilo border collie 1/2 cup VAN soaked for 24 hours then mixed with 1 tablespoon livamol, her joint formula & a fish oil capsule, then mix in some chopped or minced beef or can sardines or a whole rawegg crushed, shell & all. She loves it. She was not too sure about it to start, so I put a bit of powdered beef stock in with it.

If it is a REAL problem & nothing else works, you can buy a electronic mat which I think is probably battery operated called ScatMat. Put that on the couch & when he jumps on it he gets a couple of seconds of small unpleasant static. Handy for lots of things especially when your not around 24/7 to keep an eye on him. Good for stopping cats jumping up on kitchen benches etc. I havn't personally used one but I have found the ultrasonic hand held devises very handy. http://www.bullwrinkle.com/scatmat/scatmat.htm

What are all you ADAA Grand Prixers doing for the Sunday night dress up dinner???? I think our group will probably look like a herd of Friesans in cowboy hats...could have been worse....could have been "Cows with Guns" Anyway, its my girl Bindi's 3rd birthday today & in our first year of trialing (hers AND mine) she has achieved her JD & GD Titles & has one last chance at Armidale (week after Grand Prix) to get her AD Title Thought I would share a birthday photo of her having fun :D See you all there...just a few more sleeps

Thanks for that info. I was wondering more about the problems with desexing a performance female dog too early as compared to having her tubes tied. If they remove the uterus & one ovary does this still allow her to grow out properly. I would have thought that having a tubal ligation done would be less invasive but what would the failure rate be? Have you heard of this failing. Obviously it would be an inconvenience to have her coming on heat too. ;)

What are the pros & cons of tubal ligation V desexing in a performance pup

I just received my list of entrys via email...12 events all up including the 24 weave pole challenge. Starting to get excited now..if only I could get Bindi to do a lovely drop on the table in competition like she does at training At last weekends trial, I set a table up on the side & she did perfect drops even with little dogs all round her doing their "yap yap" thing at her. When it was her turn in the ring.....NO WAY MUM Same with the weaves, though she was 80% accurate in the trial. In training I can send her, call her through, put her in at different angles etc & hardly never misses a beat, even with distractions. We had some tricky entrances on the weekend (for novice) & in one run she had three goes at going in Thinking back, I think that during trialing I am trying to be so careful about pulling her around straight for the entry, that I am putting her off her concentration. Maybe I should be just giving her the "Go Weavers" command & let her find her own way...& don't worry about the scolding I will get later from my instructor, if it doesn't work We are in starters & intermediate classes at the Grand Prix.....this is our first year of trialing.