wuffles

To give you some more encouragement - my pup did not ONCE fall asleep indoors near me, outside of his pen/crate, until he was much older than your pup. Being able to settle himself is a great skill to have :)

Love the videos :) I also teach my dogs that they cannot bother each other while eating. I supervise while they are learning and either block them or give a simple "uh uh" if they move to the other dogs' bowl. Once the bowls are empty they are allowed to go investigate.

Once Epic learnt that I meant business - and I didn't need to hurt him, just a growl and an immediate time out - he started to "get it". He didn't get any second chances, so it became obvious that it wasn't going to get him anything good.

We also put in a "only calmness pays off in the house" rule. Silliness can happen outside but inside is for quiet and gentle play, pats or resting. We used the firm method in addition to time outs as our puppy is very stubborn :) It felt like it took AGES to sink in but it eventually did.

Coming in late here, but I'm going to go against the grain and say that harnesses definitely have a purpose with SOME dogs and SOME handlers. I feel more in control when my dogs are in their harnesses and even though one of mine is obedience trained and titled she's still in a harness in some situations. I use harnesses when I am not able to give them my full attention (eg. if we are going to markets/events) and most of them time if I have them out and about together. I took my 6 month old puppy to his first obedience class today on a harness, as I feel it is more comfortable for both of us if either of us accidentally yank/change directions/something goes wrong. Carrying a mat, a bag, and handling a nearly 20kg puppy while 7 months pregnant, you bet I'm going to use a harness!!! I don't expect myself nor my dog to be perfect :) As far as the morning crazies go, I think it's a lot about routine. Pick something you expect your dog to do and stick with that. Mine get walked first thing of a morning of a weekday then they have to relax while we are getting ready for work. When learning that, puppy was penned/crated with intermittent rewards for being settled/quiet. He's only just earned "free range" privileges during that time and if he misbehaves he's back in his crate. Anyway, puppies are really hard work! We all make mistakes but all we can do is try our best. Dogs are very forgiving.

I believe Epic's siblings also got carsick but have grown out of it like him. Apparently it seems to affect some litters. His litter is definitely NOT weak nerved at all, so I'm not sure what's behind it.

Epic used to get car sick. A few things that helped us... having another calm dog in the car with him. Driving like a granny (as sharp turns/roundabouts seemed to set him off). ALWAYS having fresh air even if it's super hot or cold, I always had the back windows down... Edit: He still hates the car, and looks quite ill at the end of a trip, but we managed to get up to Brisbane and back in the car with only one spew.

I also do a lot of work on staying in positions encouraging 'steady feet' (like you would do for a SFE or stand stay). So asking them to stay then trying to distract/move them from the position by say... luring with a bit of food. If they move, they get released, set up again and we try again. You can eventually get this to a point where you can throw balls, skip around them, have other dogs running around etc but they understand that that position is where they need to stay. Does that make sense?

I also don't train on lead. I only put the leash on to practice getting my hands right!!! You can pat your side for heel in rally (not constantly) but not in obedience. I find my girl works better with less signals and talking so you also have to work out what your dog likes :) We tend to get a bit "chatty" in trials because of nerves ;)

What Tassie said about rear end awareness :) Once you have pivoting down (I used shaping, lots of Youtube videos online for that) you're set! I don't train much for rally anymore (just need one more RAE pass) so when I practice I just do a bunch of pivoting in the living room, some stay reinforcement, changes of position in heel position and some heelwork around objects (like the coffee table). Short, snappy sessions to keep the pup happy!

One of my favourite pics of my puppy. I just ignore it unless it's in his indoor water, in which case I discourage it. He does it less as he's gotten older but I just make sure they have multiple bowls, especially in hot weather :)

I'm probably in the minority but I really enjoy the club environment for obedience training. I'm taking my puppy through all our club levels even though I know what I'm doing :) I have made HEAPS of friends through dog club and from my experience new blood is welcomed by most. I did find it took a while to "prove" myself to certain people but all hobbies are the same! I'd also recommend seeing if you can get out and watch both obedience and rally obedience trials. Most clubs are crying out for volunteers so if you have some spare time they'd probably love some help!

Yes it's normal. One of mine has done it and a number of my friends' dogs did the same thing. My puppy seems to have grown out of it at 6 months old (touch wood), he still gets very excited but the wee seems to have stopped.

For training treats I use tiny cubes of cheese, frankfurts, cabanossi, sausage, devon etc. Not healthy but they are called treats for a reason :) For minor training around the house or reinforcement when out and about I just use kibble (but my dogs would work for coal if they thought it was edible). For "chewies", often referred to in our house as "bribes" or "shutter-upperers" they do get some rawhides. I get small twisted beef ones. Guess you just have to weigh up the pros and cons. They were a lifesaver for us especially with crate training. The only thing we've found that last as long are beef pizzles but they are expensive and hard to find these days. When we leave for the day they get Kongs filled with Nature's Gift tinned food and frozen. They also get frozen meaty bones but we don't feed them these together so they're reserved for supervised times. Oh... and they have deer antlers scattered in the backyard for daytime chews :)

Lie down on the ground at her height when you next meet a large dog and tell me whether you feel completely comfortable or a bit cautious ;) One of my dogs is a very cautious greeter, and I don't blame her, as dogs can be unpredictable. She enjoys interacting with other dogs but only when they are stable and predictable. I do go to dog parks but am very selective about who she interacts with. Do you have the option of taking her to obedience classes? These could be a good way of introducing her to dogs in a safe environment, as well as getting advice about her behaviour and whether it is something you can work on with time, rewards and patience.

The oldies are so special. This was my old man who passed in August. We miss him every day.

I have an Aussie, so smaller than a dobe, but he's on the large side and grew very quickly. The food makes a difference. We noticed a big difference in his growth when we switched to a different kibble on breeder's advice. FWIW we feed adult kibble. He looks like a stringbean by the way, but with big bone to grow into!

Thinking of you and Boof, hope the surgery goes smoothly. Satch did really well after the splenectomy even though the first few days were rough, but he was back on short walks a week later :) xx

I am an instructor at the local obedience club, have taught many puppy/adolescent/adult beginners classes, and can say that I have seen absolutely no correlation with work status and behaviour of the dog.

We just did a trip from Canberra to Brisbane and back. Three out of the four places I would recommend. We travelled with our two Aussie Shepherds, the four year old is well behaved but the puppy (5 months) is a bit of a ratbag so we took a crate for him but the older dog was able to be free in all accommodation. Warners Bay, Newcastle - Tantarra B&B. Dogs allowed in rooms. The two other couples staying also had dogs and we were able to have them at the (delicious) breakfast table of a morning :) We stayed in the smallest room which was very cozy but had a small courtyard which came in handy while showering etc. Armidale - Deer Park Motor Inn. Basic motel accommodation but clean and pleasant. Room quite big for a motel room. Dogs allowed in rooms. Dog friendly rooms all up the end with a patch of grass for ablutions. Gilgandra - Gilgandra Caravan Park. We stayed in one of the pet friendly cabins. The grounds were very spacious. Cabin was clean and had all mod cons, dogs allowed inside. Hosts are very friendly towards humans and dogs.

Do you know any older dogs with stable temperaments who are good at telling off annoying puppies or dogs? I've always found they are the best teachers. Can be tough to find though.

I do my best to keep my dog away from rude puppies (and adults) as I know she will tell them off. However, I don't let her growl or tell dogs off if they are not doing anything wrong. In that case I will redirect or ask for alternative behaviour and reward that. In saying that, our club is very positive leaning and I doubt you'd get advice to correct behaviour, only to redirect or ignore.

I think it depends on temperaments. Make sure you don't get a pushy brat of a pup and it should be fine. :)

Thanks poocow! Will I see you there, at the Xmas shows in Canberra?