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wuffles
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Everything posted by wuffles
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Personally I think it would not be healthy for my dogs to be inside while we're at work. They need fresh air and the stimulation that being outside provides them. Sure, they dig, they bark... they are dogs. One is a young working breed, she doesn't want to sleep all day, she wants to play and run and dig up old bones and splash in puddles and annoy her older companion. Not saying this is right for all dogs... some would be happier inside. But it's an individual choice depending on the dogs and the owner's lifestyle.
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Ours have inside/outside access when we are home, they are outside when we're at work. I have met plenty of good dog owners whose dogs are outside only. I prefer mine to be inside but to be honest I think that's more for my benefit than theirs Mine enjoy being in the yard, running around, playing with their toys, guarding the house, chasing birds. They also enjoy spending time with us but I don't think they'd be unhappy as outdoor dogs.
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Sure... easy peasy
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Training The Not-food-oriented Dog
wuffles replied to wings's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
If I really have to motivate my boy who is not interested in food or toys in general, I bring out the big guns... raw lamb chopped into small pieces, warm bbq chicken, or a rabbit fur tug -
Ava's footsie is getting better so I think she will be ready to go for walks again next week, woohoo. OH is home this week and took her to the oval today as she was getting antsy (after 5 days of no walks) so hopefully that hasn't ruined the healing. I am thinking of entering our first obedience trial at BDOC in March :hug: so I am keen to get back into training to see if we are as ready as I think we are There's only so much heeling around the lounge room we can do... bring on some group stay practice, I say.
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3rd and 6th of Feb! So far awayyyyyyyyyy...
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Why Do You Like The Kinds Of Dogs You Do?
wuffles replied to corvus's topic in General Dog Discussion
I have a pretty broad range of things I like to do, from lazing around the house to playing sport, so I like dogs that are versatile and ready to do anything you might like to do with them. I like that my Aussie will happily accompany me on a short walk, a long walk, obedience training, a playdate, to a friend's house, to the lake for a swim, or just lounge around the house... all with a smile on her face. I like dogs that don't take life too seriously. I don't take life too seriously. I love the trainability of working breeds but don't like the seriousness of some of them. Ava thinks everything is fun without being over the top. She isn't obsessive about anything and takes everything in her stride. While I love our older dog, he suits my OH better than he suits me. OH likes a big, low maintenance dog whereas I like a trainable one Satch has a streak of independence which can be difficult to manage when out and about but also means that he is fine lying around the house all day, doesn't follow you from room to room and doesn't care if you go out without him. -
Niques - You must be so worried I'm sure the kennel would have a policy of contacting everyone if they were in trouble so I'm sure James will be just fine! I know it's not much of a consolation due to road closures and such but my parents are high and dry at their place if they are in any way needed, just let me know.
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Sorry, I'm not up on the terminology ;) I just do a 'normal' turn like on the phone book. The elephant trick is my girl's favourite game ever. It's the one where you switch the lead around your back that confuses me
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Noobie question... what are the pros and cons of pivot turn vs u turn? Which does everyone here do, does anyone switch between the two depending on the situation or dog? I am just doing u turns because I can't get my head around pivots ;)
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What Can You Do With Your Dogs When On Crutches
wuffles replied to heroeswit's topic in General Dog Discussion
My injury was different as it was a knee operation, but I warn you not to go near dog parks or dog club if you don't want to be bumped!! Crutches seem to be a dog magnet. To be honest mine were just happy that I was home all day rather than at work :D OH took them for a walk each morning, then I did some trick training during the day, but mostly they just watched TV and napped with me -
:thumbsup: We were recently did a very long drive with the dogs. A few times, we stopped at fast food restaurants and tethered the dogs in the back of the wagon while we ate in the seated area. We had a lady come up to our table and ask, "Excuse me, are those your dogs? They are so well trained and behaved, what lovely dogs." I was so chuffed! Not that they could have done anything naughty as they were tethered in anyway We had a few more comments about them being well behaved along the way, sometimes it doesn't take much
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My dog ended up with serious itchies after swimming in a certain Canberra lake last year. Lots of cortisone, a few hotspots and sleepless weeks later, he is no longer allowed to swim in lakes...
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On holidays, I took mine to the beach to rinse off the mud from swimming in puddles I did find that my long haired girl got really stinky from the beach (kind of a mixture of fish and sand, gross) so I did give her a bath.
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I love how he decided that those waves needed a good woofin'
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I have claratyne here? Here is a site that gets quoted quite often, although not sure how accurate it actually is :D http://www.ingleburnvet.com.au/antihistamines.htm
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Here is a pic of what the cut looks like now: It looks a little funky because I'd just applied some antiseptic powder but otherwise I think it's healing nicely. Three days with no exercise now, she has been very good but going a bit nutty. Have done a bit of training. Tomorrow morning I am hoping to head to the local oval with nice green grass so that she can at least get out of the house, poor bub.
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My itchy boy gets an antihistamine (Polarmine) when he has a bad day. It makes him sleepy as well as reducing the itch
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I have one with dew claws, never had an injury. I have one without (removed by breeder), never had an injury.
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As a beginner I think wanting to trial has most definitely changed the way I do things. I find the precision needed for trialling lots of fun and my girl seems to enjoy it as well, so I think with any future dogs I would still work on this whether trialling or not. However, having to go so long without rewarding or affirming is really difficult and to be honest I wouldn't worry so much about this for general obedience. If I could talk to her during the exercises we would have been ready to trial quite a while ago, it is duration that is the only thing I'm not confident about. If I wasn't trialling I can't see myself ever fading out lots of vocal praise and signals she is doing the right thing.
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My dog is not nervy, nor weak tempered, but she is very sensitive to reprimand. As a 12 week old puppy, I caught her weeing in my room, said "uh uh" and went to pick her up, she screamed her little head off! She's a confident dog in general but does not like it when we are not pleased about something. Is it possible that although you say it was a gentle reprimand, you use very strong body language or tone of voice?
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Yes KTB it will be much easier if the weather is good on your trip so you can leave the monsters in the car! The only thing is that I always felt a little bad leaving them there when we'd already been driving for 2-3 hours ;) We always took them for a little pee break before leaving them in the car but I still felt guilty. And while I was feeling guilty, OH was worried someone would break into our car with the windows down slightly, because of course we had suitcases/presents/boxes/allkindsofstuff sitting in the back seat! I have spent the whole day getting my wedding invites done. I am about to start the scary part - printing them all out ;) I'm double checking them about a million times because I'm paranoid I've made a mistake somewhere
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My 18kg dog is only getting 1 cup of dry food per day and my 36kg dog is getting 1.5 cups (less if they get any bones as well). The only benefit I would see in free feeding would be if you wanted your dogs to hold a low value for food? One of mine in particular would just eat until she popped but it sure makes her easy to train ;)
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Dogs huh Yes... dogs... they're the ones that can't be trusted... :D
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The bandage is no more :D OH decided that while I went to do the grocery shopping, he would stick his headphones on and leave her unattended. I found the remnants of bandage under the bed