Dory the Doted One

See this face of innocence? This is the bum of naughtiness. (Please excuse mattress I was sleeping in the lounge during the heat wave)

Seems big to me too. Willow's weight (rottie) seemed to be on par with her age in weeks. eg. 10 weeks, she was about 10kg. As for slowing growth, I have no idea. Pictures would be helpful, bit hard to say if a dog is truly growing abnormally without actually seeing it.

Willow is on to her third and waiting for her to get big enough for her fourth, which should do her for the rest of it's life. My daughter comes home from an extended holiday, I can't wait for her to tell me how much Willow has changed. And, hopefully be able to get some more shots of Willow that aren't her butt, aren't blurry or tiny little black dot in the distance.

Did you ever use pee pads with him?

Another vote for taking to work.

Sometimes completely changing their routine can help, or rather creating a new and different routine. That way there is still some consistency, but it's a changed one from previously. It gives them something else to think about, for a short time while they adjust to a new routine. Stuff like changing the location of where you feed them, walking them in different places, etc.

Can add another Willow one... Willow is such a dope, because rather than just nose your blankets over the uneaten food, you pick it up with your teeth and carefully drape it over the uneaten food, like a Lady.

Reason is an awesome, and auspicious name. Hello, Reason!

I'm still waiting to see what the final choice is. Are we any closer? No pressure. *taps fingers* :laugh:

We tried herding today! Willow has Potential. She exceeded my expectation, and allayed quite a few fears. Although it's a bit of a challenge to watch your dog running after sheep when every nerve is screaming...STOP...DON'T CHASE. :laugh: Willow thought it was the BEST fun, EVER. She definitely left wanting more.

Dollar.

I'm sure he'll bounce back. He seems to be a pretty resilient little man.

Habit. So she could be a "Good Habit" or a "Bad Habit".

Hildy.

I'm a dope because Willow often looks at me like I'm a when I sometimes ask her to do stuff. Her look is like, "You should know, I'm not planning on doing that." If she had glasses, she'd look over the top of the rim at me like a teacher avidly listening to her student tell a story of unbeliveable, unbeliveability. But she is a dope when she randomly throws things at me because she's bored and wants to play. Dory is a dope (no she's not, she's too good for that) when she thinks it's dinner time and I'm still occupied. She leaps into my lap with joyous abandon and loves all over me, rolling around, licking and rubbing her head on me.

Poor Nova. How are your nerves now Lisa?

I'm just getting back into the sport after a 15 year absence, lots has changed. I was really surprised just how much. Took me a little while to adjust to the watered down IPO rules. And while I know they aren't an ideal way of testing working temperament, at least it's a something. Who knows, with it becoming more available to people and opening it up to dogs of a more...relaxed...temperament, maybe...just maybe...(in a dream world)...it could create a demand for a more 'inspired' temperament in our dogs. Gotta start somewhere.

I didn't quite fit into a single category on the Poll. If there was no other way but a shelter/pound or rescue group, then I would get one from them. But I would be looking for a pretty specific dog. When I was looking and got Dory I wrote a list of what I wanted and what I could live with. Looks were important too, particularly size. Dory ticked every box on the list. And she's been fantastic. Except for one thing. Over the last few years my wants in a dog have changed and Dory didn't fit that picture. Dory still fits the picture I wanted her for, and she stays. There is no question she stays. And if I couldn't have gotten another dog, I wouldn't. I would have loved Dory till the end and then got a new dog that fit my new criteria. I can't say in this moment whether or not I would get another rescue dog. What I have fits my current criteria, I have no need for more. I would hazard a guess and say that it would be unlikely. But it wouldn't be out of the question.

God. Now I'm more confused.

Reminds me of a time when I anticipated a pedistrian light by a second. There was a mum with kid in pusher and one at her side, abuse the heck out of me. The anger and the foul language. She even made the comment, "I hope you get run over by a f**k'n truck and killed". All because she was trying to teach her kids about crossing the road. And apparently I wasn't helping. I would have been receptive if she hadn't launched into such vileness. Never mind about the foul language, abuse or wishing a complete stranger dead. Why would you teach a kid a better way to communicate? What was i thinking? :laugh:

I would find keeping a white dog clean a near impossible task. It must be so frustrating! I love a Rotties wash and wear-ness also. I wash a couple of days before a show and then a damp towel bath. If I was to wash the day before I get 'bath hair' or soft, fly away hair. Rotts are supposed to have a slightly coarse coat.

I ended up having a great Christmas (aside from no food in the house) see previous piccie of Willow watching training dvds with me. I was supposed to be in Victoria, but ended up coming home early. Because despite my parents being okay with the dogs, my Dad ended up not being okay with the dogs. Willow in particular. And she wasn't even naughty...well, not that naughty. Aside from her swimming in the fish pond, which we fixed that problem straight away and the loss of one christmas decoration she was very, very well behaved. I don't think my Dad was too keen on the fact that she followed everyone around. But I'm not sure, he wouldn't tell me what the problem was. Just some nebulous 'everything'. I opted to come home because I knew that he was not going to be happy no matter what, not when he gets to that state. And I wasn't happy with any of the solutions he came up with. Lesson learned. Don't stay at the parents place. EVER.

I get more annoyed about dogs peeing on everything and worst, owners that don't tell you. Oh, hang on...no...the shitting in the pathways or lawn area and not picking it up...or telling staff about it. One of the biggest vectors for passing on disease. As far as dogs on seats? Meh. I'd prefer that than dogs on the counter, sticking their noses in the dogs treats and licking them. Followed by owners who then won't buy them becasue their dog 'doesn't like them'. What is it with people that pick up treats, shove them in the dogs face let them lick them and then put them back? Or do people do this with human children too?

She's a tripper. :laugh: That one was Ivan Balabanov. And we have followed it up with Gottfried Dildei and then I'll probably go through Michael Ellis again. (I have to thank Ness for lending them to me ). We'll show those Mallies and GSD's what a Rottie can do. (in about a year or 2 or 3, they tend to take a bit longer to get there. :laugh: )

This is our Christmas Day...watching training dvds. Let's hope she's paying attention.