megan_

In all seriousness, it depends on the dog. My boy is fine on the bed. My girl needs LOTS of boundaries otherwise she displays bad behaviour traits.

KB - you put a LOT more effort into your dogs than the average owner. When talking about the average owner, I think you need to assume that that dog will only be walked a few times a week. When the weather is crap, the dog won't be walked at all (I walk mine twice a day regardless, and you'd be suprised how many times I hear people saying "we haven't been out in a week because of the rain" when we get the first good day). Puppies are hard work, but some are much harder than others. My boy was a dream in most respects - didn't destroy furniture, happy to please me etc. I think good first time breeds are breeds that are owner focused, need less exercise and are happy to chill with their pack. I'd leave out anything that was too drivey (especially prey drive, often mistaken for aggression), anything too independant, anything too strong (accidents happen) and anything from a fighting background (most people take their dogs to the park, let it off the leash and have no control over it).

I put on a rain jacket and we walk in the rain. They get walked twice a day regardless (unless it is unsafe). We also do a bit of clicker training most nights. It is a much more peaceful walk when the weather is bad - far fewer off leash dogs bounding up to us.

I'd try two things. Reward for him doing anything during the training session - it teaches him to try new things (the aim of shaping) and helps build confidence. If he farts, click and treat . Secondly, he might be a bit nervous and excited at the same time? My girl can get like that. Maybe try to make your rewards happy but calm. No big fuss. Just a click, treat and a smile, maybe with a soft "good boy" thrown in. Nothing too stimulating. How short are your short sessions? To me, 1 minute is a short session! I only do about 3 mins absolute max.

sign me up

Thanks Jules - I was hoping to purchase something as I am not at all handy (my uncle is, but I don't want to ask him to help as it is his holiday house and I don't want to inconvenience anyone).

I'm going to my Aunt's holiday house over Christmas, and there is a 4m gap that needs to be fenced in. I'm after some lightweight, portable fencing that can withstand bumps from the dogs (so it will need to be "driven" into the groud with poles). The dogs aren't big (mini schnauzers) but it would need to be about 6 foot high in order for me to not worry constantly. Any suggestions?

If she wanted to know the temperament etc, she would have been better off not getting a puppy. Puppies come with so many unkowns. Less so with a reputably bred one, but still, so many unknowns.

Mine both eat their treat balls in their (large) crates.

I hope you don't feel like you're being given a hard time Q's owner, but I agree with this post. So many (non dog crazy) people don't realise how strong a prey drive is. I commend you for looking out for your cats, but I just hope that some poor small dog doesn't pay the price. Are they never going to let this dog go off lead? Are they never going to let it play with small dogs? As the owner of a dog that can be a bit of a grump if she is jumped on, it is VERY hard to manage even 1/2 an hour of walking with her without getting up at 5am for walks. There are lots of idiots out there with badly trained dogs who run up to your dog, don't have a recall etc. I have to manage her very carefully and I have to drive 3+ hours of weekends to get her to "safe" places so she can get some offlead exercise safely. Can a family really commit to the time and - let's face it - hassle of dealing with a dog with a problem that will never be fixed? If it is hard for me it must be 100x harder for someone with a high prey drive stafford. I will never forget when my boy was a puppy I took him to the emergency vets for something. There was a woman in the waiting room on the phone to her husband. She was an absolute mess. A rottie had attacked her cav at an off leash park and she had rushed the torn up little thing to the vets in a vain attempt to save its life. The owner of the rottie apologised and said that she had only adopted the dog last week - and she KNEW he didn't like small dogs. Yet she had still taken him to an off leash area. I'm sure the people who sold her the dog (the RSPCA!) thought that she would never do something so stupid.

you do have to pay upfront though, so you actually need access to the cash or credit.

They can be. Someone I know lost two to a brown snake. yip - my mini schnauzer girl has a very high prey drive. I wouldn't trust her around a snake at all. They are smart so they are easy to train, but they need a lot of training and boundaries because they are smart (if you know what I mean). Smart dogs outsmart owners pretty quickly. I love my dogs but they can be very bossy (in a subtle way) and manipulative because they are smart and feisty. ETA: The different schnauzer sizes are VERY different dogs. Just because someone would be ideal for a mini, doesn't mean that they'd be ideal for a std schnauzer. The standard schnauzers that I know are very beautiful dogs - but with very different temperaments to minis.

I suggest early in the morning. In the afternoon it is packed. Because it is one of only a few fully fenced parks bayside/SE Melbourne, there are some out-of-control dogs there when it is peak time.

Greytmate - I think you have hit on something. I think that in today's environment, there are waaay to many people with dogs. Let me clarify. I know many people who have dogs but don't like them at all. They spend all the time locked in the backyard. If they wanted to go on holiday and they couldn't get into a kennel or it cost to much, they wouldn't hesitate to dump it. I don't understand why they got one in the first place. From asking around (and this is all anecdotal of course) many people get dogs "for the kids" or to protect their family. They grew up with a dog and have fond memories. But they don't want one now. They feel guilty that their kids are missing out on something and so get one. Both parents often work 45+ hours a week, have kids sports, struggle with work/life balance and the dog is last on a very long list. These people should be told that they aren't depriving their kids of anything by not getting a dog. They shouldn't feel the social pressure to get one. In fact, they should feel the social pressure NOT to get one. There is a lot of debate about whether we have an oversupply of dogs in Australia. Technically, we don't (more dogs sold than dogs in shelters etc). However, I do think we have an over demand of dogs - and they get dumped when they don't fit into today's lifestyle. And we all need to stop suggesting our own breeds on the breed recommendation threads .

but link doesn't equal causation.

There was a thread on reactive dogs not so long ago. I use the "who's that"/"look at that" game - a positive way to redirect attention. The thread had a lot of good ideas in it, I'll try to find it when/if I get the time.

yip - Ms = mini schnauzer. He is crossed with a mini poodle, so may be too small for your study?

These have to be used under supervision though. Even for Kongs, after reading some of the horror stories on here (tongues sucked in etc, dog dies of shock) I only ever give food toys when I'm around. I agree with Aiden. I have many, many interactive toys (eg Nina Ottosan puzzles, hide-a-squirrels, kongs etc) but they only use them when I'm around. They don't touch their hide-a-squirrel (which doesnt require supervision or any interaction from me) when I say "let's kill the squirrels!" and hold it up. They like interacting with their human .

Are you only after purebreds? I have a MS cross who is very relaxed.

Agree. I'm not trying to promote oodles but my MSx poodles coat is MUCH easier to care for than my pure MS's coat. She has knots if she isn't brushed every second day. I never need to brush him between grooms and he doesn't knot at all. I don't agree with oodle breeders making claims about easy to care for coats, just as I don't agree with generalisations that oodle coats are somehow harder to manage than any long coat.

Our Your boy is doing well! So glad to hear it.

Jed, your inbox is full.

would it be suitable for smaller dogs (mini schnauzers)?

If a dog is reactive it is the owner's responsibility to keep an eye and ear out. My girl used to be very fearful (not aggressive) so I would spend most walks looking like the girl from the Exhorcist (sp). The dog should have also been muzzled if they owner is worried about it biting. Life happens - it is unpredictable. Dogs need to be able to cope with it. If they can't, they need behavioural modification and to be kept safely (muzzle, walking at odd hours etc). I hope your friend reports this dog - it is a danger to the community. What happens if a kid runs past (their face would be at biting height...).

the vet has to PTS unless the owner consents to rehome the dog. It is against the law for a vet to rehome without the owner's consent.