megan_

vet check is very different from health tested. A lot of genetic faults won't be detected by a vet check.

Is the long wait because you are wanting a show quality one? I'm going to ask the question that no one likes: what is the price range?

Sway - you area baaaad woman for posting those pictures. My biggest concern with a small, fast moving dog is other big dogs with a high prey drive. It is a problem with my current two - and they are mini schnauzers.

Isn't there some doors that will only open with the dogs collar??(electronic thingy??) Then they get your dog to get the collar . The police woman who attended the second robbery advised against them.

PF - the problem is that intruders can get in - they got in through my small one (for mini schnauzers!). I don't care about them getting my stuff, but they came into my house twice and could have hurt the dogs. The police said that dog doors are a common entry point.

Great post. Also, I'd go for breeds that are used to working in packs. Well bred ones will be genetically wired to get on with similar dogs. There was a thread a while back on breeds that tend to get on well with other dogs (eg beagles). I wouldn't be going for breeds that have a fighting or working alone background.

I will speak to him. I was going to buy an indoor loo but they didn't wee inside. We go for a morning walk and they toilet then (just before I leave). They don't rush outside to wee when I get home. As I said, if they wanted to wee, they would. There are NO negative consequences for weeing inside. My girl doesn't go outside to wee on her own volition - she will go inside if she needs to wee. Cruel is a very strong word. I am not a perfect dog owner but my dogs are as far from abused (the word often linked to cruelty) as you can get.

It is interesting to read the comments about 12 hours being too long. My dogs are indoors during the day (used to have a dog door but got broken into, so now they are inside the house when I'm at work). I am away for about 11 hours each day. Occasionally, it is 12 hours if there has been an accident etc. They seem to comfortably hold it in - there have been no inside wees since I started doing this. My girl would happily wee inside if she needed to. My boy would hold it in, but would go if absolutely required. I was once delayed for 12.5 hours, my girl had weed in the dining room (thank goodness for floorboards) and my boy had eventually weed in the bathroom (after trying to scratch at the laundry door to get to the dog door ). Obviously it isn't ideal, but they seem to be fine with it and certainly don't rush out when I come home - they go within 10 - 30 mins. They aren't punished for mistakes so would go if they needed to.

:D

I agree with most posts, but have a been in my bonnet about quality food. There seems to be more and more of a push to feed very expensive food, and if you don't, you're not a good owner. When I was a kid, dogs ate PAL. They lived good lives. A raw diet is very healthy and cheap. I would rather a pup go to a home where it was fed PAL and loved, than a home where it was fed EP Holistic and spent its days locked up in the yard.

There is a guide dog at my workplace and he does toilet when in his harness. His owner works full-time so he does need to go sometimes. His owner takes him outside to a certain spot and then attaches a little bag/

Personally I think its important for every dog, regardless of how experienced the owner is. It may be old hat to you, but its not for the dog. Ongoing socialisation with other dogs in CONTROLLED circumstances is important. Ian Dunbar argues its as important for adolescent dogs that it is for pups and I agree with him. Also, dogs are not cookie cut out of the same mould. Every one is different. So the fact that you've trained one doesn't mean an automatic easy time with those that follow. Techinques change, methods change as people learn more about motivating dogs. Going along to a good club can be as beneficial owners too. I agree with this. I wish there would be more emphasis on controlled socialisation at classes. I think doing something that requires team work with your dog is a good idea. I do agility with mine - it is a very "bonding" experience, and they need to follow the rules etc, but I find it a LOT more fun than obedience.

1 hour of even the best class is boring. I think there needs to be a lot more emphasis on manners, how to greet dogs, off leash area rules etc at obedience, rather than formal recalls (sit, stay, recall - which doesn't get used in real life). You also need to be able to take a break and not participate.

What do you do that is interesting that makes him focus on you and not on other dogs? Most of the staffy-types at our park chase a ball thrown by their owner (FAR away from anyone else). They are too intersted in the game to want to play with other dogs.

I think it means that you wubs Bitty and worry too much

Y2K didn't impact you because people reacted to the hysteria - hundreds of millions were spent fixing REAL errors. If they had just ignored it, you might not have been able to take money out of the bank, have electricity etc. My understanding that the "In the News" section was for news about dogs. Off Topic is for people to talk about climate change, who Lara Bingle is dating etc.

I have an extra command for clipping the leash" "leash time". I say it in a happy voice, they both stand still (even tilt their heads so I can get to the D-ring) and then I give them a treat and/or play and I always go on a little walk once they have their leashes on (so leash doesn't = the end of fun/home time). Bub - I treat every time on recall. When they give me a nice recall, I give them a jackpot. I practice recall at least a few times a day, so the behaviour is pretty much conditioned. We have lots of recalls where I don't leash them up - they go back to playing afterwards.

Clean run has free shipping on wubbas. US$4.95 for the small ones, $6.95 (I think) for the mediums.

A great story - other than the mother noticed the dog acting stragnely with teh baby (she uses the word aggressive) and did nothing)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm going to make a bold claim here - and it may come back to haunt me - I am not the least bit worried about my boy running off. He is very focused on me, even if we're not working (at the park, lots of dogs running around, he looks to me for "permission" before running off. I can say "this way" and walk through the park without him running towards any dogs). If you see a black mini schnauzer cross with a mohawk running off then you'll know that I was wrong I agree Erny, our biggest obstacle will be my body language, if I hesitate for a nano second, he picks that up. He also gets a bit excited and frustrated that his mum is so slow and sometimes jumps on me on the flat. I think this will start to fade pretty quickly as he realised last week that he could go ahead of me and really started to drive through the obstacles (especially the weavers and tunnels). I don't use any toys or treats to lure him, however I do have my treat pouch on me and reward him at the end of the run. As per Kavik's suggestion, I'll leave it off during our next training session and see if he still complies. I don't expect it to be much of an issue because he loves agility so much that the obstacles seem to be a reward in themselves. Great suggestion about going along to a trial. How do I find out when one is on next (Melbourne, preferably KCC, but willign to travel).

Firstly, I will start off with a big disclaimer: I know that I'm not anywhere near being ready to trial. I am, however, starting to think that this is something I'd be interested in. We have only been training for less that 3 months but I think my boy has a knack for it and absolutely loves agility. We have been doing mock runs off lead and our instructor said that he is very talented and made the off-handed comment that he is almost ready to trial and that the run we had completed was at intermediate level. I hadn't even thought about it up until then. I know we have a long way to go, but I'm confident that he'll get there (far more quickly than I will). I was wondering how long people trained for before trailling? What made you think that you were ready to trial? Did you wait until you "knew" you'd pass, or until you knew you had enough focus so that your dog didn't run off etc? How well did that first trial go?

My boy is very non-reactive. But when a herding breed does the "stare and stalk" he is not a happy camper - and neither am I. I can't distinguish the herding "stare and stalk" from the prey-drive "stare and stalk". He is little so some bigger high prey drive dogs do this to him. Obviously I avoid it, but I can't avoid it 100%. It is interesting that people say if it is a kelpie thing then it is "defintiely not aggression". Are kelpie's immune from aggression? From prey-drive?

I only use the clicker for free shaping tricks - not obedience or agility. They get the idea very fast. The "trick" is not use the clicker properly (to teach your dog to problem solve) and not just do traditional obedience with a clicker IMO.

aussielover - supermarket meat is far less humane, especially in places like the US.

I get up at 5.20am on weekdays so that the dogs can get a decent walk before I go to work. Lucy now wakes up at 5am - on weekends too. She has figured out that it you nibble on my toes I tend to get out of bed very quickly