megan_

I want to emulate the "chasing" toy they have on CR. I pole with an elestic cord with the fox tail tied to it. I know my little ratters will go nuts.

I'd much rather people understand where their meat is coming from than think that it comes shrink wrapped from the supermarket. Nekhbet - get back in the kitchen and bake some scones...

Why? Foxtails have free postage at the moment from memory - bargain! Because you can't get stuff sent from the US and only buy one item, you NEED to buy one of the talking birds, the zap ball, the cheap wubbas ($8.95!), the stuffing free fox....

I'm happy with your response, my credit card isn't!

I'll only buy Australian made sourced from Australian ingredients.

like the topic says....

Do you do your prac at the trainers training school or is is separate?

Who do I contact to get a sample? I'm in Melbourne.

I am not a legal person but I'm pretty sure that, if the off leash dog is in an on leash area the person "walking the off leash dog (or the owner if no one is present) will be the ones held responsible.

Mine have excellent stays, but they jumped on the bed many times. Not because they don't understand - but they are very persistant and will try to break me, little buggers. Kiesha - your two sound a lot like mine. One bossy and one anxious. I'm not comfortable tethering them, I worry about them getting knotted up while I'm asleep. I like crates because they can't get on your bed but are 100% safe. I'd persist and be sleepy for the next couple of days. My girl made a noise all night on the first night, but after 3 nights she was fine.

I had this problem too. I did try to get them to sleep on their own beds but they would sneak like little ninjas into my bed at 2am. I put them in their crates before I went to bed (about 8.30pm), made myself some tea and then sat down to watch the TV. For the first few nights, there was banging and a bit of crying, but then things settled down. If they cried when I was in bed I'd put all but one flap down so that their view was restricted. I lost sleep for a few nights but then they adjusted beautifully. I do now allow them on the bed by invitation (randomly, so they don't have the expectation), but it took a long time for me to get to this point. Stay strong and persist - it will help the anxious one!

Most people are allergic to teh dander (dead skin that all dogs shed) rather than the hair.

it is against the law to discriminate against kids because they are human beings (...and I don't have kids). Let's not turn this thread into the kids vs no kids non-debate, eh?

I don't really understand this. The places were already not pet friendly - nothing changed, these people just snuck their dogs in because they couldn't have them legitimately. The only thing that might have changed is that if there were any perceivable signs left, the motel owners may have upped their checks and vigilance. Not sure how this would affect the places that do allow pets? I've read the post several times now and I still don't get it. Many places used to allow pets on the premises but not in rooms. After people snuck their dogs in, they now don't allow any pets - even sleeping in cars. It also contributes to the very negative perception that a lot of people have about dogs and dog owners. indigirl, I can only hope that when you snuck your dog in you didn't accidentally encounter anyone that had a comprimised immune system (eg undergoing chemo to treat cancer).

Mine now sleep in their crates in my bedroom. I did feel awful, but felt better when I noticed and improvement in our pack dynamics, and my girl became much more confident. Is it possible to crate them in your room?

you are joking FF, right? Hard to tell from the post... Let me break it down for you. Jim and Jane run a motel, they allow dogs on the premises, but not in the rooms. They are expected to sleep in the car. Someone, let's call her FF, sneaks her dog into the room. Some hair falls onto the sheets. When Jim and Jane clean the room, they see that a dog has been inside. This is the last straw for them, they have seen it many times before. So they ban dogs completely - no dogs allowed on their property at all. After all, Jim and Jane's livelihood is dependant on this motel, and they are sick of a select few patrons flouting their rules. It is discrespectful. They have spent their working lives building up their business, but some people think they can do whatever they want because their little fluff ball is "so cute and wonderful". How is what you're saying any different from the people who let their dogs run off lead and then say ":but Fido is so well behaved. I don't need to obey leash laws?".

FF- you should read the threads where dog owners have left droppings in showers, fur all over the beds etc. These aren't isolated incidents either, and often occur at places where there is a dog show in progress! Dog owners have definitenly contributed to the negative perception of dogs in the community. A lot of places don';t even allow dogs to stay in the car anymore - they know that people will sneak the dogs in, so a dog ban happens. ETA: Good point re: allergies PF. My cousin books into places that don't allow dogs because he is VERY allergic. But hey, fluffy doesn't want to stay in the car, and mumma wants to stay at the nice hotel and not the hovel that allows dogs, so who cares???

I'd ask the breeder what sort of socialisation the pup has had, and I'd want specifics: * how many times has it been off the property? What sort of places has it seen? * What sort of people had it been exposed to (people of different races, people in wheelchairs etc)

because there are many that don't. Many people do the old "turn away and pretend I haven't seen what is happening" trick. That is when I smile, present them with a bag and say " you obviously didn't see him doing his business, here's a bag".

I would never grab another dog - you have no idea how it is going to react. Some perfectly friendly looking dogs react very badly when they are grabbed by the collar. I wouldn't take my pup to an off leash park when there are lots of dogs around. I would go at the crack of dawn and give them time to play. If a dog does something I don't like, I tell the owner to fetch their dog in a very stern, no nonsense way (not screaming, polite but firm). I have found that if I try to be super nice, my request is ignored. The line "she's a rescue that has been abused and doesn't like other dogs" works very well, it makes people feel guilty for letting their out-of-control dog harrass yours. It is partly true in my case (she is a rescue, but likes other dogs as long as they give her a bit of space), but I wouldn't hesitate to use the line even if it wasn't true.

I am going to go against the grain. I think most dogs NEED time to run off leash in a different environment (ie not your yard). My girl doesn't like dogs that get in her face and can grumble and cause a fight. My solution? Take her at the crack of dawn, when no one else is around. She gets to run around and frollick, with very minimal risk of being attacked. There are some breeds that I am terrified of (seeing my sister attacked as a child, and my adult experiences. Not good, I know.). If I am scare3d I don't want to influence my dogs behaviour. So, if for some reason we run into one, I trun my back and take deap breathes, rather than watching them and fretting.

I ididn't interpet her comment like you did. I don't think she was saying puppy mills are okay, she is just saying that some farm animals have a lifetime of suffering. It's not as if you can only pick one cause...

Do you mean Charlie? Yeah... it's one of his nicknames. Lately he is being called Chuck, Chucky or Chuckster... we go to training and there are few other Charlie's in the class, and so I started calling him that. Phew. You had me worried there for a second :p

Do you mean Charlie?

I can't point you to the law but it is true that you need to provide "safe passage" to your front door.