megan_

Extender leashes. Not necessarily. If a car approached from the side the dogs could have been killed without touching the person walking them. They were small dogs, maybe the driver didn't notice them?

Are non show people allowed to come with their well behaved dogs (who would be leashed of course)? What day/time should I come if I want to see terriers (lakies, soft coated wheatens etc)?

vets can't hold a puppy if the owner doesn't want to pay for treatment. If the owner didn't want to pay for a stool analysis I doubt he wanted to pay for overnight care.

great advice. Small price to pay to get a crazy out of your hair!

A working line would have a higher prey drive (which is not aggression, but could be a problem because you have a small, fluffy dog). Also, I would imagine that a working line GSD would be bored in an "ordinary" household. I wouldn't get a working line of any dog unless I was going to do some very serious dog sport (I can't imagine a run would keep a working line dog entertained).

When my boy had gastro he was very sick very quickly. He had vomited when I was at work on Friday. I took him to the vet that night for a check up (I don't normally take them with just one vomit, but something wasn't right). Temp etc normal. The next morning I woke up and he wasn't in bed (very unusual). I found him standing over some vomit with blood in it - he could hardly move. We went straight to Emergency and he was in hospital for 4 days. He was one sick pup. It took him a long time to become 100% again. Good luck/

good idea. Also, has someone contacted petsearch?

My MS used to do something similar. Now we go for a walk around the edge of the park first (get him focused on me, get rid of some energy) and I then let him off the leash. Every time I let him off the leash I play a game with him first (throwing a squeaky toy etc). This gets his focus on me. Then I tell him to play. He doesn't rush dogs any more - only his BFF Toby the Beagle but it is a mutual thing! I also regular;y call him back and reward him every time.

If you follow the advice in Erny's post it will work - it may take time but you'll get there. This is what I had to do with my girl. Resist all urges to molly coddle the dog, this will just make them more scared.

Steve - prehaps update the title? Many people in WA would think there was more help needed in Albury and might not look

I think it is very important for her to get used to being by herself for some time. In the future, you may not be able to afford day care and she will have a much harder time adjusting when she is older. If she is only crying when you pull away I wouldn't worry - perfectly normal. Give her some time to settle in and then re-assess things. If you are coming home to an anxious mess then that is a different story (still one that needs to be addressed though).

humping doesn't have to always be about sex - it can be about dominance. My girl sometimes tries to hump by boy (both are desexed). I was horrified when it happened!

You don't leave the bag with stock out, you just use it to dribble the stock in a trail, and when you're through with it throw it away. I'd never ever leave my dog alone with a plastic bag I've never had the Kong thing happen, but I have heard of it, that's why it has two holes, I believe. Although a pet warehouse guy once told me it's like the lolly Lifesavers, if the dog swallows the Kong they can still breathe. Sounded ridiculous to me, but you never know sorry for misreading. RE: teh kongs, teh issue (I believe) is that the top hole gets clogged very easily, especially since a lot of dgos land up lickign the food to block teh hole. You then get the vacuum effect and their tongue gets stuck in the middle of the kong.

I'm worried about leaving food out for my two. Even if I only had one, I don't think I'd do it (unless it was boring old kibble). Mine would eat through the plastic bad to get to the stock, and swallow a fair bit of plastic in the process. Most likely it would pass through no problems, but there is an obstruction risk. I have heard of dogs tongues getting stuck in kongs due to the vacuum effect (if they push the food against the top release hole this can happen). I think this has happened to a few DOLers?

labsrule - the recent posts were responding to a poster (a lab owner) saying that ALL labs were friendly and NONE were EVER aggressive. People were pointing out that this wasn't true and SOME labs are aggressive - like SOME dogs are in all breeds. When I saw a lab owner had posted I thought "hoorah, a lab owner is going to set this person straight and say that they have to socialise their lab etc, just like you need to do with every other dog". Petty it wasn't so. Why is pointing out the obvious seen as lab bashing????????

You're not serious? There is a very HA and DA lab down the street from me - people cross the street when they see it approaching (on leash). Most labs also play very physically. They can easily hurt a small dog even if they didn't mean it. I'm deadly serious! Who could be scared of a labrador?! ;) They're known as the world's friendliest and most family orientated dog! I would never cross the street if I see a labrador on a leash. If I see a little yappy thing, then I cross the street! An unruly lab, owned by someone who thinks that all labs are friendly and wouldn't harm anyone, could easily bowl over a toddler, body slam a smaller dog (has happened to mine) or, as I pointed out in my previous post, become aggressive due to a lack of socialisation. Any dog, in the wrong hands, can be dangerous. Sometimes "the wrong hands" aren't just bogans with aggressive dogs, but ignorant people who assume that their dog will turn out to be friendly by virtue of its breed. FWIW, for the last few years running, labs have been responsible for most bites to children in the US. Lab owners please note: I'm not having a go at labs. Love them. I just can't stand it when someone says that all labs are friendly and can't understand why some people are scared of them. I'm scared of owners like that. ETA: Do you know there is a difference between human and dog aggression? A dogs might be family friendly but aggressive to other dogs. They are totally different things.

You're not serious? There is a very HA and DA lab down the street from me - people cross the street when they see it approaching (on leash). Most labs also play very physically. They can easily hurt a small dog even if they didn't mean it.

Good question. Firstly, I should point out that our off leash park is small and I know most of the dogs there. Most owners know Lucy and know how to act around her. If there is an overly friendly dog or a dog that I don't know there when I pull up we turn around and go somewhere else. Sometimes we're half-way through our walk (and away from the car) when this happens though. 99% of the time all is fine. She actually loves meeting dogs - she just doesn't like (usually large) dogs that jump on top of her. Our park is a multi-use series of ovals with a path on the outside. I stick to the outside path while dogs that are off leash play in the middle. It is not a dog park - it is used by kids to play footy, joggers etc, so most of the dogs are very well behaved (or else they simply wouldn't last there). For example, this evening we went to the park and the usual crowd was there. I let my boy off leash and we (Lucy and I) stood to the side. She knows these dogs and happily said hello to each of them. As she can't be trusted off leash (she will bolt if someone scares her) her life would be pretty boring if we only went for street walks. She loves foraging under the trees in our park. If we go to onlead parks some half-wit usually has their dog off leash anyway, so there is no avoiding off leash dogs unfortunately. Oddly, I find the dogs that are offleash better behaved that dogs that are offleash in on leash areas.

Mrs Tornsocks - I haven't read all the posts so I hope I'm not repeating everything. First off, well done for recognising that there may be an issue and asking for opinions. So many people think that if their dog isn't attacking another then anything goes. I own a small dog that is very nervous of dogs that get in her face- labs are the worst offenders unfortunately. She is this way because she was kept as a puppy farm breeding bitch in a cage most of her life. She has improved in leaps and bounds but is still nervous when she feels "smothered". When a dog approaches her like this I ask the owner to get their dog. I don't care if the dog is friendly or not - they are scaring my girl and with each bad interaction her behaviour becomes more and more ingrained. I know that most dogs aren't trying to attack her - that is beside the point. She will snap at any dog that does this to her and I don't know how the other dog will react. What if they take offence and attack her back? They are often much bigger than her. I don't buy the whole "just let the dogs sort it out" bit. That works for "normal" dogs, not dogs who have been abused and have to learn what "normal" is. All I want to do is take my girl for a walk. I really isn't much to ask.

thanks everyone. I have told her that I'd find some info on them for her, but I've also said that it is better to use one and take the dog for a walk than not take the dog out at all.

I seem to remember some posts about it being toxic in dogs (I think Trisven13 was having issues with her dog and some people suggested it might be because she mops the floor with it). It is very strong stuff and could burn?

How would such a response overcome an instinctive response hard wired into the dog, triggered by movement and selectively bred for for generations. That's what you're up against trying to call a sighthound off prey. I will never be more interesting than a hare to Howard, no matter how hard it is for him to catch one. I've heard all the stuff about "you have to be the most interesting thing there" - try matching a fleeing kangaroo for "interest". All I can say to those who doubt what the sighthound folk are talking about is spend some time with them. There's a reason very few of us would ever say our dogs have 100% reliable recalls and that's even after a lot of training effort. Agree. I don't think a high prey drive dog will even notice your signal once they are chasing a live prey item.

Sorry, but that is not true for crossbred or purebreds. The combination of genes possible from the mating of two purebred dogs is quite wide. A whole raft of studies have looked at this. At the end of the day, poodles still look like poodles, pugs look like pugs, etc etc. They may vary in size, colour, length of muzzle, blah blah blah but you still know what breed of dog you are looking at. The same applies to xbred puppies from purebred parents. My boy is a poodle cross mini schnauzer. Some of his siblings looked very "poodley", some look like mini schnauzers with longer legs. Their coats appeard to have differences too?

Hi All, Can you please let me know what is so bad about a halti? My cousin bought one for her 6 month old Std Schnauzer and my first reaction was to pull a face . Obviously, teaching the dog to walk with a collar and lead is ideal but she has a very bad back and is struggling. She is going to see a trainer but needs some advice in the interim. What is so bad about them? I seem to recall something about shutting dogs down?? Is there a no pull harness that she can use in the interim? Thanks, Megan

Wouldn't the temperament be different from a lab? Any lab I have met loves everyone. All schnauzers that I have met are very owner focused and don't love everyone.