megan_

Is he going to be in his crate while he's recovering? That might sway some people. My sister found s house in Caulfield through airbnb for $90 per day - I'll ask her for the link

Are you looking for temporary accomodation or a place to rent? For temp accomodation, I ise airbnb. There are a few places that allow dogs - including s fab apartment in Caulfield, ground floor. What's your budget?

Yip teekay. My oodle lives a much better life than most dogs I know. He is well trained, does agility, clicker training etc. Has done so since I got him. I got him because I was ignorant about puppy farms, not because I wanted a lawn ornament. Getting a PB dog doesn't mean someone is educated either.

Is she being locked in the house when the gardener comes so she can't bite him? She might just be learning that she needs to bite harder because nips aren't keeping him away.

I don't see why the thread is a no-no given it is actually promoting pure bred dogs? I agree with DC though that it is best not to focus on looks only though. For example, people tend to get poodlexlabs because they want a low shedding family dog. I wouldn't classify a lagotto as one of those - they are rare, hard to get hold of and the ones I've seen have been skittish with strangers. How about something along the lines of: "Are you looking for a family dog that gets on well with visitors, likes playing with other dogs and will love his family through thick and thin? Then a well bred lab (or whatever) could be the dog for you".

Oh snook. The hardest thing is that if everyone just obeyed the law and had some basic manners,fearful dogs could live much richer lives. Lucy was so easy to live with. Every walk was stressful though-not because of her (she walked perfectly on lead and wasn't reactive unless jumped on) - but because of every person who thought their soecial snowflake dog should be able to do whatever it wanted.

Thanks guys. Took him and about to pick him up - her place is cooler than our home

He ist hanks for the replies. Both have air con but it is very hot already and the car aircon isn't good. He is a poodle cross - all poodle types are blow dried before they're cut otherwise they would need to be air dried and would look like they have bad perms. My boy iis clipped every 6 weeks. This appointment was made months in advance because the groomer is very popular (she is a breed specialist and does many show dogs). He's fine now but we wouldn't get another appointment for over a month. He'd be too wooly and hot by then.

Fergus is due for his haircut today in the middle of the day. I'm concerned because of the heat. He'll have water wtc, but I'm worried about the hot car trip, then being under blow dryers etc in this heat. He is young, fit and non-bracchy. He doesn't like the heat though. Am I being too paranoid?

How could I forget Elsie?

At the risk of sounding stalky, my favourite DOL dogs are: * Cosmolo's Gilbert - he is just such a bright, happy thing, and he has always been a great friend to my dogs. I have "joked" with her in the past that I just want to put him in my bag and steal him... * TSD's Em - she just seems like a barrel of fun and loves her training. I don't know her well but have seen her doing agility training and is so enthusiastic and is such a little hard worker. I would love a working ESS one day, but I don't have the fitness or the time to commit so I'll have to admire her from afar for a while. * huga's Sid, because he is Sid. Anyone else have any favourites? Why?

Do you have long nails (ie not total stubs)? Lots of people accidentally dig their nails into their dog's tummy when they pick them up. My dog is fine with a collar grab, but doesn't like being picked up - for some reason people assume that small dogs must love being carried around?

My cousin's mini schnauzer was about 13 years old when they got a standard schnauzer puppy. They got along beautifully and it brought him back to life. In the end, he was blind and lost his marbles a bit, but she was always tolerant of him.

My two never fought. There was once a little rumble about 18 months after Lucy joined the family. Fergus was being a pain in the butt, so air snapped and threw him against the wall. He squealed like a baby. I yelled, it stopped and they were both fine - not a scratch. I believe the "no fighting" came from: * A bit of management (never fed together, although this changed near the end and they were fine) * Good luck * Their temperaments (the biggest factor by a mile). Fergs was always submissive to Lucy and was easy going. Lucy was very slow to anger and, if Fergs pissed her off after their little tiff, she would give him "the look" and he would comply. She let him steal toys from her (he always wanted to have what she was having, and she was happy to comply too). If a highly valued resource fell to the floor and they were both there, they had a "first come first served" policy - never any fights, even if I accidentally dropped some meat on the floor. I don't think "not tolerating fighting" has any bearing on whether dogs fight or not. ETA: For me, living in a small house and working long hours, having dogs that get along and can be together without a scrap is very important. I was very lucky with my two.

Yip. I can't see this helping with an agility arousal problem either. Certainly not a game. Sheena - in the past I used to see what you're describing quite a bit with the high drive BC's in Vic. In all honesty I've seen it reduced a lot since people adopted H360 (I don't just mean training in it, but embedding it. It has been "here" for about 2 years now). The difference in dogs and handlers is astounding. Do you play "It's Yer Choice" with him too?

Totally OT TSD but will she be at the k9 trial tomorrow or Sunday?

Off the top of my head, some of the dogs that fit most of your criteria are: - mini poodles (my Fergus is a mini poodle cross, and loves a game of chasey. He has always got on well with whippets as a result of this. I'd avoid any of the bitey face/body slam breeds). They are hardy, great at dog sports and, if you find the right breeder, you'll get a resiliant, happy-go-lucky dog. I'd be very picky who I bought from though. - Cairn terrier - has been suggested to me by someone who knows the breed and knows me. Happy, confident etc but not in-your-face-can't-take-a-hint to other dogs. - mini schnauzer, for the reasons above. Again, the right breeder is very important. All of these need grooming, but that is what groomers are for. Confession: I take mine to the groomer every 6 weeks and don't do a thing inbetween. My dogs have always looked good and haven't been matted. If I got another MS or cairn I'd get them hand stripped and occasionally brush them. The coat remains a lot more harsh and easy to maintain if you do that. Again, I have a groomer that does this for a very reasonable price so, from my prespective, the dogs are super easy to maintain.

yes. I agree with most of this sentiment - but it depends on the terms of the agreement. Did they say "I can have access to the dog whenever I want, for however long, for the rest of the dog's life"? Either agree to it, or say "no" and be prepared for them to go to the petty claims court (or whatever it is called these days). Re: the rule re: breeders. Any breeder who sells a dog to a stranger on breeding terms with no actual contract can't be that responsible.

Sometimes the overly friendly dogs are the biggest threat. Some dogs and owners just want to be left alone. one of my dogs hated over excited dogs in her face, so I always avoided the "friendly" dogs. Remember that "friendly" is often code for dogs who don't respect other dogs space, are over excitable with no self control. That isn't actually friendly behaviour to other dogs at all.

I leave the house at 7am and get back at 7pm. I walk him early in the morning and have dogs walkers 3 times a week.

I'd contact Cosmolo on this forum - she runs Underdog Training. She helped me a lot with my dog who was reactive to other dogs, to the point where Lucy was great friends with her pack of calm, well trained, solid nerved dogs. ETA: You might need a 1:1 session first, learn skills on how to deal with things and then go to group classes.

There are puppy mills and dodgy breeders who do make huge profits - churning out litter after litter without health tests etc. I doubt anyone who breeds ethically is making much, if any money from breeding the occasional litter of pups. The types of breeders that I'd be interested in for my next pup: * choose the best dog for their bitch, including importing if necessary. * compete in sports (lots of training, seminars, entry fees etc) * health test (not just normal vet visits, getting hip scores, genetic tests etc) * provide a lifetime of advice, puppy packs etc (their time costs money too) * love their dogs like family, so they get great care (which can be very expensive if a c-section is required, for example)

There is a group that sets up tunnels during some of the pet expos, and dogs get a turn to do a tunnels course with their owners (it is sectioned off, only one off leash dog at a time). It is very popular and you get a great mix of seeing some great runs and some funny outtakes of owners trying to coax dogs into tunnels. I can't remember the name, but they always show up to the Malvern Pets In the Park (Stonington Council). The Jack Russell Club of Vic also does lure racing. It is very popular, but I've seen a few tiffs as people line up with very excited dogs, all closely smushed together, so I'd suggest having a couple of control people outside to make sure dogs have space etc.

I'd look up the Michael Ellis stuff. He has a DVD out, but I think you can get a lot of his stuff on demand too. Forrest Mischke (sorry, the spelling isn't right) used to work for him and has some amazing stuff on YouTube.

But you don't know what led to this. When I've asked someone nicely to put their dog on leash in an on leash area, I've been called a "f****** c***" among other things. Maybe they asked him, he refused, they asked again, he threatened them, then they tackled him. Should they just have walked away from crazy?