megan_

Is the VAN soaked? That is not normal pop for a VAN diet.

:D Thanks ness. And no - not tempted :laugh: I was tempted when it was free shipping - now at $38 for postage alone, no thanks!! If you order lots and lots of things the postage per item is pretty good!

Cleanrun also has the throwable tubes (I don't use them as I don't believe they're food grade and they really smelt plasticcy when I bought them). Lucy (my ms) loves food too. She loves to tug but food is her # 1 reward. I use 4paws for throwing food and after a few goes she now sees it and drives towards it. I also use big pieces of baked chicken. Did you use food for your 2x2? I only ask because SG seems to insist you use a toy but Lucy won't drive as hard for a toy on the ground.

I have the manners minder but I find it too slow to use and it makes a very audible beep which I don't like. Does the manners minder make any noise TSD? Do I need one of those? *I already have stuff in the cart...*

Could she be anticipating the reward? I think that is the issue with Fergus, he pops out and gives me a 'throw the reward!" look.

Thanks. Fergus has started popping out after 10 too. Any other number he does perfectly and I can mix and match. But when I put 12 together he pops at 10. I'm giving it a break as I don't want it to become patterned. She is a mini schnauzer, of course she beats the labs! *just joking lab people*

Thanks. I couldn't remember the name of the Altona place that does them. Is 5m standard?

I'm looking for a tunnel for backyard use, but I want it to be sturdy enough so the dogs can really drive through the tunnel. I have an el cheapo at the moment and I've stopped using it as it encourages them to slow down. Has anyone used the Agility Click ones? Thanks

Great drive - can I ask what method you used?

Let them know that large = bigger bills and shorter lifespans

I think a lot of people are judging the OP unfairly. She has never said shell just leave and take the dogs. She is asking if it is fair to take the dogs if the split up, or whether it would be better to split the dogs. She believes she can take better care of them - no doubt a lot of DOLERs would want the dogs if they split up. I guess the lesson to learn is that if you get a pet, put it in writing who owns the dog.

Rascalmyshadow, I don't think anyone is upset over honest comments - well, except for the zealots. Some people have implied some sort of conspiracy though. My dogs did really, really badly on TOTW. The smells that came out of my two healthy dogs made me think there was a gas leak in my house - seriously. However, every time someone posts about TOTW I don't feel tell them that it is a really bad food and I would never, ever feed it to a dog again (not saying you said this, but some do). Whenever someone posts anything about BH certain people chime in about how dreadful it is. It is a mid-priced dog food that has brewer's yeast in it, as do a lot of commercial dog foods. No doubt that this ingredient causes issues for some dogs. If a dog can't tolerate yeast then they should be fed BH. FWIW, I don't feed black hawk. My dogs didn't do too well on it (didn't do badly either, but I prefer other foods and they get mostly raw anyway).

It depends on how big the dogs were. Mine won't go near water but if they did I wouldn't leave one out as my adult girl might struggle to actually get out of it. If I had a medium sized dog I'd have no issue with it. Also, if the dog is allergic to bees I wouldn't leave it out as they attract them. Same with being in a country area. Water = snakes.

I'd do what is best for the dogs. Some dogs would be fine being an only dog and other dogs wouldn't. Sometimes dogs are 'friends' but one stays in their shell while the more dominant dog takes the lead. They shier dog can do really well when they have the chance to blossom on their own. How would they cope if split up? The first decision would be whether they will do better together or not, and the second will be, if they stay together, who is best suited to look after them.

yes Kayla but they should have checked before posting it. They overheard a conversation about another brand, posted the info and then only corrected it too late. People who didn't come back to check would never know. Rumours like that destroy businesses and can financially ruin people. I still think there are some people who have gone beyond the "my dog doesn't do well on it" line.

Different dogs do well on different food. No doubt there are some that feel that no one should say a bad thing about BH. However, there are some that have drawn a very long bow and seem to imply that the stuff is almost poison because their dog doesn't do well on it, including one false post that the food had all been recalled because of a bad batch.

Maybe PM Erny too - she has a RR and had very similar issues for years. I believe he is doing well now on the Augustine Approved food.

The point of the games is to have fun! I would just work on some engagement games. Getting engagement is half the battle.

Your guy would be a bit shorter than my fergus (I've met Waldo at advanced dog skills monthly training). Fergus takes a 45 cm coat if that helps. Your boy is bigger than my Lucy and she takes a 35cm coat

The other thing to remember is that one person's problem dog is another person's dream dog. Not having met this dog I can't comment on whether it would make a good sporting prospect, but some of the best sporting dogs would be miserable in "normal" pet home, and the owner would be pretty miserable too. That said, working dogs that don't know how to settle would be a problem. However, if she had a job that used her brain this might making training her to settle a whole lot easier. FWIW, Bark Busters is just a franchise. I personally wouldn't count them in the "what we've already tried" bucket. I don't know Rob Stabler but in your case I'd go and see Steve from K9Pro and ask him: * for help settling her (ie what can you do to make it easier for both you and Serenity) * if you're getting nowhere, ask for his honest opinion on her potential to be a working/sports dog. If she has high potential and you can't give her what she needs, then I'd look at finding the right home for her. Having Steve's input will help you do this.

Have you taught her to settle? A lot of working dogs actually need to be taught this. Doing more can = a dog expects to be doing stuff all the time.

She might not be doing anything wrong, but I personally like to try and avoid my dogs rusing up other dogs, lest they are on the receiving end of a bite. I agree she needs to play with the right dogs, but I'd also teach her to focus on me when we see strange dogs (eg Look at That" game) so that other dogs don't get on edge when they see her. This will also help teach her that she doesn't need to play with every dog. ETA: No one is having a go at boxers. Not all dogs love every type of play style. This is normal dog behaviour. Problems start when people think that socialisation = play with every dog we meet and expect all dogs (bar aggressive ones) to get along.

I believe the legal argument is a red herring. Everyone is meant to have control over their dogs. If an offleash "don't worry he's friendly!" bails up your dog in the street and your dog is on leash then the other dog's owner is responsible for the outcome. I believe C&S's problem is roaming dogs so coloured leashes aren't going to help regardless. There is a great article on how to deal with approaching dogs when you have an off leash dog from Team DINOS (Dogs in Need of Space), I'll try to find it... ETA: FOUND IT! It is pure gold: http://notesfromadogwalker.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/hello-off-leash-dogs.pdf The whole notesfromadogwalker.com site is full of resources for the owners of reactive dogs (and all dogs really)

The over-excitedness could cause other dogs to get in defensive mode - many dogs don't like the super-bouncy-you-wanna-be-my-friend-stop-ignoring-me type dog that ignores their "I don't want to play" signals. Do you do anything to get her attention instead? Does she have the expectation that she can say hello and play with every dog she meets? Are you perhaps anticipating that they aren't going to like her and get tense, adding to the issue? ETA: Any particular breed doing this? Different breeds have different play styles. I never realised that boxers actually box other dogs until Fergs met one at the beach! She loved chasey though so her and Fergs got on like a house on fire. If she likes to run and chase then breeds that prefer to wrestle and play bitey-face might not enjoy playing with her.

Thanks. I googled and just got US sites.