megan_

I ordered mine Thursday morning but it hasn't shipped and no email about the isqueaks.

I tried the Super Fuel - it is high in fat (~30%) and I only gave a teeny amount each day but my boy had a very irritated stomach (mini schnauzer cross). His stools were coated in mucous.

We're just back from agility where we had an incident: I handled it terribly but Lucy was BRILLIANT! We were working on the tunnel and she'd just run through when an off leash dog (also in class, but owner doesn't seem to work on engagement) came running to her to play. He was friendly but very bouncy and drivey - the kind of dog that she hates. I knew if he jumped on her she would react - and he was much bigger than her, so she would come off second best and he'd barely have a scratch. The owner stood there and gave a half-hearted "come". She made no attempt to actually get her dog (if they don't come, you go and fetch your dog). This was after I had told her 10 mins ago that my girl was reactive and we needed space. I yelled. I don't mean "spoke with a loud voice" I mean a panic-stricken "WWAAAGGGHHH GET YOUR DOG NOW! NO! NOOOO! WAAAGGGHHHHH EEEEEKKKKKKK". I finally threw food at the dog but he didn't take it - he wanted to play with Lucy (he is a high prey diven dog so I didn't like her chances). I then at least managed to get eye contact with her. Lucy on the other hand was wonderful. She kept calm and gently evaded the other dog - she wasn't looking for a fight. She kept looking at me the whole time. When the other dog finally left she sat beautifully in front of me, totally calm. I gave her a handful of treats and told her she was good. The instructor then kept on telling me not to panic, which of course I knew. I saw someone roll their eyes at me. I did at least hear the instructor tell the lady that her dog needed a recall. The other owner never even apologised and continued to work her dog off leash! Grrr. I know I didn't handle the situation well but I hate feeling guilty when my dog wasn't actually the offender. If I ever teach agility there will be a "if your dog leaves you just once they are on leash for the rest of the lesson and you have to work on engagement exercises until you can prove your dog is more interested in you than other dogs". ETA: Lucy was off leash the whole time, which makes her reaction even better. I had no way of blocking the other dog but she handled things so well.

I hate it when papers print stories like this. Clearly something is wrong upstairs with this woman and this story is intended to give us all a entertainment moment.

thanks. The reason that I'm interested is that my boy has had muscle soreness in his back and I was wondering if this would help? His x-rays are all clear, but he's a cross breed and his structure isn't the best. If I added some to his diet how much should I add (he is 9.5 kg)?

I agree with Pav Lova - get a second opinion. I'm no vet but that sounds very sudden for arthritis. Because Cartophen is an anti-flam, even if it isn't arthritis you should notice and improvement, which can give a false sense of security. ETA: X-rays won't show soft tissue damage. As to vets misdiagnosing, it happens and has happened to me before too. When it comes to physiology, it pays to get someone who knows what they're talking about (typically someone all the greyhound people use).

No minimum spend on normal free shipping. No maximum either....

The best resource you could buy is the Control Unleashed Puppy Program - and it has free shipping too! It is a great resource for bringing up a well-balanced, non-reactive pup.

pffft amateur

There are lots of great toys with free shipping, my shopping cart is currently at $200 and I'm trying herd to cull!

You can get Kong Wubbas for about $6, Kong Wobblers for $13.95 and heaps of other toys - all well below what you can get them for in Australia.

I noticed that in CLM's thread a lot of people suggested she give her dog Vitamin C to help muscle/joint development. What exactly does it do?

Asking questions is crushing independent thought!

Great news - do you have a photo of Gus in a stack? Is is back straight? edit: oops, you've already said you'll get these, sorry! The reason I ask is that you can have great hip scores, sound spine but the dog might not be structurally sound. My boy has been seen by one of the best vets for this stuff in Vic and he got the okay - good hips and spine. After reading Pat Hastings book I can see that his rear end angulation is greater than desirable. I can also feel his spine in spots when he curls up. Individually his components are good, but they aren't put together in a balanced way.

Again, what about rescues?

Nope. In Victoria, if your dog looks a certain way then it is, by law, a pitbull. The only way to prove that it isn't is via an Amstaff pedigree from the ANKC. No other pedigree can be used to prove the dog isn't a pitbull. No DNA test is allowed. The dog is a pitbull until you prove otherwise.

How do you prove that a poundie isn't a pitbull cross, especially since Vic law says you aren't allowed to use a DNA test to prove it? How do I prove that my mini schnauzer rescue isn't a pitbull cross? Are you saying all dogs that look remotely bullbreed that aren't pedigreed dogs should be seized and destroyed? In fact, your staffords would be at risk here in Victoria too, as ONLY an Amstaff pedigree can be used as proof of breed, no other bullbreed pedigree is allowed to be used as proof that a dog isn't a pitbull. If they tick the boxes on the list they are a pitbull. Your pedigree papers don't offer any protection under Vic law. Cos - I think your dogs would be safe based on size alone. That said, it is a tragedy that they could even be targeted because they are the best behaved dogs I have ever met and there is no way you could ever prove that they're not pitbulls. steamboat - are you saying that all rescue cross bull breeds should be PTS? Are the people like Cos who have bullbreed cross rescues idiots? Does it not matter that they are bomb-proof, well mannered dogs that are a pleasure to have around?

If you're after toys and sports stuff, cleanrun.com have free shipping on selected items every month, and free shipping on most items in December. Toys are much, much cheaper than anything you'll find in Australia. Even with shipping, often the US sites prove to be cheaper and quicker.

Wow! I use the dry mix and mix it with fresh kangaroo meat, but you can also buy ready made packs. He also dose skin and joint supplements. Do you have to spend it all at once? Happy shopping!

Thanks HW. Antanquin, your best agility/OB dog might not be your best dog to breed from though. Looking at my (desexed) pack, my boy is a very fast learner, fast on the course and loves agility. The head instructor at our club told me on Sunday that he is such a delight and such a hard little worker. However, my girl - who bless her heart is slower to learn and slower around the course has a much more balanced structure and if I had to pick one agility dog my head would tell me to pick her on structure alone. It would be interesting to research lines of cocker spaniels who do we at OB and agility and get a pup from those lines. After all, pups are a product of generations of breeding, not just their parents. For my next dog I will select a breeder whose dog's lines have generations of achievement in obedience and agility. This is how all the agility people that i know pick their dogs. It would also be interesting to look into the field lines and how they do in sports.

With some breeds the ones who do well in the conformation ring aren't working dogs. Is there a divergence in cocker spaniels like there is for Mals and springers?

Keep the rate of reinforcement very high (use his entire meal to re-inforce recall if you have to). Give him lots and lots of really nice food for each recall (10+ treats in quick succession). Make it a bit of a stalking game. Given that he has blown off recalls in the past, I'd think of this as retraining him (he has a reward history of not listening to you = I get to run off and do what I want). you need to counter-condition this. Put on a long line and recall away. Does he like toys? If so you can reward him with a game. Be fun to be around! If you hold lots of food in your hand he shouldn't want to venture too far.

confession: When I've left my dogs at the hospital I always have a sense of relief . Not because I don't want them around but I know they're in good hands and if they were at home I'd freak out at every hiccup, snort (is he getting enough oxygen, his breathing sounds shallow, is it shallow?) etc. Knowing they're being cared for by professionals means I can relax a little....and leave my sushi on the coffee table without them glaring at me.

I have a "check in" command - not a formal recall with a sit etc, just 'come close to me'. I taught this by having a handful of treats, walking with him next to me and saying "check in" and giving a treat at my side. He caught on pretty quickly then I just kept on reinforcing it so that coming back was ALWAYS worth it.

OMG I could not have done that! I would have jumped in front of the scalpel 'not by bayyybbbyyyy'. Great news that it went well. It must have been a teeny weeny little pin.