megan_

This worries me, that are advertising a Champion black schnauzer puppy, claiming 11 weeks old, on Gumtree, date of birth makes pup only 8/9 weeks old. pup has docked tail (2004)...... in Bogan Area!!!!!!!!! Nyngan... NSW but phone numbe starts with 08..... Will ring cos concerned about puppy only $6.00 ???????????? Very concerned.... sounds like a bogan scam .... No way a champion black schnauzer was "donated" to this "rescue" to be "adopted" out for $6!

I think Kabila point is that a working kelpie breeder might not know exactly what she is after, so she wants to be able to express the criteria in terms they'll understand. Also, at the end of the day this dog will be a per living with two young children, so sporting ability is just one of the criteria that needs to be fulfilled.

And bringing that toy back to you to play tug!

I think the OP's question relates to the dogs bred and born now. Saying "they shouldn't have been bred" doesn't get rid of them. They either go to homes or get PTS. If everyone stopped buying BYB dogs tomorrow there would be thousands of dogs PTS - I think that is the OP's point? I believe their can be genuine oopsie litters and those dogs need homes. There have been some wonderful dogs bred this way (DiscoDobe's Elsie springs to mind). If a BYB has a litter on the ground now they should be selling them not-for-profit with full disclosure (eg don't know hip scores or if this dog has PRA in its lines). They should then desex their pets. If they want a plasma TV they should get a second job.

I don't know if mine can swim but I assume they can because they are well built and lean. They hate the water though. Lucy once stepped into a pond (covered in algae that she thought was grass), panicked and landed up running into the pond to escape the water. She froze with sock and I had to use the lead to yank her out.

I know all dogs are different, but TOTW didn't suit my lot at all. They did the most foul farts I have ever smelt in my life - at one stage, I thought there must be a toxic gas leak and we left the house. We then had to evacuate the car as I realised the smell was coming from them. True story.

While not my cup of tea, I really wouldn't worry about the germs. The spoon will be washed. You're far more likely to catch something from a fellow human than a dog.

You may find that this is part of their licence. Just like staffy's and staffy x's are only allowed to fly in certain types of crates. It might have nothing to do with the kennel's owners.

dee lee - this is what most private training groups do, but most try to teach a loose heel (I'd love them to ditch it, and teach a "stay close/check-in" instead).

Where is this club Luke?

Sadly, people often ask for help and get very bad advice. For example, that socialization means getting out and playing with lots and lots of dogs at the dog park. This advice often comes from so-called professionals. I joined a club recently and there was a lot of yelling, screaming and pinning of over-excited dogs. The poor owners were really trying but so-called trainers were giving them down-right dangerous advice.

I thought you were interested in a Mal at one stage?

While I understand your sentiment, this summary of life as a restricted breed isn't true. The dog is allowed to play in it's yard if you're there. They don't need to live in a cage and can stay locked in their house when their owner is out, providing that it meets security restrictions (ie you can't leave a window opening that the dog can fit through). RB dogs can go to training, can meet other dogs and people etc, they just need to do it with a muzzle and special leash. It's not the life I'd want for my dog, but it isn't condemning a dog to a life of misery either.

It is common when your dog has a release word. I have never said stay. I say "sit" and they must sit until I tell use my free word ("play" in my case). I don't like stay because it can teach your dog that, unless you say stay, they can get up when they please. Also, I find people say "stay, stay, stay".

If I said I hadn't been to training in the last 3 months, you'd know I was lying :). My two have good manners, are well behaved, understand release words, work well on leash etc but I'm a strong believer in training for life to keep their minds active. I also like to work them around other dogs and I find clubs/training organisations a safer venue to do this over a free-for-all dog park. That said, I still train them there (Lucy only at on-leash places). I recently joined a dog club run by volunteers so that I could continue to push Lucy and she could work in a novel environment. I don't need basic instruction and she knows most of what is being taught but I can't see myself going there too often after only 2 lessons. I believe that one of the main issues (esp with VCA/CC clubs) is that they try to cater for pet classes and trialling classes all in one and land up missing the mark for both. All the top competitors that I know don't use clubs to learn things, they just use them for distraction training anyway, and pet people don't need a perfect heel with auto sits and turns. Why am I hesitant to go back? * Dogs doing runners all the time (I counted six last week). This is mainly because people aren't taught how to engage their dogs, the lesson plan calls for off leash work and they are let off leash even though they are looking around as the leash comes off. For any school, safety has to come first. * They move waaaaay to fast (lesson 2 involved long heel patterns with auto sits and turns - before anyone is even taught how to teach heel!). I believe this just sets people up to fail. I'm not fussed as long as I can take things slowly with my dog (I'm learning heel based on Uta Bindel's method and I expect it to take 18 months to 2 years to get a perfect heel). * Most dogs are young with very little training, yet no one is taught how to get their attention first. Without this, everyone is just set up to fail. It really irks me because it is such an easy problem to solve - a couple of "bar open, bar closed" sessions would see things improved. In fact, I got admonished for paying Lucy for paying attention to me when she was focusing on me because I hadn't commanded her to do anything. Meanwhile, most dogs were interested in anything but their owners. * I've already been told a few times - after 2 lessons - that my dog will fail if she completes the tasks like I've asked her too (for example, for a come she stays about 20cm away from me. I'm happy with this because I can reach her and she is a nervous dogs, I'm a big woman and it can be intimidating for her to get closer). So her bullet recall, her focus on me etc counts for naught because she is 5cm too far out. Note that this isn't a trialling class, all the people in it are pet people. I'm happy to just smile, shrug my shoulders and say "oh well, then I'll fail" but I don't understand setting super-high standards for a beginners class and then rushing them through exercises. * There is too much focus on "neatness" and things being done the way they have always been done. For loose leash walking, the dog needs to walk next to the handler's left side (terminology changes between LLW and heeling all the time, even though they are very different). When I asked whether I could use my criteria (LLW = walk where you like as long as you have loose leash) I was told no as next week the instructor wants us to walk in a line and it is better that they're all on the left as it was neater. But enough ranting. I'm happy to pay extra to get what I want out of a club/training organisation. The biggest barrier for me isn't cost, time or distance but getting what I want out of a club/org. I understand that it isn't what a lot of average pet owners want though. I'm happy to do my own thing discretely. What do I want? * Safety being # 1. If your dog doesn't focus on you, you don't let it off leash. People told specifically not to let dogs say hello to each other unless they have permission. Even then, we're there to work not play and dogs need to know they don't have to greet every dog they come across. I'd also like people to be told at the start that if your dog stares at another dog, or growls, just to turn and walk away. I've not seen this happen in any training I've been to. Instead, I tend to see people getting embarrassed and then trying to get the dogs to be friends, things get worse etc. * People taught how to engage their dogs, especially when the dog has a reward history for not paying attention. I don't need to be taught this, but I hate seeing people being set up to fail. * My dogs know all the basics, so I'm interested in classes that can push them further. For Fergus, this means learning more complex behaviours that I might not know how to teach (eg dumbell retrieve, even though I have no plans to compete in OB). For Lucy, this means working in different environments with different people and dogs, practicing things like LAT and blocking ala the advanced classes you have run in the past. * I'd like to email/meet with instructors at the start of class and be able to discuss what I want to train and come up with a bit of a plan. I mostly like to do my own thing and I understand that an instructor can't spend time trying to help me do something different, so I think some discussion before would help this. * I like intensive short courses over the weekend where you can pack in a lot of learning and then take it home (eg the dog-dog interaction workshop you did, seminars with people like Uta, Mia S(forgotten the rest of her surname...) etc). * I like things to be mixed up a lot with some non-traditional stuff that is useful to all dogs - pets and sports dogs alike. Things like impulse control games (it's yer choice), walking past a line of dogs and not saying hello, staying in a sit as another dog walks past etc. * I'd like things like "how to play it safe in the dog park" (eg don't take your dog through the crowded entrance and let them be swamped, don't stand around the entrance etc). Again, not something I really need but most people don't have a clue when it comes to this stuff and puppy school/obedience is the only avenue for them to learn. ETA: the other big issue that I have with the VCA club is that they seem to have no training on how to deal with reactive (I don't necessarily mean aggressive) dogs. There is a lot of yelling at dogs and pinning them down, which isn't very effective at all. Either train volunteers in techniques that have been proven to work or don't accept dogs that are reactive at all.

When you get her, you must post pics, otherwise you really WILL cop a lot of criticism!

once - but the blood went to the US! Even then they said the normal wait is about 2 weeks.

Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline?

I agree with others. Just because you take a break from rescue now doesn't mean it is forever. Also, there are other ways to help besides physically caring for dogs. As an experienced, responsible rescuer you could act as a mentor/sounding board for newbies for example. this way you might actually land up helping more dogs than if you carry on as per normal.

I've used Steve and we didn't use a prong collar - it was never even suggested. I doubt very much that if the problem is separation anxiety that a prong would be used.

How on earth can you equate the too? One is insulting the appearance of a human and the other is stating that a dog is old. Saying that a dog is old isn't insulting at all. There is nothing wrong with being old, there is something wrong with being fat.

My oodle gets clipped (in the schnauzer style) every 6 weeks. I do occasionally brush him but his coat never knots. My purebred mini schnauzer knots up very quickly though. As general advice, I'd say see a groomer regularly. How regularly will depend on the amount of maintenance they do at home. I'd suggest every 8 weeks. Most long-coated dogs need to be brushed regularly. My groomer recommended a slicker brush and it does the job well. If they don't do this then: i) The dog will be in pain if the matts are close to the skin. ii) The dog will need to be fully shaved. iii) Getting a groomer to fix it up will be more expensive. ETA: If they still have a pup encourage them to go for a puppy groom before they are 16 weeks to get used to the environment.

What state are they in?

Agree with the vet check - especy a thyroid test ( classic sign of thyroid problems is the sudden onset of aggression).

WeimeARiver