Bisart Dobes

"I think my sanity might have just been saved." WOW, I have called her a miracle worker before but now she's proved it - just joking - Seriously, very glad to hear you have rung her and are looking at this option. She is very good and will do everything she can to help. Let me know how you go my dear - catch up at Rotty Training ??? B

Hi Erny, Yes it is Carol Freeman, K9 Kinesiology & Natural Therapies (03 9796 8330). I have had turn around within 3 days with her therapies but it may take a bit longer for your boys system to right itself with support. Don't delay going it won't interfere with the vet treatment if you wish to continue it - I wouldn't though, I would give his system a chance to recover naturally. One thing I learnt from years of vet nursing is that most vets rely on blood tests for diagnosis and 80 % of the time they are not conclusive - so they are still guessing. Don't get me wrong we have a great vet who is one of the old timers and 'knows' animals - there aren't many of them around anymore. I have had numerous experiences with our dogs over the years where we have used veterinary meds to help a dog recover and they have lapsed but as soon as we have woken up and moved onto supporting their systems to recover - fully recover - then we get the results we really want - a happy healthy dog. Good luck with him. Bernadette

Hi Erny, Have just read through this thread and found it fascinating (sorry ). Fascinating because we had two young boys from our last litter who had the same pad indications - like a fungal infection with deep indentations across the pad - these boys were about 9 mths at the time and lived at different places. We treated them with natropathic treatments - to fight the fungal thing, to increase calcium absorption and to improve their ability to absorb nutrition from their diets. (The treatment worked and they haven't progressed to any further stages - I know of alot of other dogs that have though who haven't had natropathic support). Lexi our 3 yr old bitch was baited at a show last year and while very lucky to pull through ended up with stomach ulcers and inability to process food and therefore absorb nutrients from her food - she suffered similar symptoms to what you have described and vets could find nothing (kept telling me it was auto-immune disease :rolleyes: - this natropath has fixed her also - she now looks stunning and is totally full of herself and can eat everything again with no issues. You know me well enough to know that I don't stuff around when it comes to my dogs - please get in touch and if you are interested I will give you the details for this lady - she is in Narre Warren so not far from you. Bernadette

So very sorry for your loss. About 6 years ago our vet offered us this injection for our dogs instead of the monthly tablet we were giving. After hearing his sales pitch I said ok we would give it a go and see how it goes - give it to all three of them. He said he couldn't give it to our puppy (now 6 1/2) because it wasn't safe enough to give to a dog under 12 months. Fine I said don't give it to any of them - if its not safe enough for her then the others certainly aren't getting it. Thankfully he may have saved us alot of grief and I have never considered it since - I have read up on the research and websites that are available and have read so many negatives. I really try to ensure our dogs are treated as naturally as possible - they do get vaccinated (as little as I can get away with) (C3 not C5 as the KK Vacc doesn't work anyway) and they get wormed and heartworm as we are in a heartworm area - they get a natural diet and homeopaths / natropaths treatment and we really never have sick dogs. I too question everything and never let vets talk me into anything (we have a great vet now).

Malaseb etc are so strong and toxic - I had to use them alot when vet nursing and I hate them (they should really only be used for really infected skin problems) and never use them on my dogs. Aloveen shampoo and conditioner are really great for alot of skin problems. Also try not to scrub up the coat when bathing the dog - treat the bathing like a beauty treatment. I have one bitch who comes up in bumps (heat & stress induced) - for her I bath with aloveen and really gently massage it in, only ever use body temp water on her to rinse and then massage the conditioner on her, I then hot towel for however long it takes me to do her ears and finishing grooming (about 10 mins) and rinse off. I then pour over 2 litres of warm water with a capful of seabreeze oil in it to finish her off (don't rinse off). I pat dry her and then put a towel coat on her (never rub up her coat). It is like a spa treatment I guess but it soothes the skin and thats what they need (like us when we have sunburn or skin rash). Good luck with it - they are all different and some react to things others never have a problem with. The head and shoulders is interesting - might have to get some and try that (not before a show though )

Judges here will call 'Left About Turn' and 'Right About Turn' so you really can't make and mistake . . . For me and my dogs I find that the 'military turn' or flip just makes sense. Once in the ring they are working - heeling means 'at my left side focused the whole time' - why change that for one turn ????????? I just seems to make it easier for the dogs to stay in work mode. The only issue you would have with the flip turn is when the dog physically cannot do it with finese - it really needs to be done well and with attitude or its not worth it. My older three bounce from front to heel position and then ofcourse give the big grin because they know just how clever they are (judges can't help smiling at them - dags they are) - the younger two (14 mths) are learning - I use guiding with lead and food or toy but it doesn't take much. I think using this makes the overall picture of the heeling pattern smoother and more 'professional' (for want of a better word).

I put through 3 of our kids last year. did the HVC one which was great apart from the exhibitor arriving for a show who insisted on driving through (yes through) the group of 20 or so dogs, handlers and bikes abusing us as she drove through , we all laughed at her - what else could you do. Sale was FREEZING !!!!! -1 when I arrived and my feet didn't thaw out until I was in the car on the way back to the club - hands weren't much better either - great track though and great scenery. Altona is a good track - probably my favourite actually - though we had 2 people who kept falling off their bikes the whole way - made for an amusing trip though for those of us who were getting bored. Tips: Read the rules (most people didn't realise their dogs must be on a soft collar and loose lead). Ensure your dog is trained to work with the bike, on a loose lead. not acceptable Ensure your dog is trained to work at a slow pace - it is really slow. Do the obedience training required - makes it soooooo much easier (I put through one that doesn't live with me and the judge actually laughed at me because he was too used to seeing me with Obed trained dogs). Ensure your behind is trained to absorb pain. Ensure your OH is trained to apply rehab rub downs for your legs to ensure you can walk the next day. It's all good. If you are doing the HVC one I'll make sure I come down and be a part of the cheer squad :D :p :p as all ours that haven't been through yet are too young this year. :p

What a great idea Sway, you're too quick for me you already have ours in there - thanks. Bisart Dobermanns (Just for interest sake ** Bisart was the first ever registered Dobermann, the foundation bitch for our breed - I couldn't believe it wasn't taken up by someone already, we are proud to have it as our prefix and only hope we do it justice).

Generally with Dobes this kind of issue is attributed to Thyroid or Auto Immune Disease - ask his breeder if they know or test for problems within the lines they use. Topical solutions will not fix the problem - skin / coat is the first visual people ususally get when there is a deeper problem with the animals system - you need to find out what that is and fix that - this could be a long term issue. Interesting that he is so young with this problem, to me that points to genetics. Bernadette

We have a boy who was a real pain to get to eat - started when the first bitch went on season and he took ages to start eating enough - he's healthy but needed more weight on for the showring... Anyway he was also very fussy with what he ate - high fat and he would just bury it . . . We fed lamb skirt (not flaps) minced so that I could add different things to it, lamb liver, lamb hearts (he loves them raw) and lamb kidneys (loves them raw or cooked) - the hearts especially seem to get the weight on and they are so good for them. He will not touch any beef offal and none of our other dogs like beef offal either. Also we always buy human grade not the 'pet mix'. Best of luck with her.

Your dog chooses the reward not you and not a trainer. If my dog is motivated by food and that is his reward then thats what he gets - I couldn't give two hoots what anyone thinks of the way I train my dogs so long as my dogs love working with me and do not suffer a level of stress that inhibits their learning ability. An example: my young male puppy (12 mth dobermann & about 40 kgs) decided last week that he wasn't going to drop. NUP NUP NUP - shove that up ya _ _ _ _ _ _ . Now, he is food and toy motivated - neither of these were a bit enough incentive for him to drop, but yet he is extremely sensitive to collars and leads so I know that a correction will only serve to make him dig his heels in more and me physically fighting a 40kg boy - I think not ..... After making it a big game with heaps of 'laughs' he dropped - yah, that was it for him, reward, had a play and back in the trailer. The plan from then was to get him to drop for every morsel of his dinner every night until he auto drops on voice and signal only. We are a week down the track and he can't drop quick enough for his dinner and thinks it is all a great fun game (this attitude I want in the ring when he gets to trial level). I will test him tonight when they've all had their runs, see where he's up to. With this dog this is the way to go, with his aunty however she can be corrected and will smile at me, quick kiss on the hand and it's 'what's next then'. Her brother is softer - correction must be warranted and if he doesn't see that it was he will 'tell' you. Training takes you on a different journey with each dog - they are as different as we are - I love watching them learn to learn and my end goal is to have a happy working dog who clearly knows what is expected of them and has the confidence in me and us as a team to carry it out in any environment. The proof is in the pudding - as they say.

My dogs won't eat the minced 'carcasses' from Lenards so I don't buy from there anyway - Ionica all the way and I mince the necks myself - but hell maggots are no where near as bad as half the stuff that goes into canned or dried foods .....................................

I've been reading through this thread with interest. I have one of the breeds that IPO / Schutzhund was originally put together for as a 'fit for breeding' tool. In Germany the recognised breeds in this sport cannot achieve their champion status without a SchI Title. I thoroughly believe that this should have been made the case here in Australia and if it were our breed would be in a much better place at the present time. I trained with John's club for some time and attained BH on our foundation bitch - only stopped progressing with her due to infighting in the club and due to VCA opponents in our breed ready to report me and get us wiped from all ANKC disciplines. You may all bag the 'government' for taking the law to its extent in this degree but you all must realise that this club and these people find themselves in this position due to another 'opposition' club / person dobbing them in. They are proving themselves to be worse than the damn show scene. UNTIL THE CANINE FRATERNITY IN AUSTRALIA GET OVER THEMSELVES, STOP THE DAMN INFIGHTING AND BACKSTABBING AND START WORKING TOGETHER TRUELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL DOGS, ALL BREEDS AND ALL SPORTS IN THIS COUNTRY THE ANIMAL LIBBERS WILL SLOWLY CARVE US, OUR BREEDS AND ALL OF OUR CHOSEN SPORTS UP INTO LITTLE PIECES. THEY ARE VERY PATIENT, VERY PERSISTENT AND EXTREMELY UNRELENTING IN THEIR PERSUIT OF THEIR GOALS. THEY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THEY GET THEIR WAY - UNLESS WE FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS - AS ONE. Invested in the future of our breed, Bernadette Bisart Dobermanns http://bisartdobermanns.homestead.com

Nod - Smile - Nod Again - Mumble Something Inaudible and then walk away and enjoy your dogs. 1. You alone know your dogs better than anyone else. 2. Your 'dog' is the one who determines what their reward is - no-one else (and anyone who tells you otherwise is FOS). 3. It is about the journey with your dogs and your relationship with your dogs - passes and titles are just the end result of this. The best 'advice' I have ever been given was from a guy who claimed to train dogs for the 'force' (his words not mine). He said the ONLY WAY to train a dog to have full focus in the heeling pattern was the velcro it to your leg and make it walk around with you for as long as possible everyday for a month. Well the proof is in the pudding I say - my girl got a 195 in novice that day & her third highest in trial and his dog failed its heeling pattern with a score that doesn't bear repeating. If people want to give you advice then watch how their dogs work - if they work beautifully, do it with joy and are a great team to watch - then perhaps listen. If not - take it with a grain of salt. Someone already said this but - have private lessons to help you (I do as every dog is different and they all respond to different things - refer to point 2.) Most of all enjoy the journey, Bernadette Bisart Dobermanns http://bisartdobermanns.homestead.com

Have found a way to help with this issue. 1. We have a large breed (dobermanns) - so please don't think that this will only affect small dogs. 2. We feed a totally natural diet (don't normally buy manufactured treats at all). One of our bitches was baited at a show earlier this year, from which we were extremely lucky not to lose her. She ended up with stomach ulcers and took several months to regain balance in her digestive system. She had to be on a bland chicken, rice - digestive enzyme diet - the biggest no no for her was wheat and yeast. We dry liver for our dogs for treats but she couldn't have them because it was too rich for her. Finally I found a 'natural chicken breast' treat for her - bought one packet and she loved it - so ofcourse I bought some more for her (thankfully didn't give to our other dogs). Within about 3 weeks her system crashed again - she dropped about 10 kgs, all the symptoms listed etc etc. I took her off the treats straight away as that was the only thing that had changed. (Like most people I felt so bad when I heard it on Wednesday - the last thing my poor girl needed was to be given something that very nearly destroyed her digestive system again). We have had the past six weeks stressing about her and trying to get her system rebalanced - the vets have no idea what to do (& I used to be a vet nurse) and so we have been to a Homeopath / Natropath (she has had alot of cases like this in the past 12 months but it has got far worse in the past 3 months). Her diagnosis was liver, kidney, spleen, stomach and thyroid imbalance. The first session took about 3 hrs but it was worth it - tissue salts, digestive enzymes, calcium syrup 10ml for the past 4 wks, cod liver oil, vitamin c mega dose and 5 different homeopathic drop solutions. She was on the mend. We have just had her 2nd session - follow up and diagnosis was kidney, stomach and thyroid - far better that first one. She is much happier in herself, putting the weight back on and her system in balancing out again. If you have issues with your dog like the ones listed - take your dog to the vet and get the bloods done, then find a homeopath / natropath and get the dogs reading done and the system balanced - I have no doubt that this can kill dogs if not halted and treated. Never buying another manufactured treat again, Bernadette & Lexi (DUAL CH (T) Bisart Diamond Spirit CGC CD ET WAC ROM

Dobermann Of Course - What Else Is There ????? There is nothing better than a happy working Dobe. My young girl earnt 10 titles in 6 different disciplines this year - she is 3 next week. What more could you want. Though I wouldn't mind getting my hands on my sisters Welsh Springers in the obedience ring. Fabulous little dogs they are - pity she's moved interstate. B

This is a very special brag for our first born girl from our first litter. Lexi gained her Working Aptitude Certification (Dobermann Temperament Test) on her first attempt on Sunday at the DCV WAE, which qualify’s her for her Register Of Merit - the highest achievement possible for a Dobemann - they must gain Champion Title, CD Title and WAC to qualify. Lexi is now DUAL CH (T) Bisart Diamond Spirit CGC CD ET WAC ROM joining her Dam on the Register Of Merit and in the process she has set a new standard for us at Bisart to aspire to. Her Australian Champion Title was earnt with a 25 Pt BOB under a Breed Specialist, her Companion Dog Title was earnt with 3 successive 1st Place Passes and 2 Highest In Trial Scores and then she passed her WAE on her first attempt. Rhemy (Lexi’s Dam) gained her ROM before her 3rd birthday also and she earnt 9 titles within that year – I remember someone saying that was a feat that would never be topped. Well, after a major setback early in the year - Lexi has raised the bar in 2008 for the rest of the Bisart Dogs who follow in her footsteps by earning 10 titles within 5 months of this year – in order they are: 31/05/08 Tracking Dog Title 09/06/08 Community Companion Dog Title 21/06/08 Endurance Title 22/06/08 Australian Champion Title 19/07/08 Tracking Dog Excellent Title 16/08/08 Tracking Champion Title 16/08/08 Dual Champion Title 26/10/08 Companion Dog Title 30/11/08 Working Aptitude Certificate 30/11/08 Register Of Merit We are very proud of our beautiful girl, she has done her dam (Rhemy) and her sire (QB) Scharmeland Quarter Back proud and we look forward to the rest of our journey with her in the future. What a year she has had and with her 3rd birthday coming up in the near future she will be very spoilt thats for certain. Bernadette & Greg Bisart Dobermanns http://bisartdobermanns.homestead.com

Hi, Puppies eye / sight development changes between 6 to 10 months - you may have noticed him spotting (or alerting to things in the distance) - this could be something to think about - perhaps strange people seem really weird or scarey to him at the moment - maybe put him away in a safe place when people come (in his crate with a bone) so that it doesn't become a learnt behaviour until you can get on top of it. There is also a recognised fear period between 6 to 10 months (8 to 10 in our breed so I guess it depends on their maturity). or Perhaps you have had someone try to break in your house or a prowler who has scared him at / around / in the house and this could be why he is acting different there. Try some natural stress relief drops on him - the best one I've found is from Carol Freeman in Victoria (03 - 9796 8330) - her Crisis / Stress Drops. Or try Bush Flower - Emergency Essence or Bach Flower - Rescue Remedy. If you are in Vic I recommend going to see Carol as she can give you drops tailored for your dog and exactly what he needs - which work faster. Good luck with him - remember he is still a baby forming his view of this weird and wonderful world. Bernadette

Hi again & thanks for replying, Which leg or legs was she showing lamness on ?? & Did you find a particular spot which was causing the lameness ?? B

Hi, Firstly - speak to your breeder to see if their girls do this kind of thing - the first season can be a 'blind' season and the second then brings on hormonal changes (which us girls can understand !!!!!). Secondly - this may seem a bit weird but bear with me. There have been alot of dogs presenting with this kind of issue. Vets are doing bloods which show high white cell count but can find nothing wrong with the dogs. Several questions. Where do you live ? (State / Suburb) Is the area badly drought affected? Does the dog show muscle atrophy and / or look like she has shrunk (for lack of better word) (lost bone density and facia is better I guess) ? Is the dog presenting intermittent lamness ? Is the dog dehydrated ? I did say weird but bear with me ... answer privately if you would prefer. Bernadette Smith Bisart Dobermanns http://bisartdobermanns.homestead.com

You can go online to the Vic Gov Site and read the Hansard transcripts from the sittings - they are generally up about 24 hrs after the sitting - though they generally make you want to :D and then . I think it is disgusting that 'Yet Again' the VCA or Dogs Victoria haven't had a real voice in this issue on the behalf of their members despite being contacted regarding this and BSL on numerous occasions. Perhaps the Obedience, Tracking, Fly Ball, Agility and Jumping community need to form a working party to provide a united voice Aus Wide that would have the numbers to make a difference to these ridiculous 'laws'. One of my dogs uses the lead as his 'tug', another has a 'sheep' that baa's, another has a squeaky kong ball in a sock, another just a sock, and the last one just about anything though he prefers to choose it from the training bag at the start of training - they all tug, pull, BITE, growl, shake and NEVER EVER HAVE THEY HURT ME OR ANYONE ELSE and never ever do you see me doing this - . Sick of being told what to do with my dogs ............. Bernadette Bisart Dobermanns http://bisartdobermanns.homestead.com

Well heeeellllllllllllllllooooooooooo stranger!!! Hope you're well. And hope we'll see you around a bit in this forum and I can catch up (other than via a 'common' friend - you'll know whom I mean ) with some of the stuff you're up to. Hi, Looks like you've been a very busy girl - me, I've been focusing on our dogs and loving it. We now have: DUAL CH (T) Coppertop Catch A Look CGC CD BH ET WAC ROM BS (Rhemy) (who you would have met - how many years ago ?????) her daughter & son DUAL CH (T) Bisart Diamond Spirit CGC CCD CD ET (Lexi) T CH Bisart Double Dare CGC CCD CD ET WAC (Darred) and their neice & nephew Bisart Emerald Illusion (Charli) Bisart Easy Ryder (Ryder) Loving all of them and enjoying the journey. Bernadette

Hi Mon, Hope you are well. We do both - IPO & ANKC - I train IPO. Footstep / food and under control. Alot of ANKC trackers use the 'anxiety' method - dog stressing over owner / handler leaving and then they just let the dog work it out. IPO method is alot more accurate. IPO tracks are very accuratley laid on quite sterile ground (nice green mowed grass etc). The articles vary from leather strip, keys, wallet etc Dogs must drop on ariticle and they lose points for crooked drop etc. ANKC tracks are laid on very contaminated ground - you can have a track that is laid in a paddock with 1000 sheep in it - Lexi had her T5 (TDX) in a paddock with a herd of sheep who insisted on walking the entire track in front of us - they broke 3 of the track pegs (things that the flags go on for the track layer) - she thought it was great fun - wasn't a great tracking effort but she got there. You can have cows, horses, foxes, dead sheep - dead cows (yummy !!!!). So in this way the ANKC tracks are harder for the dogs in my opinion. ANKC tracking articles are socks - nothing else - dogs must stop (pause was in the old rules) - if they don't stop it is treated as no indication. They can stand, sit, drop whatever. I teach drop - Lexi dropped on all her articles (good kid) - whereas her brother,Darred (who dropped in training tracks mind you) insisted on picking up articles and 'killing' them - much to the amusment of the judges and stewards following us. The only time he didn't do this was his T6 ( T CH) when the tracklayer put rocks on the socks to stop them blowing away - he dropped on the articles and the judge kept laughing at his perplexed look because he couldn't pick them up (she had judged him several times from prelim to T6 and knew what his article indication was) - he wasn't at all happy. Teaching articles - always off a training track but on a short 'track' - say 10 articles over a distance of 50 mtrs. Our puppies do article tracks from 10 wks and start tracks at about 16 wks. Unfortunately in Vic we cannot risk competing in IPO due to VCA regulations and other competitors all too ready to dob me in for teaching my dogs to 'bite'. . . . One day. Can you 'legally' compete without risking your ANKC membership in other states ????? ANKC tracking fraternity is pushing to have 'HST' - "Hard Surface Tracking" up and running next year - fingers crossed as we now have 4 T CH's who can't compete anymore. It should be great fun. Anyhoo, yet again I am babbling - have to start getting dogs ready for Specialty this week. Best of luck with the tracking Mon - look forward to hearing results with Diavani (is Sexy Rex allowed ???). Bernadette

Hi, this is my first post to this forum but I thought this was interesting. Firstly the only rule there is with rewards and their value is that "the dog chooses the reward". Pretty simple. I have 5 dogs in training at present (& 1 oldie on the couch) - 3 are trialling and 2 are 11 mths old. They all have different rewards and they all work 'in drive'. Working for food reward is working in drive - if it is done correctly (and I don't mean bribing or shoving three meals down the dogs throat in one training session). The bitch I have just titled in CD works for food and tug - she gained her CD title in 3 trials - all 1st plc and today at Gisbourne she also got HIT for her title - so let your dog tell you how they want to get paid and they will do their job. Teaching a large dog to drop from stand. Now this is interesting but only because they are physically slower than more agile breeds. I would teach along side a wall (hallway is fine to start) to correct the sloppy drop and would only teach this exercise for the dogs dinner. Yup - 3 drops from stand position and you will get your dinner - this clicks the brain into gear pretty quick. As one post said already I think - light hand on your dogs shoulder blades and the food under the dogs nose then guide back and down - with the level of training your dog has I would ask for a hold of position for 5 seconds first day with 3 reps and build up over a couple of weeks then move to outside again against a barrier to correct sloppy drop. Remember also though that you should ensure your dog is physically capable of dropping like a sphynx before you insist on it - some bigger dogs just cannot do it. And a decent judge will allow for breed differences. Best of luck and let us know how you go, Bernadette Smith Bisart Dobermanns NDTF Trainer & Canine Myotherapist