Starkehre

Thanks Griff, you are the BEST I gave them a call to check it was the right one, and it definitely is. Why am I so crap at searching for stuff on the internet??

Thanks cvs. I have previous checked them out, and they only stock the shorter one. but I do very much appreciate your help. Anyone else... please???

Sorry, OT a bit, but I LOVE Corella's. Particularly long billed. Yeh, it is a strange one Erny. Also being a horsy, I use the term "feed" for horse tucker, but never really stopped to think about it. Sorry, no sensible answer here. When feeding the horses, I would also use the term "I am feeding up", where as when I feed the dogs, I am just "feeding the dogs"

Hi all, I am having all sorts of trouble sourcing an umbrella stake the same as the one I already have. Well, it doesn't have to be the same, but of similar length. I know the 670mm ones are readily available, but they are not long enough for me. The one I have is somewhat longer (sorry, it is shut in my float and I don't know exactly how long it is) approx 1000mm or 1100mm perhaps. Just the straight belt into the ground type, galvanised steel, with the tightening stud. Does anyone know where I can purchase one of these please? Thanks in advance

Exactly. What tlc says. SEPARATE SAPARATE SEPARATE Training may help, but I seriously doubt it as it would have to be serious intense with much follow through. I get the impression this guy has no idea. If the dog finds she cannot open the hutch, she will probably attempt to destroy it, or paw the critters through the wire, I have seen it done. Either way, it is cruel for the critters to have to sit there in the yard and wonder if they are going to be killed whilst the dog is biting at the cage if she starts doing that. They can easily go into shock and die anyway. Perhaps let the guy know that what he is doing is cruel to the small animals, the dog and the kids and maybe that will touch on a nerve. Yes train the dog, yes walk the dog, yes desex her, yes vaccinate her, yes register her with the council, but none of these things will alter the level of prey drive in the dog. Each time she is rewarded with another successful kill, her drive will no doubt be increasing, so in affect, the owner is setting her up and training her to be a very efficient killer. Replacing those animals is supplying her with more drive satisfaction.

It is quite normal for many many dogs (won't say most, but could well be most) to hunt out and kill small animals if they can. It is not breed specific. IMO it is not normal for a dog owner to not know or at least realise this after the first one has been killed. Sorry, but I find some owners are very frustrating. It is wonderful that you want to help this owner and dog and their small pets, but are they likely to listen? At the very least tell them to completely separate the small animals from the dog. She should not be able to see, hear or smell them as she has a strong prey drive and it will be no end of frustration for her until she kills every single one. Desexing will not alter this behaviour nor will walking. The dog is not being a "bad" dog. It is doing what it's instinct is telling it to do, although of course the behaviour is undesirable. If they do not wish to separate them, then they must secure their hutches better. If they will not do that, then tell them not to replace their bunnies and g/pigs when they have all been killed. The owner needs to be made to understand that it is their responsibility to the dog, the small animals and the upset kids to get this situation under control. The dog would not be killing the smallies if she could not get to them. Dogs will be dogs.

Not how it was meant to come across, if that's how it read! Early morning replies not recommended All good. Have a great day.

Aussie Guy, all great advice you have been given, and a great idea to have a chiro, physio or Bowen therapist have a look at him. But please do not dismiss panosteitis (growing pains) too quickly, especially seeing as the vet said it was likely to be that. Though exact diagnosis can only be done via xrays. It is fairly common is males of that age, particularly in your breed. And yes, if it is pano, he will probably grow out of it, but it is extremely painful for them. Pano can be diet and fast growth related. Please look into these important possibilities, an ensure you are feeding a well balanced diet and NOT supplementing with calcium. Pano can appear to move from one leg to another, usually the front. There wouldn't be pain relief with holding the leg up, so he would not hold it up if it is pano. Good luck with your boy. I am sure ian will get on to the issue for you.

I never doubted that you have anything but the best intentions... as I did.

Some breds I love, some breeds I like and some breeds I don't like. None of these opinions of mine are based on anything I have heard nor will they ever be. I will not make a judgement on a breed until I have experienced the breed. And even then, dogs differ dramatically within each breed as they are all individuals.

Hi again Sarah. I agree with Willow, if you have not already, it is probably the best idea to hand it into the police. I totally understand that you are trying to do the right thing, but I will tell you what happened to me about 4 weeks ago... I was driving along early one Saturday morning, on the way to take the dogs for a lovely walk along the Dromana foreshore. 2 corners away from my house, I found an open wallet, right in the middle of the road. We pulled over and picked it up. It contained a lot of important cards including credit cards and driver's licence and some money. We continued on our way, as we like to walk nice and early as the sun is coming up. Anyway, upon our return, before going home, we stopped right outside the houses where we found the wallet, (it was approx 1 hr later). I knocked on 4 doors surrounding the area. Most people were a bit upset being woken up on a Sunday morning and nobody knew of the owner. So, we went home. As soon as I walked inside and settled the dogs, I went through the wallet, found the owners' details, searched for his phone number on the net, and called it. No one answered and I left a message saying he need not worry, I have his wallet and would keep it here safe, and he need not cancel any of his credit cards. I forwarded both my home and mobile numbers and my full name. He lived in a totally different area to me, approx 50 kms away. I heard nothing all day. I was quite busy, so temporarily forgot about it. I remembered again that night, and he still had not called. I called the number again the following morning which was Sunday, still no answer. I left another message saying that if I had not heard back from him by the next morning, I would hand the wallet into the police. As I still did not hear from him, I did hand the wallet into the police the next morning around 9.30am, so I had it for around 48 hrs. The policeman gave me a hard time for not handing it in sooner. He told me the guy had dropped in there on Saturday morning looking for his wallet and reported it lost. I told the policeman what I had done, and how I thought I had done the right thing, but he told me I had not, and I was obliged to hand it straight into the police as soon as I picked it up, or at the very least I should have phoned them to report it and hand it in as soon as I could. Well, I felt awful and apologised. I had done what I felt was right, but clearly it was not what the law thought was right. Later that week, the owner of the wallet sent his girlfriend around to my house to thank me, and he followed up by phoning me also, which was lovely and appreciated, but not necessary. Anyway, all I am saying is that I think you are great for receiving the handed in ring and doing what you can to alert the owner, as is the person for handing it in, but apparently by law we are supposed to forward it straight into the police Whatever you do, hopefully the owner comes forward soon. Sorry about the long post. Just thought it worth while passing on.

Well done Sarah. I applaud you for being so honest as to report this. Hopefully the rightful owner will come forward soon. When I see wonderful people like yourself doing such a lovely thing, it restores my faith in humanity. May you in turn have good kharma

Hi SmoothieGirl, Thank you for the congrats. I am really sorry, I have a terribly memory, can you please remind me of where I would know Bronte from? How exciting, we will both be doing our tests together in April then. Should be a blast. And will no doubt catch you at obedience too. :D Good on you with starting CCD also. I have had a lesson with Kate, and am aiming for another one in April. I have also decided to cancel my obedience trial tomorrow to opt for going out to Kate's to watch the tests... as otherwise I go in totally blind not knowing what to expect at the end of April in our test. I am dearly hpping to wipe out our CD title on the next couple of months, and then I plan to really get more stuck into the herding. If we can at least go as far as pre trial, for my 7 year old girl and me being a first timer, that will be excellent for us. But who knows, just depends on how Dyzney keeps going with the herding and if I can keep her sound enough for it. I am dying to get back for another lesson. Is it just me or does everyone else fall over the sheep?

Never have reported, and possibly never will. The threads and posts that can and probably should be reported are the ones that are the most fun to read I also feel the Troy does a great job.

My dogs get plenty of bones, but I always still will find a small portion of built up tartar over the years no matter how many or what kinf of bones they get. So I periodically (probably twice yearish) I scale my dogs' teeth with tweezers. Have done this for years and am careful not to damage the enamel. Usually only close to the gun line on the upper canines and close to the gumline on the Ps tend to be the issue areas mostly. I find it enjoyable to do and great for requiring the dog to be patient and obliging.

Rott Perth, I am very very sorry to hear about your young girl. This is very disturbing information regarding this breeders' ethics, and I am sure all ethical breeders and Rottweiler lover/owners alike will be appalled by your reports. I have no experience with SAS, so cannot comment on immediate health issues. I do hope your lovely young girl is with you in good health for as long as possible and that your feelings towards staying in the breed can be mended over time. I absolutely understand your anguish and concerns regarding this. I am in agreement with everything Stolz has said.

Giardia causes fairly severe diarrhoea, which can in turn cause dehydration. The diarrhoea will be very runny and very often and will not improve until treated. Because these parasite tend to infect the small intestine, the pup/dog does not usually appear sick or flat (unless dehydration becomes an issue). It does tend to be more common in pups than older dogs. I am not familiar with Drontal being a successful treatment. Anti-biotics are usually required to my knowledge. The infected faeces needs to be screened to see if the giardia is present under the microscope. Infected water is a common cause. Giardia can be present in bird droppings, so if these birds have eliminated in water or even on the dirt or concrete around the home, it can be picked up this way. Keeping drinking bowls etc cleaned regularly can be a preventative. Plus try to ensure pup/dog does not have access to eating bird, cat possum poo etc. Dogs drinking out of clam shells and other water that can lay around for a while and has a large surface area are an obvious risk, as bird droppings fall into these readily.

yep, that is what my boy does.

Fetching is when the dog is bringing the sheep to you regardless of wether you are stationary or moving. It goes you, sheep dog. Driving is when the dog is taking the sheep away from you and is you dog sheep. In Jules picture Poppy is fetching as the sheep are between her and the dog. In this picture the dog is driving away from me - I am standing at the pen you can see in the right In this one I am standing at the start peg C which in this arena is about 20m to the dogs left Thank you Janba, great explanation. I sort of figured it was something like that, but with your excellent description and photos to go with that, I am fully understanding now.

Great story RnL. Absolutely, nearly every pass I have obtained over the years, has been with nerves. And I have seen many of the best handlers turn feral in the ring with nerves. Happens to heaps of people. Huski, I don't necessarily think buying articles and training with them is bad. I generally have my dogs ready to compete right through to Open before I even start. My Dyzney can do all the exercises up to a high level, if not for our heeling Plus it breaks up the boredom.

Hi guys, I have just joined the Vic Herding yahoo group, but I feel really lost. I have never joined a yahoo group, and have no idea of how it all works. anyway, I am hoping it will make some sense to me as I familiarise myself with it. Anyway, I am hoping to access schedules etc and any other stuff I can learn/gain from that site/group. Is there anything else that a complete herding newb like myself should know or do to learn more or become more involved. At this point I plan to enter a test or some tests on the april test day. any advice is greatly appreciated. Jules, I have no idea about fetching and driving, but it looks like a great photo to me.

Aww, thanks so much for the words of encouragement Dyz And shhhh, May is AGES away :p Just working on getting her down stay more reliable and then hopefully we will be right to move onto the last part of our TID program and will then be ready to enter *gulp* :p Good on you. I will check up on you :D :D ;)

Great, May is not far away. You know what, sometimes, you have to just bite the bullet and go for it. Cause you know what, you may not improve a whole heap more now until you get some ring experience. And the nerves will not improve with practise. I still get nervous each time I go in the ring. It takes many many trials for them to go. a small amount of nerves is good anyway I reckon :p You could keep training for years and still think you aren't quite up to the standard that you would like to be, but I reckon, just go for it. It just gets to the point where ring experience is required. Don't get caught up being a perfectionist like I am , I set myself up to fail every time :D I handled on Saturday like a complete imbicile. I felt it, but I could not seem to do anything about it. My nerves just control my legs, and I nearly lose the plot, but I still got through on a good score. Daisy knows the work, you should trust the wonderful work you have done with her, and know that it will all fall into place. I have faith in you. I have followed what you have done over the time, and IMO you should just go for it girl. Go on, pull out your form and fill it in.

Thanks Huski. Hey, you must be getting to close to entering your first trial?? Have you committed to an entry yet?

Thank you Tassie. Our heeling still has quite a way to go. She is all over the shop, and drops out of focus a lot, especially as soon as the lead comes off , so Novice should be fun.