Starkehre

That is alarming news kitty. I do hope your pup is on the mend soon, and hope he has a full recovery.

FranCQ, I am really sorry to hear Atlast has ringworm. As PugRS said, it is very contageous. You will need to be hypervigilient with this one. If you have any other pets, be careful. Check them thoroughly. Years ago when myself and my boyfriend (at the time) purchased a cat (from a pet shop ) it contracted ringworm within the incubation period, so it obviously already had it coming on. The stress of a new home etc topped it off nicely. Well both he and I got it also, and it took us months to get rid of it. I can tell you the itching is something you do not want to experience. I also suffer with eczema and have for my entire live, but ringworm itching is even worse. If it remains the one localised spot on Atlas and you do not get it, absolutely fantastic. But if it starts spreading, look out. You may want to do some serious disinfecting of the house etc if it spreads. Try to stay away from kids and avoid touching anyone, until you can be sure it has not spread any further. Super contageous. Hope it is gone soon. Yes, the hair will grow back once the ringworm is gone. And yes it is ridiculous that it is called ringworm. So many people still think it is a worm.

I am not a fan of Monash, and would never go back there. Having said this, my bad experience with them was from a very long time ago, I don't remember the name of the vet I consulted with or even know if he still works there. I arrived with my new Cornish Rex kitten. I knew she had a heart murmur (I had got her very cheaply and she was going to be euthed, I was young, and desperately wanted a Rex and she was the last one available at the time). When the vet listened to it, he laughed, said it was the worst he had ever heard, and told me not to bother vaccinating or desexing as the cat would be dead before it was 6 months old. Well, needless to say, I went to another vet clinic, this time a heart specialist in Cheltenham). He said just to keep an eye on her and that it was a hole in her valve and not her heart, and other than some enlargening over time, there may be no issues. Well, he was right. Hope lived til the age of 18. Lived a long (for a Rex) healthy life. Whenever I took her to the vet after the age of 2 no vets could even pick up her murmur and believed the hole had repaired itself. Like I said, things have no doubt changed immenely at Monash by now. But just thought I should share my experience with them. Several years later, a friend of mine's cat died due to complications after being desexed there also. Don't remember the details, so cannot make a comment on whether or not the vet was at fault.

Signed. It is embarrasing to say the least that we humans are even remotely related to beings that can commit such abhorant behaviours.

Dogs "do better" on one meal per day... to say that if you were feeding the same quantity in total either over twice per day or once per day, the dog would be holding more weight at being fed that quantity once per day. Sort of like people in that regard, the less meals we consume, the slower our metabolism, hence we hold the food and weight better. Also the digestive system goes into a survival mode as it is unsure of when the next meal is coming when fed less often, so it utilises the food given at one meal per day to it's utmost. So, to lose weight, it is best to feed more meals per day. and if the dog still does not lose weight doing this, then you also need to decrease the actual food portions sizes and fat/calorie content. Silimarly with feeding once per day, dogs will utilise their food better for warmth and weight if they are fed at night after all exercise in complete. Hence, feeding the dog earlier in the day when it is more likely to be active results in more burn off. If it was me, I would feed this dog on 2 small meals each day - once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. Exercise would be given at least 1 hr after the meals. Exercise is brilliant, but the weight loss CAN be achieved without it. Diet is the biggest criteria with weight loss. Cut out all treats (unless training and then make them low fat or try to use another form of reward), and the owner needs to be 100% honest with themselves when doing this. Many owners claim they do not treat their sdogs, but it comes down to it, you find out there is a bit of left over this, and a bit of yummy that, and it all adds up. My gut feeling is the dog is simply being over fed. If treats are used to train, this needs to be taken into account when feeding times comes and subtracted from the next meal.

So, am I reading this right, your vet vaccinated a 12 week old puppy that presented with a cough and a runny nose?? Yep, I am with others, I would be getting a new vet. Hope your puppy is fine. Usually these things (although secondary infections to KC can be very nasty) are OK provided you are vigilent and keep on top of it and puppy is reasonably healthy in all other respects. Sounds like you are doing all the right things now. Best of luck with your baby.

Well done Tyler. You don't need to wake him up and praise him. You are right to let him sleep. As he gets more comfortable with this, you will be able to do it whilst he knows you are at home. When you feel a bit more confident that he will settle OK each time he is left there, then you will be able to praise him for good behaviour. Right now he has probably just worn himself out, and that may be the only reason he is not crying, but you will get there. Most importantly is not to go out when he is noisy. So, whilst it is still early days, if it is close to the time that you may want him in anyway, you may have to bring him in whilst he is sleeping, because if you wait til he wakes up and starts crying again, you cannot bring him then. sounds like you are getting the hang of it, and really that is the biggest challenge. Once you know what to do, pup will learn far more quickly. Well done.

Hi Tyler. Your plan is good, and I can see your frustration, may I suggest a couple of things... firstly, always "set yourself up for a win". You have a fairly good idea that he is going to start to bark and carry on when leaving in his new pen, and you know you will start to worry about the neighbours and bring him inside, right? This you already know for sure. So, don't put him in there until you have - spoken with all the neighbours that you think are going to be affected by his noise, and explain to them that this new training may take a couple of days, even a peace offering of a bottle of win or something would not go astray. Then when you go to pop him back out there for some training, ensre that it is at a time of the day when you will not worry so much about the neighbours if he barks for 2 - 3 hrs, so you can relax a bit more. Make sure you are going to be home, so you can take a note of what he does. Never go out to him whilst he is making a noise. Never bring him inside whilst he is making a noise. Do not yell out to him to be quiet or otherwise. Just totally ignore. Most dogs find that their leader completely ignoring them is the worst punishment they can endure. So only reward good behaviour - a quiet puppy. I am sure you have already done this, but make sure he has toys, chews warmth/bedding, shelter and water. I know it is hard. But I gather you have already brought him inside at least twice when he barks, so you have in fact taught him to bark and this gets him what he wants. So, your job is now going to be even harder. Every time you go to him or let him in when he is noisy instils this behaviour in him. Sure it takes longer to set everything up to ensure the "win" situation, but if you had done this in the first place, there is every chance the training would already be done. So, go back to the start, and set it up, and stick to your plan. You will be surprised how quick he will learn to settle and learn to be confident and comfortable in his own company in the pen once he knows he does not have you wrapped around his little finger. When he is quiet for several minutes, quickly and quietly go out to him and make a bit fuss. Do this several times during a 3 hr period during the first "starting again" training session... and during the day when neighbours are not sleeping. This is what I would do anyway. Best of luck.

Sounds like all great points and advice from others. I think you need to go back to basics, and remember that everytime puppy is able to urinate in the house/crate, you are essentially teaching him to urinate in the house/crate. So, you need to plan things better and be super vigilent. Do not allow it to happen. Be prepared and always "set yourself up for a win". Remember, all mistakes puppies make are our mistakes. Think laterally and I am sure with the help of all the great posts here you will come up with the reason it is happening and how to fix it. You may even find that puppy's crate is too big?? Best of luck.

Mr R & NR, Mark is coping OK, thank you. I agree, it was the right time. And even though I also felt this at the time, since Jess' passing we both feel like it was right. I find it is always easier to know this for sure upon reflection. Thank you for popping in and giving us your condolences. It is much appreciated.

onsntillnflash and brigidstarr - thank you for your kind and considerate words. :D

giraffez, like Tassie says, it is not a bad thing that your dog will not play with others. Many owners prefer to neutralise their dogs to other dogs in efforts to have their dog hold other dogs in low or no regard. This in effect provides a perfect environment for the dog to hold you as the owner trainer in such a high and positive regard that it makes for easy training... less distractions. A dog that prefers your company than other dog company is a joy to train. If my dogs were more neutral to other dogs, I would be absolutely thrilled. Unfortunately neutralising proved to be too challenging for me and I gave up. The work you have done to get him to tolerate other dogs is fantastic, and I feel certain that if you continue this way he will only get better all the time. Personally I would not care if my dog never played with other dogs, so long as he was not uncomfortable being around them. Keep up the good work.

Thanks kelpiechick. Not sure about the physio disc/balance thingy. Although an excellent idea, as my huge puppy is still learning "stuff" (he is not quite ruby or dyzney yet), I might injure both of us trying to get him onto it. My plan is to give our ladder a try, (though being such a big dog, I think he will just try to jump it), and if that fails I will probably contact Muzz and see what he can make for me. Jag is still a 10 month old big goofy puppy. The lifting of his legs will give him great strength and muscle definition and as he grew so big so fast, he is still at a bit of a loss at knowing what his rear legs are doing. sorry to hear about your dog breaking his leg. Well done for working on him tho. You gotta do what you gotta do. Well done. Yeh, blast from the past! Robyn was always my favourite judge too, except coz my dogs knew her so well, it was difficult stopping them from going over and jumping on her, instead of running the course. Yes, having IMT with both dogs is not only ridiculously rare, but also damned hard to go through. We are just so lucky we still have dyzney.

That's lovely 4kelpies, thanks for letting me know you remember Ruby. Yes, heartbreaking to lose her. She was such a gorgeous girl with the a fun loving attitude and real spunk. She was also great as an advocate for the breed. Bomb proof with people and dogs, not a nasty bone in her body. Dyzney is the same. I am very lucky she survived the same horrible disease. She is retired now, but I am toying with bring her back into obedience. Just cause I am a glutton for punishment. I have never been good at competing with more tha one dog at a time. A bit overwhelming for me. I like to concentrate on one at a time. Hope you are still enjoying your agility. Feels like I have been out of it forever. Hey, I was just remembering Ruby's last trial. I think it was Masters Agility with Robyn docker as judge at Hastings. I had it pre-planned, just for a joke... when it came to the weavers, I weaved through them and Ruby ran down alongside them. Shocked Robyn to bits, but she cracked up, and being her friend, I knew she wouldn't mind. Of course I was NQd, but it was fun for a laugh, and a nice way to go out.

I spose I could use a ladder. It isn't adjustable to suit the dog's walking gait, but at a walk I guess it won't matter much, in fact he will have to work a little harder to squeeze extra steps in or stretch out a bit further to reach. Might give it a go, ta.

Thanks Luke. Much appreciated.

Thanks kelpiechick. I am not wanting the cavs for rear awareness or placement. I actually want them for strength and muscle building in my youngster. Nothing to do with agility, just thought of them as I remembered them. They will work really well as walking poles. I do not wish to jump my big baby. Just walk him over a series of these, and that is why I want quite a few in a row, not one or 2. Wishing to build strength and nuscle in a low impact fashion. he is already doing underwater treadmill and will be starting swimming next month, but just wanted something else that we can do at home. Hope this makes sense. Appreciate your advice. How sweet that you remember Ruby. she was such a hard running girl. Loved her agility. Unfortunately she died shortly after her last Royal. she also got IMT as dyzney did, but did not survive. Breaks my heart still today.

That'd be great Luke. I know Murray quite well. If you PM his email address that would be great. Thanks so much. That's right, now I remember, Murray even told me he made them. Oh, my memory is so bad.

OK, so what I am after, (thanks to Kavik's help) is cavalettis, but preferably joinable by a frame running down the sides. anyone know where I can find some please?

Hi Kavik, yes that's them. Dah, stupid me, I am a horsie, and I didn't even think to call them cavalettis. However, the ones I have seen were all attached to the ones frame. It was at Agility dog club in Altona vic a few years ago. It just looked easier to keep them in the same distances if leaving them outside, rather than having the individual cavs. I do sort of know someone who makes agility equipment, if I can track down their contact so I might see if I can do that. Was sort of hoping to not have to order from overseas... big items, huge freight. Thanks for the compliment of dyzney's photo. I have heaps of fantastic Rotti agility shots. My bitch prior to Dyz, Ruby was the first ADM JDM rottweiler in australia. and she qualified for and competed in Vic Top Dog 2002... long time ago now. I think she finished 7th out of 10, but we stuffed up the tunnel entry and lost about 2 seconds there, bummer. I will see if I can drag up a shot of Ruby as well. They both loved it so much, and so did I. By memory, these ones of Ruby were both taken at our first National down here. These were in the olden days when the jumps were high. The poor girls.

Just felt the urge to throw in a cute pic of my girl Dyzney doing weavers. This was taken at Melb Royal in 2005, before she got IMT. She is such a cutie.

Thanks for your prompt response Kavik, but I am not referring to weaving poles. I did agility for years. The poles I mean are running adjacent to the ground, like trotting poles for horses. they are used in agility training to assist the dog with learning rear foot placement and developing thigh muscles etc. I will check out your links tho, as maybe some of these places make/supply the walking poles also. Thanks heaps. Added, anymore advice please... greatly appreciated. I had already looked at agility australia, and there was nothing I could see on their website, but I may call them later if I cannot find anything else.

Hi guys. Was wondering if anyone can please suggest where I might make inquiries about purchasing a set of walking poles. That probably isn't what they are known as, but this is the description - probably conduit or similar poles set up on a frame so as they sit several inches off the ground. I believe there will probably be about 8 - 12 poles in a set and the height and width apart is usually adjustable. I have seen these poles at agility clubs used in training, just not sure where to purchase them from. any advice much appreciated.

We use 3 stainless steel water pales in various different areas that the dogs have access to. They are great, and the dogs have not tipped them over as yet. However, years ago when I had a bowl tipper, I used to put the bucket inside a car tyre to keep it up. worked a treat.

All I know about cold tail is that it is not uncommon in Rotts and is typically brought on when the dog has become wet and the tail has not dried quickly or thoroughly. Was your dog in the rain at all before you got home?