LizT

Thanks so much Fordogs. :)

Ohhh you must of had a daccy at some time , yes velcro is my female.. whether this is right or wrong I let them stay with me in bed till 9.30 pm (i watch tv in my bedroom) then its out for a wee and in to there own bed , maybe i've got to change this habit ? He likes to burrow under the doona , and is quite comfortable with legs up in the air , they have seperate crates a bit squezzy for the 2 to be comfy in, i would think 24"size anyhow i have just changed the bedding in his crate to a pet futon matress that is a lot more stable than the pillow he had previously , Now he will be able to scratch and fluff around till his hearts content And yes I'm going win this battle as i really do know he is pulling the wool over my eyes true, , and i will close the door .... We do this too! I work nightshift and get up for work at about 12.30am and so I go to bed at about 7.30 pm for a sleep and when OH comes to bed he takes the dogs and crates them. They know the routine and it works well, so I don't think you need to change it, just be consistent. :)

Congratulations! You've done really well. :)

Sorry, had to smile at this. That's a bummer about the camera /spider I hope you can get some information soon , and get the pups back .....the next best thing I can hope is that wherever they are they are being loved & spoiled . that is my one consolation.. I do believe they would be. whoever they are had to be, to have dropped mum back asal do you think it possible that some predator (fox, eagle) got the pups and mum had gone after them only to return empty handed? They are after all a small and easily carried off breed.

If you feel he does in fact also need to toilet, take him outside on lead, then take him straight back to his crate. He will either stop asking to go to the toilet if he doesn't need to or you will find it is merely a ploy on his behalf to get out of his crate. If he carries on and it's not a toileting emergency, in a soft voice tell him to shhhh, then ignore him. He will soon learn his protests have no payoff. I found this has worked for me. :) Oh, and my dogs sleep on a tightly fitted mattress (crate size) and vet bed blanket that they sometimes rearrange to their little hearts desire if cold or if hot simply lay on top off with no rearranging.

Yes, with what she's been up to this week it probably should have been "Em the destroyer, screamer of blue murder, bringer of destruction and mayhem". :laugh: But that's too long. ;)

Yes, I was highlighting the madness of local councils in general. However it looks like it isn't restricted to Victoria anymore!

10 weeks old and offically Wandalier Emerald Soliaire :)

Oh asal, that terrible. I have heard that "Facebook" has had quite a deal of success locating stolen/lost dogs. Hope they are back with you soon.

Here's a snippet from the Herald Sun Thursday February 9, 2012 Councils are losing the plot. Local councils, it seems, have been hijacked by the fun police and the politically correct. How else can you explain the recent outbreak of ridiculous by-laws and council decisions right across Melbourne? It took the insistent common sense of a 10 year old girl this week to overturn the zealots at Yarra Ranges Council who wanted to limit her guinea pig pet numbers to two. Georgia McAleer did what we should all do and refused to buckle, ending her complaint with a line that ought to become teh mantra for all ratepayers. She wrote "I will not support any local law that is so trivial like that." Georgia may be headed for a career in politics, and more power to her because Yarra Ranges buckled. But this is just the latest in a long line of local government lunacy. Remember last year when Yarra Council, covering inner city Richmond, wanted to replace outdoor gas heaters with blankets? That was a Green initiative dropped when they realised.........(OH tore article out :rolleyes: )

Jules my sister takes her Schnauzer to Torquay. She says there is a year round access area for dogs. Though I guess that makes it a "dog beach" but it is a very large area. :)

Both my GSD's boys have/had these. I'm told they are sebaceous cysts and are filled with a fatty deposit. When the old boy got one it grew so large he had to be put under and have it surgically opened up andcleaned out. Nowadays I pop them while still small and deal with them much as you do.

I remember a story I read as a child of a JRT who received an award for bravery in the U.K. He was out for a walk with his elderly mistress, who decided to cross a field, and unknown to her a rather large bull had been put into the field recently. The bull had a go at the old woman and had knocked her to the ground. The little JRT then grabbed the bull by the nose, refusing to let go! Hearing the womans calls for help the farmer came and aided the old lady out of the field. Only when she was safe and out of danger did the little JRT let the bull go. :)

I'm wondering that too. Must be a very nimble 5 yr old! My 7 yr old can't even manage the lower gates :laugh: Assisted by the trampoline and swingset that the parents have kindly installed in their yard, right on my fenceline and the fence struts being on their side of the fence as well. But believe me, it is secure under "normal" circumstances and gates kept locked as well. But that said, I also have teenage children so why do I have to "childproof" MY property?? I dunno my brother was able to get of his cot when he was little and managed to get on the kitchen benches some how. He was just a climer my mum was always worried about him Apparently my older brother was the same. Mum was busy with me (baby)and he was only two and would climb the high side gate out of the backyard and was found playing with his little Flinstones car in the middle of Kent Road. Pascoe Vale. Luckily it was the 1960's and not today (less cars back then). But the point is even IF kids are little Houdinis and do get out of what parents believe are secure yards, the parents still needed to apolgise to Ellz, and show the child that what he did was wrong. Yes, incidents happen, it's what is learnt from them afterwards that is important.

They are like the fly masks" we use for the horses. Poor things. I had a cat who got skin cancer on his white pigment bottom eyelid. They tried freezing it with liquid Nitrogen but it became very ugly and painful and it wasn't in an area where they could sucessfully cut it away, eventually I had him PTS, he was 12 years old. I hope these clever prodcuts will help make life easier for these white animals. :)

Sounds like you have described an English Bull Terrier. It's terrible what some people will do. Baiting dogs is as old as and a dispicable act. I remember hearing of people doing it back when I was a kid, but fortunately you don't hear of it as often, these days I would like to think people are bit more civilised....but then you hear of it and you know there are still those out there that are not (civilised).

Gorgeous! :)

How very disturbing for you! Good on the people who have put the flyer together though. Are your dogs well clear of any potentially unfriendly fenceline?

Special pats an cuddles to Sweetie. Hugs to Dog Geek.

Gosh Ellz, I know how you felt. We had a party here well away from the dogs (we are on 5 acres) and I looked out into my GSD's yard and one of the drunken young blokes was playing with my dog!!! All was okay, but suppose it hadn't been???

I am too. He did say he was going away for a while though. I wonder who gets the task of caring for his dogs while he's gone?

+1 Harsh. The person had a situation with the dogs & did the wrong thing. Not everyone is perfect & knows everything & the right & wrong way to handle it is variable according to whose opinion is given. Even trainers & behaviourists vary in their methods. One thing is obvious these dogs have to be living seperately. This is possible. When done with common sense lots of animals live apart in homes. Cats & birds, dogs & rabbits, dogs & chickens, cats & fish etc. Not all animals are good with each other & these 2 dogs are not either. It does sound like he will work something out so both dogs are safe & kept alive. He came on here for some support & advice & he sure has got some that makes me go you get my vote. heaps of good sense here hope the OP hasnt given up. and not comming back. how dare so many presume to judge this man. he asked for help not character assination A person who has such an anger issue that he flies of the handle completely and has a violent tantrum all over his dogs exhibiting natural behaviours, is not someone IMO who should be responsible for caring for anything. Sounded to me like he was stressed about the fighting between the dogs and lost it. A mistake yes, but hardly something we aren't all capable of, unless you never get angry and make mistakes? Of course I get angry, and make mistakes. But I can't say I've ever been angry enough that I've had to deal with it by kicking and punching things and screaming. But I have had the displeasure of witnessing that kind of rage before by someone else and it was pretty scary so I can only imagine how the poor dogs must feel. Same here. And when you have it leaves a raw, painful place. Hence my initial outburst at the OP. His actions hit that place. His previous'Gung Ho' rhetoric in his older posts did nothing that enabled me to muster any sympathy for him at that stage either. It was an accident waiting to happen. Also saying that at least he took the dogs to the vets for treatment each time they'd had a fight wasn't going to do it for me either. Only the days that have passed have done that. As I have already stated I truly do hope for a satifactory outcome for these dogs. I can't think what it'll be but hopefully it will be.

Clever! Aussie Shepherd Saint Bernard mix....I see that! :)

I have not heard of any Shar Pei having hot spots due to the wrinkles. Only ever due to allergies. Same as many other breeds I found this. Hot Spots Hot spots can be caused by moisture becoming trapped between folds of skin (acute moist dermatitis) or they can be caused by an irritation to the skin that starts a cycle of itching, scratching and chewing (pyotraumatic dermatitis). Skin fold hot spots occur when moisture collects or becomes trapped between the skin folds. More common in dogs with loose skin such as the Chinese Shar Pei, St Bernard, and Bulldog, these types of hot spots typically appear in the summer when the conditions are hot and humid and moisture on the skin does not dry properly. Typical for a hot spot is rapid onset, areas of hair loss, and reddened skin that is moist and oozing. Sometimes the skin will be crusty and scabbed, and there can be intense itching. A common place on the Shar Pei to watch carefully in the summer months is the top of the head, above the eyes and between the ears. This brow area tends to retain wrinkle in adult Chinese Shar Pei and during the hot and humid months can become irritated from retained moisture. Antibacterial solutions (chlorhexidine) or drying solutions, and astringents will dry the area, combat infection and decrease itchiness. If caught in the early stages, when the skin is moist and has just begun to become red and irritated, a medicated powder (Gold Bond) rubbed into the skin and between the wrinkles can also be used to dry the area and prevent infection. It is important to use a medicated powder that will dry the area and not a cream or ointment that will simply trap more moisture. Think of it as being similar to human feet that sweat in the summer with moisture being trapped by socks and shoes. If caught in the early stages, a medicated powder rubbed on the feet and between the toes will dry the skin and prevent infection. If the hot spot condition persists, or if not caught and treated in the early stages, a secondary bacterial skin infection can develop and must be treated with oral antibiotics. Hot spots can also be caused by something that irritates the skin and starts an itch, scratch cycle. The most common irritants are fleas, bug bites, burrs or contact allergens. In severe cases the skin can become extremely irritated and itchy, causing intense scratching that must be stopped to prevent self-mutilation from occurring. Just like with humans who have a mosquito bite that they continue to scratch until the area is raw, bleeding and very painful, severe hot spots can cause your dog to scratch even when it hurts. Such intense itching and scratching must sometimes be treated with a cortisone type injection or short term steroid type oral medications to relieve the itching so the area can heal. Remember that any type of steroid treatment will cause increased thirst and increased urination. Make sure your dog has sufficient water and increase the number of trips outside to help prevent accidents in the house. Very important to note: if steroids or cortisone type medications do not stop the itching and scratching almost immediately, you are NOT dealing with an allergen or hot spot type condition. Demodectic mange (as discussed above) in some cases can also cause intense itching and scratching that will not be relieved by steroid medications and must be treated differently.

My mum had a visit from Mark Singer and said it was fantastic. He even has a group session each sunday to socialise dogs (under his strict supervision). So I second Mark Singer! I think you would be about 'sixthing' Mark Singer at this stage. He sure has made a reputation in S.A. :laugh: