ozjen

Ooohh! Naughty you. Fancy having a dog that has a voice and then dares to use it occassionally, Shame, shame, shame!!! Whatever does your neighbour expect, even council rangers would laugh at this one especially as the person sounds like they would have prefered the dog to bark non stop. You did well to keep a straight face while she was talking to you, I think I would have burst out laughing at her comment.

I've seen one in the flesh here in WA several years ago, I was selling something and during the phone conversation we got on to dogs and he mentioned having a Catahoula and was hoping to find another to breed to somewhere in Australia. I had read about this breed so asked him if he would mind bringing the dog with him so I could check it out. I don't think they are recognised by the AKC but I think he used it for pig hunting or was wanting to breed for that. I know he brought this one from another state and I have seen an occassional add for them in Australia. Not a breed that appeals to me but I did enjoy meeting one.

I'm so sorry for your loss Elfin, it's never easy saying goodbye to our furkids even more so longterm family members. I am sure your other furkids will go through their own grieving period but they will also worry about the signals that you are sending out and want to help you as much as I'm sure you will help them. Sending hugs your way.

It is not unusually for older dogs to develop lumps or tumours (not always malignant). When my old dog developed one at around the same age as your dog the vet suggested that given the dogs age that it would be best just to leave it untested as long as it was not affecting the dog. As he said if it was malignant the prognosis was not good for a dog that age and if it was benign it wasn't likely to be a major problem. Over time it did grow and because of its position became uncomfortable for him and by this time(about 2 year later) he had also developed some other age related problems so he was given his wings. Given your dogs age would it really be fair to try treatment if it was a malignant tumour? If not and the dog is not suffering then I would just enjoy your time with him as there is no point in testing if it does not change the outcome.

Well didn't have any pictures of my naughty dog but this video says it all and she did know what she was mean't to be doing.She is a good girl in all her other videos though . Loved the fridge pupsicle picture, Terranik.

Just be careful of the beef soup bones, if they are weight bearing bones of cattle(leg) then they are too hard and can also break teeth. Sheep, poultry and soft fish bones all uncooked are all good. I would go more for hunks of meat rather than all mince as it helps make for healthier teeth and gums. I have fed raw for at least five years now and do not worry about alot of fruit and vegetables although my Aussie will sometimes have an apple or carrot when I do or some vegies if I make my own BARF patties on occasion. If you are including vegetables leave them raw in most cases but put them through the blender as dogs apparently don't break down the vegetables properly because of the outer coating. Most dogs will graze on grass so get sufficient greens anyway. You might want to add some offal to the diet. Don't get to bogged down with percentages at each meal, if you feed a good mix over a week you won't go far wrong. Think of feeding the equivlent of a small prey animal each week with regard to how much bone, meat and offal you give. When I first thought of a RMB diet I thought I had to find just that but after researching more I realised that the percentage of bone I was thinking of was way too high. The best way to judge that you have it correct is by keeping an eye on your dogs stool, too much bone and you get a constipaited dog with white stools or hard bullets. Aim for a stool that holds its shape is easily passed and has good colour. Friends have been abit shocked to see me give even my small old Papillon who has lost quiet a few teeth(previously on comercial diet) a good sized hunk of meat or piece of chicken but he gets though it all quiet well and has been 100% healthier since being changed to raw. Join a few raw feeding groups and while they do vary quiet abit you will be able to work out what works best for your dog and your lifestyle. I am looking forward to my next litter being raised fully on raw as I now feel comfortable enough to do it, my previous litter because I was still fairly new to raw I only did half raw. Another advantage of an all raw diet is alot less poop to scoop.

Jenna (Aussie) has a ball shaped puppy that talks and laughs with movement that would have to be her favorite amoungst the many toys. It is replaced each time it gives up the ghost, but still seems to last longer than alot of her other toys. When she had pups it had to be in the whelping bed with her and any attempt by us to remove it would have her getting upset until it was given back. Even when the pups started arriving she didn't mind us checking them out but she had to keep her ball puppy. It ended up sharing the whelping box for the first few weeks. Gizmo's (Papillon) would have to be a ball, any ball will do especially if there is a person to throw it endlessly for him. Tugtoys are another favorite especially with Jenna at the other end although he does get flown through the air still attatched to the toy if Jenna thinks he is getting the upper hand.

He sounds like a very sensible young man and very much a keeper, do I hear wedding bells in your future. Where do I get myself one like that? Somewhat older though, unfortunately.

Year ago I had a Border Collie/Kelpie X that had rear dewclaws and I have had Australian Shepherd pups born with rear dewclaws.

My girl does the same thing when her belly starts making strange sounds, I think it is just the dogs way of self medicating as it usually results in fixing up her tummy. The only time she asks to go out during the night is when her tummy starts sounding of and then she goes straight to the grass and eats her fill. She happily goes back to sleep with a quiet tummy. Her tummy is so loud on these occassions that it is hard to ignore. She also does the totallly grass poop and also vomits up grass at these times but it does fix the problem . My dogs are on a RMB diet and have been for years. Sometimes like our tummy upsets you may never find the reason for it , I would only worry if it is happening frequently or if the grass is sprayed with chemicals. If it does happen frequently I would take a sample of urine and stool (without the grass) in a sterile container to the vet when I get the dog checked.

Ah, my sister and I aren't that strange after all, we have just been discussing how we would never find a partner to suit us as it would have to be someone that was as in to the dogs and dog activities as us. As there aren't nearly as many guys in the dog world as woman and the few that are are already taken or bat for the other team I think we will remain single but happy. At least when we fall out with the pooches we can give them time out and we usually get the final word. ;)

Yep, I remember having to get my kids out of bed on a cold stormy night and drag them along to the vets close to midnight so a bitch could have a c section. I didn't have anyone to leave them with but they were great kids and didn't complain. The joys of being a single parent. Seems that when bitches need vet help they always pick the dead of night and horriable weather.

Oooh which one? I bathed the girls yesterday after our beach trip and I do it in the clam shell pool out the backyard. Ruby is pretty easy, she stands there (biggest pain is her trying to eat the water out of the hose!) but Millie stands there scared stiff trying to slyly escape! So I have to hold her the whole time. Millie then rolled in the dirt once done!! So much easier when I used to get them hydrobathed, but I was told the one at the vet doesn't shampoo! So I didn't see the point. My house stunk like wet dog for several hours after, as I had to lock one in the sleepout to dry while the other was outside otherwise they both tear around the yard like lunatics to dry off, getting dirty again! Rubystar, the one in Nicholson Rd Canning Vale has one, just go up Garden St turn left at roundabout on Nicholson and it is on the right hand side a short way up. Take your Canine membership as you may be able to get a discount on any goods you buy (not sure if you have to have a prefix for this). Oh and say hi to Steve (mini pins, show and agility).

Was just thinking that I should start a thread like this ValleyWA as I was curious too, have read on another site that they are quite a few interstaters and was wondering how many were our fellow DOLers. It will be great for us all to catch up and put names to faces and perhaps the WA crowd may be able to help the interstaters with things like chairs and cabanas as most will be flying in and have to travel light. Perhaps we could start a thread of what people could help with this could include things like transport, accomadation, Ccrates as well as chairs and cabanas of course. By the way we will be there, hopefully my dog won't be too much of an embaressment. Mirrawee will be kept very busy as she will be running my girl Jenna, also my sisters girl Abbey and possiably her own dogs as well. Not only that but she has to travel such a long way each day so it will be twice as tiring, and still has her horses to deal with too.

I think hers are the only ones in Australia. Hope she hasn't left DOL and is just busy, I met her down in Bunbury with the X dogs and she was very nice to talk with and informative about the breed even taught me how to say the name of the dogs and gave me a pamphlet on the breed. Could be that she is just being kept busy getting the breed registered with the AKC I believe that there is quiet abit involved.

I'm lucky as our main showgrounds are only about 3km away and a couple of times a year I might travel 4 to 5 hours to a weekend of showing but then we get to do camping too with friends so thats fun. A couple of years ago I drove along with 5 other ladies, 13 dogs and three vehicles across Australia from Perth WA to Condobolin (NSW) to do 13 shows in 17 days. We lived in tents while in NSW and used a couple of cabannas covered with a huge tarp to join the tents and act as our kitchen living area as well as the dogs tent area. Was a great experience but also an unexpecting learning experience. Would love to travel more for shows but finances curtail it somewhat and my dog will never be a BIS although if I did have one with that potential I would have too find the finances I think

Teach your dogs to go to a given spot or mat and lay down and stay there until released, gradually add in someone comming to the door and the dog going to its mat. Reward correct behaviour the insentive for going to the mat has to be greater than the insentive to bark at the newcommer. A MannersMinder ( training tool which can dispense treats remotely using a hand control) is great for teaching this and can be positioned next to the dogs mat, full of treats ready to be dispensed when someone comes to the door if the remote is kept near the door or hanging on the doorknob. alternatively keep the dogs mat somewhere where you can toss the dog a treat for being on the matt without the dog rising to chase a wayward treat. Allow the dog to give an initial bark and then direct it to the mat, once on the mat the dog will stop barking to get the treat and then tell it quiet and dispense another treat. If it's anything like my dog it will be too busy staring at the MM willing it to give up more treats to bother any more about the visitor. Innitially continue to give intermitant treats while the dog stays on the mat, once guests are seated if the dog is more settled then relaese it. Remember that you won't get perfect results straight away, consistancy is the key.

I got some great small ones at Strand bags I think they were about $10 about the size of a numbers armband with a topzip and also a side zip pocket and an adjustable strap for round the waist. Fits fairly flush with the body so not bulky and popular in the conformation showring as looks neat. Doesn't hold large amounts of bait but enough and the side pocket is handy for poop bags. Another option if you want to hold alot of treats during a training session is a fishermans hard plastic bait or burley holder (not sure which its used for but Know my son had one). Straps around the waist and had a lid so won't pour out if you bend over to the dog. Easy to get hand in without any fumbling for a quick reward.

Buy a box of latex gloves and keep them near the front door, great for going over your clothes and getting rid of the hair before you go out. Buy a cheap dog rake (the type that looks like a hacksaw blade, looped or straight) great for raking dog hair on the carpet so that it can be vacumned, the gloves work too. This is also good for stripping out the dead hair as long as your dog is not a show dog as they look somewhat bald afterwards. Get rid of as much carpet as you can, tiles, wood or lino are all easier to vacumn dog hair from and much easier to keep smelling fresh. Also dogs seem to always head for any carpet when they want to be sick, at least mine do and half my home is tiled.

Sorry, I Knew it had to be an Aussie as soon as I read your message. You get use to living with furballs and clogged vacumn cleaners. You could just about make a new dog with the hair you get of them with one grooming during their moult and some are worse than others. A really powerful dog blower helps abit tp get rid of some of the excess but be prepared to inhale a few hairballs. :D They are well and truely worth the inconvinience though, gives new meaning to "Hair today, gone tomorrow"

2010 and what a great start. Last night in my girls first agility and jumping trial for the year after two months of no training with her handler Mirrawee they blitzed it with 2nd place (2nd leg) in Agility Novice and 1st place in Jumping Novice (title) and only quallifier. Mirrawee only took over handling her last year and she has worked hard to get my girl to this stage as my poor handling and ring nerves had all but spoilt my girl for the ring. Also a back injury last year had my girl refusing to compete for a while which we thought innitially was just her being naughty. They don't get alot of chance to train together , usually once a week if Mirrawee's other commitments don't stop her and she also runs my sisters dog too, so training time is divided between them. Mirrawee also travels quiet a distance to do it too and leads quite a buzy life so I am really in her debt for what she does. Thanks Mirrawee!!!

Geez, I just spat my drink out all over the computer, THAT has to be the best comment yet. I'll like to know if they have actually experienced the feel of a shaved nut sack. Don't think I would have been able to keep a straight face if someone said that in my earshot. Now I better clean up my computer, thanks for the best laugh. :D

Reminds me of the story a friend told me about a little boy who came over to play with their Weimarana and then went home and told his parents he had been looking after their Marriwhanna*(excuse the spelling) Must have raised a few eyebrows.

Was told by a Joe Public that our Aussies looked just like the Lapphunds they had just looked at!!!!! Mmmm, I don't think so, about the only thing I could see in common was that Mirrawee's dogs had eyebrow markings like our black tri Aussies did, beyond that and the fact they are both dogs who knows. Also with the Aussies you would get "What cross are they besides Border?" No convincing some people that they are a totally different breed. Oh and then there are the ones that think that they are related to German Shepherds because they have the name Shepherd. Also when I showed a Shiba Inu I lost count of the number of people who asked if they were foxes or fox crosses or Dingo or Dingo crosses. On explaining that the shows are for purebred dogs anad explaining abit about the breed you still got, "Yes, but what are they crossed with".

Hey Rubystar, Jenna trains there with Mirrawee so I'm never far away and you know Amiepie too, as well as I'm sure a pile of others so your amoungst friends so don't be nervous.