ozjen

Perhaps if you have a mobile vet in your area, you could get a group of people together who have dogs due their vaccination and negotiate a group deal.

Congratulations on the newest member of your pack GayleK, gee your gang has certainly expanded since getting Benson, I think I missed Issaks arrival. Borderton dogs do have awesome temperments and their kids are so good with the dogs too that I think it gives the pups a great start in life. I remember watching their oldest boy when he was about 4 or 5 take an Aussie around a setup ring, showed the dog better that some of us adults. At the same event he was sitting outside of an Agility setup on a little chair watching Jenna and I do the course, Jenna saw him (she loves kids) and left the ring long enough to give him a kiss, knocking his chair over in the process. He wasn't the least bit worried although he didn't know Jenna well, he just picked himself up, righted his chair and sat and watched Jenna finish the course. Don't think there would be many kids of that age that could handle an unknown good sized dog rushing at them.

The Aussie, Jenna gets Fluffybutt, Bushybutt, Wigglebutt, Ratbag and Jen, (Jenavie if I really want to get my own back on her) The Pap, Gizmo gets Giz, Gizzie, Stinky, Scruff and Furball.

Know what you mean there GayleK, always though Benson sounded very much like my Jenna, way too smart.

Australian Sheperds would be there too, because they are not necessarily as common as some of the other breeds they may not feature on a list of the smartest dogs but I would say they would be in the top couple of dogs.

I would say a Cattledog X but the picture isn't clear enough to say what esle is in there. This picture is off one of my past dogs at 11 months who was a Cattledog/Kelpie X, I can certainly see similarities. Even though my boy passed close to 20 years ago I still find my cheeks wet as I post this picture, he was an awesome dog and friend.

Lovely idea Lab Rat, why not drop Pacers a line to check that they are fine with it, I'm sure they will be. They have started an appeal tonight to collect for the victims of the fire, but so much is happening lately one wonders just how much people will still have to give, although being Aussies I am sure everyone will give till it hurts. I know some of the kennel properties where quick to offer space in their kennels and catteries and the offer of various crates. With an apparently 25km radius risk of embers fire, I was glad that they got it under control although my family told me I was stressing too much, it was too close for comfort. There are just too many Australians in pain at the moment, it breaks my heart, everytime I put on the TV.

That's sad but good too. You have been saying for a while now that they haven't been too good. At least your Mum is having someone come to her home, that will be nicer for the dogs. Yes gabby hates going to the vet so it will be much better for them, and they have no quality of life anyway - no trips to park, no walks etc so its a sad sad life for them which is why I think they ages so much when I left. I'm so sorry Mason2009, don't feel guilty at least they will cross the bridge together and in the comfort of a familiar place. Hugs to you both and your parents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=P9Fyey4D5hg Thought you all might enjoy this video of a clever little Jack Russell helping round the house. Very cute.

The words Miniture Australian Shepherd, are frowned upon by Australian Shepherd people, as others have pointed out you do get some smaller than average Aussies(not miniture) but to intentionally breed Aussies to be smaller than the prefered size in the standard does a disservice to the breed and they become no more than another designer dog sometimes with toy or small breeds thrown into the mix to enable them to produce smaller dogs quicker and more consistantly. There are two schools of thought with the normal Australian Shepherd and how it originaited the most popular one seems to be that the orginal little blue herding dogs owned by the basque shepherds went with Merino sheep from Australia to America and the Americans were so impressed with the dogs herding ability that they continued to develop the breed. Giving it the name Australian Shepherd in honour of where their first dogs had come from. The second believe is that the dogs originaited from smooth Preanean Shepherds. Perhaps it is a combination of both. Aussies are indeed a wonderful breed and the majority are a medium sized dog which therefore really does not need to be made smaller. They are highlly intelligent and need mental stimulation as much as and sometimes more than physical exercise. We call them velcro dogs as they are extremly loyal and like to shadow their owners so need to be included as part of the family. I have often heard them described as being abit of a clown, I know my girl is and will turn it on especially if she thinks I'm feeling down, can't help but smile with an Aussie around. As GayleK and Lydsey can attest too they are like potato chips you can't always stop at one.

On identifing my dogs to the council ranger over the phone after a visit to my place I confirmed I had a black tri Aussie and a tri Papillon as registered with them. His reply was "okay, but what is the little blue merle dog?" Took me a second to realise he was talking about the tri Papillon who because of his age is quiet grey. Not a new breed or a rare colour and already registered with them.

Found this on the net and includes frozen semen options http://www.greatdanegazette.com/stud-dogs.html

I think most dogs are pretty smart the difference comes more in how willing they are to express it in a way that suits us. For example I have an Australian Sheperd, very smart, learns quickly, easily translates what I want from her but is also smart enough to know where my weaknesses are, what she can get away with and gets bored quickly with to much repetition. Has been known to outsmart me on several occassions, thinks for herself in order to get rewarded with minimum effort and seems to understand most of what I say to her. I have a Papillon pup, again very smart, learns quickly, keen to please regardless of how many times I ask for a behaviour or wether there is a reward and follows routine behaviours well. On comparing the two I consider the Australian Sheperd the smarter one as she does not follow blindly, she has to see a reason behind everything she does and makes a choise wether to do it. She has also shown initiative to get what she wants as in reaching things well out of her reach, or in moving items to suit her needs. This breed is also well known in America as a herding dog because of its ability to think for itself where needed. I think there is a big difference between an obedient well trained dog and a smart dog and I don't think they always go together, whereas alot of these tests are based on how obedient and well trained a dog is. Personally I think the escape artist that gets out of its backyard no matter what, or the dogs that drive there owners nuts by getting into all sorts of mischief often shows as much brains as the highest trained dog in the performance ring its just we don't always percieve it that way. Nothing against performance dogs (mine included) just the difference in how each dog expresses how smart it is.

Perhaps some people are not in the financial position to leave and have no accomadation option other than the evac. centres. I know there have been plenty of times in my life where I would not be in a position to leave if I didn't have the great family I have. Plenty of people have to live week to week, have no savings to fall back on and no spare money for accomadation or fuel or even a reliable car to drive to safety and not everyone has somebody they can stay with. There are probabaly many reasons for people staying but whatever the reasons I hope they all come through this cyclone safely along with their families (skin, feather and fur).

When I had a litter of pups hit the pirranah stage I corrected it by simply slipping my hand round the muzzle giving a light preassure and giving a growled no, followed by time out from play. All 8 pups had stopped within a day and went to their new homes over the biting issue. A couple of things to remember are 1. not to grab at the muzzle, must be a smooth fluid movement to discourage a bite response, 2. gentle pressure only, your not out to hurt the pup just to imitate the mother telling it of. 3. if pup is getting over stimulated by play give it time out before it starts to nip .4. have a given spot where the pup can go for a break where the kids are NOT allowed to disturb it (avoids an overtired cranky pup) 5. most important of all be consistant. ETA Jenna the dog in my signature was biting non stop when I got her as a 13wk old pup ( her owners hand was actually bleeding from a bite and she had no control over the dog), within half an hour of getting her home it had stopped by using this method and has never been an issue since. I am thankful that the owner gave her up as she is the most wonderful dog any one could wish for and if left would have ended up destroyed as a dangerous dog simply because of lack of knowledge on the owners part. Couldn't ask for a sweeter nature, but being extremly smart she knows when she has the upper hand.

Have you tried Satin Balls, that way the dog gets a mixture of raw meat and some grain as well. Then once the dog gets into the habit of eating it you can graduallly reduce the grain component if you want to and eventually get back to a RMB diet. Is there any chance your raw diet is lacking something (some nurtrient) causing the dog to go for the kibble instead to fulfil the deficientcy.

I agree Apple Cider Vinegar keeps my furkids free of fleas. Another option which is not chemical is this one, http://www.earthworkshealth.com/pets-animals.php I haven't tried it myself be have read many good reports about it on a natural dogcare site. Always use human grade and it works by affecting the fleas exterior and dehydrating them, it can also be used orally for intestinal worms.

I got my crate from Dealsdirect, they don't seem to have them anymore ;) I think the wave of pet injuries has hit me On Sunday I took the dogs to my bro's where they had a lovely time swimming in the pool, in typical style Trixie (who can't swim particularly well, but she is getting better) is the only dog who thinks it's great fun leaping off the side of the pool into the water Particularly if there is another dog swimming at the time to try and land on (she was told off for this - naughty dog) They were fine on Sunday, just tired, but yesterday I noticed she was a bit stiff before work, thought she might have just been a bit sore, then when I got home yesterday I knew she must have been bad because she wouldn't even jump up to greet me (she's a shocking jumper) but Kyzer was also limping, he has had burnt paws before from the pavers so I thought this may have happened again but when he did it last time he was sore for one day and then was fine so I left it. This morning she was worse again, very sore, I still thought it was burnt pads and was going to take her to the vet after work, gave her some pain killers left over from when she had the abscess, my OH flew in today and said she got up, said hello pathetically then went and laid down again and then went outside but didn't seem to want to move I asked him to take her to the vet and vet says her feet aren't burnt but she has strained the toes on both back legs, and they are swollen, I hadn't noticed any swelling last night when I was inspecting them, but I had noticed her front feet didn't seem sore, it wa smainly her back feet. Kyzer was back to normal when OH got home and is running around like a loon. She's on Rimadyl for a week and if it doesn't improve he says go back for X-Rays (but I'd probably go to a Bowen / Chiro / acupuncture type person first like Deb Nook) I feel so bad that I let her overdo it, she seemed fine at the time! Poor Trixie, tonight is her first 'proper' agility class and she has to chuck a sickie! Awe, hugs to my little Trixie mate, must be bad if she's lost her bounce. Get well soon Trixie.

Having had a Shiba Inu, I would say they are loving dogs and easily trained, but attentive and obedient only when it suits them. Not safe of lead as they just switch of to the owner whe something else catches their eye. Also can be aggressive with other dogs especially smaller dogs even when brought up with them in an experienced dog home. The temperment and personality is probabaly as far the other end of the scale as could be to a German Shepherd. While they are beautiful dogs, I would not have another one. As to an Australian Shepherd I personally would not recommend them for a first time dog owner unless they were already dog savy. They are extremly loyal and loving and very smart, which if not channelled can lead to all sorts of negative behaviour. As a breed that is bred for herding they are also extremly protective of their own and this can cause issues with separation and with barking at any unexpected noises. If an owner is not consistant with how they deal with these situations it can quickly get out of hand. I do think they are the most wonderful breed in the world, but even in a dog savey home with a person who was a dog trainer and continues to learn and practice all they can about training, it is a full time job to keep up with the brains these dogs have. Yes, I have been outsmarted on more than one occassion by my Aussie and I've had dogs of varing types including several herding breeds for more than 40 years. Quiet aside from how a dog looks you need to work out what type of personality and temperment you want (yes, there are variations between dogs but generally there are factors that are fairly consistant with each breed), what the breed was bred for and wether it will fit in with your lifestyle and if you have the time to meet that particular breeds requirments in terms of exercise, grooming, feeding, training and attention. There are heaps of breeds out there that I love the look of but will never have simply because either their general personality does not suit me or I feel I could not do that particular breed justice in its day to day requirements. Purchacing a dog simply on the basis of liking the looks is what often leads to dogs having to be rehomed.

Stay safe everyone in Queensland in the path of the cyclone, I hope it doesn't end up being as bad as predicted, you guys have had more than your fair share of devestating weather already.

Know what you mean there Labrat, when I was a courier driver in the country years ago I was always picking up injured animals or having to go find a farmer with a gun to put them out of their misery. Always ended in tears for me but I couldn't leave them to be eaten alive by insects or slow painful deaths in the sun. I did have a few successes with the birdlife though, where they were only stunned and probably bruised. One time I hit a roo (horriable experience) and after wrapping it in a sheet carried it on my backseat where my two kids were, looking for help for 100+ km stopping each time it started to get active. Eventually as I couldn't find help and it seemed so distressed as well as me worring about the kids, if it should break free of the sheet I decided I had no choice but to put it down. So I sent the kids to go for a little walk in the bush while I bawled my eyes out and did the deed, like you I found myself apologising to it for not being able to help it. I think there should be laws that make people have to take responsiability for anything they hit on the road, regardless of wether it is a domestic animal, wildlife, birds or feral animals.

Did you mean beet pulp? Its a fairly common additive for fibre content. Yep, that's the one, I was told by a Pap breeder about 12 years ago to avoid any food with it in, to avoid the staining. Unfortunatly I found it very hard to avoid while feeding kibble, but once we changed to raw and also ACV no more issue with it.

Hi Ozjen, just wondering how much of the Apple cider vinegar would you put in a 10 ltr bucket of water I have tried it by putting in 3 cap fulls in the water, we have found in just 3 days that one of our 4 month old Pappies, who had major tear staining has cleared up & his coat is also a lot softer, we feed all our Paps & Whippet fesh meat, chicken bones/ lamd flaps, bones To be honest I never really measure it, just chuck in a good splash to the large water bowl which I guess would be about 10lts. Sounds like your on to the right amount. I swear by Apple Cider Vinegar for 101 uses, seems to deter fleas too as I haven't had an issue with them for years. I also spray a mix of ACV and water on the coat to deter flies and other bities during summer, would probabaly be about two capfuls to a 500ml spray bottle.

Yip, Mason and more often than not the cat Socks gets us up before we ready - and Socks is such a pest once he decides its time for us to get up and open the back door for him so he can go and play in the garden :D Some don't wait till morning, Jenna was crying most of the night from about 2am, got up several times to let her out but she is just very restless and wanting to find babies. Keeps grabbing more toys and tucking them underneath her and wants me to be part of the process of nursing them. Can't remember her being this bad on previous false pregnancies, I'm so, so over it. Think she is trying to hatch them, the way she tucks them underneath her and then curls around them, the favoured ones are the talking and noisy ones. So looking forward to a day off work tomorrow but doubt it will involve a sleepin as brain thinks 5.15am is wake up time. Even if I try to stay in bed Gizmo will start barking around 6 to go out.

She's pretty Mirrawee. Mmm aren't mousers mean't to live it a bit rough out in the stables, I can see her joining the dogs on the bed.