Red Fox

Good dog! http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8441969/police-dog-worth-more-than-ten-men-officer The Gold Coast police officer who works with one of Queensland's most dedicated crime fighters, a German Shepherd named Bosun, says the efforts of his canine companion are worth more than ten men. A string of high profile operations, including one that led to the capture of men suspected of fatally shooting a Gold Coast detective, has seen Bosun emerge as one of the force's most prized assets, the Courier Mailreports. Bosun returned to service on Sunday night, nearly a month after he was mauled by two dogs that belonged to an Upper Coomera man who was later charged with drug and weapon offences. And far from easing back into police work, Bosun was immediately in the thick of it, helping apprehend an alleged armed car thief by biting him as he tried to flee. The suspect led police on a high speed car chase around Surfers Paradise before he abandoned his vehicle and fled into bushland at Arundel. Bosun found the alleged thief hiding in a lantana patch and bit the suspect when he tried to kick him. Senior-Constable Wayne Algie, who has looked after Bosun since he joined the force as a pup, said his sidekick was definitely the pick of the litter. "He's a hard dog," he said. "He's got drive and a good work ethic. Dogs like him are worth 10 blokes with the amount of work they do." Bosun lives with Senior-Constable Algie and his family and even though the canine is nearing retirement age the pair will not be separated. The German Shepherd will spend his retirement undertaking the lower-profile job of protecting the Algie family home. <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">

My opinion may not be popular but anyhow... You don't need a halti. Get yourself a check chain (or martingale, or even a prong collar) and learn how to give the dog a decent, well timed correction. At the moment he understands that there is a reward for focussing on you, BUT there is a much higher self reward in lunging at other dogs - and right now there is no consequence for that behaviour. You need to be clearer in what you want. Halti's and no-pull harnesses only mask the behaviour, not deal with the cause. On top of that the problem rarely lies with the dog - it's usually (and un-intentionally) the owner. I had this point rammed home to me on the weekend so you're not the only one.

Thanks for the responses. I'll be keeping a very close eye on her for the next few weeks until I can suss out her cycle. The dogs only get supervised interaction regardless. I'm hoping for the same effect here. My boy has been incredibly sooky over the past few weeks though. I thought it was a side effect from the Suprelorin but perhaps not..? Another question; are bitch pants worth the hassle?

My young female Malinois has just come into season for the first time. Is it advisable to keep her separated from my entire male from the first day of her cycle? Or only once the discharge changes from bloody to clear/pink? He has a current Suprelorin implant, however I don't wish to tempt fate or chance the risk of infection either... Also, can anyone point me in the direction of some good online resources regarding the heat cycle? Thank you

VAN shouldn't require much preparation time anyway, make it up in bulk and fridge/freeze it until needed - 2kg of VAN soaked in 2L water overnight + 6kg mince will make up 10kg of pre-prepared food. If you want breakfast to be more entertaining for the dog then stuff the VAN in a Kong and give him that in the mornings.

LOL I got this one when I was at the airport with one of the mal puppies. "Oh I live in an apartment, so a mini German Shepherd would be PERFECT for me!" (When asked what the pup was I said a Belgian Malinois, after the blank expression, I added 'a bit like a GSD just slightly smaller') No amount of explaining would sway this lady :laugh: Yeah, all fun and games ...until they realise that this 'mini GSD' is more like a tornado with teeth.

"If the dog is wagging its tail it's not serious." Really?? try it and find out. "My dog is bigger than yours / would kick your dogs arse in a fight." (Why??) "My dog/my friends dog is definitely part Ridgeback, you can really see his ridge when he's angry! ...but he doesn't look much like yours [confused look] " "Oh, I want a German Shepherd but they are too big and shed too much, I should get one of those instead". (Pointing at my Malinois). But most amusing are the looks of pitty because "snow dogs are supposed to be fluffy" - Malinois not MalaMUTE you dip-shit

We're getting engaged mum

Really? Who cares if someone wants to eat with their dog on their lap? I'd prefer a fat little pug at the next table over a screaming baby, or a toddler mashing it's food all over the place. I might take the Mali out for brunch on the weekend

I don't see how it's all that strange? Some dogs aren't friendly, regardless of how they appear. It doesn't necessarily mean that anything 'happened' to them either. My eldest dog is well bred, well trained, was socialised as a pup, affectionate and trustworthy with his family and those he knows, can remain neutral in most situations (around bikes, kids, crowds, etc), but he's certainly not friendly and can be quite reactive if attention is forced on him. If you asked to pat him in the street I would respond in the same was - no, he's not friendly. Be thankful that the owner is responsible.

Crate her inside after her dinner and teach her to calm down during this time. Some dogs seem to get a burst of energy after eating, however large deep chested breeds can be prone to bloat. No way I would be letting the dog run around within an hour before or after a meal.

This was on nine msn this morning, too funny! http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8497821/russian-model-hurls-dog-poo-into-womans-car Here's the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy6D0yM32AM

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8497351/ecstatic-owner-reunited-with-stolen-puppy <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">

Thanks for the ideas.

Can anyone tell me where I can buy a replacement plastic tray to fit a 36" VeboPet crate? (90cm x 55cm) Vebopet do sell them but postage is going to cost me $35 for one tray

Cooked, mashed pumpkin and/or sweet potato. Pureed raw fruit and veg will also act as a filler but I don't think it will add bulk.

PM Wayrod http://www.dolforums...er/9391-wayrod/

If she were my dog I'd do several things: 1. Take the dog to a chiro. Sounds like she may have some pain issues? A good vet chiro will be able to help with this or at the very least rule it out. 2. Run her through the Leerburg establishing pack structure program or similar http://leerburg.com/articles.htm#pack - basically the dog is crated then taken out only for walks, training, toileting, etc. When you take her out she is always on a leash (solves your running away problem). Taking her out regularly should fix your toilet training issues too - Personally I'd ditch the paper and take her outside instead. 3. NILIF/Control all resources, including toys, food and praise/affection. These are your things that you share with her, not the other way around. 4. Build a secure day run/pen/yard/whatever inside your yard. She's a small dog, a few star droppers and some strong 4ft wire mesh would be cheap and easy, otherwise a decent dog run would be even better. Put a warm kennel in there, some toys and a bone or Kong and make sure she has shelter and shade. When you're working, busy with the baby and/or unable to take the dog out regularly to toilet then this is where she goes. None of these things have to last forever, the dog can still have as much praise, play and affection as you wish to give her - but all on YOUR terms. You can gradually give her more and more freedom as she matures and shows she is ready for it. Hope the desexing surgery went well.

Congratulations

Dyzney, that is a really good idea. Is it possible that you could take a pic or pop a rough copy up (omitting your personal details of course)? I'd be interested in doing something similar but not sure where to start..

Second fear period. Don't push her, if she's not comfortable with people don't let them approach. Who cares what they think. Pushing her to be friendly to make someone else feel better could have some nasty consequences and will likely make the behaviour worse - not better, your dogs well-being is more important.

I'm pretty sure they are to run until dropped on verbal command. The handler downs the dog on the judges command. From the rule book:

Ridgeback's make good watch dogs due to their size and deep bark, they are protective of their families and will happily bail up an intruder. However it's more song and dance than anything else and if threatened most will turn tail and run. They are medium energy, they still need a good walk or two each day but are happy to laze around in between. Mine is good with kids he knows, not so much with those he doesn't, same goes for adults. Don't know much about the Bullmastiff sorry. Have you considered a German Shepherd?

I'm not entirely convinced that there is a 'fur trade' in the Riverland either...

Scarily similar story in our local paper today (I don't have a link available so will re-type):