ChristineX

Currently building, so arranged for a hot and cold water point outside the laundry.... In the meantime, the bathroom has been set up with an eye to dog washing.

I only have experience with Kathy via my reactive dog, but she's great with dogs, and great with people. Worth checking into! Worth every cent, for us. (And my dog would go home with her in a heartbeat, and not miss me at all!)

Pumpkin - raw or cooked! And Kate's dad was nuts about pineapple.

Let me raid my piggybank!

Do you mean to say you still have places available???

Its a good book! But hearing that clear run now do electronic books - oh my poor bank account!

Sorry Sheridan - missed your post! It was a Xmas gift from the sister-in-law - I think she got it online - I will ask when she gets back into Perth. Duke's Xmas gift - finding out he can get thru an 8 cm gap - okay, I may need to rethink my new fences, here. Christine.

Over the internet is the cheapest way to buy the collars - no cartridge, its released from the collar by the heat of the dogs neck. which means when its hot, the DAP gets used up sooner. The box tells you when to replace the collar, but if your dog is spending its days outside in the heat, I'd take a week or so off that time.

That's pretty typical - my two would jump in anyone's car too. It's not suprising that one of my xmas gifts was a tee shirt - 'frequent victim of an irish terrier drama' - these guys excell! Thanks for getting him home safely! ChristineX

Oh yeah - Irish Terriers really don't feel/show much in the way of pain! They bounce until the pain is bad enough to make them collapse. I am always having a lot of interesting conversations with vets about the need for pain control - the most interesting one being one vet saying "it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or discomfort" - while I'm watching that corner of his mouth starting to tic - which is usually a precursor to biting! I now have enough of a raport with my local vets that if I say Duke's in pain (it's always Duke, Kate is too smart to get herself into trouble) they believe me. The toe game - sorry, but I think it's going to take a couple of months to transfer the fun to another type of game! Remember - every time you laugh when PJ goes for the toes, that's at least another 3 weeks of Toe Fun! Merry Xmas, too! Christine.

Yeah, sheepskin slippers/boots/rugs - just different words for "Best Toy Ever"! I haven't managed to meet one of the Tawnyoak IT's yet - Duke is from Shannawona (Ruth) in Victoria, and Kate is from Nerida at Anluan Kennels in WA. Best dogs ever! (for those who occasionally read about Duke, yes I am fully aware that he is 150% Lunatic, as well as a total Drama Queen)and I still luv the sod! You could try keeping one of those "no longer working" slippers handy - when PJ goes for the toes, wiggle the slipper instead! And don't laugh when she goes for the toes - its the very best encouragement an Irish Terrier knows! See if you can install the habit of going for a tug of war with the broken sheepskin instead of the toes. From memory, Kate was about 18 months when she finally started to let me sleep in! Patience, it will happen :) These guys are so much fun!

Hi Zuzu, welcome to DOL and congrats on getting one of the best breeds available (yes, I'm a little biased, I have two) Kate stopped biting fingers at about 4/5 months. Unfortunately, toes and socks (on feet) she was still going strong at 9 months. Okay, I should not have been laughing - it only encourages them. I fixed it by bringing her dad home. She was too busy bugging him to remember my toes and socks! :D By the way, what's her name, and where did you get her from? (yes, I'm a stickybeak!) ChristineX

Hi Bronsoon, welcome to the club! I'm a longterm client of Kathy's, so if you have any questions, just ask! And yes, dogs are amazing once you start working with them, :) , I would not be without my two, even Duke (Kathy's client)! A book to add to everyone's list - Terrier-Centric Dog Training - from Tenacious to Tremendous by Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell. I thought it would be about terrier oriented training, but 80% of the book is devoted to management of reactivity! One of the interesting ideas is to teach your dog to move from your left side while walking, around your back to your right side to continue walking - in order to gain that little bit more distance from the object of reactivity!

With Duke, I found that walking him everyday meant he never got a chance to relax and clear the adrenaline from his system - he did much better with a walk every second or third day. And lots more training games at home. He's now 6, and I'm switching to grooming/petting/massage instead of a lot of the training sessions, but I still don't take him out every day. He goes too maniac if I do. Every dog is different, with their issues coming from different causes. The 'fun' for us is in trying to sort out which cause/s and which approach works best for the dog in front of us.

When I was looking for an irish terrier breeder - I found her in the newspaper - didn't know about dogswest back then! :) Or have access to the internet (actually, I didn't have a computer then either. Kate, who came from her, is now 11.5 years old. Where did the time go?)

Just to muddy the waters for you - Kate developed urinary incontinence at 18 months - but it coincided with being placed on Hills ZD low allergen diet. It turned out that for her, it was related to the food - give her a couple of Good O's a week and the incontinence is gone. Propalin did nothing for her, and the doses she was on kept rising - she is now 11/5 years and we have not had her on any drugs - apart from the Good O's. Sometimes, its not spay incontinence!

Combination of factors, for me. Firstly, I'm working thru several health problems, moved in with Mum while I get my house sorted and have to fit in with her routine - plus I am getting frustrated with the new trainer. She's a recent dog training graduate and I guess I don't like the 'vibe' i get from her - probably something I need to work on. Duke admittedly goes more for practice at being around other dogs, Kate goes because she has fun but at 11.5 years her legs are starting to get a bit shakey... We will be back - it's enjoyable - just at the moment not working out.

Hi Sheridan, Duke's chiro suggested a fitball (ie stand on ball with front legs, get treats), we were progressing to moving fitball but Duke decided to play Doctors (RIP fitball No. 2, like fitball No.1 he did not survive surgery). We also do massage on the back and up along the spine. Also teaching that elephant trick on the phonebooks as well. Seems to be working for Duke (so far, anyhow. Chiro sessions are getting longer between visits). Also, apparently a bit of backwards walking, (still working on that one), walking in soft sand, uphill and downhill (which is problamatic for me currently)all help, laddering is also supposed to be beneficial, but Duke (of course) wants to walk ON the rungs, not between them.There are also stretches which help - using treats to encourage the head horizontally round to the tail direction for stretching and strengthening is one I am currently using a lot. Duke has spent a couple of years with insufficient muscle along the spine to keep the vertebrae aligned.

Just an update on Duke - we finished another reactive rover class this afternoon, but I needed the loo. Bad mistake - because all the fluffybums and ankle biters came out in force! (Duke's scared of the littlies - he still thinks they are stuffed toys so why are they smelling and sounding like real dogs?) And of course, we got aggressively rushed by a pair of tenterfields. I think you could have heard Duke's hysteria a couple of kilometres away easily. And then, driving out, there were a pair of small fluffies (mostly white, which is a Duke Danger colour) and I think I have lost a bit more hearing (thank you Duke). One day, not even these will bother the Duke. It might take me another couple of years, though.

Yes, I can confirm it. If Duke is walked during a cyclone, he is not reactive. Otherwise,we are now at the stage where if the other dog is calm, he copes. If the other dog is not,or has 'attitude',Duke still looses the plot. Nevermind, I have the rest of his life to keep working on his reactivity.

I'd second x-rays and a good chiro - duke had foot/leg problems and we were seeing vets for months - my favourite vet (now moved on, damn it) finally figured it out - pinched nerve. A good chiro put Duke's back back into place, and we've since been working (with the chiro) to build up muscle mass around the spine to keep it in place. It's worth considering the possibility.

I have found a way to walk Duke with no sign of being reactive ..... go walking in cyclonic conditions :laugh: ! We had a reactive rover class during the 'storm' that hit Perth the other Sunday - trees upturned over roads the works. Duke was as happy as a pig in mud and NOTHING fazed him. Not even Coco (white with red patches) who usually sends him into hysterical orbit, or the new rottweiler who couldn't keep still (these days normally brings out "big brother" is about to bop you side of him). Okay, that means going walking in public - what - twice a year in Perth? I think that there is way too much Irish in my Irish Terrier! this week we are going back, but it currently looks like a calm, sunny day and I will be waiting with held breathe to see how reactive he is going to be.

Hi Space Cadet - you could also get a good Chiro to see if the lumbar spine are still aligned - your young dog sounds a lot like Duke the first time he 'misplaced' a vertebrae - but a good vet is still the first step. Welcome, and best wishes to your young dog.

Hi Tixx, it seems to me that going from home to a large group was too much of a step up in distractions - can you gradually increase the amount of distracting going on, and work up to a large group of dogs? If the grounds where the class are being held is large enough, start at the opposite end of the grounds and work your way in towards them, one step at a time (practicing all those commands/tricks) until you can join them with your boy staying focused. It does take time, it's not an instant fix.

have a look in the puppies for sale and follow the links on Famoso and Itacor breeders - lots of good information and these are good breeders. I think they would love to talk to someone serious about getting a Cane Corso. Lovely dogs - but my god - huge!