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Ah the joy of living in the country far far away from the experts!!! Certainly would be great to have a chat to someone who might shed some light on the situation! I even tried the dog loving doctors at work but they are still trying to get their heads around artificial pheromones so weren't much good. Please don't misunderstand me, Jane is great behaviour wise now. I think thats why I was so surprised at the change in her behaviour when the dap was turned off for 10 hours. It was so extreme!!

Tenille W, The article on the collars does sound interesting so a copy would be most appreciated. I don't normally have a collar on her as she and Gus play too much for it to be safe but if she were to ever need a stay at the vets for any reason, it may be a handy tool to have. I don't really want to keep her on the Dap but if it is the only way for her to react 'normally' within her environment then I will continue to use it.

Neknbet, the thing is she normally dosen't run about at odd hours. She sleeps on my bed and is normally content and settled. Training wise, we used positive reinforcement and clicker training which she responds to very well although I would be the first to admit that there are way better trainers out there than me. The trouble is that when she is as hyped up as she was the other day, she dosen't seem to be able to respond to the training as her ability to concentrate has gone while she is hyper-stimulated by every thing around her. Diet wise she has a combination of Advance dry, chicken frames, sardines and whole eggs with shells as well as training treats and the odd stolen morsel.

Hang in there Tlc...it can only get better from now on! You are very brave, me...I'm a big sooky la la and would need someone to put me in a coma for about a week!

Tlc...the dap refills are $38 and last between 3 and 4 weeks. If this is the medicine that works best for Jane then its a small price to pay but I suppose I really just want an answer as to why she needs this and if she will always need this. Megan...you are right, Jane would probably make a good working dog as she seems to love training and new situations certainly have never fazed her. The dap dosen't in any way 'dope' her out. It seems to merely let her be normal if you know what I mean. With it she gets to play, interact and respond to her environment in a way that I would consider normal for a young dog plus she also gets the opportunity to relax. Without it all hell breaks loose and more importantly to me, her enjoyment of life goes out the window. When she was a young pup, we couldn't even pat her as even this caused an esculation in her activity levels.

Poor you TLC! Hope you start to feel better soon. Do you have the dreaded lurgy thats been going around?

Hmmm....just out of interest, Kirty, what breed was she? BTW...Jane loves other dogs and is not really a barker however she has always been very easily visually stimulated even by objects far away. Once at dog school she was fixated on a tiny peice of paper being blown along the ground. It was easily 300 metres away and not a single other dog appeared to have noticed it!

Hey Tlc, Haven't tried the recue remedy as the dap seems to do the job and once the dap was going again she went back to 'normal'! As for Gus, silly young pup that he is, he just ran around after her and thought it was great fun! They weren't so much playing together though as Jane was much too distracted by EVERYTHING! Gus was just following her around waiting for the next adventure. I could see that he was enjoying the show whereas poor Jane just wasn't!

Thanks for the replies! Interestingly, I don't think of Jane as being an anxious dog. She is actually a super friendly, quite fearless and adventurous Labby x. The only time she has seemed distressed is this morning and as a young pup when her 'off' switch dosen't work and she just can't STOP! Hard to explain, but its not anxiety that makes her go hyper, its like she gets distressed trying to stop being hyper once she has started! I'm also wondering whether dogs can have A.D.D!

As some of my previous posts have indicated, Jane is a pretty full on but lovely and loving dog. She does however seem to need the DAP diffuser to maintain a normal emotional state that enables her to still be switched on but also to rest and respond to external stimulus in a normal way. She is now 19 months old and we have had a diffuser since she was about 14 weeks old. Before then she was an extremely hyper pup who never slept until she literally fell asleep from exhaustion late at night. She actually used to be distressed trying to rest. The first night we had the diffuser on was the first time we saw her fall peacefully asleep in the lounge room in the early evening. We have since had the dap going from that time on. Last night, with the dap almost finished, I decided to turn the thing off and unplug it from the wall thinking that maybe she had outgrown the need. At 4.30am all hell broke loose. Jane was wide awake and as hyped up as she was as a pup. Running through the house, charging out the backyard and stealing and playing with anything she could get her mouth on. Now at no time was she aggressive, just hyper playful and full of so much energy. Her level of play was off the scale and lasted for nearly 5 hours. When I got the opportunity to touch her, she was excessively hot and I would have to say that she looked distressed. At 7am i repluged the almost empty diffuser back in and she collapsed in a heap at about 9am and slept for most of the day. Those 5 hours were like her early puppy hood all over again! I would LOVE to know what the hell is wrong with her that she is so dependant on the diffuser to act normally. Is she missing a hormone or chemical that the Dap is providing? My vet just says if the dap is working then just go with it but after this morning I'm thinking that I want to investigate the cause further. I just don't know which way to go. Is there blood tests that may show something is missing or could it maybe be a physical problem with her brain or endocrine system??? If anyone has any thoughts or if they have a dog who has shown similar behaviours, I would be rapt to hear from you. She has got me worried and extremely confused!

Nah...Thats definitely the work of Jane. Just need to figure out how she got to Queensland and back in one day

Hey Jess...What about absailing in the Grampians (with an instructer/guide) then lunch at the Dunkeld pub. If the boss is shouting you may as well eat at the best pub in Victoria!!!

Yep...Gus is my little dobber mate. He always lets out high pitched Yippy barks when ever Jane is up to no good stealing something she should'nt have. Then I unashamably use him to get Jane to leave what ever it is she shouldn't have by treating him bigtime in a training session. Jane just can't resist joining in so invaribly gives up her stolen treasure! Sure beats hurling verbal abuse at her while I chase her around the backyard!

Geez Jess...That sounds damn scary! Bloody idiots! I know that on some places on that road theres nowhere to go but up or down a steep embankment so I'm glad you are all ok!. Might be worth while reminding the powers that be that that road is signed as part of the rail trail connection so it is considered usable by peadestrians, walkers, bike riders and horse riders so speeding cars are a real hazard! Tlc...Training was good and Jane did really well although I had to tag team Jane and Gus as Allie came but was really un well so she baby sat the dogs in the car. I can see that Jane could be quite good at Rally-o as she is very responsive at the moment. We only had a small group so it was quite a good day.

Well done Darcy and Jess! Tlc...sounds like you had a great day! Were the dogs with you today?

Wow the photos are taking ages to load...damn internet! I'm keen to take Jane to training tomorrow...my god I missed her and Gus so they had to cope with lots of cuddles today. Gus is a maybe for training. Just depends on how Allie pulls up after her trip. She and her friend coped very well with the 8 metre swells we had on the boat over to Tassie and sorry all...I think the sunshine is staying where I left it. They have actually had a drought over winter. Lots of brown dry grass around Richmond which was abit of an eye-opener after all the lush green around here. Tlc, have fun at the induction tomorrow. Hopefully you will have lots to tell us tomorrow night! And about no more footy after today....

Hi everyone. Just back from Tassie...Sunny fine weather everyday....sorry guys! Just finished reading all the posts so here goes... TLC, Tully and Lacey :mad Well done on passing the Delta assessment! You guys are amazing! Pandii...sorry about the car. It always happens when you need them the most! JJ....Congrats on the new arrivals. Snakes and lizards are fine but spiders are a definite with me. Jess...Bad luck about Ballarat but I'm glad you're girls are continueing to improve. Go darcy and Zee! RJ....Happy belated birthday to the Boofta. Hope he had a great day! Oh...and planes...er well I was on a flight many years ago where one of the engines did fail and burst into flames. Pretty scary but we managed to land safely and everyone was ok but it does mean I also have a fear of flying now! Cooper...love the photo but I can't say I'm happy with your choice of colours!!!!

Sounds like my two are going to be the only 'nudists' left in this thread :D I probably won't be near a computer when I go to Tassie tomorrow so...Best of luck on Saturday Tlc! I know the girls will do you Proud!

Nothing to add except to say that he is a lovely looking pup and I LOVE LOVE LOVE his name

Might be an idea to check out the recue places. I know the RSPCA in Warrnambool have had a number of labs in the recent past.

Wouldn't mind the drive...It would be great to train after work in the cool of the evening in Summer and the Dogs (and I) would love it! Couldn't committ to every week as my finishing hour changes depending on the roster at work but I reckon I could manage it most of the time!

JJ...Maybe I missed something speed reading but what the hell bit you??? The curiosity is killing me! I'm sure Tarni will be fine...she's probably just going through a stage! Must get Gus out and about more with people as I have noticed he is abit fearful when strange people want to pat him ( similar to how you described how Tarni is with strange dogs). Two groups of people wanted to say hello to him tonight on our walk and he was abit uncomfortable. Problem is that its been so bloody cold and wet and dark since we have had him that we really haven't encountered alot of stranger interaction on our walks til now so its a new experience for him. I had some training treats in my pocket so gave the people some to encourage him which helped but of course, even though I asked them to pat him under his chin and neck, they all wanted to do the 'pat on the head' thing...very frustrating! Funnily enough, he is very comfortable with the strangers at dog training so it is environment specific at the moment. Took me abit by surprise tonight. At 7 months, I think he may be in a 'fear stage'. We might be interested in some mid week training over summer if possible too. Pandii...Thanks for letting us know where you saw us. You must have caught Gus on his rare moment of not pulling on the lead! Tlc...Love the birthday shot of your doggies...very very cute!

Did you? Were you in Camperdown...Should have stopped and said hello! Where abouts were we when you spotted us? To Shannon and Bruno! :D Bruno sounds like he had a fantastic day, Hope Shannons was just as good!

Ok...Toys...best ones we have had have been the rope tugtoys from Bargain Basement at $2.50 each and so far indestructable. They also sell large 'tennis' balls that are great. Tough as and no choking hazard even for my big mouthed dogs. Gotta say though that Jane and Gus's all time favourite toy is the trusty old explorer sock. Its stretchy, chewy and (almost) indestructable. Oh...and Gus loves sticks. Not encouraged but when you have a garden full of them its hard to stop. Beds....Not til they are too old to get up on the furniture I'm afraid. Jane would just try to shove one through the doggy door anyway so we don't go there! Collars...I like the IGA ones that have a buckle...much more trustworthy then the clicky ones that can break but then we only use the collars when we go for a walk. Congrats in advance on your new pup. The fun is about to begin

Geez...what a horrible accident! You must have been beside yourself to see and have to deal with such a terrible wound! I hope Yogi and you recover quickly!