SmoothieGirl

I'm a Project Director If we are talking about the dog world she would be in Public Relations no doubt about it...if we are converting them to the human world...hmmm tricky, maybe a Private Detective, she's friendly, but also suspicious of new people and has a high propensity to stranger danger. Either way she would enjoy her job and be a hard worker.

Congratulations to the new addition to your family. While of course you will never forget beloved Rocco, I hope Red is a distraction to your pain. I must say he is a VERY handsome man. I know little of the breed, but I'm impressed. Looking forward to more photos as he grows up and settles into your pack.

How about my effort, I broke my wrist three years ago taking just myself for a walk on flat ground. Idiot! You're ok Robbi, can't be perfect all the time, have a giggle about it. Brass clips

Oh my lord, no thank god. She is a soft dog, with not a lot of nerve and rarely ever argues - she is a gem (although a little more nerve would be nice). I on the other hand am much more like my first dog was, my Dobermann and I were a quite force to be reckoned with, pity the door to door salesperson knocking on the front door! :D But its a nice cohesive household and nothing lowers my blood pressure and combats my work stresses like my Bronte girl.

Sorry I haven't read all of the post, so I apologise if this has already been said. I think every situation is different....but I believe they are pack animals and should have the opportunity to play with their own kind. We can only be their pack leader to an extent, we don't speak dog and can't get down on our hands and knees and belt round doing those fabulous zoomies with them. Interestingly this hits home with me even more when I see like breeds playing together. My Collie plays really well with an Aussie Sheperd, they are so sweet together and really 'get' each others games. She plays well with all breeds, but its not always as rhythmic and fluid in the play style. Would we like it if we were segregated from humans, able to see them, say hello, but not truly interact? No I don't think I'm projecting human behaviour onto animals, I just don't presume to think that we humans always know best, especially for another species. However, if I was concerned about my dog meeting new dogs, then I'd construct it that she could still play but in a much more controlled situation with proven well socialised dogs and probably with dogs of a similar breed or play style. At the end of the day we can't wrap them in cotton wool and they have co-existed for thousands of years developing their own communication style and as long as they are well socialised, they will figure most things out for themselves. And that there is the trick, they need to be well socialised to be able to hold their own in all sorts of situations with other dogs. Anyways, that's my two cents worth.

I love the Pap too, awesome little dog, but the more I watch those Shelties, the more I think...one day. Off to see if my catch up ticket is working today and watch some of the stuff that was on later in the evening.

:cool: :D In my humble opinion, you couldn't do better (not that I'm at all biased :D ) Ah PM, you beat me to it. I was going to say a Smoothie pup is an excellent choice. Although with you both, I'm also a Poodle fan, especially those leggy Standards - one day, but not my next pup.

Not too far off the track just on the west side of the Westgate Bridge, using the Williamstown Rd exit, is Newport Lakes off Mason St. Just past the car park and the children's playground its split into two halves, one is a bird sanctuary(strictly no dogs) and the other is a dog park with grassy areas and bushes and trees to run through and a circular track around a large open space. There is also a Routleys bakery on Mason St on the left hand side of the road as you drive to the Lakes from Williamstown Rd. Sorry no idea about people toilets though.

They are walking the course now for the small dog agility - I'm addicted!

I'm researching my next pup at the moment. Will be from a registered breeder and of those on my research list most are DOL members, but not all - the internet isn't for everyone.

I'm in Spotswood and went back to my old club Werribee. I really enjoy it and they are nice and flexible and love positive training.

Pug64 I only read the first sentence and the first word that came to mind was 'harmony' and that was before I saw you use it later in the post. I haven't read the other posts, but I think it sounds like Harmony Haven.

Well Pointees I think you know the answer, but we do obed, bush walks, visit my horse and let her run mad with another doggy friend, we have regular doggy play dates with local DOL'ers and their dogs and we have started herding. Next on the list when she is a a tiny bit older, agility! Its all about the dog. Lappiemum - Herding as JulesP said, heaps of fun! Next one is 20th March.

Love that shot of Kinta and Dusty, they look like a mirror image of each other, I had to look twice. Bronte was never going to be allowed on furniture either, but having full run of the house when I'm at work, it became a little difficult to enforce. So now she is allowed on the couches and sleeps with me on the bed with the cat. She's a neat sleeper though and doesn't take up much room.

Poor baby, I bet that hurt a lot. Sounds like its time for the tiny play pen to come out and lots of stationery playtime with soft toys and chew ropes. Keeping them occupied is the hardest part. My girl fractured a growth plate on her hind leg and was restricted for a quite a while and I used it as a good time to teach her some games. She was much older, six months, so ready to learn retrieve using the back training clicker method. Natsu Chan put me on to this, a great thing to teach a dog that can't really move around. Might be a little much for this tiny tot, worth the suggestion though, they might have fun with it. Oh, I also taught, Hi-Five, Shake Paw, Shake Other Paw. And another two they could teach is nose to hand targetting and play dead.

Flexible video tripod has been ordered, as soon as I have that I'll get some video and post. Bronte is working quite well at the moment, but I bet she'll make a liar of me when I go to video it. Brigidstarr, love your little girls giggle when Acteon runs to her for his cuddle. They both look like lovely dogs. Vickie, I want a Trim, she is gorgeous. I really enjoyed watching your vids people, very inspiring.

Great news Flux. Just when you think they are never going to get stuff they do!

No - it's a PhD so they take a little while don't they?. As to 'results" I think the main point of the study is to see if a scientifically valid test is actually possible (she concedes it might not be) - but am sure some interesting data may become apparant. Perhaps she will publish some preliminary findings/theories/observations? Smoothiegirl - getting our rescue collie was the best thing we ever did. He's a gorgeous cuddlebunny and a great mate for ort little mutt. Here's my favourite KismetKat, your dogs are lovely. Isn't Dany beautiful. My god, he is such a Collie, they have a really particularity to their play don't they, especially the use of their front paws and the pouncing. Bronte has always been very expressive with her paws. I watched the other vid of them at the retreat and I think I was as excited as you were to see Dany follow Rosie through the tyre, so cute. There are many many reasons I want another Collie, but I really want Bronte to have buddy that plays on Collie terms.

SM I have a small yard, probably about the size you have described. My girl grew up here though, so isn't use to a large yard, she has had access to indoors unsupervised via a dog door since about 8 months. She is just fine, I really don't know that she would use a large yard much unless I was out there with her. She is walked twice a day, goes to dog day care one day a week, gets a loose walk/run about three or four days a week and we attend formal training one to two days a week. I'm planning on introducing another dog at the end of the year and I don't think this will be an issue. Btw, my grass is in great nick, she has a sand pit to dig in now, although did try to dig the lawn as a little pup. That was easy fixed though, I put down one of those Bunnings wire compost panels over the hole, filled it with garden soil and let the grass grow over. I think it really depends on your dog. I would enjoy having a larger more active dog, but I'm not prepare to take the risk that my yard is too small for a gundog or something like that. For my Collie girl it is fine. Edit - Wrote too quick and made mistakes. Jeez, just had to edit the edit note.

Two Spirit, I love this one too. It maybe that her colouring appeals to me, I don't know. I normally find these dolls quite creepy and I don't get them, but she really caught my eye. Edited because I'm grammatically challenged at this time of night.

Clicking Mad, the colour shot of the liver Dally with those amazing eyes is magnificent. If that were a shot of my dog, it would be framed and on my wall.

Years ago when I got my Dobe I started researching breeders a year out and meeting breeders about six months from when I got her, it just so happened that I found my breeder when she was three days old, so I also got to look at her too. For my current girl, I started researching and meeting about six months out. I've been researching breeders for my next doggie for the last month and will start meeting breeders from around April/May, I've made contact with most of them all already. Ideally a pup wouldn't be ready to come home early 2011. I have a very specific idea about my next dog though, so when I meet the perfect breeder I will stick with them and wait for the right pup - so it may be available earlier or later than I expect.

Lol if you translate that into beeps for morse code you get three short bips, three long bips, three short bips = SOS Said he was a smart doggie Now if only I knew the morse code for "Timmy's down the well" Smoothiegirl - the collie is not a pup, he's 3. We've had him for over 1 year. He's generally so affable (tho a little tiny bit reserved) I really did not think he would react that way. I would not have put him thru it if I thought he'd get stressed (tho funnily enough I expected the mutt to stress, which she didn't, but that didn't bother me so much, but as the collie is a rescue... perhaps he was thinking he was in the pound again???) gunlover - I don't think it's like being at the vet's. Collie is fine at the vet's but the mutt isn't so good. It IS a "strange" situation though. From what the student said, some dog's don't give a rat's tho. She mentioned one dog that, as soon as the owner left, ran over and flung itself into the "stranger's" lap and kissed him to death. I wonder in the scales of possible behaviour there is one named "total tart" Hmm, it gets more and more intriguing. When my girl goes to the vet she loves the waiting area, yips and yaps to say hi to everyone, patients, nurses, vets and the clinic cat - she loves cats. She's a quite subdued and a little worried in the diagnosis rooms, but she happily goes in them. Didn't used to, but does these days. However when I took her to a different vet last week to see a dermatologist she was very quiet and concerned in the entire place, the waiting room being no different to the cubicle. So it seems with her that it depends quite a bit on prior experience of a particular place. ps. Well done on taking on a rescue Collie.

KK, your Collie's reaction is what I would expect Bronte would do. She's went into stranger danger mode when she turned 10 months, particularly with men. Once she has met them a few times she's ok, but I think doing this test she would initially freak out, especially when I left the room. I'll have a look at the details, but I'm not sure I would want to put her in that kind of situation given her age, I actually want her to get over her stranger danger phase. Fascinating study though, especially your other dogs reactions. I suspect while your dog couldn't see you, it could smell you. Edit - Can't type.

That was unreal. I love the Whippy, that little tongue and so pleased. Also watching the back feet of the chocolate dog as he takes off was really interesting.