Zug Zug

I think the bonding thing would come up if you simply left the 2 dogs to run together all the time. The key is spending one to one quality time with each dog separately, and doing the training yourself to help that bond between you get strong. Not sure about cats - I suspect separation would be in order.

Raineth good points. I have been doing some of those things (not coats in this weather yet, but that time will come), and bite inhibition is the only thing I am actively using corrections for at present. He is a little alligator at the moment - he's learning but it has been a bit painful at times so this has become a priority. I love this puppy stuff - but given it had been 14 years since my last puppy I've had to re-learn it from scratch.

Another vote for Mark Singer - glad you have contacted him. He's helped me with some issues lately and he has been very helpful and also reassuring and sensible.

Hmm. Was that news I wonder? Reads like a paid (or unpaid) advertisement to me.

Fantastic videos - very clear aren't they? Now saved to favourites on my web browser. Tempting to fly across for her seminar as well.

Another vote for a Border Terrier. Great little dogs - compact, sensible, easy care, smart. Why not go to some shows and meet a couple, and see if you like them? I also think they are a nice, honest looking breed that would suit a rural situation. Also they won't show the dirt too badly. :) I have had a Bichon Frise and while I absolutely love this breed, and will definitely have one again one day, I don't think I'd recommend them for a rural property. They pick up everything and I think it would be hard to keep them in this situation unless you confined the pup to the house and a small (paved or lawned) yard. But I think you want a dog that can take part in family activities more than that, so a Bichon would not be ideal I think. Same for the Havanese I would suggest.

I have a pup at home now who turns 10 weeks old tomorrow - we have had him for 1.5 weeks so far. He has developed an enormous amount in that small amount of time, both physically and mentally. He has already learned so much, and we are working hard to ensure he is getting lots of great socialising experiences. And of course toilet training moves forward very quickly at this age (or not, if things aren't managed correctly). I think this is time the puppy needs to spend in its new household, and taking part in a whole range of new experiences that are unlikely to be on offer in a breeder's household, where there are still potentially several pups to care for. So I agree with an earlier post - get the pup between 8-9 weeks if you can. While 12 weeks would not be the end of the world if the breeder is very dedicated, there is no guarantee she/he is teaching the puppy the way you would choose, and you would miss out on so much during those weeks.

They are missing one that I know of - the puppy park in the City of Charles Sturt (at Renown Park). Dedicated area for puppies under 12 months old, with a separate area for older dogs I gather. More details online here: http://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=644

BTW Persephone your signature cracks me up!

I made that mistake with my older dog at several points actually. Training became too serious - she just switched off and I got all stressed. She taught me that if I don't keep it fun and light-hearted, see you later. But not all dogs are as feisty as she is - you do sometimes see dogs that are doing all their obedience exercises well but there seems to be little joy and once it's all over they'd rather just get some space. That's definitely not what I want. I want Pasha to look forward to his training sessions, because he gets to play with ME!

Thanks everyone - some great feedback. I think I'll add tug games to the training list (we'd just been doing this for fun, I wasn't really thinking of it as work). I think Susan Garrett would say they are one and the same thing. Great to hear Susan's puppy-rearing methods work well. I have been reading her book Shaping Success and am a member of her PuppyPeaks website which is full of great ideas. While I don't kid myself that I could emulate the success she has with her dogs, and I do think corrections have their place in raising a puppy, I could certainly have fun playing some of those games. Great to hear you've had a good experience with this approach Buddy1. Ness what great videos! So many ideas of fun things to teach to your dogs. The dogs in those videos are having a ball, which is a great advertisement for this style of training. Just a question though: when you are all talking about 'foundation exercises' what exactly do you mean? Are these some of the puppy games in Susan's book? Or something else? ETA: Huski I think I understand what you're getting at. I do want a dog that is well-behaved, not just great at lots of tricks. I think that's why I have 2 lists going - one for 'things' and one for life lessons. I agree if push came to shove the life lessons are the most important at this age. And also having a great time together playing, which I agree is fundamentally important. No point getting too serious - and a puppy just wouldn't cope with too much serious stuff/pressure anyway would they?

I have recently brought home a beautiful 9 week old black standard poodle puppy, and his training began immediately. He is now almost 10 weeks old and has been with me for a whole week! Pasha will be a pet first and foremost, but I'd also love to take him into the obedience and agility rings one day. There is so much I need to teach him. I keep trying to make a list of 4 things to focus on in his training this week, only to keep adding to that list. I need to prioritise. So I'm interested to hear how other people tackle these very early stages of training. Which exercises do you focus on first? Why? At the moment we are working on these exercises: - sit (and stay in the sit until I say to get up - he's pretty good at this one already) - walk beside me on loose lead - drop (and stay in the drop until I say to get up) - come - go happily into your crate And these life lessons: - pee and poo on the back lawn (he has this firmly under his belt already - what a good boy!) - don't snatch the treat - take it gently - don't rush the door - sit first and come inside quietly - don't rush your food - sit first while I put the food down and eat when I say it's ok - crate time is quiet time (actually I didn't need to teach him this - it seems to come naturally to him at this age) - bath/brush and trim time is a normal part of life - rides in the car are a normal part of life Here is a photo of him doing his first wees on our back lawn within minutes of arriving home from the airport. What a good boy! Only 2 little accidents in his first week here - he has been absolutely marvellous with his toilet training. It has been 14 years since I last had a puppy, and I am absolutely smitten with him

I am sorry Megan, I don't mean to be difficult. I guess I am confused about the idea of rehabilitation and the idea of mental and physical exercise being two seperate things. To my way of thinking a structured obedience program provides both the mental and physical needs of the dog whilst at the same time solving the problem. I mean if the behavorist is only treating the DA problem itself and not the whole dog (meaning the mental and physical needs of the dog) at the same time, then I would have reason to doubt their value. But that's just me. In my experience, all the obedience and agility training in the world will do little to calm a dog's anxiety and reactiveness, particularly if it is fear aggression. Yes, they may be less 'wired' if they are tired, but the learned responses to other dogs remain a safety issue. Some dogs remain this way for life - but they still need exercise don't they? I think this is a great thread. Things I use with my reactive dog include: 1. cycling with her on our walkydog along a bicycle path (she remains very focussed on running, gets loads of exercise, can pass other dogs safely because she can't get to them) - but this might not work as safely with a large, strong dog and of course it's not legal to use on your local streets which is a shame IMO 2. fetch the frisbee on the long line at a local unfenced park. No-one else seems to take their dogs there because it's near a busy road - we go there, use the long line and have it all to ourselves 3. agree with the muzzle although I have always felt worried about it for some reason. Makes the dog look like Hannibal Lector. But seriously I need to get over this hang-up because it is a very sensible precaution Looking forward to reading ideas from others.

What about the Flat Coated Retriever? Same issue with chooks I suspect, and perhaps you would prefer a shorter coat? But fits other criteria you listed, so it depends on how short you mean by short, I guess. Weims are nice

Ps I keep the crate inside, but in a room with direct access to the garden so a quick visit to the loo is possible each time the dog comes out. For longer absences, a safe outdoor pen is preferable. Always reward your pup for entering it's crate when you ask. And make sure there are chew toys in there. Never use the crate as a punishment. You want your dog to like going in there.

Ask your breeder perhaps? The crate needs to be just large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around etc. Once fully grown. Many crates come with a removable wall panel you can progressively move back as the puppy grows. Idea is not to make the crate too big. If it is too big, the pup may decide it is ok to poo or pee down the far end. A correctly sized crate will all be considered to be 'my bed' by your dog - so they will want to leave the bed before they toilet. For this reason, a crate is a very useful tool to assist in house-training your pup. I use a crate with my dogs overnight, and at times during the day when I want them to sleep quietly for a while. Also priceless when you have a party at home, or friends bring their kids over. The crate can keep your dog safe. I would not use it for an extended absence though. Older dogs can stay in them for longer periods of up to a few hours, but pups need to start off using them at night and for short day-time sleeps only.

I think you have come up with a good solution. Obviously try her in there for short periods initially (sounds like you already have started this) critical thing will be setting up a source of water that is safe (can't be tipped out, not so deep she could drown in it) and also making sure the pen is secure and in the shade. If you want her to poo and pee on a certain surface, include some of that in the pen (eg grass or whatever you think is appropriate for your situation). I think if you don't want her peeing in the house, don't leave her unsupervised access to the house. It will take her a little while, so your strategy of an outside pen is a good one and should help her to be successful.

The perfect haircut for the perfect Adelaide weather we're having! And if you don't post another photo of the echnidna grow-back stage of this haircut I'll be very, very disappointed! (That sounds like something worth seeing, for sure, for sure)

Great thread! But so hard to separate looks from everything else you know about the different breeds! But I would say: Samoyed Old English Sheepdog Borzoi (my daughter has one now and she is stunning - really absolutely stunning thanks to her Alyosha breeding - and an angel to boot so I'm biased!) Collie (long-haired - especially the blue merle ones) Hmmmm Tibetan Terriers But all of these breeds would leave me sneezing 24/7 so I'll happily stick with my lovely curly-haired dogs. I think the look of curly hair grows on you and then you can't imagine living with anything else

Indigirl that is awful. Try not to beat yourself up - from what you've said that could have happened even under supervision. It must have been an awful shock for you - such a tragic accident. To the OP - I too have had some harsh experiences recently with a new addition to the family. Without telling you the whole story, I agree with the advice of others - separate them, give them short visits together, and don't leave them together while you are out. The safety question is very serious (as I found out recently) and you need to be more careful about this than you might initially think. It is good that she is being submissive, but it does sound like something happened while you were out that has upset them both. You will need to very gently give them a chance to get over that, and give them loads and loads of time to adjust to each other's company. I would strongly suggest the use of crates etc. to manage the comings and goings inside (assuming you bring them inside as well?)

Very short walks for Zamba at the moment. She is confined to her crate much of the time at the moment, while some stitches heal and to stop her from finding new and different ways to scratch at them. She needs quick, closely supervised breaks from that, but they are very very quick at the moment. We went out late afternoon yesterday (around 5pm) thinking it would be cooler but gave up after a few minutes and came straight back home. It is just too hot, even late in the afternoon. Looks like today will be the same. So her visits outside will just need to be confined to the back lawn today unfortunately. Luckily we have my daughter's Borzoi pup visiting us to enjoy our air conditioning. They are great together, so this gives Zamba something interesting to do when she is allowed out of the crate for short periods of time.

And the close-up of her face

Here she is - nasty cut that will hopefully heal quickly. It goes right up through her bottom eyelid, which was cut vertically in half. Sorry one of these photos is a bit graphic

Zamba and Mozart had one fight that I can recall - but never a scratch. They lived together happily for over 10 years. She is sleeping safely on his bed now. Elizabethan collar doesn't seem to worry her.

I really hope you are right.