Zug Zug

Wow 18.5 years. That is a fantastic innings. Do you mind if I ask what breeds?

I was walking on the beach on Saturday morning and came across 4 Hungarian Viszlas. Great breed - and they were all running around, happy, shiny, athletic. Just gorgeous and great to see.

She looks adorable - and I also love the name Willow!

Here is a vid from last year I think. She hasn't changed much. Yes I suppose she is pretty small. I've always thought of her as the bigger one

Thanks poodlefan. I'll give that some thought. Zamba is pretty tough but I guess I've generally been comparing her to Mozart, and he really was super-soft. Would you say the same if she was a 5 year old Miniature Poodle? Just trying to work out if it is her size or her age that is the main thing...?

What about barking? Are there big differences in how much these breeds tend to bark? Or is that so variable by individual that perhaps it is a silly question to ask... Oops sorry dogmad I didn't describe her very well did I? Zamba was born tough - Mozart was my frail oldie. I don't know why, but Zamba never seems to get sick. The occasional upset tummy, once she broke her tail. She can be a bit mentally unpredictable at times (she gets separation anxiety sometimes, for example, although is adjusting surprisingly well to Mozart's death which is a relief) but physically I think she must be made of steel. Touch wood. Physically, she is not frail. I am a worrier, so I can understand why people might think she is frail because I'm probably a bit protective (over-protective perhaps?). Especially over the past week. But that's about her mental state - nothing to be concerned about physically at this stage. Here she is (to give you an idea of her size):

Thanks for your replies. Lots to think about. Zamba is a poodle x of some kind (originally from the pound so we're not sure of her precise origins). More poodle than anything else. She is bigger than a Mini, but certainly nothing like the size of an average Standard. She is approx 12.5 years old, but still very fit and fast on her feet. She was always pretty hyperactive. She is slowing down a bit, but can still out-run a kelpie when we visit my friend's farm. We do have a very large yard - over 1,000 square metres. Zamba enjoys it by running around intermittently, but does spend a lot of her time under the pergola. Just having the bigger yard doesn't provide enough exercise - I need to exercise her outside the yard as well. Is a standard more active than a kelpie? I've had kelpies before. I grew up with a Whippet cross (with a German Shepherd we think). She was active, but in a light-footed kind of way (she was a great dog). Not active in the same way a kelpie is active - they seem more driven, if you know what I mean.

Bianca Carlotta Caprice Chiara (one of my favourites - my daughter's name is Kiara) Imelda Luisa Rosetta All Italian names

Thanks Quoll. I do my own grooming so yes the extra grooming time will impact on me directly. Hmm. I hadn't thought about the digging with the Lagotto. We have a big garden that isn't a study in perfection by any means. But I would be worried if the dog was digging OUT of the garden (as opposed to digging holes IN the garden).

I just lost my bichon last week. He was definitely small, white and fluffy. And he was a perfect gentleman. If any of you had met him, you would have been forced to agree. Not an aggressive bone in that little body anywhere. He could disarm and charm even the most nervous young child or snarly dog. I used to be scared of Boxers. This is because I was badly attacked by my Aunt's boxer when I was 22. But I love them now. Went out of my way to make sure I met some nice ones. Took a while, but I'm over it and I'm glad!

bump!

Thinking ahead, and trying to determine what kind of pup to get next. I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions. My 18 yo daughter and I are in deep discussion about the wisest choice for our next dog (to keep Zamba company now that Mozart has passed on, and also for me to take to obedience training). I've had my heart set on a Standard Poodle. I really love them. I am nearly 40 and I think now is the time. If I wait until I'm 50, I might never get one. I have also had Minis before and love them (but now I would love a Standard I think). I also really like the look of the Lagottos I've seen. My daughter is reminding me that Standard Poodles are very high energy dogs and there are days when I come home from work and just want to blob on the couch (this is true) and don't feel like walking a dog (yep, I have days like that). I work full-time, but very close to home and sometimes come home for lunch etc. But I do go to obedience training classes twice a week (Sundays when I'm an instructor then a student, and Wednesday nights when I'm just a student). Occasionally I miss a class on Wednesday nights, but Sunday's I'm always there. Then the other days, I sometimes walk the dogs, sometimes I don't. Maybe 2-3 other long walks each week, each of them somewhere between 40 minutes to an hour of vigorous walking and some fetching the ball at the local park and some training. I also like walking at the beach but do that less often. Avoid the local dog park like the plague (too complicated). So there are probably around 2 days each week where there isn't a long walk happening. We still hang out lots together on those days though. I always have them inside with me when I'm home, so lots of companionship around the house and some playing and goofing around and training etc. My daughter will generally do the same. My husband not so much - he likes the dogs but generally speaking likes his peace and quiet more. Question is - is that enough exercise/attention for a Standard Poodle? Or should we be thinking about another Mini Poodle? Or a Lagotto? (I love all these breeds, but I have to admit I really have my heart set on a Standard but if I really can't make one happy, then I need to acknowledge that...) I know that with Zamba, if I don't exercise her enough she tends to get herself into some kind of mischief. It's her way of reminding me she needs to WORK and I'd better not forget it! She has always been pretty wired, but maybe a Standard Poodle would be even more so (I'm not sure). So the question is to those of you who have had Standards, and also to those of you who have had Miniatures or Lagottos. Is that enough exercise do you think? Or would we need to be committing to more than that to keep a new dog happy?

Microchipping Day 16 July FREE BBQ Saturday 16 July 2011 11am - 3pm Woodville Community Dog Training Centre Inc. Cnr Cedar Ave & Oval Ave Woodville West, SA, 5011 Booking is essential, fill in the online registration form on the City of Charles Sturt website: www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au Microchipping is for dogs only, and is inserted by a local vet; The cost for the microchip is $25; Dogs over 3 months of age, and living within the Council area, must be registered. Council dog registrations will be accepted on the day; All dogs must be a on a lead and under supervision of their owner at all times; Council Animal Management Officers will be present on the day for any questions you may have regarding animal management within the City of Charles Sturt. For more information contact Dani Vukoje, City of Charles Sturt on 8408 1305.

Update - also posted in the poodle thread, re-posting it here: Didn't get much sleep last night. I put Zamba into into her crate at 9pm and she barked solidly from 9:20 or so, until 1am. No more buddy to cuddle up with - so I'm assuming she was cold or lonely or both. I had used the DAP. From 9 until 9:20 I was thinking 'yes - it worked', but no such luck. If it worked at all, it was short-lived. So I went out today and bought a heat pad for her. I have just put it in her crate - on top of her mattress and under a woollen blanket folded 4 times. I turned it on about half an hour ago to check it works, which it does. It is down one side of the crate (quite a large crate), so she can sleep 'on in' or 'off it' - by choosing which side of the crate she decides to sleep on. She has hopped in there and is definitely 'on' the heat pad. She seems to really like it. Fingers crossed for a good long sleep tonight.

Two sides to every story, as always. Stepping aside from the breed references, I think it is important that dog attacks are publicised. They can provide an opportunity to educate the public about what responsible dog ownership really is. Tying up a toey dog at a shopping centre and leaving it unsupervised is wrong, even if the dog is restrained effectively on a lead (which clearly these dogs were not). Even restrained on the lead, these animals would potentially be barking at and intimidating people as they do their shopping. That is just not acceptable in my opinion. If your dogs are like that, you need to be supervising them when they are in public. Kids approach dogs they don't know all the time. The dogs' owners need to get real! I don't know where this idea of 'love bites' comes from. I have never seen a dog bite someone out of love. If a dog is affectionately mouthing someone (like a puppy would) I wouldn't call that a bite. I don't get the impression that any of these attacks involved a misinterpretation of mouthing or an expression of affection from the dogs involved. Let's not try to relabel what has happened as 'love bites' and avoid facing up to what happened. Better to face it square on and say 'the dog bit someone' and work out why that happened and deal with it better in future. I also agree that if a labrador has bitten a child, that should be part of what is publicised. Because there is a public perception that labradors are bullet-proof and therefore don't need to be supervised with kids. That's a dangerous perception and a lot of people believe it. So that should be part of what the public hears after this latest attack. Lots of labradors live with young children. Lovely breed, but needs supervising like any other breed. Kids are not always sensible or sensitive in their treatment of dogs, and there can be awful consequences. Yes some dogs do become problem dogs because they had useless owners. But they are still problem dogs.

I love obedience! Here are the things I love about it: - your dog learns to concentrate, to think, and to learn (and then you can teach them just about anything) - your dog learns to do all of the things listed above even when there are other dogs REALLY close-by (bonus!) - you have a bunch of 'games' to play with your dog, and each game leads on to more games and challenges for you to play with together - your dog becomes much easier to live with. It stays when you want it to. It comes when you want it to. It lies down when you want it to. Hallelujah! - you and your dog develop a really close relationship and bond Out of all of these, the last one is the best. I think the rest of them are a means to that end. I would never get a dog and not do formal training with it. I think it's really good both for the handler and the dog, and you need stuff like this to work on together to help you form a positive relationship. With my next dog, I'll do obedience and agility. In that order.

Thanks for everyone's replies. A few days on, and I'm still pretty teary. Thinking about another dog, but not ready to do anything about it yet. In terms of my other dog, it looks to me like we may have a few issues, but possibly not as bad as I had been expecting. Zamba is adjusting ok, but is very clingy which is understandable. I can't see any obvious pining. She just looks bored, sad and wanting company. So far there has always been someone home with her, so she has only been outside for max 30 minutes alone. I've watched her and all she does is sit on a chair and stare out into the yard. No-one to play with, I suppose. She wouldn't settle in her crate last night and kept barking, so I brought her into the bedroom with me and she settled straight away. I'll try her again in her crate tonight and use some DAP, which was suggested to me in another thread. If that doesn't work I'll just move her crate into the bedroom. Yes I agree - she will feel better when she has another companion dog. But my feeling is we should wait a while. I am not ready to bond with another dog yet. Mozart was old and I knew he was on his way out, but I loved him dearly and I am pining for him. If I got another dog now, I think I would just be looking at it thinking 'you're cute, but I wish Mozart was here and not you'. He was a real gentleman - the perfect dog. I really need to be past that stage before bringing another puppy home, I think. So it could be weeks, or it could be months. It won't be years though.

Yeah I had been thinking about this too. It didn't happen for a few reasons. One of them was my husband's strong view that 2 dogs was enough. And the other was that I guess I thought we had a few years to go. But more recently it had become apparent that probably wasn't going to be the case. Thanks for the suggestions. I have a bottle of DAP here somewhere. I bought it for her a few months back thinking I'd try it with her stay problems, but never tried it. I will dig it out and try it tonight.

The 2 dogs you can see in my photo have been together for many, many years. I had the bichon frise Mozart his entire 13 years from a puppy until his death 2 days ago (RIP Mozart - the perfect gentleman). Zamba was a pound dog who came to us as a young adult with ISSUES about 2.5 years later. That was 10 years ago, or thereabouts. Zamba has always had real separation anxiety issues. Very bonded to me, very bonded to Mozart. So long as one of us was around, she was ok. Some of you will know the trouble I have had trying to train her to accept out of sight stays in CDX - suffice to say her panic attacks have been difficult to over come and I've come to accept that this will be a long road we may never finish travelling. Anyway, Mozart died on Thursday and she needs to learn to cope without him. The first night I thought she was doing ok. When I got back from the vet she looked around for him for about 5 minutes, then stopped. I kept her with me, and had her sleep on a bed next to my bed, and she seemed fine (I also found her presence comforting). At 4am I took her out for a wee and then put her back in her crate (in the study). She cried pitifully for a little while, but then slept. Yesterday she seemed clingy but not overly distressed. I took the day off work and kept her with me for most of the day, but put her outside for a couple of 30 minute stretches and she coped alright (a bit of complaining, but nothing really unusual). Last night she could not sleep in her crate at all - she just kept barking. I persisted for about an hour and a half, but she was just getting more and more distressed so I gave in and brought her into the bedroom with me again. She settled and slept well on her bed on the floor next to my bed until morning. This morning I've put her outside as normal, and she is just sitting there looking sad. Usually at this time of day she and Mozart would be playing around in the backyard, play fighting etc. He has been too sick to do this of late, but she had been trying to tempt him anyway. I need to go back to work on Monday. My daughter will be around the house on SWOTVAC and can help out. But on Tuesday she has an exam so Zamba will be home alone for most of the day. I can pop in at lunchtime, but that still leaves several hours either side of lunchtime. I am happy to move her crate into our bedroom permanently. She obviously likes being there and I think that's the least we can do for her. But I am more worried about work days, when she is home alone. She is still very fit and very active - she has been quite an escape artist in the past and I'm worried that could start again. So my questions are: - What can people tell me about helping dogs with separation anxiety to be comfortable being alone? - For those of you who have lost dogs in similar circumstances, have you found your other dog adjusted given time? Note: We will get another dog eventually, but not yet. Getting another dog would make Zamba happy I'm sure (or at least keep her occupied) but that won't happen for at least a few months and possibly longer so we need strategies to help her cope in the meantime.

Zamba seems ok so far. Touch wood!

Anyone got any ideas about what to do with his lifelong companion (Zamba) who suffers badly from separation anxiety? She really frets if she is left on her own. I will stay with her for the next few days, and while I'm here she will be fine. But as soon as I leave to go to work, and Mozart isn't here, I think she will get very distressed. He had to stay at the vet's for a few days once, and she was inconsolable. Non-stop loud crying. Even the neighbours were upset - she just sounded like her heart was breaking. I can only think of sedation. We have some DAP - maybe this is a time to try it out? (I've never used it but bought a bottle a little while ago to try.) But I don't know. Mozart was slowing down soooo much over the last few weeks. Deep down, I knew this day was coming. Deep down, wouldn't Zamba also have known? She looked for him briefly when we came back from the vet without him, but then she settled ok. Like I said, I think she will be fine while I'm here. But I can't always be here.

I have just come back from the vet. Mozart couldn't use his back legs today. He had been losing weight and going downhill since he had a small operation a few weeks back. He was 13 years old. So much I could say. Can't think of any of it right now. Goodbye little friend

Also think about your own body language and energy levels. If your dog is really 'up', you need to help compensate by being ultra-calm and patient and soothing. And move forward with your stays only very very gradually - making sure you are rewarding and releasing only when the dog is calm. To me, a formal sit-stay or drop-stay (where the dog has to wait and not move) is quite different to staying on your bed (where you generally don't mind if the dog moves around, so long as they stay on the bed). So just remember they are completely different exercises and train them separately. I would also suggest you use a different command - 'on your bed' works in our place (well, almost always!) and is quite different to a formal 'stay'. Set some clear, simple standards and expectations that you will stick with - and most of all try not to show any signs of frustration.

I had a dog once that I just couldn't click with. Looking back now, I know it was a case of me being overwhelmed in my life for lots of reasons at the time. I had just lost my beloved first poodle to a car accident, and was devastated. I was just out of a long relationship and living as a single Mum for the first time. I was working part-time in a new career - overall life was very stressful. But even after saying all that, I ended up eventually getting a second puppy (Mozart - he is now 13 and still with me) and we bonded so strongly, and so instantly, I suddenly realised 'you know what, this other pup is just not for me'. Felt terribly guilty. But I found her another home. A really, really good one. I stayed in touch for a few months to make sure she was ok. She went to a really nice family who lived on acreage in the hills. They loved her absolutely - and in ways that I was never able to for some reason I will never understand. It's the only time that has happened to me. Like you, I am a real 'dog person'. But I have to admit I still think about her, and I still feel a bit guilty. In an academic sense I believe I did the right thing. In an emotional sense, I will always feel that I was disloyal and should have stuck by her. So I don't know - I can't offer you any advice. The other thing? Every single dog I have ever had has given me at least a few 'OMG why did I get you??? Why???' moments. They are usually short-lived, and I would say that is so common it is almost universal. It was different with this little dog though. It seemed to get worse over time, not better. ETA: I don't want people to think I got Mozart while she was still very very young. She was almost 18 months old by then. I didn't want you all to think I gave up within weeks! Still feeling guilty I suppose but don't want you all to think I was awful! And also adding: Mozart has always had a halo. My other girl Zamba will always have an invisible red tail and horns - but I absolutely adore her as well. She was WAY more naughty than the little dog I rehomed - but I loved her more for a reason I don't think I could ever really explain. It just is.

I have had Angels Eyes recommended to me. Hellishly expensive, but so many people rave about it I had to try it. Can't give you any assessment of how it worked yet though, because I only started using it on the weekend.