Zug Zug

Wow! You are very talented and what a great looking dog!

I do my best - but yes it can be hard. I prioritise and trick myself into thinking it's no big deal by doing the following things: short dog training sessions of 5-10 mins a go are easier to fit in, and less likely to put off. If I'm too tired to do much, there is no excuse for not finding time to put my dog in a stay while I quickly put a load of laundry in, etc. or do some clicker work in the lounge room if it's cold outside. Twice weekly dog training clubs mean I have a definite appointment in my calendar so I usually do at least that much (but even then, sometimes not - last week I didn't make it) I do short physical training of my own at home, which is quicker than going to the gym (but I had to buy equipment so not cheaper necessarily) I don't cook much at all (very easy dinners happen here - I love frozen vegetables they are so easy!) And a cleaner. Oh thank goodness for the cleaner!!!

Work the mind - definitely! And don't overlook the simple fetch. Great one to stretch their legs, without you needing to be overly athletic.

Not sure how big she is, but if you are having to carry her down the stairs then perhaps it is time to put a baby gate across the bottom of the staircase and keep her on the ground floor?

She is disappointed but ok. This is how she worked it out: They rang her at 2am this morning. First warning sign. They thought Perth was in Tasmania (but didn't make any kind of comment like 'not the Perth you're thinking of') - yes there is a Perth in Tasmania but you can't fly a puppy directly out of there. They were insisting she use their pet transport company, and would not consider any of the options my daughter was suggesting. They gave her their email address, which she worked out was from New Jersey in the USA. Luckily no money had changed hands, and my daughter is a smart kid and stopped it right there. She is now thinking about going to a shelter and getting a rescue dog instead. So not sure what she and her Dad will decide in the end, but at least they are not out of pocket.

Oh no!!! I have just received a message on Facebook from my daughter. Apparently it was a scam. No puppy - just some dishonest people. Trying to find out whether she had forwarded any money or not. Poor kid - she was so excited. (She is almost 18 and living with her Dad at the moment, so I don't have the full story yet. I will post when I do. Maybe this is one of those 'learning about the real world' experiences for her. Hard way to learn.)

If you like Rotties, get another Rottie. I think once you've found a breed that suits you, then why not stick with the winning formula? Flat coated retrievers would tick most of your boxes, although they shed the same way as a labrador or Rottie or whatever. But low maintenance (relatively) and a fairly large, black dog so would make most people think twice, but with a nice low tendency towards actual aggression. Plus I think they are really beautiful (although I don't have a real fondness for dogs that look 'imposing' so your tastes may be quite different to mine) I was badly attacked by a Boxer once. I think this was a fairly unusual occurrence. But I can't agree they aren't prone to aggression. Some are (this one was really, really bad). I know you could say that about most breeds though.

Thanks everyone! I have passed these recommendations on to my daughter and her Dad. Photo of pretty new pup - just because she's so cute. Her name will be Kita. Hopefully she will arrive tomorrow.

My daughter is trying to make arrangements to bring a 13 week old Rottweiler pup across from Perth to Adelaide. Any recommendations for a good pet transport company to deal with? Please either reply or PM me if you prefer. Thanks in advance!

Yep I agree that paw on own nose is seriously cute. Only one problem. I tried to train one of mine to do this and we just get a paw slap across own face! I can't seem to get her to hold her paw there. She just smacks herself repeatedly. I have been trying to fade it out for months now but she still keeps doing it whenever she is not sure what I want. That's the power of a clicker. We only trained for it a couple of time, but it stuck like GLUE!

If a 4 year old child can enter the yard unassisted, it can't have been a very secure yard.

Thanks! Good to hear he's only middle-aged really

Ha! Poodles are definitely not for dummies. They're really smart - you need to be on your toes to keep one step ahead of a poodle. Otherwise before you know it, your dog has trained you!

Not easy with my husband either. He is not really a dog person (how on earth did I end up married to a non-dog person?!) having never had dogs as pets when he was young etc. He just doesn't really feel drawn to them. So while he is good to our dogs, he doesn't seek out their company. He just does what is required of him and accepts that I will never live without dogs. He is very good to our dogs though. When one of the dogs got sick while I was away earlier this year, he had her straight to the vet, and he took 3 days off work to sit by her side. He's definitely one of the good guys - don't get me wrong. He plays with one of my dogs (the bigger more active one) but while he enjoys it he says that would not be enough to motivate him to be a dog-owner, if it wasn't for me. Which is a lot better than all those people who get dogs because they think they're cute, but then don't do anything with them... So anyway I was (at one point) thinking maybe if I chose a more 'manly' dog he might get more involved. Given I currently have a bichon and a poodle x that is... But when I asked him, he said no it really didn't matter what breed it was. It could be a kelpie or whatever, but he would feel the same way he thinks. He's just not a dog person and that's how it is. So I'm back to thinking about breeds that I love. And given my allergies, I'll stick with poodles etc. because that's what works best for me.

Thanks - yep he's a very sweet dog. I don't mind the short face, but the bald top-of-the-head is definitely a temporary state of affairs. He is pretty warty. Vet says it is the norm for clippered breeds. They pass the wart virus dog to dog via shared blades at the salon. Thinking I might try to avoid that with my next pup by keeping a separate set of blades.

My lovely old Bichon (Mozart) went to the vet yesterday to have some warts removed from his face. He has lots of warts - at least 20. But we only removed the 2 that were bleeding and causing problems. One of these was quite large and located on top of his forehead. To remove it, the vet needed to remove a bit of skin and bring it all together a bit more tightly than before. Anyway, here are some pics of Mozart - one before and one after this procedure. I am delighted (and relieved) to say he has recovered really well from the anaesthetic and seems to be quite comfortable. He'd love to get rid of the Elizabethan collar, but is managing well with it on (including eating and drinking). Blood tests and general checks came back really good. He had some minor issues in his bloods (something to do with his liver) but the vet said that's still pretty good given his age. No diabetes, heart is fine, etc. etc. Might take a month or two to get his bichon 'do back, mind you! I really adore this dog. He has been a wonderful companion for many years. Very much looking forward to a few more. I had a nervous day yesterday (I'm a born worrier) but really pleased today.

Ah yes I can understand that! I have a hyper dog here, who is also super smart. It is not for sissies! Maybe a miniature poodle might be a good option? Enough energy to keep up and match it with the BC, but not as demanding for exercise due to the smaller size. Mind you, not lazy so if it is a laid-back soul they are seeking that might not be a good choice. Struggling to think of others, but perhaps Tibetan Terrier but they are quite rare. If they were flexible re the shedding issue that would open up quite a few more options. If they already have a BC then I assume no allergies so low shedding might be more of a preference than a need? If so, how about an English Springer or perhaps a Field Spaniel? More laid back types, but big enough to cope. Some shedding involved but not excessive I don't think.

Yep I agree - it's a lot of work but it will need to be back to basics. Remove the paper, but as someone else said, put the paper outside and have it as a trigger to remind the dog to pee where you want him to pee. You will need to get up and take your dog outside quite often I would think. No fun, but such is life. In terms of the dog being inside or outside, I would say you need him to be outside when you are not there to supervise him. It sounds like barking is likely to be a problem, and that is a real shame. But you can't leave him inside to wee everywhere - he is continually teaching himself to toilet inside and the situation just won't improve for you. So if it were me, it would be: - dog outside whenever you can't supervise closely - dog inside and WITH YOU (maybe on a leash hooked to your belt if need be) when you can supervise closely (try and prompt the dog to pee before coming inside - so it is an empty dog that comes inside with you) - take the dog outside for a pee every half an hour to an hour during the day - take the dog outside for a pee just before you go to bed - put the dog in a crate to sleep, overnight (not too far away from you, so you hear him if there is a problem during the night) - take the dog outside first thing in the morning to pee (you may need to set the alarm so you wake him up before it is even crossing his mind) ...and so on It's a lot of work, but is necessary. I had to re-train an adult rescue dog (she's now 12 yo and sleeping under my chair as I type). It took a while but she got the hang of it in the end. The crate was an absolute god-send and made the job so much easier! If the barking is really awful and a serious issue, you might need to crate your dog inside while you are out. But you should only be doing that for short periods of time - definitely not all day.

I love this idea!

My two sleep on their bed in the lounge in the evenings if we are watching telly, or put themselves into the open crate if I am working or surfing DOL (their crate is under the desk). So they stick close to me snoozing either way. Then at around 9pm I offer them a last pee break and off to bed in the crate. I get them up again around 8 am. In warm weather maybe earlier and they will be keen to greet the day. In cold weather they need to be dragged out of bed.

My two oldies have always had very different energy levels. The bichon is relatively placid (although still playful at times) and the poodle x has always been a bit bonkers and hyperactive. Some signs of slowing a little now she is 12, but not a lot. Our quieter dog has definitely benefited from all the fun and games, but he definitely breathes a sigh of relief when he gets some time alone. I don't think he would miss her much if she didn't come back one day, but if he didn't come back she would be inconsolable! I would say it depends a bit on the size and activity level of the new dog. I doubt a sheltie or pap would be a problem. A BC or kelpie may need some separate play areas though, which may be a bit more difficult.

My poodle x was a huge jumper as a younger dog. We have done the things suggested here (trained a really good 'sit', turned our backs, ignored her when she was out of control etc.) and it worked really well. She doesn't jump on us much at all any more (an occasional lapse, but quite rare). The funny thing is she still obviously feels the need to jump. So now when she's really excited she jumps up and down in front of us. Like a pogo dog. Really funny actually

Bichon frise! Small, loving, nice easy going playful attitude. And no shedding at all. Or havanese. I think they are pretty similar that way. But both breeds need regular grooming. That is the price you pay for a non shedding dog.

First and foremost for me - has to be a low allergy breed (non-shedding) because otherwise I suffer from too many hayfever symptoms - which is a lot worse than it sounds I can assure you! After that - my needs have changed as I've moved through life. When I got Mozart (white bichon frise pictured left) - I had 2 small children (both 5 years old) and was living in a small house on a small 300m2 block. I worked 3 days a week. I didn't have a partner, and wanted a safe, reliable dog to cuddle up with me on the couch but didn't need a lot of exercise. I also wanted a calm breed - because my life was otherwise very hectic! So I chose a bichon - he was absolutely the perfect choice and I absolutely adore him still. Just exactly what we needed. A few years later I got Zamba (dark grey poodle cross pictured left) - by then my kids were a little older (7 years old), I had a fiance (now my husband) and we had moved into a home with a larger yard. We found her at the pound and she was just what we were looking for - more active, a fun dog who loved to play with the kids, and of course I just fell for her. Little did we know she was quite bonkers (no, really seriously utterly BONKERS!) and would therefore send me off to dog obedience school pleading for help - and lead me into a real love of obedience training. These two dogs are now 13 (Mozart) and 12 (Zamba). My next dog will be a standard poodle. We are on an even larger block now (1000m2), the kids have grown up (will soon turn 18) and at almost 40 I am still young enough and fit enough for a bigger, more active dog. But not until Mozart has passed on. A standard poodle puppy would be a bit much for him, I fear. So while I suffer from severe puppy cluckiness, we are in no rush.

That sounds very promising Just a word of caution - they think they're better long before they actually are. Still try to keep her as quiet as you can. Don't let her tire herself out. Sometimes they can go backwards again quickly, so it's baby steps for another week or so at least. But having said that, I'm really excited to hear she's doing so well!!!