Zug Zug

Ah my sympathy! I too have a dog that gets too revved up and (as a result) has lost his off lead privileges with small dogs. The urge to chase small things is strong in some dogs, and the extra excitement of a lively dog park can raise the stakes considerably. You just can't take chances like this with him. Keep him on lead and get some expert advice. You should not be putting other dogs at risk by hoping for the best, but risking the worst. And your own dog may well also ultimately be put at risk if something awful were to happen.

I wouldn't leave a martingale on all the time, but have always had buckle collars on my dogs when around the house and yard. Our fences are good, but there have times in the past when my older dog's escaping abilities have prevailed nonetheless so I like them to be readily identifiable all the time. I take the point about strangulation risks in the yard as well. I guess it's always balancing one risk against another and doing what is right in your own circumstances.

Were these breeds ruled out for being too small? Is that what you meant? Other reasons eg too much coat? That info may help us identify some alternatives for you. What about a border terrier? Another one of my favourite breeds and would suit apartment life so long as you give them regular outings and teach them not to bark too much. But again, that's any dog... They are small, train very well, love to learn tricks, and have an appealing 'honest dog' look to them. Australian terriers are also nice. Both low shedders but neither of them are non shedders

How about a Tibetan terrier? Clean in the house, nice house dog, quite athletic to get up and down those stairs, enjoy their training. They are on my 'one day' breed list

Skyefool - so funny and cute! Honestly there are worse things in the world than silly dog grooming. Ok it's not very servicable having an elephant on your butt, but they would be clipping it off within days. Probably the hardest thing is having the dog grow that much coat and keeping it groomed in the months leading up to the competition. If they have fun, and treat their dogs well during the process, good on them. I won't be doing it with my dog, but we're all different and if it is a hobby people enjoy, then I wish them and their dogs nothing but happiness doing it.

That must be frustrating for the owner! Just a comment that the stranger problems off lead while on walks does seem to add weight to the idea that it is the high arousal that sets the scene for this behaviour. And agility courses are certainly highly charged environments aren't they? So I would agree with the idea of practising high arousal games with distractions away from agility for a while, then only gradually making their way back to agility. My dog gets too charged up by the other dogs running their courses. We too have had to stay away from agility while he learns to be calm. I was very disappointed that this happened, but he's a young dog and it's more important to get him working sensibly first. In our case, it will be at least another year before we attempt agility again, and not until I've a lot more confidence in his stability and confidence than I currently do. I suspect the same may apply here, although the issues sound more mild than with my dog who just can't think at all around an agility environment currently.

I see it as a bit of harmless fun really. Yes I hope there are requirements for dogs to get some time off the table throughout the day, but they looked pretty relaxed in the footage. Having said that. I am not interested in having anything that wild done to my dog, even for a special occasion. We did clip my old girl into a Dr Seuss style cut once for a fancy dress party we were having, but she was clipped back down the next morning.

How do you start it? Reward for check to hand touch? From a stationary heel position?

It's something I worry about with my poodles. Desexed of course, but any 'in vogue' breed would be a concern. I just posted on another forum - but will mention again - our whippet was stolen from our family home (front yard) when I was a toddler. Idiots thought she was a baby greyhound. They then threw her out the back of a moving truck. Luckily we got her home again safe and sound. In small towns you can eventually learn the whole, sordid story. In this case we did - someone saw her being scooped up from the front yard, and then another person saw her being thrown out of the truck - and then handed her in. Both of these people knew my Dad, who taught at the local high school. But he didn't find out who was driving the truck. Anyway, thank goodness for honest people. My dogs are kept very secure and well away from the front yard. I figure a thief might take a while to work out they are both desexed and useless for breeding, and by then it might be too late and I don't want to take that risk. I have spoken to a few people whose poodles have been stolen. Absolutely devastating for the people it happens to.

Yet another good reason never to give a dog access to your front yard, if you're not there to supervise it. I have also seen dogs tormented by passers-by, and of course the whole issue of passing dogs and barking issues. It is hard if you have a corner block - but most of us have backyards and that is by far the safest place for the dogs to stay, when they can't be inside with us. In terms of why they would steal these dogs - I presume for breeding. They would know that rescue dogs would be desexed. I hope this is a hoax. Does seem very brazen. But our whippet was stolen from our front yard when I was a toddler - then later dumped when the einstein thieves worked out that she wasn't a greyhound puppy. They then threw her out the back of a moving truck, on a busy road. Luckily she was seen by the driver behind before running her over. He took her to the pound, and the people there knew my Dad and returned her to us (small town). So, sadly these kinds of things can happen. That incident was almost 40 years ago so it's nothing new. The breeds that get stolen do change, but the act of stealing dogs doesn't seem to go away.

How exciting - I love the pocket hand idea and will watch that thread with interest. Pasha is just the right height. We are working on some basics at the moment - retrieving all kinds of things (including metal things), stand for exam and loose lead walking. In terms of tricks, we have been mucking around with standing up on his hind legs. I'm having trouble making the transition from luring (with a spoonful of food) to rewarding. If I don't have the food, he just jumps up and comes straight back down. With the spoon of food, he'll stay up for 4-5 seconds and move around a bit as well.

Super Dog Boutique on Henley Beach Road I also really like Pet Cafe on Port Rd, near the West Lakes Boulevard turnoff. Great range of stuff to browse through, and they have raw food (Dr Billinghurst and the Big Dog brand and others) to buy off the shelf. Also there is a pet supplies and fodder store on richmond Road just up from Marion Road - Goble and Son. Good range of commercial pet foods, limited range of meats but they do have bones. I find it easier to get bones from butchers mostly.

Good luck getting yourself to do anything but face the dog and fend off each attack as it comes. I have been attacked seriously by a serious dog once. There is absolutely no way I could have turned my back on that animal. I spent the time protecting my face and throat with my hands and arms. If they hadn't dragged him off with chains, it would have been far worse. While I agree that in theory getting into a tight ball helps protect critical organs, I think it would be very difficult to do while under attack. Different I think when it's your dog being attacked, rather than you. I agree with earlier posts - get in their face and warn them off before it starts if possible. Much harder once things are under way.

ETA gremlins

Not sure what she has at present but Janet of Hillani poodles in South Australia would be worth a call. I know a number of her dogs are competing successfully in dog sports. She has white minis and silvers. My friend has one of her dogs and he is just what you have described.

Use them as a treat if you wish (not too often), but they don't clean the teeth. Raw bones will.

Sorry just dropping in here. I think you'll find the Councils have small Council pounds, but the dogs are not likely to stay there very long. Not sure what they do with unclaimed dogs beyond the initial impounding period.

There is a dog at our gym. I am a bit of a sook at times while working out. He can tell. I was really struggling a few weeks ago and he strolled over to sit next to me. I felt so much better. Our workplace though ... We're too big really. Open plan, a few hundred staff. And lots of us have dogs. It would be a free for all unfortunately. Shame - I would love to bring my boy in.

Glad to hear that. Yes as they get older, every time they get sick you start to think 'is this it?' and it's a thought process that comes up several times before their real time actually comes. Just a thought: in my experience when the real day comes, deep down you really do just know. These days vets rarely coach you to put your dog to sleep, and will often offer a lot of treatment, some of it very expensive. I think they do this because they believe that is what we are coming to them for - i.e. to help the dog and make it better again. If you love your dog, and I'm sure you do, let your instincts guide you and do what's best for your dog. If a vet is offering treatment options that you think are not for the best, when looking at the big picture of life for your dog, you can question it and ultimately you can make the decision that is right for your dog. In my experience vets are very comfortable having these conversations, but can be hesitant to open them up initially. My 14 year old girl has also had several bouts of pancreatitis and we manage it through diet. She is living a healthy and active life still. So for us, like you, the decision is hopefully a few years away yet.

Zamba is now 14, and while she is fit and well in most respects she has started to wet the bed at night. Tonight is probably the fifth time in 2 weeks. She has also left a few puddles in the house recently. I will make a time to see the vet this week, but interested to hear how others have managed this issue. I had tried getting her heat pad out for her to sleep with under a sheepskin. But she seems to find it too hot, and slept off to one side of it.

Yes vet check. He may be having trouble controlling it. But also know they often want to avoid the rain and cold. So if the vet says all clear it's back to basics - take him out, wait with him to wee, reward wearing outside, only let him free in the house when you know he is empty. He'll be back on track in no time.

As someone who has been badly attacked myself many years ago, you have my sympathy. My dog was also badly injured a few years ago by a dog I brought home from the pound, and had to take back. Neither of these were breeds typically discussed in the context of BSL - one a boxer and the other a Labrador poodle cross. It is not necessary for you to have a clear view on BSL. It's ok to simply not know the answer. Especially so soon after a traumatic event, when as you say your reactions are quite different to normal and understandably so. For myself, I have come to a view that BSL is not the answer, but I do feel very frustrated at the current approaches to animal management, with so many owners so casual about safety. And so many people thinking all dogs need a chance to run free in public places with other dogs. Like you, I know all too well how quickly things can go wrong. I do think some dogs are mean. The dog that attacked me was an example. He attacked others as well - mean to the core. But most boxers are lovely, and I would never generalise his behaviour to tarnish the whole breed. i had to retrain myself to feel comfortable around larger dogs after that happened. It took a while but did work. I wish you luck with your own recovery.

Well, all I can say at the moment is so far so good - but it's very early days so who knows. If I see signs of him anticipating I will have to change what I'm doing. I am finding it's helping me to stay strong, and stay away for longer (and so far he's finding that pretty comfortable by the looks of things, so obviously I was the problem, not him) I know what you mean with the treat. When I try to give him a treat in the middle of some nice heeling, but I also want to keep going, he often drifts quite wide of me to eat the treat and then doesn't come back into position nicely again until the treat is completely eaten. It's as if he thinks 'oo, yum, munch, munch - where did you go?!'

That's funny - I think my new release word (to add to my already long list) should be a big 'hallelujah!'

Interesting. So yes if someone in the ring had a similar beep go off then he might respond to that, given we've been using this in training. Would the stewards in the ring have something on them that beeps? I wouldn't have thought so, but it's been a long time since I've been in the ring. If not - does it matter if he gets a bit excited when he hears a beep? The way I train him, he doesn't get rewarded on the beep. It just tells me it's time to return to him. Once I get there I tell him how good he is, then go and get something to reward him with. He has to stay in position until I get back to him the second time and I reward him in position. So the beep is not a release in itself. It's a signal for me rather than for him. But yes no doubt he will come to know what it means. ETA: one option I might consider down the track is setting it to vibrate only, no beep.