Pete.the.dog

Thanks for that - some great ideas!! I think I will have to get up super early for the days walks considering it was 30 by 9.30 this morning! Not looking forward to sitting through a 2.5 hour exam on thursday afternoon in a tin shed

Just went to bunnings and he's sitting quite happily in wet sand - what fun that will be getting all that sand out of his fur

Indoors can often be hotter and stuffier than open heavy shade Are there many reports of suburban snakes around Adelaide this year?.Weare lucky out bush so far.. have only seen one (touch wood) Yeah we have to shut off all parts of our house as the bathroom and kitchen and laundry areas get the hottest. The only place that stays relatively cool is the hallway and it's just not feasible for him to stay in a tiny hallway all day, would probably make it worse. Ideally I'd love to leave him inside all day but in the current living situation it just wouldn't really work, the back of the house which leads to the backyard heats up very quickly so it's not as if we can leave the back door open for access - plus the security issues that go with that *sigh* We live on the city edge so I know I'm getting accurate weather reports, I haven't heard about any suburban snake reports yet but I'm sure they are around.

the table isn't for him to lie under, and the water isn't under it - it's just so that there is always shade falling on the water, it's a big bucket and it's always cool - I've checked. I'll buy him some sand and thanks for the tip about the drainage holes

The clam shell has potting mix in it at the moment - but is in shade all afternoon - maybe I'll buy some sand to fill it instead and soak it in the mornings before I go to work - I just hope he figures it out better then the water clamshell His water is placed behind his kennel on the concrete but a table is in front of it effectively making sure it is in shade all day I just worry

I share house in a rental, which gets very hot in summer. We don't have air con either

Hi guys, Anyone who is not in Adelaide - It's Hot!! We are in the middle of a 5-days over 35 degree November heatwave! While the house has managed to remain relatively cool (it's only a matter of time before the double brick place heats up though) I'm really worried about Pete during the daytime. The current setup he has outdoors while I'm away: There is always an area of the backyard that's shady - although it's not the same spot all day, there are always a couple of spots at any one time. He has a couple of big tubs of water, has a clamshell with water in it - generally in the shade most of the day, a clamshell with dirt in it - generally in the shade most of the day, I leave him with some frozen waterbottles and frozen chicken necks (although I think both of those things last about 2 minutes) The problem is he doesn't like going in the clamshell with water, he only puts his feet in under protest - so when I'm away all day I really stress that he's going to get too hot. Do you think if he really needed to he'd get in the clamshell? :S I just stress about him all day! Edit: This is my first year with him in the summer, so I'm a bit of a new-mum

Don't leave anything you are too in love with - I left a tshirt I'd been sleeping in and he ripped it to shreds (I try not to take it personally... )

Good point kiesha! I stopped leaving the radio on for Pete because by that point it was clear that I was doing it to go out, lucky for me his anxiety had already gone by the time he figured it out - he's cute, but he isn't the quickest fella Of course it differs with every dog, but with Pete I reckon it was a month or two and then he settled down - very stressful for me though during that time, I thought he'd never get better! I know people suggest you conditioning the dog to the sound of your keys, e.g. pick up your keys, walk to the door, then walk back to your desk/lounge/wherever you were, and keep doing this until your dog doesn't react to your keys - and good luck to you if you want to try this technique - from my experience, my dog still jumps up when he hears my keys, he just doesn't stress out anymore! All the best

Hi linnieg, first of all, great work adopting an adult rescue From my experience adopting a rescue, separation anxiety is a very large problem in these dogs - and the largest problem faced by people who adopt rescues. It can be heart wrenching and stressful for you - and as much as I'd like to tell you there is a quick fix, unfortunately time is the greatest healer. It just takes these poor dogs a little longer than most to realise you are going to come back for them Leaving on a radio or tv can be helpful, as can leaving treats - a Kong filled with peanut butter or a bone worked best for my dog. The only thing I can really say about the fussy eating is that it is actually healthy to fast your dog occassionally, they aren't going to starve themselves. Put the food out and if they are really hungry, they'll eventually eat it! Try not to cater to her fussiness too much - it would be like only feeding a child macdonalds ;) Good luck

Hi Steve, I just spent an hour reading articles on your website - I've got to say - fantastic procrastination tool when you have exams to study for Ever thought of moving to Adelaide? :D I have just started TOT with Pete - an unknown mut - he's about 17 months and I've had him for about 7 months. I think he is part wolfhound or deerhound. But my issue is - I already have him sitting for his food and staying while I put it down until he looks at me and gets the ok to eat. My issue is I'm not sure if I really have him in 'drive' even feeding him only once a day, he is never really excited for his food if that makes sense, he will go to it when I release him, but it is not as if he's distracted by it when I bring it out and making him sit. Do you have any suggestions of how I can increase that drive, the second time I fed him less and he was a little more eager for the third meal, but doing it daily I don't really feel comfortable reducing his food overall, as he is a skinny dog as it is. Also I often leave kongs filled with food etc when I go to work to occupy him, and I haven't been doing this due to TOT but it's something I would like to be able to keep doing (leaving food for him when I leave). Sorry a hope this makes sense, my brain turns to mush around exams

haha if only it were that simple... DOL is the best procrastination tool going around!

The purebred dalmation I grew up with got all it's puppy vaccines, and that was it. She passed this year, at 16. She was on some form of arthritis medication for the last few years. About 2 months before she passed we called the breeders we got her from to let them know how old she was. They bred one litter after hers and retired, and she was the only dalmation from their breeding they knew of that was still alive, and the oldest they had ever heard of. (she also was fed 'noname' dog food her entire adult life. My pete has an unknown history. At around 6-7 months the rescuers gave him a C3. about a month after this my old vet boosted to C5. I intend on vaccinating Pete again in 3 years, and that will be it.

Thanks for sharing your story skip and for your encouragement and advice

Want to borrow Kaos? She can drag a full one around the yard!! PHWOAAR Teebs! That is crazy! Though Atlas did drag a tractor tyre around the yard once while the neighbours watched in amazement. I am going to buy one of these after work, it's been so hot, I wish we had a shady spot in the yard though, the only shade really is under the house on the cement but I don't want to put it there as I would like it to water the grass ;) I'm thinking about buying a shade umbrella/ shade blinds from cheapaschips as I have the same issue - only no under the house!!

Do you mean sounds odd the vet said they weren't hot spots? He told me hot spots normally cover a bigger area than these bumps so it didn't seem to be that. The ones on his legs have dried up well so far! Tail one was a bit more nasty but its getting there ;) It was funny he sorta knew not to scratch after a while, cause I would interrupt him everytime he did, and then I would see him flicking around for a scratch but catching himself and stopping

Very cute!!

That's a good trick! Pete wasn't overly excited with it this morning, but I picked him up and plonked him in (not that easy when he's 25kg and I'm 55kg!) and then after the walk with some encouragement he got his feet wet again, not sure if he'll play or sit down, but it's peice of mind for me while I'm at work that it's there..

Oh that's so sad!

Thanks oakway, just went out to assess ours, and it's only a few inches deep but it took me an effort to drag it a few cm so I can't see scrawny pete doing much

He's taller than a golden retriever and about 25 kilos, do you think he could get trapped? Oh you've got me worried now! How should I secure it?

Whats ACV SBT?

And trust me - I got Pete from a rescue shelter - when you give them the worming treatment, you'll know if they had them! Pete had worms about an inch long come out in his poos

Hi all, Adelaide is heating up quickly! Last night took myself off to Big W and bought a clamshell for $21.95, this morning put some water in and Pete's already figured it's a pretty nice way to keep his feet cool! Just wondering how often you change the water in yours? Have also frozen water bottles for him to have during the day and I leave him with a couple of frozen chicken necks (which last about 2 seconds). Had his fur thinned by the groomer but figured this probably wasn't enough so have cut it all off his legs and trimmed around his body. Any other suggestions? (Obviously have a couple of water buckets (there is nowhere which is completely shade free all day in our backyard, but one water bucket is shaded all day by a table, the others are in places which have shade either in morning or in afternoon) Thanks p.s. I think I am the only person in Adelaide who doesn't like the summer! My english blood craves a nice cool rainy day...

Jaxx as I have said repeatedly, I am not in a situation where I can afford to get a behaviourist involved unless I think it's the only thing which will work. I understand that I have made mistakes with Pete, I got him at around 8 months with unknown history, so that's always going to be an extra struggle, but I have grown up with dogs in my home, and I don't believe I am incapable of improving the situation with some techniques that have been suggested. On that, I really appreciate everyone taking the time to give there opinions, and - as I have said - I know I'm not expert, but - as you have all said - I'm the only one observing the situation, and most importantly, observing Pete. I am very confident that his snapping - which was clearly a warning for me not to grab him and drag him off the bed - is not going to escalate into him biting me. This is not because I'm assuming to know what he is capable of, but because I am ensuring he doesn't get into a situation where I walk into a room to find him on a bed. So, as the situation is at the moment, I do not see fit to call a behaviourist, when there are simple things that I was lagging with that can be altered. I understand that many of you will disagree with this, but it doesn't decrease my appreciation for your advice. Obviously some of the advice/opinions have hit a nerve with people, as the inexperienced dog owner who has made mistakes in the past and is obviously not confident on handling issues on my own, I can reassure you all it never crossed my mind to try some of the more 'aggressive' techniques, such as scruffing etc, and I don't believe the posters intended those opinions to suggest I do that. The NILIF and TOT is going well, I've told my housemates and their partners that if they want to pat Pete thats fine but to make him work for any attention, e.g. ask him to sit etc. His behaviour has subtly changed in the last few days, he is responding well to the targeting training, he is sleeping at my feet more often than he used to (which is a little flightening for me as I have a office chair with wheels and don't want to accidently run him over), and his recall in the home is improving in consistency. If he doesn't sit or come etc in a timely fashion, he gets an 'oh well' and I turn and walk away. I hope that with time he will continue to improve, and that he doesn't 'warn' me again. Should he, I will call Mark Singer. I hope to give you all a happy follow up in the not-to-distant future