Tarmons

Tony Scarcella has asked me to thank you for your thoughtful messages and sympathy on the sudden death of his wife, Dianne. Tony also wishes to let people know that Dianne died as the result of a massive STROKE not a heart attack.

Rest in peace, my dear friend. I am devastated at the news.... my thoughts are with Tony and all at Gipfel/ Wiesenland. I will miss your wisdom and your hilarious emails. The Glen Fiddich will always be toasted in your memory, Di.

A friend of mine who is a very well-known breeder in Belgium, phoned me the other week and suggested that I do a switch to Eagle Pack as it is the dry food the top kennels in Europe are now using. The comments that have been posted on this thread back up what my friend was telling me. Ever since Walthams [PAL] bought out the dry food component from the French company, Royal Canin, the Dutch, Belgian and German breeders had been having problems with it. Not as good according to them. Eagle Pack has been given the thumbs up and their dogs are thriving on it.

I would suggest that you try Bonnies Dog Obedience and Care Centre. You and your son would be given the best care and attention and not be lost in the numbers on the field at the Ipswich Dog Obedience Club. At Ipswich I am not sure that CCCQ rules will allow an 8 yrs old to take a dog into class. However, here are both contact details for you: Bonnies: Phone: 07 3300 2959; Email: [email protected]; Website: www.bonnies.com.au Ipswich Dog Obedience Club: Mrs Tina McKenzie Phone: 07 3294 7008

Rob Zammit certainly knows his stuff when it comes to GSDs and hips as does Karen Hedberg. However, changes to the femoral head and the ability for the joint to fit tighly into the socket would be a concern at this stage - not a panic but a concern. Over-exercising GSD puppies seems to be prevalent. Fran Farley - [breeder, Judge, Breed Surveyor of many years standing] - has written a superb article on Exercising Baby Puppies that should be mandatory reading for all GSD puppy owners. It can be downloaded from the GSDCV website. We do forget that because GSD puppies grow quickly and are big that they are still puppies and have limitations as to what they can do comfortably. By the time they are 9 months old they are almost their maximum height.

Riverstar Sorry to hear about your 11 months old GSD and the beginning of arthritis in his elbows.... I have just been through the trauma of having my GSD puppy injure his right knee when he slipped on wet concrete.... GSD Puppies !!! The first 12 months is sheer hell. Once they get those important A [ Hips] and Z [elbows] stamps you can relax. So much can go wrong so quickly... rough play... twists and turns.... over-exercise.... rapid growth... However, during the initial treatment of my puppy's injury, the Vet gave him a course of Cartrophen injections. It was explained to me that cartrophen not only supplies fluid to arthritic joints but will also strenthen damaged ligaments. Maybe Cartrophen plus Joint Guard could help your puppy? My puppy has been given the All Clear which is a great relief. Tarmons

Craig Murray trained my GSD 22 years ago. He had a training centre on the Sunshine Coast. Since then occasionally I have seen him doing a demo with his dogs - they are brilliant.

Dogs regard children as puppies..... Molly sees your little daughter as a litter mate with 2 legs Personally, I would nip the food aggression in the bud- the first growl needs a firm correction " No! aargh!' or whatever word you use to express disapproval. Don't let her get away with it. You're the boss... the provider of the food. Don't let her mouth any of you.... those teeth are razor sharp and can do a lot of damage. Bite inhibition training is essential. Be gentle as you remove those teeth from your arm etc but always with a firm 'No!' or a yell indicating that you have been hurt. I always distract my puppies by giving them something else to chew and bite.

Littlelabrador A very good book that reinforces the "Nothing In Life is Free" routine is 'WHO'S THE BOSS' by Val Bonney. There is also a DVD that accompanies it. It is an easy to read book -very practical. Mollie is just being a typical exuberant puppy and needs to understand her correct place in the Pack Order in her home. Val Bonney is very strong on the necessity of having the correct pack order in place if you wish to have a well-behaved dog that is a pleasure to own and train. Buy the Book - it 's a great investment at a cheap price.

Get your puppy to a vet..... something is definitely not right with his digestive system. I just hope it's not hook worm. There is some bug thriving in his system, the poor little thing. What's your water like? He could have picked up a bacteria from the water. Whatever it is, it is really some disorder that must be treated before serious damage is done. SIX weeks is al ong time for a puppy to have the runs. As someone pointed out Scourban only gets rid of the diarrhoea not the cause.

Ipswich train at Tivoli - the CSR Oval. There is a phone number for them -07 3294 7008. There is a Club at Runcorn -phone 07 5522 6990.

Go the GSDs... great stuff, guys!

This is just for the Obedience people in Queensland to let them know that Dr Ray Taylor was killed in a car accident at Proserpine on Saturday. Ray was known for his Golden Retrievers - two of them were OC"s at the time when a TDX was one of the pre-requisites. Cosmos and Photon were the OC's. Ray was also President of the Townsville Obedience Club for a total of 24 years and was the driving force behind many of the Club's achievements. He was a creative lateral thinker who never poured cold water on a good idea which was why the Townsville Club has a list of Queensland firsts to its credit: first Agility Trial, first Endurance Test, first Handlers Comp for Non-pedigree dogs, first Jumpers Trial. He encouraged and helped many many people to take that first step into the Trial ring. The description that best fits Ray Taylor is that he was a gentleman both on and off the field.

My 3.5 mths old puppy hates the car. As soon as he sees his harness, he tries to hide. This has gone on since he was 8 weeks old. He did get car sick several times but he has overcome this. I ignored it... just kept putting him in his travel crate and heading off. Now that he has out grown the travel crate he sits on the back seat- harnessed and clipped in. He is in the car every day - it's a way of life in our household. My advice is ignore it... make no big deal about it. I agree there's nothing worse than a hollering puppy in the car especially when they give passers-by the impression that they are having their throat cut. Laugh about this if you like...but classical music seems to have a calming effect on him as does also lavender oil...

Looking at his photo... I would definitely tape them. I f you have any GSD friends -ask them to help you.

It goes with the territory when you get a baby puppy. You just have to ride it out. Count your blessings.. at least little Jasmine lets you know when she needs to go. By the time she is four months old, she may not need to go during the night.

German Shepherd Puppies: CRATE training- Yes! Yes! Yes! A must for any Baby Puppy. SOCIALIZATION..... yes, take the puppy out. Be aware of places that are fouled by other dogs - get the puppy out to the bus stop, the shopping Centre, sit by the highway with her so that she can hear see the sights and smells of traffic roaring by, take her to the local School or playground where children are yelling and shrieking, get her used to the postman, skateboards, roller baldes. Between 8wks and 16 weeks is the crucial time - all that she will learn and absorb is in that short period of time. Be patient with her.... it's a big change this 8 weeks little puppy has undergone. Have you taken her to Puppy School? She looks gorgeous and you have been given great advice from experienced people. Best of luck with her. With the lead... attach it to her collar and allow her to walk around the yard with it on... without you attached at the other end.

Just opened the latest National DOG magazine- there's a page on GSDs herding and loving it. Great to see. Also in the same issue is Noni Hibberd's [GSDCQ member] success in Germany with her Aussie-bred GSD Chiller at the Working Dog Trials. Noni was High in Trial not once but twice. Two out of two.... not bad for an Aussie eh!

I agree with Isaviz- spray the toads with dettol.... and you will notice a big decrease in activity. If you correct your dogs very firmly the very first time they show an interest in chasing them that will help. The 'leave it ' command is tops - because even dead toads can kill dogs who are scavengers. It is only of an evening that you will see them emerge from their hiding place. The much maligned crow is a natural predator of the cane toad. Toads cannot climb. Don't leave out any drinking water for your dogs of a night because if the toads get into these bowls, they will poison the water.

Molasseslass: Come off it... Have you ever attended the Casterton Kelpie Muster? It is not a Charity Auction for the once a year RM/Thomas Cook junkies to get themselves in the social pages of the local papers and women's magazines. It is a celebration of the Working Kelpie with the emphasis on 'working'. How dare you imply that the raffle was something any empty-headed fool would organise just to raise some cash. Do you think for one minute that one of Australia's top working Kelpie Kennels would put up one of their highly prized and sought-after dogs as a prize if there was any chance of the dog ending up being eaten or tied up in a back yard? To offer a working kelpie as a raffle happens at the Kelpie Muster. These guys are serious sheep/cattle owners who rely on their dogs. They respect the attributes and traits of well-bred working kelpie and to be given the opportunity to get one from top kennels is something they appreciate. Believe me, Mick Allen will look after that dog and appreciate what he has been given. The dog will be worked. How dare you imply otherwise and pass judgment on someone you don't even know! Keep your eyes out folks for Wandi - at the working trials not the local Restaurant or in the local pound.

Mystiqviewbcs QUOTE: One thing I would love to see, is the end of OC/UDX/UD dogs trialling in Open and being eligible for trophy awards at the end of the night.. Would like to see it be the same as in dressage... Higher level horses (dogs) can compete in the lower level, but their scores are not eligble for end of night point scores. I understand the possible need for those dogs to go down a level for proofing.. but that is more lack of incentive for new open people.. You see trophy hunters in your ring.. what chance do you have to end up in award lineups at the end of the night?? I couldn't agree more.... At our Club we have made all the Perpetual Trophies and Special trophies ineligible for dogs trialling in a lower class mainly the OC UDX UD dogs whose one and only aim was to have their names on every Club Trophy possible. It wasn't fair on those Club members who were trialling in these Classes when they came up against these dogs who have had their Open Title for about 7 years and were OC's for about 3 years or more. It has been in place for two years now and everyone is very happy - not the Club Trophy Hunters but who cares? They have truck loads anyway. I agree that there should be a separate ring for those who wish to trial their dogs in a lower class but these dogs should NOT be included in the Awards line-up for Open or UD Classes at the end of the night if they have had their Open or UD title for at least 12 months.

Mrs D: ' hands in 'normal position' for SFE....' then you went on to say that you do not cross your hands in front on your stomach for SFE .. or words to that effect. In that case the Judge referred to in the OP would have NQ'd you because that hands crossed in front is the only correct position as far as he is concerned. Normally points are deducted because of the way the Dog stands..one would hardly think that where the handlers hands are placed is a NQ. The Judge was being pedantic in that case IMO. The object of SFE is not how the Handler is standing but how the dog is standing. With regard to Victorian dogs not performing well enough to title in Queensland ... I cannot comment on that because the Victorian dogs I have seen working would qualify anywhere with high scores. They have been a joy to watch especially when in UD the scores ranged from 200 - 189 with only a point or two separating them. Extended signals is a problem and it is very difficult when you are trialling a Dachie and get pinged for extended signals. After a trial I did suggest to one Judge that he take the dog for an offlead heeling pattern and give the signals from the waist...... he did and then changed his tune quick smart. Hopefully it made him a little more understanding when he judged the next tiny dog. Most of us have a list of those Judges we would never trial under again in a month of Sundays....

Mrs D I do trial in Qld and I have never witnessed someone being NQ'd in Stand for Exam because they didn't stand with their hands clasped in front of them. Neither have I come across any Judge who insisted on more than a distinct pause between the name and the command. Actually I think it would be great to have Tapferhund trial in Queensland under our Judges. I think you would be pleasntly surprised to see just how well Tapferhund and her dogs work in the ring. Also... just another point based on 16 years of seeing Queenslanders trial in Melbourne under Victorian Judges..... they don't do as well down there. Much to their chagrin and frustration, the high scores they get in the Sunshine State are not repeated down there so maybe it is because some of the VCA Judges are a little pedantic.. ;)

Tapferhund ... where in the Rules does it say that the handlers's hands should be clasped in the front .....????? ;) ....in his opinion her hands were not in the right position when she was facing the dog during the examination ,... As for the break between the name and the command... the rules only say a distinct pause.... Those Judges who did this are definitely pedantic...The competitors should definitely revolt.

Will PM the details about the Canine OBedience Club of Townsville.