atua

When people ask me what breed my Gordon Setter is and I tell them they say oh the Golden Setters I know.

oh no not good news at all. I wish you all the best in your search.

I too would not be interested in any franchises. When we started up our own mobile dog grooming company we started from scratch. Its not that hard to get established. We no longer do mobile work as it was starting to cost to much with fuel and general wear and tear on the vehicle and trailer and to keep prices competitive. Also some of the driveways at peoples houses were horrendous and needed a 4wd (which we had) to get in and out of. Where we are located there are alot of other mobile groomers/dog washes and a few customers are wary of using mobile groomers where others its more convenient for them having someone come to the house. We now have 2 shops and can offer way better prices than we could mobile. The other thing we found hard when we first started was working out which area we were going to cover and sticking to it. At first you would be going from one side of town to the other than here there and everywhere until you have built up enough of a client base to say ok I will be in your area on this particular day. Sometimes that suited the customer other times it wouldnt suit. Good luck with your new adventure it is a very rewarding job. The dogs are wonderful however some owners not so but majority are awsome. I agree with the comment of volunteering at a rescue organisation or something of similar to help gain experience.

What about the boarding kennel that has the hydro therapy pool and vet surgery in one? The vet is called Furkids and their number is 3200 0498. Maybe see if you could go and have a look and if they have any vacancies. I would possibly leave the dogs at home if its only for a short stint and wasnt too far away and get someone I know to check on them. Just make sure they have somewhere safe to go and hide and get shelter incase we get one of those freak storms and that they have ID tags on with the best contact numbers and their vets contact details on the back. Also enough water for this humid weather.

I have a barker as well. I have tried the crate inside at night and it worked for a little while for her to then start barking at 5am and then it got to the point of whenever she felt like it. I am currently using a shock collar on her. Sometimes she doesnt bark but sometimes she does still bark even with the collar on. Have you tried leaving a big meaty bone outside at night for your dog? Maybe that might help keep him/her occupied. Maybe even a kong? My dog is now kenneled about 40 metres away from the house and I give her a frozen waterbottle with beefstock,cheese, steak chunks and whatever else I find in the cupboard to put into the bottle and freeze and give this to her at night. I cant have my girl in the house yard anymore because she destroys anything and everything.

I just choked on my drink I remember the add. Some people make me really mad

lol that sounds like something my gordon would do if I didnt put a long lead on her. She loves the water and gets carried away and just keeps swimming and swimming.

I only have one girl and she is 11 months old. Pending health tests etc I also have a idea on who I would like to use over her if and when the time comes. I am also keeping my eyes open at new young stock coming up

I also recommend Wamika Brittanys. Either give them a call or perhaps a email and they will be happy to talk to you about their much loved breed. As for English Springer Spaniels there are quite a few reputable breeders so just make some phone calls or send some emails and go with the one that you get along with most and is most helpful with your enquiries Just rememeber no question is a silly question. Good luck

Hi, I am going to start this with my dog today as it has been suggested. Thank you very much for sharing.

lol thanks for sharing thats great :D

I am sure we can work it out and I will definately have a look at it. I started working with her last night at home doing some of the stuff that was suggested by the breeder and she worked really well. I am looking foward to getting home this afternoon and doing some more. I think it was hurting me more than anything because I had been trying and nothing seemed to be working. I had tried quite a few different things but obviously the more I gave her just made her that more demanding and want to take that bit more without actually doing anything for it. I even tried locking her in a crate at night but then she would bark at 430am for me to let her out and of course I would go and let her out into the yard. She has been crate trained and will bark when she needs to go to the toilet or if she had finished her food for me to come and get her bowl and let her out with the other dogs again. Since moving she isnt trying to boss the other dogs around as much. I ended up separating her from the other dogs before moving because she was getting to bossy to the point she would stand and bark at Atua if she was laying on a bed until she got up and moved away. She is alot more relaxed now in that sense and isnt being bossy to Atua except when I throw the ball for Atua. Envy doesnt get to play now when I play fetch with Atua because she kept biting her and I dont feel it was fair to Atua. I will keep you all updated on our progress. I am confident that the advice the breeder gave me will definately see improvement and I will be trying a few of the things suggested here also. Thank you to everyone who replied. I really appreciate it. ;)

Well sandgrubber I didn't realise you knew so much about Gordon Setters, but obviously you're an expert on all gundog breeds, you must be to make such disparaging statements about a dog, its parents and its breeder even though you've never met any of them. The dog in question was bred by a very well respected breeder and both the sire and the dam have excellent temperaments, atua can vouch for this, she has met the sire and had the dam living with her for a few months. Gordons need a lot of attention when young, they must have regular and consistent training and they have to be taught boundaries, they are also 'one family dogs' and become very attached to their people and isolating a Gordon in a kennel on its own is a recipe for disaster. Pav lova is correct, this bitch has a young, inexperienced owner who hasn't realised the amount the amount of work required, although in atua's defence she does run her own business and is also 8 months pregnant and probably wasn't prepared for a Gordon entering adolesence, they can be a real handful. Atua has been in touch with the breeder and she is doing everything she can to help (sorry to disappoint you sandgrubber) and I'm sure they can work things out between them. Both parents have super soft temperments and Miranda is right I had Courtney (pictured in picture at home for a few months to learn the ropes of a Gordon before obtaining a puppy). I am certain the sire was selected for this mating because of his temperment.

Some more pictures 13 weeks lazy shot (i also have this one on cushions)

Head shot at 13 weeks I have had these put onto cushions Envy at work with a hat on

The breeder has been very informative and realiable. I dont believe that it is negligence on her behalf. I am the one to blame for this dogs behaviour because I have let it get to this stage. I had been trying to do new things that I thought may help the situation but none have seemed succesful. This dog has not been getting enough mental stimulation. Since getting this dog there have been some life changing factors within my day to day life such as opening a new business and taking on a new contract, finding out I was pregnant and moving so not everything that I had intended for this girl has been followed through with religiously. I am happy to put my hands up and take the blame because at the end of the day if I was doing the right thing things like whats happening wouldnt be happening. I am trying to make her life as good as I can and I just want her to be happy. As for clicker training I got given a clicker by a trainer at the obedience club I went to with her when we were doing puppy preschool. He gave it to me to use because she wasnt interested in food at that stage and the noise is what got her to walk rather than just lay down and not want to participate. After the second lesson she got jack of it and just wanted to lay down in the grass anyway so we stopped using the clicker and never went back to puppy school as she wasnt ready. Instead I waited a few months then did a few obedience lessons with her at a club and then just started doing it at home because the classes would clash with the dog shows on a Saturday morning. Pictures to come

If you dont mind that would be great. Thank you. Envy plays tug o war, infact shes quite good at tug o war. We tried using a clicker but she lost interest in the clicker (probably doesnt help that I am a complete novice with a clicker either) but responds well to food rewards. She is highly motivated with food. Tonight we did some exercises together before I put her to bed. We did some heal work, sits, drops and wait as well as through in a recall. The breeder recommended cutting out her afternoon free range activity for 10-15 minutes of rapid obedience work so that way she is working both mentally and physically at the same time rather then being able to do whatever she wants and then give her a further reward of a brief swim. I understand completely where she is coming from and do agree that I have let her have too much free reign and not enough mental stimulation. I dont expect miricles over night but do hope to see improvement within the next few weeks. I do believe she is capable and that we can change this destructful and nuisance behaviour for the better and I am happy to work with her. I have thought about doing agility with her but think I will leave that for a bit later down the track due to running isnt really my strong point at the moment lol however I could do some stuff with her at home like weaving and stepping through things. I will google Shirly Cross for ideas thank you very much. My plans for Envy are quite wide stretched and I hope to get her an obedience title as well as a few others. I have also looked into field work with her but with a new bub on the way some things need to be put on hold. She is a young dog with alot of potential and I need to put more time into her to get it out of her. The things I had been trying werent working and I was starting to get desparate for advice. We have also just recently moved houses so this could have upset her system also but the move was for the best as we didnt have much yard prior and now we have 10 acres.

Thank you for the replies. This dog comes from a very reputable and knowledgeable breeder who is very supportive and informative hence why I chose this breeder in the first place. I spent alot of years researching the Gordons and asking questions to owners, breeders and browsing websites before choosing to get a gordon. Envy gets a fair amount of one on one time with me. I even take her to work once a week with me. She has no separation issues what so ever nor a anxious dog. She isnt consistanlty destructive there is no set pattern and its usually after a very full on day with her where we spend alot of time together. Its never done out of jealousy towards the other dogs or anything like that. She is very well socialised with dogs and people and has been to obedience classes before but they werent ideal for us because they were too lengthy and boring for her. Gordons thrive on short fun training rather than extented repetitive exercises. They are definately not a stupid dog infact quite the opposite and pick things up quickly hence why short and fun lessons work best. This is where I was going wrong I think- not enough and not varying enough. I have been in touch with the breeder and she is more than aware of what is going on and suggested a few things to try. We have come to the conclusion that she has been given too much free reign and now thinks that she rules the roost so more mental stimulation and less free range physical exercise will help the situation and I am more than happy to work more with her. I love her so much she is my pride and joy and she knows she has me wrapped around her paw. There is no denying she is stubborn and hard headed. I posted here because I am open to new suggestions and ideas to try with her. This needs to be stopped now rather than esculating so she does become unbearable to live with. I am not ready to give in just needed help and advice from other owners who have been through similar or have ideas. Having a baby will no way affect the life that this dog lives I just want to make the whole situation better so it works out for everyone - Envy included. She is a part of our family and I want to make sure she is a civil canine. . Does anyone know any good websites for mental stimulation and brain teasers for dogs that they have found successful? Links would be appreciated. Thanks for the link to Jane Harper I will check it out tomorrow when I am back at work

I will look into Jane Harper. Has anyone here used her and how did they find it?

Hi, I have a 11 month old Gordon bitch. She is still entire (currently showing her) and she is as headstrong as they come. I have a few problems this dog is nuts and I mean nuts! I have been having problems for a while so think I may need to get a Behaviour Therapist to come and help her and myself out. Or some more ideas on what I can do to make living with this dog pleasurable instead of horrible. I consider myself a fairly experienced dog owner having had numerous dogs before and done obedience with all my dogs and been able to manage and correct behaviour issues without consulting a therapist before. However I am almost ready to admit defeat with this girl. I just dont know what else I can do. First of all I cant stop her from a destruction path- no matter what I try. I have tried toys, food in bottles, bones and lots of exercise but none seem to stop her from wrecking whatever she sees fit. She wrecks things from outdoor chairs, potplants, rips the washing off the line even will jump up to pull the string off the line if there are no clothes on it. She chews the tick collars off the other dogs, electrical cables you name it she will try it. She even pulls the plants out of the ground or jump up into trees to get the leaf at the very top. She is a very high energy dog that never seems to slow down. She has a free range run in a 2 acre paddock morning and night for atleast 1hour and a half per day but also swims for atleast 30 mins each morning on top of this and sometimes in the afternoon if its not dark by the time I get up to the house to let her swim in the pool. I have tried crating her when she is naughty, ignoring her, mental stimulation but then she will only hold concentration for approx 10 minutes. I have tried kongs to no interest as well as other toys and the only time she is slightly interested is when the other dog is playing and she bites her on the back of the neck and ears and barks at her. If the other dog drops the toy she doesnt care about the toy. Secondly the other day my partners 11yo son was walking to the shed (he didnt call the dog or anything, he was just walking to the shed to get the jerry can) and this dog ran up and bit him on the back of the heel and drew blood. She is very dominate with the other 2 dogs. She usually just soft mouths like most gundogs do but never before drew blood. What worries me is I am 34 weeks pregnant and really cant have this happen again to either the 11 year old or a newborn. At the moment I have kicked her out of the house yard where she had recently been on a path of destruction and put her in a dog pen. (its actually a horse stable thats inside a barn with a run onto the grass) So overall approx 3x 2.5m enclosed and another 3x 2.5m long a run to keep her confined while not supervised and currently let out morning and afternoon for free range exercise and a swim. I feel really bad about doing this as she is no longer in the house yard or has another dog as company and the stables are about 50 metres away from the house but I just cant trust her in the house yard anymore she has made it a mess. Any ideas or suggestions or even a reccomendation for a reliable behavior therapist in South Brisbane would be awsome. I guess I am having a bit of a vent at the same time as I dont know what to do. PS I havent proof read what I have written so sorry in advance if it doesnt make any sense

I was at that show and in Group 3. I didnt realise that we werent allowed to to be dismissed and thought that it was a good idea from the judge seemingly I have a predominately black dog and it was quite hot. What breed do you have CD? On the same note however I am not sure if the judge had a dry sense of humour as alot of people were not impressed with some of the comments he was making.

A Whippet would be ideal and dont be turned off by their thin appearance. They are lovely dogs who do have a decent bark about them. They are very hearty little dogs. Other ideal breeds could be Golden Retriever, German Short Haired Pointer a Brittany Spaniel English Springer Spaniel or a Welsh Springer Spaniel or even a Shar Pei. A thing to remember is how much time you are prepared to spend grooming a dog. There are lovely dogs available in shelters and rescue organisations as well.

EVACUATE EVACUATE! Seriously, I know this club, I know who runs it and if I were you I wouldn't go back. You can't argue or debate with people like this and you won't be able to change their minds. I agree with this comment

We have had 2 of these in the last 2 months. It really does hurt. The other one that gets me upset is when the lovely small fluffies owned by older clients that have to be put into homes and cant take their baby with them. That breaks my heart.

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