aussielover

I am sure Banjo will settle down as he gets older, you are doing a lot of work with him which will show in the long run I'd probably let her do all the research into breeds and then she can present to you why she wants the particular breed and any potential problems that may occur (eg sheltie barking) and how she will address that. I had to do that before I got my aussie clover. I researched heaps of dog breeds and made extensive lists of pros and cons- what a dog nerd LOL In the end it was beneficial because it ensured I was 100% committed to Clover for her whole life as i really, really wanted her. (and it was good for our animal husbandry subject at uni where in the exam we had to identify lots of different dog breeds!)

I think it would be up to the vet as to what age they feel comfortable performing the op at.

why did you try it if they are lazy and not stressy?

Maybe once you train Banjo up, she could run him? I saw a demo of a BC being run by a 10yo girl the other day (obviously not the trainer) and it was pretty impressive! If she is still keen on getting her own agility dog then you could consider get another dog. I wouldn't get another dog unless i was 100% happy with the behaviour of my current dog or i had a lot of time and patience

WOW you are brave having 2 young puppies Nahla + teddy! Just remove scout when she is too boisterous, settle her for a few mins and then let her go back. Keep repeating until she plays gently. I often find it helpful to get the bigger down to lie down or rollover and stay, they can still play but the pup can get away if necessary. If Mindy plays with a smaller puppy i will tell her to roll over and she will be quite happy to play on her back

A lot depends on the individual dog, how active it is, size, breed even plays a factor. As they get older, definitely make them wait a bit longer. I was taking Mindy out eveyr half hour as an 8 week old but now she is almost 5 months (i can't believe it!) she only really need to go out every couple of hrs. She does spends a lot of time sleeping though and I will ususally take her out if she has a play. She was able to hold on from 11pm-7am from the age of 8 weeks though (sleeping which is different) so every 30 mins was overkill, but it did help her to learn the right place to go. Now that she is older i don't really have timer for her, i mainly look for signs of her needing to go like sniffing etc They are quite obvious now i know her well Or I might think s*** she hasn't been out for ages- better take her out straight away!!! LOL

Can she not train Banjo? I'm sure he would be great at agility being an aussie and at fairly active one at that (from what i've heard) aww poor cavs, i don't think they're ugly LOL I know a 6 month old rough coated jack russell who would be perfect for her. The dog is extremely intelligent and easy to train and also very agile and athletic. She looks like the ultimate "kids dog" imo. Kelpies and BCs are the ultimate agility dogs A brittany might also be suitable, I have heard they are fairly easy to train and have the right build to succeed in agility.

Yes, you are right, it is only some dogs that are affected by grapes. My aussie used to love grapes and get them as a treat in summer sometimes. I'm not going to risk Mindy eating any though

Do you mean crating for long periods of time? Or do you mean you don't agree with crates at all? With the right puppy, I think it could work, however you would probably be better off with an older dog. You should establish a relationship with a great breeder who could pick the right pup for you. Even a slightly older pup (>4 months) may be better as they have more understanding at that age. We got our aussie pup at 5/6 months and she was perfectly fine to be left from 9-5. We did employ a dog walker though to run her in the middle of the day, which kept her happy. she had a big walk before and after school/work and was included in all family activities. Pups tend to sleep a lot of the day anyway- I never leave Mindy for more than an hour or so, but she sleeps a lot of the day, it is not like she spends all day interacting with me. Obviously it is ideal to spend as much time as possible with a puppy or dog, but realisitically many people have to work and can't take their dogs with them. With the right breed and right pup, I believe you could both be happy. I have never had cavs but we have a few that board with us at work for the day and they don't seem at all stressed by not having company for a large part of the day. Good Luck with your decision

Maybe he went in his sleep?

He is also doing a demo at sydney uni's pet fair! Sydney uni pet fair

Does he have access to outside while you are away?

I know a few people on the lower north shore who have a lagotto. Not sure if they would be interested in another though.

just an update: we had a home visit from guide dogs today. They are pleased with her and think she is doing well. she walked very well today and they were impressed she walked well on just a collar and lead. They also said that her coming to uni is absolutely fine, in fact, they thought it was good because she gets a lot of practice sitting in an office. Yay Mindy!

I'D LOVE to borrow Ava ;) Not sure my mum would handle it though- she sounds pretty full on. I reckon her and Mindy would destroy the place in about 10 seconds and my mum would have a heart attack! Mindy knows a lot of tricks take a bow, hi 5, hi 10, turn around, roll over, speak (mum doesn't like that one), weave, bring the newspaper in, crawl, hmmm thats about it. Am tyring to teach her to put her paw over her face but my timing is just lousy. also she seems not to notice when she has things dangling over her face. Mum thinks the tricks are silly (well, they are...) but everyone else thinks they are cute and they are impressed!

Hope your right, 'cause I was pretty freaking horrified by that! wouldn't the dog have died if it was 80% of the body weight? unless it was hugely obese to start with, even then there are liver complications that occur...

She was the one who was keen to have Mindy in the first place! I think she had forgotten what it was like to have a puppy. And labs are fairly full on puppies compared with our aussie puppy who was older (5/6 months) when we got her. I thought I would only be taking her to uni one or maybe 2 days a week, but its been more like 4/5 days a week. Not that I mind, I just want what is best for her, which at the moment is not being left at home I think. I am hoping that as Mindy gets older and easier to walk and can walk for longer, mum will want to walk her more. Its kinf of funny because my dad who doesn't really like animals is quite taken with mindy and lets her sleep in his study under his desk! He also gives her pieces of toast in the mornings and buys extra meats for her!

I got a seat protector from a $2 shop. it is quite good and only cost $7 (i thought all things in a $2 shop wre meant to be under $2 though )

If the lab puppy has upset yours you are welcome to introduce him to Mindy so he doesn't dislike all labs and other big dogs! She is a very well behaved puppy and plays really gently with the smaller puppies. I would separate the pups if either began to get too excited as well as I don't believe in letting them sort it out themselves or letting a tiny pup get squashed to "toughen up". Also, the lab will not learn to be gentle by being allowed to bully your pup, the only thing it will learn is that it gets its own way when rough. They learn to be gentle by being removed if they get too rough- that way they think "i only get to play if i play like this...(nicely)''

We got clover at 5/6 months old, she had lived on with her breeder on a large property before that. When she first came home she was terrified of cars and traffic. she basically got over it without us doing anything special after a few days at home with us. She did have a really terrific calm temperament and came from a line of very stable temperamented dogs though. I'm sure she received some socialisation at dog shows and at home with the breeder though. I think while they are quite young there is still a good chance of socialising them and them becoming "normal" as long as the temperament is good.

I'm pretty sure guide and assistance dogs are trained MAINLY using positive methods, but also other methods. In the end they need to be 99.99% safe for handler (ie not running off for pats or food or to chase etc). IMO no dog can be 100% becuase they are after all living, thinking creatures. If I can train my dog to have 95% recall using positive methods, of course i will, but i am also prepared to try other methods to get the extra 9% to make them that much more reliable. I'm not sure who wouldn't be willing to and I think that is the downside of "purely positive" trainers. I think it is safest, even for a pet, to have the best recall possible as you never know when you might need it! By the way, I know several people who speak very highly of steve and vicki and have attended their puppy classes as well as trained with them. I'm personally not a big fan of the "board and train" situations, having heard from people who have done this and also trainers themselves, the training oftren only lasts a few weeks after unless the owners is willing to put in the work following... (not that i'm saying the OP is not) Many people see it as a quick fix, the dog comes back all well trained, but it is not going to be maintained unless the owner continues the training.

Good on you! It is unusual for a lab to be aggressive with other dogs which is why I was asking. Walking on lead is a great way for dogs to get used to each other.

Yes, they become pets as therapy dogs- which is basically just a pet for a person with any type of disability. They have to pass some medical tests before they go on to be either a guide or therapy dog though, so can also be failed for that. a very small number go to the police or customs as sniffer dogs (usually very bouncy males!). At around 12 months she will go back to guide dogs to be assessed and have all her medical tests done. If she is assessed as suitable for guide dog trianing, she will have 4 months of guide dog training after that.

I reccomend this puppy school in pennat hills Puppy preschool I did the classes run by the same people but at a different location and couldn't speak more highly of them. There are 3 teachers, the lady who owns and is also a teacher is an ex guide dog trainer and behaviourist and is really good. Through carefully supervised play (5 mins at a time max) my puppy went from being a crazy silly boisterous lab to being really really gentle with smaller dogs (played very sweetly with a 10 week old Boston terrier yesterday) and very sensible around bigger dogs.

agree with Poodlefan! The teacher sounds dreadful, at my puppy class the teacher would always seperate puuppies that were getting too excited or if one was showing fear etc. Also, the puppies should only play for a few minutes at a time (otherwise they do become hyper-excited) and then have quiet time or training time. And the lies about Hills science diet top it off for me!!! Hills is a good brand of food, but certainly not "the best". Eagle pack and Nutro are both better in my experience and many other members on here as well. I think you should find a better puppy school (what area are you in- people might be able to give recommendations) or a good trainer who can help you out, now that it appears Nelson has dog issues. He is still young though, so with some careful socialisation, hopefully these issues will be able to be quickly resolved and he will enjoy playing with other dogs again soon