aussielover

My dogs swim twice a day, every day & have no trouble with the Advantix. I keep them out of the water for 48 hours after I apply it though. They do get the odd grass tick & they have to be done no later than every 14 days. Cant wait for a generic version to become available in Australia. I am sure what the manufacturers charge for Advantix or Frontline Plus is not reflective of production cost. I know they have high research & development costs but these sort of things have been around for decades for cattle etc. Advantix is waterproof and has registered claims for that effect also, and there is no need to apply more often if your dog swims everyday. Re generics: Advantix is not due off patent for another 3 years in Australia. There is no TRUE generic for it ANYWHERE in the world. The add you linked to has differing quantities than advantix the real one. Frontline generics are available in australia already. It is sold in supermarkets under a different name now, Also as stated, other brand names have already been registered and are stocked in some pet outlets and online. Advantix is by far proven more effective than frontline too ie efficacy Advantage family products for fleas is 100% Ticks 98% Frontline Fleas 57% and ticks 52%. The problem with generics both human and animal, is research and development of products is entirely funded by the major pharma co's. When generic co's jump in and take on active ingredients, package and distribute products they sometimes reduce the amount of ingredients to cost cut under a guise. They also operate under poor conditions in some very dodgy locations. Also no $ are returned to the originating Pharma Co to fund new research, development, science or projects. How long can the major Co's sustain this? Generics are damaging to health. Cheap is not always best. Hope this helps Oh and patents for Pharmacueticals can be up to 16 years. Do you have reference or link to the study where you got these results? Personally I use advantix as I think it is more effective for both fleas and ticks based on anecdotal observation, but I wasn't aware there were published studies.

You need to make a report to the relevant state veterinary practitioners board. They are the authority best able to determine whether the death was preventable or this dog was one of the very small percentage of healthy animals that die under general anaesthesia during routine or minor procedures for no apparent reason. It is surprising that they didn't offer a post mortem examination by an outside source for free and that they actually admitted the dog wasn't being monitored by a second person. Given this information, i think you have more than enough reason for the board to investigate the matter further. Good luck, my heart goes out to the family who lost the dog in such shocking circumstances. We also lost a young dog to an anaesthetic during a simple procedure and it is very hard to come to terms with. We accepted the vets reason at the time but looking back I wish we had taken it further.

This report says the little poodle did not put his nose through the fence but that there was a hole. That's interesting. This is why I just think fences should have no holes, whether someone sticks something through in stupidity (which we know they do) or whether your dog sticks its head out and bites someone on the footpath, why risk it? The owner claimed her dog was just sniffing the grass. I imagine there would be considerable difference legally between a dog (or a part of a dog) leaving its property to attack another dog and a dog that is defending its own property against a dog (or a part of a dog) that is intruding. The cynic in me can't help but think the woman let her dog stick its head through the gap in the fence and when the dog was attacked, claimed it was unprovoked* and that her dog was outside out the offending dog's yard. *In my opinion, allowing your dog to wander onto the property of another dog is provoking an attack. And therein lies the problem. There's always two sides to every story and it's always easier to blame someone else for your own mistakes. That's human nature. If (and I stress *if*) the poodle's owner was at fault, I seriously doubt she'd own up to letting her dog poke its head through the hole. On the other hand, I'm wondering how the council can claim it happened on private property. If she's walking on the COUNCIL STRIP doesn't that imply it's not privately own land? I'd definitely agree with that. The fact that she said she had to run over to the fence suggests to me that perhaps the poodle was not actually on lead. Either way, it's certainly very unfortunate. I'd be interested to know why the vet could/would not sedate the poodle or if the injuries were as severe as they sound, PTS immediately- it certainly sounds as if it warranted emergency care. A sedated dog can still be conscious. In fact that is the difference between sedation and general anaesthesia... sedated animals remain conscious. I am sure that pain relief and sedation would have been given whilst the injuries were being assessed. Anaesthetising and animal with such traumatic facial injuries can be difficult to do safely. Of course it is absolutely horrific for both the dog and the owner and a very traumatic way to end the poor little dogs life. There are 2 sides of the story and we have only heard one so perhaps it is better to reserve judgement for now. Perhaps it did occur on private property (the fence could have been set back from the actual property boundary), goes to show how careful we should be when walking our dogs.

I really like Craig Bailey at North Shore Vet (I assume this is the vet you currently go to?)- really nice guy and very competent surgeon. Otherwise David Lidbetter is also very good and probably cheaper.

Agree. My favourite handlers are those that actually run with their dogs no matter how well trained and experienced they are. I also have lots of admiration for those handlers who are physically unable to run but are still able put in bloody good performances through awesome distance work! In terms of a win out system, I guess I would feel its a bit unfair having a slower dog myself. I know that she could be faster than what she is with better training and handling etc but honestly she can't keep up with a kelpie or BC on the flat in a straight run let alone when you add in jumps or turns :laugh:

I think the win to progress system probably encourages better training and better dogs but at the same time I think it cuts down the huge variation of breeds we see here in Australia. It's pretty much excluding a lot of breeds to compete at the highest level. I think it would discourage the "average" pet owner from trialling. I don't enter trials with my dog to win. We have fun and she gets a day out, often with friends and its fun to strive towards getting a title. I like how any handler/dog team can get a title in Australia. I got my dog to be a companion foremost but I like that she can also participate and have some success in agility. I think a class above masters with a win out system to be eligible to enter would be interesting. Those courses could be of a more international design and would cater for the outstanding and highly competitive teams.

If the dog is food allergic then a proper food elimination trial needs to be done. Mucking around with changing brands of food can actually end up being detrimental and may limit what food can be given should they eventually need to do a food trial. Personally I would rather go with a raw diet, which can still be grain free.

If he's not getting excited, perhaps the length of training isn't the issue but the reward and reward frequency and your attitude? Perhaps at the park you're more switched on as you know you have to be on the ball, so you're more likely to reward more frequently and perhaps use better rewards. I know I find training at home much more difficult than at a club or at the park- I have to make a conscious effort to make training upbeat and fun for my dog and remind myself constantly to reward especially at home. This is due to a combination of me not being a naturally outgoing person and my dog not being a high drive dog. I tend to find that more active rewards like ball chasing make her more excited, but also have the downside of being physically tiring. I don't do obedience training anymore but when I train for agility it is no more than 10 mins at a time and usually I try to have a specific exercise in mind eg. contact work, weave entries, serpentines, front crosses etc 20 mins seems like a fair amount of time but if he is enthusiastic then thats great :) I think my dog competes better when she has had a bit of a break from training before. With some things like weaving (and heeling when we did obedience) I actually found the more I did it, the worse it got! Then once she had a break from it for a while, it would getter better again!

Yes thanks, I agree, if she were my dog this is what I would be doing. I've been to see Steve with my lab and he is great. Unfortunately her owners aren't really interested in taking her to obedience/training classes let alone a behaviourist. They see her fear of going for walks and dogs, people etc as sooky and cute. I think a lot of the change/training has to come from them but I want to do what I can. I'm also in Wollongong now, not sydney but perhaps a phone consult would be ok. Thanks for the suggestion

I think it is sad all round I can sort of understand why the owner wanted this, although I would never do it myself. I feel sad that the owner thought this was the best option for the dog. It is very sad that the dog lost it's life so early but as someone else said, there are much worse things than a peaceful death. It is also a shame that someone else potentially missed out on a service dog but at the same time, if it was home-trained then there is no guarantee it would have been suitable for another person. Most dogs, adapt very well to change. If raised and trained by a guide dog association it would have likely coped very well with a change of owner, as the ones who can't cope never make it through the training stage. I know of a few dogs who had to be returned to their puppy-raisers as they didn't cope with being away from their puppy raising family. My lab would be happy to go off with someone else and works just as well (if not better) for other people. However this may not have been the case with this particular dog. I don't think anyone can make an informed judgement without actually knowing the dog and the people involved with the case.

Just after some advice for training an 8 month old GSD female spayed. Gets along great with my dog, but is often too over the top and my dog is too tolerant and instead of telling her off comes to me for help and I usually have to put her in her crate or lock her in my room to give her some space from the other dog. Is hard to motivate for training, doesn't seem interested in toys, food, praise or pats. The only thing she finds highly rewarding is playing with my dog, which isn't really practical. Unfortunately I don't have much control over her food or toys, if she were mine I would not feed her from a bowl (training only) and remove free access to toys. I thought GSDs were meant to be easy to train and have high prey drives and like tugging etc but this dog definitely doesn't have high (or even any?) food or prey drive at this stage. Not interested in tugging, although is marginally better when tugging with my dog (gives up easily). Really not interested in food and will sometimes spit it out (even tasty treats like cabanossi or chicken) I would like to be able to walk the dogs together but she isn't good on lead and is fearful of new dogs and people. I'd also like to take her to obedience/agility classes with my dog but don't think I could cope with the 2 dogs- she isn't crate trained and would likely rip our soft crate to shreds! I don't think it would be worth it whilst she is so unmotivated at this point anyway. Any tips for motivating her during training much appreciated.

Yes, how do you enter an ET trial? From memory there is one in June/July at erksine park in NSW. I've helped out with vetting there before but want to trial this year. Are the trial notices/entries in the DogsNSW Gazette like other trials?

Totally agree with this. I know lots of people that have relatively high energy breeds in apartments successfully. I have had 2 working breed dogs (an aussie shepherd and a labrador) as well as a SWF in townhouses with small courtyards/yards and it was the SWF that was the hardest to manage. Both my aussie and my lab have lived in houses with small yards and huge yards with absolutely no issues. I actually find it more effort to provide my dog with stimulation when there is a large yard as you can get lazy and just play with them in the yard rather than make the effort to take them out. With no yards, there is no choice but to take them out. It is easier to rent with smaller dogs so I can understand why they are leaning towards a smaller dog, but remember that small doesn't always equal lower energy! I like the suggestion of a greyhound but they don't appeal to everyone and off leash exercise can be a bit of an issue with them. I really like cavaliers they seem to have modest exercise requirements but at the same time, most are very capable of doing dog sports and going for long walks if thats what you feel like. I've heard they shed a lot though. A Bichon might also appeal if they like the fluffy dog look- I know of several who live in apartments happily.

He is gorgeous! Glad to hear he's doing better now.

My lab girl seems similar to yours. She isn't overly interested in other dogs and prefers to play with her toy or ball. She often gets dominated by other dogs- she seems to attract humpers as I think they know she won't do anything to stop them (I end up pulling them off her). We are currently living with a young GSD who has quite a rough play style and wants to play most of the time. They get along fine, but my lab does have to have her time out from the pup, either in my bedroom or in her crate. Sometimes they play together really well and its fun to watch. Other times you can tell Mindy isn't interested and the dogs need to be separated. Unfortunately she's not the type to tell the other dog off when she's had enough so it does take more effort and management from me. Personally, I wouldn't get a GSD based on what i've seen with this dog, it is very hard to train and seems to have no real interest or drive for food or toys, its primary interest is my dog. I've heard spitz breeds are similar in that they can be hard to find a motivator and are strongly independent so you might want to think about it. Having said that my lab girl plays really well with a sibe she is friends with, but it is different when you live with them. I think in the end it is more to do with the owner/trainer than the dogs though

I just a few few questions about applying for a title through dogsNSW. Can you apply for more than one title with the same application form? It says on the form that you have to provide the ORIGINAL certificate of registration and pedigree- do you get this back? Do you include a SSE for return of this? What if you don't know the breeders name and address (for the breeders certificate section) Is it worth getting the sash for an extra $20 Advice much appreciated thanks!

Linda vogelnest at SASH is very good and really nice. Ask your regular vet about what you should do before seeing her- as jumabaar suggested it may be more cost and time effective to have completed the food allergy trial and flea control trials prior to seeing the specialist.

Mindy got her JD and SPD title today! These are our first titles so very happy! Thanks heaps to Vickie who has helped us sort out a few problems with her jumping and of course mainly my handling lol

We have 2 dogs- a lab and a GSD. Two of the most potentially "smelly" breeds lol. I don't notice any doggy smell and friends and visitors haven't said anything either. Neither dog smells particularly doggy. I use essential 6 spot on for mindys atopy which is a scented omega 3 and 6 spot on. It smells quite nice. Our house is quite large and airy though.

By bloated do they mean GDV perhaps?

One of my friends has one that folds up and goes in a bag- looks very handy. However she has an ACD. I have a lab so whatever I get is likely to be big and awkward! Some of the soft crates have a handle to carry them with ad well.

RIP Little dog The poor family, what a terrible and traumatic event to witness. I don't believe that barking at another dog should provoke it to kill.

I've lived on an acerage and in the suburbs with a small yard. I didn't find any difference in my dogs behaviour except it is more convenient to exercise a dog on an acerage. Neither of my dogs would self exercise and would always sit by the back door of you locked them out. Currently we have a large yard and a swimming pool and are living with another dog which is a lot of fun for my dog but she doesn't really go out and self exercise and woll want to sit inside with me if i am inside. Sometimes the two dogs play together so in that respect having a large yard is good. We also do agility and flyball (just started) 3-5 days per week- at clubs, trials or private lessons and we generally do some training at home each day as well. I also walk her twice a day for 45 mins around the lake down the road and am also going to start biking with her. She swims in the pool a lot everyday as well. Despite all this, She still digs and destroys plants though lol! I find that training wears them out more than physical exercise. Most dogs could walk or run all day but ask them to think at the same time and they will get tired quicker. My dog gets more tired from 15 mins of agility training than from the 45 min walk we do beforehand. The interesting thing is that she was actually getting more walks when we lived in a house with a tiny yard. Having the pool and the other dog to play with has made a huge difference though.

How about leaving her at your vet? Usually it's a bit cheaper (we charge $20 a day) and although its not exactly "fun" it is safe. Unless her self-harming is very bad? We often find that dogs do ok at the vet especially if they are kept in areas where people are working or walking by a lot. I keep my dog in a large run at work with me all day, although I do take her for a lunch break play or walk. I exercise and train her before and after work and she seems to cope just fine. She goes to daycare 2 days a week (like you I can't afford 5 days a week) which is a bit more fun for her but I don't notice any difference in her attitude or energy levels.

I also have quite a lazy dog. I vary her rewards- sometimes a toy, ball or tug and sometimes food. Some days she is more in the mood for toys and play, although she's always food motivated! I like to play the 2 food game to rev her up or tease her with a piece of food. I do agility not obedience though so not sure if the same principles apply. I think my dog just doesn't have the right drive for pure obedience work. Agility is different because the nature of it alone excites most d