aussielover
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Everything posted by aussielover
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I don't really see any justification for crating a dog 16-20 hours a day (aside from illness/injury). If your dog is destructive or untrustworthy or you fear for its safety, a dog run is a better solution imo.
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I'm loving seeing all the working line labs My girl is from guide dog lines and has a taller, leaner look to her than many labs. I think a lot of working dog associations/groups eg. Guide dogs, customs, assistance dogs etc produce lighter leaner labs if its just the look you're after. I think temperament is also an important consideration as in my experience, working labs in australia tend to be much higher energy and higher drive dogs than some working types you see in the UK. Most Working type labs in Aus and the US are bred for field trials, where some of the working types in the UK are more all rounders and used only for occasional, weekend or recreational work and tend to be a little more laid back. This is my black girl, Mindy
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Just wanted some thoughts on the best thing to do before agility/obedience classes and also in between exercises? I was told that for agility we should let our dogs run about and play for 20 mins before class to burn some energy. I usually turn up 10-15 mins before class and play ball with my dog, then she is tied up for about 15 mins while we set the equipment up. I don't notice a change in her behaviour though if we come later and she doesn't get to run first. In between exercises she is on lead, although sometimes I'll play tug with her. I don't really notice a change in behaviour if I play with her or just keep her on lead though. We get a morning tea break for about 10 mins and I usually take her for a swim in the creek. After this I see a noticeable improvement in her performance. After class I play ball with her for around 30 mins and let her swim again.
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Obviously but unless you leave them in a sterile room accidents can happen anytime anywhere
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I'm sure your puppy will be fine outside for a few hours :) Not sure about your garden though ;) When i first left my pup outside by herself I came back to some very interesting "landscaping" clearly influenced by the landscape on the moon, she also did some very nice pruning of some bushes and shrubs nand didn't really like the irrigation system much :laugh:
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The advantage of PennHip is that you can do it from 4 months. If using AVA the dog has to be over 12 months I think? Also, to do PennHip, you need the radiographs taken by a certified vet, which reduces the chances of getting poor quality or poorly positioned films (which can affect the score). If your vet is expereiced in doing radiographs for hip scoring then I think either would be fine. Although I have heard some of the people that read for the AVA scheme are not that good and that you should ask for specific vets to read them.
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Yay good news!!!
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Is This Normal Healing? Update! All Has Healed And Is Normal
aussielover replied to Lhok's topic in General Dog Discussion
The sutures look too tight to me. The skin around them is all swollen. I would take her to the vet to get it checked out. -
Agree with Huski. To many dogs, a crate is simply an alternative to a bed.
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The best trainers recognise that not all methods work equally well for all dogs and some methods may not be appropriate or the best for certain dogs. The same goes for foods. Some dogs do great on raw, some do great on premium foods and yes, some even do great on supermarket products like pal. It is about learning what is best for your dog, based on their individual personality and requirements, sometimes it does take a bit of trial and error but the good thing about dogs is that they are generally very flexible and forgiving. I like crates and I think that it is good to train dogs to accept them. I don't think that dogs have to love them, but if you ever need to travel, go to dog shows or trials, confine your dog for illness/injury etc I think you'll find it pretty useful to have a dog that feels comfortable in a crate. I don't think they are a must for puppy training and in some cases it is easier to get an older dog or puppy to accept a crate.
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Puppies don't really need to play with other puppies (once they go to their new homes at 8 weeks). While it may be nice for them if they enjoy it, I don't think it is essential to their well being. At my puppy school, there was only one other pup my girl actually liked playing with (another lab). She completely ignored the smaller puppies and the other larger puppy was very dominating so she didn't really play with it. I would never force a puppy to interact with another puppy. One of the main aims of puppy school is to make puppies see other dogs as a good thing or at not least scary at all. I actually think its more valuable to ave the puppies interact with a well balanced older dog, rather than play with each other. Also, puppies should be allowed to play as a reward only- for good effort in the actual training/learning part of the class. I would not take my puppy back to a school such as the one the OP described
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Separation Issues - New Pups . Some Discussion...
aussielover replied to persephone's topic in Puppy Chat
It is best to start out as you mean to go on... Having said that I think with sensible early training and socialisation and a good temperament, most dogs should be able to adapt to changes in lifestyle relatively easily later on in life Spoiling a dog by letting it do what it wants, molly-coddling it by keeping it indoors all the time, lack of boundaries etc can make for a high strung dog that may not adapt to change well Spoiling a dog by spending time training, playing and taking it out a lot isn't a bad thing in my eyes -
We all know you shouldn't choose a dogs based on looks alone but if nothing else was a consideration I absolutely love the look of Aussie Shepherds Salukis Great Danes Siberian Huskies Maremma Sheepdogs Unfortunately only the aussie would be even somewhat suitable for my current lifestyle and abilities.
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Its quite drying for the coat. And it doesn't have that nice "freshly washed dog" smell after So I use a leave in conditioner after. I haven't bathed Mindy in ages though Now that its summer, we have been going to the beach a lot and interestingly I have found the salt water either helps her skin, or doesn't irritate it at all as she's actually gotten less itchy now So I have very little need to bathe her now as she usually gets pretty clean in the sea, which is a great bonus as trying to shove a nearly 30kg labrador into a bath and then keep her there is not a fun experience.
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I think its within "normal" behaviour. My labrador also does the same thing, including the spreading of the legs for male dogs. She's nearly 2 and is still very submissive to older or more dominant dogs no matter the size. She doesn't rarely plays with any dogs that she doesn't already know, but yet she plays so roughly with her "friends". Some dogs are just naturally more submissive than others. I am glad that Mindy is submissive, I would much rather her be overly submissive than the other end of the spectrum. ETA= Mindy has 2 best friends that are kelpies, both females. Lovely dogs and great playmates for mindy as they love to chase her and she loves to be chased
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Have you tried talking to them about the problem? Obviously they don't find it that bad but perhaps if they knew you couldn't stand it they would do something? The poor dog
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Training A Dumbell Adversive Dog To Retrieve
aussielover replied to Canine Coach's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
I think you need to look at the reward. You say the dog is only moderately interested in food? what does the dog like? you said it had high prey drive? why not try a tug or other toy? Does the dog like to be petted or praised? If the dog is not interested in any of these things, I would think you need to look at some sort of value-building or training in drive program, that increases desire for a reward. Also, what type of food are they using as the reward? Maybe something more interesting or yummier might be better. Just because they are used to working with food, or the dog is used to it, doesn't mean you have to use it for every exercise. I find my dog recalls better for a toy or tug. She works better with food for close contact work or work that requires a lot of concentration- like heeling. Having said that, it does not make a difference to my dog if she has been fed before training. Personally I wouldn't want to be using food as reward if it means the dog has to be starved to work enthusiastically for it. I don't just mean missing one meal (I subsitute my dogs meal for training treats to stop her getting fat!), but I hear some trainers will make the dog go without food for several days in order to increase food drive. -
Gosh, how awful Sending good vibes for Abbey, I hope she pulls through
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I have to say I find it amazing that a suitable pup/dog couldn't be found from rescue (though i dont think the OP got the second pup for the right reason. I've been looking myself recently and there are plenty of young BC/BC crosses available from rescue groups, not to mention numerous other working breed working breed cross puppies. At least most rescues will allow a trial period.
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I would re attempt crate training now hes a little older. Sometimes it is actually easier when they are older and more settled in with you. My dog was terrible in her crate as a young puppy, I actually gave up on crate training entirely after 2 months and she slept happily in my bedroom on a normal dog bed. we reattempted crate training at around 7 months, and now I have a dog who loves her crate, is happy to be in there all night or any other time. I think it was because she was insecure initially and also a little cheeky and hyper. Now she's much more calm, so being the the crate doesn't bother her at all. Although, she still sleeps in my room (and has migrated onto my bed!!!). There have been a few occaisons where we've stayed over at friends or someone as minded her for the night and she has been very good in her crate
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I just squirt and apply. Although, a rep from the company told me that you should put the portion recommended into a bucket of water as tis way it spreads further and lasts longer, also it foams up more if you do it this way. I am too lazy to try though
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Common sense should always be exercised, however some dogs handle heat better than others. Dogs acclimatised to hot weather will cope better on really hot days. Dogs bred to work in all weather conditions will cope better. When I was in tamworth the sheepdogs (kelpies) would work in 40 degree heat and barely look that hot.
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If this in an honest post- I think you know what you should do... You got the puppy for the older dog which tbh is not a great reason imo. You don't have time to deal with one working breed dog, let alone 2. 3-4 walks a week is not near enough stimulation and exercise for a border collie (unless he is a particularly lazy and laid back one). The puppy will take up the limited time you have available to your dogs, and your older dog will end up with less human attention unless you make a huge effort to train and exercise them separately which would likely take up 2hrs + per day. I think you should return the puppy to the pet store or rehome it yourself. It is still young and cute enough to get another home relatively quickly. I think if you are honest with yourself you will see that you are not the best home to have 2 working breed dogs (unless you make a huge effort to changing your current routine re exercise and training) and she may be better off with someone who can give her more time for training and exercise. If you feel you can commit to changing your lifestyle to better suit the dogs, then you can conisder keeping her, but you make it sound like it would be very difficult due to work etc. I think you should also take your dog to the vet and get him checked out, as others have said a decrease in energy levels is more likely to be a health issue rather than a boredom issue. If he gets the all clear, I think you should aim to walk him every day, do some training everyday (10-15 mins is fine to start with) and at least play fetch/tug or whatever he likes for 30 mins every day. You could also look into activities like agility, obedience, tracking etc to keep his mind entertained. Good luck with your decision.
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Worst Excuses For Re-homing Or Surrendering A Pet
aussielover replied to PeiPei's topic in General Dog Discussion
It saddens me when people dump an older dog in favour of a puppy because the older dog doesn't get along with the puppy or 2 dogs is too much work/too expensive etc. Going on holidays has got to be one of the worst excuses ever for dumping a pet. Have you not heard of kennels or a house sitter? -
Teaching The Basics Of Agility
aussielover replied to whitka's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
I think it really depends on how seriously you want to get into it. If you just want to have fun all you need (imo) is to find a good club, have a dog who is reasonably well behaved and obedient- by that I mean solid stay and recall and that likes to work for a reward (food, toy, tug, ball, praise, pats etc). Also practicing distraction work is good as often dogs that are ok at home, get over excited by other dogs and the club atmosphere. If you're quite serious then there are lots more foundation exercises you can do at home like teaching rear end awareness, contact behaviours, you can get DVDs etc as others have suggested. Some people will tell you that tugging is a must for agility. I think BCs generally do work well for a tug but like CFS I have a gundog and I find food or retrieving rewards work better for us, although tugging before training does rev her up a bit. Its all about finding what works best for you and your dog though although apparently some clubs will expect your dog to tug for a reward.