aussielover

I don't necessarily call a dog that reacts when another dog gets in its face. If it seriously injures the other (and the other dog is not fighting back) then I do think it is dog aggressive. Although its normal for dogs to tell each other off, it rarely results in serious injury.

It should be the responsibility of the other owner to keep their dog away from yours. However, that has not been my experience in dog parks. The dog parks I go to are generally pretty relaxed with dogs greeting each other all the time, there are very few serious incidentss, a couple of annoying dogs and not great if you want to do training (although great for distraction work!). Personally I would consider it my fault if my dog ran up to another and got bitten; however my dog is generally pretty good at reading other dogs and if your dog was giving off a "go way" vibe and stance, she probably wouldn't rush in and she is very submissive so can usually avoid a full on attack if another come sup to her in an aggressive manner. While I think you have the right to bring your dog into a dog park and not harassed, I think it is asking for trouble to take a known DA dog to an off leash park because there is always bound to be a percentage of dogs there that are out of control and additionally it could be quite stressful and unenjoyable for them. Possibly if your dog remains on lead, you could be less liable for damage but if you let it off, I think you'd be the one considered at fault (even though you're not). BTW I have been told the same thing about its a dog park, if you don't like it leave, when I've asked others to keep their dogs away (mainly when their dog is trying to hump mine).

I think you're better off training on your own, particularly if you want to trial Realistically no beginner dog can focus for 30 mins and personally for a trialling dog I'd rather have 5 or 10 mins of complete focus and good work than 30mins to an hour of distracted, sloppy work (especially with no reward! ) I would use the club as training for distraction once you have the basics but I'd insist I be allowed to use food/toy rewards and be allowed to take short breaks- even if it means I have to step aside and miss some of the class. I am curious- if they don't reward the dog, how do they use the clicker?

I think you're better off training on your own, particularly if you want to trial Realistically no beginner dog can focus for 30 mins and personally for a trialling dog I'd rather have 5 or 10 mins of complete focus and good work than 30mins to an hour of distracted, sloppy work (especially with no reward! ) I would use the club as training for distraction once you have the basics but I'd insist I be allowed to use food/toy rewards and be allowed to take short breaks- even if it means I have to step aside and miss some of the class. I am curious- if they don't reward the dog, how do they use the clicker?

I think you're better off training on your own, particularly if you want to trial Realistically no beginner dog can focus for 30 mins and personally for a trialling dog I'd rather have 5 or 10 mins of complete focus and good work than 30mins to an hour of distracted, sloppy work (especially with no reward! ) I would use the club as training for distraction once you have the basics but I'd insist I be allowed to use food/toy rewards and be allowed to take short breaks- even if it means I have to step aside and miss some of the class. I am curious- if they don't reward the dog, how do they use the clicker?

I think you're better off training on your own, particularly if you want to trial Realistically no beginner dog can focus for 30 mins and personally for a trialling dog I'd rather have 5 or 10 mins of complete focus and good work than 30mins to an hour of distracted, sloppy work (especially with no reward! ) I would use the club as training for distraction once you have the basics but I'd insist I be allowed to use food/toy rewards and be allowed to take short breaks- even if it means I have to step aside and miss some of the class. I am curious- if they don't reward the dog, how do they use the clicker?

It much less than what many dogs deal with Although as a pup you may need to be prepared to come home at lunch and give him a meal and a quick play. I'd say as a guarding/working breed the bernese should be fairly well equipped to deal with some time by itself.

What do you mean by "only" displayed aggression towards other dogs. This is very serious and can lead to a dangerous dog declaration (rightly so). Since when is owning a TV a right? You get a TV if you can afford it. As far as I know not everyone has a TV... I don't. I think it is rude of you to suggest we don't care about the dog, I am 100% sure every person who reads this feels sorry for the dog (not its fault it was brought into such a irresponsible family).

I'm pretty sure there are only 2 dermatologists in Sydney (there are only 10 in the whole of Aus!). They operate out of the teaching hospitals at Camden and Sydney as well as SASH and ARH. They'll be pretty much the same price. Could be a little cheaper at the uni (especially camden) but it is still pretty pricey. Talking around $200 for the initial consult and then around $400 for allergy testing and a further $200-300 of any allergy vaccines required. I'm not sure if the private practices are the same cost. The only advantage with the SASH or ARH is that the consult will be shorter because you won't have the students doing the initial work up and general physical exam (although it is great practice for them if you've got the time ) I recommend that before you go (maybe while you're saving?) that you make sure you dog is on great flea protection. You could also do the 8 week food trial before you go-> they will get you to do this anyway, you need to rule out food allergies before you can pursue a diagnosis for atopy. This involves a strict diet of a novel protein and novel carb. Eg. roo meat and pumpkin ONLY. If you're dog is losing weight you can add some oils but you really need to consult a vet to do that. Novel means the dog hasn't really been exposed much to it before, so a meat like chicken and beef wouldn't be suitable. You can also do fish and potato or rabbit and pumpkin/potato. There are also commercial allergy diets available such as hills z/d, royal canin hypoallergenic and eukanuba response FP. However this is only 70% sensitive- only 70% of dogs with food allegry test positive to commerical diets. It would probably be best to get your regular vet to explain the food elimination diet more thoroughly if you decide to go ahead with it.

Yes, exactly. I think we got off track, the comments below are the contentious ones for me. Well I still stand by those comments, especially now that I've had some exposure to other working dogs. My dog would not be a pleasant dog to own if the only exercise he got was what I could provide from walks on lead. But I've never met this particular GSD and for all I know, it could be one from very relaxed lines and be perfectly content with a walk around the block so my bad for making assumptions based on the breed alone. But your dog isn't aggressive. I don't think leash walks only would cut it for many working breeds, working line or not. Dogs need the opportunity to run around and burn some energy whether they are lap dogs or working line kelpies who can run over 60km a day. I actually don't think hard exercise is necessarily the answer (although obviously adequate stimulation and exercise is required) and can actually make the situation worse- the dog gets fitter and you get into a vicious cycle of the dog needing ever increasing amounts of exercise to keep it satisfied- I know this from experience with my own dog . I don't think many people with working breeds would actually be capable of completely tiring out their dogs However, an aggressive dog should never be let off the leash unless the owner has full control of it- even then it could attack an approaching dog, so on the whole people are trying to say its safer NOT to let DA dogs off leash. It is a catch-22 situation because the less exercise they get the more frustrated they may get which can increase aggression. Then you really have to look at your capabilities and willingness to work with the dog (and a ehaviourist) and perhaps make a hard decision about quality of life for both you and the dog

You can use food drive. If the dog is moderately interested in food you can build on it. Although if he's low drive naturally, there is only so much improvement you can see. You can definitely develop it to a point though and also make it easier to use whatever drive he does have, when you want it. K9Pro do a great TID program but it is quite a commitment. Having seen the results I'd say its worth if you've got the time and money.

Did you actually take the dog to the vet? Just asking because we get people calling up all the time asking about scooting. I generally have to say "it could be anything, you need to bring them in so the vet can have a look and determine the cause". The Vets and nurses don't generally ave time to go through a long differential list with clients over the phone unfortunately. Dogs with allergies such as atopic dermatitis and food allergy can scoot due to the allergy. My dog sometimes does this and I;ve check her for worms and her anal glands are fine- she also has atopy, so presumably this is part of the itchiness the disease causes Did the vet actually to a physical examination? They should easily be able to tell if the anal glands are full or inflamed.

I find dog parks stressful sometimes. I don't really fear for her life or anything, but she is submissive and it usually leads to other dogs dominating her (humping usually, sometimes standing over her and not letting her get up). I always try to keep her away from other dogs that she doesn't know. she does like to go over and sniff but I call her away and this usually leads to the other owner thinking she is aggressive and then getting all panicky when their dog runs over to her. I also hate people who make excuses for their dogs terrible behaviour by blaming it on your dog: -it excusable for my dog to run around barking at your dog and nipping them (just like Dee Lee described) because their a border collie and just trying to herd your dog - my dog is very friendly and you dog isn't because it doesn't want to play. My dog is just barking and jumping all over your dog because its trying to get yours to play - Your dog is very submissive so my dog just wants to dominate her (humping). My response: oh so you'd rather my dog attack yours when it tries to hump her??? All in all though, the benefits of the off leash area and opportunity for free running outweigh the risks for me, so I continue to go. It is also really nice seeing dogs play happily together.

Just makes me sad . I hope that if they find this dog a home it is to some one who will be responsible enough to desex this girl and to seek help for the behavioural issues. HOw odd. Why would you not include the registration papers in the sale? What's the point of keeping them? NOt to mention the fact he is selling a DA dog

The idea that the dogs life is so important that the government should provide assistance to enable the owner to keep it, is ridiculous imo. There are children in this country who barely have enough to eat and don't get a good education, who require financial support. WHat are ado you suggest we cut back on fudning etc so that the government can help pet owners? Owning a dog is a privilege NOT a right. If my dog gets hit by a car and requires $$$$$ of expensive surgery to save its life and I can't afford it- the government should pay??? Or someone else should pay? Maybe the vets should do it for free? Of course its sad that so many dogs are killed each year I don't think anyone here wants to see a dog put down. However there are cases that necessitate it. The owner had the appropriate opportunity to contain her dog, was known to the council and was presumably given warnings etc. The dog is proven to be aggressive so rehoming not an option and the owner in not able to keep the dog appropriately/. Until people start acting responsibly- containing their dogs, doing as best as possible to be able to afford to care for their pets adequately etc we are not going to see a reduction. Simply handing out money is not the soltuion and doesn't address the root of the problem.

The xrays themselves would be potentially damaging to the foetuses, not to mention the GA/sedation risk to the pups, so surely she wouldn't have had them done during pregnancy. Maybe they had the Pennhip done? I know you have to send them away to the US to be read, not sure how long the results take to come back. I assume with digital xrays these days though, it wouldn't be too long.

Pets are a luxury, not a necessity. The government has no obligation to provide financial assistance to those who choose to keep a pet, let it become a nuisance and then can't afford to comply with regulations.

i only know of 2 derms in sydney linda vogelnest at camden and sash beth macdonald at sydney uni and ARH.

Breed stalls sound like a great idea! I find at shows its all a bit hectic with people trying to prepare so its hard to have a good discussion about the breed you're interested unless you already know someone. The featured breeds at the sydney royal has always been a great hit I think. A short demo of showing would also be good, similar to what we do for obedience or agility- 10-20 dog doing a quick demo with commentary from the head trainer or whoever.

If you think it is abuse, you should report it. I kind of feel like all dogs should be able to attend obedience, but if they have serious issues, they should have very experienced instructors that know how to deal with them. The schnauzer sounds like quite a dangerous situation for the owner and potentially for others around it.

Is it feasible to run some shows or demos of dog shows at community dog events? In my area there are 4-5 events in the local area (within a 30 min drive) each year such as "pets day out" etc. The events are highly attended by the general public and my club gives obedience and agility demos on the day. It has been great for the club and gotten a quite a few people interested in dogs sports (particularly agility). My club actually also does conformation classes, so I guess I could ask them whether they could incorporate these into the demo program. My dog has no potential for show, so I've never been to the conformation classes but it is something that would also be nice to see at these events

I guess it depends what you mean by "playing in the backyard" If you absolutely commit yourself to at least 2 x 30 min active playing (like ball throwing or other activity that involves the dog running) then I think a Goldie, Springer or Collie could do just fine. I know lots of Goldies that inly get 2 x 30 min walks/runs a day and do just fine and make nice house pets (non destructive). Depending on lines a springer might need more than this. But the reality is that many people who say they will play with the dog in the backyard for exercie, slacken off over time (especially if they rely on the kids to do the playing with the dog). Frankly I would not commmit to such a medium/high energy breed like Goldies, Springers and Collies if I, myself was not prepared to exercise the dog for at least 1 hour per day, every day, rain, hail or shine. If you have a large yard enough, this could include ball throwing in the yard, so in that respect it might be easier to achieve this as you could train the dog to fetch so you don't have to exert yourself too much if you didn't feel like it.

Leema- what do you mean by remain in contact? An occasional email?

I think incorporating some kind working ability test would make it more understandable for the general public and also keep many of the breeds true to purpose. Obviously the level would not be that expected of a true working dog but basically the dog should show some instinct for what it was bred to do and display health and fitness. The public just don't understand why certain breeds need to have certain "over-exaggerated" traits (in their view) or strange looking characteristics. The only thing with this though is that not all breeds were designed to work. For these breeds a Canine good citizen/temperament test coupled with an endurance type test might be more suitable? I know many showies/breeders already do this which I commend them for, but making it an actual requirement to show at a certain level or get certain titles might be an idea??? It would be nice at larger shows (eg royals) if the commentator could say a bit about the breed and then say all of the dogs here have their retrieving ability certificate or equivalent so are capable of working in their original purpose. Or for companion dogs saying that the dogs may look fragile/unfit etc but they all have their Endurance certificate which involves running 20km etc... maybe even have a demo of pedigree dogs (only) doing the work they were intended to do? I don't know if any of this is practical but it would go a long way in showing the general public that show dogs are also physically fit, healthy and capable of doing their job, as well as reducing the media's ability to criticize purebred breeders for breeding unhealthy dogs.

I hope Elly finds her xmas miracle. so sad