aussielover

That is extremely offensive and rude.

You are giving antibiotics and corticosteroids at the same time? Is it the first time he has had skin probelms? Yes, I would resume the medication. It is importnant to finish the whole antibiotic course and to taper the steroids.

Those owners would probably end up turning the nice pound dogs into horrible snappy dogs as well... Most "problem" behaviours are created by the owners. Hey - not all dog problems are created by the owner! Certainly not intentionally as you are suggesting Some of us with problem dogs work VERY hard to try to fix the problem. Some dogs are more difficult than others. No not all, and definitely not intentional. I know myself I have created problem behaviours in my dog unintentionally (a problem for me, not for her). I was more suggesting that snappy small breeds are usually a problem created by owners overindulging their dogs and not providing enough boundaries and stimulation for the dog. The nicest dog can be ruined in a bad home is more the point I was trying to make, sorry if I offended you

Those owners would probably end up turning the nice pound dogs into horrible snappy dogs as well... Most "problem" behaviours are created by the owners.

GSDS, Dobes and Rotties have all been used by police/security services which is probably why people are scared of them. Their intimidating looks and affinity for bitework is one of the reasons they are used, and people should be wary of them when they are used for these purposes. You wouldn't use a SWF or lab or golden for police dog work (I mean bitework not drug sniffing etc) as if people would take them seriously

I disagree with DA dogs needing a muzzle to protect the dogs of owners who break the law allowing their dogs to roam off leash. I have that said to me on a couple of occassions when one of mine has cranked up on an unleashed dog and asking them why their dog is off leash in relation to the laws, they have a go at me because mine cranked up suggesting I should muzzle him? Why should I muzzle him, we are on leash minding our own business then an off leash dog runs at us owned by people who can't control their dog off leash and breaking the law, and it's my dog's behaviour than needs addressing putting their dog at risk of getting bitten Not that I would allow my dog to bite another dog off leash or not, if they abided by the laws or could control their dog these incidents wouldn't happen. Mumtoshelley was in a legal off leash area.

It is recommended for large/giant females to be allowed to have one season before spaying, for their growth

I don't get the point of your post? Are you saying you think all dogs should be desexed early (at 6 months?) Early desexing has its risks and benefits; surely it is up to the owner to decide what to do. Many vets these days recommend that ideally large breeds be desexed after their first season (female)or at 18 months (male) and this is now what is being taught to students.

Huski, you should come help me then!!! Its not the club that is problem- I do agility with them as well and they are fantastic for that, the obedience seems tedious- we literally walk around in circles ( a straight line sometimes if we are lucky) and maybe do a few sits and drops. I've actually done more "obedience" training in the agility classes like getting a good recall, sit/drop stays, heel work, off lead work etc. Its funny because we work off lead in agility and my dog has never run off, but I am sure that she would run away if I let her off lead in obedience lol I agree with you about the partnerhsip in agility being different. The majority of high level/top dogs I see do it for their own enjoyment as well (ie they find the activity self rewarding), where as in obedience it seems like the dog does it mainly to please the handler. Ons- I want a coolie for my next agility dog :D Although i do like having a non-typical breed in agility, i think some dogs are more physically suited.

Owners of breeds that fail to acknowledge the heritage of their beloved breed, fail to acknowledge the percentage breakdown of personalities attracted to their breed of choice are more likely to make biased comments. Some people do themselves no favours with head in the sand attitudes of what their breed is capable of without correct training, and using their own insular experience with their own dogs to say that people are unjustified to be wary of breeds which they HAVE had exposure too, even if it is just at the dog park. What did I say about Moronic statements made by people who have never owned these Breeds, you have just proved my point. ;) In a perfect world every Breed would be under control when out with the owner,but it's not a prefect world is it. so you think all breeds behave in the same way? all breeds are likely to react to a threat or another dog in the same way? Dogs bred for different purposes will react to situations differently. If you've owned different breeds then you will know that you have to manage some breeds quite differently.

I'm trying to motivate myself to take my dog to obedience classes and maybe compete with her. I do find them quite boring compared with agility though. I also find it hard to keep my dogs attention during stuff like heeling. Where as in agility I never have any problems getting her attention to run a course etc. Perhaps she finds the agility obstacles self rewarding though. She will go on the equipment of her own accord during breaks if I dont keep a close eye on her and will do the jumps I have set up, by herself at home. The other difficulty is that she has been trained to think for herself and look ahead (rather than at me) for the first year of her life pretty much. She has also been rewarded for walking ahead and encouraged to pull on the leash. How do I make obedience training more rewarding and fun for both of us? Or do some people just never find obedience that interesting/fun? I've also heard mixed opinions on training in both obedience and agility- some say it makes the dog better, some say it makes it harder. I think that any activity where you are interacting with your dog in a positive way is beneficial though.

Many high level obedience people don't train their dogs through clubs. They may be members (which i'd recommend) but they do not do the gorup training on offer there. Maybe you could try and find an instructor willing to give you a one on one lesson to start you off? Or you could ust get a copy of whats required for the varous levels of obedience and work on acheiving this? Here is a list of what you have to do for each level Obedience Train these exercises and join a club so you can attend their club trials which will let you know how you're going. Personally I prefer to train in 10 minute blocks, rather than the 1 hr lessons my club offers. And no, I don't think its too late for you and your dog to acheive this, especially if you really want it! K9pro offers a good training in drive distance package which might interest you and help you get more focus. TID package Good luck, I am sure you and your dog will have a lot of fun achieving your goals!

Wow that seems harsh, although legally they are correct. My work is also the local pound and we get plenty of dogs without tags and there is no extra fine- only an impound fee of $60 if the dog is brought in by rangers. Persoanlly i think it is a ridiculous law- yes ideally the dog would wear a collar and tag with id, but if they have escaped and are lost- the collar may have come off etc. I would just apolgise and explain the situation and then ask them if there was any way they would reconsider the fine for the collar/tag.

You need to work on your relationship with your current dog befor eyou consider getting another, otherwise you'll just have two naughty, giant dogs that jump on you! I think you may need professional help with getting her issues under control, especially with 2 young kids in the mix. I also recommend K9pro if you're in the sydney area. How much exercise and training does she get? A dog walker is a good idea if you dont feel confident walking her.

I would keep putting her back in the crate if she pees as soon as she comes in! I understand your frustration- this time last year I was outside at 11pm at night in the cold for like 30 mins waiting for my puppy to toilet I would maybe trying getting her to run around, maybe have a play before you take her to the toilet- sometimes puppies need exercise to be stmulated to go. It is also important not to take away a reward when she has gone- so if you end the play outside and immediately take her inside, she is not going to want to toilet as she thinks it means the end of fun. I would play with my puppy outside for about 10 mins after she had toileted. You could also keep playing indoors if your puppy prefers to be inside and warm! It also helps to have a special area for toileting. Keep puppy on lead and take them to the area, dont let them wander away until they go. I found a command very useful- I use quick quick but you can use whatever. Basically just say it as they begin to go, they will soon learn what it means. It nakes it a lot easier to make them go- you dont have to stand out oin the cold for so long either!

I've seen dogs desexed at 6 months that turn out normally, as well as dogs that turn out lanky. My own dog was desexed at 5 months and has turned out to be tall and lanky, however it is hard to tell if this is her natural build or the result of early desexing (some of her littermates were also tall and lean). Generally it is only mutts and small breeds that are desexed at 8 weeks- in pounds or at the breeders discretion, so in the case of mutts it is impossible to tell how they would have turned out otherwise. I don't know what posting about this young GSD proves? as other have said he is only one dog and nowhere near fully mature and the shots of him aren't exactly the best to evaluate conformation. He looks like a lovely dog though and I hope he finds a great home

Agree with Macka- its not good to have your dog offlead and approach another dog that is on lead. Was this an off lead area? You say she is under control, but really you shouldn't have let her approach the other dog at all- the people aren't to know you supposedly have control of your dog, especially if you let her run over, of course they are going to think the worst. I don't think its a good idea to walk a DA dog in an offlead area but ideally, you should be able to, if people control their dogs properly. At least the kids had the dog on lead, there are two young kids that bring a DA dog to the park off lead and out of control. It is not overtly DA but can become too intense when it plays with another dog which can escalate into a fight or one dog running away in fear or pinned to the ground. Having said that, some of the older kids that come to our park are much more responsible with their (well behaved) dogs than the adults.

Agility is meant to be really fun, so its more about what the dog finds rewarding. My dog is toy and food motivated, but she doesn't really care for verbal praise or petting. You can teach a dog to tug, but it will probably never be the most rewarding thing for them if you've had to make a big effort to teach them. I prefer to use something that my dog find snaturally rewarding. eventually( ( well actually possibly, quite soon after starting) the dog begins to find the agility equipment/course itself quite rewarding. I've only been doing it for a month and my already dog loves it and will do a course even when I have no reward in my hand. She is really excited by the time we finish and now I usually reward with a game she enjoys (tug or fetch).

No but mine likes to gather and hoard things on her bed (particualry shoes), or on my bed (which is basically her second bed) Sometimes she has one shoe from a pair downstairs on her bed and the other shoe upstairs on "my" bed lol

Depends on breed. I have a large deep chested breed so will always feed 2 meals a day. Mine gets bones in the morning and protein+veg in the arvo.

actually, you can sue the lady if your car was at all damaged. The owner of a dog involved in a car accident is legally at fault as the dog should be under control. I would call the ranger next time you see the dog loose

Oh wow, I think I need to transfer to your school (except that I hopefully only have 5 months of this left!) You're at Massey right? We had Mark Owen give us some guest lectures and he was totally shocked that people brought their pet dogs into lectures!

Different states have different legislation but in NSW, only guide dogs in training or qualified guide dogs have full public access. During the special training days puppy raisers attend, the trainers might organise for the pups to do a trip to the mall, or airport or on public transport but aprt from when under instruction by a qualified person, guide dog puppies do not have legal access everywhere. This might be different in other states though. I have taken my guide dog puppy to restuarants before, I rang ahead to ask if it would ok and brought some documents stating she was a guide dog puppy and they were ok with it At sydney uni people who live in the area always walk their pet dogs through the uni, so its quite accepted to see dogs at the uni.

Which uni? I had my guide dog puppy at sydney uni all last year and no one ever questioned me. But then again, I was at the vet campus so surrounded by animal lovers. Also, I was trying to get her used to busy environments that she would be required to work in and she was not at the time, technically a pet dog. Techincally no pets are allowed on campus- Paul McGreevy sends an email around each year reminding us of this, however, his two dogs have exemptions for this rule, teaching purposes etc as do any animals used for demonstrations, assistance animals etc. I guess so long as nobody minds its ok- Ziva is such a cutie, who wouldn't want a cuddle

There is one available on DOL at the moment: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/221844-german-shepherd-purebred-pup-75mths/page__pid__5350911#entry5350911 though I am not sure if this sounds like a suitable home for him, not being dog savvy and all... but at least they have GSD experience