aussielover

So clearly it's a lot more than just half a day! I think it's a bit unfortunate what has been said during this conference. Maybe it's different in the USA, but I can't help but think if they've given false information regarding Veterinary Study, how much of the other information is also incorrect? well, the digestion part is not really nutrition- more physiology and GIT anatomy. So there is about 30 hrs of nutrition lectures; i'd say around 10 hrs on smallies, the rest on large animals.

We have a whole subject on animal nutrition! I'd say just over half is on production animal nutrition and horses and the rest on small animal nutrition- mainly dogs and cats. So fairly similar to what staranais said.

as the others have said, I think because it takes so long to train them and is quite physical, they have a fairly short working life- so they really need the dogs to start as early as possible. Also, as Nekhbet said, they are not to be brought up as pets but as working dogs.

What kind of professional trainer would not know the exercise and training requirements of a BC? and i do not know of one single professional trainer that would ever choose a pet shop puppy for a competition prospect or even a pet! At least she seems to want to train the dog, but as you said, she seems to have no clue! I hope the dog is healthy and does not suffer from a poor temperament. At least you were able to provide her with the basic information, hopefully she has gained something from talking to you and will do her best to look after the poor pup.

You can get common breeds from a registered breeder who health tests and trials their dogs in show, dog sport, working tests etc for around the same price as a pet shop crossbred. The so called "purebreds" and designer dogs in petshops routinely sell for around $1200 in my area. This is often more than a registered breeder would charge. I know who I would rather get my future companion from.... Puppy farms are charging up to $3000 for untested crossbred poodles! Purebreds that are this expensive- and there are only a few breeds where the average price would be around $3000, are generally at least coming from health tested parents at a minimum. I don't see the problem with breeders charging an appropriate price and even making a profit if the produce quality puppies.

Don't they have to start this as puppies? I would have liked to get my lab into i also, but she is too old now.

whilst I think it is silly, i agree with others who have said it her money, she can spend it as she wishes. I do object to the insinuation that the more money you spend on you dogs the better life they have. I think dogs appreciate exercise, mental stimulation and appropriate health care rather than weddings....

We had neighbours who locked their poor SWF in the garage all day Obviously, it barked pretty much the whole time. After trying to resolve the issue with them, we contacted the council and were told dogs that bark for more than 20 minutes at a time could be considered a nuisance. We had to keep a diary etc. Nothing came of it though, the neighbours moved, hopefully to a place where they could keep their dog somewhere other than the garage. I really don't think 8 barks in the whole day is a nuisance.

I basically agree, but I think terriers have a pretty spunky attitude that may take a bit more work to ensure they don't become nippy/aggressive with other dogs. They're generally pretty brave and don't mind telling off another dog if they don't like what it is doing. Not to say they are all DA; my lab is great mates with a JRT 1/3 her size who always gets the better of her lol

Sorry but I think it's rather risky to generalise, my little dogs have been attacked by different BCs on more than one occasion. Not a breed I would particularly trust after my experiences. Everyone is generalising when they recommend a breed There are always going to be someone who has a good and a bad experience with certain breeds, but as Dancinbcs is a breeder (I think ) they wouldn't recommend their breed if there might be a future issue. It might just be an unlucky coincidence that it was BC's that attacked your little ones but the whole breed shouldn't be condemned Yes, BCs are way more popular than aussies so its more likely for them to be involved incidents. People who are not able to satisfy their work instinct or meet their exercise requirements may end up with a frustrated dog (quite a lot of people). Where as with the aussie being a rarer breed, people who get them tend to know what they are getting themselves into in terms of exercise and work requirements. I have found borders to be generally indifferent to other dogs, so perhaps not the best playmate for another dog that likes to wrestle a lot?. They are more focussed on their owner/work/ball etc. I have met one DA border, but that dog was DA because the owner had very little control over it and didn't really seem to care that it "put dogs in their place" in her words. I have found Aussies to be much more goofy than BCs, they like the rough play and wrestling with other dogs. I've not found them to be DA in general but my own dog went through a stage of being a little reactive to dogs that came up in her face or jumped all over her or humped her (she had arthritis at this point).

I can think of quite a few breeds that *may* be suitable: Lab, GR, Aussie shepherd. These breeds are generally happy dogs that are good with other dogs and pets if they are raised with them. They also like to wrestle and play with other dogs. Both my lab and my aussie have been fine with little dogs- they mainly just ignore them. They have both been fine with cats and have happily let foster kittens crawl all over them etc. Do be aware that you need to actually train your dog how to behave around the cats and the chi's. It will not come naturally to many dogs. Both my Aussie and my lab have been naturally good with cats. I really don't see how you could expect a large breed dog NOT to accidently step on the smaller dogs now and then, especially if your two large breed dogs will be wrestling together? When large dogs decide to do zoomies or play together, i think it is best just to get any smaller dogs out of the way.

Thats not really true. He often follows up 2 or three times to see how things are going and to help the owner who is often still struggling. And you have to remember it is TV- there are few long term follow ups (ie months or years later), so we don't really know whether he has had long term success and really fixed the problem forever. Also, behavioural problems often take months to years to develop, why would they only take like 1 hour or even 1 day to fix? Imo, a good trainer is one that works with you over time, to help manage a situation/behaviour and resolve the behaviour over time. i think it is good that he saves lives and i totally agree with his exercise, discipline, affection concept.

Hey Kyliegirl- do you have a bike? It might be a good idea to train echo to run alongside it. You can cover a lot more ground that way and perhaps he will get a little bit tired I used to do 30-40 kms with my aussie shep on the bike. Would love to take Mindy riding but sadly i do not have a bike at the moment and I'm not really near any good bike paths.

I'm always being told my labrador is too skinny. She is 25kg. She is not underweight, she is a healthy weight and could probably lose a kg or two before she was considered underweight. I do not think a normal sized lab should be less than 23kg though. I feed my dog the equivalent of 2 cups of Advance puppy per day. She gets a lot of exercise though, so I guess if your dog is not that active, he will need a bit less.

He is adorable! Hope he finds a great home I'm sort of thinking about another dog myself, but he sounds like he would be better in working/sport home. I'm doing some obedience and agility with my current dog, but I'm not after a serious comp dog yet. I would def take him on looks alone though lol

Yeah I'm actually thinking of getting a second dog just to tire Mindy out a bit and keep her entertained. Naughty I know, but i still think i can provide another dog with a loving home. I mean what dog wouldn't want company all day (human and dog) and 4 walks a day! I think its alot better than the alternative for pound/rescue dogs!

I think he will calm down but he may be a particularly high drive dog. Most of the dobes I know are actually pretty relaxed and really well behaved. Perhaps you should try to teach him to be calm for increasing longer periods? Like making use of his crate at home or even tethering him (within your sight) if he is used to it? How old is he? from memory he is only 4 months or something? My labrador was absolutely psycho at that age. In fact from 8 weeks until about 4 months she was quite mad. I know everyone says not to over exercise a large breed puppy but she would seriously run around all day if you let her. We were also doing 5km walks and she would still want to go for a run or play tugs after or play with other dogs. Even her puppy school trainer thought she might not be a good guide dog and thought she was really full on. She is now really good and actually quite calm and although she is always up for some exercise or training, she is able to lie quietly when needed. Perhaps you could get Echo assessed by a trainer or something to give you some tips? Also, if you keep increasing his exercise, he will become more fit and require even more exercise (which is the trouble we have now- a superfit dog who needs 4 walks a day!). If you don't want to do obedience training, perhaps you could do 15 mins to half an hour of trick training with him? I also like to use one of my walks with mindy to do training- I make her walk as if she was still in GD training. It sounds like he would be a great dog sport dog if you're interested in any of that?

I'm sure he'll be fine and have a great time You should try to enjoy your holiday! I know my dogs have coped really well with us going away; even in boarding kennels they have been fine. It is even better when you can get someone to look after them in their or your home. When my pup had to go back to kennels for a week, I thought she'd sulk but apparently she was really well behaved and adapted to the routine really well and cheered up all the other dogs. It is good to get them used to being away from you a bit.

Aww she is really cute Her ears look really big in the last photo!

I would like to think my lab is pretty smart She learnt to open her puppy pen at 8 weeks. She can open doors in our house (we have push down handles, not knobs), which she taught herself to do. A bit problematic and embarrassing when you're on the loo

Oh... so you don't want an Akita then??? It'd be smaller than Mindy for a little while (like 8-9 months) so you'd have time to get used to the size What are you thinking about getting?? My criteria are medium size (preferably less than 20kg) and short coated...so maybe not an akita I'm thinking a rescue or pound lab x at the moment I'd also be open to a BC or kelpie, i know there are plenty of those in pounds, but they'd have to get on with Mindy and I've heard that herding breeds don't tend to get on well with labs (though Min has quite a few kelpie friends). I'd love to get a rescue Grey, but I just don't think they'd be able to keep up with us and Mindy, being the friendly thing she is would probably annoy the s*** out of it!

Maybe you could put a bit of peanut butter or something yummy in the top to encourage her? Also, Kong makes a special stuffing. I am sure it is not that healthy for them but if you're only using it initially to get her interested i'm sure it will be fine. It comes in a can and is foamy. I have seen a number of pet supply stores that have it, even some vets have it kong stuffing

KTB your doggies look so happy together! I am actually thinking of going down the second dog path myself... Seeing how happy Elbie and Hoover and Akira and Halo seem together has really encouraged me to think about it! Especially as Mindy LOVES other dogs. Although my main motivation would be as a friend for Min, rather than as a second dog for myself (although i've always wanted to have multiple dogs!). I'm just not sure whether it would be too much work for me, and whether to go down the rescue route or breeder. Although i love labs, I think i would prefer something smaller. I find Mindy large enough, and she is at the small end of labs. And I don't think I could do a puppy again!

Have you got a puppy kong? There are different types- puppy which is the softest, regular and extra strong. The puppy ones are really chewy and soft. I personally think the regular kongs are too hard for a lot of puppies, unless they are really keen chewers. My 1 year old is still on a puppy kong as she is not much of a chewer and prefers to chew soft things (apart from bones!) I think things like bones are better for chewing. I don't use a kong as a chew toy but just something to entertain her for a while and to stop her inhaling food.

nice looking dog. Very shiny, black sheps are very pretty! Are you meant to give them the tug at the end? I kinda thought you were meant to keep in control of it?