aussielover

Poor thing! Cut his nails today if you can. The face lesion looks a bit like eosinophilic granuloma to me. Sibes are more susceptible to this. Is it itchy for him? Is it ulcerated? Good on you for looking after him

Personally I'd drive the pup if I had time. My puppy was quite traumatised by the flight from brisbane to sydney and did not like going in her travel crate when we picked her up and would bark, cry and howl as well as vomit and poop in the crate. Guide dogs said that a lot of pups that are flown into sydney, are not good in the car intitially. It only took her about 2 weeks to be perfectly comfortable in the car though, so its really not the end of the world if you do have to fly your pup. Now she loves the car!

Which standard? The ISDS (UK) founding registry for the breed in 1906? Everything I see in this standard describs the working border collie in Australia perfectly. This standard would fit the working dogs in OZ and the UK, or anywhere else in the world. Or do you mean the first show dog standard written in Australia in the 1950's? Or do you mean the first show dog standard written in the country of origin the UK in the mid 1970"s? Have you read this show dog standard from the country of origin? Smooth coat are fine, ears pricked are good too, coats of any colour except mostly white are good. Not that a show standard could ever really discribe the border collie, there is nothing in this standard that the majority of working border collies in OZ would not fit. However, while it is clear the working border collies here in Australia or anywhere else in the world are not bred to look like a standard, it is hoped that the standard discribes what the dogs actually do look like that are being bred to do their job. As in, form follows function. To original poster, The pedigree of your dog has some of the very best working kennels in Australia today. Many are well known lines that can be traced all the way back to ISDS and the first dogs imported to Australia from the UK . Many of the lines are top 3 sheep trial lines, but you also have some lines that are very good cow dogs as well as station dogs for both cattle and sheep. It should be a fine dog, certainly purebred and the pedigree reflects that this pup has been bred to the standard of top quality world class working dogs that the border collie is. Well a standard is really just a guideline, and obviously, interpretations vary so yes, both show and working dogs could potentially fit the standard. Howver,obviously, i am not BC expert, but from an average persons point of view, the show-winning dogs today, do not look like working BCs in Australia that I see. In my opinion, there is LESS of a difference in the appearance of show winning dogs and working sheepdogs in the UK. Short or less coated BCs seem to be preferred for Australian conditions and i have never seen one of those in the ring, even though it is apparently permitted in the breed standard?

Hope you have fun! Sounds like a lot of fun for you and pup! I'm sure he will be entertained by the other dogs and you might be surprised with how well behaved he is Im sure he'd rather be with you guys than in a boarding kennel.

Poor puppy! To me he looks more than "ugly" he looks like he has some sort of serious growth deformity. Hopefully he is, and will remain healthy. Regarding crossbreeding, guide dogs have a small labrador x GR program, I would like to know the statistics on whether these dogs have a higher success rate and whether they are healthier overall. I will have to contact them. If hybrid vigour is true, surely these first cross lab/GRs would be much healthier than their purebred counterparts? However it is my understanding that they produce this cross (very rarely) for a better temperament and trainability of the dog- not as boisterous as a lab but not as soft as a golden. If anyone has any addtional info on this please enlighten me.

If he is barking due to fear, it is not a good idea to punish him by squirting him with water. An aversive/punishment might work if it is truly attention-seeking behaviour. Can you tell if its fear based or attention based? If not, i'd see a professional who can tell you. How old is your pup btw? My pup is also going through a bit of this, but I feel it is more a fear based thing as she is in the 2nd fear period age range. I usually ignore this behaviour completely but if its in public and she needs to stop, i'll give her the "look" command and get her to focus on me, and then maybe get her to work some more by asking for other commands such as sit/drop etc which always stops the behaviour.

I think its a bit sad that puppy schools are recommending people go straight to a no pull harness, regardless of whether the dog pulls or not, rather than teaching the traditional llw. Our obedience club won't let you use a check chain but any dog that is naughty or pulls is told to use a halti, which i think is just wrong! I know personally with my current dog that i would be able to achieve a better result using a check chain if needed than a halti.

My pup works SOOOO much better whenever she is at an actual guide dog training session. She is much more focussed and responsive to me during these sessions. This is despite being surrounded by up to 15-20 other bouncy lab puppies! It is odd becuase usually when she sees another lab she just wants to play or kiss them, but when we are at training she actually totally ignores them and will just stand there with a long suffering look on her face if they try to play with her or kiss her! I'm not sure why she is better behaved because I barely even use treats during this training. i use more treats training at home! This sounds ridiculous, but I actually feel like she knows she must behave, and perhaps knows that she is really working during this time? Maybe she picks up on a change in my attitude (a bit more focussed and serious as well) or something? She is usually pretty good on "training" walks at home but I have noticed she will do the occaisonal "wrong" thing like try to eat food off the footpath or sniff something, where as at training she doesn't really try to do that even if theres food everywhere. Does anyone elses dog behave very differently in specific training session?

How long have you been using this technique? I found with my lab it took a few sessions of really dedicated training before she got it. Sometimes we would literally only walk for 20 meters and then back again. You can also use a martingale collar or check chain or even on a normal collar and when he goes to surge ahead, give him a quick check, give the heel command and reward after a few steps of good walking the the right position. If you're not sure of the timing (hard to explain over the net!), perhaps consult with a trainer who can demonstrate for you or even give you some other techniques to try. It is best to get a labradors walking under control before 6 months though when they start getting very large and strong, which is another reason to perhaps get a trainer to help you out

Purebred working BCs are still used as are working kelpies. There would be very very few ANKC BCs working on real properties. Ok last dumb question for the year, do working BC's look the same as ANKC BC's? In Australia? NO. They are usually shorter coated, leggier and generally more "kelpie" looking imo. In the UK, working BCs look a lot more like "show" border collies in Aus. The standard is for a dog capable of working in the borders of England and scotland- very different climate and terrain than farms in Aus. So it would be unlikely that a working BC in Aus is going to fit the original breed standard

I've noticed that the majority of dogs I see out walking these days are usually on a harness or head halter. I very rarely see dogs being walked on a plain old collar and leash anymore. There are also quite a few people in my area who do not feel the need to obey the law and use a leash. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just my area? Do you think people are choosing to use harnesses and halters because they think its more comfortable for the dog, or its safer or something? Is it more comfortable for the dog? Is it ok for a dog never to be trained to walk on a collar and leash? I have met a number of people who insist that their small-medium sized dog would pull them over if it didn't wear a front leading harness, which i find hard to believe. I am not a strong person and I have never felt my 25kg lab could pull me over. Also we have heaps of puppy owners wanting to get a front leading harness or halter at the clinic I work at. I think they can be a useful training tool for very strong dogs that are in thr process of being trained to walk nicely. But are they really necessary on young puppies, particularly small/medium breed puppies? When I ask the owner what training they do, they often say they don't want to or dont have time to train the dog, they just want something to make it controllable (a quick fix). I guess its better they use this tool and actually walk their dogs more often, but whatever happeed to training a dog to walk on a loose leash with a collar? Even at our puppy school it was recommended that ALL puppies, even if they didn't pull, used a front leading harness. I think for a pet dog, its not that hard to teach a dog to walk reasonably nicely on lead

Yep crate training is great! If you dont actually have a crate or you're not a fan, the same result can pretty much be achieved by teaching a dog to go and stay on its bed. This is what we had to do after our dog outgrew her crate. Also teaching a dog to accept a tie-back or tether is useful if you don't think they are going to obey you and stay on their bed. We've set lots of rules and boundaries at our house, so she is used to restricted access and not being right next to people all the time. Our dog is not allowed in any rooms upstairs apart from my bedroom, not allowed in the study or in the formal lounge room or allowed in the dining room when we have guests. amazingly, although our house is open plan- she sticks to the boundaries and even knows when guests come, she must stay on her bed, unless invited over for pats. So I think dogs are quite adaptable. I guess i have a fairly "easy" dog though, who you only need to say "no" a few times and she gets the picture pretty quickly. The good thing about crates are that you don't have to stress about them getting out (generally- our last dog was able to get out of her crate very easily, we'd come back home after shopping or leaving her for a few hours to find the crate totally collapsed on the floor and her wandering around the house). Is your dog a wanderer? Does the holiday place have a secure yard?

I wouldn't leave a baby puppy with a pigs ear. My puppy couldn't even eat a whole one until about 4 months when she started getting adult teeth. I think treat balls and bob a lots are the safest. I have seen dogs choke on kings and also get their tongue or jaw stuck. But obviously nothing is 100% safe

The combs are useless. I prefer using different sized blades. It will give you a neater result, Erspecially if you're not experienced. I also think a 5 would be good. We use a 40 for a surgical prep and a 7 or 10 for a tick clip depending on the coat.

I don't have a problem with dogs sleeping outside but I think it's a really bad idea to be letting him sleep on your bed, if you eventually want to move him outside! I'm sure he will adapt in the long run but it will be more confusing for him than if you start how you intend him to live long term As older puppies/dogs I personally let them sleep wherever they want once they have earned my trust and have demonstrated they are toilet trained and not going to destroy stuff overnight. One of my dogs would sometimes choose to be outside. My current puppy still chooses to sleep in my room. I find your attitude somewhat confusing though. You are saying dogs belong outside, but only at night? Why let your dog potentially mess up or dirty your house during the day but then not at night? I agree all dogs should be allowed to spend time outdoors to exercise and sniff, but this should ideally be during the day and with their owners.

How about don't let your dogs rush at ANY other dog in the park, unless you know them.

Update: been to the vets again. The vet now thinks it is a primary allergy causing secondary infection, not "puppy pyoderma". Puppy pyoderma was the thing that was common in young dogs/retrievers (not allergy) and is a primary superficial pyoderma, not caused by allergy. I just wanted to clarify this for those that were interested. Mindy's rash is much worse today, it has even spread to the pinna of her ears apparently the distribution of the rash (tummy, armpits, ears) is classic for contact allergy. She is now on prednisolone (steroid) to get the itchiness under control. We will probably see a specialist if it is an on going problem throughout summer (which i think it may be) and if guide dogs thinks it is a good idea. We will also probably be doing an antihistamine trial, as it is much safer for her to be on antihistamines regularly than steroids. I would also like to change her diet to raw, as i've heard this is good for dogs with skin issues, but i'll have to discuss this with guide dogs. Does anyone have any information regarding which diet is best for dogs with itchy skin? I also got some of the calendula tea today and will try and apply that tonight. Thanks for all your help

Ah, this is my point. Accepted definition by whom? You are the only person I have ever talked to who seems to think that calling oneself a dog behaviourist implies that one is AVA registered . Can you please tell us who decided that only people with AVA registration should be called behaviourists, or is it something that you just made up yourself? Can you please also give us the Australian Veterinarian Association link to how one becomes a behaviourist, so we can see what they say on the subject? By law Staranais. I think that is only for a veterinary behaviourist. The AVA does not regulate dog "trainers" or anyone who is not registered with them (ie non-vets)

I don't think its that simple? Firstly you have to have a degree and preferably a first class honours or masters degree also. This is important to get a scholarship. It is almost impossibe to do a PhD without a scholarship unless you are already wealthy and don't need to work. Then you have to find an available project and supervisor. Supervisors often have very specific projects but some are more open to suggestion than others. I don't think getting a PhD is the simplest and certainly not the only way to learn how to rehabilitate aggressive dogs.

If you have seen two lab friends greet each other you will know what they are talking about Alternatively, turn up to a guide dog puppy training day and you will see the meaning of over-enthusiastic greetings! Labs generally like to greet each other by running full pelt at each other, whacking into each other and then jumping and licking each other at the same time :D Personally i love seeing happy and friendly labs greet each other, but obviously not all dogs like that style, so as owners we have to be considerate of other park users and dogs. My dog only does this with her friends she has finally gotten to the stage now where she is not interested in greeting or playing with other strange/new dogs.

I wouldn't say your dog is necessarily aggressive just because it runs up to another dog. Dogs hackles can also be raised in excitement. But it would be intimidating having a big lab run over to you with raised hackles! Luckily my lab is not at all interested in small dogs, but even if she was, i wouldn't let her play with them or run up to them unless I knew them really well. Even when she is playing gently, if she were to fall over on top of them or something, they could be injured. It is not polite to let your dogs run over to strange dogs. It is easy to just call your dog over to you when you see another dog approaching and then ask the owner if they can say hello. They can make a complaint to the council, but I doubt the council would be bothered to do anything unless the dog had actually caused injury.

They would need a vet degree and also a fellowship or international equivalent in animal behaviour, which may or may not involve doing a PhD, depending on the university/program.

That is not strictly true, my dog has real bad allergies but Polaramine does NOT a thing to help him when he is real bad. Zyrtec does help but not very effective when he is bad in summer, he is on antihistamines and low dose of pred ( cortisone) at the moment and he is still bad. Aussielover Mason started showing allergy symptoms around 9 months, although before this he had constant tummy problems as a pup which we now know is food allergies as well as his allergies to pollen, dust, insects etc. Actually it is strictly true. WHat if you have a staph infection due to allergy? Would it then help relieve some of the itchiness. I am aware that only the abs and the medicated wash will help resolve the infection/pyoderma.

Mindy sounds like she is following in Masons footsteps then....

A veterinary behaviourist would have at least one degree (vet) and potentially a Phd also. To qualify it takes at least 5 years and you have to have a reasonable amount of practical expereince working as an intern for a qualified behaviourist. The benefit of a vet behaviourist is that they can prescribe medications if necessary, they are also guaranteed to have at least some practical experience. They are also answerable to the veterinary board for their state, so any problems with them can be reported to a controlling body. This of course doesn't mean they will achieve better or even equal results as a very experienced dog trainer, but it does take some of the uncertainty out of the decision. If you are not comportable with a trainer or you're not seeing results, its time to look elsewhere. DOL is a great place to get recommendations. Additionally, I would also look at the behaviour of the dog/animal of the person recommending the trainer.