aussielover

I had it done on my 12 year old australian shepherd. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition soon after receiving the treatment, so no improvement was seen. I have heard mixed reports about this treatment with some people reporting no improvement and some reporting amazing results. The cost is $6000.

I can't see the photo but I am on the work computer. Could it be the heat/humidity? our other dog got sloppy poos in really hot/humid weather. Also our current lab puppy had to be taken off a premium dry diet due to her not tolerating the "richness" of it. 9 months should def be old enough to transfer him to an adult diet though.

What size is the dog? you can buy a small travel crate fairly cheaply. Some vets also hire out those cat carry cages which are usually fine for small breed puppies as well. Otherwise, yeah harnesses are really cheap, you can get them for less than $20. With looping the seat belt thru the car harness, doesn't this allow them to roam around a lot and potentially get all tangled up? I am currently using a car harness and just clipping the seat belt/lead attchment thingy to the harness. The lead thingy is only about 30 cm long so she can't really wander around.

You should be able to bring food to a dog park imo. Obviously, giving treats to all the other dogs (without asking the woners permission) is a no-no, I would only give my dog a treat if no other dogs were in close range to us. Toys, balls, owners, even rocks, sticks and leaves can all potentially cause resource guarding behaviour in the presence of other dogs and removing some of these things would be difficult.

1. ughhh I hate people that throw the sh*t away AFTER they have picked it up! It is worse than just leaving it there as it takes forever to break down in a plastic bag. 2. Bad luck with the jogger, you're dog wasn't totally under control, but I do find some of them very rude, like on walking tracks etc some of them practically shove other users out of the way. 3. good on you for reporting the owner and dog. Aggressive dogs should be muzzled at the very minimum and under control of an effective person. I am not sure what you could have done to help the other owner? These days I am too busy with grabbing my own dog and getting her away from the fight to be too concerned with stopping any fights.

just say poodle cross. Its easier with all the DDs as most of them resemble poodles more closely.

I think competency and confidence have more to do with number of surgeries performed during the course, rather than "type" of surgery ie recovery vs non recovery.

Oh thats a shame! Maybe if the met Millie and Ruby they would ok it? Lots of puppy raisers here have a pet dog which is sometimes a failed guide dog, but also sometimes a well behaved pet. They come and interview you and make a final decision based on meeting you and any other pets. Yes assistance dogs like the puppy raisers to start some of the training. I think mindy should become an assitance dog if she fails as a guide dog because she already knows heaps of things like opening doors, picking up stuff to bring to me. I would like to puppy raise for assistance dogs also. I think asdog and guide dogs have a rule that you can't have more than one dog under 8 months old. Lots of guide dog puppy raisers get their next pup when the current pup is 8 months old.

Sorry, the University of Sydney used to do this, not UQ. They are not doing this anymore though. ETA- the purpose of this was to enable the students to monitor recovery and deal with anaesthetic recovery emergencies

Although sydney uni doesn't allow non-recovery surgery, students are provided with plenty of opportunity to practise surgical skills on live animals during RSPCA clinics, where the animals are allowed to recover and are then potentially rehomed. They also get to practice on live animals during their internships at both sydey and camden clinics under strict supervision of course. Also, during clinical rotations the students are allowed and encouraged to perform routine surgeries. Though personally I don't have a problem with non recovery surgery if the animal is due to be PTS anyway, i do find it offesnive and misleading to suggest that students who don't have the opportunity to do non recovery surgeries are substandard (if thats what you're saying???). i think you'll find a number of specialist surgeons and medicine specialists are graduates of unis (such as sydney) which do not perform non recpvery surgery during their course. Edited- oops misread the part about unis who don't use live animals (not non recpvery surgery)

Really? I'm looking for a toy to take to the beach for Mindy to retrieve. all the ones so far have only lasted for one outing They have been ripped up in a game of tug or another dog has stolen it and ripped it up

So your boss brings the puppy into work? I'm just wondering because they don't like to let full time workers puppy raise from what I've read! They appear to be in desperate need of puppy raisers but quite a lot of people are taken out of the running due to other circumstances. Which is fair enough, but I'd like the allowances to arrange things to make it work Yep, Paddy spends the entire day with us. I think it might be different, though, because they own the business and so can make the rules, and he goes everywhere with them. Does akira get to come to work too? That would be great if they could both go to work and have some playtime together! Tho maybe not so good for the guide dogs training lol. Guide Dogs generally specify that the dog can't be left for more than 2-4 hrs (depending on the organisation/state). It is a bit of a shame for dedicated people who work but could still raise a well adjusted, well socialised dog. Maybe if you already have one very well trained dog, they might be willing to give you a go? I know Mason, Ruby and Millie would all persuade any guide dog org to let you puppy raise!!!

Thats one good looking Stafford you have there! I also think my 8.5 month old dog is the best! So easy to train, so willing to learn and so friendly and knows heaps of tricks and commands. I can't really take credit for her though, her temperament (and looks lol) are practically faultless imo, I guess this has a lot to do with her good breeding and genetics. She was also the only girl and by far the most placid and focussed dog in her litter (her brothers are way more boisterous).

lots of breeders start 8 week old puppies or even younger on chicken necks.

I'd like to be involved with this one also

I'd recommend you use a harness with any seat belt attachment - hitting the end of a collar in a rapid braking situation might break her neck. Hey PF thanks for the advice, thats a great point you make. I've just gone thru our old dogs stuff and dug out two harnesses. Does it matter what type of harness you use? One appears to be a "car harness" its got a big loopy thing on the back made of seat belt like material- not sure what u do with that? The other is just a standard walking harness that attaches at the back (for when our old girl had a sore neck). If there is no difference in what harness to use, i'll just use whichever one is easier to put on her as we can't walk her in the harness anyway. Thanks!

Whats the difference? They didnt breed the animal, they didnt raise it so there is still no guarentee. Sorry to sound down in the dumps about it but I have greater plans for my dogs then just pets so hence avoiding rescues. I know how I want my dogs to be raised from day one if you get my idea Breed specific rescues generally have the dogs in foster care so they can get an idea about temperament and any potential health issues. They tend to match dogs with new owner pretty well and I've heard really positive feedback about GRR and Lab rescue. However, i do get what you're saying. If i was after a performace dog, I would only get it from a reputable breeder.

Agree- all kennels would be booked out by now. Some dogs don't do well in kennels and there is a problem with SOME poorly run kennels. Personally I'd never board my dog at a vet clinic (that has "kennels" for boarding) Can you get soemone to stay at your house for a few days? Or can he go stay with your family?

Not too soon. i took my pup the day after she came home. It was great for her to see other puppies in a controlled environment as she was prob missing her mum and brothers. Though, the first class was when she was naughtiest! the trainer even said that we would have our hands full with her. This turned out to be not the case, she has turned into a really calm dog, far more laid back than her brothers and other labs. She was much calmer in the following classes as well. As long as you don't expect too much from your pup during the first time, you should be fine.

Apparently I am a guide dog trainer AND a qualified vet (I'm a puppy raiser and a vet student) So many people come up to me though and are like "oh you're the guide dog trainer, what should I do about xxx behaviour problem" "oh you're training that puppy to be a guide dog" "oh you're the vet, can you take a look at this..." LOL I have to spends ages explaining that I'm not actually a dog trainer OR a vet!

That is a very good question. They used to perfrom the surgery, and wake the dog back up (ie let it recover) and then euthanse it. You can see how that is potentially inhumane. Then it was changed to perform the surgery but never let the dog wake up, and now the dogs that have the surgery can be rehomed.

*sigh* not true, nowhere near true and never will be true. Cross breeding is more a modern(ish) concept then is was before. I can tell you I will foster but I will probably never take a rescue dog again. I've learned my lesson. Bad temperament, bad health - for that money I could have bought a breeding pair of working line Malinois. Not saying I dont love the big oaf of a thing but nah, I can't live through all that again. I'll only buy a pup from people and dogs I know. With papers. Not getting stooged on THAT again too. I'd get a dog from a reptuable breed specific rescue such as Golden Retriever rescue or Lab rescue.

I emailed the RTA about this in October I think. This was the response I received: "Thankyou for your email. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act states that a person must not carry or convey a dog (other than a dog being used to work livestock), on the open back of a moving vehicle on a public street unless the dog is restrained or enclosed in such a way as to prevent the dog falling from the vehicle. Please see below link to view this Act (see rule 7): http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/viewtop/...20animals%22))) Dogs should not ride unrestrained in either the front or back seats of any vehicle but this is not specifically stated in legislation. The police may fine you however if they deem that you do not have proper control of the vehicle due to the animal interfering with your control. Specially designed animal boxes and harnesses are available and should be used. A pet harness can be attached to the vehicle's seat belt allowing the dog to sit or lie on the seat. These harness and boxes can be purchased in a variety or sizes from the RSPCA or from pet supply stores. It is stated in legislation that a driver must not drive with a person or animal in the driver's lap. This is Road Rule 297 (1A) Drive motor vehicle with person or animal in lap To view the complete road rule please click on the below link to find Road Rule 297 which relates to your enquiry: http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/viewtop/...179+2008+fn+0+N Regards" Thankyou for clarifying that having a dog unrestrained in a car is NOT illegal. My dog travels in the footwell of the front passenger seat when there is a passenger and in the back seat with a special seat belt attachment clipped to her collar.

Ideally I like to do 2 long walks (1hr +): one in the Am and one in the PM, with several shorter walks (15-40 mins)througout the day. On weekends I like to do whole day walks. Currently we are only doing shorter walks several times per day as I have a large breed puppy.

Yes that is normal. Additionally some Goldens have shorter hair anyway. There is huge variation in coat type and length in the retriever breeds. Is he for showing?