aussielover

This is a fun toy. However, the larger one is very heavy and bulky. I take Mindy to work and to uni with me so I prefer taking the kong or even our activity treat ball as they are both lighter and more convenient to carry

I have no doubt ellie is a very smart girl. She's probably so clever that she has worked out that the tricks are somewhat pointless and ridiculous and why should she do them LOL Where as Mindy would sell her soul for food. I'm not sure starving her for the day would be a good idea- she is not my dog and training her isn't essential. I am not really a clicker person, i did have one, but with Mindy i use a marker word instead. i find this just as effective and way more convenient as i can mark a behaviour anywhere, anytime.

I'm after some opinions and advice on how to motivate/ teach and older dog new tricks. I am dog-sitting a 2 year old GR x Poodle. She is a lovely dog and gets along really well with Mindy (my labrador) though obviously I would never leave them together unsupervised (esp after reading the bitch fighting thread). Part of Mindy's daily routine is some obedience and trick training, which I decided to include Ellie in. It has become apparent that this dog has no obedience training apart from "sit" and doesn't know how to walk on the lead. The owners freely aditted she is allowed to do whatever she likes and is not walked on a lead. Which is fine, it is their choice as to her level of training and she is not out of control; she is well behaved in the house and at the park (but not on a lead walk). Her terrible lead walking is actually very good for Mindy to learn to walk with a big distraction- a big hairy thing jumping around in her face (she is very good, just has a long-suffering look on her face and a get this thing away from me type look lol) Anyway, this morning we were doing some trick training and I couldn't even get Ellie to Drop! I tried luring her with the food but she went halfway and would not go any further no matter how any times I tried. I tried just holding the treat down on the floor between her legs- she just gave up and lost interest. I also tried marking the halfway behaviour and then after a few successes then going a bit further- no luck there either ??? I also tried to get her to shake hands, we had some success there- getting her to lift her paw about 1cm off the ground which is a start. I guess I have been spoiled and always owned dogs that were VERY quick to catch on... Mindy knew many tricks by the time she was 3 months old and is extremely food motivated and learns simple tricks like shake hands, speak, hive five, hi ten etc... within one training session (10-15 mins). Our other dog was also extremely food motivated and very "sharp" Do some dogs need more time to realise what you want? Do you think this dog is possibly a slower learner (currently) because she hasn't had on-going training from a young age? I am not used to working with a dog that isn't almost over-the top enthusiastic about training. How can i get a dog like Ellie to a) enjoy training b) actually learn the trick/command I have also noticed that Mindy is more naughty and hyper than usual at Ellie's house (but luckily she knows that being tied up= sleepy time) and Ellie ia also ore naughty at our house. I suspect this is normal; they are both feeling unsettled and want to explore/investigate their new surroundings? Any advice appreciated- Thanks

When we had our Aussie we were always asked about "what happened to her tail?". We eventually just ended up telling them that we couldn't afford her tail, it was extra lol.

If you were serious, wouldn't an obvious starting point be your own dogs breeder?

I think they are referring to the silver labrador, which is not an acceptable colour but is being bred all the same. Personally I think they're beautiful, not sure if there are any health issues associated or not. There is some debate as to whether "Silver" labs are actually just a dilute chocolate. Technically, it is possible that a very small percentage are, however, most of the Silvers out there are just weim crosses and look it. The one pictured in this thread totally looks like a weim cross imo. This one looks more "purebred" to me but who knows...

Just this morning I had a lady proceed to dangle her BABY in my dog's face She approached us and asked if the dog was friendly, when I said yes she was, she immediately took baby out of her arms and dangled it in my pups face saying "pat the doggie" ummm as if a baby is going to want to, or be able to :D Luckily for her and the baby my dog did not react and just looked at me as if to say "what on earth is this woman doing?" The way the baby was flopping around though, i am surprised the dog did not mistake it for a toy or something. I told her it was generally best to ask to specifically pat the dog and also most dogs prefer to be patted from the side, not head-on.

A lot of people recommend a large breed pup to be allowed to have one season before being speyed. This is due to the effect of hormones on bone and muscle development. The ocst will depend a lot on the vet you go to, some areas/vets are more expensive. Generally I'd say somewhere between $200-500, depending on whether pre anaesthetic testing is done and the dog is on fluids for the duration- This will probably add $100 or so to the bill. IMO pain relief should be included in the cost, If a vet wants to charge extra for that I wouldn't be entrusting my dog to their care.

I generally agree with this statement. However, sadly, in this case, there was someone willing to take the dog on and work with the issues (which is soo rare), so I don't think PTS was the best option for the dog.

Hi Beckley85, I think everyone would like to know if you are a registered breeder. That is, registered with your state canine council- DOGSvic (i think it is?) do you have a prefix for your kennel? Are your Boxer's papered? Are they registered and from registered health tested parents? Do you show or compete them in any dog sport? Why do you wish to breed them? There are so many things to consider when deciding to breed. Firstly, both parents have to be health tested for all the relevant genetic diseases in the breed. This is not a "vet check" but specific tests which may involve taking DNA or Xrays. It can be quite expensive. I am not sure sure of the specifics of what health tests should be done for Boxers but I do know they are a breed that are prone to several health problems and health testing is essential in order to ensure the highest possibiloty of healthy pups. If you got your dogs from a registered breeder, I would definitely approach them and ask for their guidance. Furthermore, they may not be too happy with you breeding without their knowledge (unless of course you have already discussed breeding with them ) Personally, I am of the opinion that only outstanding specimens of the breed- in conformation showing or other competitive sports/ working dogs should be bred from. Please consider this decision very carefully as being a responsible breeder is a lot of hard work and often heartbreaking and expensive

I've managed to take some standing photos of her: I don't feed her what they say on the food packet either- i think its something crazy like 6 cups a day!!!

she has a waist but for some reason I can't feel her ribs? I've gotten other people to try (in case it is just me being stupid) and they also can't feel her ribs without significant effort ie. digging in/pressing really hard Do puppies have more skin covering or something?

I'll be sending Mindy to you to teach her to "are you shy" (paw over muzzle). Elbie would probably HATE her though, she is really busy and also a face kisser (to other dogs). You're guys are going great and seem to be getting on so well! Well done!

After reading the nutrition query thread and an article posted there, i thought I would get some others opinions on whether my pup is fat. I have never had anyone tell me she needed to lose weight, in fact a lot of people have commented on what great shape she is in for a labrador. She had a training day a week ago and they didn't mention anything about her weight (although there were several labs there that were noticably overweight imo). But after reading that article, it would seem Mindy is overweight and should diet. I can't feel her ribs without pressing really hard. She is 7 months old and weighs 25kg She is supposed to get 3 cups of dry puppy food a day, but we often cut about 1.5 cups and replace it with a lamb shank or lamb flap. Any training treats are taken out of her the daily allowance. she is quite a tall girl and perhaps she has stopped growing (vertically that is )? I don't have great photos of her recently sadly.... I will try to get one of her standing properly later ETA the other dog is a ~10 month old Doberman pup-you can see Mindy is quite tall!

OMG one of my pet hates is people saying "english staffy". And I don't even have a Stafford... LOL

How old is the pup? Serious leash training starts at around 4 months, and the dog must be taught not to pull by 5/6 months otherwise they can use their weight against you pretty easily which makes things more difficult. Before this lots of practice in the home/yard is great as well. Loose leash walking is really easy if you have time and patience. It is actually easier (imo) with a forward moving dog which may or may not be a puller. As soon as there is ANY tension on the lead- stop, do not move any further and wait until the dog comes back to you and the lead is slack. Praise and move on. This may happen literally every step for the first time. It is time consuming but worth it in the end as you will have a dog that knows tension on the lead= not moving I prefer my pups to have a slight tension on the lead, but If i feel they are starting to get out of control or pulling too hard, I use the command "steady" which is also useful for stair work. Tying a puppy to your waist is a good idea becuase you can keep an eye on them (a very close eye lol) and is helpful for toilet training as they are unlikely to toilet on top of you. I prefer to be with my pups for the first two weeks pretty much 24/7 which really helps speed along toilet training (but obviously not everyone is able to do this). There is some crate training time where the pup learns to be in the crate by itself for short periods during the day. When i can't directly supervise, the pup is also in the crate. Good luck with your pup, they are heaps of fun. Post some pics too please!!!!

Comfortis is suppposed to kill all stages of the life cycle.

hehehe that made me laugh- i often call Mindy a slug! They do look a bit like big black slugs at times though don;t they lol

ummm I have to say I agree with the others on this matter. A 2 year old can barely feed themselves, let alone a puppy. I don't think getting him to feed the pup will result in the pup respecting him more, personally I believe there is a lot more to "pack leadership" than just providing meals and treats etc. I think 4-5 years old is a good time to slowly start letting a child feed a well-trained dog that is used to waiting patiently for food. I would not let a toddler feed my dogs

How much exercise does he get? Upping that will speed up the process. My vet recommends halving food intake for weight loss - no mucking about. Geez, halving his food intake, that certainly is not mucking about alright. My vet said to cut down by 15%. They all have different ideas. I am going to go for 1/3 & see how we go. Sonny gets 5km walk/run, 2.5 hours he is out & about every morning & 20 mins or so most afternoons. Rain, hail or shine, without fail. We live walking distance from a leash-free dog beach , so he gets to swim as well as mix with other dogs. But when he gets home from morning run he sleeps for 3 or so hours, Then arvo walk, Back home, grooming. then he comes inside has his dinner & sits with us to watch T.V & when we go to bed, so does he in the laurndry in his crate until morning. I have started to motivate him a lot more during our walk's in the morning to run more & I am finding he wants to run more & more which is great. Because before he was quite content to walk beside me all the time, which is wonderful but I have got him running most of the time now, which he is lovng & is great for his waist line. wow, what a lucky dog you have :D I had an Australian Shepherd, who sounds like she had a similar build to your dog. She weighed 23kg at her heaviest. Her father, who was a show dog and taller than her weighed 25kg. So I think it would be ideal to get him to around 23-25kg. Unless he is a HUGE Border height-wise. Our aussie was on 1.5 cups of dry food a day plus a bone once a week (no dry on the day of the bone). Adult dogs only need to be fed once a day. BTW I am also cutting back on Mindy's food, as I can't feel her ribs with the flat part of my hand. She is currently getting 3 cups of dry puppy food per day (or equivalent in bones, etc) . Obviously too much... She gets exercised heaps and is always walking with me (she comes wherever i do lol), but I guess you have to be really strict with labs! I am cutting back to 1.5 cups for a week and then see how we go.

Thankyou for that article PF, it is very interesting. Does it also apply to puppies? I am afraid Mindy is overweight if it does. If I am totally honest, she could stand to lose a few kgs (in my opinion). Although we often get comments about how slim she is and what good condition she is in (for a lab), she is a tall lab girl and has naturally longer legs and a deep chest, so probably looks thinner than she really is. I acutally can't feel her ribs at all unless you press really hard maybe its just skin??? She does have a decent waist though. Guide dogs have said she is a perfect weight (one week ago) but personally I don't think it would harm her to lose a little weight. BC Crazy- is your border a working line or show border? I find a huge variation in weights of working and show borders. In my opinion? Yes. There is absolutely no need for pups to be chubby and IMO any breed with a history of growth/joint issues would benefit from being kept lean as a youngster. Labradors should have waists and obvious tucks like any other breed. The fact that a goodly percentage of them have neither doesn't mean they shouldn't. Use the flat of your hand - no rib at all means she could benefit from trimming down. My Border is show lines. Didn't know that there was such a huge variation in weights? In my experience working line borders are often around the 14-19kg mark, really light framed. Many are shorthaired though, even the longer haired ones have no where near as much coat a a showy. Show borders also have more "bone". I think both are beautiful dogs though

I've never had any problems introducing kittens to any of my dogs. Although all my dogs have had lovely temperaments and been really laid back- not the type to chase. The problem is introducing a nervy/aggressive cat to a young, bouncy puppy (in my experience), A puppy and a kitten at the same time would be lots of work but fun! The kittens I have fostered have been way naughtier than the puppy! why don't cats understand "no" BTW I also love Burmese... the smoochiest of all cats imo!

Thankyou for that article PF, it is very interesting. Does it also apply to puppies? I am afraid Mindy is overweight if it does. If I am totally honest, she could stand to lose a few kgs (in my opinion). Although we often get comments about how slim she is and what good condition she is in (for a lab), she is a tall lab girl and has naturally longer legs and a deep chest, so probably looks thinner than she really is. I acutally can't feel her ribs at all unless you press really hard maybe its just skin??? She does have a decent waist though. Guide dogs have said she is a perfect weight (one week ago) but personally I don't think it would harm her to lose a little weight. BC Crazy- is your border a working line or show border? I find a huge variation in weights of working and show borders.

Apparently Pennhip scoring can be done from 4 months of age. Although it doesn't give you a diagnosis of HD, it can be an indicator for likelihood of hip problems later in life. If I were you I would definitely be getting radiographs done. The clicking noise is abnormal and warrants further investigation. HD had been diagnosed in dogs younger than 10 months. Anywya, finger crossed for a good outcome for you and Jet

Is it necessary to bath dogs regularly? I haven't bathed my pup for at least 5 months. She is not smelly, dirty and doesn't have skin issues (despite regular swimming in both seawater and creekwater and rolling around in grass, mud and god-knows-what LOL). I usually just towel her off after a swim or if she is dirty. She would probably stand still to be hosed off, but being 25kg now, putting her in the laundary sink is no longer practical. She has shown some inclination to hop into the bathtub with me though. I have discouraged her from doing this as I don't think her potential vision impaired/disabled handler would appreciate 25kg of lab joining them in the bathtub!