Kirty

Thanks again for the comments and advice. I think the problem with the dogs pulling my arms off is that I can't correct two dogs at the same time while walking! I usually walk them together by myself and as you know, you need two arms to work a check chain! I guess my eventual aim is for both dogs to be so well trained, they walk at a heel with no need for any training device! I am going down tomorrow to see if I can sign up at Knox. If I am not happy there, I will go to Croydon! Thanks so much again!

I used to attend this club and they were fine for what I wanted at the time. I have always used a check chain and never had any problems with it, although it doesn't really work in real-life situation! When training, my dogs heel perfectly. But when we go out for a walk, they both rip my arms off!

I am about to start back at the local dog obedience club with my two dogs. I used to go there but stopped for the last two years for family reasons. Anyhoo, the point of the story is that this club uses check chains (or any collar with a tighten/release function - so it can be webbing, chain, etc.). After reading lots on these forums, I am now starting to wonder if this is the best method? With my older dog, I use to attend a different dog school which used Halties. Now they were great until you took the Halti off! I don't believe they really taught her anything. The main reasons I have chosen this club are because its very local, it is very affordable, you can take more than one dog, and they offer agility. I want to try agility and flyball with my older dog (BC cross) but I mainly just want to refresh my Lab cross's skills and give him an outing! What are everyone's opinions on training with check chains and obedience clubs in Vic? Does anyone recommend any dog schools in the area? I have limited funds so anything expensive is unfortunately just not an option right now. I am in SE suburbs of Melbourne and the school I will be attending is Knox Obedience Club. Thanks.

Dogs feel that eye contact is a dominance thing, however my dogs know their places but are still happy to make eye contact with me in a friendly way, and certainly look straight at me when I speak to them. I would be seeing a specialist if I were you. Good luck.

I know how you feel. I lost my horse a few years ago and I still find it hard to talk about. People think I'm crazy and they just don't understand why it makes me so upset. But Goof was my soul mate - he was the one who I could always count on, no matter what was happening, he was always there. I trusted him with my life. I know there will never be another horse who can ever match up to Goofy and that also makes it really hard. But I also know that he will always be with me, and whenever I'm feeling really down, I go to our special place so I can be closest to him. I hope that in time your heart will stop aching and that you can just remember the love that you shared. I'm really sorry for your loss.

We use Cotex Multi-Purpose pine oil spray. My MIL sells it as she is a dog groomer (don't know where else you can buy it) but it is the BEST! It heals the wound and repels flies and fleas. It is incredible and works so quickly!

My in-laws' dog does this too. She is a desexed female Westie X Maltese and is about 8 years old. They got her a few years ago from a very neglectful home. She constantly chews and licks, mostly her feet but also her bottom. It seems to be more of a habit than anything else. They have tried almost everything and spend so much money at the vets, but nothing seems to help. Sometimes she does it so much that her skin becomes very inflamed. Could this be atopy? I have suggested they feed her a bland diet which they do (she gets chicken and rice and vegies for dinner) but they still feed her Pal dryfood for breakfast.