Mrs Rusty Bucket

My dog has been having problems on and off with goo. I put it down to the flowering plants in the garden - especially the lawn (kikuyu) flowers. And I wipe it off with warm salty water and a kleenex, or just a kleenex and it goes away. But if it didn't or she seemed very bothered by it, I'd be off to the vet to check for infection or grass seeds.

That reminds me of what happened tonight. OH said: "Stand!" to Elbie, I popped my arm under Elbie's belly to hold his back legs up. From the dampness, he must have done a wee pretty recently. :D Training was interrupted by me running off to wash my arm. Yet another example of the advantages of a girl dog... I'm not that bothered about pee, it is sterile when it comes out - though I did spend a long time hosing my leg off after being generously annointed by a naughty rottweiler...you just don't want that much acid on your skin, sox and shoes. I don't let the back end of that dog and a few others that think every upright is for peeing on, near me any more.

You can use them in NSW as far as I know. I would ask K9pro to recommend one - as they know a locally made brand (someone makes them in QLD but there may be others). But ideally you get one with a lot of adjustment in it so you use only a tiny tickle for the zap level. And many have an auto cut off so you can't hold the charge on for longer than 5 seconds or something like that. The only issue with getting from OS is getting an adaptor for the battery charger because it comes with a USA plug (110volts) which is different to an OZ one (240 volts). http://www.k9pro.com.au/categories.php?cat...Remote-Trainers And yes I think they are excellent for training when the dog is far away. But the operator needs training first, and then the dog needs training so they know what the tickle means and what to do to make it stop, instead of panicking. And just for clarity - I don't use one. I have tried one on me, and I have checked out what they can be used for. I have used electric fences and shark zappers so I'm not too concerned about (lightly) zapping an animal for its own safety. Eg snake avoidance training. Where an animal's safety is not an issue - eg dog sports - I don't think e-collars are necessary training tools. And they're not legal to put on a dog in SA. Which is as annoying as some of the BSL.

My hound and I got confused about automatic sits and stands in "grade 2". Eventually I got my footwork right, my co-ordination with signals and treats correct (have to swap hands to give signal with left hand and treat with right etc. But what got it more reliable was giving the signal, and saying the command, early before I stopped, and then catching her bottom as it went down, by sticking a hand under her tummy near her back legs. She did also sit a few times on the "inspection" or just go sucking up for treats from the instructor / inspector / patter and move off the spot. But I just made less distance between me and her, sometimes I did a stand and stood right in front of her nose as the inspector walked past, and didn't try to pat and build up from there, and if she went to sit, I'd catch her so she couldn't. I've got a bit of a problem with her pivoting around to keep an eye on the treats now, but she doesn't get one if she moves a paw, and I let her know - "oops" when she moves and then try to make it easier to get right the next time eg just step in front and back so she doesn't have time/need to pivot, and build up from there.

I don't like it because it can be dangerous for the owner. If the dog recognises the handlers body language that leads to a alpha roll they may react then instead of when actually in the process of the alpha roll. It could react to body language which the dog thinks may lead to an alpha roll, if the handler doesn't realise this they could be caught unaware and not ready to protect themself. The same could happen to someone else handling them. When trainers say that it is a dogs way of disciplining each other that isn't correct. When dogs perfom an "alpha roll" on each other, you will see that the losing dog always CHOOSES to submit, the alpha dog will very rarely grab the others dogs neck or scruff and throw it/ wrestle it to the floor. I have noticed that with some dogs, my dog will only have to receive a look and she will be on her back, belly up I also think that by rolling onto their back, the dog is only indicating they want to avoid a conflict in that particular situation. It doesn't necessarily mean they will have more respect for you forever. Respect is gained by trust and consistency. sadly i know of at least one person who has been advised to alpha roll a dog for something as minor as rough play, where imo, simply removing the dog from the situation is all that is necessary. I gotta agree with this - that a dog chooses to submit or it's not a submission. Although sometimes I feel it's more a "please be my friend and don't hurt me" than "you're the boss and I will do what I'm told". Not the same thing. My brother hates my dog licking him, and she LOVES licking him. So he growed at her and raised a fist and she went straight upside down. And stayed that way all floppy like. Trying to get her right side up again - my brother described as "trying to pick up custard from the floor with your bare hands". It was me trying to get her to sit up. We were laughing so hard at that point. Note - my brother would never have hit my dog. And even if he'd tried - she's way too quick when it comes to getting out the way. My dog, as a puppy, taught me that hitting a dog with a rolled up newspaper or tapping on the nose for bad behaviour is completely pointless, and rolled up newspapers make great chew toys. That's what you get with a dog bred to duck the kicks from angry cows. Instead, we played the "stay" game where she got treats for staying on the mat. My brother's dog liked that game too but was a bit slow to figure out that she only got a treat when she was on the mat and following me around didn't get her a treat. Ah well. catherine.b - I put a bunch of links in earlier about why alpha rolls are bad - from internationally known professional dog trainers. Eg Ian Dunbar was one, The American Vet Society has an article on their website against it too. Forcing a dog upside down just freaks it out more, and you risk being attacked if it cannot go "flight" or "freeze" and chooses "fight" instead - it's not a reliable way to calm a dog or induce good behaviour.

You know you are a crazy dog lady When your only kid is a fur kid (though women with skin kids are not excluded from the club) you walk past the homeless man in the shop doorway - trying to sell the big issue - give him nothing, and you're wearing an AWL re-union tshirt from today's meetup and you gave them $60. you cook fresh liver because your dog likes it. You cook for your dog more often than your friends or yourself. some weird kid (who is playing "meerkat" on the local BMX track next to the dog park) calls you a weirdo but addresses his comment to the three-dog crazy lady standing next to you. And you think it's a big laugh. You become active in local council matters to get the local dog park back from the greedy sports club. There is dog fur in the fridge and you don't freak out. You do any more training with your dog than is necessary to get the discount on your council rego. The most crazy thing I do is ignore the dog who is trying to get my attention, so I can post here. Sometimes it takes paws on shoulders and a bark in the ear before I acknowlegde that maybe I should open the back door for her. At least she doesn't dump in the house.

I don't know why this friend would listen to a saleswoman who just wants to make another fast buck over her friend who has nothing to gain by her advice. Would she listen to a shop keeper who said she looks great in this outfit over her friend who gently suggests she'd look better in something else? Really deluded. But it would be good if you could make things easy for her and get some sales pitches from nice ladies who work for rescue/shelters or have pure bred dogs that meet the requirements. http://kb.rspca.org.au/How-do-I-find-a-goo...reeder_335.html Ask her if this "nice lady" will let her meet both the parents of the puppies and show her around where they live. Ask the "nice lady" if she will take the puppy back if it doesn't turn out as promised. Ask the "nice lady" to put any important promises in writing eg that the temperment will be acceptable and laid back. By the way, I've never met a "laid back" poodle, all the ones I've seen (including several today at agility) are completely hyper. One family owned poodle was a "houdini" dog, always escaping and touring the neighbourhood. Otherwise - I'd trust this "nice lady" is telling the truth less than I would trust a used car salesman - because there are laws to protect people from used car salesmen. I'd also google the name of the "nice lady's" business and related keywords eg the name of the town or pickup suburb to see if any problems turn up. Some puppy farmers use "nice ladies" and their "homes" as a front for selling. The origin of the puppies and the conditions they are kept in when there is no buyer around are still appalling.

If you decide not to desex - you can put your dog on the canine pill - which would stop her from having a season or getting pregnant until you are ready and have the right dog lined up. I agree with the others about being more certain about those who say they want a puppy. I've had so much experience with people including family who say they will do something and then when you try to organise it - they're busy or unavailable, or have changed their minds. Most recently two friends (separate households) said they'd look after my dog while I was on holidays - but neither of them could handle my dog who will take over given the opportunity - so she ended up at the boarding kennel I'd prearranged as backup - just in case. The boarding kennel staff say it happens all the time. They had another dog there with mine who had experienced the same thing - neighbours couldn't cope. All those promises - mean nothing.

My neighbour's older desexed bitch eats the poo from the younger desexed bitch. The older one doesn't eat any other dog's poo - including the poo of my desexed bitch and she's had the opportunity. My best guess - it's a deluded motherhood habit ie the older dog sees itself as the younger dog's mum, and eats the poo accordingly. Nevermind the younger one is way beyond puppy age or stage. The older one has always done this. I have suggested feeding older dog cooked pumpkin (provides enzymes that might be otherwise missing in the older dog's diet), and feeding younger dog some pineapple (makes poo taste bad), but neighbour hasn't bothered. He figures - half as much crap to clean up - yay.

It is an australian national road rule - ie illegal in any state or territory that receives federal funding for road maintenance. http://www.ntc.gov.au/ViewPage.aspx?documentid=00794 Essentially you are not allowed to lead an animal while in/on a vehicle including bicycles, or attach it to the vehicle while it is moving. And animal includes horses and dogs and well any animal. A bit nanny state if you ask me but there have been horrific accidents caused by this. The definition of australian road is a bit vague - in some states it definitely includes public bike paths and verges and footpaths along side roads. But unless the police hate you, you have an accident (void insurance cover) or someone else reports you as a traffic hazard - then I doubt anybody is going to enforce it.

My puppy was done at 8 weeks by the AWL and I do find that very convenient. We are doing agility training now, she's quite robust but perhaps not as boofy as a normal ACD but then she is a cross with who knows what. She's not super obedient but I see that more as my fault, in combination with an ACD tendency to think for themselves. eg Why should I do that? http://www.ndn.org.au/ If you do want to leave it till later - consider asking your vet for canine contraceptive pill (for females) to prevent her from going into season. So then you won't have to deal with the mess, and unwanted visitors, and potential unwanted pregnancy.

This is the city of Melbourne (council) regs. http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ForResiden...ingyourdog.aspx So that applies to everywhere except private property where the dog has permission to be from the owner, and to designated off leash parks. The off leash park laws are a bit vague but this is specific - no rushing up to other dogs without permission from their owners. If only.

Do not use bleach to clean up - cos it smells like dog pee that must be re-marked. Use bicarb soda and vinegar solution eg Shannon Lush recipe - into 1 litre spray bottle, put 1 cup white vinegar (cheap is good), 1tsp lavendar oil, fill bottle with water, wipe up initial mess, sprinkle area with bicarb and then spray with vinegar solution and clean up. Do not use on marble surfaces and test inconspicuous bit of carpet first - though with small kids - the carpet is going to hell anyway. Get the dog loads more exericse, and give it some dedicated play sessions each day (as required for each child too). This whole thing might be attention seeking - so it's important not to reward the dog by yelling at it or rubbing its nose in it. I see lots of mums out with prams and dogs, seems like a good way to create a bond. Don't let this story become your friend's dog's story

re the chook poo Yeah, I got given some and put it in the compost bin because my furry princess would have eaten it otherwise. But chook poo is relatively "natural". I never said it was dog proof...

We make break away tie ups for horses using bailing twine off the hay bales. You could do something like that with a collar, you just need to put a "weak" link in it somewhere. I make break away ties for bits of scuba gear out of wool and/or rubber bands. It's a matter of figuring out what would break before the dog was strangled ie something that would snap with 20kg of weight (for my dog) - so theoretically 15kg breaking force fishing line would do it - but I'd probably rather use something else like plaited wool or strips of old cotton tee-shirt.

I do intermittant rewards on established commands, but with new ones, I give rewards every time she makes the standard, though I do up the standard required from time to time. And I reward in a variety of ways depending on how new the command is - food for new commands, play for agility and some food, food and play in obedience but ideally only when a sequence of commands have been completed eg "exercise finished". If I don't think the standard is good enough I say "oops" or "nope" in a neutral tone so she knows she's getting nothing for that effort. If you want to string sequences of commands together without rewarding eg competitions, trick displays, herding - you can't reward for every successfully performed command.

mackenzie11 I had the same problem with my puppy, it went from day dot (10 weeks) to about 18 months old and she still freaks out at busy road crossings - and busy to her, is any road with more than one car moving on it at once. I didn't know about "fear periods". I did ask my vet and my obedience instructors about it. She was fine at puppy pre-school, obedience classes and our local parks and beaches with loads of other strange things, dogs and people etc. Just footpaths she was nutcase with. So vet and chief instructor said - "she's having you on - just drag her and keep walking". I still believe she is genuinely frightened but "just dragging" worked every time. Ie I pull and she gets up and walks again. She is too stressed out to take treats or toys or anything when she's in this state. She's not too bad now on the footpaths between home and our nearest park because she knows where we are going, even though we don't go the same way every time. She's relaxed enough to sniff etc. I found a front-attach harness was a huge help because it made "dragging" a little bit quicker to up and walking and stopped her from going into bolt-pulling mode. Ie she'd either lay down and hug the ground, or she'd bolt to the end of the lead - in any direction not just home or the way we were going or not going. I haven't tried to de-sensitise her to busy roads yet.

There's nothing much "natural" or garden safe about most dish washing liquids. Salt - will render the soil infertile - have you ever seen weeds growing on a salt lake? Might be ok on permanent paths, but could cause salt damp problems on pavers (ie they will eventually disintegrate). I use zero/glyphosate. I'm still unsure about the long term effects, but if you chuck dirt over the plant, it's neutralized (fails to work). In the garden, I use a thick layer of newspaper (also not natural), and pea straw - maybe natural or not - depending on whether it was grown using organic methods or not. I also know that a thick layer of undiluted chook poo will kill most weeds but it can take a while. So you could put down chook poo then newspaper and then straw and your fruit trees will be happy, though the surfaced rooted things like citrus might not appreciate it. Peter Cundell recommends putting a wad (biscuit) of pea straw on a weed. And weeds are really easy to pull out of pea straw too. I've also used boiling water. The long term effects are not so bad - ie the worms and microbes will move back in after the soil cools down.

I think some of Cesar's stuff is ok like the approach and retreat repeat from something the dog gets stressed or excited about. But I think all his alpha stuff is a bit deluded. I also hate the "alpha roll", and I see people with no idea using it, and it usually makes things worse. Cesar can get away with it because he does read a dog very well but most amateurs do not. I also think a lot of Cesar's techniques are for extremely aggressive dogs and "should not be tried at home" but I see people who have no idea how to read their dog, in our local park, trying those methods on dogs that don't need them, and it makes the dog worse. I like that he does seem to successfully rehabilitate some extreme dogs, but I don't think people at home should be copying his methods from the telly. PDF from the american vets against Dominance/alpha http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/ima...20statement.pdf Dog star daily article against it. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/alpha-fallacy

I used to leave my puppy in a crate inside the house. Initially she would shred everything in it - but eventually she saw it as a nice safe place to sleep. She didn't make a lot of noise that the neighbours could hear. And she doesn't bark when I'm out, now she's older. She barks at stuff when I'm home. You could practice going out and coming back instantly and then gradually increase the times you're out. Start with five minute sessions every day eg get coat, hat, keys, exit, enter put everything down, pick it all up, go out again etc. Try to come in only if there is a quiet second. If the noise starts up, close the door and try again for a quiet second. Gradually increase the time dog needs to be quiet for you to come back in. You could also put a radio in the room where she is, or maybe an answering machine so you could ring her up and talk to her. Or maybe read her bedtime stories, put it on an mp3 player plugged into a speaker dock and leave that on loop while you're out. Also look up "NILIF" and "TOT" on the web or at K9pro.com.au or stickied around here somewhere.

We do group stays in training but it's not the same as in competition. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a lot more relaxed at training - where it doesn't matter much we perform perfectly or not. And the aggressive dogs stay on lead. I would definitely want to do mock trials before I did competition ones. I'm still ambivalent about competition obedience. I'd want to have my dog at a really high standard - way beyond CCD before I entered. But I've seen dogs who can do the required standard and better - stuff it up anyway. I do see the point of not trying it too soon, with the lack of ability to correct. But if dog stuffs the stay, and you do something about it like call her out, or give a second "stay" signal, or let her know she's "oopsed", you've already failed - do you get banned from competing (suspended) for a while as well? We have done shocking heelwork at training and then superb stays. Go figure. But I will have to consider whether I thought the other dogs in competition were likely to eat my dog (or play with her), before I decided to do the stays. Hopefully there would be some clue when you're setting up, if not before. Though what to do with the "Westie" situation I don't know. It's hardly fair that she gets to try twice on a fail, and stuffs everybody up. And I've always found that dog to be well behaved, at least I've never seen it pick a fight before. And that's what I mean about the difference between training and competition... A dog that behaves almost perfectly at training, picks a fight during the competition. WTF?

I'm in. Nothing like getting in first for the Christmas social events. I'm willing to bet several of my other clubs will have something on that weekend, I just hope they have it on the Saturday... Haven't done a secret santa in years. Please god - no chocolate ginger - though I have since found someone I know who likes the stuff, it's just that I don't.

Maybe not harm cat just because don't agree with law, but do have a right to defend one's own property against dangerous, noisy, destructive, polluting cats. Same as if it was marauding teenagers. If that means catching cat and taking it to the pound or one-way vet (where law permits), I don't see a problem. I don't see a problem with hosing the crap out of it in the hopes of making it associate extreme discomfort with being in your place - though what usually happens is cat won't go in the trap again.

Last weekend, during a sit-stay set up, There was a lot of doggy barking and an altercation which lead to a Westie which had already been failed during the heel work and exercises, being removed from the ring. I can't remember which other dog was involved or even if the westie started it. That day, loads of dogs I've seen work perfectly at training, or even at competiton, failed. I saw at a mock trial - a dog get up and then go sit on the dog next to it, which continued to do the stay as if nothing had happened. The judge and steward did nothing. This has happened to my dog during training too. And my dog used to be the one that would break, nick off and play chase me with all the instructors in the club. I haven't started competing yet. But even if we failed the heel work, I'd still want to do the stays. The competition environment is so different to training, it would be hard to give up the opportunity even if it was only practice. But it would depend a lot on why we'd failed the heelwork. If there were possums around, I wouldn't bother trying to do the stays - with our current level of training. It is interesting learning all the things that can go wrong from outside factors that are not the handler or dog's fault. I hadn't thought about the risk of dog attack during an out of sight stay. I guess you'd want to have a friend looking out for your dog just in case the judge and stewards were not.

Thanks for all the photos. I enjoyed all the doggy pats. I think Ruger enjoyed the attention. Frosty would have loved to be there, but she would not have enjoyed sitting in a crate until the obedience comp was done, even if she could have been next to Pele most of the time. And she gets very loud and shrill when she thinks she's been done wrong.