Mrs Rusty Bucket

The dog broke quite a few of the SA dog and cat management rules. But it would be nice to know if the owners had done their best to prevent that and something bad had happened, like the gas meter man (who today - ignored the beware dog sign and waltzed straight into my back yard, fortunately dog was in house and back door was shut or she'd have barked him to death). Gas meter man could have let the dog out. Teenage kid who should be shot - could have let the dog out. (If teenage kids really got shot every time they did something stupid, none would make adulthood). So I'd want to know more before I reported, especially given the SWF were ok. I know some dogs that are into stand over and growl but never actually hurt another dog. Scary but harmless. It depends how easy it is to go back and find out the owner's story. And whether you believe them or not. Ie does the dog come out tomorrow when you walk evil kelpie past the house - in which case owners don't actually care and deserve to be reported. http://www.dogsncats.asn.au/site/page.cfm?u=825

Did either you or your neighbour have signs warning that there are dogs in back yard? Do either of you have a gas meter or similar that is in the back yard? My gas meter is at the back of my back yard. I have a "beware the dog" sign on my gate. My gate has a spring on it that automatically closes it when someone walks through. That means the gas meter reader - must knock on my door to make sure the dog won't eat him (is secure) before going to read the meter - or skip my house. They get about thirty seconds to read each meter... Not sure what a meter reader would have done if confronted by a gate that required a ladder to get in. Skipped that house probably. Where did the guy that returned the dog get the ladder he used? I could imagine any council inspector or similar leaving at high speed if he found dogs he wasn't expecting but to do two houses side by side is suspicious. Otherwise it could have been another neighbour pissed at the noise of the terrible trio - let them out and if your dog barked because the others were being let out, let your dog out too. And that would be time to get a padlock. Hope she gets her dogs back and a padlock and keeps them inside from now on.

Is tricky about the on lead, off lead. I've seen some dogs deliberately attack other dogs that are on lead, but are fine if both dogs are off lead. I also have seen some dogs that will try to attack anything that comes near them if they are on lead - but are fine off lead. This is usually caused by over protective owners who have the lead so short that the dog cannot approach to greet properly or back off if it feels threatened - so it always goes on the offensive. But the bottom line is, if your dog is being attacked you have the most chance of protecting it if you can keep it close to you. For me - even though my dog has good recall - I haven't proofed it against dog attack and I'd find this difficult to achieve (I don't think I'd want to practice recall during dog attacks) so on lead is best. Otherwise she runs and that makes it impossible for me to help her. And if she's cornered she will defend herself, and she could kill a small dog (based on what she does to marrow bones). A dog that attacks based on dog leads - probably shouldn't be in a dog park either. But you have the best chance of leaving with your dog in a hurry if it is still on the lead. I also find it hard to supervise greetings if my dog is off lead. It's not impossible - I can tell her to leave certain dogs alone and direct hellos where I want them but other owners, especially of small dogs feel more secure if your dog greets on lead. Although some people are so naive, they think any dog on lead in an off lead park - is aggressive. Personally I think those dogs should be muzzled and on lead. My dog is on lead when there is organised sport (cos that's the rule and I'd be mortified if she stole the football/baseball for a game of chase me). She is on lead when there are dogs I don't know around. She is on lead when the oval lawnmower is going too fast (eg 30km/h instead of 10km/h) because she tries to tell the driver off. And she's on lead if there is a lot of food around because discarded hotdogs beat roast chicken at the moment. (How do people teach food refusal).

My dog regularily checks to see if I've forgotten to put the toilet roll out of her reach. I try to keep the door shut as back up but sometimes I forget. She also raids clean and dirty laundry for socks and murders them. Mum forgot twice and now has a pair of socks made of one blue and one white sock. I have to keep my bedroom door with the laundry shut when I'm not in there.

About the Crate Escape and houdini dog... I've seen video of a dog squeezing through the (metal mesh) crate through the corners where the sides join up. I figure my dog could probably do that so I cable tie the corners. Those lip-hook over things just don't seem adequate if a dog is determined to push through. So a sufficiently flexible crate - the sides would simply spring back after dog had departed. I used to live with a cat that could open the flyscreen on my window and slide through too. I used to faciliate this by leaving at least one of the catches undone or he'd go though the flyscreen mesh instead of between the frame and the wall. And I've known a few animals who were quite good at door handles and one horse who could undo any gate latch except a combo lock with bike chain - if he'd thought about it long enough I think he could have busted that by leaning on it. But all those key hole loop over hook things or snap shackles were a breeze for him. And he'd learned to test electric fences with his whiskers so he knew if the power was off / batteries were flat.

I initially put my puppy in her crate when I ate my dinner. Then I started letting her out and mostly she'd sleep at the end of the couch I was sitting on. I never ever give her any food from my plate when I am eating. Every now and again something leaps off the plate and then I'm punished for it. However if I have a problem she gets to spend time by herself in the laundry or outside until I'm done. Tonight a bit of cheese leapt out of my dinner bowl but she didn't notice. So I quietly relocated bit of cheese to compost bin. I find that teaching my dog to speak works wonders for shutting her up. Because then she only speaks to get the treat so she waits for you to give the command. She does bark off her own bat at other times, and once I've checked to make sure it's not burglars - I distract her, or tell her enough (with water pistol distraction if necessary), or I ask her to speak. She likes to bark loudly when I'm making dinner, always has, so teaching her to speak on command was very easy. And bizarrely she will do the least amount of noise she can to get the treat or pat.

I give my dog carrots. I usually chop them down to the length of my finger, and sometimes I cut them lengthwise too. Mostly just to reduce the quantity. I sometimes give my dog a "beef chip" which is an unflavoured slither of raw hide because if she chews that up and swallows it, it doesn't seem to do any harm. Unlike the raw hide bones which she eats far too quickly now and they come back to haunt us at the other end. I have much more trouble with her eating bones and choking or vomiting or getting generally clagged up on the bits, as they're much harder to pass than a piece of carrot. I guess anything hard, bulky, or lumpy a dog eats can be trouble on the way through. If the spikey bits like carrot splinters are soft I think that works better than bones with hard and sharp edges. So far so good, never had to take the dog to the vet to get carrot out. Have been several times for bones she should not have eaten.

Can't help wondering if it's a virus. At least that's what I'd think if it was a human like that. And virus can be really hard to diagnose even with blood tests. And won't be fixed with antibiotic. Or maybe a tick, but he's in the wrong area for bad (paralysis) ticks. The other thing I thought was maybe it's cos it's really cold, though obviously he was ok last winter. I'd be sending an email to the nearest Vet Science school university mob. I think there are ones that specialise in difficult diagnoses. But it depends how far you want to travel and how much you want to spend and how urgent you think it is.

My current dog is a very noisy counter surfer. Unfortunately I'm not very good at moving quietly enough to catch her in the act so the counter is currently loaded with tin cans and vicks vapor rub. Dog repellent I hope. She's just learned to jump on to high platforms (car back seat excepted for some reason). Our previous family dog could remove a chocolate bar from a cherry ripe wrapper and leave the whole thing in place looking like it still had a chocolate bar in it. She also could climb a 3m straight tree trunk into the first fork and scare the daylights out of people walking by. Especially when the story about an escaped panther was doing the rounds. She was big and black with yellow eyes. After the cherry ripe incident, we had second thoughts about Azaria Chamberlain's jacket. Yes a dog could do that.

I always get my dog to greet new dogs when she's on lead, and I do pay attention because some dogs are aggressive to dogs that are on lead. I talk to the other owners about what level of play is ok with them. My dog matches her play to the other dog - but some dogs don't play gentle with little dogs or old dogs - so make sure you keep them away if they're too rough. I also talk about whether or not to give treats and what standard of behaviour is required (no jumping). I watch my dog, to make sure she's not in trouble or causing it (she likes to steal other dogs' toys, it's fun when the other dogs chase her). I pick up after my dog. I also pick up any crap that is where I'd walk or Karma says - I will step in it, next time around. I let people know if their dog is crapping and they haven't noticed because none of us are perfect, and I'd hope they do the same for me if I get distracted. Most dogs in an off lead park have crap recall. Most dogs have crap recall (Busy now, I'll come when I'm good and ready). If your dog doesn't like the speedy approach of other dogs, best not to enter an off leash park if there are other dogs there. I wish all dogs in off lead park had good recall but I've yet to see it enforced, except by dog attack and then it's the attacker (defender) that always gets blamed. It is nice to help someone who is having trouble catching their dog or recalling it. My dog is quite good at fetching other people's dogs or leading them astray if we're headed in opposite directions. Don't let your dog jump all over another dog that is on lead or that the owner is trying to put on lead to go home (I've had to talk to several owners about this - I can't believe they can be so stupid or oblivious). Do not let your dog jump on people or children or anybody. Don't abuse anyone who defends themselves from your dog jumping on them, it's your fault not theirs. Don't let your dog pee on other people's stuff. Why do I even have to write this? On the flip side - don't have a sit on the ground picnic in a dog off lead area. See bit about crap recall. Don't bring an unvaccinated puppy to a dog park. Don't bring a dog that hasn't been flea treated to a dog park - unless you want it to have fleas. Don't let your dog eat things it finds lying around on the ground in dog parks or at the beach.

The trouble is - nobody reports the aggressive SWF to council, so there's no history when the SWF gets eaten by a big dog defending itself. So the big dog gets the blame. SWF with fear aggression is in no danger and should not be rewarded and encouraged by being picked up, when the other dog is on lead and at a safe distance. This SWF never has a chance to learn that not all dogs are dangerous or how to do a proper doggy greeting. And the owner won't learn these things either.

I think if you carry a stick for the specific purpose of hitting dogs that harrass yours, you may have trouble explaining that to the police. I do like the umbrella because its primary purpose is to keep rain off. Dog repellant action is a mere bonus. You would get into trouble in the same way for carrying hair spray in your handbag to use as a mace substitute, if you never use hair spray on your head. But in Australia - we always have an excuse to have fly spray - yes?

Lhaso Apso cross will bark all day at the lizard or cat next door. Bedlington Terrier only bark when guests arrive. Same with the Cav KCS English Cocker Spaniel - bark a lot. I do think it depends on how they're socialised though. The one that comes to agility training doesn't bark much if at all. Unlike some of the other dogs. I also know some Shih Tzu cross that bark at everything that walks by their house, but not when they're out for a walk. I go past a house that has an Italian Greyhound and never heard it bark. Unlike the SBT and the SWF either side. Iggy won't even bark when the gate is open and an ACDx wants to play.

If I was really skint, I'd be feeding my dog dry dog food from the supermarket eg she likes supercoat, though I prefer to give her nutro natural choice or maybe artemis... And I'd supplement that with carrots. And if you can afford to buy in bulk - eg a 15kg bag from Big W - it's much cheaper per serve. Do read the serving size suggestions. You can feed 1/3 less than recommended if your dog(s) is desexed. And if I could trust my dog with bones, I'd be feeding those too - from the butcher. It's not too hard to make your own version of tinned food too, mine has 1kg of meat (the cheapest I can get human grade), 3 carrots and some sweet potato, bran, oats, and 1 cup of cooked brown rice. And it lasts about a week for a 22kg dog - with a half serve of dry food each night. There's loads of recipes out there. Find one to suit your budget. http://www.2ndchance.info/homemadediets.htm I bet there are recipes in here somewhere.

My dog has half a blanket box, lined with two old pillows and old sheets and towels and a couple of dead fleecy jumpers or old pjs. No way would I spend big bickies on a fancy pet bed until I'm sure she won't rip it up. Until then it's second hand bedding and cardboard boxes. I expect she might improve when she's two. But it does depend on the dog.

I reckon the kelpie was in full on herding mode, and the SWF was in no danger. But if SWF owner is worried, Kelpie owner should call their dog off. I like to have my dog (another herding dog) greet SWF politely before she engages in stalking games and I stay with the SWF owner and make sure they're ok with the level of play, since my dog quite frequently skittles other dogs in play. Most of them don't seem the least bit bothered and leap up to continue, but if they or their owner doesn't want to play I make sure my dog leaves them alone. I hate when owners of badly behaved dogs yell at you for correcting their dog or stopping it from behaving badly. And that goes to all owner of leg cocking beagles at the beach - it is not ok for your dog to pee on other people's things. And don't yell at me if I tell your dog off. I do believe NSW dog and cat management law allows for defense of your dog by what ever means you deem necessary. So a super soaker would be fine. And the other owner would have to answer for breaking that law before they could sue you for assaulting them with a jet of water. Self defence is usually enough. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/con...8174/index.html However all that could be avoided by actively seeking out the other owner and having both dogs properly greet each other and ask the other owner politely to keep their dog away from yours if that's what you prefer.

Most councils have a say in any structure built on any property. That doesn't stop people from sticking up what they want where ever and getting away with it but... Council gets blamed for allowing stuff that is not suitable to the environment to be built eg weatherboard houses in fire prone areas, or stuff that isn't cyclone or flood proof in areas prone to those hazards. Also neighbours tend to get upset if enormous sheds go up on their boundary fence and shade their vegie patch or solar cells or just blot out the lovely water views. If you live in SA and have 10 million (or is it 1 million) to spend on a "special project", I think you can build what you like where you like. Also if you ignore the council - that seems to work too. I know of one place in our council area that does not meet any council requirements, violates a heap, especially those related to drainage and causing structural undermining of the neighbouring properties... and council has done nothing to physically remedy the situation like send in the bulldozers. Sad really, and the poor neighbours have been fighting that one for 10 years plus. It's a wonder they haven't all got themselves elected.

I let my dog out from time to time, just in case. If she does anything I say the toilet (command) words. Before I let her out, most times, I make her sit. And sometimes I ask her to speak. But I also pay attention when she comes and says hello after I know she's been asleep for a while and I always take her outside. If she's really busting she will bark. The trick is figuring out when she's barking cos she's busting or just because she wants to chase cats. If she's busting she will sometimes stay at the back door or kind of hug the floor. Sometimes she will come and jump all over me and the bed. Definitely gets let out then, and if she pees, she gets let back in but if she chases cats, I shut her out. So I guess she's figured out when it's ok to insist on being let out. Also if she's been eating naughty things, I'm much more careful to take her out if she's restless.

There's heaps of indoor equestrian arenas around Melbourne and ACT. And probably other capital cities. And they don't cost much to hire by the hour. I know one of the ACT ones - she doesn't like loose on her place but I'm sure there are others for hire. And then most of the capital cities have royal and agricultural show grounds with big indoor halls - ie where they have the dog beauty contests, or sheep beauty contests. Wouldn't take much to hire one of those for the day. These big sheds already exist. It's just a matter of using them. Check this one out. USA eat your heart out. http://www.boneopark.com.au/cms-about-us/what-we-offer.phps

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url...g+at+a+distance seems to be cheaper at amazon even with a currency conversion and postage. Dunno if it's any good. I do like Susan Garrett's "crate games" though - which starts the process of getting a send away / out.

Hey Erny I think you could train most dogs to make your dinner and eat it for you. But bringing it to you - that's harder. I taught my dog to watch me, not the food. With a clicker. I reckon you could use a target stick with maybe a cat toy on the end to teach watch the target not me (or the food). There's some of that with the agility trainers, ie release the dog when it looks at the obstacle / jump, not when it's looking at the handler. I've so been doing it wrong...

I was only familiar with the black and white pointer colour, so they come in lots of colours. Will have to go check them out. We had a GSP when I was a kid. But I don't know much about the other pointers.

Can I ask a stupid question... What kind of dogs are the tan(?) and white ones like Kiki, Obi, Gypsy, Roky? I met a very similar looking dog today, was like a not quite liverspot dalmation, ie the liver spot was more tan/orangy colour than liver colour and the spots were finer (like GSP) or bigger, but not even like a dalmation's. It had one tan eye patch and a big patch on its side and its bum. Overall the dog was very friendly, liked to lean against people (or just crash into them), and to say hello but not to chase or herd (unlike mine - spotty ACD x), liked to play and wrestle a bit but not so fond of the chase me dog game. The owner often goes jogging with it. It also had hackles when excited - so it's probably a cross, it came from the RSPCA or AWL.

A kid here went to jail for shining a laser pointer at a police helicopter pilot. I think it's illegal to shine them at people now. And high watt / power ones are not allowed to be sold at all. I use a hockey stick to retrieve dog stuff from under the couch. Indoor hockey sticks are light and cheap. It would probably work as a target stick - otherwise I've been considering using spare fibreglass tent poles - those ones that go with the dome tents, light and you can string two or three together as you need. And if you need a light on the end, LEDs are cheap and light.

vicks vapour rub on paws - not had a problem with this since paws only go on counter if something smells good, and fresh vicks tends to be overwhelming on the nose - even in tiny quantities. Lots is probably not good. Same with eucalyptus oil - toxic in big quantities. But no dog that I know is really keen on eating lots of it. My dog did aquire a taste for chilli - so that was no good as a counter surfer stopper. I'm thinking of buying some "crib stop" from equestrian supplies. I forgot to wipe up some cake crumbs this morning so she helped herself to her reward - sigh. It's hard to make her stop when I forget to do the right thing.