Mrs Rusty Bucket

I don't see anything weird about that... I do crack the neighbours up - going around my back yard after my dog repeating "shitnapiss, shitnapiss" and then being all happy excited praise - when she finally goes. There's a whole bunch of training things I do with my dog that they'd be too embarrassed to do with theirs, but theirs is the one that gets blamed for all the barking in our area... I'd be embarrassed to yell at my dog the way they do. Not even when she digs up the dead mouse that the ants have been cleaning up... She never wanted it before the ants had it... only now it's smelly. Sigh.

Yup - that's the French argument for reclaiming their stuff... the Maori would need is a good French trade lawyer.

spaniels maybe look like just wrong to your dog. My dog gets upset about anything that looks a bit different to her. Like the first time she saw a beach umbrella or a man in a hoodie... I just give her time to get over herself and if possible to get close enough (in a calm state) to realise it's not something to worry about. But she has had bad experiences with a number of curly coat dogs - so she really doesn't like them now. It's bit random because ones she's known since a puppy she still likes. It's the new ones we have to be careful about. And I probably contribute because these dogs often have owners with no clue.

One of their ingredients is roo. And given what happened with the deer and possums over there - I can't imagine any of them wanting to farm roo. The ingredients for the tin of roo and blueberries (traditional Mauri food yes?) do say they're from quality imported Australian roo... I think that Mauri on the label might be a marketing gimmick. Just hope the original owners of that name are getting some sort of financial benefit from that use - otherwise I'd be like the French and "Champagne" and sue. Not entirely sure how the French won that argument since Champagne and white wine from Switzerland pre dates the French stuff by about 500 years. So while the tinned dog food might be good quality - it doesn't seem to have much to do with Mauri or NZ. And given the name of it is misleading - what else are they not telling us?

My dog from the AWL was desexed at 8 weeks. She's always been energetic. I've not noticed anything affect a dog's energy levels by way of desexing or not desexing, which can make the two weeks post op interesting - ie dog is supposed to stay calm until all healed up. But trick training, long walks (on lead), and a nice meal can use up energy levels.

Ally the dog sitter what a painful problem. I have a few solutions... 1. teach collar grab. Grab dog's collar when it grabs you... hopefully the collar grab game usually means a treat or toy and the dog will spit you out. Also teach "it's yer choice" - tho that's going to hurt for the first five minutes. But anything that develops the puppy's impulse control is good. 2. push - very gently - your finger further into the dog's mouth until it spits you out. Then tell it what a good dog it is and give it something else to chew. 3. teach it fetch with the aim of it finding and fetching a toy and giving it to you when it wants attention instead of just chomping. Puppies will do this - especially if they left the litter before they learned not to bite so hard. My puppy (now dog) would match the roughness of play - so if I was rough with her in getting her to let go - she would be rough with me - ie bite harder - so it is really important to be slow and gentle. And with excita puppy, it helps to learn some moves that calm a dog down, like a "remote" drop, and ear rubs and butt rubs (that bit just above the tail). If you can bliss a dog out, it's going to be calmer and less interested in chomping. Failing that - always have a toy.

My dog is always going off at something... I'm not that fond of the 3:30am wake up call. But it usually is something - or her trying to persuade me to let her out the back door to do cat eviction patrol. Cos I used to get her to do that when she was young and both my neighbours had cats that would come in my yard and fight outside my bedroom window. And she enjoys zooming round the back yard in the middle of the night to make sure there are no cats or other critters. I don't enjoy that so much. So I don't let her out any more. She did try barking at the freight train too, but at least I can hear that. So I know what that is. She also knows when anyone is walking down the footpath in front of my house or the back lane or the street on the other side of my neighbours. The whole burb is really really quiet at night... But if I reward her with any kind of attention for waking me up... she does it more. (Argh). It could be that your dog can hear something that upsets her. Or smell something. I would try ignoring it, and walking away or calling her past the zone and rewarding with food... practice this eg a stay in the bedroom, walk to the kitchen, call dog, reward with food - about two or three times a week - so she knows this drill and if she gets the "scary hallway" syndrome you can use the routine to get her thinking about something she likes and understands eg stay - call routine = food...

This off the leash cartoon sums up this thread... dog with head in a bush (so the swooping magpies and boisterous puppies can't see him)

So glad you found somewhere you all can be safe together...

I do love an update. I'd be really happy with this as a student. Especially the homework.

Well that's called "Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders Incorporated." Not "Independent Breeders Association" And I can't find a copy of their code of ethics on their website.

I can't find anything in Australia for dogs called "Independent Breeders Association". Were they more specific and you don't want to say which, or did they make that up?

Tempting to blame the vet scales... My dog weighed 2kg more when she got on those than when I last weighed her on the home scales...

Do love a happy update Lorello. Now you just need to find a balance between good blood count and fat dog.

we should learn how to make felt... we can recycle it as dog blankets...

That's a good idea. It's funny how I just don't think of TV shows as at all interested in outside ideas...

when I take my dog to the beach - I hose her off with fresh water at the end and the intial drying I do with an imitation chamois leather (about $2 from a cheapie store). It gets most of the water off in the way that normal towels do not and then I use an ordinary towel or brush to finish her off. I do most of the brushing with a rubber finger brush that looks like a zoom groom but isn't. From an equestrian supplies shop for about $5. Like this (haven't shopped with these guys) http://www.herdz.com.au/rubber-groomer-curry-comb.html It does a very good job at getting out loose coat both top and under coat. Sometimes I use a friend's imitation furminator for short coat dogs (there's different versions of these depending how long your dog's coat is)... and we make little fur mice to blow along the path... I have another friend who uses a furminator on a golden retriever - gets enough off at each daily brushing to stuff a pillow and then some. She actually goes around and gathers it up and puts it in a bin because otherwise it looks like a furry animal was murdered (minus the blood).

I guess the new balls can be quite pungent. My dog's favourite ball is some other dog's ball. Even if they're both chuckits. Me and the other dogs have managed to persuade her that it's a bad idea - unless I actually ask her to go get it. Strangly I can point her at some dog's abandoned ball floating out to sea and tell her to fetch it and she will. But not if it's her ball. I think part of it is training - ie the dog training you. I have to be really careful what I am rewarding with the next throw... A half baked fetch? Anticipation ie getting ahead of herself? And what can I train and use the ball throw as reward eg a really nice heel, sit stay... then get the ball... As far as messing with the new ball smell - maybe putting it through a cold cycle wash with your jeans might help?

I'd like to see the water dog rescue stuff. Will be interesting to see what they make of it. Are they still filming "dog tv" in Vic or is this it for community dog shows for now?

I don't think these people even care about their own longevity. I see such fat labs on the beach every time I go. It's frightening. People think their dogs are happy because they're panting and "smiling"... That's not smiling - a dog that flops down as soon as you stop moving because it's exhausted.

I suppose I need to make a depressing update here... Remember the fat dog? It has been joined by a fat BC puppy. And the person who is responsible for picking up after the dogs (and probably for walking them) has injured his leg and he can't walk at all. The first dog still looks like a barrel. And the puppy - too hard to tell but I feel very sorry for it. It's not going to get walked. In hope - I post links to trick training whenever she posts anything about the dog. This is fun... try this...

Hi all - this isn't technically news, but it's on the telly. Feel free to locate thread if it works better elsewhere... Planning to catch this if my dog on "official rest" which means no leash walking for a week - will let me. Sigh. http://www.yappyhourtv.com.au/ A new dog lovers' TV show airing on Adelaide Channel 44 on 7pm Mondays, repeating Thursdays 7pm and 9am Saturdays. Brisbane 31 Digital Wed at 6pm, repeating Thursdays 9.30am and Saturdays 2.30pm Melbourne C31 from Fri 6pm, repeating Mondays 5am, Thursdays 4.30pm and Saturdays 7am

The Budweiser one with the horses is from superbowl 2014 ie feb last year. the go daddy one used similar cute puppies but did horrible things with them. And there was a big enough cry of outrage from people like us - that they pulled it. Hopefully from youtube as well as the tv broadcasts. Go Daddy web hosting like to make outrageous tv ads that upset people. Their CEO likes to kill elephants in their natural habitat. Nasty company all round - provide super cheap web hosting that those that want to be seen as ethical and humane - especially regarding animal treatment - are taking their web hosting elsewhere.

I think part of the problem is (and I'd have trouble with this), is Terry (OP) had found a puppy and agreed to buy it and driven out to go get it and didn't like what they saw. But Terry had already agreed to buy the puppy. So if they break that agreement because the place looks like irresponsible breeders, they still feels like they've done something wrong. But if I found a car I liked and I rocked up and it looked like a dodgy place - I think I'd run away too. Depending on who had recommended it - because you can't always tell by looking. There's several places near Adelaide that sell ANKC registered dogs that I regard as puppy farms - ie the parent dogs live in little pens out in the paddocks, and so do the puppies and if you ask me the "product" does not get enough people time or puppy time to be a good family pet. I've met a few of the dogs from there - and they seem ok but they're not social or friendly with other dogs or people. And the puppy mill specials - have no manners at all. Which is hard for my dog because she wants to teach them not to charge up and get in her face so bad.

I used to have to carry the family aussie terror out and plonk her in the middle of the wet grass to prevent accidents inside. My current dog - isn't all that bothered by the rain once she's in it. So its raining and we're both at the back door looking at. She asked me to open the door for her - and when I do - it's like I played some bad joke on her... it's raining... and she doesn't want to go out. So I say "PUSS PUSSS PUSS!!!" and out she goes at full (fool?) speed on cat patrol... gets all wet, does her business and then is quite happy to stay out there in the rain and do her usual back yard sniffs and digs and mouse hunting... And then it's hard to get her back inside.... ("Chicken!") tho she doesn't mind the towel scrub down after. Ok that's showing me up for a dag. Run outside command is "puss puss puss" and come back inside is "chicken"... I also have "are you in or out?" which just means I'm going to "shut the door now" - and if she's not headed back to the door, I shut it. Which usually results in her coming to the shut door like she thinks I didn't mean it. And of course I let her in. Sometimes.