Mrs Rusty Bucket

hmm, like trying to teach the dog that the cat means nothing? I think there is a book called "click to calm"... so first you try to get a calm behaviour on cue like a drop and pay attention to you... and when you are sufficiently far away from exciting thing that your dog can still pay attention... you ask for your calm behaviour. things that are supposed to promote calm - food (does the opposite with my dog so you have to know your dog), ear rubs, belly rubs, butt rubs, brushing, flattery - telling her she's such a good dog... And then you work on the distance to the stimulus. we've got good calm up to about 5 to 10m from cat but closer than 5m and we go TAR. (too aroused to respond)

I really should get some of that purple spray - next time I'm in the shop for rubber curry combs (seem to go through about 3 of them a year - teeth marks).

OK - if you're really crook / immune compromised you can get kennel cough from a rabbit. http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/kennel-cough-in-dogs canine infectious tracheobronchitis Just as human colds may be caused by many different viruses, kennel cough itself can have multiple causes. One of the most common culprits is a bacterium called Bordetella bronchiseptica m-- which is why kennel cough is often called Bordetella. Most dogs that become infected with Bordetella are infected with a virus at the same time. these vaccines may help, they do not guarantee protection against kennel cough or infectious tracheobronchitis because it can be caused by so many different kinds of bacteria and viruses. zoonotic kennel cough - oh dear http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/zoonoses/Bordetella/bordetellaindex.html ps bordetella bronchiseptica is related to the more severe bordetella pertussis aka whooping cough put this: canine Bordetella bronchiseptica zoonotic zoonoses into google scholar https://scholar.google.com.au http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/zoonoses_dogs.aspx http://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?hl=en&q=canine+Bordetella+bronchiseptica+zoonotic+zoonoses&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=

I think you can get Hendra from a dog (or horse or bat). Not kennel cough. Will do some googling. I always say the most unhygienic disease ridden creature you can share space with - is another human. Ie people that want to ban pets or dogs for health reasons are banning the wrong critters.

Lemme see They got rid of offside - that's the best one. They have self pass (tap the ball and go) free hits... so you don't have to pass to someone else but what made it dangerous - and they keep changing their minds about this - is that you're allowed to send the ball at any height towards the goals as long as it's going towards the goals. And they made it so all the defenders can stop the ball with their stick above their shoulder for shots on goal. power's about to go out here. I'll post and go look for the links. http://www.fih.ch/en/sport/rules There's a page somewhere that has video of play and then discussion of what rule applied where. http://www.dartfish.tv/ChannelHome.aspx?CR=p38316 Goalies - have been largely confined to the circle when they have all their gear on. Takes the fun out of it. When did you or OH last play and I can update you from then till now...

neocort worked on my dog's rash but it wasn't weepy. Aloe vera and keeping her off the grass also works.

I had to google hot spot I didn't think they occurred in short haired dogs... but they can. Dog chewing itself because it's itchy or bug bites are the usual causes. So if you can stop the dog from being itchy... or getting bitten... http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_hot_spots_what_are_they?page=2 If my dog gets a hole in her skin (mostly cuts) - I put aloe vera on it. I also put aloe vera on her grass induced tummy rash - which she will aggravate by chewing and licking - but it doesn't go like a hot spot. Aloe vera is toxic in large doses but most dogs won't eat lots of it because it tastes horrible even by a dog's standards. It promotes healing, it dries on (ie doesn't stay moist and gooey), and I think it has antiseptic antibacterial properties but I'd have to check that with Dr google. Honey also has antiseptic properites but it tastes great, and it stays sticky. So you'd have to bandage that if you used it - which isn't good for the hot spot.

I've got sugar ants - they look like bull ants but are more docile - out the front of my house but they're not allowed to make homes in the yard. My usual "relocate" instruction is a whole kettle full of near boiling water.

Yup that works. I did that last year. I got a bit stressy after about 8 hours tho... wanted to go back home. Cos I don't go straight to my brother's place and then come home - I usually go to my mum's place first... make salads, pick up food and passengers... Persephone I don't always take the dog to hockey and I've been trying to retire from hockey (and failing - but it's gotten much more dangerous in the last few years - rule changes allowing high shots on goal without taking into account danger). So the hockey is often held on a nice big grassy field next to an even bigger grassy oval - and I can walk the dog around before and after the game. Some of the other players bring their dogs and tie them up, and sometimes the dogs get hit or escape their tether not good. But after the game - it's good to let dog out and help with warm down and all that. One game I went to umpire - straight from the beach - didn't have time to take her home so she spent that game in the dug out for the umpires... that was artificial turf but I'd checked with the staff and they ok'd it... I felt a bit naughty about that one cos dogs are banned from there but they were desperate for an umpire and that was my condition for doing it. Frosty is very well behaved in the crate - she just goes to sleep. which is what she does on the couch at home if I left her there.

I love your post Terri - makes the whole process so clear... So running the flow chart for last night (and christmas day) First step is, is it necessary? Does the dog have to come with me to this thing/am I not able to leave her at home? -> No will she enjoy herself? -> Not most of the time Is she likely to be stressed/scared by something? -> yes Will she be really bored or expected to behave at a level unreasonably expected of her? -> yes Will she get too hot/be completely exhausted but still need to keep going? -> no Will she be in unreasonable danger? -> no not if I'm allowed to use the crate. Will I enjoy myself if she's with me? break down: ----------------------------------------------------- Will I spend the whole time wishing she weren't there -> yes some of the time - when I'm expected to be talking to people or she's being harrassed by dogs or children. Will I be really limited in where she can come/what she can do? -> yes - we'll both be limited Will I be overly distracted or constantly needing to avoid things? -> YES Will I be getting into arguments with other people about her being with me? -> YES (but this happens whether I take her or not.) Will she be unlikely to behave and therefore make me frustrated at her? -> yes but I guess I kind of expect it in the circumstances so don't get mad at her. There's usually some preventable reason for her misbehaviour (eg the person feeling sorry for the dog and feeding it in the crate without asking). Sometimes I guess wrong about whether she will be happy at someone else's place, but mostly - if there are going to be other herding dogs or dogs that aren't in your face all the time - she does ok. And if the people I'm visiting don't give me a hard time for putting her in the crate when I can't be supervising the dog - like you supervise a toddler... then I don't get stressed. I do get a bit stressed because when I'm out for a long time (eg christmas lunch / dinner) I worry about her being locked in the house. I suppose the worst that has happened is she's had an accident in the house. Which I clean up. No big deal I suppose.

In the CD part of the 2011 ANKC obedience rules it says There is some stuff at the front that says a command is a verbal and or signal but where both are used they must be given at the same time. It's a bit vague about "additional command" - I guess it's left to the judge's opinion on what your signal is and whether you've given a second signal to get the dog to perform. There's some more stuff in the CD (novice) rules about dog heeling as close as practical, but some stuff at the front - describing the "finish" that the dog must not "crowd the handler" but assumes you know what that means. There's another bit that bothers me as a marshalling steward, about calling the team... They've got three chances to respond - but in one place it says you call their number, and somewhere else it says you call the handler - and yet most catalogues (call lists) do not have the handler name on - which causes much confusion. It would be so much easier if it was written on the catalogue to call number + handler preferred name and dog preferred name. Ie nick names. This is especially true for handlers and dogs that are in more than one ring at the same time. Hmm, maybe we need another thread.

aw c'mon - every dumb question deserves a creative answer.... when he was a puppy, a goanna bit it, and the vet managed to reattach but it won't stand up any more...

Gawd - I'm glad I'm not the only one... I have a crate that lives in the car now (which reminds me - the bed in it needs a wash). It's been very handy when I've taken my dog on a long trip (over night at country cousins) and then visited other country cousins who say - no dogs inside but they don't have fences etc or shade for my car. There are so many occasions when a crate can go into a reliably shady place and keep your dog safe. (even if some other dog pees on it). The main time it's useful has been at hockey games on grass fields... can get a bit funny when other players don't realise it's a crate with a dog in it not some sort of box or table. One player thought it would be a good place to put her injured ankle up and tried to move the box... oops. Frosty spent the entire walk at the beach this morning on lead because she was naughty and preferred chicken bones over recall - I'm definitely going to have to figure out how to trade for high value treats ie practice with maybe some chunks of frozen roast chicken so I can get her to give it up instead of stealing and running. I got yelled at because one of the beach front places she went was "private property". Yelling at someone who is trying to catch their dog does not help. I never think of good come back lines when that's happening - I really need to tune out the outside noise. And yet someone else on the beach with a staffy cart horse - looked at my dog all polite loose lead and said why can't you be more like that dog... we didn't let the dogs greet (I try to avoid greetings with pulling dogs). And yet my dog - when we went into the water - suddenly became a sled dog. WTF. She always brings me new challenges - but it's sad I can't bring herding dog to play with giant poodle x. It's very tempting to offer to borrow poodle x to train it - but given my own training failures - I'm a bit reluctant.

tdierikx and persephone Pretty much the answer I'd already come up with. And I did leave her home. And the evening was much more enjoyable except when my brother and I discussed dog training. We profoundly disagree on how to train a dog. He is quite determined that every dog (and child) needs to know an "emergency NO" - the sort of "NO" you can yell to stop a dog in its tracks... Except his current dog - he hasn't managed to train it. He says the dog knows to stop doing (fence running) when he yells "No" at it - but forgets and is back at it two seconds later. Erm - you haven't trained it "No" or not to fence run. And then I say I can't bring my dog (my brother's kids ask after her - she does tricks and fun things). I can't bring my dog because she ends up attacking all dogs that look like him... He says if she knew the word "NO" - I could stop her from going after all these other dogs. Erm. If his dog knew the word "No" maybe he wouldn't pester her into pre-emptive strikes on other dogs (not to mention his dog). I'm not winning. If my dog is not perfect in the face of relentless pestering by his dog... then I'm the one that can't train a dog? And he also doesn't see that he needs to change something because the dog he has - doesn't respond to old school training. ARGH. And he says he'd never hit a dog - but the way he trained the previous dog "No" was to tie it to his ute - and when it saw something it wanted and went bolting after it - just before it hit the end of the rope (flat out) he'd yell "NO"... FFS it's a wonder his dog even survived that but it was an SBT.

tah - I can't seem to get bunnings website to cough up any details which means I will probably have to go visit a store which sucks. I have nightmares about warehouse stores - never being able to find what I want.

are compost panels a bit like play pen panels? they'd probably get peed on too tho I could try vicks vapour rub. will have to google. too late for today tho.

Hi all I think I already know the answer to this one... I hate leaving my dog at home but there are some major problems when I visit my brother's place - which we don't do often enough to train out the problems. He has a large poodle x gr adolescent - which is extremely rude and badly behaved around my dog. He got it from a friend who got it for their "autistic" child without understanding that a dog needs training and a gr cross poodle is going to be enormous. It's not the kind of dog he would have chosen otherwise. So when we visit - it spends about the first 30 minutes trying to get my dog to play and she spends all that time herding him off with increasingly violent warnings. And eventually he gets the message and she herds him three laps around the yard until he collapses exhausted. Except after that - she then hates every similar looking dog on sight and is pre-emptive rude to all of them at the park and the beach. She's only just stopped doing that in the last month. So pretty sure if I take her to my brother's place again - I would be back to square one with poodle crosses at the park. She's also not very nice to his cat. He said his cat could fend for itself and "let them sort it out" but the cat opted to run... while my dog was off lead instead of standing its ground like he said it would. So my brother was wrong - yet again. And my dog decided to top that night off by doing a dump inside the house, outside the door of the room where the cat had been stashed. Not good. I had no idea that the doors to the bedrooms had been left open. A long time ago - we would just leave our dogs and children to go play and sort themselves out but it seems these days - I'm expected to be super vigilant - prevent any problems but not actually spend any time training my dog to behave appropriately because "they can sort it out themselves" argh. And its a family do - so the only way I'm going to be relaxed is to leave her here. I can't even leave her in her crate because I'm pretty sure his dog would pee on it with her inside. So it's a dog training fail and a brother training fail. And they're hosting Christmas too. Sigh. she's definitely staying home for that one.

I can get my dog round a rally course pretty easily but she really likes to know she's doing the right thing so currently I've got zero way of telling her that in the obedience ring where you're not supposed to look at your dog or talk to them except at the point where you're giving cues/commands. So I could build duration for working with zero feedback - or I can do agility and rally :)

Thanks for that Tassie - I didn't know Mary Ray did regular obedience as well as the music stuff. That's impressive too. And looks more interesting than the advanced obedience done here.

You can have good heelwork if you know what your dog likes to work for. Most dogs will work for food if they're hungry enough but other dogs will work for praise and pats, or tug or chase the ball or chase you or just another job to do (if you have a BC). Food is easy to use to get good heelwork because it's the easiest thing to "reward in position" ie you only hand over the reward when the dog is where you want it, and if you can deliver the reward and keep the dog in the correct position - that helps the dog understand when you're working on teaching something new. But then you need to fade out the use of food or build duration between rewards. Something I'm not so good at. But given my dog knows the task - I just put the food (cos she likes food) in a cup over there, and when I am happy with the heel work - I release her and we go get some treats over there.

My cattle dog x - only has upright ears when she's facing into the wind. Looks good then. Sometimes I wonder if putting some botox in the crease would fix them up but I'd never do that to her. Cosmetic surgery on a dog just seems wrong.

I figure if the police call the council ranger - he might just drop what he's doing and come. When I call our council ranger - nothing happens... The important thing is someone (police) comes and gets the dogs off the street - you can't leave something dangerous and harmful to humans loose. In bad weather police get to come and guard live electricity wires too. And I know they're not going to fix it.

fancy heelwork video Mia skogster (I love how she can get her dog to stay while she keeps running. ) Mary Ray DWD Susan Garrett and Feature Russian DWD newfoundland fancy heelwork video https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZChqmn4v1BM

I've always been told if a dog is attacking a human - call the police. It's not a council matter any more. Pretty sure NSW has a state law that says dogs are not allowed to attack humans. Not in a public place. Unless they are a police dog at work. I hope the owner has her dogs taken away - she's clearly too stupid to own dogs.

Kavik My point was with one dog (Buzzy) Susan Garrett chose to allow the barking and with the more recent dog (Swagger) she chose not to. Her original reason for allowing - was - she thought training Buzzy to be quiet would make him slower (probably based on what she saw happen to other people who trained the barking out of their dogs). And with Swagger - she chose to do differently - because she could - her ability to train what she wanted and maintain speed - is so much better. And with her new systems for giving the dogs clear ideas of where they need to go - ahead of time - leads to much better performance and less frustration (and maybe less barking). With my dog - barking on course - leads to biting on course - which hurts... so I don't want to give her the idea that it's ok with me.