Mrs Rusty Bucket

I guess it's normal for most working dogs I know. And some dogs that are big hairy and smelly (tho hairy and smelly could be sorted by the owner). Most of the dog obsessed - who are into dog training, dog clubs and competing with their dogs - show, agility, dances with dogs, sledding (with scooters), etc - their dogs sleep inside with them. In Europe and some parts of North America where they get snow and ice in winter - even fewer dogs are left outside - unless the dog was bred for it. It's a bit unclear from the info websites - whether the dog would have slept with its people or not - two of the history pages say "herding and guard dog" - so barking at "unfamiliar things" would be common - hence you'd have to be clear with the dog about what is ok to bark at (strange people) and not so much (possums). Not sure where you stand about evicting cats from your yard in the middle of the night. I'm all for it - tho lots of barking isn't necessary for this. I imagine a few lappies would be really handy on what drovers would call "7 dog nights". As long as the dog gets plenty of human interaction and isn't left alone and neglected in the back yard - you could do it. You might want to provide somewhere cool for the dog to be when the temps stay over 25 in the night eg summer. Easier to do that inside with the A/C.

Susan Garrett does it a lot - you can see two of her dogs chilling out here She doesn't call it parking. She just tells her dog to "hop it up" and while they're on the table in this context of the coaching call - they can sit, stand, shake the toy, lie down and go to sleep... whatever. But they can't leave - well sometimes they do (she let Swagger leave the table when he went in his crate instead) but she sets and enforces the criteria. Ie stay on the table when I ask you to until I say you can do something else. The way she trains it - is to reward the dog for staying where she put them - in the crate, on the table, in a down... crate games DVD explains it really well. I just tell my dog to "wait" and she figures out from the context whether she can move into a more comfortable position or something is about to happen or she has to stay where she is the way she is (she might be a bit crap at this one at the moment).

Sorry Simply Grand. I forgot to check the "off topic", actually I forgot the limitation - have removed the link. Another forum I hang out in - that section is called "restricted" and I don't forget with that one. I just wanted to make a point that neighbours don't always tell you when they've got a problem unless you ask them to. Sometimes they don't tell you when you ask either but that's really their problem then.

Maybel theoretically you start as you intend to continue so you don't allow biting, jumping and continuous barking at nothing you deem important. It is a good idea to introduce your puppy to your neighbours and let them know if they have any problems - come straight to you to sort it out, that you will be willing to hear them out in a friendly way - otherwise people can stew on it or just go straight to the council. Inside - training your puppy to be quiet - works as you have done. Outside - much more difficult because there is a lot of interesting stuff going on and he's away from his people. He's going to be warm enough but he's going to have lots to bark at... Like possums, rats, mice, birds, owls, people, trains, buses, cats, did I say cats... Hopefully not snakes but geckos come out at night. And my dog barks at shadows - worse when it's a full moon - cos the shadows are more defined - they look like sillouettes of people or cats or critters and plant shadows move... And barking is self rewarding ie the more a dog barks - the more fun, the more and more the dog barks... whether you give attention or not. So the only way I could get my dog to sleep outside and be quiet was in a completely covered up soft sided crate - that the mozzies and moths and other critters could not get inside. And I would periodically reward silence with some kibble through the roof opening. If she started barking when she heard me coming I'd go "oops" and leave (or cover any open bit of the crate and then leave). Like barking is owner repellent. But best to start this training before bed time - ie practice in short sessions during the day. I much prefer her to be inside with me.

Hankodie Does he like being groomed with wet fingers? I find a rubber curry comb either the short zig zag tooth version or the long rubber finger version work well. For me they're better when they're dry or the coat is only slightly moist (shammy and towelled dry). A damp Chamois (shammy) leather (even the fake variety from the $2 shops)... works well too. I find this sort works really well http://newmarketsaddlery.com.au/product/curry-comb-groomer/ The zoom groom works too but costs a lot more. My dog isn't all that fussy but my ancient horse was extremely fussy - you couldn't use the plastic or hard brushes on him at all. But he liked the soft bristle brushes and the rubber curry combs. start off with short strokes and gentle and work up gradually. And use food. Ie if you stand here while I brush you just a tiny bit - you can have some food... And have something else handy that he can chew that isn't you or the brush. My dog likes chewing the rubber brushes but I like her to do that when the teeth on the brush are all worn down. I have met a Labrador that doesn't like being brushed but she will accept wet finger brushing... At least when you're using your fingers you can feel out any knots or tender spots. So that might be a good way to start. And you can sneak a brush on to one hand when the dog isn't paying attention.

I have been known to leave the ac on for my dog but so far this season - haven't needed to. It takes at least 5 days of stinky hot with the doors or windows open for this house to heat up. My last house - was a flat uninsulated tin roof with brick walls - and what ever temp it was outside - it was the same inside - immediately. But I don't live there any more. I can clean the dust off my AC filter - so I figure that's enough. Fires can start even when no device is switched on - my brother lost all his stuff when an electric blanket he didn't even know was on the bed he was in - decided to set the bed on fire... So I am extremely paranoid about having those plugged in - I've been zapped by one as well (Bendigo in winter - dodgy motel - FFS COLD). Rats can stuff up wiring in roofs too. I guess if you think it is a possibility you need to be able to check your wiring. Or have some sort of safety switch that would cut out. And maybe a sprinkler system like offices have. Most house fires around here - are started by smokers who fall asleep or people who are into incense, candles and flammable curtains.

Some nights my dog likes to stay outside and be "on patrol"... like Persephone said. And she won't come in when I call her, and she will run to the back fence (and lane) and bark if I try to walk out and catch her. Fortunately for me - she's a major foodie, and she's been a bit of a diet lately cos she's a couple of kg overweight so I say her name in an upbeat calling way - and then I drop one bit of kibble into her dinner bowl - which makes a nice "ding" noise. And that gets her every time... I make her stay on the mat and wait for permission to eat the kibble... And then I close the door. Then I give her permission to eat. Strangely after a bit of that - her recall has gotten much better. I think the ding of the dinner bowl has the power of Pavlov. Before I just used to shut the door and leave her out. And eventually she'd come by the bedroom window and ask to be let back in. Woof. Not ideal.

dogs that just lick - it probably feels good. some dogs like to lick sweaty people - that has something to do with the salty taste.

Red flags... You didn't meet the breeder before there were puppies. You hadn't visited the breeder and the puppies and the puppy's mum (and dad ideally) to see if their temperament suited you - since it can vary between breeding lines and across a litter... The breeder and the puppy location were not the same - this is really common way that puppy mills sell their puppies so you never see the conditions that the parent puppies are kept in. So the puppy is in some nice home in the burbs and it might even be "the last of the litter" to encourage you not to leave it all alone... Please be patient. Sometimes a buyer for a puppy falls through or there were more puppies than expected so you can get an "instant puppy" but most times - the breeder doesn't even try for puppies unless they're fairly sure of homes for all the puppies. You also want a breeder that can show you health checks (DNA tests, Hip tests etc) on the parent dogs - to make sure you're not doubling up on some genetic horrible disease - like blindness or wobbles (sorry don't know the tech name for it). If you just buy from some internet classified add - you risk 1. a sick puppy - that costs you squillions every year at the vet. 2. a puppy that is badly socialised and does not get along with people or other dogs (makes going for a walk hard) 3. being scammed with a puppy that doesn't really exist. 4. being given the run around - we have a puppy, you can have the puppy, no you can't have the puppy... (at least that didn't cost you any money).

I accidentally cured my brother's dog of licking my toes... I put Rid on them to keep the mozzies away. I'm not 100% sold on it as mozzie repellent but it sure worked on the dog. It is a bit toxic tho - in sufficient quantity. I second the idea of using some sort of lemon rub or lemon oil (in water) misted onto where you don't want licked. My dog will not eat citrus - tho I do know some dogs that will. Otherwise - having some sort of toy you can swap for your trousers or just grab the collar and hold your puppy away from what he is trying to lick for 3 seconds, then releasing him to make a choice again - then repeat the grab and hold off... loads of praise, ear rubs etc, if he decides not to lick... Putting the lick on cue is also a good idea. Putting my dog's bark on cue and then rewarding the pre-bark is how I taught my dog to be quiet... so combination of cueing the lick and the collar grab and choice and not rewarding any lick that is not cued... not with anything (no yelling, no squealing or flapping - just a quiet calm boring collar grab and hold off). You might also train something that is a bit incompatible with the lick - like a sit... if he's sitting hopefully he can't reach to lick and you can reward that. and the licking is something they do for food and comfort - so if you can meet that need in some other way... that may help with the less licking. One other thing I did to stop my dog mouthing - was to push my hand that she'd grabbed - slowly and gently towards the back of her throat until she noticed and tried to spit me out - hold for one second and let her spit me out - ie take the fun out of it.

I would have just told ms Stupid that one of the bystanders is on the phone to the police and they're going to break the window to get the dog out if she doesn't get back there pronto. It's not you she has to argue with then... it's the person on the phone and 10 bystanders.

I've had meds compounded at a specialist pharmacy (not all of them do it) and those were not PBS subsidised and were around the $55 mark. I wasn't too thrilled and the meds did not work for me - I felt like my GPs personal experiment - and no follow up from her either. I haven't been back - I am not paying them over $100 per visit to be prescribed stuff that doesn't work. Hopefully the vet prescription works.

A penis seriously gets in the way of a good belly rub. I also hate the way that people with boy dogs let them cock their legs on everything including my stuff, my beach bag, my towel, my shoes, my agility equipment, and they've cost the dog club thousands in needing to replace rusted out light poles. But that's really the owner's fault. My brother's dog cocks its leg inside my mum's house and then my dog has to leave an adjacent message - but at least that's on the floor. I do know some girl dogs cock legs too but it's not quite as persistent and invasive as what the boy dogs do. personality wise - I like both boy dogs and girl dogs and haven't noticed much difference. My current desexed bitch is independent, wilful and impossibly soft (yell at her - she rolls over immediately and is insecure and sulky for days).

I wouldn't worry too much about dogs (or children) getting confused by different rules in different houses... dogs, puppies and grand children - learn very easily who has what rules and who they can manipulate and who they must respect and listen to. The way you get what you want is to be as consistent as you possibly can, don't let the little things slide... a simple collar grab (on a dog/puppy) and behaviour interrupt, can prevent a behaviour iceberg developing. And praise and attention when they're doing well, helps too.

Haven't noticed any sex link to affectionate dogs - at least with relative strangers. I've got one friend who has two boy shelties - and one is great with people and the other not so much. But even the shy one will schmooze for pats once he gets used to you. Same with another couple of friends who have mostly girl dogs... some are shy and some are really all over you. This is why you have to meet the breeders and the dogs and find out what breed lines suit you best. Tho the temperament can vary across a litter too... The AWL dog I have at the moment - was the friendly one, and loud at dinner time. Her sister from the same litter - didn't want to know anything about humans.

The boys are more likely to cock their legs to pee unless you train them not to. At club - there's a mix. How well they do seems to have more to do with the trainer than the sex of the dog.

sarsaparilla It's ok (probably good) for the puppy to come second in your household... it's also good for the puppy to learn to be polite around big older dogs, and for big older dogs - mostly they allow a puppy licence but you need to make it clear to both what is and isn't ok. I think I would make sure the puppy had plenty of crate / apart time, and plenty of supervised potty breaks eg when wakes up, when comes out crate for play, before and after play, before and after meals... And while you're having supervised play time with the puppy (probably not more than 10 minutes per session) I would just gently collar grab which ever critter was not behaving. If I decided to play with puppy for a bit and older dog wanted in - I'd give older dog a job like stay on your mat and eat treats or chew kong loaded with peanut... depending on how much of a food guarder he is. It's important to reward the dog that is sitting out as much if not more as the one that you're playing with. So if you can toss treats at him for staying on the mat without puppy trying to steal - that would be a good thing. I would pull the puppy off the big dog if the big dog looked like he was not enjoying it. And same with big dog - protect them from each other as they need. You can't expect puppy to make the best life decisions at this age.

While I'm "enabling for H360" If you're on the email list you would have received a link to this... http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2014/11/learning-with-a-dash-of-lunacy-or-perhaps-more-than-a-dash/ Which is all the fun bits from our last ICpeeps coaching call on retrieving. Note there is a fair bit of not-retrieving going on... and I think they just installed the astro turf so the edit team could make it into a "green screen", and there aren't normally so many fun sound effects. Apart from them giggling. I want fun sound effects at every coaching call now.

Number 2 would be great if it was a photo of a stallion... It's a little bit weird for a dog - but does look gorgeous.. I like number 1 better just because it's a bit more dog like.

I think a lot of people in Brisbane discovered their insurance companies didn't want to cover them against flood caused by rising river over flowing its banks either. Eg the insurance company's take on it was they shouldn't live in the flood zone. But the insurance company was happy to take their money anyway. Storm damage eg if a tree branch falls on your roof or the roof gets blown off - I think that's covered by most polices. Hmm - lightning seems to be covered but power surges from the power company are not. Flood seems to be excluded unless you paid extra for it. There used to be cover if you got flooded because of something like a burst water mains. The AAMI PDS is a bit ambiguous about it. Whatever - if you state a cause that's excluded even if you couldn't prove that cause (you didn't see it happen), the insurance company will happily take your word for it and not cover you. Best to say "I don't know" or "I didn't see how it happened" and don't fall for them asking you to take your best guess. dealing with lawyers (and junior male hockey players) teaches you to be sneaky... sigh. PS I asked my current company about accidental damage cover and the increase to the premium made it not worth it. Ie it's cheaper to get a professional in to try to clean the carpet than it is to pay the accidental damage premium.

Susan Garrett is going to re-open Handling 360 (H360) very soon too. You need to follow the blog or facebook page to get in when that happens.

Kirislin For next time - you didn't see the dogs do any of that... there is just a huge stain on the carpet and you were out, so you don't know how it happened... I have the same problem with storm / lightening damage. I don't know that the electrical item ceased to function because of the lightening storm... so I don't say that... then they can't say we don't cover that ("act of god"). the whatever it was "just stopped working"... This works especially well for warranties. Was the carpet by any chance - guaranteed not to stain?

You do need to be aware of dogs becoming collar smart - or working out if they don't have the collar on and they bark - they get away with it... I've also read about one dog who would bark continuously until the citronella was all gone, at least you don't have that problem. I'd try to mix up when the collars were on and working and when they were on the dog but not switched on so that there is less collar smarts... And training the dog not to bark so much when you come home (be more boring and only reward quiet dogs with attention)... And the collars - depending what sort - sometimes they can rub holes in the dog's coat if they're left on all the time. This is particularily true of the invisible fence type. Not so sure about the citronella sort. I think doing something is better than having the dogs taken away (or worse) because the neighbours are upset.

If I need to leave stuff - I hang it up on a fence out of pee reach or put it up on a chair - even that is enough to stop it being peed on (tho my dog will still check bags for food). This particular whippet - he will tease other dogs - nip at them even - to get a game of chase-me going. I agree - it's not for every whippet but a lot I meet like it. With the right dog - my dog likes it too.

My puppy was done by the AWL at 8 weeks - and yes - she got two tattoos as well, one for desex, and another for microchip. She is a bit taller and narrower in the skull than other cattle dogs types but it's hard to say if that was the early desex or not, given I don't know what her parents looked like.