Mrs Rusty Bucket

Time to get busy and inspired - next coaching call for R5 announced... questions about all games accepted. Toronto (Canada - Ontario) Wednesday, 17 September 2014 at 6:30:00 PM EDT UTC-4 hours Adelaide Thursday, 18 September 2014 at 8:00:00 AM ACST UTC+9:30 hours Sydney Thursday, 18 September 2014 at 8:30:00 AM AEST UTC+10 hours Perth Thursday, 18 September 2014 at 6:30:00 AM AWST UTC+8 hours http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converted.html?iso=20140917T1830&p1=250&p2=5&p3=240&p4=196

Hmm, multiple councils... Write a letter to your state government rep - keep it simple and ask for what you want at the top... The dog and cat management laws are State Government laws... There's another fine for "dog wandering at large". So I think it's fair to complain to your state government rep. Who can deal with the council where the attack happened - they're the ones who need to set the dangerous dog law in action. But do explain the difficulty of the dog being outside the area that it was registered in. This dog (owner) is a repeat offender. The next time - will it be a small child? The fact that it was "privately owned" land is only relevant if the dog was defending its own property ie the place it lives.

The smarter the dog - the more they take advantage of the small mistakes we might not even notice. Unless we video, watch it back and then they're really obvious like spelling errors after we hit send. So glad you're getting control back and progressing in the right direction. Make sure you remember to release pressure, and praise heaps when he's doing what you want him to.

Were you and Justice on a public footpath when Justice was attacked? I'm not sure the bit about "private property" applies when it's a shop or business open to the public. It's common for council staff to have no clue what the actual rules are. What you can do now - and I'd recommend it - is report what has happened to your local ward representative (or all councillors), start with what you want to happen and why and then go through the history. But put the action stuff at the top - keep it as short as you can or they switch off and tune out. The councillor will forward your concerns to the CEO of the council - because all communication between councillors and council staff has to go through the CEO... and the CEO will check the details with the animal management officer. And the CEO will probably have a better handle on the legal details than the animal management officer. It is possible to sue a council for stuffing up, and they usually settle cos that's cheaper than going to court and they all feel a bit strapped at the moment.

Hoping Tippi comes back and lets us know what they decide to do...

That's a relief. Something that can be fixed... sometimes (when it's not dinner related) it can be a stroke or heart problems as well... I've got a friend who has a ckcs with heart problems, and he has trouble breathing especially at night, drools and snores.

I'm not sure. I have problems with the gas meter readers - they've got 30 seconds per house and it's 30m or so to the back of the block from the front to read the gas meter, same with all the houses in this area... I've got a sign on my gate - beware of the dog, and I've talked to each reader - because I'm usually home when they come and they all ignore the sign - despite telling me that their company policy is to knock on the door when they see a sign like this... and barge straight into the back yard at speed - despite the dog. One of them was lucky - dog was still young and just chased him to the meter and back barking her head off. Another was also lucky - had managed to get out before the dog caught up with her... and other times - I've heard them coming and caught her. And met them out the front to tell them off. Well having read this thread - I've gone out and put locks on the gates because the meter is due to be read again this week... They always go "I'll put a note in for your house" and I say - that only works if you read it *before* you go through the gate. Personally I don't want to risk a dangerous dog declaration fight with council because some meter reader was trying to get their quota... The point being - some people will come in your yard despite being warned about an unfriendly dog.

Q. Would you travel >50KM's to purchase your new pet? A. Yes. It took me about an hour to get from home to AWL in Wingfield to get the dog I have now. Google says it should take 40 minutes but I tend to get lost out there. Q. Would you want to meet the animals parents before purchasing? A. I would prefer to - unless it's a rescue dog and then that's not always possible. Q. Would the living conditions of the pet impact your decision (Small living area or many dogs which could indicate a puppy factory) A. Yes. Small living area and many dogs - is exactly what the RSPCA and AWL are like. But if a breeder was like this - had more than 2 or 3 breeding bitches and more than 2 litters a year - I'd be running. If it was a house with "the last one of the litter" and the parent dogs were unavailable - I wouldn't even go there.

I get that treatment - and somewhat louder at walk time or dinner time... we have quite the conversation... and some yelling too.

hi Tippi I hope you do what some of the others have suggested and contact one of the trainers in Persephone's posts. I'm wondering what you do with your dog when it shows aggression. I have problems sometimes with my dog acting aggressively towards some other dogs and sometimes people - especially near my home but also at the park she regards as "hers". Part of it was my fault - if I scold a dog for getting in our face - my dog thinks it's her job to help. I don't consider this as "dominating" - she just think she's helping as best I can tell. And she's had some bad experiences with curly coat medium dogs getting in her face, stomping on her and sometimes biting - and she remembers - and all dogs she doesn't know, that look like this - she tries to "send away" quite fiercely. So I do my best to prevent encounters and tell her she's being a "good dog" when she behaves appropriately on greeting. If I punished her at all or scolded her - she would blame the other dog or human for that, and do her best to make sure they were "sent away" before they could get close - ie the aggressive unwanted behaviour gets worse if I use any kind of aversive - including scolding her - when she behaves aggressively. I can't use food to distract her either - because then she "back chains" naughty behaviour together with good behaviour to get the food. Dogs are pretty good at back chaining. You can't rehome your dog while it still has aggression problems - because it would be a danger to anyone and their dog(s). Your current training methods aren't working and possibly you have given up too soon or not been sufficiently consistent about dealing with problems (I'm guilty of that), please try again with a new trainer. Make sure there is some practice (eventually) with the trigger situations so you can be confident about how to deal with those. If this is something you don't want to do for whatever reason, then as some have said - PTS is probably the kindest and safest thing you can do for this dog.

the most important thing I know about dog training... pay attention to who is doing the training... is it you? or is it your dog? My dog has always been super brilliant at training me... including using aversive escape training eg I will bark and bark and bark and eventually you will give me what I want...

Today I practiced not rewarding crap with food. Ie I play a game with part of Frosty's dinner that involves sit, drop, paddle (feet pumping cos it's cute), stand, spin, twist, tail worky (wag your tail - more), back up etc. Ie rapid fire tricks and response... And every now and again she'd drop when I said sit, and sit when I said drop... and change position when I said "turkey" which is a trick word that doesn't mean anything (yet)... And I'd wait for the right response... and praise and pat where as I might have given her a treat for finally offering up the behaviour I originally asked for. We aslo had a brief moment of crate training - I haven't really worked on - if I say "crate" you can't come out until I say but if I don't say "crate" and you go in, you can choose when you come out. And yelling at me in there for food is not to be rewarded... I think she got it. Or sort of. Just need to practice that more. I've been hanging out for another coaching call despite staying up all night for the ICPeeps live... you think that would be enough but no...

Hopefully the owner is more careful about what he does with his dog - so that he doesn't end up with a disaster and the dog being PTS. We had an interesting episode at the park the other night. Another poodle x - was out on the oval with its family kicking the footy... my friend grabbed her small black dog and put it on lead because otherwise this oodlex chases her dog out of the park all the way home across a road. And sure enough two seconds later it charged up and got in our faces. Frosty had a good yelling at it despite me trying to stay between them. And then the owner came walking up saying sarcastically "I suppose I'd better come and get my *aggressive* dog then" - I said to him "your dog is just RUDE - charging up to other dogs is RUDE" - he said "no it's not" - erm. I didn't mention it's also Illegal to let his dog harass other dogs. But he had no idea about dog etiquette - or even human etiquette...

I don't think my dog cares what treats look like. Personally for training treats I want them to be tiny - the size of my little fingernail - or tearable uppable (eg smacko strips) so I can dish them out fast and often as new tricks are learned. But for "I'm going out now and you're staying home" treats - I want something that takes longer than 5 seconds to demolish... so cows hoofs are good, tho the enthusiasm for those is a little lacking. Rawhide tends to disappear way too quickly. Roo jerky - nice thick solid pieces seem to work well but I'd be surprised if they last longer than a minute - just long enough for me to get out the door. I do remember being given a slice of dried pigs trotter (dried or smoked bone - not my fave cos of splinters), the Tenterfield terrier and the JRT had one each and took over an hour of munching to make no visible difference. My dog made the whole thing disappear in under 2 minutes. No joy for me. So I guess I want small, tasty low cal treats for training. And long lasting chewy treats for home alone...

Found something interesting and somewhat erm... Got a promo code for m edib ank private pet insurance as an existing member... and went and played with with their online quote system. They have Australian Cattle Dog ( Cross ) and Australian Heeler (Cross) listed separately and lo - the Heeler is $2 per fortnight cheaper than the Cattle Dog - go figure. PM me if you want the promo code - it's supposed to get you 15% off... but I found the price differences were a lot bigger than that. I expect the prices might also vary by post code too. Tho I put the same post code in. The promo ends at the end of November, so I will wait until my regular renewal comes in and compare. I expect that one will still be cheaper because my dog has been with them since a puppy and I haven't made any claims. And Medibank won't price match - I've tried that before tho it might be worth trying again.

I know my cwa cook book has few cheese biscuit recipes that would probably keep a while, but I think they'd keep better if they were vacuum sealed packed. I think most recipes that were cooked until they were fairly dry would work. Or you might get away with drying out any protein (meat or cheese) and then cooking that back into a biscuit and making it softer texture with olive oil or similar. The fodder shop at Brookfield (West of Brisbane) had really nice soft dog treats - lamb moisties or something. They're not available in SA I think you're going to have to try stuff out. Most people I know who went into making dog treats as a sort of home business - already had recipes that their friends at dog shows and competitions wanted to buy from them.

I'm sure there are more good people in Sydney - Steve is a good place to start and he can recommend someone closer to you if he's not available. Sydney/Hawkesbury Steve Courtney at k9pro.com.au http://k9pro.com.au/services/how-to-choose-a-dog-trainer/

Thanks so much for the update, do keep us posted. We want it to work out for you and your dog. This is where video can be such a help. Sometimes watching yourself - allows you to see stuff that you don't see when you're in it. You can get a small tripod (joby gorilla pod is one) that will hold a mobile phone and then use that to video what's going on and get some insight to what the dog sees, what you're doing and what you could try doing differently. I find it really embarrassing to look at - even when it's only me looking - but also really educational - I lost connection with the dog here, my signals were up the creek there, and the dog got distracted here - for basic agility runs... I've also done a bit of video of her at "walk time" or "dinner time" - tho I'm fairly aware that I'm not working through the barking extinction burst - and I will have to choose between allowing the dog to break my hypnotic connection with the computer - or having her behave better with less yelling at me. I also need to do a bit more video of counter surfing issues. She's getting more brazen which means I'm doing a poor job of educating her about putting her paws up on things looking for food. She's weird about it - she just locates the food (by putting paws up, sniffing and looking) but then she sits there and "indicates" which may involve some barking - she doesn't actually steal the food. Go figure.

@hankdogs It would be tempting to print this page out and give it to them https://positively.com/articles/fatal-dog-bites-share-common-factors/ Abandoning a dog to the back yard can only make the bite risk more likely and more likely to be severe. If they're not going to do the right thing for this dog, maybe it would be better for all concerned including the dog for it to be PTS. I would have said "rehomed" but it would need a special successful dog rehab trainer's home if it has already been biting people. I have a friend whose husband is keeping a border collie fat, under exericised (mentally and physically) and not cleaning up the dog turds - so the bbq area and yard is covered in dog turds... and I'm finding it hard to be friends with them.

Report to police - the 131444 is for police attendance and it's more direct than 000 ie you get police on the phone straight away, you don't have to go through the ambulance, fire or police bit. Unless it's Saturday night and a full moon and then emergency services can be a bit overwhelmed. Threats and abusive behaviour by a man - is a police matter. By a dog - is a council matter but if the dog attacks a person - or it's outside council hours - it's a police matter tho they might not want to come unless the dog has made holes in a human. but they will come for the yelling and abuse and stalking and threatening behaviour. If you can get video - excellent - if you can record what is being said even more excellent and if you can get a licence plate or dog rego (my, what an adorable staffy as you check the id on the collar - no id on collar - organise council to be there when they are). Have a chat to your local police, and find out what they need from you so they can deal with the guy. They're quite helpful on what kind of evidence they need in order to take the guy away.

Given that people who abuse or neglect their dogs, are likely (from experience) to abuse or threaten me if I say anything... these days I resort to sneaky... If I can, I admire the dog and get identifying information off it (or their car plate) and report to people whose business it is to make sure that dogs are looked after. If it's a friend - I will say something quite direct like - sheesh long claws, I get my dog's claws trimmed so she can walk properly... or fat dog, sigh. If someone is using a lot of aversives in their training and it's not working, I will explain why I don't train my dog that way and about dogs back chaining naughty for attention (the aversive)... There's not a lot of point telling them they're wrong. But I do try to get them thinking for themselves about better ways. Sometimes it takes a while for them to get it but I'm ever hopeful. When it comes to training - I'm not super confident because my dog is not always so obedient - mostly because she's better at training me than I am at training her.

Hi Terri You might want to have a read of this thread. I think there are some really good agility clubs in Victoria - might want to look some of them up. Tho it is a little bit like getting the right school for your kid in japan - some of the clubs are "full"... Meanwhile - any trick training is good ie teaching your dog to try new things, and to tolerate frustration and distraction is good. In terms of building strength and flexibility, there are a bunch of tricks that help with that too. Starting with trying to get your dog to put all four feet on "perches" of some sort. SG likes inflatable half fit ball things "pods?" I use phone books wrapped in towels. tho you can start with getting dog to put all four feet on a bath mat or towel and then folding up smaller... Or using more than one and get the front feet on one towel and the back feet on the other towel etc... http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/258767-best-agility-dvds-or-online- courses/page__p__6538130__fromsearch__1#entry6538130

I went to an equestrian rug repair place and got them to make me up a square of white ripstop canvas (won't get so hot in summer), and got d rings put on it to line up with the head rests to attach it with bits of rope. I think I'd just get some grommets if I got another one made up. It does the job really well tho. I got some holes put in it in line with where the seat belts go so I can attach the car harness too. I usually put an old flanny sheet and a bath sheet towel on it as well - because the seat underneath is vinyl - just something a bit more comfy than plain canvas. Cost about $60 ish but would depend on the current price of canvas and how willing the rug repair guy was.

I've seen a few dogs around the wyong Newcastle area and also Adelaide beaches - where the dog gets left loose on their own while owner goes out in the water... I'd think the wyong ones would get washed off the rocks eventually cos they run around barking at their owner right on the edge... Frosty was really unexpectedly good today at beach and park - just lulling me into a false sense of security.

I get routinely judged - often by family eg my brother for not teaching my dog the meaning of the word "No"... He taught his previous dog the meaning of the word "no" by tying it with a long rope to something immovable - and then letting it run flat out after whatever and just before it got to the end of the rope he'd yell "NO". FFS. We totally disagree on how to train my dog. Who likes him but won't do anything he says. And is insanely naughty at his house but he - my brother - continually interferes with my training to the point where now his cat is terrified of my dog... because he said - let my dog go - the cat will teach my dog to leave her alone. ERM Backfire much? Dog taught cat to run. Without touching it. And he's fine with my dog "sorting out" his groodle that he has now - which my dog is perfectly capable of doing - but now she hates all groodle like dogs and will get them before they can get her. And it can be painful for the groodle. And walks for me are not so much fun. Sigh. I fell for that shit. I really ought to know better. But he's family - argh.