Mrs Rusty Bucket

I coat my canex worming tablets - that smell bad even to me... in peanut paste and then insert it as best I can inside a tinned sardine in olive oil. Dog eats it by swallowing whole, no chewing. If she chews it - she spits it out. I used to do evil things to my horse to get him to eat his wormer. The powdered stuff I'd put inside a wholemeal sandwich with lots of margarine and vegemite. The tubes, I'd get him under a tree, so that when he reared up to get away from the tube - he'd hit the tree, and come down and then I'd get him. Or I'd put the tube inside a cored apple and get him when he tried to eat the apple. And then I'd feed him the apple - to help get rid of the taste... Eventually I gave up and got the vet to give him an injection - much less grief that way.

Maybe it's a gut enzyme thing? Would a daily spoonful of yogurt or maybe mashed pumpkin help?

I swear I could get labs to do cartwheels for pieces of chopped cardboard. About the only thing I can't get them to do using food - is leave me alone. My dog (acdx) favourite treats are someone else's treats. Even if it's the same kibble I've been giving her, and I just handed some to someone else. Anybody else. For me - her favs are roo ribbons. Soft treats - she works for roast chicken, roast beef, roast lamb, metwurst, kabanis. She's not so keen on cooked liver but loves dried liver. Trouble with dry treats and a hoover dog - is she often ends up hacking them up. she also likes promite on toast, which I chop up into small 1/4 five cent piece size and make her work for it.

This bit and the whole paragraph it came from EEEEKKKKK... it's as if when she gets council approval she will become a puppy farmer.

My dog can trash all the kong wubbas and the red kongs. The black kong (extreme) do better. The wubba with the mesh webbing seems to be the most durable of the wubbas but it doesn't squeak anymore. I couldn't tell if any of these were on the free shipping. Bully's dog - likes the cuz toys. And she can trash an everlast fun ball (if someone helps her by tugging on the rope through it). There's zero point me getting squeaky toys. They only squeak for about 30 seconds. Mostly if I'm getting the tug stuff - I take them away from my dog when she starts trying to rip them up. Though tugging on a skinnees - has to be limited because just tugging - no ripping or regripping and between us we can tear those to shreds too. They are a fave so i get them anyway.

I found that changing the dry dog food I was feeding - from advance to nutro natural choice - stopped the fortnightly runs my dog was getting. I have no idea why - both dog foods are made by the same corporation (Mars) - probably in the same factory tho nutro is supposed to have better quality ingredients in it eg chicken meat not meal - earlier in the ingredient list. My dog does do a bit of foraging and will eat grass clippings or any other rubbish she gets to before I do at the park - though I try to limit this by keeping her on lead when there's more trash around. So it's not an every day thing. And successful foraging does not always equate to runny poo. I currently feed black hawk holistic with no runny poo problems - unless she gets a lot of something contraband or spikey - like bones or fertilizer. Sometimes dogs get the runs from stress.

Had a lovely time with Miss Squish and Diesel and the evil beagle (Oakley?). Frosty was knacked by the end of the day. She did the agility course like she'd never seen one before. All I can put it down to is she had to stay on lead so there was no way she would do any of it when I was going the other side of a pole to her. I admit - I have asked her not to walk the other side of fence posts and street poles when I've got the lead on. Lots of free samples of nestles/purina/supercoat dog food things. Frosty really liked the vegemite coated sawdust biscuit. (start rant) Low light was looking for some advice on dealing with the level 10 distraction that I don't see coming ie after ignoring 1000 joggers - having a go at jogger number 1001. Got advised to restart recall training from the beginning. Also weighed evil hound on the scales to "discover" she was 2kg over weight and 1.5kg more than last time I weighed her. But got home and reweighed - and she was normal weight. ARGH. I put 4 litres of water on the scales to verify they were working - yup - got that right, so can only think that the scales at the park were weighing 5% heavier than they should have been. Nasty. Got told not to feed her cheese treats - not even low fat - because one bit of cheese is like 7 scoops of icecream to a dog. Erm. Riiiiggghhhht. I do feed a lot of "treats" but most of it is kibble and it all comes off the dinner ration. I only use the high value treats for when she's a bit freaked out, or does something really good, like recalls off jogger 1001. They really shouldn't let actors with scripts and dodgy scales give out dog care advice as best I can tell. (end rant) We didn't get on the channel 7 news but I swear they shot enough footage to make a 3 hour documentary series for purina. I was quite happy to plug AWL and donate to that cause.

How good the underwater photos are - has to do with water clarity mostly. And skill of the operator. The best photos are with the big SLRs in housings with flash strobes set 1m either side of the camera - amazing photos. But the point and click are nice. The latest go pro - they're using it for movies...

You seem to have an awful lot to say about subjects you seem quite uninformed on yourself. Dingos are not wolves. You clearly have no idea about whether or not they can be managed as pets or not. You make sweeping generalisations about owners of bull breeds and suggest those dogs all bred specifically for dog fights. Maybe 200 years ago - but not today. Otherwise we'd all be able to hear dog fights from home. You also make a sweeping and ill informed generalisations about ANKC breeders. And also about the obligations of puppy sellers in the markets. Times are a changing - try to keep up. In QLD, NSW and Vic it is illegal to sell puppies without microchips http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/laws-and-codes/pet-owners.html I don't think I can point to a single post of yours in this thread where my understanding of what is fact in the world matches yours. And the things you've written about ANKC pure bred dogs specifically GSD and the breeders and the shows breach a number of forum rules and you wonder why people are getting upset with you. It's not your written expression - it's more how you think and what you think is true and you call us "stupid and ignorant" - get the plank out your own eye.

If the ANKC event is on an ANKC affiliated property or one they hold exclusive licence over, then yes, they can ask anyone they like to leave. Including badly behaved members - I would think. It would probably require them to call the police to remove the trespasser if they refuse to go voluntarily. We often have rude people walk through our dog club events - sometimes with dogs off lead (in an area that is onlead unless under supervision of the club). If they just keep walking, it's all good, but if they hang round yelling abuse and preventing us from continuing the event - we ask the police to come and relocate them. I went to quite a few ANKC events before I joined the local affilliate(s) - and nobody asked me what I was doing or whether I should be there - tho my dog is clearly a bitsa. Nobody asked me to leave. So I wonder if it was some other reason that drew their attention to you - orrd - that made your presence unwelcome. Ie did you go round loudly saying rude things about the dogs there? Cos I imagine that would get you asked to leave.

Lollipup Be careful to get one rated to the number of metres you're likely to snorkel to... Ie "waterproof" - the australian standard defines as rated to 1 metre - which isn't even the bottom of your average backyard inground pool. But it's fine for the beach and wading and getting splashed and then rinsing off. 20m would cover most shallow water scuba diving. And you could probably get away with 10m for snorkling. Go pro in cases get used a lot for surf movies - so they're very reliable and popular. if you do get a camera that you want to use underwater and you need to get a case - it's good to find out what works up front, ie most of the flip out videos with touch screen controls - can't be used underwater - because you can't touch the screen, or flip the side out. You might want to have a look here to see what the regular underwater photographers think http://www.diveoz.com.au/discussion_forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=41 PS the hero 3 go pro looks really nice and comes with a housing rated to 60m. I know if I'm that deep I'm probably dead.

Well the quarantine dogs are going to be happy. I hope they let the raccoon tuggits in. And my copy of control unleashed - I finally returned bully's copy but need my own I think. Ie there is a timing finesse required to be not rewarding the evil hound for going off at the lawn mower man and instead rewarding her for being calm and well behaved and focussed on me and I think I was getting it wrong.

Our training club has a rule - that we're not allowed to let our dog greet another dog without permission from the other owner and yet I still get bewildered looks from other members when I ask permission. Usually their dog is all over mine by then having dragged them over. We have a bandana rule too - ie if the dog is wearing a bandana - it means "give space" or "keep your dog away". I'm always forgetting because their dog is usually the one who wants to greet mine, but I try to respect it because it's best to "premack" dog greetings - ie all dog greetings should be with the handler's permission or not at all, dogs should not be stealing greetings or reinforcement. There's quite a few handlers trying to train their dogs to make a calm and polite greeting and allowing them to "steal" a rude bouncy in your dog's face greeting is bad for both dogs. "no" means "no" and that might be sad that the dog is missing out on some fun, but it can also save a dog's life. And I am stunned by the number of dog owners who just don't get it. I haven't seen dogs allowed to jump onto any other dog's crate. I know certain doggy friends will invade my dog's crate but the owner and I and my dog do not have a problem with this. And my dog will invade her crate too. Ie it's with permission. Dogs off lead in an on lead area is generally not allowed except for warm ups and competition or instructor supervised training. It does not include harrassing other dogs or stealing their stuff or invading their space. At dog competitions there is generally not much space especially in the car park. There is no way the cars at my club get parked two metres apart. 1m if you're lucky. And I've had to ask people to move so I can get the door open so I can get my dog out. Same with crates. If you need more space it helps to have a tarp or blanket and a tent or pen that defines where you want to exclude people. And at really big shows - you will still have to watch that people don't try to sneak a pat from the other side. 2 metres all round is not going to happen at shows unless you mark it out. This is rude. A tub with a secure lid instead of a bag might help prevent this. If I've got food in the bag - I organise it so that dogs walking by cannot casually sniff it. Second crates are good. As are eskies with secure lids or those big storage tubs or tool boxes. If I have a problem with the behaviour - I don't usually ask why. I usually just yell "OI - get your dog away from my stuff". Or I yell at the dog and then I yell at the owner for letting their dog get into my stuff. But I don't have to do this at our dog club or competitions. It's mostly something that happens at the beach where a lot of people with NFI "walk" their dogs. And some beaches I avoid because the concentration of idiots and badly behaved dogs is too much for me. I guess I'm fine with being rude or loud with people who are rude and dangerously thoughtless. It's tempting to tell the idiots you have chocolate or dog medicine in your bag that they should not let their dog steal. It is interesting though - that I'm most likely to be given a wide berth when I'm practicing heel work or stays with my dog - in the public non-club off lead spaces. And if the other person's dog does come and say hello - they apologise for being distracting. But I'm not looking for people to give me a big space - other than the legally required "no harrassing" - in public off lead parks or beaches.

Top effort Pele. Missed the best weather for agility we've had in months. Wild Wednesdays over - touch wood.

PS Bully - if you do that - will you fit the beach walk in too?

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/241815-adelaide-random-meetups/ http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/241777-sa-purina-bark-in-park-sat-20th-oct-2012/ Just for completeness. I will probably start somewhere around Victoria park - there's usually nice car parking between Angas and Halifax St - and walk after a burn around Vic Park - pedal prix permitting. Sometimes there's good car parking at the East Terrace end of Flinders Street too - enter off Wakefield street. It's a little bit closer.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/242324-purina-bark-in-the-park-adelaide/ Bully's thread for Bark in the park on Saturday 20th Rymill Park East Parklands

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/242324-purina-bark-in-the-park-adelaide/ Cos Bully started another thread for it.

Things for next time. Never wrap the lead around your hand or elbow or arm or any other bit of you that's important to you - because when the dog or horse or boat sail takes off - you can get your limb instantly amputated or damaged so much it needs amputating. If you feel you need extra grip - wrap the leads around the nearest pole or tree - street sign poles are good - these give you some leverage like a pully and increased friction - making much more work for the dog to pull. Get a front attach harness - attach the lead to it and the collar, if there is a wriggly twisty dog problem. My dog always pulls forwards - she hasn't figured out she can get out of her flat collar by pulling backwards and I don't give her the opportunity to find out. A rear attach (back of the shoulders) harness is fine if you want your dog to pull a cart. Ie it just gives them more power. Ie if the dogs can and will pull you around - you don't want to have the lead clipped onto a rear attach harness alone. a horse lead rope thick rope will also give you better grip, especially if you tie a few knots in it. I found I could not use the webbing leads - they hurt my hands and my dog only took three bites to cut them completely. A martingale collar may also help - but won't give you any extra leverage on your dog. If you decide to get a prong collar - get professional help in learning how to use it ie it's only useful if you practice first and teach the dog that to release the pressure - they have to come back to you. Good timing is really really important. So get an experienced professional whose methods you respect to help. Several options when confronted by a loose dog and you know your dogs will react (reactive dogs). Leave immediately. A herding dog giving you the eye - if you can get your dogs to turn around and drop - the herding dog may lose interest. Asking the other owner to call their dog - is good. If they're dog savvy they will. If they're not so dog savvy they won't or they will argue with you (my dog's friendly) and you know you need to leave because they're not going to understand there's trouble coming until it's way too late. I used a halti for a while - but I used it in combination with the flat collar and harness - it's no use to you if the dog lunges with a good run up wearing one. And you need to train a dog to accept wearing one - like training to accept a muzzle - connecting wearing it with lots of high value rewards.

I have found on several forums - that being overly restrictive about what topics people can discuss - can kill the forum. People don't want to stay if they're told what they want to talk about is not allowed. And that's ok for some things in a forum with a theme or priority like this one - it's all up front about being about pure bred dogs, and if us bitsa owners don't like it - there are other forums. So excluding discussion about deliberate bitsa breeding - is ok - in my book - though the rescue people who don't care if the dog they're trying to home is a bitsa - could use some help in nominating potential ancestry based on looks - not that this is all that accurate but some councils insist on it. It's also ok (required) to stop discussion about stuff that promotes illegal activity. And it's good for a forum to stop any kind of hateful attacks on other members. differences of opinion I'm ok with - it makes the forum more interesting - but hate attacks - not so good. As for all the other stuff - we all have lives that intersect with things dog related and it's nice to have somewhere to vent where there might be a sympathetic or at least educational audience. There are also other forums for this - but it's not the same. If people only want to read or post about breeding purebred dogs - there is the breeders community and nobody has to open a thread on a subject they're not interested in. (except maybe the mods).

No corn cobs. I found out that the hard way - or she did. My prev pair of sheep skin boots are so thoroughly remodelled - I've had to buy a new pair and make sure she can't get at them when I'm not wearing them. Or even when I am wearing them. But she didn't go as far as swallowing bits. Just defluffing and scattering. Much the same as what she did to the doona I got her to keep her warm in winter. Sigh.

I started this thread to find out what DOLer thought of responsible ANKC breeders selling puppies on the classifieds and as best I can tell is yes it's ok - it's a good thing to offer a better choice to people who look there for puppies or dogs. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/234729-ok-to-advertise-puppies-in-the-classifieds/ I still find that most people who are not dog obsessed like most of us - have no idea about puppy mills, or buying from pet shops or dodgy breeders or even how to spot a dodgy breeder - that guy who was on SBS with 300+ breeding mums, recently - has such a nice clean set up, they can't see why some of us don't think it's ok.

things that travel straight through unchanged? carrots - whole ones keep them busy for a while. sweet corn (corn kernels whole) brown rice the cardboard centre from toilet rolls. rawhide - but my dog can only have this in moderation - or it causes problems. So we don't eat the rawhide bones any more - we have the "chips". And max one per day. But it's not an every day thing. dirty kleenex (yes, my dog is a pick pocket). I put oats in my dog's food - not sure if that goes straight through or not. Suspect not. Not like the brown rice does. I make no claims about how good or bad these things are for your dog.

The only problem with calling it Oz vs NZ is that there are more sheep per person in Australia - than NZ...

I wish I had a picture of the possums or magpies wandering through the agility rings.