Nic oh lah

I've read Game of Thrones - by your logic i'd make an excellent mother of dragons. Also I wouldn't recommend How to Kill A Mockingbird to anyone - you learn next to nothing about killing mockingbirds. I've met some beautiful registered and "declared" APBT's as well as dogs of all breeds and sizes, and some that aren't beautiful because of their shitty or mis-informed owners. One thing I (i think everyone who knows their dogs?) know is that if you as the owner are fearful, your dog can definately pick up on it and will act accordingly - based on here and the "scary Dog" thread you instigated, you and your dog/s are a ticking time-bomb. Get educated - and maybe get your information on breed specifics from somewhere other than the media and your bookshelf. End rant.

My dogs have been outside through winter in their trampoline beds in Brissy for years but something about this year feels freezing so they're in all night every night with a brief pee-break before we all go to bed. Also of note is that until this year they've never been allowed on the lounge/bed, but now that Sophie (GSD) is 6 she's like "nope - im older, big girls are allowed on the furniture" and it was so cute we just let it slide with Chase (BC) following suit, they've taken over *** WARNING - Avert your eyes if you're going to lecture me on dogs being spoil / leader of the pack etc etc as I KNOW - my dogs do as their told but we LIKE snuggling them at night! *** So this is how they sleep at night when we're first in bed after the obligatory pats - Chase watches TV for a bit and then goes into the ensuite and sleeps on the bathmat / tiles, and then after about an hr or however long I'm patient for Sophie gets booted off (with alot of effort) and has a pile of pillows, blankies and a dog-bed with about 20toys beside the boyfriends side of the bed - and generally she sleeps on that with her head jammed under the bed, and then every so often wakes up and brains herself on the bedframe And when i'm on night-shift and sleep during the day while OH is at work, this is my view. Isn't she subtle!

I have huge conversations with my dogs, and my OH and I are just as bad as each other - we kinda narrate our dogs while they're playing doing each of their voices. Even if people are around.

She's a baby! And I know you say she's "always been a quiet dog" - nah.... I doubt that - she's only been home just over a week hasn't she and probably was a bit tentative for the first few days in her new home but now is letting you know she's got a voice and like's to use it! Puppies bark - and dig - and chew - and nip... it's going to take time and patience. In our house it's a stern "UH-UH!" and they stop and look at you. Then try "sit" and lots of pats and praise for stopping the bad behaviour and listening to you. I know what you mean with training and it does start from day 1, but a 9 week old puppy isn't trained yet - it's a process and you have to remember that when she's a baby everything is a game - give it time, patience and lots of love. And we use "uh-uh" nice and clear (not yelling it but loud enough to get their attention) because I don't want to growl at my dogs for being dogs - just re-direct them to you and then lots of love for listening to you :) Best of luck - the calm will come..... when she's like 8

They bill ours based on our past average usage on the basis that once a year we allow them access to our yard when we're there to supervise them and the dogs - but our electricity meter is behind a 7ft padlocked fence with my dogs in that yard. It's not my front door.

I don't know about "having a right" to get to the front door, but I know that as long as they have a legitimate reason to approach the door they're not tresspassing and should be able to do so - I just think it's reasonable to allow people to approach your house.

Big dogs do get a bad rap - Sophie (GSD) has people cowering in fear at the off leash park when she's boings around and zoomies after all the other dogs - she's harmless. That said I would never have a front door behind gates with a dog in the front yard - because yes, people sometimes need to knock on the door. Infact when i'm sending police to someones place (because I work for them, not because i'm a crazy lady reporting my neighbours lol) I always ask if there's a dog in the yard and can officers get to the front door safely - I think they have enough to worry about without coming across a nasty dog. ETA : I'm not suggesting your dog is nasty at all, but some peoples are and you have to question their motives in having the dogs blocking access to the property, and people that are scared of dogs are just going to see a big dog and S*$# themselves.

Had the same thing with my GSD Sophie - sore and miserable and then her legs were giving out - we were terrified and took her to the emergency vet (at 11pm on a Sunday Night) and agreed to having her shaved head to toe because we suspected a tick and good luck finding one in a gold double coat! No tick but it was worth the money and the stupid-looking dog because gave us peace of mind. In the end it turned out she had played too hard and managed to hurt her back between her torso and rump. Took her from the animal hospital the next morning to spend the day at the Vets on observation and after rest and anti-inflammatories for a week she was right as rain.

My editing software experience is mainly from a graphical content background but I think a bit of blur and playing with the colours and contrast makes your pretty pup stand out a bit.

I have an Outward Hound one - it's not the round pouch style - it's the kinda flat one that's on a waist band - I find the hinges really good and i've had a few good years out of it.

Eh - you have to take the good with the bad. I've been abused black and blue on these forums before over a failed fostering debacle, but at the end of the day i've also met some amazing people ..... Seperations are crap... I was lucky because my ex is a nice-guy and really we just looked at what was better for the dogs, but it wasn't easy. Best of luck - and at least you know on here there are people to talk to <3

I'm just gonna jump right in because I relate to this.... in my situation it came down to a discussion... at the end of the day my ex-husband and I sat down like grownups and thought first and foremost about the welfare of the animals. And we agreed on pretty much every front - the dogs shouldn't be seperated as they're companions, and that as I was living in the house we owned and taking over the mortgage while he moved into a rental, he agreed that I should keep the dogs with me, and he'd come visit them now and then, like, maybe weekly. Thing is... he never visited. At the end of the day he decided that I had the time and commitment to take better care of their needs and it was less painful for him to not see them, than to "visit" like there was shared custody. It sucks, but i'm grateful to him for making that decision. Break ups are yuck, but how you behave during them determines how much more painful it's going to be. Talk to your ex, agree not to name-call, point fingers or blame, and just be mindful that you've made the decision to split, now remember why you liked each other in the first place long enough to be friendly and work out the nuts and bolts of who gets what. I also agree though, that trading off pets for furniture/monetary isn't a fair comparison and is a whole different matter. Talk about the pets. Make a decision. Then tackle the other stuff one by one, and try to be as civil as you can, because fighting doesn't make anyone happier.

Name: Sophie "Freestien Pagent" Nickname: Googer, Big, Fatbutt, She-Wolf. Breed: German Sheperd Gender: Female Desexed Age:2 Picture: there's one in my signature Where did you get them from? Free to good home from some people who treated her very badly - the rest is history! How often do you exercise your dog? Daily Do they know any commands? Yep - doing obediance and hoping to get to a trialling level - it's going to take alot of patience. Compete in any dog sports? Not yet but aiming for obediance and agility. Favourite treat: Cheese, Cabanossi, Dried Liver. Oh - and Softserve icecreams from MacDonalds Favourite toy: Her little brother - see below Or a soft squeaky like her i-squeak Funny habits or quirks: She stands with her front paw on the window ledge and stares in at us with her sad-face on when she wants inside. OH - and she's a blanket-hog! Hubby and I end up freezing and shes all warm and toasty on a pile of blankets gathered up beneath her in between us on the bed. What's their personality like? Very freindly playful girl - definately come out of her shell since coming to us, and very protective of us. Do they get along well with other dogs? Yes and no - theres 1 in 10 she gets agitated with - not to the point of an attack or anything, but some dogs and her just don't get on. Are they scared of anything? Nothing but the cats. teehee! What training methods do you use? Positive reinforcement? Corrections? Positive reinforcement via treats and toys and correction with a chain when needed. Name: Chase "Wonelook Sea Chase" Nickname: Chasey, little, stinky Breed: Border Collie Gender:Entire Male Age: 20 weeks Picture: As per my signature Where did you get them from? Registered Breeder friend. How often do you exercise your dog? Daily but for half the time as Sophie. Do they know any commands? Sit, Drop, Stay, Stand, Shake, Wave, Paws, Front, Return, Heel. He's a smart little boy. Compete in any dog sports? Not yet - will do obediance, agility, herding and whatever else he enjoys. Favourite treat: He has a sensitive tummy so hasn't had much experimenting with treats but when he has he's enjoyed dried liver the most. Favourite toy: His soft little football. Funny habits or quirks: Herding up all his toys in his crate before bedtime What's their personality like? Very outgoing little man, and very very snuggly - he's a cuddler. Do they get along well with other dogs? Yep - very well socialised and great with others. Are they scared of anything? Not a fan of having a bath - haha. What training methods do you use? Positive reinforcement? Corrections? At the moment purely positive other than a negative tone of voice when he's pushing it.

Another Uncle Albers feeder here - my GSD does well on it, and our BC will go on it when he's a grown up if it doesnt upset his tum as he's a bit sensitive and is on Eukanuba Puppy at the moment. We get out UA from Caboolture Feedmania.

Hi groupfive - will PM you straight away but VERY unimpressed that someone has a photo of MY DOG as their avatar? Please change it IMMEDIATELY. ETA i'm sure this was an accident from the "Candle" Avatars but still - a bit creepy! lol

Oh sweet - i'm so recording some of those on IQ and maybe i can pause in the ad, take a pic of my tv screen and upload it on here! lol

what :rolleyes: bloody idiots Well you can add me to the bloody idiot brigade! I've had this recommended by one vet and okayed by another. It's not something I use unless desperate, but when you've got a dog who won't drink in hot weather, if diluted powerade or gatorade gets her to drink then so be it! Sorry if I offended you Jess, I just had images from Nic's post of people giving their dogs bottles of gatorade etc to their dogs to attempt to improve their performance. Perhaps feeding heavily diluted power drinks for health reasons i.e. the dog won't drink and you are desperate, but I am sorry, I don't understand it purely from the perspective of "enhancing" the dog's performance. Yeah I didn't mean it as a really scandalous thing as i've heard from a Vet that so long as it's diluted with cool water and in small amounts it's good for rehydrating a dog on a hot day and the electrolytes help the dogs recovery time under environmental stresses (like heat). I have a good freind who has done this (you know her Huski) - when she's at a trial that starts at 10am for Agility and goes onto obediance in the evening and can go till 8pm and it's been a stinking hot day and the dog has like 3 agility runs she dilutes a little bit in water for the dog as a vet recommended it during the hottest hours of the day. She's also wearing a cool-coat soaked with cool water and laying on a cool bed in a covered crate but the heat still gets to some dogs more than others. It's not a regular thing or something that happens at every trial, but in the really hot months in QLD it seems to help her dog. ETA I should specify i'm talking about small amounts - like, a bowl of clean water, with a squirt of the powerade in it - and the sugary taste encourages the dog to drink up more than they may "feel like" at the time because the dog doesn't know what's coming up (eg, 2 back to back runs).

Yeah - try that with a GSD and a BC - hahaha. Damn long hair and double coats! hehe.

Oh that's a great idea! I love the whole low cupboard idea as you can put sealed containers of food etc on top They usually have lots of peices like that at op shops - i may have to get into the salvos store one of these days and see if i can get an old wardrobe i can sand back and repaint for all my doggy stuff! I've got hooks on the back of my front door where sophie and chase's leads, check chains and spare collars hang. There's a shelf in the laundry cupboard that houses spare hessian covers for their hammock beds, muzzles (for the previous foster Grey), and a bucket that contains doggie shampoos, shine sprays and doggie deoderant and my furminator, a good old fashioned tail comb (great for under BC ears!) and a brush. My Houndbag, walkie-belt (from aldi and the best one i could have imagined) and treat pouch has pride of place on my coffee table! Lol. That shouldn't be happening though but i usually get back from walks or training and ditch the gear, run to the shower and then crash on the couch - hehe. Doggie Meds (Advantix, Heartguard etc) and cat meds are in the top drawer of my office desk. I need to get more organised - we have such a small house though and other than the laundry and hall cupboards and the master bedroom have no built-in storage.

I've seen people giving their dogs powerade and gatorade at trials

Sophie (GSD) gets an outdoor shower - we got a fancy pants hose nozzle with 7 different spray settings - put it on shower and she loves it, just stands there while we hose all the nooks and crannies - have to do it on a nice warm day and then after a towel off she lays in the sun on the lawn and dries. Chase (BC pup) is a PITA! He HATES getting bathed. We bought one of those $5 hose things from woolies and it's great - I have to strip down to my undies and get in the bath with him though or he has an absolute fit - Amazingly though he loves being blowdried with the hairdryer! I do tend to take the dogs to a hydrobath every few weeks at the shelter i volunteer at - $5 a dog and they use a flea and tick rinse and its a really good "in between" clean for them - i wouldnt use a hydrobath if they were really grubby as it just recirculates the dirty water back over the dog.

I've not kept a training diary as it had never occured to me to do so! Think i'll start tonight

I dont know if i've already shared these.... not in this thread anyway I love this one - it's a mess and therefore "so us" - I call it "Family Portrait Fail" And this isn't me - rather my gorgeous hubby with the furkids!

Still thinking of you daily - and keeping these candles going.

I think all dogs do it - our dogs love the kitty biscuits (that's what we call it). It's a constant battle keeping them out of the laundry where the litterbox is!