Cuchulain

Thanks MTD, I'm getting one today for the first time and I think that's great advice. I'm taking Max with me to a show (we'll be camping) where I know there are a lot of ticks and a Preventic collar was suggested as an additional precaution I should take. I've never used one before.

Brooke, I cannot offer any advice but I admire you for what you are doing. Fostering kids is never an easy job and I, for one, wouldn't even contemplate it. I hope you manage to sort something out for Ben and that his problems are not health-related (although perhaps that might be a blessing in disguise?)

Max has had a biliary scare and we've not been walking since Monday. I also no longer have an internet connection at home so will only be able to post intermittently until I move. Max is fine now and so I will probably resume our amble around the block every morning tomorrow.

Yeah, Jake, I've had a look, the US$-ZAR exchange rate isn't really in our favour right now but I'm keeping my eyes open for discounted shipping (which is what really kills buying overseas for us). I've been drooling over the lovely stuff you guys in Aus can get for your dogs - we don't seem to have that much available over here! I've been looking in particular for food-based training aids like liver treats - nada! It's very sad really. Perhaps I should start importing from Aus in bulk and resell EFS

Yeah, I forgot to mention the poop scoop stuff, I have a box of stuff permanently in the back of the panel van. I did consider sleeping in the back of the van but it's too short and I think it'll be freaking uncomfortable with me and Max (RR) in the back. Great ideas, thanks guys. Crate is top of the shopping list but at ZAR3500 it might have to wait a little while. Sorry Pointees, we were posting at the same time. I don't have a coat for him yet but I think we'll be fine. Show is over the Easter weekend and it shouldn't be too cold (hoping and praying!)

Max's breeder, Cheryl Jacobs, takes back any of her dogs if the owner's circumstances change. She is very concerned about the welfare of her dogs and as far as I know all her pups are co-owned. I know that when my circumstances changed suddenly last month resulting in me having to rehome my 2 cats she was on the phone as soon as she knew about it to check that I could still keep Max. She offered temporary accommodation if necessary. In fact, Cheryl is awesome, I can phone her day or night if I have problems or questions, nothing is too much trouble for her and she phones regularly to check on Max.

OK, having investigated all the accommodation options available I have decided the only way I am going to be able to afford to go to shows with Max is if I camp. Now, the last time I camped was probably around 25 years ago when I ran the local Girl Guide troop. Since then many things have changed, as I discovered when looking at tents LOL - no more bell tents! YAY!!!! So we have a tent and a cooler box - hate warm beer! I'm sorted for what I need but what does Max need? Obviously food - his normal kibble and I was thinking the sachets will be easier away from home rather than tins. Food and water dishes and 20l of water from home. Then some toys (tug, chew toys, food cube and Kong), his zoom groom, tooth paste and dry treats (currently using Montego or Pro Bono), blankets, donut and his pillow (I don't enjoy sharing my pillow). I don't have a crate yet - I'm saving up for one, they are horrendously expensive - so he'll be tethered with the agility dogs while I work (either runner or steward) and then spend the rest of the time with me and sleep in the tent with me. Other than first aid stuff, what have I missed? I'm sure there's lots... OK, now the first aid stuff - I haven't a clue what I should be taking for Max...suggestions please! I don't currently have any first aid stuff for him. Does anybody else do this camping thing regularly? Am I nuts? I will compile a check list and post it for others to use - I like lists - they make my life soooo much easier.

and 2 more

Some pics taken this morning on our walk

I have been without a phone line or DSL connection at home since Tuesday. It was fixed (sort-of) last night but keeps crashing. We've walked at least once each day this week, with the exception of Wednesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday we've had a ball at the Archery range where we've been walking the 3D course (a couple of ks) - it's lovely in the bush, off-lead, with no other dogs to worry about! This morning I had a bit of a scare though as we returned to the shop at the range a family (well-known to me as feral!) had arrived - 3 children under 4 all unsupervised and mom pregnant again and she will sit in the door to the shop, obstructing the entrance with the smallest child on the ground at her feet. Fortunately for me I saw their car before Max saw the kids and managed to get his lead back on him. I did cut the stay short though as I don't "do" undisciplined kids. Mind you it was getting rather hot so perhaps it was a good thing PS, Max wants to play with the kids and is not aggressive, it's just that he is big and might hurt them.

I'm beginning to think the whole town is feral, jm266! It is very nerve wracking at the moment because I don't know where to walk that's safe for us anymore. I only have a short walk around the block where the workshop is and I'm not sure about that either anymore as on my way in to work I saw a pack of JRTs and a BC 2 streets away with no owners in sight. The beach is also not safe - loose dogs are also an issue there but I'm also afraid of the vagrants who live in the bushes all along our beaches. Perhaps I should have said "I think the whole county is feral"! PS will walk at lunch time if it's not too hot. EFS

Geez, Daisy, aren't you the lucky one! Can we swop please? Did the same walk again this afternoon - same issue at the first corner only this time there is somebody with the retriever. I stopped and asked the lady could she please tie her dog up somewhere else because he's causing problems for those of us walking past. I was polite but got an earful for my trouble. Sigh, some people. The problem is, if you don't know the dog is there and you blithely amble around the corner it ambushes you before you know what's happening. Somebody is going to get hurt there, mark my words! The JRT was not around this afternoon but it's owner was supervising staff loading stuff onto a truck, it looks like he got bitten quite badly. One eye is closed up completely, and his face is balloon-like on the side where she bit him. Looking at the length and width of the dressing I'd say he has at least 40 or 50 stitches holding that side of his face together. I feel a bit bad for just walking away yesterday :p but I don't think that I could realistically been of much use with Max around. At the time I didn't think he'd been nailed that badly to be honest and I'm wondering what happened after I left, because there was a lot of shouting and yelping as I turned the corner about 15m further up the road.

We had an "interesting" walk this afternoon. Since I had work to do at the Vet I opted to walk around their block which, until this afternoon, has been a really nice walk with no loose dogs. Hah! Our first encounter happened outside the estate agent on the corner where some moron had tied a Golden Retriever up around the corner in a doorway and given it a bone. So we come around the corner and into an aggressive resource guarding maniac! Fun! Fun! Fun! On the 3rd leg of the block we ran into a JRT, obviously recently had pups - also incredibly aggressive and threatening. Her owner thought it was funny when she tried to sneak up behind Max. I crossed over to him and explained quietly that if he didn't get his dog off the road and under control I fully intended reporting him to the police. (An empty threat as our police will do nothing, neither will the municipality but I had to try.) He laughed and said she couldn't hurt my "big dog" and "she doesn't bite." When I explained to him, again very quietly, that Max was only 5 months old and I was honour-bound to protect my young dog. I also pointed out my steel-toe caps and explained that once I was done with his dog I'd start on him! He got the point and picked the dog up and was promptly bitten for his trouble. I had a hard time not laughing! My parting comment was something along the lines of "I thought you said she didn't bite! I guess I'll keep walking this route for the entertainment value. I wonder how many stitches he needed in his face?

Max and I had an awesome walk this morning! :D It was just a bit on the warm side by the time we got home.

We had the most awesome walk this afternoon. First one since last week because of the heat. While it is still hot and humid it is much better than it was Max was brilliant, most of the walk was completed on a loose lead with very little pulling. Lots of stopping to sniff :D but NOT MUCH PULLING! Yay, I feel like we're making progress.

Still too hot to walk here! Temp. hasn't dropped below 33C night or day in nearly 4 days. I'm dying, there's no way I'm taking Max out ... sorry for letting the side down

No walk today as I was at a dog show in PE. My first as a dog owner and as an official. I worked in the office until entries closed, helped on the jumping and agility courses and did 2 stints as a decoy. I found it fascinating and even more of a political minefield than a cat show. Tomorrow I will take Max with me. We will have to leave home at 04:30 in order to get to the show ground before 06:00 at which time several major routes in and around PE will be closed for a cycle race. I have to say I'm not impressed with this at all as I will only be able to leave after 16:00 when the roads are once again open. On the upside, Max will spend the day with some of his best doggy friends and we will have a session with one of the agility trainers who has offered to help me with getting Max to focus. While strictly speaking not a walk I thought you might be interested in our alternate activities

Well, I wasn't brave enough to try the same walk again today. We ambled around the block at the Vet and had the nicest walk. After 2 minutes of pulling Max decided it was too hot to run or pull and settled into a nice steady walk. Now that his legs are longer that means while he's ambling, I'm walking briskly and in the heat it wasn't really funny but I was grateful he was walking on a loose lead with only the odd stop for a sniff. I think we might be getting somewhere

What a horrible experience Max and I have just had. Instead of walking him around the block at the workshop or the vet I made the mistake of trying to walk him around our own block at home. Bad move! The first problem came 5 houses into our walk when we were barked at very aggressively by a Great Dane over a 4 foot wall. I was afraid it was just going to step over the wall and eat both of us. His owner stood at the front door yelling at the dog to no avail. 2 houses further down Max was attacked from the rear by a Jack Russell X. He wasn't bitten but when the dog threatened me I yelled and kicked it and it backed off. Fortunately for it I was not wearing my normal steel toe caps. On the corner another Great Dane and 4 assorted dogs all threatening us with dire consequences should they get out. All along this road the dogs on both sides growled and barked aggressively. Turning the corner we were attacked by another Jack Russell X but this one decided discretion was the better part of valour and took off howling and all I'd done was glare and speak quietly! By the time we got home I was a nervous wreck. I am reporting both JR X's to the local municipality in the morning for what it's worth. I don't know to where they live exactly but I've got 2 cell phone pics, one of each dog, and a precise area in each street. Right now I could quite honestly never take Max for a walk again and it would be too soon.

Sorry, I've been AWOL...I've been having problems getting rid of a migraine and Max hurt his left back leg chasing the cats in the house on Tuesday. So no walkies for us so far this week I should be good for this afternoon, I will just have to see how Max is doing, if he's not limping then we can take "a stroll" (so the vet says) but then she's never seen Max on a walk!

Since I couldn't afford the crate (ZAR3500,00 + shipping) it wasn't even an option for me. I can understand why crate training is a good thing and I think I would probably have given it a go if I'd had a crate. I just watched Max carefully and I think I was really really lucky because although we had a few accidents he was really good about letting me know when he wanted out. He still is. I tend to spend a lot of time in my own world in front of a pc (I'm a computer technician by trade and he comes to work with me) and he has realised he has to really get my attention - a large foot in your lap does tend to work! I really didn't have any trouble with the house training. The first week I was taking him out every hour until I got a handle on his body language. Then I could see when he needed to go out. When he did his thing outside I made a big fuss of him and even gave him treats, but the treating stopped when he figured out he could just squat and not wee if I wasn't watching too carefully

We went to the beach yesterday - Max had a ball. We were out for about 30 minutes. This morning we had a nice steady walk around the block, about 10 minutes. I'm going to have to increase that next week I think. I just need to find a safe route with no loose dogs

Original Post/Poster - depending on the context

Well, I had a light bulb moment on yesterday's walk. I'm walking too slowly. If I jog then Max doesn't pull, but keeps a nice steady trot going. Now, if only I were built for jogging! I also forsee issues when he suddenly smells something interesting on the other side of the road and takes the shortest route i.e. straight in front of me! The mind boggles! Oh well, I guess I'd better invest in a decent pair of takkies!

I was thinking Ridgie X Boerboel, but I don't know how many Boerboels you guys have in Aus though.