Staff'n'Toller

Yeah I'm only getting up once this year at 4am.... That's plenty. Mel.

Dougie - probably best you steer away from the training forums, it's not your forte. Oh and is it a couple of days or 7 days after the 12 week vacc?

Staffies can and do learn bite inhibition, and they are quite good at it from their previous occupations. I originally wrote here to google bite inhibition, but I didn't like what it came up with so I have found some good sites for you! Clicker Solutions puppies and biting Ian Dunbar bite inhibition "Although the abrupt and total curtailment of puppy biting (if possible) offers immediate relief to most owners, it often reflects only a short-term gain and does not always augur well for the future. If the puppy is forbidden to bite, it will not have sufficient opportunity to learn that its jaws may inflict pain. Thus, if it is ever provoked to bite as an adult, the resultant bite is likely to be a hard one, causing severe damage. Certainly puppy biting must be controlled, but only in a progressive, systematic manner, where by the pup is taught to inhibit the force of its bites." "It may seem paradoxical, but puppies that are mouthing maniacs ad/or puppies that grow up with children are much more likely to develop gentle jaws and a soft mouth as an adult. On the other hand, shy, reserved and/or fearful dogs, witch often do not play as much and therefore seldom roughhouse or bite their owners, and breeds that have been bred to have soft mouths, seldom present much of a puppy problem to their owners and therefore do not receive sufficient feedback concerning the power of their jaws." It is much safer to teach a puppy of any breed to soft bite rather than punishing the biting full stop. Particularly if you do/want to have kids around the dog. What are you feeding your Stafford? Eating their faeces can be contributed to a few things and there are a number of possibilities to try out. Mel.

Just to confuse you even more my favourite is Epi-Soothe Shampoo and Lotion. ;) Mel.

I have tried the Fish Eaglepack and it works well, but the Z/d works slightly better. I would think you'd still see a difference though from feeding Euk FP- I found FP did nothing for my girl. Mel.

There shouldn't be any post-operative bleeding so you shouldn't need to clean it. The wound is best left to dry, if you bathe it everyday you'll only cause skin infection. Most Vets do give pain relief but some older ones still don't. Mel.

Hmmm I'm sorry I don't, it used to be on the Eagle Pack Oz website, but that is obviously down for a re-do. Australia Eagle Pack Pet Food Pty Ltd Tel: 61 39 583 2811 Fax: 61 39 583 3522 e-mail: [email protected] I know it's North Croydon, but other than that not sure. Perhaps shoot off an email to them? I know they are in Vic too. Mel.

Beaglenewb where abouts in Melbourne are you? I buy my Eaglepack from Scrub-a-dub dog wash in Ferntree Gully. I know there is also a Pet Supplies (they don't sell puppies) in Croydon that stock it and Pet Stock advertise that they have some of the varieties....there is one in Mitcham and some over the other side of the City. I know for a fact that Scrub-a-dub usually carry all the holistic varieties and will order in anything you want specifically. They are not difficult to find on the Burwood Hwy. My oldies have been on the Senior Hills and do very well on it...I have another dog on the prescription food for her skin and she looks better than ever, but of course it's what your dog does best on. Cheers, Mel.

You should be able to buy a clicker or i-click made by blackdog but through your Vet. Mel.

Congrats to you and your team MM!! Great to see multi-titled dogs...you must be so happy. Mel.

I use an undercoat rake on my double coated dogs. Kamuzz - for the feathers on my Toller I use a moulting/shedding comb for the ears, and the Plushpuppy Silver Bullet Brush, daily for leg feathers and tail. :D Mel.

Yup and that's exactly how they should be used. I also am much happier fitting them to homes where children may be holding the lead at times, as the design is quite different to the original and it would be much more difficult to cause injury with the infin8.

I would use the new infin8 over the traditional one for lunging, it's a fair bit safer, basically you could have it fitting like a martingale collar and by loosening the noseband right off you will have the least amount of tension over the front of the nose. The infin8 makes a good start as the dogs tend to warm to it alot quicker, it doesn't shut the mouth entirely and if you find it doesn't give you enough control then you can change to the original and the dog is already used to the feeling. My advice would be to email blackdog themselves and ask who is experienced with the infin8's in your area to fit one for you. Mel.

Yes there is a point in speculating, Staffshih can include this info if they choose to contact the RSPCA, and it may educate others on the signs of Distemper. ETA: Unfortunately the RSPCA are not usually quick to jump, in my experience of reporting serious cases from a Vet Clinic...so hopefully someone helps this dog, but I'm not really sure of the likelihood of that happening. Mel.

That's why I asked if it was Vaccinated, does sound like distemper. Mel.

Rally O ;)

As Helen says, we are probably just a few years behind in terms of Rally competition. I am spending some time with a Delta club here in Melbourne and they are keen to get it started and perhaps run some trials next year, so it's a shame you are in NSW. ;) In terms of clubs what suburbs are you close to or happy to travel to for training? I'm sure that you can find a more enjoyable club to train at and once you have a good standard of obedience then rally would be fairly easy. Mel.

Was it Vaccinated? Mel.

It actually is quite common and particularly in smaller breeds as the breeders believe it guards against the permanent teeth not coming through in the correct positions. If there are no baby teeth there, then the new ones can't come up beside them etc. I would never do it myself, and being an ex dental nurse am of the opinion that if they're gonna be crooked, they'll be crooked regardless! Mel.

Back to the original question :rolleyes: I have found that my pups tend to show me when they only need 2 meals a day, and this is usually before 6mths. Cheers, Mel.

Quite funny at our place, Geordie the Toller is too wimpy to pick up cicada's as they flutter his nose, then Gypsy the Stafford grabs it and runs away to eat them. :D

Well I was at a training club this morning but would never have taken my dogs out on a day like today. The temperature may be fine for you, but Staffords get very hot very quickly due to their short nose. I can't see how you would be getting the best out of your dog on a day like today. By 1.30pm it was 40 deg here in Scoresby. Obedience trials run right through the year, I don't see why you *have* to take your dog out in such heat. Build a bridge. Mel.

Perhaps you need to go with your trainee trainer and find the behaviourist that is supposed to be available at training - then you can both learn something. You're paying for private club obedience training so get your money's worth out of it. If you want a Vet Behaviourist in particular then I am happy to recommend one via PM. Sounds as though your problems with meeting other dogs are not simple (it never is) you need to be managing her/managing the situation/identifying what her triggers are/learning to identify what may be a problem and removing her BEFORE it becomes a problem and, finally, you need to be training and desensitising and working on her focus so that she can be relaxed and attentive to you as you move closer and closer to other dogs. It pays to bear in mind that not all dogs have well developed manners, particularly smaller breeds who may not have had the socialisation they needed as pups, and as a result your girl may be reading them quite well. You may also need to trust her a little more. BTW - There is no alpha rolling or discipline needed in that recipe above (apart from your commitment to helping her) and I have seen it work!! Mel.

I chose my Toller purely with agility in mind. After my little Stafford who has luxating patella's and OCD in her elbows (but loves agility) I wanted a medium sized, sound dog, with the health testing behind him who had longish hair to deal with the Melbourne winter. I find him just as demanding as when my Kelpie was young. But he is an awesome dog and he has an off switch. We may get into retrieving if his deep water swimming improves and I can refine his mouth hold. Mel.

Once upon a time I would have said the same thing, but my latest pup had the beginnings of it, a couple of weeks after arrival. Mel.