Staff'n'Toller

I am of the understanding that they clarify the rules when there is a dispute (friendly or otherwise) between the judge and a trial participant.

Alleyways are difficult for dogs. We live next door to a kindergarten and generally have always lived in harmony with them (we were there before the kindergarten and it was supposed to be a reserve). But the parents committee in their infinite wisdom have decided that the kids' cubby house, veggie gardens, wheelie bins and anything else they can think of should be placed directly up against on our border fence. Blocking access is not fixing the behaviour but it's the path of least resistance. It will make your dog safe and the people walking past safe, and reduce your dog's anxiety about it.

Your dogs might be fine, it's just my personal observation. :)

It can be quite difficult if you have two dogs in the class who are best friends or live together or related (even worse) as you found with the howling dog. If they are going to disrupt the class, they are better off working next to each other, or better still, only one dog is on the grounds and the other is elsewhere (preferably at home). No matter how much we inform owners of siblings or house mate dogs to do tonnes of separate walking and trips before 16 weeks, they either don't do it or don't do it nearly enough.

If they are positive focused and up-to-date they should have no problems with you stepping out of your place in line and working beside the class with your dog if you feel you need to. That way you get more attention on you and many more opportunities to reward your pup for correct behaviour. :) The best spots for you to be, in a grid formation is at the very back or on the side edge/s. That way you can take a few steps back, or a few steps out to the side for a few weeks until you feel you've got a handle on it. That's what I do if I'm working my own dogs in that sort of class. Just my two cents worth. :)

It seems like the creators of Noseworks want to keep very close tabs on it. I believe Nosework trialing is Nosework racing actually. No reason why you can't do both. :)

It helps if the snap hooks and D rings are stainless steel. Blackdog Wear make SS as special order. I'm sure there are others too.

Ooh, I've had a few dogs race up the hill to the high path. Mainly because they see Geordie's fluffy tail swinging around (it's always up!) attracting unwanted attention. :laugh: ETA: I'd like to explore Cardinia Reservoir too, but I think there are dog 'no go zones'..??

Kirty I have the same sort of issue, not that we have had dogs get loose but have been rushed numerous times by dogs who have no recall. My previous 3 would have dealt with it well but my current boy gets overwhelmed and I don't think it's fair to put him in a position where he may feel like he needs to protect himself using offense. I put an ad on gumtree to 'rent' by negotiation a paddock or private property with no livestock, but have not had any replies. I might look at letter box dropping the properties around me though as they seem very quiet and unused. I use Lilydale Lake occasionally, but I park at Bellbird Park and walk in - and we turn around before we get to the off-lead area. I also use the parks victoria park behind Heide Museum as you can walk around the outside (all on lead) and sometimes the off lead park is empty. There is also a back exit to that off-lead park so if you see people coming in the front with dogs you can nick out the back. :) The tennis racquet is a good choice to carry also, as it just looks like you are going to the park to hit tennis balls to the dogs but you could use it as a blocker if a dog came up to you. Not a guarantee but might give you enough time to accost the owner to grab their dog. :laugh:

It may not be, but long-term cephalexin therapy is the first requirement where infection is/was present, so it's not for us to say which medications the dog should or shouldn't be on. We are not qualified to give that sort of advice. Are you under the care of a specialist dermatologist redangel? Or is your regular vet doing the initial work-up first?

I had a wonderful Frenchie just recently in my puppy school and it nearly made me go buy one right then and there! The guy had nothing but praise for the breeder and the dog was well put-together with a great temperament. I'll see if I can get the details for you.

My Stafford was on Z/d for many years, helped a lot. Was able to get her off cortisone. But her symptoms were itchy all over, sores in the armpits and hotspots on the head and neck. Classic food allergy. Dogs may have lived without the intervention, but we see dogs in remote communities with compromised skin and immune systems and, well, they die - they don't just magically get better. That's what happens to unwell dogs that are left to fend for themselves. They are eating the same food as the other 8 dogs in the house but for some reason they are poorly. You need a plan, not just willingness to make a home prepared diet. You either need to go to the specialist and spend lots of money finding out what your dog is allergic to, or you need to go find a holistic vet (and spend lots of money) who can guide you through cleansing the system and re-introducing food in a careful way. Or you can accept that your dog may always be on cortisone and that diabetes, cushings et al are risks of the use of this long term. Dermatology is the gold standard for treating skin issues, particularly where a high dose of cortisone is needed to control symptoms. There are other better alternatives. If this is the case with your dog then you need to look deeper at the reason why. Fortunately you have been very lucky owning healthy dogs thus far, this one obviously needs more help. To give you a really simple story, my sister has allergies, after allergy testing the biggest allergen was pine - pine oil, pine trees, pine needles. When she moved out of home her hayfever improved dramatically because she was away from the old vacant block 3 houses down, full of pine trees!! You may find the biggest allergens are not food at all and something that you can control or remove, but you won't know until you skin test.

My experience is that most pet owners are unaware of the rule. If they are, they think it doesn't apply in a totally fenced dog park.

Thanks. Thanks to you for being head IT person and sorry again for the roof issues.

Zoff is quite good on adhesives, but a few safety precautions, be careful in an enclosed area because of the odour, absolutely don't splash any near his eyes, put it on cotton wool first, and after you've applied it, rinse the ears with water. It can be quite irritating to the mucous membranes and it stinks. :)

Rain forecast is only for 1-4mls and wind easing a bit hopefully. :) Justrace - your dog is Murphy, yes?

Megan, can you please check your email? Thanks. :)

That's perfectly reasonable about the desexing. It doesn't matter whether you desex now or later, but if you desex later and he has testosterone related behaviour issues then the dog park activities might have to cease or you may need to be choosy about when you go there. Training is great because it's a team effort and most of all, he gets to practice his communication skills and calming signals in a non-confrontational way i.e. all dogs walking parallel to each other in the same direction.

If you intend to keep him entire, mixing with other male dogs, around his age and also entire will have to be carefully monitored from now on. Also, you need to protect your dog from other dogs that are bullies, and that will often mean leaving the park, not leaving it up to him to fend for himself!! Are you going to dog training classes with him? Because you often write as though it's you against your dog's behaviour - and it shouldn't be that way at all. You are a team, you are responsible for his behaviour, if you don't know how to manage situations like that so it doesn't cause more stress for him, best you seek out some professional advice NOW.

Oh thanks, interesting! :) Btw not stalking you, I am lurking in this thread as I will be getting a new pup but probably not until next year.

Even if he sleeps inside try a coat at night time, it keeps their hips warm. Discuss the option with your vet because cartrophen can be really beneficial and if you have a starting point then it will be easier to make an objective decision about whether he needs more medication later on. I use the osteocare chews too because they are easy and I like that they are from Blackmore's. But there is a recent study on how good green lipped mussel powder is and you can buy the actual dried mussels online - the dogs love them. If you haven't had any bloods done on him then now is a good time to get a baseline. I like to do my first baseline bloods at around 8 years. I have found early issues in my dogs that way. No comments on rose-hip as I haven't used it personally and we don't sell it so I have no feedback. :)

How did you get your stock controller job dotdashdot? Were you a stock controller previously in another industry?

Most emergency vets have this sort of credit line available so if you had insurance I don't see why you wouldn't be approved. You'd just be out of pocket for the start-up fee.

When I did a claim for my dog that hadn't needed to visit a vet in about 2 years, they didn't believe there was no medical history for that time period, so they just asked me to sign a Stat Dec stating that to my knowledge, this was the complete history for the dog. Perhaps your friend can say something relevant to the previous owners being non contactable on a Stat Dec.

The fresh stuff is really nice, and has seasonal differences in taste depending on what grasses etc. the goats are eating. Liddell's make a lactose free yoghurt now (also in Woolies) it's usually up on the top shelf in the fridge section.