Staff'n'Toller

Hehehehe Thought my ears were burning!!! :D I have a girly party tea thing in the afternoon...what time is the lure coursing??? I'll go back and check.... :p Geordie has just come to the conclusion that he is a man..7mths..so is having 'off with the fairies' episodes which include bird chasing.. :D

30 mins is way too long to expect a 13week old pup to stay pinned down for...even five minutes is pushing it IMO, he is already reacting fearfully/aggressively about being forced into positions- this may make it worse, or teach him that fighting the lead is ok. All that he will learn is frustration. Puppies this age are rarely knowingly dominant, but what they *are* doing is being a sponge, observing and taking note of who holds the power with their new pack...he may be trying things out to see where he stands. Instead of sinbinning him, try some puppy massage, learn how to relax him, remove him from potetially excitable situations with your son and redirect him to an activity more appropriate such as a stuffed kong or a pigs ear etc. Observe how your son is interacting with the pup- is it nice calm play? Or could your son be agitating your new pup by something he's doing? Be sure to supervise the play session then redirect your pup or son lol when play is getting out of hand- both child and pup need to learn how to interact with each other...it's not ever one sided with dogs and kids. A good book would be 'Dogs and Children' by Kaye Hargreaves you can get a copy from Natures Creatures Another great article is It takes a pack to raise a puppy! Bottom line is- if what you are doing to your pup causes fear or aggression- STOP DOING IT- you never want a pup to learn that their human is scary or unpredictable, never force a pup into a drop or an alpha roll. If you are unhappy with the puppy school- don't go back and find a more positive one, you need to live with your dog for the rest of it's life, if you are unhappy with the instructor then just don't return there. I never use sinbins in my puppy shools, I empower the owners to use redirection and massage, this is real communication and a tool that you can take with you once the dog becomes an adult. Mel. ETA: Vizsla's are real smarty pants!! :D They are gorgeous dogs when they know the rules and have some basic manners. Another link is Nothing in life is free you can start that straight away with your pup. And another link! :D Positive training clubs NSW Also browse the training pages at K9 Events- should give you some articles on dogs and kids.

I'm a bit disappointed I have to say...that the cost is now over 3 grand...I remember when it was 2500, I think that the price it is now is quite prohibitive- it's ok for me- I actually make money from my dog training as I take private lessons....and I can get the time off for the intensives because my boss sees it as practice building and beneficial. I feel sorry for those who are instructors at clubs and only volunteering- they have to pay, then get the time off, and they won't make the money back for quite a while I'd imagine. I think that if it's Delta's aim to make the Dog Training Industry more streamlined, defined and positive- they really need to look at the price structure. Just my 2 cents worth! Mel.

Groovy I believe Tollersowned is intending on registering too....but don't quote me Mel. ETA- in invisible ink teehe...make sure you do your forms nice and early- it's first come first served. ;)

SSSSHHHHH!!!! Don't tell anyone....I wanna good chance of getting in this year!!! Mel.

Good for you...??? I couldn't eat canned Vegies myself....my nan tried to feed me tinned potatoes once...they had no flavour whatsoever, and were full of salt, they all have salt added it's the main preservative. Organic vegies are so much better for you...and for the dogs I'm sure. Mel.

I don't think that using Malawash in your house would be a good idea. I believe the safety directions are such that it should be used in a very well ventilated area- i.e. outside. It is designed to be a pour over product, once you spray a chemical, it becomes airborne as well...not a good idea IMO. It's an old organophosphate, whilst there is no restrictions on it at the moment, there are reviews going on as to it's safety...it's half life is something like 50 years, I would never spray it in my house. Pesticides used incorrectly can be disasterous to our health as well as the animals.... Perhaps get a pest person out to assess the situation...I find that advantage works quicker in killing the fleas than frontline....I have the studies somewhere in my Vet Nursing notes, and that is true...they studied kill times of fleas after application of the various products. Mel.

To the SA ppl- my breeder in QLD asked her local pet supplies to get them in for her..and now they sell heaps of them so ask around your locals I have tried them...Geordie loves them, and I like the fact that they have the offal in them too!! When they are frozen, they are still easy enough to split with a knife, and I pull one out each day, so they are fresh. NB: The pack tells you to use an airtight container whilst defrosting- and you do need to do that since there are no preservatives....they go off fairly quickly!! :p Mel.

Kelabela- I did a four day intensive, down here in Vic- not show grooming but just the everyday clips that you would see in a grooming parlour i.e. Maltese, Westie, Cav, Border Collie, Sheltie etc. I only do my neighbours dogs and a couple of very special clients, I couldn't do it all the time...but I do enjoy seeing the finished product, so in that way there is satisfatction. What may be of interest to you is that in my course, there was a chick doing it so that she could clip the dogs at a big shelter down here, to try to improve their looks so that they would be adopted. Not sure if she was a volnteer or a paid person at the shelter, but if you were to offer your services, a shelter may get to like you and offer you some renumeration down the track?! You would be helping out some rescue doggies as well. Mel.

Which State are you in? Mel.

Other thing you could try is calling around some pet supplies and Vet clinics- see if they have a customer rewards or VIP club. We have one at my clinic, that is available to all our regular Hills buyers- buy 6 bags and get the 7th free, this is an ongoing promo, so overall it reduces the bag prices, as you're getting every 7th for nothing. Mel.

Sounds good...I am only just starting out with BARF too...so the more experienced BARFers might give some great advice. Two things- I have used a food processor in the past so that you can puree the vegies- I've read that's how they get the best from them. Can you get the BARF patties up there? I just bought a roll today, but they seem to take the hard work out of things for you....just need to supplement with the bones and the fish. My breeder in Brissy asked her pet supplies to get them in, and apparently they are very popular there now. Mel.

I think I caught it!!!!!! AAAAAGGGHHHHHH *runs off screaming*. Mel.

Mine's a little different....so I thought I'd post that too. Mel. When Tomorrow Starts Without Me....... When tomorrow starts without me, and I’m not there to see; The sun will rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me. I wish so much you wouldn’t cry the way you did today, Remembering how I’d lay my head in your lap that special way. I know how much you love me, as much as I love you, And each time that you think of me, I know you’ll miss me too. But when tomorrow starts without me. Please try to understand, that an angel came and called my name and petted me with her hand. She said my place was ready, in Heaven far above, And that I’d have to leave behind all those I dearly love. But, as I turned to heel away, a tear fell from my eye, For all my life I never thought that I would have to die. I had so much to live for, so many "sits" and "downs" to do It seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you. I thought about our lives together, I know you must be sad, I thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had. Remember how I’d nudge your hand, and poke you with my nose? The frisbee I would gladly chase, the bad guy, I’d ‘bark and hold’. If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while, I’d wag my tail and kiss you, just so I could see you smile. But, then I fully realized, that this could never be; For emptiness and memories will take the place of me. And when I thought of treats and toys, I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you and when I did, my dog-heart filled with sorrow. But then I walked through Heaven’s gate, and felt so much at home, As God looked down and smiled at me, from His beautiful golden throne. He said, "This is eternity, and now we welcome you, Today your life on earth is past, but here it starts anew. I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last; For you see, each day’s the same day, there’s no longing for the past. Now you have been so faithful, so trusting, loyal and true; Though there were times you did things, you knew you shouldn’t do. But good dogs are forgiven, and now at last you’re free; So won’t you sit here by my side, And wait right here with me?" So when tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we’re far apart. For every time you think of me, I’m right there, in your heart. Karen Cusimano

It may be too late....but I really love my mattbreaker.. You have to spend the money and buy the real thing..and if you're a lefty your can change the blades around. :D Mel.

Jenny just out of interest, do you have many Vets on the Vaccine discussion lists that you are on?? Just popped into my mind, and I was interested to know... Mel.

I read somewhere that dead tail is fairly a common/normal occurance, and happens mostly with working gundogs that are swimming alot. I haven't seen it....but are you on the Toller list? Why not post it on there...there are a few general lab/retriever owners on there as well I believe. Mel.

Perhaps an ultrasound of the belly?? Mel.

What state are you in Melt? Cause I found good prices on K9 + Katz kitchen that home deliver here in Melb. Mel.

I have just bought the holistic select fish and oatmeal to try on my Staffy with allergies to large/common proteins....sounds silly but it certainly smells like fish...which is a good sign. Looks as though it doesn't have as much air pumped into it either. Mel.

I'd be very interested....I'm in Melbourne but would probably travel to Sydney if needed. Mel.

Hills I/D is really the best thing to start the dog on after a bout of pancreatitis...then slowly introduce other very low fat foods- but good luck trying to find them. After an episode, dogs tend to be more sensitive to fat, and the foods that they used to be able to eat, they can't tolerate anymore. Each time the dog has another episode of pancreatitis, it tends to be worse, and takes the dog longer to recover, pancreatitis is a serious condition, it's NOT something you want to play around with just because your colleage feels they are being ripped off by the Vet. If the dog wasn't hospitalised & on IV fluids this time, then it may well be next time. Mel.

I think what K9 means by reactive vs. proactive is that in reactive, the dog is only ever responding to the correction, and is ignoring the zing as it's not not powerful enough- it's like you're double correcting, only the 'zing' is nothing but hot air, and perhaps just a preceder telling the dog the real correction is coming next.... A proactive dog is one that learns very quickly to show the behaviour in order to avoid the correction, the dog is thinking. Giving corrections constantly means that it almost becomes part of the sit position, or part of the drop position, the dog relys on it, and it becomes a routine for the dog. Feel free to correct me K9...that's just my take on the discussion. Mel.

Well done t-time, it sounds like you have worked very hard to improve this dogs situation...if even just for a short time. Good on you!! :D Let us know what the outcome is, if you keep in touch with them, I'd be interested to know. Mel.

We do about a 30% markup on the routine stuff...and for the reasons that Rappie said. Bear in mind that the emergency centre probably has the machines on-site, and they cost a fortune to rent and maintain. We send our blood off...so we wait for the results...mostly impatiently. LOL Mel.