Staff'n'Toller

You are correct, it isn't recognised here, but a few of the Delta Cert IV course graduates have gone on to do the Diploma, they are happy to take international students and I think it's probably your next step-up from the Cert III you have done. I was more angling towards Steve knowing someone in your area, but I agree, shadowing him would be excellent.

Sounds as though you need to shadow someone relevant to the direction you want to take - hopefully Steve Austin can help you with that. You might be interested in the courses CASI have to offer. You've probably got some of the texts already.

Actually I'm looking at koolies. and maybe one Aussie kennel that has working lines.

Is it an Aussie you are getting? Just being nosey.

I wouldn't really contact until I was definitely ready to put my name on the list, and I would expect to have to give 12 months notice. So about 12 months prior I would start emailing. I guess you could email and ask what their wait time is or when they plan to have litters.

I just bought a hemp collar to try from Etsy.com. It's supposed to be bacteria inhibiting- to a certain extent - and dry quickly. It seems to be really soft and apparently it gets softer with wear. The lady I used makes them with metal snaps but I asked for plastic.

Good Trainers already teach this in puppy school and basic/intermediate obedience. People won't do two types of puppy classes, and most want a puppy 'playgroup' more than anything else, you have to let them down gently that 1 hour of free-for-all is counter productive, so I'm not sure how much take-up you'd get. Particularly if you're in an area where there's established puppy schools and clubs with good reputations pre-existing. Kerrie Haynes-Lovell - sure, but she has spent many many years working with other animals as well as dogs. People who work in shelter environments as behaviourists/assessors are also good as they get a rich education in a short period of time- if they can read all the communication correctly. ;)

Pretty much all metro kennels are booked out. It's worth checking with them of course, but most are all booked by beginning of October at the latest.

With the weather warming up, if your dogs go to the park, you have cats (particularly untreated cats) or neighbours cats move through your property I don't think it unreasonable that you will see a few fleas from time to time. If you are continuously using a product over the Summer that is the main thing- as Jumabaar says the fleas will die if they jump on and ingest the poison.

Skamper ramp is the only one I know of.

Xylitol (sp) is poisonous to dogs. Not sure if these amounts are correct, a phone call to your pet emergency centre is probably wise though. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2875

Surely if the valium works, and is only given during rain periods, and the dog is calm rather than being a mess for hours and not understanding why.... I'm not for medicating without trying other things first and I think there is plenty of positive anecdotal evidence for T-touch wrapping. But your Mum has to consider the dog's well-being rather than her own thoughts on medicating.

Which suburbs?

A lot of pups look like SBT's when little and grow up to be x's. You can copy and paste my stuff directly, if he was my friend I would tell him right now in the current climate - no DogsVic papers - biggest mistake of his life.

He absolutely MUST get one with pedigree papers since the new laws have been passed in Melbourne. He MUST be able prove it's not a Staffy X by certificate of parentage. Hip scores, elbow scores, patella checks of the parents and genetic testing for L2-hga. Health issues here: http://www.sbtcv.org.au/healthissues.html

You may find giving her the frusemide every day she gets rid of the fluid and then is not so incontinent- hard to tell, but your other option is to have it made up by a compounding chemist into a capsule or paste or gel. Your Vet should be able to ring them and find out your options. Cardiac ultrasounds are always done conscious, the dog has to be happy to lay on their side though.

Keep her quiet for the weekend, but if she were one of mine I would be a running full blood profile to see exactly what's going on - or rule some things out. You may need to talk with your Vet about the dosage and timing of the frusemide so she wees inside less, she will feel pretty average if she has fluid on her lungs all the time. Has she had a cardiac ultrasound in the last year? Yearly ultrasounds give you a very good idea of the size of the heart, how the valves are working and precisely how much fluid is on the lungs.

I would be beside myself...can only imagine how you are feeling. I guess all you can do at this stage is spend the weekend there and round up a few people 'known' to her if you can - to spread out and walk the tracks. I guess if it were me I would pick a high point and settle in from dawn until after dark, call periodically and pray she can track my scent.

Most pet owners, yep, but the other 44% of the population, maybe not.

Put some photo notices up at the key entrances too - it's possible some 4WD'ers have picked her up- if there are 4WD tracks there. Socks, shoes and undergarments are the best things for leaving scent articles, things that have been worn for 12hrs or more. For dogs that can air scent (and don't doubt dogs who have no experience can't do this, they can) wear a few layers of clothing when you are out searching, blow out a lot of air into the wind, shake your clothes regularly to dispel your scent out into the wind etc.

I would go out there and camp, walk a lot and call. Do some drives and leave some of your worn clothes around at certain points. Check them every day to make sure she's not hanging around them. Leave water there too. I only know anecdotally of dogs lost in forests and hunting dogs that are found days/weeks later, while they seem to find water they are not so good at finding food. In all the stories I've heard they are still there, very disoriented.

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I'm not sure what the answer is, really, here on the flip side I hear the most stupid excuses for Joe Citizen not wanting to bring a lost dog in to be scanned for a chip. There is an endemic line of thinking with people who are more than happy to keep steal your dog who feel no guilt because: "If I take him to the pound he will be euthanased - he is better off here with me." "He's not wearing a collar - owners mustn't care." "He was wearing a collar but no ID - owners mustn't care." "I can't see a microchip tattoo (most States don't do the 'M' tattoos) so he mustn't have a chip." "No I can't see any microchip (after we explain the chip is under the skin)." I don't really care about getting a fine for a dog not wearing a council tag either, but the dog has to actually get to the pound first. Haven's recents posts about her Mum's Labrador (and forgive me, I don't remember if she was wearing any ID off the top of my head) highlight extremely clearly that people will have your dog in their backyard and probably watch you walk the streets looking for it - wtf?!?! My oldies don't wear collars because they rarely leave the house, and if they did, they'd hang around in the front yard/front verandah. However my younger dog who WILL run off, I know it for a fact, he wears a decent sized tag with his name, 2 phone numbers and 'I am microchipped' engraved on it as well as a Vet number on the back (my work). I am playing on the guilt complex - "Oh this dog is chipped we better take it in."

The larger dog pack is 11-57kg.

There is, but I suggest taking your Lab and making sure they can jump in themselves. The new ones look lower than my 2005, but once your Labs are elderly you may be assisting in lifting in and out or having to invest in a ramp. we would never expect our lab to jump into any high vehicle...and that goes for him getting into the back of my teeny Toyota Yaris ...as soon as Wilbur's big enough to sit in the back instead of the seat, we'll be getting a ramp. We used to assist Casper (who passed in May) for the last number of years. He always either sat on the back seat & got in himself or we lifted him into the back of our (then) Laser. I don't mind investing in a ramp as i anticipate having labs for a long time yet and will get plenty of use out of it. Fair enough - didn't want you to get a rude shock!