Niques

We did crawling quite a while ago. He was fairly mediocre at it - tended to just thrash wildly and flop over after a couple of feet of crawling But he can only do it on carpet as the tiles are too slippery, and I've been trying to keep His Hairy Highness off carpet recently Perhaps when it stops raining and the grass dries out, we shall work on improving it. Non-food rewarding is a very interesting idea and I shall definitely give it a shot in the morning! Thanks!

KG, in regards to him not holding a stand, have you tried building it up in small increments? So if he's holding the stand for only a second, then reward as soon as he's up and gradually start waiting a fraction of a second longer before rewarding? Alternatively, does he have a "free" command? I was, initially not a fan of "free" but had to teach him for his Puppy Obedience course as the instructor wasn't a fan of "stay". Rather, she believes that the dog should obey until released. And teaching it has actually helped a lot in maintaining sits, downs and stands as he knows that a reward will come for breaking the position only when I release him. I want to see some work-in-progress videos of Max and Ruby learning to jump through arms and hoops...particularly the outtakes If James could jump reliably I would definitely be inclined to try. What tricks is everyone currently teaching/have taught? James and I plateaued some time ago, in terms of new tricks, and I'm looking for something to catch my eye so we can work on new things.

Generally about 3km in 40 minutes. We tend to dawdle and meander when walking through parks (i.e., most of our walk). I'm in the process of teaching him to jog in the hopes of having more straightforward, purposeful outings, but he alternates between a veeeeery slow trot (much slower than my normal walking speed) and a full on sprint. I can only get a decent jogging pace out of him for about 300-400 metres.

James loves watching sport Dogs and other animals on the screen will excite him temporarily but he starts ignoring them again fairly quickly. The only time he actually sits there staring at the television for an extended period of time is when the cricket is on. And rugby, to a lesser extent. It's very funny. I assume the uniforms contrast nicely with the field and catch his attention.

A chocolate guide dog puppy used to occasionally turn up to James' puppy preschool classes so they are out there. Personally, I'm all for blacks and yellows - really don't like brown on a lab.

James is exactly the same. It used to take ages to get him to eat his worming tablet until I gave up being nice and now just stick my hand down his mouth. A combination of smothering it in cottage cheese (or similar - yoghurt, maybe) and manually sticking it in might help if your parents aren't putting it in far enough. I used to only put it near the back of his mouth and he did tend to swallow it from that point if covered in cottage cheese.

The vets should do to the dog what needs to be done. I, as a lay dog owner, have no idea what is required (or not) during surgery nor the impact of refusing the offered "sides". And if they are going to offer "extra" things it should be done at time of booking so owners are able to do a little research.

I want a puppy again Getting in on the photo action: Can't go past a baby lab face. So squishy.

James was with PIA as well, but we're currently shopping around as his premium has jumped $100+ from last year.

What breed is this handsome devil?? Quite obviously, Labradors are by far the cutest puppies. I was starting to think a couple of you had a fair case going for some other breeds (particularly the baby borzoi!), but then RubyStar posted photos and I remembered why you just can't compete with a Lab puppy I'm also a huuuuge sucker for GSD puppies. Anything with particularly enormous paws is also a winner.

The corvid research is really interesting. I had a lecturer who's big in the field of Mental Time Travel in non-humans and it's a fascinating topic. Personally, I don't think dogs have anything more than the ability to process to external cues (and learn responses to them) and their own circadian rhythm.

Poor Max Is he quarantined from this point or are there still more tests needed to confirm? James is home. Got a call fairly early on because he was crying so much and they thought he'd be better off at home He keeps whimpering and it's quite heartbreaking. Although I think the "cone of shame" is causing him a lot of dismay. His bedroom has been moved upstairs because the e-collar gets caught on the stairs and he couldn't come up. So it's easier to keep him up here. One lot of good news is that apparently his ears aren't infected again I was certain he had a bad one.

Blimey! Neglect this thread for a couple of days and there is much to catch up on! Have dropped James off for desexing this morning. His whole body was wagging in excitement - ignorance is bliss! As they took him off out the back he ran into the bin and sent it flying Classic James. Have given them a sizable list of things to do with him whilst he's knocked out, including prodding a disturbing lump on his wrist. I love (KTB's?) Spitz thought pattern explanation James always has a resigned expression on his face when doing tricks - "Well, if you insist, I will lie down. Please note my protest on the record."

I think that James thinks he is the wonderful hunter because bones magically appear for him at dinner time. I doubt I cross his mind in the whole process except as "person who helpfully carries my bones outside for me and tells me when I can start eating" Unless I've just come home from the shops with his bones - then I get a, "Oh yes, I see you've brought me something!" dance/sniff/bench surfing routine until they're packed into the freezer.

Unfortunately all of the larger dog towels are being washed, but here's an attempt of James in "Granny" clothing. Looks much better with a big towel. And looking disturbingly like a nun! Lilli_star, we experienced the cracked clamshell a few months ago. Fortunately it's broken in such a way that there's actually minimal leakge so there's bit of life in it yet. But good to hear of Ruby's growing interest in water! Betsy, I am very curious - what is a Lawn Saving Rock? I can't for the life of me work out what it could be :D Nearly 1, already! Time really flies. Raven, very cool dog tags I keep meaning to get James a new one but just can't make up my mind. I can't recall - how old was Astrid when she had her photoshoot? It will be wonderful for you to have professional shots of her as a little tyke! It's a bit of a pity the thread went Kaboom. There was huge potential for learning to occur on both sides. Shame it failed spectacularly. Although, at least I know who not to approach for a poodle! Speaking of poodles, friends we stayed with in Sydney have two "cavoodles" and I completely fell in love with the littlest one. She was absolutely tiny - toy poodle size - and just so gutsy. It was ridiculously cute watching her climb across people on the couch - very much like she was surmounting Everest :D I thought it an interesting example of personality winning over preference: I am so not a small dog or even a poodle person but two days in that house and I was contemplating a toy poodle for my next pup! :D Thankfully the effect has worn off with time...I'm really not a little dog person :D I am, however, rather infatuated with Rough Collies at the moment. Regarding chocolate labradors, from what I gathered when researching, I think there's a fairly strong movement within the lab community against breeding purely for chocolate. But like you say, there aren't the inherent health problems that are found in say blue or white dogs. I think the primary problem is that perhaps some of those breeding solely for the chocolate colour may not be as concerned with the health or conformation of the resulting pups, as long as the colour is right. Personally, I think that yellow puppies are the cutest but blacks are the most distinguished as adults :D

I get the strangest reactions to James' name. People always look taken aback, then pause, and, almost without fail, then repeat it in a tone suggesting that they're trying to wrap their head around it. It's very predictable and absolutely hilarious to watch. Many also feel compelled to add a title - Lord James (this one is surprisingly common), Sir James, etc. His full name is James Barnabas Surname. I'll keep using "human" names on my pets as long as humans keep using made-up, misspelt and cross-gender names on their children

Oh yes, I was particularly charmed by that display of intellect. Poor Elbie! Hope he has it all out of his system. Dog laundry is never a pleasant business. I particularly hate trying to make sure there are no chunky bone bits caught up in blankets before throwing them in the wash I shall endeavour to photograph "Little Old Granny James" in the morning. It's very cute, if I do say so myself. Hoover looks suitably exhausted from trawling the desert. No flambéeing here - I'm happy to admit there are dogs that are dogs I don't find visually appealing. Chocolate labs being one, actually. Would have fairly happily taken a yellow if that was all that was available, but couldn't do chocolate. Oh, that's such an "awwww" moment ;) I'm impressed at Genevieve's ability to seek out a cooler sleeping spot! Very innovative.

I contemplated Dog for James for the Footrot Flats reference. Sadly, vetoed :D Poodlemum, humans used to commonly reuse the names of dead children on subsequent births - clearly that indicates that children held no value to their parents Hell, the dog doesn't even know it's his "name" - he just knows he's meant to show some response to it. As for why we anthropomorphise...I wasn't aware we had any other point of reference with which to judge the world. Why some people go to such extremes with it is a whole other psychological kettle of fish.

Oh dear, I feel a little guilty now. James frequently has a towel thrown over him and it's called his "old woman" look Nothing quite so distinguished as Hoover of Arabia! In my defence, he does very much look like he belongs in a Little Red Riding Hood pantomime playing the Wolf dressed as Granny Clastic, I do hope Mr Clastic is okay and his finger heals up neatly! Leroy's a very cute fellow! I always wanted a python as a kid but felt that both me and the snake would soon become bored with each other. Nice to look at, nonetheless! I am paranoid about snakes at the moment - one of our garage doors is broken and won't shut the remaining half inch or so to hit the floor. Plenty of room for a snake to come in and James sleeps in the garage! I'll be putting him back in the safety of his crate tonight - hopefully he won't overheat! KTB, I like your occasional "controversial threads of DOL" wrap-up They're terrific to read (with a slightly bemused shake of the head) when bored. I must confess to being very frustrated at the "Puppy Enquiry" thread at present. It's aggravating. Speaking of stories like this (ridiculously cute) guy's, I read in the paper the other day, the story of a JRT who was adopted from a shelter before being promptly returned because his colour clashed with the woman's décor Your OH is very sweet, regardless of the intention for the "pillow" Glad to hear I'm not the only one having doggy dreams, Lilli_star! Good luck with Astrid's teething, Raven! And don't feel bad about your lack of knowledge re: Odin's teeth - I casually asked James' vet (when in on a completely unrelated tick visit) what to look for when his adult teeth started coming in and she looked a little bewildered and kindly pointed out that he already had a great deal of his adult teeth Look at the concentration going on there, Kylie :rolleyes: Echo looks like a very bright spark. I love photos of his and Astrid's paws - dobe paws are so delightfully enormous and cute! So James and I have started jogging. Sort of. The past few days we've been running the er, 500m () back from the park. Probably good to start off slowly though as I haven't done any running in over a year and James is well...James I still think he's a little young to be doing prolonged running as well. It's much more entertaining for me though and it's actually much easier to control him when we run.

James would look much too girly in a purple collar. Currently he's in black but he's cuter in red He gets mistaken for a girl enough as it is. Despite the bloody great big balls between his legs! And even after introducing him as James. Although one woman who did actually get his gender right then proceeded to start calling him Jimmy Can't win.

Had the strangest dream last night where Elbie and James were in the same obedience class. There was a third dog as well but I can't remember who it was - I know Kuma was mentioned at one point but I don't think it was him. And Elbie had a bit of a reputation as a clever hound. A non-doggie friend of mine was there and wanted to know the name of the black and white dog was because they'd heard great things about how clever he was Oh, and James could talk... Clastic, your two look like such characters! I wish I could meet them. I love your photographs, Sammie. You've an excellent eye for artistic shots. And a decidedly cute subject! Raven, the holiday sounds like a fantastic experience for Astrid, especially in terms of socialisation.

James is normally outside for breakfast and dinner, but he doesn't care about the food when he is in. He gets outed during meals simply so he won't get up to mischief while we're eating. Lunch, on the other hand. He gets bits of crust at the end of lunch so will normally lie down at your feet. Occasionally he'll try to sneak his head onto the plate but he's normally good. And I share a piece of fruit with him most days for his afternoon tea With other snacks he generally hangs around looking wistful for a little while but eventually gets the message.

I'm Western suburbs. Not sure how well structured walking with other dogs would be received by James ("What?! You want me just to walk next to them the whole time? No playing?!?!) but perhaps a play session could be in order when it gets a little cooler? There are some thirsty dogs out there! James really only empties a bowl when he's seriously tuckered out after a long, hot walk. Admittedly, he gets a lot of his water out of the swimming pool ( ) so I can't judge exactly, but he really doesn't drink that much. But then, my dog takes after me and is generally a lazy slug We haven't walked in days as unless I'm up at 4am it's too hot for me, let alone him. I would consider a 5:30am or even late evening walk but this weather is so unpleasant around the clock! So these days he's been active for about 60-90 minutes in the morning, stealing things and being chased around the yard and whatnot, and then inside for a day of napping in the air-con "Ah, yes - I see you've been having some trouble with the second molar?" Hoover's looking very adult-sized next to all the other dogs. I hadn't realised he'd grown so much! Fantastic for (and a credit to) you Canberrians that they're so happy and well-mannered around each other!

Eugh, I frequently curse the stupidity of whoever it is who keeps putting tags on dog items. Not too hard to forsee that the dog will eat them, thus unravelling whatever so-called "sturdy" item they're attached to I'm very jealous of anyone whose dog is actually repelled by Vicks. I tried it on the TV table when James was very, very young in an attempt to keep him away from the corded area - it drew him in like a moth to flame! He'd just stand there licking it. Second the calls for a video of Mr Koala's beg I was very impressed with Elbie and Hoover's condition Sleek puppies!