Whippetsmum

My boy does Nothing at all, didn't blink, just stayed where he was. My girl barked defensively, she probably would have tried to take the Coyote on.

Most kids have very short attention spans for almost everything.....sadly this includes dogs. It doesn't mean that a child can't help out with looking after any pet, it's just that the dog or other pet will always remain 100% your responsibility as the adult. My son was 7 when we got our second dog, the pup that came home with us was the pup that most responded to our son. We couldn't pick between the 2 pups that were available to us otherwise. We made all the decisions, we already owned a Whippet, had been looking for the right pup for some time, we chose the name as we knew that we'd be sticking with the name for a long time, and at 7, my son's choice of names were apalling. At 7, son promised to look after the dog, train it, feed it etc, which of course, he didn't. He meant it at the time, it's just that chidren don't have a concept of "forever". My son is now almost 12 years old, he loves the dog, and they love cuddling on the lounge. The dog is more conscientious than the boy, at least he remembers every morning that he has to wake up my son. I don't remember when my son last offered to feed the dog. The dog also remembers to exercise our son several times a week, he gets his Frisbee out and tosses it at my son. The dog has sucessfully trained the child to throw the Frisbee, every time he drops it on the child's lap.

I haven't heard sensory homeostasis, but you may want to look up "Sensory Processing disorders" in human Paediatrics. In sensory processing theory, they talk about over reactive systems and under reactive systems. The ideal would to be have a balanced sensory system that was neither under or over reactive so I guess that could be interpreted as sensory homeostatis?

Cucumber leaves, Zuchini leaves, and baby tomatoes- nothings survives the Whippet's grazing.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a behaviourist around The Hills- Windsor in NSW? Thanks

Congratulations on getting Luuka home safely. I hope she wasn't hanging out with a boy dog! She could get Cooties or worse.

It depends entirely on the weather- rain means they're in the garage with their bedding. Fine weather means they are on the deck with access to the yard. Once we have roof on the deck, they'll be outside rain or shine.

Is Quinn doing OK after her unauthorised snack?

You greet strange children with "Wait"/"sit"/"Stay" and appropriate signal, and wonder why they don't respond.

Although it is compulsory to microchip dogs and cats before selling or giving them away in NSW, there must be a lot not complying. Both my current council and previous council have free microchipping days several times a year to cope with the non compliance.

I'm really curious now. When does something with wheels become a vehicle? Would Roller blades, skates and skateboards be included? (they're the one's that seem popular around here with dogs and leads). The other thing with the law is that although says you're not allowed to lead an animal, horse drawn vehicles seem to be Ok (or do they have a special permit). If horse drawn vehicles are Ok, would a dog drawn sled be different? (not for my Whippets of course)

Don't get sucked into looking after your friend's dog if you are not totally comfortable with it. Your friend needs to go and check out kennels, find one she can happily leave her dog in, book it and then budget for the baording fees. School holidays/Easter could well be in the time frame, and some kennels get pretty booked out. 10 weeks is 70 days, if it's $18 a day (price fee for a dog under 10kg on one Australian website), that's $1260. Some kennels might offer discounts for long stays. If it's a cold climate, the kennels might need to be heated which could be extra.

I really hope the neighbourhood settles down after the commotion, and you don't have a repeat of last night. Keep in mind that all of you are safe, and that should be what you focus on. We had a GSD growing up that got kicked by intruders, he was very sore for a few weeks, and he never let anyone in the yard again. I don't want to come home to that ever again- an injured dog is worse than having something missing. If mine slept through a break in, and were still snuggled up in their bed when I got home, I'd be relieved. It worries me that the Police officer didn't think the Police dogs could be controlled to prevent a dog fight. Was it the dog handler who made the remark, or the general officer? The handler would be aware of the potential dangers in back yards including dogs, and wouldn't want their dog injured, I'd think they would be pretty capable of managing most situations.

Great news, at least the "Off leash" dog is enough for council to take an interest. It could save a lot of heart ache if these people just used a leash.

It does matter when you report a dog attack- the sooner the dog is reported the more likely it is that council will respond sucessfully- so get on that phone, and make it a priority! The longer a dog like that is allowed to roam a beach, the more likely it is that there will be a more serious incident. This was a serious attack, not just a dog posturing, the dog did make contact from your description. Think about how would you feel if someone else's dog was killed, or someone is injured trying to protect their dog and you knew you could have called the council? Please phone council and report this dog before someone isn't as lucky as you have been, you can make a positive difference to someone's life. If you do see the couple and their dog again, take a photo so that council can more readily identify them.

Dogs are fast learners, a strong incident seems to over take previously learned rules, so if it's a threatening situation, evolution says to pay strong attention to anything resembling that episode, and ignore all the positive encounters experienced previously. It can take a lot to re learn to trust. It's not that they are psychic or anything. Examples: A relatives dog took a strong dislike for her boyfriend at the time.....just before the boyfriend had a psychotic breakdown. The dog probably had been on the receiving end of odd behaviour from him- so a learned behaviour. She never really trusted him again, even though she had been ok with him until that point. An old GSD of ours hated anyone with a uniform, but that was definately a learned behaviour - he got kicked during a break in, the police thought the perpetrator had worn a uniform to look like they were supposed to be there, e.g a meter reader, so uniform to him meant to expect a kicking. He never trusted any uniform again- police, electricity and phone people. My dad's work overalls were Ok though. Our dogs were fine with any kids until an incident where a few child-ferals forced their way into our house when we had ducked up the road and basically held our 12 year old son hostage........the kids ransacked the pantry and fridge, and demanded my son make them lunch (almost funny now). The dogs learned not to trust neighbourhood kids, a learned behaviour appropriate to that one stressful and threatening situation. They are hypervigilant and on edge when they meet new kids. They are slowly unlearning their hyper vigilance as they get to know the "right" kids again, they will snuggle up to kids they know well, and are fine with little kids, but not 8-12 year olds they don't know. They have a rule they apply- don't trust until proven not to be a threat.

I just rang my vet to arrange a Heart Worm assessment- long story, but someone forgot to give the tablets a few times- ours is $45

I like number one, but the red eye can be a bit difficult to remove properly, so ask the photo staff to help. I'd use Photoshop rather than the software on the machines, and crop the photo to focus more on Zeke with his ball.

Does anyone have suggestions for protecting Lizards from 2 very skilled predators- aka Whippets? I am not overly concerned about the lizards causing harm to the dogs, they could of course bite etc, may have ticks. The primary concern is the damage the dogs do to the lizards. There is also another Whippet 2 doors up who has also been catching lizards several times a week, with similar aspect/outlook. His owners are also concerned and want to minimize his impact on the Lizards too. Can anyone explain why would the lizards come into the yard when there are 2 maniacs loose, what is it that is bringing them into our yard when the bush behind is their natural habitat (I assume) Can I deter the lizards in any way? For example: Is there a lizard equivalent of the dog repellents containing citronella? Are barriers useful? Is there anything in landscaping that makes the yard less attractive? The facts so far: There are Blue Tongues and Water Dragons coming into the yard. We have pool fencing backing onto a reserve and palings on the side fences. The Lizards are probably not after water in our yard as there is a creek behind us and a pool next door. The Dragons like swimming in the neighbours pool and then seem to run up and over the paling fence where they are easily picked off by pogo Whippets. The palings are 5 foot high approx, the top rail where the lizards sometimes sit is easily reached by either of the dogs bouncing up. There is no food being left for the dogs outside, they are fed on the deck with any left overs removed within 30 minutes, no food during the day or overnight. Gardens are minimal, no undergrowth to attract the lizards. The lizards share the bushland and creek with eels, red bellies, ducks, Kookaburras and assorted birds. There are 4 dogs within three house blocks- my 2 Whippets, a Lab pup next door whose food is left out, and then another Whippet on the other side of the Labrador.

In NSW, the Guideline on the Exercise of Functions under the Companion Animals Act states: 6.4.3. When a seized or lost animal is delivered to approved premises or a council pound, the person in charge must do their best to find out who the owner of the animal is and return the animal to that person. To help do this, they may access information on the Register or other private registers or check any identification on the animal. and 6.4.5. If enquiries fail to establish the owner of the seized or lost animal or the animal’s microchip is not listed on the Register, arrangements should be made to relocate the animal to the council pound or shelter – whether or not the 72 hour period has expired. 6.5.2. Surrendered animals are those that have come into the possession of a council pound, but have not been seized under authority of the Act. This may include animals that have been given up to the pound by their owners, or lost or injured animals that have been ‘rescued’ by a member of the public. Refererence: http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Forms/Guideline%20on%20the%20Exercise%20of%20Functions%20under%20the%20CAA%20-%20Dec%202011.pdf There seems to be very clear distinctions between a surrendered animal- i.e. surrendered by it's owner, a siezed animal (could be siexed by a memebr of the public) and lost animals. It was very easy to find the NSW document, the OP should try and find the relevent act for Victoria. Each Council would have to have a procedure/policy document for how they process lost animals. It should be available under Freedom of Information. Note: I have added the bold to emphasise the focus of the discussion- ie: lost animals who have chips

How's Jenna this morning?

I have a desexed boy and a not desexed girl. We haven't had a problem with neighbours dogs.

Thanks, He's now home with his owner. He hadn't been missed yet

I just found a white male Terrier Type- not desexed. No tag, but new collar. Most vets aren't open today- any one in Kellyville know where I can take him to scan?

I'm looking for sugestions too.....I thought I had my 2 worked out, I didn't make a fuss/ignored them for 5 -10 minutes when I got home, then let them in calmly. I don't think I can do that anymore though. My girl has taken to eating her way through the cedar sliding door at the back of the house- major chunks get ripped out as soon as she notices us home and the door is closed (doesn't touch it any other time. Any ideas what the correct course of action is for that? Should I acknowledge them calmly and then let them wait?