Alfie02

Me too, washing and drying the dogs is much more fun than cleaning the house...

Thanks so much for the great replies everyone Its good to know from owners and people close to each of the different breeds all the special traits each one has. I totally agree from the goldies and labbies I have met that the goldies seem to be a little softer and gentle, while labbies are a little more full on, in general of course. I love both breeds anyway, they make awesome family pets and best friends

Hi all , Just a quick question out of curiosity about Golden retrievers and Labradors. I know that they are both great family pets, require quite a bit of regular daily exercise and like all dogs need to spend time with their families. So other than the obvious physical differences, what else is different about these dogs in terms of personality and energy levels? Thanks in advance

Thanks for that TerraNik, very helpful

Hi all After seeing how great the Flyball demonstration at Sydeny uni open day was, I am wanting to find out more about it. Are there any flyball clubs around Newcastle NSW? and any requirements to be involved in flyball? Thanks!

yep I was there too, saw the lab puppy in with 3 baby chicks and a guinea pig.....didnt like that petting zoo one bit, it was crowded and the animals were just amoungst everyones feet with no escape from childrens hands and feet! On a different note, had a lovely time at the uni open day and got heaps of great goodies for the dogs and the cat! Loved the fly ball demonstration, looks like great fun!

Hi , I have heard that Sugar Loaf animal hospital in Wallsend and Charlestown vets have good puppy preschool.

Horrible horrible people who treat their animals like this, how stupid and ignorant do you have to be to not know that dogs are living things, and all living things need FOOD and WATER to survive! oh and on a different note, leopuppy04 http://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/rspca-animal-...s-4-episode-11/ This is where you can watch the full episode if you didnt get to see it tonight .

Thanks for the replies guys! I think I might go for the riveted one, if its the stronger of the two (plus my OH thinks the braided one is too 'girly' ). Im actually really excited after all the excellent reviews !

Hi everyone, So I have fallen in love with the K9 pro leather leashes and collars, they look so beautiful and look as if they are excellent quality. Upon looking at their web site there is 30% off the Standard Leash range. So I am thinking this might be the time to actually get one ;) . I was just wondering, from the two styles of standard leashes, which one out of the General Duty Rivetted Leash and General Duty Braided leash would be the strongest or most reliable, or would they be very similar? Thanks

Thank you for your replies everyone, its so nice to hear how you all found your special dogs from the pound or rescue. And even though they may have some problems you stuck by them, so wonderful . And lovely Piccie Shell, who couldnt fall in love with that face! When I eventually get my pound dog I now know that I have so many options regarding rescue, I will probably take that route, just to make sure that we will be the perfect match up .

Thanks for the replies guys! I agree that getting a dog from a rescue organisation would be alot easier to handle, without having dozens of deserving dogs pleading at you with their eyes. Im so glad that people on this forum have chosen to adopt a pound or rescue dog as one of their dogs, as they have definatley gone to excellent dog savvy homes . Mutt lover, what a beautiful dog, so lovely and sweet looking And thanks for the link Mrs Rusty Bucket Edit to add: Thats a wonderful idea HeavyPaws, that way you will be guarenteed to get a dog that really suits your house hold And I completely agree about bringing home a pound dog every hour....its not their fault they are there, it just makes my heart break.

Hi all, I am and always have been an advocate for pound dogs, I cant help but feel angry at the people who dump their dogs at the pound in appalling conditions and dont think/ dont care that their dog could be put to sleep because of their negligence and carelessness. I was just wondering if you adopted your dog from the pound, how did you choose? They all are so deserving of a new loving home. Did your pound dog choose you or did you just know they were perfect from the begining? Did you find your dog on a rescue site or just when you went into the pound? (Sorry if this is not okay to have on a pure bred dog forum as this is not strictly about pure bred dogs, if so just let me know and I will delete the post )

Hi , My family got both our dogs from BYBers as we didnt know any better. I know much better now but absolutely LOVE both my dogs to the end of the earth and wouldnt change them for the world. Our first dog who is turning 11 this year has pretty significant behaviour problems including not being social with unkown dogs and being agressive towards strangers. Now when our boy was a puppy he was socialised as much as humanly possible, and he still has these issues. All became clear when he was about a year old when we saw the lady who bred him and she came over tho pat him and asked us to 'hold his head incase he bites me'. OMG!!!! Anyway other than that he is so healthy and the vets say that he will live for a long time yet . I really hope that you enjoy your puppy regardless of where she came from, dogs didnt decide how they were born or where they were born, they just know how to be awesome companions and love you no matter what. Best wishes!

oh yes thank you, it was a German Shepherd wearing the harness aswell, thank you !

hello lanabanana, I posted a thread a while ago about a pulling dog i walk for a neighbour. The neighbour is older and i do not want to ask her to buy a harness as she has already invested in a check chain. Just thought this could be an easy inexpensive way to help with pulling and not have to ask an elderly lady to fork out some more money .

Hello all , A little while back when searching DOL I found a post on anti pull harnesses. I cant for the life of me remember what it is called. The reason I would like to find it again is because it had a 'homemade' harness picture in it. It was simply two leads placed aroud the dogs chest, but in a way that will assist in stopping a pulling dog. If anyone knows of this thread, or knows how to make one of these harnesses, please let me know. Thank you!

Thanks for the responses guys, they are really helpful!

Whoops, sorry guys I meant a martingale collar....same question but replace flat collar with martingale....lol. Thanks for the responses though Will edit my post now.

Hi all , Just wondering what a martingale purpose is? I have trained one of my dogs effectivley using a check chain and now want to progress onto something a little 'less'. I eventually want him to be walking on just a collar, so would this be the right step to take, downgrade to a martingale collar? Do the martingale collars still have the ability to 'check' your dog when they show undesirable behaviour? Thank you in advance

It was the first link SAS, it looks like a flea collar when its out of the packet. We always had our dog on a check chain, and even though he is alot better now he is still on the check chain as we know we can curb any bad behaviour before it really begins. Once again, Good luck with your Shepherd, I hope you have found some good advice on here! It will take time but when you see the changes it will be so worth while :rolleyes:

hi catjar, Our little dog was very unsure of himself and very unsure around other dogs. He was fear and lunge and bark and snap, it was very scary for others and most people stood far away from us at training.Before the calm collar and dog training he would lunge and snap at other dogs if they got too close or even looked at him the wrong way. When we first took him to dog training the instructor mocked us and told us basically that our dog was a right little Sh#t. Were veryupset at this and knew that he could improve. Anyway, after a years woth of dog training he was getting a little better but still incined to snap and bark agressivley at other dogs when they got too close (which didnt have to be very close). So we got this "Calm Collar" and it was just the thing he needed to get him that little bit more relaxed. He can now sniff face to face with most other dogs. It is called a 'GOODbehaviour Pheromone Calming Collar'. We got it from the Pet Shop Boyz store but they are available online for cheaper than what we paid ($60). This is what the box says: Pheromone Calming Collars for dogs are treated with pheromones, lavender and chamomile to create a soothing blend that eases stress and anxiety in dogs. A unique collar recommended for decreasing separation anxiety, excessive barking, destructive behaviour, and inappropriate barking. When activated by a dog’s body heat the collar gives off the same pheromone that lactating mother dogs produce to reassure their puppies. This scent is combined with soothing lavender and chamomile to create a calming blend. Also great to decrease anxiety that some dogs experience during thunderstorms, fireworks, and vet visits. Convenient collar works at home or on the go and lasts up to 30 days. I have heard that it hasnt worked for some but then others have had sucess with it like us. We were willing to try anything to help us to progress and we are so glad it worked We did however combine this with continued socilisation and training so its not a mirical worker, but its worth a try. Edit to add: We only put the collar on him when we go to training or we know that we will be meeting other dogs, so it will last alot longer than the 30 days as we store it in an air tight container.

Hi, I have experience with a small dog who had fear agression, we had been taking him to dog training to help him become more confident around other dogs and it was working a little bit, but not as much as we hoped. So we bought a "Calm Collar" for him to wear at dog training and it is excellent. He is sooo much mre relaxed and much less likely to strike out at other dogs when he feels nervous. He used to not even drink water the whole two hours we were at training, and would not even sit down in the breaks, he was always on the lookout. However now, when he wears his calm collar he drinks water, eats treats and even rolls on his back for pats . I know that it is the combination of training and socilization that helped, but the calm collar just helped that little bit more. Best of luck, I know how stressful it is to have a fear agressive dog.

Hi I would suggest a Rescue dog. These dogs have been with their carers for a reasonable amount of time and the carers will be able to tell you what the dogs pros and cons are and if they would suit your life style. That way they are almost garenteed to fit your life style. And its not just mixes in rescue, you can get pure breds from breed specific rescues, just got to search the net a bit to find the breed rescue your after

Wow thats alot of hair cannibalgoldfish! But they sure are beautiful dogs so would be worth all that shedding