Leema

Livertreats, it seems things are run a bit differently in WA. My bitch, Clover, does not have 'nose down' behaviour when tracking. She is a border terrier, so close to the ground, and actually looks like she's just going for a walk. :laugh: But she is tracking, she just doesn't find the need to put her nose down to find her track layer. My dog has a similar method, but does 'nose down' more often than Clover. In SA the judges have been surprised because they haven't seen dogs track like mine do, but both dogs earnt their TD in 3/3 tests. Clearly, the judges have thought my dogs were tracking despite non-nose-down body language - another point that shows that there is no clear style in ANKC tracking, just as long as the judge ascertains the dog is tracking. We do not require dogs to stop at the article, but some judges may. The dog must indicate the article and it's up to the judge to ascertain whether there was an indication or not. Obviously, a stop makes the article indication more obvious and is probably more desirable.

Yes, in schutzhund the articles are mini! In ANKC tracks, the articles are normally socks/gloves/hankies/etc for the early levels, and the moves onto hard items (mobile phones, wallets, glasses, etc) at higher levels. These articles are normally visible to both dog and handler, but sometimes judges will put articles in 'hidey' places, especially on more advanced tracks. (I thought my bitch was going to flush out a rabbit on one track when sniffing around a log, but then she came out carrying a sock!)

I have a limited understanding on schutzhund tracking, but I believe it is 'footstep' tracking, where the dog is heavily penalised for small deviations from the place where the track layer walked. In ANKC tracking, the dog has no time limit for completing the track and can deviate from the track. The dog should still follow the person's path (i.e. the dog shouldn't airscent), but if they happen to be scenting two metres to the side of the track, it's not a big deal. ANKC tracking dogs don't have to have their nose down to be considered tracking - it's up to the judge whether they consider the dog to be 'tracking' or not.

On a similar note, I recently made a blog post called "Tips for Contacting a Dog Breeder". I like this one, too, though, and I'm going to link it on my blog now. :)

That's really interesting, Abilene. Thanks for posting your experiences.

Very sad to hear. Are there any comparable kong-like toys out there made of a similar material? I think my guys would get through a Kong, but these Dur-A-Brutes have lasted well.

Thank-you for the lead, dyzney. How do I find out who has Pet Pacific lines? Did a quick google but couldn't find anything particularly helpful.

I'm afraid not. One is very clearly a Kong rip off. The other two are kind of like 'spikey kongs'. They're a similar shape to a kong, but have small spikes on them.

I have three kong-like toys, with 'Dur-A-Brute' branded on them. I love them, but have no idea where they came from. Doesn't anyone know where I can get them from? I am happy to order online or if there is stock somewhere in Adelaide.

I start training a dog/puppy the instant it gets home. (If I bred the litter, training starts at 3-4 weeks, depending on the individual pup.) The first 5 commands I'd teach a dog is (in no particular order): 1. "Give" a toy back 2. "Touch" my hand (useful as an informal recall) 3: "Sit" (simply because it's easy) 4. "Drop" (again, because it's easy) 5. "Settle" or "calm" behaviour on cue

Different vets have different procedures, but I personally prefer to vaccinate puppies at 16-18 weeks. Perhaps you should call several vets in your area, and see if they all recommend a vaccine at 16 weeks or if your vet is exceptional. It never hurts to get a second opinion.

Telida, hormone insufficiency is interesting as this bitch has not had a season yet. She is actually very juvenile in a lot of ways. If I was to do bloods, what we would we be looking for particularly? Persp, she lived with another family for 3 weeks and didn't pee inside at all! They implemented 'no couch, no bed' rule and she was fine. I think it's very much a learnt behavior.

Sorry! 14 months! Edited my post. She hasn't been vet checked for this but I am sure it's behavioural/ habitual. She chooses to pee on stuff. It's not while she's sleeping or anything.

I recently rehomed a fourteen month old bitch with many disclaimers, one being that she'd pee on soft and high surfaces - the bed and the couch. I advised that they perhaps make a 'no couch' and 'no bed' rule. I've suggested that they use management approaches, I.e. Keeping the door closed to the bedrooms, etc. But for whatever reason this doesn't seem to be possible. I'm happy for all suggestions to pass on. One of the things I'd do is 'booby trap' the bed to try to curb the behavior, but this is a very confident dog that is fearless! Any suggestions like this are welcome too. (Note: this is not a new behavior. It's why she became an outside dog at my house!)

Whippetsmum - yes, that's what I'm thinking. However, in this paper, the 'symptoms' that lead to sensory homesostatis don't seem like balanced behaviours... So my head is swimming.

With rescue dogs, I remove the 'flapping' dew claws. They seem likely to injury. I have had some dew claws that are solid and attached and firm, I leave them on. They are normally small and close to the leg, and I perceive little risk of injury. It's up to you, though, whether you want them on or not. :) You can weigh up the risks. :)

Hi Kyrie, There are a lot of things you can try to stop puppy mouthing. Firstly, sometimes we can elicit a mouthing response by being too exciting. Children are particularly prone to doing this, by waving their hands about and generally being exciting. However, adults do this on a mild level too - for example, being patted on the head is moderately-exciting and can elicit biting in a puppy. This also extends to making sounds - screaming and sometimes even talking can encourage mouthing. Secondly, the puppy should have plenty of outlets for mouthing. They should have plenty of chew toys and appropriate things to play and bite on. They DO need to use their mouths, it's just a matter of them working out what they can and can't do. Also, please be aware that this is not an 'authority' or 'dominance' issue. This puppy is biting you because biting is fun, and no other motivation. Once you've rectified this, there are several strategies that you can try to reduce mouthing. 1) You can try a high pitched yelp. Sometimes this is highly effective, and sometimes this does nothing. Puppies, when they're playing with other puppies, 'yelp' if they're hurt. That's the sound you're trying to mimic. 2) You can try disengaging or removing attention from the puppy when they mouth. This means that, if the puppy begins mouthing you remove your hands and stop paying attention to the puppy. This is not successful for puppies who will chew on everything! So, it's all well and good to remove your hands and some puppies will stop - but if they continue by chewing your pants, not so good! For a puppy that is highly attentive to hands and hand-focussed, removing all hands can be significantly punishing to curb the behaviour. 3) You can try sin binning the puppy. This is a hard method to implement effectively, but it involves removing the puppy from your company. This must be done quickly and calmly, and a neutral and boring place must be used (like the bathroom). I have had limited success with this method... But, at the very least, it makes ME feel better! 4) You can try putting pressure in your puppy's mouth or on their tongue. Whenever your puppy mouths, you can press their tongue, or kind of shove your fingers down their throat. Puppies don't really like this, and often will stop mouthing when they realise that mouthing makes for unpleasant sensations. 5) You can teach an 'on' and 'off' for mouthing. I normally use the esteem-able word of 'vicious' meaning 'you can mouth me' and use 'settle' for calm behaviour. In Ian Dunbar fashion, I teach the puppy that 'vicious' means that they can mouth and be silly, but when I say 'settle' they need to cease in order for the game to continue. The plan is that, eventually, you can cue the puppy to 'settle' whenever they spontaneously begin mouthing, and they will stop having established a reward history. I hope one of these methods, or a combination of these methods, work for you. However, I am a bit concerned regarding your last comment "We are awaiting an arrival of another puppy". Are you planning to permanently introduce another dog into your household? I'd be worried that, if you're having trouble with this current puppy, you may struggle to give sufficient time to your current puppy while also training up a new puppy. I'd highly recommend that you work on your current puppy and, once you have a good dog, that is not mouthing, toilet trained, and generally well behaved, then consider adding a second puppy (and dog) into your household.

It does depend on the reason for c-section, and if there was a family trend of c-sections, I would reconsider the lines. My bitch had an elective c-section for a singleton puppy recently. If any of her children had singletons or small litters, I might reconsider these lines. For now, I'm happy to think of it as 'bad luck' and see how we go.

Is there anyone able to direct me to stud contract(s) online? Or send me some? My email is [email protected] Thanks in advance.

Hi Jinx. I am about an hour away, but I can do the check if you can't find anyone else nearby.

Recently, we had a Darwin holiday planned for 10 days. This would've been the longest time I was away from the dogs - but then, my fiance's father passed away, and we returned to Adelaide one day of the 10 for the funeral. So, in reality, I think about 7-8 days would be the max I've been away (on another trip). I don't miss them so much as I just feel lost! When I go away, I normally take the dogs with me (normally I go away to dog shows), and I always feel like there's something 'missing' in the car. Frequent moments of, "Shit, where's the dog?!" and then remembering that I'm supposed to be having a relaxing time without them.

Sometimes. Depends on the crowd I'm hanging with. :) I will more often refer to them as 'kids', than I refer to myself as mum. But my parents are definitely grandma and grandpa!

Hey, cool, thanks for the info. Yes, I'm South - I'll PM you. I'm sure GAP will have answers for me, I just have to contact them at a more convenient time. Just a bit impatient!

I had a greyhound surrendered into my care today (i.e. a rescue dog). I have fostered greyhounds before through the Greyhound Adoption Program, but now I'm out on my own with this guy! I rang GAP to ask about how muzzle exemptions work for non-GAP dogs... But unfortunately her dog has passed away and she wasn't really up for chatting. So I am going to ask the DOL brain trust what I have to do to get this guy a muzzle exemption. Also, in the mean time, where can I buy a greyhound muzzle?

I think you need to get a behavioural consult from someone who can see both dogs and make an assessment. Aggression is not something to be resolved by internet consultation. Have you contacted Ziggy's breeder? Perhaps they'd be happy to take him back.