Pretty Miss Emma

I agree it can be expensive.

I also agree shop around!

But that being said, I do pay a higher price than I probably need to but I LURVE my vet and so do all my animals!! To me that is the most important thing. I would love it if we could vaccinate ourselves here, but I know what I"m doing with that and unfortunatley probably if it were allowed then you would also have lots of people who know nothing about such things doing it - possibly not good for the animals.

In terms of some medications, I had a vet who refused to supply or advocate for the animal specific meds while you could get exactly the same human product for less than 1/4 of the price over the chemist counter - she always sent me to the chemist!!! And even now with one of my cats heart meds the vet writes me a script as it costs me about $10 for 6 months of his meds at the chemist as compared to getting the exact same product (but with a label that says for animals) that costs around $1 per day!!!

I have definitely entered, as I have the confirmation email from Ozentries, but didn't get that email. Guess I will just turn up mega early!

I'm in the same boat! So I will cross my fingers they show up before the end of Friday or it will be a slightly earlier morning on Saturday!

Hmm, except just then got the email. Hmph!

I have definitely entered, as I have the confirmation email from Ozentries, but didn't get that email. Guess I will just turn up mega early!

I'm in the same boat! So I will cross my fingers they show up before the end of Friday or it will be a slightly earlier morning on Saturday!

Hi DWD thread!!!

I'm now going to periodically join you in here, Kenzie had her first lesson last week!! And it looks like we have enough up our sleeves to be able to get going on starters!!!

I've now got a couple of song ideas, a few routine ideas.... but I have no costume ideas! How do you come up with those? All the songs I"ve chosen don't really have a "thing" that stands out to me that could be costumed.

Anyway when I've gotten my head around a bit more of what needs doing I'll share some ideas with you!!

I clean all toileting accidents with vinegar. Maybe try putting a water bowl next to the back door, most puppies don't like to toilet next to their food & water bowls. If it's under cover even put a bed there for her

I'd use vinegar or biozet. And I like this idea of water bowls and bed!!

My dog household (the former one not the current one) was made up of Emma (BC, 9 years old when I got her). Then when Em was almost 11 years old I got a BC pup, Kenzie (female). When Kenz was about 6 months old my housemate got a resuce JRT who was about 2 or 3 years old at the time (and female!). So we ended up with a house of 3 desexed bitches, mixture of young and old and everyone got along like a house on fire!! It was brilliant!!! it really does depend on the dogs. And funnily enough even though my Kenzie really does not particularly like meeting new dogs when a new (younger) dog comes and stays at our house she is fine and accepts them within around 48 hours, this particularly applies to puppies!

As was said above, wish it was Melbourne!! Not for my dogs but for a friend whose dog we are starting to clearly see some early signs of dementia.

Oh well. But good luck to your friend and I hope there are some good findings.

Yes!!

So much more environmentally friendly - 1/2 the paper use of the current system.

Plus I like being able to pay by credit card and immediately have a receipt and an emailed confirmation of my entry. Don't have to just wait wondering til the day or 2 before the show waiting to see if a number shows up!

When Emma was alive she and I did about 2-2.5 years work as Delta Pet Partners. We visited a lcal nursing home, it was only when Emma became diabetic and I had to have her on a very tight routine with insulin and food that we had to stop (my travel time there etc didn't facilitate the rest of our routine).

She loved visiting everyone there and they loved seeing her!! There was one lady who wasn't that old (probably late 50's maybe), and she had massive issues with her memory. Her long term was fine but for the first year she couldn't remember that she'd seen us the previous week. She was just a gorgeous lady and I had the same conversation with her each week when we got ther, but I didn't mind because she loved having the conversation!!! When I would walk in, she'd say "that's a beautiful dog", then she'd ask me what breed she was, I'd ask her guess, she'd always say a maltese - Emma was a border collie!!! I'd tell her she was a border collie, then she'd ask her name. After that she'd always ask how old she was and tell me she had a beautiful coat and what did I feed her. I still remember clear as day when I walked in and she looked up and said "oh look, it's Emma the border collie. She's 9 years old " (she was 10 by then, but who cares!!)!! It was such a great day, and showed just how much having the dogs come in can change peoples lives!! After then she always knew that it was Emma, she sometimes got the breed wrong, and she was always 9 years old according to this lady, oh well!!

There was another lady there also who obviously was suffering pretty severe depression, she would often just stay in bed in her room and not come out, and have the blinds all down so the room was pitch black. I would always go past her door and knock to see if she wanted to see Emma. We were always welcome in her room, and she was always happy for Emma to get up on the bed and lie and have a cuddle with her. Everytime we left her there was always a smile on her face.

Both my dogs at the moment aren't quite right yet for therapy work, plus I really don't have the time at the moment. But I would definitely do it again. Many nursing homes I know of let dogs come for a visit. I know a few people who have arranged privately to visit each week. Where my grandmother is they are happy for people to bring their dogs when they visit the residents, so Kenzie and Hamish have been in once or twice for a short visit when either I have gone there or if my parents have visited and have been looking after the dogs!!

I had a dog on it for quite some time and it was excellent. No personality changes at all with it.

I didn't pay lots of attention as I was excited about my Hamish getting his first ever challenge and then best of breed!!!

But I can tell you that BIS was a great dane and RUBIS was a labrador.

I have to say Hamish's favourite things to be left with are his kong, cardboard boxes (folded shut with food inside them - great for tearing to shreds!!) and plastic bottles with food in in them. He's one of those "kids" that prefers the packaging to the actual toy!!

+1 for plastic bottles with food in them. Although my guys will spend hours pouncing on an empty bottle and being amused when it flies across the room, so it doesn't take much :laugh:

Oh there is definitely pouncing and chasing a sliding bottle once it is empty!!!

I reckon from what you've said he can do you can do a little dance routine. Not that I know anything particularly about DWD - we're just about to start. But if you cut a 1 minute segment of music and during just get your dog to heel (if you can throw a spin in to the heeling it looks impressive but is easy!) and then stop periodically and toss in a few tricks and then put some leg weaving in there also. 1 minute will be gone in no time!!! And while we think those things are just things our dogs do other people are amazed by them!!!! I did a "Kenzie show" yesterday for about 30 kids here at work, and all she did was beg, shake, hi-5, wave, hi-10, spin and maybe a couple of other things and they were all mezmerised for the entire time and then came up and got to shake hands with her and hi-10 her!!! we often take the things our dogs do for granted! You have a great repertoire there!!

I have to say Hamish's favourite things to be left with are his kong, cardboard boxes (folded shut with food inside them - great for tearing to shreds!!) and plastic bottles with food in in them. He's one of those "kids" that prefers the packaging to the actual toy!!

Are you certain he is getting out at the gate? And if so, is he definitely going under? Just asking so you don't go to a bundle of effort to find he's getting out elsewhere!!

And maybe a more cost effective measure than mega-earthworks would be to build a dog run for those times when you're not there. it sounds like he gets to spend heaps of time with you, so a dog run for those times when he can't might be a way to manage the situation.

We are having a reactivity regression

It's ok, I understand why. We'll be moving house in about 4 weeks, I'm stressed to my eye balls and thus also anxious, and I keep sending one or other of the dogs off on sleepovers while I go look at houses.

But it doesn't make me like/accept it any better! I'm trying to stay calm but it's pretty much impossible. I do have to say though, because I've sort of accepted this regression Kenz seems to not be as bad as she has been in the past. I think it has something to do with my "there's not much I can do about it at the moment" attitude!

But we went out on the bike this afternoon (I'm struggling to get her good running time, so trying the bike whenever I can). I did everything I could to avoid a reactive outbursst - and succeeded!!! When we crossed the rail bridge there was a guy with a husky that was coming up the other side, so I ducked a little down the platform ramp - turns out he was going to the platform!! But he waited to see where I was going and I was able to move out of his way and he said thanks to me and me to him!!! We saw a dog ahead on the bike track, so I took off down a street instead - easier to just avoid the problem than have both of us get worked up over it! Went past a house with barking dogs - she dealt really well, maybe because we passed the house so quickly because we were on the bike. Saw a dog coming towards us along the street - uturn and then down another street.

So while my anxiety was sky high waiting for there to be a problem, I managed to avoid all the potential problems and the little girl got a good 5km run with the bike incident free!!

I'm debating whether in the cool weather it's worth trying to run her with something along the lines of the thundershirt, as she becomes a bit hypervigilant.

Thanks all!

You've described a check chain. Be thankful your dog hasn't hung itself yet. Check chains should only be used when training. I won't even let my dogs play with a dog wearing a check chain, I have worked with a trainer who had to witness 2 dogs that were playing, one had a check chain on. Other dog in play got it's head in to the check chain (so 2 dogs in one chain!), dogs started to stress and fight. Both dogs ended up dying due to stragulation as no one could get them apart.

I don't leave collars on my dogs when they're not supervised. But I would consider an alternative collar if you want your dog wearing one. And like someone else said, train a good recall, or something else I have had to do is actually just walk up to my dogs, block them and then usher them back to the house.

But please don't leave a check chain on your dog!!

Very sad for the little dog and family, however, I have to ask why on earth someone was walking their dog that close to a fence that had a dog behind it? I would be mightly p-ed off if someone walked their dog that close to my fence.

Where I live I would have to walk on the road to not walk next to the fences. The fences are right up against the foorpath and even if I walk on the nature strip it's not that far from the fence.

The fence should be containing the dog. This is why I don't like dogs in front yards, bad enough with the fence running (but whatever if you think that behaviour is ok for your dog), but they certainly should not be able to reach through the fence - that's a public safety issue. I just wouldn't want to be liable for what could happen, there are many people who don't have common sense out there!

Just curious about this one. Was watching a dog at dog club today - it has a skin problem, looks like dermatitis/mange type thing. The owner is definitely treating it and it is not something that is contagious, she's having lots of conversations with her vet about the best way to treat it and I believe the dog has had the issue for a long time (she has only recently gotten the dog). today it was doing what I originally thought was lots of reverse sneezing. But it was doing it really often. I was just wondering whether anyone had any experience/thoughts about whether there is a link between these things. I am guessing that it was reverse sneezing, for all I know it could have an irritation in it's mouth/throat that may be related to the skin issue. Anyway, I know the owner is exploring every avenue possible and really I'm just being a curious sticky beak!!!

Oh, and I heard that if you put your thumb/finger on the roof of the mouth of a dog that is reverse sneezing it will stop. is this true??

Hamish started coming to work twice a week from when he was around 10-12 weeks old. Those first few weeks he spent at home getting used be on his own (generally he was having to do 10 hours at home, but then Kenz and I would play with him when we got home). So be careful about how much time it spends with people, it soooo important that they learn to be on their own.

At work I'd just take him outside to go to the toilet, and we are in a spot that is heavily trafficked but he was already pretty much toilet trained (even when left in his puppy pen he rarely used his toilet spot - fake grass with pee pad underneath - he'd often only do one or two wees during the day and wait til I got home and he could go outside) and wouldn't go anywhere inside unless he wasn't taken out after knocking at the door repeatedly.

He had access to a crate and if I couldn't watch him he was put in the crate. I work in a very dog friendly office(we generally have minimum 3 dogs in on any day), so others could watch him and also were able to take things off him that he shouldn't have. He was a good boy, but I know if it had have been Kenz there as a baby then we would have lost every computer cable and power cord in the place as she was a chronic chewer!!! So make sure it can't get to any cords and that you have heaps of chewy things for the baby.

In terms of managing him at work, Hamish has always had his breakfast at work and he gets it in a Kong so that it takes him quite some time to work his way through it (well it used to, now it doesn't take so long!) and then he would also be a bit tired after that and want a nap. Even though he is 1 year old now he still gets his breakfast in 2-3 kongs, plus a good chewy rawhide while he is at work to keep him busy and occupied so I can actually work.

Some other things to think about.... how will you manage the puppy and noise when you are on the phone etc? How will you manage if you need to be doing something NOW and puppy is asking to go to the toilet/getting in to mischief/crying/barking? Is there a safe space to leave the puppy if you need to leave it unattended? What rules will you set up for other people within the workplace around your puppy (for me this is really important, when Hamish started coming to work I briefed everyone on what he was allowed to do and not allowed to do and some training basics to help him in the office environment. Also REALLY important - often everyone wants to give them treats, this can be ok, but within reason!! I always have a little stash of treats on my desk, or his dry food, and that is what is to be used, when they run out they run out so he can't be overloaded with treats!!)? Do you have facilities to clean up accidents (we use biozet in our office)? Are you able to take puppy home if it is becoming a nuisance and boss is getting annoyed? Will you be able to drop what you are doing and take puppy to vet if needed? What will you do if someone else you work with complains about the puppy (or also then wants their dog to come to work with them, etc, etc)? I only pose these as they are things that we encourage people to think about at my work if they are going to have animals with them! And I think if you have contingency plans for every possibility it will give your boss confidence that you are really trying as hard as possible to make everything work for the best for everyone!! Having a dog at work is great, just be ready that your work day will be turned head over heels for some time and you might end up doing a longer day to get done what needs doing due to the various "puppy interruptions" that tend to occur - random visitors, toilet breaks, more visitors, etc!!

What you've described is what my Kenzie does with puppies, she's only 3.5yrs. Pretty much it is the older dog telling the pup where to go and to get out their space (that's how I see it and it's been explained to me). I don't quite understand why you've kicked the older dog out and reprimanded him (I'm assuming from what you've written that I got it right who got kicked out)? The older dog was just communicating with the younger one and teaching him that you don't just walk up to any dog and get in their space and touch them. So long as he's not hurting/bullying the pup then really it's probably just a polite telling off of "find your manners".

I've found with Kenz she tends to do this for a little bit and then as she gets to know the pup it eases up. But she is also very much a dog that likes to meet other dogs on her terms and in a very calm way, so if they push those boundaries they will be told that they are being rude.

The Dally club has one coming up - the schedule is on the DCOV website. If you have trouble finding it let me know :)

I'm not 100% sure if I can make that one. But, I was just looking at the venue on google maps... where does it run? Is it around the whole park complex? Or is it just around a limited section? And if it is the whole park complex are there other things going on there on the day? And are there many other people that use the venue with dogs?

I only ask as someone I know recommended that KCC was a good venue for Kenz given that we sometimes have issues if we come across other dogs that want to come too close to us that she doesn't know (if she's walking/running in the same direction as them we don't have a problem, but if they come towards us then it can become a problem!).

I'm just wondering where you find the schedules for the ET's? I looked on vicdogs and the 2 that are maybe a possibility for us there is no schedule for (it was one that will be at KCC in June and there is one listed in Sale in July). I looked on the club websites and there was no information. do you just have to contact the clubs to get the information?

I'm still not 100% sure if we'll be ready, but would like the info just in case!!

My club runs 2 NADAC trials a year. They usually have around 1 or 2 trials per month in a few different spots around Melb and Geelong.

Tunnelers and Hoopers are heaps and heaps of fun!!! Especially for beginner dogs and the oldies who still love to run (and let's be honest any dog that loves tunnels getting the chance to run 14 or so tunnels in a row!!!! :laugh: ).

In the USA I think it is a fairly large competition!