Pretty Miss Emma

Also it gets really hot if it's in direct sunlight - hot to the point of hurting!

Crufts Live If you go back to the start of the live coverage you can see it. I'm assuming this link is going to work! I don't know if it will only work for today though seeing as though it's the live coverage.

Keep reporting it if you are concerned. Unfortunately the way laws are written they usually don't accommodate what many of us think is not caring for animals properly. In Vic if the animal is being checked every 3 days, there is evidence of feeding and water and vet care there is nothing that can legally done. There is often a lot of slamming of what the RSPCA should do, generally they do what they are legally allowed to do - it's the laws that are really crappy and we should be harrassing the government to make the laws such that intervention can occur before a problem becomes too extreme and there is a greater onus on the owners to do the right thing. oh and harsher pentalies from judges that actually reflect that an animals life has some worth would also be good, I'll just keep wishing for that! But as Xyz has said it may well be that the animals are old and just showing signs of aging.

If you are using a metal chain instead of a leash could it be that he hears the noise it makes behind his head and his behaviour is a response to that? Or, it has become a response to that? I'd do what HW has suggested above, get him used to having a leash attached without you also attached and then once he's used to that add yourself in to the equation.

You've pretty much described what I went through with Kenz right here!! I also did lots of research before getting her, but temperament is partly genetic partly environment - I realised a lot later on that the stress levels in our house were super high during her critical times. Couldn't be helped just due to what was going on with me and with old Emma, it just was what it was - but it contributed to Kenz's reactivity and general nervousness I am certain. But on to the next bit, there is definitely hope!!!! I think it is safe to say that reactive dogs are a work in progress for their whole lives, but if you are prepared to put in the time and training you will get there with Luka. My brilliant example from just a few hours ago... Background, at about 6 months old or so Kenz was "attacked" (no blood, but lifted shaken and mentally hurt) by a GSD. Since then we have had problems with GSD's, she just hates them regardless of how they seem. Off lead ok, because she can get away from them, on lead generally not great. So for the last couple of years I've been working on Kenz's reactivity in general but have been conscious of trying to desensitise her to GSD's (I can't believe it's been a couple of years, but she's nearly 3.5yrs so it is!!!). Tonight at the vet we go in to see a GSD standing at the counter, it turns and stares at Kenz then starts barking at her, she has a very brief "moment" (barking), I tell her to cut it out, she sits looks at the GSD looks at me then goes and stands on the scales! We then had to walk past the GSD to go in to the consult room, Kenz just walks past cool as a cucumber and looks at me as if to say "hey, see that GSD, it's nothing to me"!!! Can't tell you how impressed I was with her. The vet was also super impressed, she knows about Kenz's "journey" and apparently that particular GSD is not a particularly polite dog at any point in time. So yes there is hope!! You do need to figure out a bit what works for you though. I agree that desensitisation is important - if your dog is at the point where they can cope with that and you don't push it too hard. No doubt if yuo've read through the thread you'll have read heaps about LAT - that worked absolute wonders for us. It's also now helping me progress her training in a different direction. Being allowed to look at her environment has meant that it is actually now easier to teach her to be comfortable and focus more on me. Good luck! You have a nice supportive environment to deal with these things in here!

The steps zeebie mentioned are good - but I would never use them to take 30kg of weight! I have some that my cat uses to get on my bed, fine for him. But when 21kg Kenzie was using them for agility training they were doing a bit of a sag!!! I think it sounds like a good plan that you have mentioned (flat and gradual incline). I have to do the same thing for my dogs but am a bit lazy and haven't yet gotten a ramp (plus it isn't urgent for them), but they do have them at Sam's Warehouse this week for about $30 member price, now just need to find out about becoming a member!!

In terms of pulling on the lead to sniff things... Hamish is currently doing a bit of this. I've taught him "ok, let's go" which means you've had your sniff now it's time to keep walking. I taught him that by having super good smelly treats and I'd let him have a sniff when he found a tree etc then when I was ready to move on I'd say ok let's go and if he didn't start walking I'd hold a treat in the "sniff zone" (!!) to distract him and get him moving, obviously once he started walking he'd get the treat! Sniffing is lots of fun and tells them lots about what has been going on in the neighbourhood, they need to do it, but on your terms not theirs! I also reward Hamish for walking beside me on a loose lead. Again I do it with food, if he's walking nicely beside me he gets a treat (which may even be his normal food) every few steps. Just makes it profitable for him to be walking in a place a like. At the moment we are still on a really high reinforcement schedule, but he is also 11 months so pushing the boundaries! The reinforcement rate will drop when he starts to come in to line a little more frequently! You could also try "crazy walking", take the dog to a space where you can change dirctions every few steps, don't tell the dog where you're going just walk fast and in a determined way and randomly change directions, reward the dog for changing with you. I've done a bit of this and it does help them to learn to watch you and be attentive to where you are going to go next.

I gave Hamish bones from Day 1 of him coming home, just make sure it's the right sized bone so your pup can chew on it (either to break it up to eat or just to knaw on) but not a size that can accidentally get stuck in a windpipe. Hamish turned 11 months today and we will be finishing up the bag of puppy food he has and moving on to adult food. Lots of people have differing opinions about how long to keep them on puppy food, some people don't ever feed puppy food they just go straight on to adult food. I've decided to keep Hamish on puppy, and generally from what I've been told that's a good idea until they are over 10 months old (but again this is something I'd discuss with the breeder and find out what they do, may also be good to speak to some lab people about this I don't know how labs grow so that may influence the decision!).

My two sort of just ended up with their names. But I had decided that I liked having a theme of Scottish names! Old Emma came with get name, so Emma it was! Kenzie - had a bundle of criteria but just wanted something a little bit different. And Kenzie is the feminine version of MacKenzie. Hamish - well as soon as I had decided this time I was getting a boy I knew I wanted to call him Hamish, so Hamish was named many many months before he was even in existence!! I did then look in to other male Scottish names but I just loved Hamish and it suited him when he finally came along!

You and I have very similar dogs!!! Every time I call Kenz to put on her collar and lead she always takes the long route to get to me (generally a big loop around the coffe table!!!)!

Kenz has her sucking on her toy monkey thing - it takes her to her happy place!!! And Hamish has to "dig" before he goes to sleep, he'll do it on tiles, carpet, dirt, wherever he is going to lie to sleep he always has to dig first!!

I'd love to say that this had been my experience, but in my 6 months of showing experience now I'd say about 70% of the time it hasn't been at the shows I've been at! But like I said, I just stay ringside - it means I can watch the other dogs that eventually one day we will compete against and see a bit more of what goes on with all these things!!

I've seen BOB and challenge handed hout. But I'm just wondering why, if the club is obliged to have ribbons for the classes, they don't hand those out ring side? I would have just thought if they weren't going to be handed out what is the point of the club having to have them! Like I mentioned, I'd like them handed out because at least it would let me know that I had been awarded the class! But if they aren't going to hand them out then what is the point of requiring them? (I still want them there, because now that I know this I will go and ask for one, but it does feel a bit odd having to go and ask for your ribbon!)

So I'm new to the whole showing a dog thing. At the moment I'm still embracing trying to do at least one thing well each time we show, and I'm so happy when Hamish actually does what I ask of him! We're slowly getting the hang of it all, but we are well and truely a work in progress!! And that's ok, if you don't get in and have a go then how do you ever learn and get any better!!? But something that I find very confusing and difficult as a newbie in the ring is figuring out if the judge has put you up or placed you. So often none of them say anything to you (and often I'm the only one in our class as people who have been showing forever don't waste their time showing a 10 month old in many cases!), or they just say thankyou and point you out of the ring. I now work on the assumption that unless I get told differently that we will be required for the challenge line up. But I sort of feel that from either the judge or the steward there should be some communication about who won the class, even if you are the only one in the class, and that you will be required back again for challenge or class line ups within your breed. I'm lucky that I have met some lovely people who have helped me a bit with understanding how this all works, and I am someone who is happy to hover at around the ring til my breed is over as that way I don't need to stress and worry about where I should be. But I have to say there is just so little information and communication given 90% of the time and for begginners how can we learn and know where we are supposed to be and when?! The other thing I found out on the weekend which I didn't know earlier is that every club must have ribbons for dogs that win their class. Why do the judges/stewards not hand these to the class winners while they are in/at the ring? I ge tthat if you've titled several dogs and been showing for years you probably don't care about these ribbons. But for someone who has just started these ribbons are important (and they certainly work nicely as a form of communication to let you know where you placed within the class!), they may well be the only ribbons my dog gets!!! (Ok for me they won't be because he's going to do a bundle of dog activities so there will be other ribbons!) But I'm just wondering if there is some really good reason why they don't get handed out? It would take 2 seconds to hand them out, if it is a financial reason then most clubs can probably be reassured that the old hands at showing would probably hand them back. I just sort of think it's not so nice having to go and ask for a ribbon when really it wouldn't have been that difficult to hand it out. And think of the ribbons I've missed now, because I didn't know that we were entitled to one. That actually upsets me a little bit, especially because some of them were times when we actually did get put up over another dog. Showing seems to be so difficult to break in to (in terms of getting a dog that can be shown and then finding out what to do) and so difficult to learn about. I'm lucky, I quite enjoy it and I will keep trying and hopefully one day we will eventually win some points (I should probably wait for my boy to grow up a bit for this!). But it is quite intimidating and confusing, and I just think doing some simple things like communicating and handing out/offering ribbons might make it a bit more of a welcoming environment for the newbies like me! Anyway, just sharing some thoughts from the perspective of someone new to the show world!

I got there at 7am and i think there were just a few car parks left at that point near the oval! I heard that locating which ring was which was a debarcle! Glad that I had friends who got there earlier and sorted it out so I knew where I was going!

Kirty was one of Emma's favourite special caring people through all her eye troubles - she's a special person who gives lots of good advice about such things!!!

My old Emma developed cataracts within a period of around 4 months. The surgery is expensive, but generally not painful - so long as there are no complications. 85% is pretty good odds, but you still have to expect and prepare for the worst. My story is... Noticed cataracts, saw specialist. Em was given a 95% chance of success including lens replacements. Surgery went quite well, could only replace one lens. They can still see a bit without replacment lenses but it's just foggy. They can make out shapes but they do not have any clear vision. Em had great drainiage, but we then developed complications - big ones. Her eye pressure sky rocketed, cause could not be determined. She was back in and out of hospital trying to deal with the eye pressure (basically glaucoma). The specialists did everything they could and still could not find a cause. Unfortunately Em had other illnesses at the time and after about 6 months of battling with her eyes I had made the decision to have her problem eye deadened abut she had to be PTS due to kidney failure (totally unrelated to the eyes). She still would have had some vision from her other eye which had no lens, but we didn't get to that. Do you need to make a decision quickly - YES. The longer you leave the cataracts the ahrder they get, therefore the chance of successful surgery decreases. I believe this is due to them breaking down when removed. If they are still soft theya re easier to remove so can cause less damage and less bits get left behind. Another issue. If you leave the cataracts I believe it can then cause a predisposition to glaucoma - extremely painful. One way or another I would do something. Personally I would happily have a blind dog any time again. It does require special training, but if you're prepared to put the effort in I don't see that as an issue. It will possibly mean some changes to living arrangements to make life easier for the dog, but again if you're willing to do it... I certainly would never PTS a healthy but blind dog. If you have the money I'd give the surgery a go. Worst case scenario you will need the eyes enucleated at some point. And make sure you are happy with your specialist and the support they'll give you. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, I'm more than happy to talk for hours about my experiences in dealing with cataract surgery and eye issues in general (and you might even be able to find some threads I started about such things if you go on a bit of a hunt!).

Is there some special place on FB that you get this information? Or is it just your personal contacts?!

In terms of housesitters I've always been able to use friends. But I did look at the website that was mentioned by someone above as a backup and liked the information you were able to get from it, and I think many of my house-sitting options are starting to disappear so may have to investigate it more! I've tended to stay away from kennel purely because of the expense. I've investigated a couple that I would use as a last resort if no one could take them and I'd just have to fork out the $$$$$. But more likely it would mean I would miss out on a holiday as I just can't afford a kennel for any more than a day or two!

I can't give you results, but I was really pleased with how Hamish and I performed! His sister beat him for puppy of breed, but in some ways that was good because it really looked like there was a yucky thunder storm approaching - I hope it was all talk and it never arrived!!

Mine go to a friends house or they stay home and I have a house sitter. Don't have any recommendations for you, but if you can get a house sitter I've found that they love being in their own environment (that being said Kenzie does sometimes ditch me and chooses to have sleep overs at her friends place just of her own accord!!!!). Good luck finding someone/somewhere! You'll figure out an ok option!

I used to use a Conni Critter mat for Emma and then I also got one from Aldi (they had a sale of stuff for aging people). Keep an eye out for aldi because I think it cost me about $8-10.

I use Panoramis and it does fleas along with heart worm and some of the intestinals. ETA: Oh ticks. I guess it probably doesn't do that. I don't have ticks as a problem here.

I found out my old Emma's pedigree about 12 months or so before she died. After she died I would have loved to have been able to get a dog from similar lines but they aren't around anymore. So i sort got the next best option... Emma's dad is Hamish's great grandfather (I'm pretty sure it's great)!! So while it's not a super close relationship it's enough for me!! And what I find funny about it is that he has so many traits similar to her behaviourally (but he's well and truely himself and not a mirror of her!) and just yesterday I had someone comment when they saw a photo of Em how much Hamish looks like her!! Well he sort of does, and I guess to the uneducated BC eye he really does especially compared to Kenz! I'm only new to all the pedigree stuff but I now find it really interesting especially when it come to looking at temperaments of dogs and for me personally in terms of looking for my next dog (which will be a while away!!).

We see Kim Lim in Geelong. Her business name is Creatures Comfort, should be able to find her on Google.