Pretty Miss Emma

So, positives so far this week... No reaction to: bikes, the bus (at all and I'm not even distracting her!!!), people walking towards us (especially in the dark!), cars, trucks, the postman who rode past us on the footpath, dogs on the other side of the street, dogs outside our building at work, dogs running through tunnels at training, dogs barking at training, dogs staring at her at training, and I think there's more but can't remember right now!! Minor reaction: the dog sitting beside us at the traffic lights staring at her! The negatives: Hmm, pretty much none that I can think of!!!! Well she's still barking at the workers who are working in the evening on the freeway behind us, but that's a real struggle to manage. Oh and there is the dog that walks past our house in the morning barking at the dog in the house next door to me - again struggle to manage as she hears it. But on the whole I don't really see them as negatives. Sorry, this is a bit like my own personal reactivity brag thread!! But feel free to share your reactive successes, I think everyone who reads in here gets that it's often tiny things with these dogs that give you hope and let you see that your training is working!!!

I have a million things in my lounge room that Hamish is allowed to chew so I just redirect him (but he's been really easy in terms of this sort of thing!!). Oh and I have a million sticks that are being brought in to the house that he chews, so we're a mess all the time! Hamish has also been taught that "no" or "ah ah" means stop doing whatever you're doing come to me and you'll get a treat, so I use that a lot! But I also try to make sure that I'm supervising in places of temptation, and if I can't be he will be put outside or in his crate.

Kong Wobbler and the Bob-a-lot are basically teh same thing. Food dispensers are a favourite in my house too!!! We have... Kongs, Bob-a-lot, random treat ball, Tug-a-Jug, a puzzle toy (shape of a pawprint and they have to slide coverings to get to the food) and of course plastic bottles and cardboard tubes (and I block the ends with a little bit of newspaper). oh and an everlasting trat thing (but I find mine get bored with licking the treat)

I always saw myself with a BC when I was growing up, but having the meanest parents ever ( :laugh: ) we weren't allowed to have dogs when I was young. Then I sort of accidentally ended up with a BC when I was about 31 or 32 I think, and that was my first dog Emma who was 9 years old when I got her. Am now addicted to the breed as often seems to happen. I can't see myself with any other breed because I'm really happy with my 2 little terrors!!! I keep trying to figure out another breed I would own, but I'm struggling with it. I love basically everything about BC's. If I did get another breed I'd probably choose something smaller. But the closest I've come so far to finding another breed I really quite like is the Aussie Shepherds, but I still like BC's better!

I currently have 2 and life is really good that way. I'm on my own so it's easy to manage. However, if/when I move and have more space I would consider up to 4. but I would quite like to be able to foster so maybe that is where number 3 or 4 would come from temporarily at times.

awful, awful!! I had a similar thing happen to Kenz when she was about 6 months old but it was a GSD on lead, unable to be controlled by it's eldery owner who also didn't warn me to walk further than out almost on to the road to pass them (they were stopped talking to someone on the footpath with dog at full length of lead, and at the corner we were turning at, it lunged and grabbed her on the back of the neck and pretty much picked her up). Anyway, I'll mention... make sure you socialise your little one well with safe, friendly dogs in the coming days/weeks - in a controlled manner obviously. I'm certain when Kenz had this experience it contributed to some of her issues around other unknown dogs on lead and I probably didn't deal with the aftermath as well as I could have (of course hind sight is also wonderful). Maybe your munchkin will deal with it better, but it's just something I'm aware of now when my pup meets a dog that is less than social.

Nik - we well and truely have the terrified emotion going!!! I'm only handling him on sweepstakes day and a friend is handling him on BC day, but that's not stressing me any less!!! allie181 - I have a little (well not so little any more) Border Collie boy, Hamish. And he's gorgeous (well, to me he is and that's all that really matters!!)! We might see you with all the other babies!!!

Thankyou all!!! I will add an additional brag... Tonight when I walked Kenz she was full of beans (had been on her own all day then had a 15 min play with Hamish before I walked her), it was only a really short walk cos the weather is horrific here. Anyway, normally she would have been on super alert. Not tonight, bus is coming down the street (usual cue for me to hold leash tighter and start distracting) - she looks at the bus, sniffs the tree near us then looks straight to me as if to say "hey, check out that bus" and then kept walking!!!!!!!!!!!!! I literally had a thought of this being a miracle and almost had proud tears falling. So message to everyone out there who has a reactive dog. Put in the hard yards. Remember they are always a work in progress. But if you are persistant and work with them then they can do it!!!!! My little girl is proof!!!

I think every dog can be trained, but just like us they learn in different ways and at different rates so it's just a matter of finding the way that works for the teeny one and possibly having some patience!!! Trainers who say that there's no point trying irritate me, especially when there are people trying to be responsible pet owners and put dogs in a good light in society (especially the little breeds that often get a bad rap for some of tehir behaviour which is usually due to no one training them!!!). Yay for you wanting to train the littlie!!!

I was going to say similar to a couple of others. When I lost Emma I thought that Kenzie would not cope at all (particularly as I also changed jobs at the same time and would be away from home longer than I had been previously), but I kept everything as much the same as I could and she coped better than I did!!! But I do leave her with treats when she's home on her own - lamb neck, kong, rawhide, treat ball, etc, etc (only 1, maybe 2 of those things on any one day though!!!).

BC Crazy, I know we will still be working on this. Well I know we will forever!!! But yes there is light at the end of the tunnel! And it does get easier!!! No doubt tomorrow she'll probably have "a moment", but to be honest I won't care anywhere near as much as I used to because I know that she is capable of being an angel and sometimes you have to take 1 step back to then take 2 forward. Mind you I feel like we've taken about 10 forward in the last couple of days!!! Can you tell that I keep grinning!!!?

I can't comment if that's normal. But something that I was told to think about in that sort of circumstance... what if you want to get him desexed? What happens then? And there may be many reasons you want to desex, but good to discuss with them what would happen in that circumstance (would they say no and then leave you with an entire dog or say they will take the dog back, would they take a samples and have themstored frozen and then you can desex, or would there be something else that would happen?).

Thankyou megan_!!!!!! :D

I haven't read all the other posts. But last year I went from being a 2 dog house to a 1 dog house and I thought I'd give it a go for a while (in all honesty it's only 5 years ago that I was a no dog house, then spent 2 years as a 1 dog house before realising getting another would be ace for me!). Kenzie wanted another dog probably by about December last year. She was really missing the company, even though she was coming to work with me a few times a week and having play dates every week. But I wasn't ready. Then I started thinking maybe I might be ready to be a 2 dog house again, I just suddenly realised that even though there was one dog in the house it sort of seemed like it was missing something (this is a pitfall once you go to having multiple dogs, as soon as there are not multiples you start to notice it a lot!!!!!).. And along came Hamish in June and all I can say is thank goodness because the house feels the way it is supposed to again! In the few posts I read there was a lot of good advice in terms of reasons why/why not to get a second. I do have a friend that got a 2nd and he and her first dog do not get along at all and have previous fought in a very intense manner. They now need to manage their dogs so that they are not in contact (basically), as she has decided that she is not prepared to give up either dog (for a wide variety of reasons). this has meant altering their backyard, coming up with strict arrangements for house time, carefully managing all food/walking/play. She and her husband are committed to making this work (her first dog is very elderly and will have limited time around, second is young). But it is something that needs to be thought about, what happens if they don't get along? But yeah, 2 is great!!! Ideally I'd love 3, but for at least the next few years I'm just going to stick with my 2!!!! ETA I meant to also say, the other thing I love about having 2 is that I can do different things with them. Kenz is my working/performance dog. Hamish is just my pretty boy who is making me experiment with showing, and even if he does no good he's still going to be my pretty boy!!!! But I really enjoy being able to do different things with each of my dogs, doing things with them together and also letting them enjoy each other!

Some of you will know/remember about all the reactivity issues I've had with my little munchkin Kenzie. I know she certainly isn't on the "worst" end of the spectrum but she has certainly been a challenge, and we still certainly have plenty of work to do. But, today and yesterday she has just been an absolute angel and a dream!!! When we used to walk she would react to pretty much everything - cars, bikes, people, other dogs (still have that problem) and well and truely trucks and buses (her most hated things!! well after on-leash dogs walking towards her). For quite some time we've been doing really well with cars and bikes. She's also been really good and has stopped reacting towards people (I'm usually walking her in the dark so when we have had people walking towards us in the dark in hoodies previously she has had a bit of a flip out! Have to say in some ways II liked the warning it gave people because it was sometimes a bit scary for me!!), but often just shows she's a bt nervous and avoids them. Anyway, to why I feel like we've made so much progress!! Yesterday at work we had a really full on day, she was with me and had to meet about 65 people she'd never met before, hang out and be calm while they did things and I was busy doing things, perform tricks for them, and put up with people walking in and out of spaces they don't normally. She was a superstar!!!! She was chilled out for the whole day. She even suckered in one person in to giving her a massage/scratch and rolled over for them so they could continue across her belly - she doesn't even usually do this for me!!!!! Then there was our walk tonight, she did not react to a single thing for the whole walk. For many people I guess they'd say whatever that's normal but for my little girl there is usually something that she doesn't deal with well! But tonight she showed me that playing LAT has well and truely paid off. I think 3 buses passed us and she just did the whole "hey mum, see that bus" thing and that was it, no over the top reaction at all!!! And when I had 2 people in hoodies walking towards me in an area with no street light she just looked up to me as if to say "see them, yeah I see them, but I don't care"!!! And as for dogs, well we didn't encounter any on lead but there was one that was loose in the street (it's owners were working in a garage with the door open to the street) and it decided to start to cross the (busy) road to see us and when I said there was no need to worry she Kenz just had a "ok" moment (and luckily the owners called the loose dog back before it crossed the road). So I know that this is really only a big deal for me, but I know there are a few of you who will get why I'm so excited about the last few days! I know she's still a work in progress, but it's so nice when they show you that work is paying off. And it's so nice to come home from a walk/day at work and wanting to tell her how proud I am of her and how well she's been doing!! All the hard work is worth it!!!

I have to say I've been a bit slack with my little boy (5mo) and have done barely any formal training, I tend to just do incidental bits and pieces of training, so it's usually only about 4 or 5 reps of anything before we move on to something else I need to get done/playing/walking. But I find in general he struggle to concentrate for too long at any one time, and evenings he's way too exciteed to see me to focus for too long! I also find that zoomies for him only last about 10 min and then I give him a few minutes break before I ask him to focus on me to do something. So this probably hasn't been particularly helpful but it give you some comparison of where my little one is (maybe??!!).

I'm voting anal glands also! Kenzie often has full anal glands (I just don't know what else to do about this!!) and I know when she does because there is some scooting and she has a sort of coppery smell at her rear end, she'll also be wandering anround and then just suddenly sit down but in a way so her bottom is well and truely on the ground! I've now learnt how to very basically express them which I do every couple of weeks as a preventative, but she did have to visit the vets a couple of times to have them dealt with (they were not pleasant those times!!!). Oh and she usually has really nice poos but if they are very full it doesn't matter what I feed her but she gets sloppy poos so if I see this happening I definitely know it is time that they be emptied! Such a lovely topic to discuss!!! (unfortunately my work mates have to put up with the same discussion every so often as she comes to work - lucky they are all doggy people!!!)

I've already heard back about the date problem on the BPS numbers - apparently it is well and truely a misprint and they are sending out reprints with the correct date on them in the next week or so!

Sorry, newbie question... My little boy is entered in to Baby Puppy Sweepstakes which I understood to be on Sunday 23rd but our numbers arrived today and on the BPS number it is saying Friday 21st. Do I assume they've written the wrong date? I have just sent an email to check what is going on, but I know it will be after the weekend before I get a response (and I'm already panicking enough about the fact I've entered him at all so if anyone does know a quick answer it will put my mind at ease!!). And if anyone has a good piece of advice for someone who's never shown at a Royal I'd love to hear it (and let's be honst I'm new in general to showing so I'm always will to absorb as much advice as possible!!). :laugh:

I have just come back from the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. This is Mae Dta Keow, she was about 45 years old. The first 35 years of her life were spent working and being treated in a cruel manner that left her with PTSD. Luckily the last 8.5 years she was able to live a life of roaming the elephant park with 2 special ele friends, a mahout who loved her very much and several other people who cared for her a great deal. This photo was taken on Sunday, she was not in a very good way as she had a rapid decline in her health over the last 2 weeks. She passes away later that evening or early the next day surrounded by her 2 special ele friends and the humans who have loved her for the last few years of her life. I only got to spend a few days with her but she was a lovely ele, shy, but would say hello on her terms for a short while and loved to have 1 or 2 bananas. I'm so glad I got to see a little bit of the lovely lady she was and that she got to see love from some very special people and learn that there are good people in the world.

Hopefully he'll be up to seeing a couple of Borders. Kenzie has been dropping bars when jumping for agility, and she seems a bit sore/tender at her rear - so while I"m off O/S her babysitter is possibly planning on taking her and another BC out to see him. I don't know what everyone in the north western suburbs will do when he actually does retire!!!

I'm lucky he usually only jumps up when he wakes up so that he, Kenzie & I can have a big cuddle! And I actually have some little steps at the end of the bed for my cat (which Hamish used to use!), however of recent he's decided he no longer wants to use them!! But like others have said, typical BC, now he's figured out how to leap it's like that's the only way to do things now!! I'm not too stressed about it, there's not a great deal I can do about it! But I'll keep trying to discourage him!

So, Mr Hamish has figured out that he can jump! I'm not worried about the jumping up on people as that is a work in progress with his training. But... jumping on and off the bed/couch/whatever. And am just wondering people's thought on if this is a concern in terms of his growing bones (he's almost 19 weeks)? In all honesty I don't know that there is a great deal I can do about it. And it's not happening a hundred times a day, it's just sometimes. But just wondering.....

Biozet - it cleans anything animal!

Where/when do you get asked about bench preferences? Is it after entry (we're only in baby puppy so haven't done that yet!)? Just because the person who would be handling my little one will definitely want to be with the other dog she will be handling!!! (Oh and I've done most of the online entry form and it isn't on there?!)