Pretty Miss Emma

Fingers and paws crossed for you both!

Hmmm, I'm interested in the anxiety wrap idea - thanks! I just had a look on their website and I had heard of them before (but my brain didn't make the connection that I could try it!!). Now just to figure out what size to get her, I think Kmart have super cheap kids stuff so maybe I'll just get a few different sizes to try! But between now and then might go back to using her car harness and attaching her to the cargo barrier (she has been free to have the space behind the cargo barrier, but I get what you're saying about being able to have too much freedom in a little space). Crate - doesn't fit in the space, and the last soft one she was in she ate out of! We had to move to a hard one!! But there is a cargo barrier between her and I. It is difficult to do the training with someone else driving at the moment as I'm on my own, if there is a time/situation where I can I will. I also think she's worse when she's with me and it's just her and I in the car. Before Emma died I don't remember her being this bad, but she had Em sitting there with her in the back (I know she did do it a few times but I don't remember it happening to the extent she gets to at some times at the moment). And I know when she travels with one of my friends that she doesn't behave this way (I'm pretty sure my friend has her dogs in the car with her at the time). So I'm wondering if having another dog in the back maybe also has something to do with it, but I'm not in a place to be able to do something about that just at the moment.

Kenzie's doing really well with her reactivity issues while we're out walking. She's a great car traveller, when she's lying down she just hangs out and I think goes to sleep (she travels in the back of my wagon), if we're moving it's all good and she watches the world go by. Problem... if we are stopped (at traffic lights) or moving really slowly and someone walks past the car she goes absolutely beserk. I'm not quite sure what to do to stop it! If I'm standing near the back of the car she isn't as bad most of the time. But usually this problem happens when I'm driving - therefore it is difficult for me to do a lot. I try to speak to her if I see she's noticed something but hasn't reacted, will use her bridge word and also will give her a big "hey" to try and get her focus back and calm her down. To be honest not much of it works! And I think if anything it has gotten worse. I don't know if she has been antagonised while she was in the back of the car and I either didn't see it (when driving) or I wasn't there, so I'm not sure if this is due to "something" happening or if it is just her. Most times it will only happen a few times when we are in the car, but I'd love for it to never happen!!! Plus I think it would be much nicer for her to not have to feel like she needs to do this. When I've seen her from afar and people have gone past sometimes she does it sometimes she doesn't. So anyway, any ideas on a plan of attack would be most welcomed!!!!

I mix in one or some of the following depending on what's open and whether we've had training... Chicken necks/wings (almost every day) sardines natures gift tinned mixed veges eggs yoghurt various left overs But kibble makes up the majority, it's just little bits of the others things.

I have heard there is one in maybe Dingley or Cheltenham or Mordialloc, not quite sure where it is but I know they do letterbox drops of their newsletter in Mentone. They certainly question the need for yearly vacc's in the newsletter, not sure about their thoughts of raw. But could be worth hunting about that area.

I had to wait a while for my papers as Dogs Vic made a mistake (and then also made more mistakes, but we gave up trying to change them as it wasn't going to cause a significant issue). My breeder gave me a copy of what the papers would say and then sent me the papers once they came through but it ended up being about 6 weeks later just because the Dogs Vic office kept putting the wrong info in!

Thanks!! :D I did use a clicker but have now stopped because it was getting difficult for me - I was just struggling with watching Kenzie, looking out for triggers, feeding treats, making sure my timing was good and then also remembering to click! So I've just gone back to using a bridge word - plus I always have my voice with me so as she is always listening for me I figured that was easier!! But I am considering using the clicker again, as I'm better at what I'm doing and she is so much better out and about. So I'm starting to think I might re-condition her to the clicker and start using that as I also find that they tend to learn a bit faster with a clicker. Also I often don't ask her to look I just use her bridge word the moment she glances at the "thing" so that she looks at me in response to that in order to get her treat. Once I have her attention from the "thing" then I might ask her to look at me if I can see that the trigger isn't going away or she just needs a bit more time to get used to it being there; I'm also at a point where I can ask her to look at something and as soon as she hears that and looks I say her bridge word and she instantly looks back to me. Just loving the system!!!

Yay!!!!!

I'm wondering if you live near me (also Glenroy)!!! When I walk my dog I feel like I'm constantly battling wandering dogs. There is a maltese x of sorts that rushes and bites my dog (well, it used to with my old dog I try to avoid that area now as the young one would not deal with it as politely!). At the moment every morning I'm seeing a guy walk his black lab of leash around the streets, my dog sees this and instantly starts to show her signs of anxiety as this lab (while it is under some sort of control) is quite obviously off lead and she feels uncertain about what might happen next. Then there are the 2 jack russell x's that run up and down the road barking at us if we walk past (btw they are not behind a fence they are running on the footpath and road), and will follow us for a good 50m or so. I live across the road from an off leash park and I'm more than willing to take a wide-berth around dogs that are in the park to keep my dog calm. But I expect that when I'm walking her in the streets I should be able to do so without having to be constantly keeeping an eye out for poorly socialised dogs that are not supervised or owners that apparently don't think the basic laws apply to them. It just makes me cross when some of us are trying to be good role models and responsible owners yet these people do the wrong thing and all dogs end up being painted with the same brush. And I have to say I have found the council officers to be basically of no use whatsoever. Mind you now with all these new laws I'm sure they'll be gung-ho in this municipality (it seems the AMO's are only really interested in you if they get to harrass you around here, not so much in to the helping side of things).

Ok, so I just wanted to share two moments that have occurred in the last 48 hours that have made me realise that I must be doing something right. Small successes are great things sometimes!!!! So at agility our agility class I play LAT all the time with Kenzie so that she can deal with the other dogs working around her. It works pretty well most of the time. Last night I feel like we had some major break throughs!!!! SHe was able to look at the dog I asked her to look at and every time was perfectly behaved and did a lovely look and then look back to me!! She was also able to spend almost all of her "sitting and waiting" time just hanging out in a relaxed manner - yay!!!! Other dogs ran over jumps - she just looked at me!! So yay, I feel like we made some progress!!!! :D Then there was this morning... Young Kenzie has been a shocker at the psycho spins when the bus goes past us on our walks. I've been working hard on that one and asking her for a sit so she can look at the bus as it goes past us. She's been doing really well at that, but usually with me pre-empting it and asking for the sit. This morning while we were walking she sits down and starts looking behind me - the bus was coming! And she did her routine of sitting, look at the bus, look at me, look at the bus, look at me!!!! I have to say I was pretty excited that she "told me" that the bus was coming and went straight into her "management" behaviour. And then after the bus had passed we just kept going with our walk - no signs of heightened arousal, no stress signs, just a nice walk!!!! Sometimes it's the simple things that make the day start well!!!

I've started walking Kenzie on a halti and this has helped us a lot - it gives me more confidence therefore increasing my clamness andfor her when she is wearing it she seems to be able to self manage better. this could all be in my mind and could just be because I am calmer and that therefore translates to her - but it's working for us. I'm in the same situation as you, there is one dog that we sometimes come across and usually when we do it's when we walk around a corner and suddenly they are there. Where ever I can I just maintain the most distance I can if I can't increase it. I also work at getting Kenzie to calm down at that distance. So going to her really solid foundation behaviours and if she does the behaviour rewarding that, which seems to calm her quite quickly these days. I did read somewhere the other day (but not sure where!!) that sometimes with dogs that react this way looking at using things like Rescue Remedy may help, but I don't really know much about that - maybe it's worth looking at a mix of natural therapy along with behaviour mod?

My girl cost around $300, so for a male it should be a little less (well often it is!).

How is Amber going JulesP? Hopefully as well as possible, and hope that you've been having some nice time together.

A thread close to my heart at the moment. Tomorrow is 9 weeks since I had my Emma PTS. I can count on one hand the number of days that I haven't been in tears. I'm lucky I have Kenzie as well so there's at least one dog in the house. But I miss Em dreadfully and am trying to get to a point where the happy memories don't make me cry. I wonder if a new pup would help this along? When the other dog that is living with me at the moment goes I'm not sure how both Kenzie and myself will cope. So it's not just for me that I need to be thinking about when a new pup should come home. I don't want another breed, but I think I'd like a different colour within my breed - hopefully that would make the difference for me. But a litter that is upcoming that may have a pup for me is likely to have traditional colouring - who knows maybe there will be one that's a different colour and that will be the deciding factor!!! I think the time is right when it happens - one way or another. Either you go looking and you find the right pup, or the right dog just happens to find you. Just take each of them for who they are. They are each their own special being!

Ok, I know they still haven't actually released the DVD's but I soooooo want them to arrive now!!!! It's not often that I'm this impatient, but I think this whole group ordering comradery has made me more excited than usual!!!

Is she from a breeder or a pet shop? That could make a difference - just as in pet shop dogs are kept in a way that they must live in their own waste so breaking this habit could be harder. But I'm sure the same advice of looking at feeding times and reducing the size of the crate (maybe put in a shoe box or something to take up some of the space) is still going to apply.

Same here!! Just sent you an email and a PM, so at least one will arrive to you!!

Definitely still in seeing as though we've made the 30%!!! So S&T does this mean you are organising? I feel a bit confused about that bit!! Anyway, please PM account details and what do we think the price is with the exchange rate? And $6.60 postage in a satchel?? Oh, if I have the right amount in the account it can go today, otherwise I'll need to do a bit of transferring across a couple of accounts, or do you have paypal then the credit card can come into action!! I know so many questions that may not be super easy to answer!!

Does this mean no one has heard of them???! Anyone? Anyone?

I'd be in on that.

I find it really odd that they would sell different breeds/purebred vs cross at different prices. Here in Vic the prices at RSPCA are just set by animal type and age. So I got my gorgeous ex-showdog at the same price as the mutt of totally unknown heritage. They advertise their prices on the website, however when I looked at the SA one they didn't - odd! I assume it is similar in the other shelters in Vic but don't know as I haven't adopted from many others (and those I have did have standard pricing for cats at least).

I would think that they have to scan the dog for a chip as when the dog is surrendered to them they transfer the chip into their name. When I got Em (purebred BC, whose breeder specified return if no longer wanted but she ended up being surrendered to the RSPCA) her microchip was in the name of the RSPCA as when they transfer it into your name it can't have the previous owners details on it due to privacy stuff associated with the surrender. So the form I used to transfer her chip details into my name had the RSPCA as her previous owner. Does that make sense??!! I think those sentences read the way they should. Plus they generally scan them to make sure that the chip details match those of the person making the surrender and if they don't they contact the person that comes up as the registered owner. I know of several dogs and cats who have been stolen/lost who have made their way back home this way.

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone in Melbourne knows of the Victorian Dog Training Academy? If so can you let me know your experiences, etc (PM or whatever). A friend has been recommended to use them and as I haven't heard of them I thought I'd ask here to see what people know. Thanks!!

Mine is 2 colours. Black over the shoulders and chest, grey under the arms. I think they do this so that people can orient them correctly on the dog. I don't know if the coloured ones are different but I've only seen them having grey under the forelimbs.

I'm tossing up the idea of taking Kenzie to some herding clinics. So, two questions about this... Firstly, any details of clinics that are held not too far from Melbourne (north preferred)???? Secondly, any feedback on experiences???? Does doing this sort of thing make them want to herd more? Or does it give them a release for this behaviour, so therefore they do it in appropriate contexts? Or am I worrying about nothing!!? But any feedback on how your dog has coped with this sort of thing would be great as I have absolutely no experience in this area and am a little apprehensive about testing the waters!!!