Pretty Miss Emma

I completely agree that it all depends on the owner and the individual dog. Yet so often people are quick to comment that "x" breed isn't good for first time owners. So far it seems everyone is of my thinking of owner and dog dynamic, it would be great to hear from those that say a certain breed isn't for first timers!! I remember at a class I used to go to there was someone who I was told was an experienced owner and excellent with dogs and their breed in particular (their dog was causing problems for my dog, well the owner was oblivious to their dogs behavior). To be honest I think they probably would have done best with a pet rock, certainly a high drive dog was not suitable for them even though they had that breed forever (and until they learnt something about dogs I don't know that breed was or is suitable). I wonder why so frequently there is the quick judgement on breeds being appropriate or not without us knowing the whole story!! Well apart from the fact most of us are protective of our breeds and just want them in the best home possible!!

After reading a few threads over time where whichever breed being discussed is referred to as "not good for first time dog owners" or being hard work for first timers, and owning a breed where many breeders don't like selling puppies to first timers, it got me to wondering which breeds are good for first time dog owners and why? I own BC's and my first dog was a BC. Certainly I can say it's not a breed that you want someone getting in to without having done their research and not every BC is appropriate for a first time dog owner. Certainly Kenzie, if she had gone to a first time dog owner I think she would have ended up in a shelter possibly (she was HARD work as a baby!!!). But Hamish, he would be the perfect dog for a first time owner. So within my breed I would certainly say research needs to be done, and individual dogs temperaments need to be taken in to account. But, are there some breeds that are "perfect for the first time dog owner" that I just don't know about because my interests lie elsewhere? Just curious!!!

Kenzie got her first pass in CCD on Saturday!!!! It has been so long and painful trying to get to this, we have the dreaded border collie "drop during the sit stay"!!! But on Saturday she managed the sit stay!!! And then to top it off she placed first and we brought home a lovely ribbon and trophey! Of course on Sunday the dreaded "drop during sit stay" returned (5 seconds in to it!!). But that doesn't matter I know she can do it!!! Only 2 more passes now! I've promised her if she can get CCD we never have to do obedience again and she can just focus on all the other things she loves!!

When I've moved I've taken the dogs on trips with me to the new house, I tend not to move in on the first day but a couple of days after I get the property! So they come and check out what the place is like while I do bits and pieces. When I've actually moved I always make sure I have all the dog stuff completely accessible and the dogs have either gone to a friends place or mum and dad's when I'm actually moving. Once all the furniture is moved then I make sure the dogs beds are in a somewhat similar place to where they have always been, water bowl is in it's place and toys are around (especially the favourites!). And each time the dogs have just come in and decided that this must be home now as all their stuff is there!

I have one from clean run that is made of the white cooling fabric, I didn't like it for Hamish but he has a long coat I think it would be better over a short coat. It does work without water but I think it is probably better with water

I'm the opposite of you Simply Grand!!! I love BC's and want to spend my time with them; love Aussies but don't really want to have to live with one!! To be honest there aren't a lot of breeds I like (as in I want to have spending lots of time in my life), however I can appreciate why others like them and want to live with them. And for me, anything fluffy has a distinct advantage over smooth coats!

Get rid of the flies. Yes, really! If it's an obsessive behaviour then you need to eliminate the thing he is obsessed over (or be there to distract him whenever the flies are around and train a different behaviour). My guys chase flies that are near them as they find them annoying. Tey don't go out of their way to find flies though. Hamish will chase a fly if it flies past him, but it's not an obsessive behaviour. So I guess figure out is it obsessive or is it because they are annoying (if it's because they are annoying it's not different to us swotting at flies that come near us!). Then you can figure out if it is a problem you need to do something about, or if he's just swotting.

As I haven't been to this show before just wondering the workings for parking etc? I had a look at the little map with the numbers, so is it best entering from Boundary Rd (the little map and google maps sort of seem a bit different to each other when looking at access!!)? And do cars get parked along Boundary Rd? I just hate not knowing what organisation will be like before I get there!!

My 2 are dirt eaters. Have to say I'm not too fussed about it anymore, I sort of figure they like it for whatever reason and that maybe there is something lacking for them (vitamin/mineral) at that time and maybe the dirt is providing it. Potting mix on the other hand I'd worry about.

I thought Ricketts Point was all on leash. I haven't been, but I hear good things about Somers Beach. I'm going to try to coerce some friends to take me and the dogs in the enar future!! I've also heard the one in Mt Eliza at the end of Canadian Bay Rd is good it's just a bit of a trek from road to beach.

Oh and I think that dogs generally aren't "naughty", they just don't know what is expected of them and we aren't consistent in our expectations. To me naughty implies they are doing it on purpose. Most dogs I know don't do things to annoy us on purpose they do things because they aren't quite clear on what is really expected and need a bit more help in understanding this.

You have an adolescent who is figuring out what he can and can't get away with!! Also you say he knows it, but if you got him at 6 months and he currently is 6 months, chances are he doesn't actually know the behaviours. he might know them in some context but not as a generalised behaviour. Rather than assuming he is being stubborn keep training him. If he isn't doing what you want train him to do what you would like. Most of us assume our dogs "know" things before they actually do, we fade out rewards much too fast. And to be honest, to a lab, hearing good boy probably isn't that rewarding compared to other things that could be used as a reward! I would just take a step back and keep training the behaviours.

Thank you everyone and for the PM's also. Will pass the information on to my Mum to have a look at!!

We are currently looking at the possibility of one of my mum's dogs having a grain allergy. Have gotten some grainfree dry food, but looking at what sort of things you give your dogs as treats. Mum's dogs usually get something along the lines of a schmako type thing most days. We're assuming they probably have grain in them - haven't had a chance yet to have a good look at the ingredients. But what long lasting treats do you give dogs on a grainfree diet? What sort of quick consumable treats do you give? Realistically Mum isn't going t be making stuff so looking for things that are commercially available and from fairly easy sources. First time I"ve had to consider grainfree, so there is probably a lot of stuff I'm just not logically thinking of also!

The antibiotics would be affecting his gut. My girl had gastro when she was little and was on chicken and rice for about a week. Don't re-introduce other foods too quickly or in too large an amount, do it slowly. He may also benefit from some yoghurt/probiotics in his food when he can cope with it to restabilise gut bacteria. I can't remember when the poo returned to normal, but I have found that since then she does have a tendancy to get soft poos pretty easily with food changes, rich food, eating strange stuff.

Puppy School... Jean's Puppy Preschool. There are a couple of locations. They are a little bit from Yarraville, but I would be tempted to drive from the other side of town to these ones (especially compared to others I've seen/heard about). I do know of another one that may be closer to you, will find out the name if I can! Obedience - Werribee gets a good rap from the people I know who have been there. If you're prepared to drive, Keilor Obedience Dog Training Centre which is in Niddrie.

I am somewhat devastated by this as she has been the inspiration of so many teaching resources I/we use in classes in my work. Even more upsetting that she took her own life, someone who was so valued by so many people in the world and has helped more dogs than could ever be imagined (and other animals). You just never know what is going on behind someone's smiling face. I hope that her work lives on and that people folllow in her footsteps in terms of training methodology and passion.

I currently have 2 dogs. But have spent the last 7 weeks fostering a little puppy, of course now everyone in the house is happy with her being here and she will be going to her new home in a couple of weeks!! But it has been a good trial period for me to see how my 2 go with adding another puppy to the house as that is the intent in the next 2 years. So that would mean I would have 3 dogs when that time comes. I'm just wondering what people think, those who deal with multiple dog households, is a good number of dogs to keep peace in the house? I find that 2 is just great, I can give them everything I want to (pretty much). But I am definitely planning a third, partly as a succession plan and partly due to my future plans in the dog world. Highly like after a third comes along that I will then potentially have a 4th a few years later (obviously assuming nothing happens to any of the current dogs). So yeah, just wondering what people see as pros and cons to having these sorts of numbers of dogs. And what the household dynamics are like with these various dog numbers.

It is all very contextual. I've been battling for a good 3 years trying to educate the people within the scenario mentioned on the fact that dogs communicate differently to us and that's ok. It just gets really frustrating. Last week I got to see what can happen when a dog isn't able to give all the warning signals (either because it never learnt them or was told off for doing them), and I just feel it is much worse having a dog go from 0-100 in a split second than having a puppy told that they are obnoxious (and I'm the one with the puppy, I have no concern whatsoever for her as she behaves appropriately when she sees that the older dog means it). It just gets very frustrating seeing people trying to put so much "humaness" (Ok anthropomorphising!) on to dogs and I think it's really unfair on the dogs.

I'm grumpy after something today where dogs were told not to be dogs. They were behaving appropriately given the interaction, but the people around didn't like what they were doing so they ineffectively interuppted (therefore one dog learning there is no point giving a warning, the other learning that it doesn't need to listen to warnings - she kept going back to continue the behaviour). This was a puppy and a mature dog interacting, no dog was going to be hurt, neither dog had actually touched each other and there was no sign they would. The mature dog was just telling the puppy that she was being obnoxious and to go away. Of course due to being interuppted all of this went askew. I think that dogs need to be dogs. No matter how much we love them they are not humans and they do things the way that dogs do things. I feel that shutting down their dog behaviour has the potential to create dangerous situations. I don't know if I'm living in some sort of dream world, or if I actually do have a real grip on these things. Thus the poll! I'd love honest answers please. I know this is a dog community so the answers will be skewed, but I wonder if I'm on the right track sometimes. Oh and I know that the poll is somewhat limiting, you'll have to elaborate or give alternatives in your comments if you'd like to!

Q. Would you travel >50KM's to purchase your new pet? A. Definitely (Yes) Q. Would you want to meet the animals parents before purchasing? A. Maybe - ideally yes, but that may not always be practical. If I didn't know the breeder or hadn't met many of their dogs then yes I would want to, if I had a good relationship with them I would take their word or if it was on recommendation of someone I trusted. But ideally I want to at least meet mum. Q. Would the living conditions of the pet impact your decision (Small living area or many dogs which could indicate a puppy factory) A. Yes. If I don't like the living conditions at the breeders then I won't purchase from them.

It sounds like you've seen trainers and what you need is a bahaviourist, probably veterinary behaviourist. Maybe get in contact with these guys as there are vets there who specialise in behaviour problems and also trainers. Before putting a dog to sleep I'd be getting an expert opinion from them. Most vets don't really have much of a clue on behaviour issues and will resort to some sort of medication but not necessarily understand the training also required in conjunction with this. These sorts of problems require a multi-faceted approach and a lot of committment and consistency. From what you've described you can see the triggers and there are some management strategies you could implement if you feel you are up to it, but getting a better picture from someone who specialises in this area is the way to go. There are many ways all of this could be interpreted by people on the internet but this is a problem that is much bigger than an internet diagnosis. As has been said, if there is an aggression problem you don't really have the option of rehoming it's just not the responsible thing to do.

I"m currently fostering a pup who was sold at 6 weeks. I've always heard and understand that pups should be with their litter mates til 8 weeks due to fear periods and also to get the socialisation that is provided by being with same age pupies. Now I GET IT! I can see in this little one what that time with litter mates does. It's not the end of the world that she's left them, but I can certainly see what she has missed out on by being removed at 6 weeks. I was trying to chase up whether the law here in Vic only applied to pet shops etc (and registered breeders via the CoE), or if it applied to BYB's as well. Still a bit unclear about that.

I thought it was all over, but no... Today my credit card was debited by PetPlan again!!! SO I have sent another angry email, told them I'm going to inform the ombudsman (does anyone know the appropriate details for that?!) demanded a refund within 48 hours, demaned they send me an email and a paper letter outlining which policies I had when they were cancelled etc etc. Will just wait to see what happens. But really if anyone knows what the ombudsman details are I"m over it now and am ready to send something to them.

I've been looking at the CoP in Vic regarding age of sale for puppies. It says they can be sold at any time from 6 weeks of age but mustn't permanently leave the premesise until at least 8 weeks of age. However, this CoP is referring to domestic animal businesses. Does this still apply to byb puppies? Or is there a different set of legislation (or whatever) that covers animals that aren't bred in DAB's? I just haven't been able to find anything in my searches and I know that some of you know more about this sort of stuff than me!