Pretty Miss Emma

What you have described is very similar to how my Emma was the day (and day before) I took her to the vet to see what was wrong and I didn't bring her home again. I was able to find peace by keeping my promise that I would never let her suffer, be miserable or in pain. My vet told me that she wasn't in pain (and I could tell she wasn't), but that she would be feeling very very miserable and just all around unwell. Her quality of life had decreased very quickly and all I wanted was the best for my girl. I'm probably one of the few who didn't leave it too long, I don't regret her being at the stage she was at but there is no way I would have let her get any worse. I could have had her treated and probably gotten another week, but a lot of that would have been at a vet clinic, that's not quality to me or her. Try to look at the big picture for your dog. Do what you need to do when the time is right, but don't regret leaving it too long and feeling that you let your dog suffer. It's one of the hardest but kindest decisions that you will ever make.

I didn't think I was ready, but the right pup came along and my other dog was ready!! So I didn't have as much choice in it, I just had to have him!!! And it ws the best thing I ever did (well at that point in time it was the perfect thing for me to do!). I did specifically get a boy because I didn't want a girl to constantly remind my of my girl I had lost. But funnily enough he has so many traits that she had (I had to get him because he is a distant relation to my dog who died!), and that was actually very comforting. It was 11 months between my old dog dying and getting my most recent pup. I think it was also because I had another dog at home who was enjoying us time but really was craving having a doggy companion again.

When ET is run at kcc where does the route go? I'm struggling with training and am starting to think I should just head there to do it but would like an idea of the path followed.

Sorry to hear this. He sounds very much like he is going through what my dog went through when she was in renal failure. Agree with what others have said in terms of make sure you get the tests you want to find out what is going on,our guts tell us a lot about our animals!

I would have thought that dogs vic could tell you if that prefix is still financial and I would think if they are not then they aren't around anymore. What breed are they? It is probably also worth asking in the general forum as many more people go in there as compared to here!

You can send photos through if you do an online report to the RSPCA.

Take photos of everything and send that to the council and request them to attend (they may not, because it probably doesn't fall under any legislation relevant to them. But you may have a good AMO who decides it's worth a visit). If you wanted you could leave a note along the lines of "was walking past today and was worried about your dog as he seemed very cold as the rain had gotten on him don't know if you've considered getting him a kennel to keep him out of the weather". I wouldn't be offended by that sort of note (but then again, I wouldn't have my dog in a front yard nor without a kennel!).

The latest additions to our herding career.... Hamish got his PT the other week and Kenzie got her HT!! I ahve herding dogs!!! Can't wait to get Hamish in to Started but that's probably a little while off. Oh and my other brag.. Miss Kenzie doe snot like being left in my office at work without her mum! Today she managed to stay in her penned off area while I was out of the office for close on around 3 hours at least all up and apparently there was no real whinging or impatience about "when will mum be back"!! For my little girl that's a big improvement!!

A friend was talked in to taking someones dog after having been told that she was a Lab x, turns out she is a Kelpie x. I won't go in to details of how silly we think the friend is for a variety of reasons. But he can't cope with a working dog, let alone a working dog that seems to have a great deal of instinct and working drive. The new kelpie x is now "herding" his old Lab to a point of harrassment and she is not enjoying life a great deal (every time she stands up she gets herded so she stands up and then sits down). We have finally helped the friend to realise that he can't give this dog what it needs (and he is not willing to give it what it needs), the lives of his dogs have been negatively impacted by the new dog and that the best idea would be to find a more appropriate home for the kelpie x. He has happily tried to give the dog away to anyone who will take it now that this decision has been reached, but we are tring to help him do it in a way that will be of most benefit to the dog. So I'm wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of some appropriate rescues for working dogs? The Kelpie x would need to be placed in to a new home/foster home as our friend is moving soon, plus we want to see this dog getting the life it deserves as soon as it can. I do have a couple of avenues I can try privately but would welcome any suggestions that I can pass on.

I've stayed at Countrywide Cottages here They were brilliant. They do state no dogs on the furniture or beds, but they also provide sheets to cover the furniture because they understand that some dogs don't normally have those rules. I haven't been there for about 3 years but that's how it was last time I was there. But they love dogs. The comment made to me was they would rather have dogs and dog owners staying as they seem to be more responsible and respectful of the property than children (and some parents)!!!. The dogs were given a welcome gift of cookies and there were bowls for them and a bed. We had 2 people and 4 dogs staying in one of the cottages. You are away from everything but only about 30-45min in to Lorne. I really want to go back there! Another place I've stayed is Maeburn Cottages in Metung. Basic, but again very dog friendly. Last time I was there we had 4 people and 10 dogs (most of the dogs slept in the dog trailers overnight), and there was no issue so long as we managed the dogs well and didn't cause upset to neighbours and other guests.

Aha, now I know where that little ACD pup went when I went to go and have puppy play!!! It's ok, I got my fix with all the other ones!! I really enjoyed watching those more experienced. I've only just discovered herding in the last 9 months I guess, and I don't know why I wasn't interested earlier. Watching all of you who have some experience makes me so excited about the future, particularly for my Hamish!!

Thanks piper!! So now Kenzie has her HT and Hamish has his PT!! I think we will trial in PT for a little bit to try and get him a bit ccalmer and more focussed, he has a few crazy's when he first goes in and I'd like that to settle a bit. But he got some really nice compliments from those who were watching about how he moved and worked in his 2nd run (which was really good I think!).

So we are off to our next herding trial in the morning!! Kenzie has been entered in 2 HT runs and I've entered Hamish in 2 PT runs. We haven't done PT even in training, but I"m sure we'll be fine!! Hopefully he can pass them, that would be nice!! Kenz shouldn't have too many issues with her HT's but we'll see what she decides to do tomorrow!! She's a funny girl she does a lot better when she has a real job to do, she will probably be quite nice to work with in Started, we'll get to that eventually! Hamish well he just wants sheep!! I think if I bought him sheep for Chrismas it would be the bestest thing ever in the world!!! I can't wait to get him trialling in the real trials!!

Other than what was on the list I will often use one when I have people coming to my house (particularly young children) either to make the arrical time a bit calmer (Hamish likes to jump) ,if my dogs indicate it's time for a sleep or if the kids are being exceptionally active and I can't watch dogs and kids vigilantly.

My old girl used to get an irritated patch on her nose because she would push her nose under the gate trying to see what was on the other side, she'd also dig with her nose. But what you are describing sounds a bit different. Sounds like a good idea to get the vet to look at it again.

Please don't tell your dog off for growling, she is expressing exceptionally clearly that she is very uncomfortable with the situation. Chances are she has actually already given a whole heap of signals to say she is uncomfortable but they have gone unnoticed. If you lose the growl you may just get what comes next - a bite. And that will be bad news for your dog and whoever is on the receiving end. If your dog is letting you know she is uncomfortable it is your responsibility to fix the situation. This is not a quick fix problem. Ideally you will get some help from someone who has had experience with fear issues. And someone who can observe your dog when she is in these situations. If your dog is expressing her discomfort and fear remove her from the situation causing this. This doesn't have to mean completely remove her it may just mean putting distance between her and the fear-causing thing/person. IF you don't know about recognising stress signs then do some research on this so you can alleviate our dogs fear before she reaches a point where she feels the need to growl. But most importantly get some help from someone who can help with this specific issue.

Can't help with NSW comps. But can tell you... Kenzie's HTM starters was 1.13 longand her FS starters was 1.14 long. So, long enough to definitely ensure we were doing a ful minute of performance time but not so long that it pushed her too hard. As for props, they are not essential and in a minute to use a prop takes up a bit of time. In HTM you don't really want props at all (there is no real place for them), in FS my thoughts are use a prop if you want/need one. One of the rules states something along the lines of if a prop is in the ring it must be used within the routine, so you can't just have something because it looks good and then not use it. I sort of am working on the theory of not including too much in each routine because I want to make each level better and more extravagant!! So for instance Kenzie's FS routine from the weekend had in it - beg, running and doing a circle, spin, heeling, spin changing sides, leg weaves, hi-10 and standing up on her back legs. Enough to make it a decent routine with choreography, but I didn't try to cram everything in. We can build on all of this now for our Novice routines!

For those who don't go to other places where this photo may appear... Kenz and I love DWD!!! This is us with our signature move "Paws Up Everybody!". (Go check out Raggs Kids Club if you don't know it - good for a giggle, and great for DWD!!) Oh and for those worried about costuming - this was a full scoring costume and I believe it cost all up maybe $15-20 and was made by me ironing on paw prints and one of my friends whipped up the skirt!

Well, have to say I"m a bit impressed with my dogs and what they've been doing the last few weeks!!! Hamish - got his HT title at the BC Nationals and did it all pretty easy, so we're heading in to PT, the big paddock and more space for the sheep and Hamish to run!! He's also doing good at DWD training and I probably should think about sorting out a routine for him or something! Kenzie - has her first pass for HT, and is in another trial at the end of the month so hopefully should get her HT then. At the BC Nationals we entered Rally Advanced for the first time. I'm paranoid about working her off lead!! But she was a superstar!! We got 93/100, such a proud moment!!! She also got her first pass towards FS.S then. And we entered CCD after a 2 year break (our first times were dismal!). We didn't get a pass as she dropped on the sit stay, but I was so happy with her as we actually were heeling together and she wanted to work with me!! So then last weekend we had another DWD trial and Kenz managed another 2 passes in freestyle so now she also has her FS.S title!!!

Thankyou!!!! Good luck biker girl!!! Have a great time!

Yep pretty happy with ourselves!! And our scores just got better each time! Continually just missing out on placing, but that's ok because the other starters routines were awesome!! Now we get a few months off so I can figure out music and what we'll do heading in to Novice!

Great DWD trial today in Victoria!!! There were so many talented competitors and routines that were really great to watch!! Great for me because Kenz got 2 passes which means we've now earnt our Freestyle starters title! Yay for us!! But it was a really lovely relaxed trial. Lots of inspiration from other peoples routines!!!

Was it cartrophen? Emma used to have cartrophen and it worked a treat. We also have a BC x kelpie at work who is ab out 17 and she gets monthly cartrophen (I think it's monthly) and it does wonders for her and keeps her mobile! You've had a bit of a bad run at the moment BC Crazy. I hope Sonny is all ok. I can't really give much advice just good wishes. I did have Kenz at the chiro (when I also took Hamish), and there was some stiffness in her spine which was put down to her active training. So we were given a few exercises, she had some very minor manipulation done and it was recommended to keep her on fish oil/sardines to keep everything moving. This worked well for her. She was a tiny bit similar to Sonny in that when her rear legs were extended she found it to be a bit painful. I think also, probably the earlier that you get on to things like arthritis hopefully the longer it takes for it to become an issue. Anyway, good luck with it all.

Everyone has already mentioned the socialisation thing. But I have 2 BC's and 2 cats (plus all my foster kitties!!!). So really I just wanted an excuse to share a cute picture!!

Sheena, I use a bundle of physical cues at the moment. We're just doing Starters. As we advance it's going to have to tone down a lot, but for now that's what we need and it keeps her working and knowing what we are doing. One of the key things I've been told about DWD is you need to be able to improvise!! Things don't always go to plan, but if you can make it look like it's going to plan then it will work!! Well, improvising is not my strong suite! I was lucky, our HTM soutine went exactly as planned (even though I'd psyched myself up to cope if it didn't!). The DWDF routine we're doing at the moment,hmmm a bit less to plan and I'm hoping that this coming weekend I can figure out how to improvise a bit more so that it flows a bit better. So don't worry if it doesn't go exactly as you want. have you plan, aim for your plan, but be ready to just throw in something she can/will do if the plan doesn't go to plan!!!