betsy

Hi All Well, I hope this works. We are just back from the training Xmas breakup. (Professional photo by Wendy Mitchell) KTB - Sorry to hear about your Papa. Never easy particularly at this time of the year. I'm sure doggy cuddles help a bit. Hoover looks adorable beneath that tree! ;) Ravenau - I'm very jealous of your cats and dog living in harmony. I dream of not quite world peace, but at least household peace... Niques - James is looking particularly handsome. Black labs really are gorgeous... KA - I feel that you have been neglecting us. Would love to see some more piccies of Kuma, the lovable big (potentially child eating ;) ) boofa. :p CleoJ - DWD sounds hard! Especially with short legged dog Well, we had a lovely night at training. Lots of games followed by a BBQ. There was one embarrassing off lead incident. Boy Ziggy is quick when he wants to be. Unfortunately I then was unable to cope with letting him off lead again, so completed most of the 'games' on lead. We did flyball jumps, an agility course, tunnels, weaving and this fantastic (calm) game where I had to get Ziggy to sit whilst I placed a tennis ball on the ground, then moved on to the next spot to do the same (about 8 spots), then turn around and do the same except pick up the tennis balls! Required a lot of restraint from my dog We have the same training for next term, and a bigger class. One of the dogs from our original class will be there.

I would definitely add some bones in there! Should help to firm stools and also help with the glands... Go easy on the fritz I found changing to Nutro kibble (from Advance) also helped. You may need to trial different kibble.

Hmmm Methinks that it won't be long until that thread disappears...... (well I hope so anyway, it's a bit too toxic for my liking) It must be malting season for dogs. I have fur everywhere as well. I desperately need to bath Ziggy but waiting for finer weather as he doesn't like the drier. He smells a bit. I hope I can get it done before training breakup on Thursday. I too had nostalgic pleasure watching Anne on Sat night. ALthough I missed the week before, and went to bed before the end (I can see myself buying it on DVD!) Wizzle - nice to hear that you are feeling better and back on the forum. Raven - hope Astrid is ok. Is this your first visit to the vet since you picked her up? (I visited the vet within a week both times when had my new kitty/puppy, not bad to touch base and get all the plans for vaccinations, worming etc sorted out!) Niques - James sounds hilarious! I remember on the Aussie thread that one of the owners had a newish puppy and got him from a DOLer breeder, and was saying one day he was limping, and she was worried he had hurt his paw badly. In the end it was just a leaf stuck to the bottom. Made me have a good chuckle. wuffles - your trip sounds awesome, hope it goes smoothly!

Awww cute - looks like she has settled in beautifully. Welcome Astrid

KTB - I was wondering if Papa Koala was ok, as you seemed a little quiet. Hope things settle down soon - sometimes there is just too much happening at once, and prioritising is hard. Oh, and how are you (and other Canberrians) going with the rain/floods? I'm sure your chilled-out Hoover will take it all in his stride. I think I will get Ziggy done next month or in Feb, just need to find a time where I will be home a bit to "keep him quiet". Niques - there was a bit of a line up for Santa . Although I was the only one from my class. I was happy that Ziggy wasn't freaked out by him actually, and was happy to sit there and have his photo taken (and get an ear scratch!). One of the other dogs in my class (Ollie, english springer spaniel) was absent last week because of 2 grass seeds (groin and foot). Full anaesthetic required, plus a substantial hair cut! Scary

I get the photo back next week - I'll try to scan it in then! (I had to select between ones where there was varying degrees of tongue hanging out of the mouth ) I think we'd all pay money to see Kuma doing flyball. It would be a magnificent sight!

Niques - hope that James is feeling better soon. It must be quite worrying not knowing what is wrong. raven - waiting, waiting..... Ziggy has just had his photo taken with Santa at dog school- it's a professional one so I couldn't do one at the same time. I was a little concerned but Santa certainly had a knack with the dogs and the photo should be quite good (even if a little corny). We have passed this term - YAY. Moving up to the next class next term. I think it is just more basic manners with distractions. Which is exactly what we need. We did our first stand for exam tonight, and Ziggy was quite good (surprisingly). Wiggled a bit but allowed the trainer to examine him (he even tried to get in for a kiss when she was examining his front paw ) Raven - don't tell my cat, but her bed at the moment is my dog's one he grew out of. She loves it. It could also be that there is a mohair rug in there as well (used to be mine but covered in cat hair from when it used to live on the couch).

Raven - how exciting! I remember getting my puppy home and feeling a little bit stunned initially. No time for that now Hope you have better luck with your cat/dog interactions. My house is partitioned into northern territory (cat zone) and southern territory (dog zone), with a baby gate acting as the DMZ!

I'm interested in seeing how you go, been toying with the idea of getting a DSLR. Still working out which model would be best for me. Expecting photo overload very soon

KTB and other Canberrians, hope that you're not underwater! Poor puppies getting soggy feet when they toilet We are pretty dry here now, but hotter than normal so I'm trying to get used to that. Ziggy is not a big fan of the heat, but there are plenty of spots in the back/side yard where it is a lot cooler. I bought some new toys the other day - a tuffy ring, loopies (dog) and the birdhouse with birdies inside which so far seems be the big hit. And.......Mr Hooker Bear......is that appropriate for a 'public forum'

Clastic - losing your pups sounds like my worst nightmare! Glad to hear they're ok Raven - sorry to hear about you breeder. You must be pretty excited about getting your pup soon - fingers crossed all goes as smoothly as possible from here Wuffles - leaving them inside sounds like it went reasonably well (see below!). The thread re the thundershirt is interesting. Must say I'm tempted! Lilli_star - hope you are feeling better. what has miss Ruby been upto today? is the tarp still intact? Well, we had pretty bad thunderstorms here today - I was at work til late, no way I could leave and I was a bit stressed about Ziggy (who was outside). I normally get home and he is peering at me through the side gate at the driveway - but wasn't tonight, so I thought he might have been hiding in his kennel. Lo and behold, as I open the side door - HE IS INSIDE!!! BUT HOW????? It appears that the double doors from the backyard have been pushed in and he has gotten inside (must secure that a bit better!) With all the rain the back door is now swollen and won't shut So I have to pull out the electric sander and sand away the door frame (a bit of an effort really) - and then some paw paw ointment as lubricant! Clever Doggy ;)

Loved the show. It was great seeing something so positive about the relationship between humans and dogs, with a bit of scientific backup as well! I wonder if that BC has any offspring? (I may have missed that bit in the show)

bump - on now

the tv show re dogs/intelligence etc is on SBS now - interesting so far!

I have yet to vote - but will need a bit of time I think! Happy Birthday Ava - Ziggy sends you virtual bitey-face and body slams I have been most amused by the direction of some threads on DOL lately - there always seems to be at least one per day where anything is possible! The rain has been most annoying here. Makes the dog crazy and muddy. NOT a good combination I thought as I was cleaning mud off the walls (and the floor, and me, and the couch ) And the long term forecast is for a wet summer! We are just back from a lovely walk with a friend and her 1yo lab girl. There were lots of big puddles and they were able to be off leash for a decent part of it so they are now well and truly exhausted. Its quite good because they generally play together well, lots of running etc. Only one embarrasing episode of humping :D I'll pop a few random photos on - a slightly cleaner dog than the one that is by the back door at the moment..... Taking pause from a fav game Soccer ball death shake (note unused clam shell in background) Surveying the back yard whilst attempting tongue lolling record Pretending to be a floor mat

Poor Max#1 - must have been scary when he ran from you. I'm sure there were a few people there who felt your pain. I don't think its anything you should be ashamed about. Its not like you deliberately did it! How old is Max now? Ziggy has just turned 9 months and I think his brain has finally returned. He sort of lost the plot between 6 and 9 months. Although I am a bit wary about having him off lead sometimes (even in offlead designated areas) - mainly because he is a very outgoing dog who wants to say hello to everyone and every dog. I feel very jealous of the Canberrians with their fantastic fenced dog parks. He will try and hump other dogs as well , but only dogs who don't want to play mad chasies with him, so I can sort-of tell now when to be on alert to pull him off/verbally tell him off. At least you have the cosy corner to share your woes with!

Looks like you guys had a great day. The doggies looked very well behaved with one another. And I'm sooooo jealous of your dog park!

Looks like the BBQ is well catered for! Minxy - Sounds like Kyojin is a star! What a great advertisement for the breed. I was reading in one of the other threads that walking well bred dogs out in public places, and letting the public see what great dogs they are/look like should be a way of promoting PB. We went for a walk yesterday afternoon down by the river. The LLW is improving, which is great. We went down the the place where the canoeist put their boats in, and Ziggy went to have a drink, but he fell in! He was then scrambling to get out and I had to help him. I thought for a minute I might be going for a swim. :D There was a young guy who was about to put his kayak in and he said "sounds like it was a bit of an unplanned dip?" I'm just glad I didn't have to get wet. And soooo happy with my boy this morning, we had work dinner last night, got home a bit late. Woken up at 6am - put dog out with large bone, went back to bed (undisturbed) till 10.30am - best sleep-in in months! :D He is now inside eating a bone in his crate.

Sounds like you guys did a pretty good job. There is no way that my dog would even be able to do 1/10th of those things with all that distraction! On the up side, be proud of your very happy dog!

Max#1 - I will blame the humidity as well. The "Tunnel High" has worn off now and he is snoozing on the floor...... Can't wait to hear about the assessment!!!!

I am just back from training. Usually this means that my dog is exhausted and asleep on the floor at this time But we did something different tonight - and it was like they were serving double strength red cordial at a childrens birthday party ;) They brought out the agility tunnel and my dog went nuts. He loved it. Zipped through at a million miles and hour. He now has a crazy look in his eyes. I think I may have an agility dog in the making......

Good luck with all the assessments tonight Canberrians. Does that mean you are finished training for the year??? And have a great party on the weekend! I'm sure that all of us non-Canberrians feel we are missing out on the Social Event of The Year! We have training tonight, and glad it is inside and its been pretty wet here. I have been persisting with the LLW training, trying not to get frustrated! Ziggy knows when I stop that he has to come back a bit, and almost does this straight away, but then he starts walking pretty fast again. Lungeing can be a problem, but his reactivity to people is lessening (although not to other dogs, trees, or food). After he lunges badly I must say I reign in the lead a bit and make him walk in an almost heel. I have also increased the food rewards when we are LLW and he looks back to me when I say his name (or "watch" - the dog school term). We have also been practicing a lot at training with different distractions etc and I must say I am beginning to enjoy training again. Last term was getting a bit boring. Also, happy to note that Ziggy was completely unfazed by the thunderstorm last night. We probably didn't get a heap of thunder but boy did it rain. He actually sat by the (open) back door and seemed to be enjoying it all.

we have thunderstorms here in Vic, so a bit of cooler weather may be headed your way!

Completely OT but I found it a bit cute It has been hot here the past few days, so I have made a frozen block with carrots and kabana. Plus have now a great new hose (I was proud of the self assembly that it took). I came home from work and gave Ziggy the iceblock - which he loved! I then made a start with the hose on re-filling the clam shell, and letting him drink from the end of the hose, plus giving him the occasional spray to cool him down. A bit of time passes, and I walked down the side of the house. There are a few holes there, not too big. Well Ziggy rushed to one to retrieve what I thought must have been a bone, but in fact was the remaining piece of the ice block!

Ooh I do love this thread. KTB - The only way I get Ziggy out of the house is to use food! I use food about 99.5% of the time. Very rarely I sometimes grab him by the collar and walk him out if he's been bad, - ie been told off a couple of times for doing something, and continues to carry on doing same behaviour. He hasn't growled at me for a while (since he was about 5 months). Max#1 - loving the photo on the table (was it a lot cooler up there?) Not sure how my doggy will cope with this weather, I suspect he will be a bit more tired than usual. Wuffles - I saw on the aussie thread that it must be Ava's birthday soon! How time flies. Ziggy is nowhere near her in terms of training. But I secretly think its something to do with being a boy.. (and having me as a trainer!). Have been a bit quiet on here lately. My mum was over house-sitting. I realised then that even though my boy loves everyone, he loves me best! (Of course i realise he doesn't have human emotions like me and perhaps at the moment i am the pack leader, but it was still nice to see!). When my mum was getting her suitcase ready to go, he just ran to me (I think he thought I might be leaving again...) Ah LLW - I think this is the hardest thing to teach! I usually end up getting quite frustrated. Yet I know it is important. I have left off using the harness (although I do have one), and have dreams of having a dog who walks beautifully on a loose leash not paying any attention to other dogs, or lungeing at scraps on the footpath in case they are food, or racing to the nearest post/tree/fence to sniff the previous dogs' messages....