ravenau1

So sorry to hear that, KTB. My Dad's best friend was moved into a Hospice last night, it's a difficult step to have to take :D. How is Hoover feeling? Perhaps still a bit 'off' and that's why the accident? Poor embarrassed guy Aww! Loving all the pics from Max#1,Wuffles and KTB today! I will post some tomorrow as OH has commandeered the desktop that has all the pics on it. Things are going well today, Astrid is feeling better though still not eating well. She's a bit of a fusspot ~argh~. Trying her on some new food tomorrow to see if we have more luck, she's starting to look ribby We had our first 'free' interaction with the cats today and it's great, no probs! Astrid is snoozing at my feet as I sit on the lounge and both cats are sitting next to me, everyone is nice and relaxed . She will occasionally play bow to the cats but they look at her like she's an idiot lol. We've been slowly working up to this since last Thursday and it's gone pretty much to plan

Picking up some of this tomorrow for our little fusspot! Hopefully she will eat it

Niques: Well, you know, you can't be too careful with leaves! It might have been a Dog Eating Monster disguised as a leaf! Astrid loves the sand in her clam shell, but won't go in the water. I had my four impacted wisdom teeth out when I was 14 or so. To be perfectly honest if I had to do it again I would just have the four back molars removed and let the wisdom teeth come through. It was an awful experience wuffles: Perhaps you can get the white shoes dyed blue? Your trip sounds like so much fun! betsy: Her first visit since we've had her, was good to get her checked over etc. Apart from her little problem she's healthy and liked the vet and was really placid and accepting of everything. Except the treats the vet tried to feed her she looked at him like "Really? My Mum has better than that in her pocket!". KTB:Glad the visits with Papa Koala are going better! Re the crying. I was actually surprised at the amount of crying , she is so different to my last dog! He never really cried, but then he didn't really care about my existence one way or another until I'd had him a couple of months He was very independent even though we did eventually bond closely. Astrid is a lot 'snugglier' and enjoys pats and cuddles which is nice She's quite quiet today, and a bit anxious. I think it's probably the medication but she ate well and had a play. She's sleeping now, with two cats watching her through the side of the crate Aww! Kitt was gorgeous! Max#1: Astrid definitely has those lumps/knobs. If her mother/father/older siblings are anything to go by she will be around 25-30kg. She is almost 6kg at the moment. She will probably have full height at around 6-9 months but won't fill out fully for a fair while after that. You can kind of see them in this pic, but they are more pronounced than they look here. I will try and grab a better shot when she wakes up.

Phew! Astrid is ok, just a little infection. She has some antibiotics and she will be fine :p I was worried though

Wizzle, her claws look longer than they are, but they are sharp! Oh well, we've had her for 4 days and we are off to the vet, is that some kind of record? :p She seems to have some problems in her downstairs area! Leaving for the vet shortly ;)

wizzle: She looks so regal in that shot Glad to hear you are over your scare! I can't imagine how awful that must be, to have that kind of worry Hopefully you will start to feel better now! Astrid standing on my feet: It does seem to just be play, as she does the same thing to her toys, same body language and all. It's just funny because I have some arthritis in one toe, and it's the one she always stands on or pokes with her nose I'm going to have to steal Mr Raven's steel toe boots! KTB: Yup, I used to get it with my Malamute too, that it was cruel to have one in Australia because it's not sub zero! I got told that regularly! I imagine you are as sick of hearing that Kelpies shouldn't be in back yards as I was of hearing that! Sorry to hear Papa Koala isn't in good spirits. Sometimes when you're sick and in pain you can lash out at those around you. I hope your most recent visit went a bit better ~hugs~ lilli_star: Slugs! I think slugs and snails are great :D but I don't really have a garden for them to eat! No idea how to get rid of them, chickens maybe! Max#1: Sounds like Max had a great time! Wonderful for you to have somewhere good to go Well, Holy Guacamole! What a whirlwind of a few days! Everything is going pretty well, a couple of little issues but we are working on them. She's sleeping pretty well at night and is overall well behaved, though it's early days yet . We started puppy preschool yesterday with two other puppies, a Stafford x Kelpie and a Shih Tzu x Bichon Frise, two really lovely dogs! However, Astrid wanted nothing to do with either of them and by the end of the class she fell asleep. They are a bit older than her (Staffford x is 12 weeks and the Shih Tzu x is 11 weeks) and our instructor says that she will gain more confidence as she goes along. I had a great time though! We did some basic obedience, then things like "pass the puppy" where we got to hold the other puppies and treat them while playing with their feet, ears, tail etc so they get used to being handled. The instructor was wonderful, really knows her stuff. It goes for 5 weeks and I think we will get a lot out of it! I am working on her being left alone at the moment. If we're out of her sight for more than 1 min she cries. She's not very food oriented so leaving her with bone/chew/treats isn't really keeping her busy. Puppy Dog Eyes

We got our puppy last Thursday and this is an issue that we put a lot of thought into. What we do, and will be doing, is taking her out of the house at least once per day. We go for a car ride, and a walk. During our walk, wherever it may be, she is carried and not allowed on the ground but she gets to see all the passing people/dogs/cars etc, hear all the sounds and smell all the smells. On Sunday we started at a good, well managed puppy preschool and that was great, very useful for her to be able to interact with the other dogs, even if at this stage she hangs back and doesn't want to play. It is a balancing act, for sure, but for us the problems of an unsocialised puppy outweighed the risk of disease.

KumaAkita: That's just terrible, poor dog! So many people do that though, just dump their pets when they become inconvenient! wizzle: Awww, what a great shot, she's so cute! Niques: GLad the vet gave James the ok! Even if it is frustrating finding something for them to eat. I'm finding that Astrid isn't food focused at all, which should be interesting for training She's also not wanting to eat her kibble, which is the very same kibble I have seen her eating at her breeders! Going to try a few different brands. I'm feeding her pretty much exactly how her breeder was at the moment and kibble is part of it. KTB: Hope Hoover is doing well! Max#1: Max is lovely! It's amazing how similar he and Elbie look, have either of you two seen any other Border Collie cross Kelpies? Interesting to see if it's a common look with them. We had our first case of 'breed profiling' or whatever you want to call it yesterday. We went down to our regular pet supply place to have a look at car harnesses etc and we took Astrid (carried, of course, like our daily walks). When we were going through the checkout the woman who works there asked us how old she was etc, and when I said she was a Dobe... the woman look horrified and took a step away (even though she was already behind the counter!) She said, that she can't believe she almost patted a Dobermann, that she hated them . And what was my Devil Dog doing to get such a response? Perhaps snarling, foaming at the mouth as her eyes glowed red? Nope, she was snoozing and nuzzling against my neck. She only even glanced at the lady once. Apart from terrorising the local pet supply workers with her mere presence, things have been going really well here! She learns so quickly, she will 'leave it', 'off', and 'sit' at the moment. If she bites or mouths I will do the "EEP" high pitched voice thing and she will look at me all shocked, then poke me with her nose :D. She sleeps pretty well at night, got up this morning again for a wee at 3:30, then back to sleep until 5:30 or so. If it stays this way I can live with it, will see what happens! The only thing that she does that's a bit weird is standing on my feet! I'm not sure what's going on there. She loves sunbaking! Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Niques: Sorry to hear James isn't feeling too well. I hope you get it sorted out soon betsy: Aww, Santa pic! How cute that will be! I desperately wanted to get a little doggie Santa hat for pics for Astrid, but wasn't allowed to . Mr Raven is maniacally opposed to hats on dogs apparently KTB: Sorry to hear about Papa Koala, it must be very worrying for you ;) Hoover probably won't even notice anything has been done! Hope it all goes well though minxy: That's good news! I worry about training/obedience classes a bit, with the perception people have of Dobes, do you get the same with Akitas? The amount of people who have told me over the last 6 months not to get a Dobe because they are evil and vicious is absurd! Well, we had a pretty good night here! Around 10 last night Astrid put herself to bed in the soft crate in the lounge room. When we went to bed ourselves at around 11 we moved her into the crate in the bedroom, she hardly even stirred! She slept until 3am when I got up momentarily, so I took her out for a loo break then popped her back in her crate and apart from a couple of minutes of grumbling (so funny ) she curled up and went back to sleep. She and OH are still fast asleep She had a little accident inside, but only because we weren't quick enough and had been so enchanted by just about everything she did that we lost track of time! Today we will be more vigilant. ;)

Hello! Just popping in quickly in between playing with puppy and making dinner! Everything is going really well and she's just BEAUTIFUL

Then you can get two! Or a LOT of dog toys Like I said, to be on the safe side Most of the dogs we looked at were $1500-$2000

So excited but running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, doing all the last minute things! betsy: DMZ lol, so funny! Our cats have a bedroom that leads out onto their outdoor enclosure, and we've put a baby gate at the door into the room so they will have puppy free space. I imagine they will be spending a fair bit of time sitting at the gate glaring out I set up the small soft crate last night in our lounge room (have a big metal one in the bedroom) and within 10 mins this is what I saw: "Aww Mum, thanks for the awesome new cat bed" ;) They have nice beds but I might have to get another of these for their room

I think when looking for any purebreed pup, budget for about $2000 to be on the safe side. If it ends up being less than that, then bonus! More dog toys

This is one of my cats, Jinx She's had a good day today, layed in the sun on the windowsill for a while, meowed through the door at some birds in the bird feeder, she seems quite happy and content . Little does she know what will be coming home with us about this time tomorrow! I don't think she's going to be terribly impressed

Thanks Aussielover and Claireybell we decided to go ahead and are starting this Sunday belgian.blue, yes tomorrow, yay! I'm so excited We'll have to organise something for after Christmas sometime, once things settle back into Post-Christmas normality Aannie, sent you a pm ;)

Tonight I am sad I had to euthanise one of my favourite fish, an awesome Betta Splenden Plakat Teal Dragon named Volta. I really loved this lil guy and he was very special to me. I've been fighting for him for a couple of weeks but tonight we decided it would just be my selfishness to keep him alive any longer. I hope it's ok to post a couple of non doggie pictures. And this is my other Plakat, Orium (Red Dragon) who will miss flaring at Volta.

Thanks tlc and RallyValley

Oh, shame! Paddy is BIG! LOL! He is now jumping up onto the sofa and getting into trouble God he's adorable though, he has learnt everything so quickly, he is so smart! I'm amazed! I'll be back at Riverside next weekend, probably both Saturday and Sunday as we have our last Puppy Class this weekend. I have to say, Carolyn Read's Train-A-Pup-Time classes are fantastic. That woman really knows her stuff and she is brilliant with dogs and people. Can't recommend her highly enough! I am starting a puppy class with her this weekend!

Seeing many puppy schools are held at vets - how can you vouch for a place where big dogs have never been? Provided your pup has had the initial vaccination you will find that most vets now recommend that the social development of the pup is outweighed by any risk of infections. Personally I feel vet practices are the worst place to hold a puppy school as they have sick dogs being brought in everyday as well as dogs who are not vaccinated. Even if vets say they sterilise the area - this would require washing the entire space and removing all chairs, books etc. Mopping the floor does not remove airbourne or any saliva that might have sprayed onto walls etc. So don't get yourself too worried about infection. Hi alpha bet It's not at a vet surgery. I don't really like the idea of those classes. I'm not really worried about infection, realistically if it was a huge concern for me I wouldn't be doing puppy classes (as in if I didn't think my puppy would be safe I wouldn't be taking her). I am confident that the right precautions etc are being taken at the puppy school. It was just the time frame that was causing the concern, if we should wait a week or so or start straight away

Awww, what a cutie! Thanks pewithers Yes, it's all safe and sound for puppies, specifically catering to 8-12 weeks old.

Hi everyone! Another puppy class question and I didn't want to hijack the other thread We pick up our puppy on Thursday and we have the opportunity to start at a highly recommended puppy socialisation class on Sunday. Is this too soon for the puppy? I don't think so, but my OH is a bit concerned that she won't have settled in yet. Thanks!

wuffles: I think she is really cute , but at the same time, her mother and grown sister are just so so stunning, confident and self possessed dogs that I just can't wait for her to grow up KTB: Well, you can't blame him for being cautious! It could very well have been a Great Green Dog Eating Monster . And thanks, I will look into that program. I spent a fair bit of time squooshing the puppies, and their mum Funny about your neighbour, I guess you are keeping them entertained . None of my neighbours know we are getting a dog, they all have SWF's now so I don't know how well my Doberdog will go down. People make some big and incorrect assumptions about the breed! lilli_star: Sounds like you will have a lovely Christmas! I am doing much better now, thanks! Just need to have some surgery, but it has to wait until I have some more time! wuffles: Isn't that what trees are for? Only three sleeps to go!

There were a bunch of other people watching, or standing around. Why did no one intervene if her behaviour was so extreme? No one looks even mildly disturbed.

Great shots!! Indy's eyes are the same colour as the pool cover, so pretty!

So much rain over there :p Hope you're all doing ok with it! Clastic:That's a great shot, I love it the look on the face is like... "What?" The Ark: Puppies!!!! How exciting! Congrats KTB: Love the vid of Hoover He's gotten so handsome! Can I ask what video editing program you use? Scarlet makes my heart go 'pitter pat'. I really love pits, they are such wonderful dogs. wuffles: Ava loves the camera! She's very photogenic, and always looks so white! Well, I had a great, and terrible weekend Rushed off to the ER on Friday night, then lots of craziness until Sunday arvo. We were supposed to go and visit the puppy on Saturday but obviously couldn't so we went along on Sunday afternoon. I couldn't be happier. I think the breeder and I really have a connection, we think the same about a lot of things and I think she's (and her Hubby) are just fantastic. I LOVED playing with all the 'big dogs' as well as our puppy. Our puppy's mother is probably the nicest dog I have ever met, of any breed. My OH had a whale of a time he now wants a pack of Dobes too, rather than just the one lol! Astrid is such a little character! We already adore her! I've chopped my mug out of these RAWR! mmm, purple hair... yummy!