gemibabe

since the pronged collars are on 'restricted import' it is saying(to average joe) that if a licence to import is given, the collars are then OK to use. They would have to be of a certain type of pronged collar to be allowed in to australia to begin with..

I noticed this thread on here some weeks ago and after tonight I am glad it is here! I arrived home this afternoon, put my girl out the back, unpacked the car, started to prepare dinner and go to call Shelby in when I notice she is eating something. On closer examination I realise it was a chicken carcass. Now I haven't given her chicken carcass' for close to 4 weeks. :D Being a bit worried about the effects it would have on her, I didn't allow her to finish eating it, but am unsure on how much she did eat.. if she buried it whole all that time ago or was it half eaten? It was deffinately half eaten tonight. :rolleyes: Would the micororganism's in the dirt NOT allow bacteria to grow? I certainly do hope so!

I admit when I did that test, I did it over and over again.. cause I all could feel was muscle... I eventually felt her hips but am not 100% that I was feeling the right thing... Im no vet!! As for loose skin... When Shelby was pregnant - I noticed her nipples swell - I got her desexed (an aborted ) her belly has some skin that could either be a minute bit of fat or loose skin. How lean do staffy's become? I have never seen a staffy and thought, gee, she's fat... But with labs... thats easy to spot :rolleyes: Staffy, staffyluv, staffordsrule... opinions please?

Awww thanks everyone

Phew... thanks guys Sirmonsta thanks for that article... I will test her out on those points, actually am going to print that out and put it in her file for years down the track EDIT: just did the test... can feel her ribs, her neck is good, and can feel her hips

this is the first time I have seen the pronged collar... how do they work? Sorry if its been mentioned in this thread (I confess I haven't read it all YET) They look like one of the link puzzles

and this one... hope they are good enough to see the problematic areas LOL

Hello all again, Someone said to me the other day that my girl was fat... so I got some photo's of her especially to see if anyone here with experience reckons so...

Hi Tollerblaize, I have exactly the same problem with my staffy iwht children... She has to learn self control I visited a trainer in the Perth hills just before christmas and one good suggestion she suggested was to take her to a place with lots of kids (school yard) or when school is out, go somewhere where the kids frequent to walking home of similar... Have you foot securely on the leash so she cannot jump up. She can sit and try to jump but not long enough to jump. Reward her for not jumping or attempting to. If the kids want to pat her, make them ask first, then once she is settled in a sit, have the children pat her from under her chin (never over the head cause she looses eye contact) If she lunges forward or is not sitting, the kids must step back and not pat... Again, reward her with the pat for sitting. This way the dog will associate the sitting calmly with a reward of getting pats from kids... School goes back here in WA on the 31st and I will be doing this, so will let you know how we go. Regards, Kylie

I will pass that info on cloud... sorry about your dog too Kylie

Ummmmm......wouldn't desexing the dog lower the desire to get out in search of a bitch on heat? Isn't that enough reason to get your dog desexed? So it stays at home and not want to roam?

Thanks for the responses. I have directed him to have a look at those threads you posted Bilby. He isn't sure what is going to happen as yet. I am going to go see them both before I head back home. Thanks again, Kylie

HI everyone, My friends staffy is 8yrs old and has just been diagnosed with Myaloma. I am presumming the spelling is correct as I recieved news via sms. He is waiting on tests to be done to determine how long she has left, and whether or not chemo will be good. I know some people here have had dogs go thru chemo and some haven't. My question is how much do the dogs suffer with chemo treatment? Does it make them sick like it does humans? I know its personal choice whether or not he puts her thru chemo. Would it be better to let the dog continue on without treatment and then send her to rainbow bridge once the pain and illness really sets in? Does he tell the breeder also? Being 8 years down the track would it help? Is it a problem in the lines or does it come with old age? I only saw Misty girl some 3 weeks ago and she seemed her lively self and now this. She went in to check out her HD and found out it wasn't HD at all, but a slipped disc. Thats being treated with anti-inflamatory stuff. And then they found out with tests about the Blood disorder :p I want to give him some positive news if I can. ;) TTFN Kylie

RIP Brax thinking of you Chrissie

Purple Julie I can't make out the photo's very well.... my question to you is: do they look like coldsores? Horses get herpes... the proper name for coldsores. Maybe it is something similar and if so its a virus and antibiotics wont work. It could of been a coincedence that the sores went away with the antibiotics, as herpes (coldsores)appears and reappears whenever it likes..

Hi Nicky, The dog doesn't realise it is on a tightened lead(well in theory LOL). When the dog goes to jump it can't work out why because it is grounded, ONLY when the dog has stopped fidgeting, should you allow her/him to be patted. This teaches the dog to stay in a sit to get pats.. praise.. And you say to the child (if old enough) "have you asked to pat the dog?" This also teaches the child that they should not pat a dog without asking first.. It's really strange, because I have had 3 dogs previously, all were really well with behaviour and great with kids... I now have a son, get a dog and I have a dog that is terrible around kids.. The trainer I met said she was a good dog, just needs to learn a little self control... She has spent too much time with my son, learning all his bad habits... LOL good luck with it all, I'm sure it will be fine, Kylie

I'm no expert but I would like to share with you, what a trainer showed me on Thursday... It is to teach my staffy not to jump up, it shows her that although kids are there, they are not there for her to jump on. I am to have her on leash, with enough so she can sit, so the lead should go from her collar (in a sitting position) to the floor with no slack, and I should stand on it, so she cannot jump... My staffy loves kids so much that she thinks they are there for her to play with, like they are her brothers and sisters... She is just so full on that she frightens almost every child she meets, or ones that are her size... With my dog, once she hears a baby cry/noise she is beside herself, she just can't wait to greet this human baby... she gets so anxious that all she does is bark bark bark. I hate it when she does it as I take it as some sort of aggression but I have been told that it is how my dog reacts to frustration. I have never discouraged her from interacting with kids, but I have restricted her freedom with them as I feel it is the only safe way to go. If you feel that oyur dog is going to be too anxious to handle the baby situation, maybe have her crated or in a pen, or something similar when the baby visits.. Hope this has helped somewhat, Merry Christmas, Kylie

You could try to treat your yard with Brickies Lime... that should get rid of the flea's in the yard... Probably pick it up at a hardware store like bunnings... I would go with the tea tree oil (melaluca oil) I use a product from America to wash my staffy in and she has never had fleas. And she no longer has her itchy skin either... YOu must think of fleas as nits for dogs... everything must be washed... did the dog go on oyour bed while out? or outside has she been up on any clothing like towels on seats etc.. the little buggers will breed anywhere. Goodluck and hopefully you wont be too stressed out for tomorrow's lunch. BTW... Stay away from all shops...its a madmans dream down there! Merry Christmas Kylie

Bibly do you have the contact details for Jacquie? I would like them very much... Thanks, Kylie EDITED: never mind Bilby, did a search and found her... am booked in this thursday...

I guess we would need to see more boarding kennels that don't require vacc cert. Or is it law somewhere that to have a boarding kennel, the regulation is to have all dogs vacc?

Hi Ci, My whole reason for posting was because Shelby was tiring her self out while swimming, and lucky for both of us she was on a rope. I'm going to get a vest for her before the next swim so we can all have peace of mind. When she was 6months or there abouts I use to fill my sons wading pool with about half a foot of water and she use to roll around mad in it, bite at it, she just loves the water. But give her a nice bath and she tense's up, and does not co-operate... but runs like a mad dog afterwards...lol It was really good watching her have so much fun with the water. So a vest is the way to go. Might get one for my son too ;)

Thanks Everyone! K9 I know its an obedience thing, but it was like watching kids and candy. She couldn't get enough of the water! Any tips on how to NOT make the dog come so close that you get scratched by those swimming legs? She is getting good with waiting for her food. bowl is only a foot in front, but she doesn't take her eyes off me Staffordsrule I will get a vest. It sounds like a great idea. Any Idea on where to get one? Can't say I ever seen them (not that I was looking) I will google it and see what I come up with. What brand do you use? Can't say I have ever heard of a dog swimming pool over here in the west. Thanks again

I taught her to swim in a pool and I would direct her to the steps to get out incase she ever fell in. Have heard of dogs drowning in pools cause they fell and couldn't get out from the sides... but water holes? If she ever did sink, its along way to the bottom. I just want to be able to go swimming with her and have the confidence that she would get out when tired or when I call her to get out. Has anyone done any 'water training' with thier dogs? It gets rather hot in summer and with the many water holes around I would like to take full advantage. Luv_is_a_staffy That is a sad story. Another is where a dog in Darwin went into the ocean thinking it was after a big stick, only to realise it was a croc bloody owner should of been shot for allowing his dog offlead in such a high risk area Sidoney, I had a bull terrier that snapped at the water so much his tummy was twice the size... then spent the rest of the day hurling up water... Clover its great that they enjoy the swim, but it scares me that they would keep going and not realise they are going down

We had a pretty warm day yesterday and I took shelby off to one of many swimming holes around here. (left by mining) Had to have her on a lead as the law states so I grabbed the longest bit of rope I could find (12-16ft long). Anyway, she was straight in swimming around but kept swimming and if not on the rope she would of kept going. I kept calling her back which she ignored(I'm not getting out!) but it was like she was sinking!!!! So luckily with the rope I would pull her in, she was still swimming but kinda sinking. She loves the water so much, snapping at the splashes she makes with her paws. do dogs swim so much that they get tired and sink? maybe even drown? I'm just glad she had to be on the rope at this one swimming hole. There are others around, bit of a drive out, but require no leads and I would like to be able to take her, but if she is going to swim, swim, swim and tire easily, I don't want to be jumping in. Also too, can dogs catch meningitus???

Have you heard of rat fever? When the pest control man was here baiting some in the roof (sorry if it upsets you) I asked him if they happend to be running around inside and bit us would we get sick. His reply... He knew of a woman who had a pet rat for years, one day while she was feeding it, it accidently nipped her finger and she later came down with rat fever and passed away.. You just reminded me with your rats...