Shakti

I also love those purebread dogs - beats Baker's Delight any day!

Am so sick of being assured my next consult will be complImentary!!!! I highly doubt that!

Just saw this ad for some puppies.. *Beautiful dogs who love kids with personalities...* What happens if you have one of those boring kids with NO personality - do the puppies attack on sight!? :D

Another vote for K9-Pro. He has saved so many dogs that had problems similar to yours - really can't recommend him highly enough!

without causing the dog to go into the corresponding mindset? At a dog training class the other day, (NOT AT THE K9 COMPANY !!) two trainers were discussing teaching their dogs various *tricks* One said they had taught their dog to growl on a hand signal. The other trainer said they would never do that as for a dog to growl it had to enter either a fearful or aggressive mindset which she believed was undesirable. the other trainer pooh-poohed this idea and said it was just another means of vocalising such as barking and pointed out taha a bitch can growl at one of her puppies when they *step over the line* and seconds later be happily licking that puppy. What do you all think? Has anyone here done it?

Hey Zen - I doubt that Steve of K9Pro would ever kick or even tap a dog but in terms of being extremely effective with dogs of all breeds and all temperaments he is the best! I have actually made the trip from Melbourne to have a consult with him in NSW. He is especially experienced in dealing with dogs others find too dominant or too *hard*

x3 Cesar states many times throughout his show * Do NOT try these techniques yourself* and yet people still say * I would never do what he does - it is terrible!* If you feel that way - DON'T Do it!! He administers the specific type of corrections on the particular dog he is working with in a way that achieves results. None of us have worked with those specific dogs in the way that he does as part of a structured rehabilitation program - so for crying out loud do what works for you and the trainers you are using and leave Cesar's techniques to Cesar if you don't approve!

I agree 100% Dogsrawesome - and by the way, your Lab puppy picture is very impressive!

I saw The Greatest American Dog and Last Chance Highway on the computer and really enjoyed them both!

Poor Leelaa LOL I agree Monday-itis sucks! Another vote her for Japanese Chin - just fantastic little dogs, sweet natured, friendly, not demanding but do love to be with you, quiet and no doggy smell!

Hi all4addy - You sound like an extremely caring and responsible person who is going to do everything possible for this poor little mite. Some of the most intelligent and devoted dogs have had fairly shakty starts t/o* thei rlives and I hope this wee one brings you many years of enjoyment (and puppy antics!) Poodlefan - hear! Hear! If beating up on someone who has come to this forum looking for help and support would actually prevent any unwanted puppies being bred then I would say *Go ahead - beat up on them all you want* BUT in actuality all we do when we act so righteous and unforgiving and knowitall is to discourage people who care enough to seek out a forum and help to persuade them that *pedigree dog people* are all a bunch of PITAs! As you say if All4addy had NOT adopted this puppy - it may well have ended up in less caring hands or being euthed. Either way it is doubtful that the owner would have learnt anything at all and one more puppy would have been dead.

Yes they did and I can see why! I am planning on going to Hurstbridge on Tuesday nightr as well. Are tou going to any of their seminars? I am really keen on going to Tracking one.

I posted here a few weeks ago asking for recommendations for trainers in the Greensborough/Eltham area. One of the most popular recommendations was the K9-Company and we had our first session on Sunday. It was absolutely fabulous! The trainers were encouraging and extremely informed and knowledgeable and also totally approachable. We felt welcomed and we also learnt a heap! Can't wait for next week!

Really hoping your beautiful girl is doing even better this morning. Maybe the fact she is home and with you will be a real positive for her (even though maybe it was too soon) the benefits of being with the human she loves will no doubt help buck up her spirits!

My Cocker Spanieal did smell very doggy (no she did not have skin, ear or flew issues) just that her natural healthy shiny coat smelt *doggy* GSDs do shed and that can be an issue but have never noticed that *doggy smell* from my friends' Newfies or Gsds but only my lovely Cocker

LOL at the anti-home-school brigade! When state schools have an *failure* rate of 50% throughout Australia (as shown on teh MySchool website) I really feel that any parent who cares about their child's education enough to take them out of school and educate them themselves deserves our support rather than our condemnation. There are so many websites that provide GENUINE statistics compiled from scientific studies of home-schoolers throughout the world that show they have BETTER social skills and on average a 10% higher grade average throughout their *schoiling careers* that there really is no need to debate this topic at all! Particularly with people such as Gavin who have no factual basis for their prejudices whatsoever

this video made me smile - great dogs, well trained and a wonderful video!! http://partners.dogtime.com/network/0.0.1/...s.html?id=31710 Sorry - you need to go to this url an dthen click on teh video entitled Dogs Rock Xmas!!

Just sat here and read the whole thread - I LOVE a happy ending!! Now tell her that DOL expect pics since we are all cyber-relatives to Louis now (well at least cyber-fairy-godparents!)

Shortstep - I am just blown away - thank you so much for posting this. I will print off several copies to pass on to interested friends and of course to the vet in question. This is comprehensiuve and understandable as well as ethical!

Love your post Mrs RB - and Steve as always - a valid point!

Nope - she doesnt breed or sell dogs at all.

Thanks everyone for your response - no real surprises among them. I just didnt want to say in the original post that she is actually a vet who specialises in small animal practise so many (probably most) of her clients are dogs kept as pets in the Inner City area.

Absolutely Clyde. I haven't ever owned any of the breeds she was specifically mentioning so can't comment but it sounded plausible and spoke to market forces rather than just a sudden out of the blue fad for cross bred dogs with ridiculous *breed* names!

I have two of the K9Pro crates and they are absolutely wonderful plus they come with a great article on exactly how to condition your dog to the crate so that it will not be trying to get out but rather keen to actually get in!

I was talking to a woman who owned a cross bred dog today and she was adamantt hat the only reason people are deliberately breeding cross bred dogs is to *rectify faults* in the original purebred parents. The example she used was that Toy Poodles have now become very snippy, yappy and highly-strung and crossing them with a breed known more for its calm temperament is in direct response to the deteriorating temperaments. Likewise she was saying that so many of the small companion lap-dog breeds have been bred for ever more luxuriant coats and placidity and that they have no intelligence left which is why so many people are crossing them with Poodles. I am NOT interested in discussing the merits or otherwise or cross bred dogs but just wondering if in this case the market was actually sending a message to the breeders of purebred dogs which, if heeded, could result in an improvement of the original breeds perhaps in the sens eof restoring them to whatthey more closely resembled a few years ago? NB I DO NOT share this woman's opinions as I am not now and never will be a breeder. It was just interesting to hear such a free-market kind of approach to this issue and I had not encountered it previously.