rusty&biscuit

I have nothing bad to say about him. Very passionate with what he does. Genuine person with a great ability to train dogs.

Desensitising her is a great idea! Does she love food? If she does, whenever she's eating her meals pull up some noise videos on YouTube and play them on very low volume (so that it's under her threshold of where she gets scared), and do this when she ever has a bone, or kong, etc. Over time you can slowly increase the volume, but it is so important to not ever go over her fear threshold (meaning, the point where she gets scared. We don't, under any circumstances, want her to associate the house, her food, etc, with the scary noise. We want her to barely pay attention to the sounds). I know it's not much, but it's just something that can be done at home. However, I can't stress enough how important it is not to go over that fear threshold...so if you don't feel comfortable doing this then please don't...it's merely a recommendation for if you feel confident in doing so. Mark Singer is a dog trainer with a great reputation who is now located in Melbourne, maybe he could give you a hand? CLICK HERE Also In Line K9 is another in Melbourne with a great reputation CLICK HERE. I just saw your location says VIC, and with the description of trains and the CBD I can only assume Melbourne...clearly I've never been to Vic before :laugh:

Just bumping this question as I'd really like to know the answer. I would suggest there are individual differences SG - the research is very sparse. Thanks TSD, sorry I missed replying to this before. This issue is something I would want to take into consideration if I was going to use an e-collar (and hopefully good trainers do) because it seems to me that if a dog does get used to a level and needs an increasingly high level of shock/stim/whatever to get results then it propably isn't a good tool to use. I used e-collars in the states, they can be a great tool. You want to be working on the lowest level possible. So I have tried an e-collar myself, and it isn't a shock, or horrific at all. As others who have tried it will tell you (if they are working on their lowest level) it's just like a quick tingle that gets your attention. I used Dogtra collars as that's what the company I was interning for used - so the levels from 0-120 were constantly changing. In a quiet environment the dog could be on 8, but then outside with other dogs and cats, the lowest level that would get their attention would be 70. But it all depends on the individual dog. So I don't know what brand of collar she is using, but she may need to change the level at the dog park as that is a much more stimulating environment than a walk down the street, for example.

I don't think they are rare, so to speak, but just a tip on obtaining a good quality one. Research breeders that have dogs that you like, and put yourself on a waiting list for a pup. That's how I got my schipperke Biscuit. Yes, I played the waiting game for 4 months, but before he was even born his litter was spoken for, and he was definitely worth it! I also have his breeder's advise for life, and she has always been such a great help. Definitely recommend finding a breeder you trust and like their dogs and then wait for the perfect pup for a few months if you can :)

Hello by All4aBiscuit, on Flickr An old photo, but I love it! This is Cherry, my first dog who had been nothing short of amazing. She was a rescue so no idea of her breed, but common guesses are staffy, but have also had a fair few for boxer a small few for kelpie, ACD. Who knows! She is very smart, cheeky, and agile. Love everyone else's beautiful dogs. I love the second photo of Sarah! And Didi is one fine looking bedlington terrier ;)

Voted :) What a wonderful program :D

Hi Paws22, welcome :) There has been some wonderful advice given here, and well done on you for going down the registered breeder route :) BC's are a wonderful breed. I don't believe that to raise a well adjusted BC that you 'have' to compete or take part in any dog sports. Will they enjoy it? Of course. But majority of people I know who own BC's simply socialise, go to obedience classes, and enjoy good walks and games of fetch on the beach on in the park. They couldn't care less for dog sports, but the BC's don't care as long as they are spending time with their 'people' :) I think the key is to find a GOOD breeder, who will match a pup to your lifestyle. I have seen very nice dogs from 'Etherial' (I think that's how it's spelled) and can highly recommend dogs from Delgany, up here in NQ. The dog's I've seen out of Delgany seem very stable, sociable, and well adjusted dogs who also do quite well in the show ring :) Hope I've helped, good luck in your search...and once you get a pup, pics are compulsory ;)

What a lovely thread, have really enjoyed reading these posts! The one about Bear the toller just melted my heart Huski, Wiz sounds like an awesome dog! I love dogs with a great off switch, that will still work and work as much as needed :) Red Fox, gorgeous dogs. And I love the description of Tassie devil on crack, I'm going to have to steal that one for Biscuit He does look like a tassie devil crossed with a fruit bat too :laugh: It's hard for me to pick just one thing. Biscuit is such a special dog, I love everything about him. Perhaps the thing I love most, is his devotion to me. He is still friendly with other people, and will work for them...but at the end of the day I know he will always come and work for me if I ask him. He follows me everywhere. At the moment he is outside the office room window, sitting on the generator, awaiting my next move :laugh: I love how cheeky Cherry is. If you've seen the movie Red Dog, that's exactly Cherry's personality! She's everyone's dog...she knows how to make people feel so loved and appreciated by her. She gets what she wants, then onto the next person :laugh: I always love her enthusiasm to learn new things! I love how keen to work Rusty is. While Biscuit will only work for a few minutes at a time, Rusty will go and go and go. He's a lot of fun to train that's for sure :)

Love reading through all these stories! Some truly amazing dogs here :) I always feel safer when my dogs are around. My heroic dog was Lassie...no, she wasn't a collie, which is what I originally wanted :laugh: I was a stubborn 8 year old who didn't get a collie, but instead, an amstaff mix, but was calling her Lassie - much to my parents horror :laugh: Anyway, when she was about 4 I was puppy-sitting a little cavalier mix for 3 weeks. She was a small little thing, just about 13 weeks old. We took the 3 dogs to the beach (Cherry, Lassie, and the little pup), as it was an overcast day and there was noone there, I let them off the leash. I was playing with them by the waters edge, when all of a sudden a big powerful crossbreed came running up behind me and latched onto the pup. It was shaking her like a toy, I honestly thought he was going to kill her. Dad came running down to try and stop it, then all of a sudden Lassie came barrelling through, and beat up the bigger dog, giving pup a chance to run away. Poor thing was screaming and shaking, I carried her the whole way home. I was so proud of my Lassie though! She was an amazing dog :) IMGP0678 by All4aBiscuit, on Flickr

Hi everyone, I have an update! Thankfully yes, it definitely is a cruciate ligament rupture. I know, doesn't sound good, but it's a lot better than being something to do with her lumps! The new vet was very nice, confirmed what the other vet said, and also had a look at her lumps. He said that they have characteristics of benign tumours which is good. I feel so much more relaxed now knowing for certain what we're up against. We'll do 8 weeks strict rest, treating her as if she's already had the surgery, and see if there's any improvements. If there is, we'll continue that way, if not we'll opt for surgery. Thank you so much to all of you for being so helpful and supportive, I really appreciate it

Thank you hannahrjb and ness Have Cherry booked in to see a different vet, at a different surgery recommended by DOLer Whiskers...will let you all know how it goes :)

Thanks pers I will try my best talking them into it...I always have money set aside for my boy just in case, so if they give me permission to take her to a different vet but won't pay, I'll just use that money. If it is related to the lumps, I don't know what I'll do. At least I'll be able to take her out though for trips to the beach so she can enjoy the time she has left (she is on strict rest at the moment, just in case it's cruciate ligament). Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst I 'spose

OK, so now I'm very worried. As she is the family dog it's not up to me, but if it were my choice I'd be taking Cherry to get a second opinion. As I have previously mentioned, she does have 2 lumps that she's had for a while that were too difficult to remove, especially the one on her girl part which, given its position, is practically impossible. Due to that, we never had any more lumps taken off (she has had in the past, though). So, she's had one on her back leg for a while now (the one she's limping on). As we can see some of her spine but not her ribs, the vet suspects that she already has cancer. I go over her everyday checking for ticks, making sure he lumps haven't gotten any worse. Anyway, I was going over her yesterday and the lump on her back leg has suddenly become quite inflamed, grown in size, and she's loosing hair on that leg. And THREE more lumps have very suddenly popped up, and are loosing hair around them too. I have a feeling that it may not be a cruciate ligament at all (we had no X-Ray proof, vet was just "almost certain" and wouldn't put her under for X-Rays unless she was getting surgery). What would I even do then, I am so worried that my worst case scenario will be true

Completely agree with all the above posts. I think as society changes, everything about owning dogs gets more confusing! In the days when dogs roamed the street, they were treated as 'dogs' a lot of the time. These days there is so much conflicting advice it gets so confusing. Use a prong collar they're a great tool, no they're cruel lets ban them, let dogs on the furniture, don't. As houses get smaller, and people communicate less, it becomes so important to keep an eye on our dogs at all times. Heaven forbid that Rover tells Fluffy off for being 'rude', these days Rover's owner can recieve a nasty repercussion for that. It seems to me that as dogs are no longer 'just dogs', we are becoming more aware, and people are working longer hours, that the dogs have to adapt to this new lifestyle. Basically what I'm trying to say is that, while society changes, dogs as a species don't. And they are quickly adapting to being treated less like dogs and having more 'human' expectations set upon them. I hope this has come across ok, my head hurts :laugh: But as huski mentioned in this day and age I would much rather see someone 'overreact' than not at all - it's annoying being rushed by under socialised off lead dogs because people want to go back to the good-old days, if you get what I mean.

Thank you all so much :) Whiskered, I've been using Marlin Coast since i've lived in Cairns, and was told there was only one vet there who could perform the surgery. Thanks gila, good to know that another oldie bounced back so well from surgery :) aussielover she is 13kg :) Thank you so much ness for sharing your experience! I am in the same boat as you with Cherry being the family dog. My parents are quite averse to the surgery and are leaning more towards waiting 8 weeks to see if she improves, in following the suggestion from the website I posted above. It's great to hear how well she did after surgery, and I will be showing my parents this post too to give them more food for thought, as well as continuing my research. Thank you for sharing the information on what surgery would be best to opt for for an older girl too, in case we do decide to go down that route. Again, I really appreciate everyone's input!!