cavNrott

I would not expect a good trainer to advise a client to tie their pup to the clothes line because he was behaving like a normal untrained pup. What actually constitutes a 'behaviourist' in NSW? Does a behaviourist need to have a degree, such as a Veterinary Behaviourists have to promote themselves as a behaviourist in NSW? I may need to stand corrected but I thought the term was limited to Veterinary Behaviourists. eta: I'm of the impression that this pup is not being trained privately and that the 'behaviourist' was attempting to eliminate bad pup behaviour rather than one on one training of the pup. I'm also of the opinion that private training is the way to go rather than taking dogs to obedience classes at dog clubs.

I don't think my dogs have read those 11 things they're supposed to hate. They're Cavaliers and love any petting or interaction with anyone. They don't respond to the butt scratch, they like the behind the ear scratch. If I say cuddle when I'm lying on the bed reading, they jump on the bed, lay down beside me and put their head on my chest, so they missed reading that one. I'll have to vary our walks, I go the same way usually but there's a good reason why. We do the slow meander though I mostly let them sniff trees for what I think is long enough. The general gist of the 11 things is good.

He's not a trainer Huski, he's a 'behaviourist'.

She's wasting her money paying a behaviourist. Especially a behaviourist who advised her to cease training. That is without a doubt the worst advice he could give her. Of course he doesn't want her to take the dog to training, the pup might learn some good behaviours so he loses a paying customer. This behaviourist is delaying any progress she might make. It's not enough to follow training instruction without understanding the WHY behind it. If she doesn't understand why she's doing something to get a certain behaviour from the dog it won't make sense to her. A competent trainer will explain the WHY so we understand and don't stuff it up when we're at home practising.

They can do a myelogram of the spine/neck to get a clear picture what's happening there. This is what they did for my dog who had successful spinal surgery. It is expensive but the OP needs to know if there is a structural problem with the dog's neck. That is the imaging I'm talking about, if that answers your rather abrupt question. I'm done with this thread.

Supertminty, the OP will need to see a GP type vet for a referral to a specialist if imaging is necessary. I was hoping for her sake that she didn't have to go through the frustrating exercise of many expensive consults with a vet who would want to have a go at diagnosing the problem before suggesting a specialist. Imaging will show if there is anything amiss with the neck. It could be referred pain. Once imaging shows the vet what's going on they'll know where to go from there. If it is referred pain then she needs a good vet who is prepared to investigate all possible causes.

I'm aware that you know the difference, africandreams. My comments were about those who were suggesting their very nice local vets when what you need is the opinion of a specialist vet team who have the necessary imaging equipment at their disposal. Bit rough. OP says they're relocating to Melbourne. Dog has history of lameness. The vet I recommended specialises in lameness and might give the OP somewhere to start, whereas vets and specialists consulted up to this point have not been open to alternatives. Plus given the relocation, they will need a decent GP vet anyway. No need to be so dismissive eta: local vets can refer to specialists in any case. Apologies I didn't mean to be dismissive. My concern and recommendation for a specialist vet centre is because of access for imaging. Of course she will need a local vet when and where she eventually settles but a local vet, no matter how good, does not have sophisticated imaging equipment on site. I'm presuming imaging will be necessary for a diagnosis of the problem with the dog's neck.

Why does she need a behaviourist? Clearly this is a training issue. She needs a good trainer, not a behaviourist. The pup is behaving normally. The owner needs to learn how to train her dog.

Do your specialist vets have access to a myelogram or MRI machine. It would show exactly what is happening and where it's happening in his spine. I hope you have pet insurance Shek, a myelogram or MRI is costly.

Sandgrubber. You evidently see no reason why bestiality is a behaviour that revolts and disgusts not only people who love and respect their animals but by the population in general. There is no correlation between homosexuality and bestiality. Homosexual relations and interactions are with the mutual consent of members of the same sex of the human species. Bestiality is the abuse of innocent animals who do not have the power of consent. Bestiality is forced on them by a lower form of the human species. Why do you keep comparing sexual interaction of same gender humans with bestiality? In my opinion there is something very wrong with any human who sees an animal as a sexual conquest and it is a conquest since the animal doesn't have the power of choice to protect itself from a perverted human. I'm surprised and somewhat revolted that this needs explanation.

I'm aware that you know the difference, africandreams. My comments were about those who were suggesting their very nice local vets when what you need is the opinion of a specialist vet team who have the necessary imaging equipment at their disposal. There are some good recommendations for specialist vets in the more recent posts.

You need to take this dog to a Specialty Centre and have some serious imaging done to find the cause of his problems. A non specialist vet won't have the necessary sophisticated imaging machines available to accurately diagnose the dog. A Specialty Centre is the only way to go.

Yes FHRP. The magic word of pet insurance is Ombudsman. I spent weeks getting nowhere, this was couple of years ago. As soon as I mentioned I intended to take my issues to the Financial Ombudsman everything was sorted within two days.

Oh for heavens sake settle down Amax. Mouthing and pulling on clothing when the owner ceases play is normal puppy behaviour for most puppies of any breed or cross thereof. Pulling at clothes is a puppy being a puppy. If I gave any credence to your opinion about a pup behaving this way I'd say one of my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels showed great potential as a working dog. Ridiculous much? The way you're going on about GSD's and the training of the breed anyone would think they are so much more complicated and difficult to understand and train that they must be different species. You're doing the breed no favours. This a pet pup with an owner who is having difficulty training her puppy to behave because she has not been taught how to train a dog. Millions of people have lovely GSD's as pets and they're probably easier to train than many other breeds, once you know how it's done. Very few GSD's are good working prospects despite ripping at their owners clothes as puppies. My GSD's were well bred, well behaved pet dogs who ripped the hell out of my clothes as pups and my Rottweiler pup was even worse.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest In Peace, Drake

I talk to my dogs all the time. They get a running commentary about what's going on during the day and the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing. I talk to and sing to my little deaf Cavalier. I always have done, more for my benefit than hers I guess, but I couldn't not talk to her. She knows when I'm talking to her, she watches me closely and can see my lips moving. I get a tail wag when I say something to her. She is totally deaf to all sounds. My boy Cavalier who hears well seems to understand a heck of a lot about what I'm saying to him. He has his own song and recognises it when I sing it to him.

Occasionally I read a post on here that leaves me aghast Your acceptance of and tolerance for those involved in bestiality and your pathetic excuses for the nurse involved win the jackpot Sandgrubber. If any perverted bastard raped my female dog it would be a very long time before his member would function well enough to rape anything if he was unlucky enough for a few unsavoury friends of mine to catch up with him. eta: some people disgust me but I've never met a dog who disgusts me, and FFS it's bestiality, not beastiality. If you're going to condone it for krisakes learn how to spell it.

Skip please tell your friend to contact K9Pro. From what I read in your post your friend would find it so much easier to implement training at home if she was instructed by a good trainer on how it should be done. It sounds as though she's flying by the seat of her pants and it doesn't have to been that difficult. Is she not able to walk the dog at all? The longer she goes on with a mish mash of training methods the longer it will take to unlearn mistakes and relearn how it should be done. This lass needs a good trainer. Not a behaviourist who suggests tying the dog to the clothes line, if indeed the behaviourist did suggest this.

If the hair hasn't grown back in all the time that has elapsed since the splint was removed it's unlikely to grow back now. If the hair follicles are damaged no hair will grow no matter what you put on the scars. I hope Lucy has no problems with her leg now and is getting around ok.

The Vet Practice looks to be very good. I wish we had vets like that near where I live. However they are not specialist vets. Their practice places importance on rehabilitation which is excellent but with a problem such as africandreams has with her dog it seems she needs a specialist veterinary team to find the cause of the neck pain. It sounds suspiciously like there is spinal damage or a spinal/nerve issue which would require a specialist veterinary surgeon. Like human doctors, we have GP's and then there are specialists. It's the same with vets. efs

. Then i would say you don't want a dog .dogs are totally reliant on you to fulfill its life needs & that is from start to finish & when there getting old then your life changes again for the dogs needs, A dog is no different than a child ,there not ornaments you leave in the backyard to deal with when it suits I absolutely agree with Showdog. It sounds like a dog is not for you. A dog if cared for correctly requires a high level of commitment by the owner and would take up a lot of your time. It would also pose a problem if you want to go away for a weekend or for a holiday. It was responsible of you to research what owning a dog is all about before going out and buying one.

Exactly HazyWal I've never used the Council bags because I always have one pocket stuffed with those Reject shop bags in just about everything I wear. I never leave the house with the dogs without first checking that I have at least four bags in my pocket.

Bum scooting is usually a sign of anal glands needing to be expressed if the dog is scooting a fair bit. Aliwake make it clear to the receptionist and to the the vet as soon as you are shown into the consult room that you're only there to have the dog's anal glands expressed.

Are you sure that's the real reason? Our park always has heaps, and people often take a handful. I'd imagine they pay barely anything for those rolls at parks, I'd be willing to bet that wasn't the real/only reason. I know that's the reason. I called the Council to ask about a roaming dog. While I had them on the phone I asked if they were no longer providing bags and was told people were calling every day, even just a few hours after Council had replaced the bags to complain that the dispenser was always empty. I've seen greedy people stuffing supermarket bags with Council provided dog bags. I did say to one woman "You must have a lot of dogs if you need all those bags". She replied "No, only two, I'm just stocking up". I then asked would she mind leaving one bag for me to carry while I walked my dog. Apparently she missed the point. How much the Council pays for the bags is not the issue. The Council has to pay staff to drive around replacing these bags in various locations. It's a bit single minded to think it's only about what they pay for the bags. It's a poor comparison but it's like those who engage in looting after a disaster of some kind. The mindset seems to be 'well it's free so why not take as much as you can'?

If you know exactly what to look for you might be able to see full anal glands. One of my Cavaliers occasionally has one full anal sac and the other is perfectly ok. Take your boy off to the vet Aliwake. He probably needs his anal sacs expressed. If that's all you want done the vet should charge you only for that and not for a consultation. The vet I go to charges $39 for anal gland expression. Pretty pricey for something that takes just a minute but worth it.