Alison

Again, I never said that $610 over the dogs lifetime was too much for a good experienced trainer, what I said was that I would not be confortable paying an upfront cost for training, and would prefer to pay the $610 on a weekly basis so as the trainer had to prove their worth every week in order to get me to return.

Dpepending on the date, we would love to give it a try!

That's right Cactus. What I meant is that in the 2.5 years since Tyler has seen Mum's Dog her fear aggression progressed to the point where I sort professional help and it has now regressed greatly to the point where she can be around other dogs without being aggressive (unless she doesn't know them and they are right in her face). I know how to read my dog and know her bounderies, and this has helped the fear aggression regress. She is still worse than she was 2.5 years ago when it first began, but she is much better, and we are working on it daily. She was as proud as punch this morning when the greyhound walked past and she had a quick sniff without freaking out. I would not be so silly as to allow this meeting to ruin all the good (and might I add hard) work that we have done. Unfortunately that is done on a regular basis when idiots let there dogs off lead in public on-lead areas and let them wonder the streets. Any other ideas on how I can give these two the best possible chance at getting on and being friends? Also, does anyone think they will remember each other?

Who's Tyson? ;)

Thanks for your replies Erny. Unfortunately it will be too difficult to keep the dogs seperated as it is such a small house. The only option is crating Tyler and I want to avoid this if I can because she will be very upset if she cant sit with my family who she loves very much. Do you think that the two dogs will remember each other? They did 2.5 years ago and they hadn't seen each other for just over a year. I was told that the dogs will be much more relaxed if they where off lead, and less likely to fight. Tyler is not full blown fear aggressive, just freaks out when she gets face to face with dogs she doesn't know and growls. If the other dog growls back that it is simply a jump on each other, growl and air snap. She has NEVER drawn blood. She really wants to be friendly with other dogs, but freaks out when they get face to face. Does anyone else have any ideas? Sorry to keep asking guys, but you have no idea how much I am stressing over this

I too am sorry for hi-jacking your thread Cheyenne. Thanks to all the ADT trainers, members and fanatics for answering all of my questions. No one can argue that you lot aren't a passionate bunch! Your club seems nice and your trainers well educated and knowledgeable, I am not denying that. It was only the upfront fee that was questionable to me. If I wasn't happy where I am at the moment, and it wasn't for the upfront fee, I would certainly take the time to look into your club a little more. I do however have one more question if I could hi-jack once more Cheyenne, sorry Does ADT offer pensioner rates for older dogs? My girl is now 7.5 years old, and obviously her lifetime membership at ADT could be shorter than others who join with pups. Probably a silly question as all dogs natural life span would differ. Thanks again for all your responses. I appologise if you have found my questions intrusive. Edited for spelling

Please do not think for one second that I want anything less than the best for my girl. I just wouldn't bet $610 on the nose of ADT to be suitable to train my girl for the rest of her life. Like I said before, I like that my trainer has to prove her worthiness to me each and every week. Also, just a question, is ADT a privately owned business? If so, what is to stop the owner from selling it, and the new owner lowering the standards, and then everyone is left with dud memberships? I am not saying this is going to happen. I am just wondering if it could happen.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that a good qualified trainer isn't worth every cent that they charge. What I am saying is that I would NEVER pay up front for a trainer for lifetime or 3 months. I believe that a trainer should prove themselves worthy each week in order to get me to come back the following week.

Im pretty sure that the trainers at my local club do go to seminars etc. The point I am trying to make, is that if I don't feel they are training to the standard I expect, I can leave without loosing $600+

$610 sure seems pricey. What if you dont like it a few weeks down the track? Do they offer a refund? Edited to add: $610 dollars would buy me 8.5 years training once a week at my local club :D and that includes, agility, socialisation, etc, etc.

Thanks Cheyenne, sorry, but just to get this right, if I wanted to go to advanced, I would have to pay for at least 3 months up front? I like the idea of my trainer having to work each week to get me to come back the next week. I dont like the idea of paying for 3 months or lifetime in advance. Lets just say I wanted to do the package you did, and had no obedience experience at all, what would that package cost? Thanks.

Hi Cheyenne, i think you might of missed my post, could you please explain the payment structure to me and others interested in a bit more detail? Thanks.

Sorry Cheyenne, can you explain it to me a little more. Am I correct in thinking that: You pay an upfront cost for beginners than another one for advanced etc? Does the upfront cost include extras like agility or anything else? I love having the free agility lesson after obedience at Hastings, all for $1.50! Sorry im just a little confused.

Hey Lablover, I have heard you have to pay for a life long membership up front to join ADT. Why don't you try Dodge at your local club first. They are really good there. As with any club, the handler has to put in the hours and hard slog to get results. If you don't see the results you want within the first month or so, then buy a life time membership at ADT. Please don't flame me for this post. It's just an honest suggestion.

Sorry about the long post in advance: I am going to stay with my parents in QLD in a few weeks for a little over 3 weeks. I am taking Tyler up there who is fear aggressive of large dogs. We are staying with my parents and their Lab. Tyler and Jess (Mums dog) where really good friends and lived together for a few years without any altercations. My parents have been in QLD for about 3.5 years. We visited a year after they moved and Tyler and Jess seemed to remember each other straight away and had no problems. At this stage Tyler's fear aggression had just begun. It has now been 2.5 years since the dogs have seen each other, and unfortunately Tyler's fear aggression has progressed. We have worked on her fear aggression and it has regressed a fair bit. She now is only scared of a few large dogs. She is fine if they are not right in her face. She wants to play with other dogs, but once she gets face to face with one she freaks out and gets scared and growls. If the other dog growls back then she would take it to the next step (although this is never allowed to happen unless the other dog is off lead and I have no control of it). Other than when she was attacked, which caused the fear aggression to start, she has never had a full blown fight, only growls and air snaps. It is a rushed trip up to QLD so I can get there before Christmas. Unfortunately we do not have time on our side, and can not slowly re-introduce these dogs as I would like to do. Alternative accomodation is not an option at this time of the year. This is my plan for the re-introduction. Please pick it apart, and tell me what I should be doing differently. I only have one chance to get this right: I will get to QLD at about 4.30/5.00 pm. We are going to introduce the dogs at a local park. She will have the excitement of seeing 3 human people that she hasn't seen for some time and loves to pieces. I am hoping this will take away some of the pressure of the dogs meeting. After Tyler has a quick play with her human friends, I will take Mum's dog on a lead. Tyler's dad will have her on a lead and allow the dogs to get close enough to each other that they will not have to run to get to each other. Tyler will be taken on lead around to the rear of Mum's dog to smell his bum. I will hold Mums dog on lead while this happens so he does not turn around and get right in her face. (This will not bother my mums dog, he is a very playful dog with no fear). Once Tyler has had a sniff, if she seems ok she will be let off lead while Mum's dog is kept on. This will give her the opportunity to come up to Mum's dog without feeling trapped. If they get on fine with no altercations and seem to remember one another, than they will both be allowed off lead to play. My reason for keeping one dog on lead is if something does go wrong, then someone will grab Tyler and I will already have Jess. I am crate training Tyler in case all else fails. Alright, please pick my plan apart. Tell me what I am doing wrong, and what I am doing right. This is such a stressful time for me, and it is really important that I do this right. Edited for spelling

What happened to you today lablover1? I thought you where there, there was a new choc lab today and I asked her is she was from DOL. It wasn't you How embarassment

I started there today. The trainers where fantastic. Tyler and I had a great day. I cant wait for Tuesday night. See you there Lablover1. We will probably be in the same class.

WARNING - You will find it very difficult to avoid that pub food. It is a fantastic feed. I brought my lunch last time, then I brought my lunch home with me

I put Tyler through the 4 week cartrophen course and unfortunately it didn't make any difference, not saying it won't work though, I have heard it is fantastic, just didn't work for my bub. I am going to start her on a homoeopathic remedy next week so shall let you know how this goes. It should take a couple of weeks to start working, although it is so hard to tell now that the weather is warming up as Tyler doesn't have any problems in the summer months. She is also on Sasha's blend. Good luck with the cartrophen, I really hope it works for you

I feed zucchini occasionally Pixi, and I haven't heard of it being bad until now. I would maybe cut the zucchine down a bit though to one between 15 meals. I too feed alot of green leafy, as I read it should make up the main part of the vege mix. Instead of feeding mainly broccolia and green beans perhaps change it to spinach. I read that too much cabbage, cauli, etc is bad too.

I have just seen this thread, hope im not tooo late. I didnt get my email, should I take the hint? I have emailed you Steve

Hilary30, vegies are much better if made up fresh. If you freeze them they will loose some of their nutrition. I just don't have time to do them fresh. They are still ok, and nutritious, just not as good as fresh. Then again, veges loose nutrition when they sit in your fridge, at least the nutrition is locked in once they are frozen

I add a teaspoon of kelp, brewers yeast and a table spoon of an oil called omega pet, to Tyler's dinner each night. The omega pet is from the health food shop and contains; flaxseed oil,safflower oil, cod liver oil, wheatgerm oil and vitamin E (about $10 for 250ml). I don't use Barf patties, I do the veges myself and feed fresh raw meaty bones. It's easy to do yourself once you get into the habbit of it. I just do the veges about once a month, seperate them into daily portions and freeze. I found that once I had finished reading the book, I picked it up and read it again. It all made much more sense the second time around.

Ooouuch alright. Tyler has done this TWICE She has exceptionally long nail beds, and has ribbed the nail off twice down to the quick. Each time she was bandaged for at least a week. Watch they don't take the bandage off too early, as it may start to bleed again if she knocks it before it has healed enough. This happened last time Tyler pulled her nail off, and she had to be re-bandaged. Hugs to Bella :rolleyes:

I got a hand out on ATOPY - Allergic Inhalant Dermatitis from my vet and thought this may help. General Information Canine atopic dermatitis is an inherited tendency to display allergic symptoms like scratching, chewing and rubbing at the face, paws, armpits and stomach. The age at which this is first seen can be as young as three months or as old as seven years, but the average is between one and three years of age. Common causes of atopic dermatitis include pollens, moulds, dust mites, wool and feathers. These microscopic particles can set up al allergic reaction in a sensitive individual. Depending on the particular allergy the symptoms may be mild initially and seasonal (eg pollens), or year round (eg house dust mites) With time these signs usually become more severe and continue for a longer period (unlike humans where children sometimes grow out of allergies). Allergic signs can be aggravated by concurrent flea infestation. An animal which is allergic to pollens can also be allergic to insect bites. Even if there are no fleas or other insects seen a single bite can aggravate dermatitis. What are the major symptoms of atopy? The major symptoms are itching and scratching, often in the armpits and groin. Dogs also rub their faces and lick their feet. However this is not specific for atopy as both food and insect bite allergies can produce these signs. The other signs which result from scratching include hair loss, redness, scale formation (dandruff), darkening of the skin colour and bad odour. KNOWN CAUSES OF ATOPY IN DOGS Grass Pollens: Couch Rye Grass Bent Grass English Couch Cocksfoot Paspalum Canary Grass Oat Wheat Yorkshire Fog Kentucky Blue Prairie Grass Maize Sweet Vernal Weed Pollens: Ragweed Plaintain Rough Pigweed Dandelion Fat Hen Nettle Dock Mexican Tea Red Sorrel Tree Pollens: Elm Eucalyptus Melaleuca Privet Pine Palm Peppercorn Lucerne Olive Plane Tree Casuarina Birch Wattle Oak Sycamore Epidermals: Cat dander Human dander Feathers Sheep wool House dust mites: D.pteronyssinus D.farinae Moulds: Penicillium Alternaria Aspergillus Cladosprium Insects/Miscellaneous: Cockroach Ant Kapok Flea House Fly Rose Mosquito Horse Fly Tobacco Omega fatty acids; Omega fatty acid supplements must be given for atleast 6 to 8 weeks to allow them to be incorporated into the animals tissues before they will be effective. They are safe and have no side effects. Antihistamines; The advantages of antihistamines is their safety. Side effects are rare. However, unlike in humans only 30% of the animals will have their itch controlled with antihistamines alone.