fuzzy82

I would go with the puppy, but that's because I've decided that I prefer to raise my dogs from puppyhood. However, if the adult dog had everything I was looking for temperament wise and seemed highly trainable, then I would be tempted to go for the rescue dog. One of my current issues with the dog I rescued as an adult vs the one I got as a puppy, is that the adult one was never set up to win in training, she's not very confident, doesn't like to try things so she's difficult to shape and not as "switched on" when it comes to training. With my puppy I've done shaping from the start and set him up to win and built his confidence etc, so he suits me better training wise. And I think it would be difficult to figure out these things about an adult rescue without spending quite a bit of time with it, which is why from now on I'd prefer to get a puppy.

My JRT x went through a 2 week phase around the same age where one ear folded forward and the other folded back at the tip. They ended up being upright in the end.

We have the roomba as well, but after only one year it's pretty much close to death. I guess it's the amount of hairs with 7 cats and 2 dogs, it just couldn't handle it. We would have to clean the brushes every single day, and even then it would sometimes stop and tell us to clean its brushes.

We had a steam cleaner thing, we really didn't like it at all. Dunno if it's the same one though. I've always just used the Earth choice floor cleaner. It's green and greywater safe etc, so I assume it's human and dog friendly as well, and I've never had any issues with it. It cleans just as good as any other floor cleaner I've used, but we don't have shiny tiles, they are a matt type, so don't know if that makes any difference.

I take my dogs out for a walk before we leave, and leave them with kongs. Never been a problem. We usually only go out for 2-3 hours, but last weekend we were gone about 8 hours, and it was the first time I've left my youngest inside that long, so I was wondering if he'd be able to hold it. He did fine, as soon as we got home I let them out and they both went straight out and peed. I had also walked them and left them with kongs and dentastix, and I also hid some biscuits in the lounge, because they normally go to the lounge to look out the window so I figured they would find the bikkies later in the day, which they did.

I would try to the ttouch wrap as well. It's done with a bandage, so it's a lot cheaper than the thundershirt, and it's supposed to do the same thing. I have used it on my dog who's terrified of going in the car, but the thing is he keeps trying to rip it off and to stop him doing that and to calm him down, I end up just rubbing him for about 10 minutes anyway, and I know from past experience that that alone calms him down enough that he doesn't vomit in the car. So not sure about the actual effect of the wraps and shirts etc, if simply calming them down will do the same job.

When I adopted my poodle x she had gotten used to sleeping on the foster carer's son's bed. I wanted her on her own bed, so whenever she jumped up I would just tell her no and put her back on her own bed. Had to do it about 6-7 times at bed time the first night, and then she slept through the night on her own bed. Did it once more the second night, and after that she has slept on her own bed. She's allowed up in the morning for a quick cuddle before I get up, and she seems to know that there is some magic time after which she's allowed up, and she never jumps up in the middle of the night. You can't let her have time to get comfy, that's like rewarding her for jumping up. As soon as she jumps up, tell her 'off' or 'no' or 'on your bed' or whatever you want to use.

Cool, I think I'll get the frontline spray instead. Really hate the look of the collars, and especially next to their nice custom made collars. Thanks

I was at the vet the other day for Obi's vaccination, and while we were there she told me they're expecting a really bad tick year, so she talked me into buying two tick collars. I don't really like them, never have, so my dogs have never worn them before. They look ugly, and I'm constantly taking Obi's off and putting it back on because he gets wet and filthy several times a week. Yesterday he rolled in poo while wearing it, and some went on the collar. I only got the collar a few days ago and I don't feel like buying a new one. I did some googling and found a site that says tick collars don't really work and can be toxic, and the vet said I still have to check him for ticks every day anyway. So just wondering, do your dogs wear them, and is there any point in having them wear them?

You could get away with not socialising with other dogs, as long as you do training on ignoring other dogs as well. Personally I think it's good for them to socialise in a controlled environment, that is in classes, play groups etc, not off leash free for all play at a dog park. I never take mine to the dog park, and they never meet dogs on walks, but before and after classes I encourage them to interact with other dogs from the class.

My dogs can't catch food either. Hubby thinks its weird, I think it's normal.

I'd like to do obedience with my poodle x maltese. She learns so fast and is naturally well behaved and obedient. The only thing I wonder about is whether she has the drive for it. We've done some agility and flyball and she's gotten a lot drivier than what she was... And one of my reasons for wanting to do it is actually that some people have commented that fluffies can't be trained, or they don't expect to see it etc. It's always fun when I surprise people with her obedience skills and tricks.

Don't have any articles, but I'm originally from Norway where it's illegal to desex dogs unless there are medical reasons. However, the law is very old and these days most vets will desex if you just ask them to. I'm a member of a Norwegian dog forum though, and I have noticed a lot of resistance to desexing in there. Most people don't do it unless it's an older dog and there are medical issues. No one does it just because they're not gonna breed the dog. They also don't have a limited register, there is just one register where all purebreds dog go, and any dog can be bred. However, it's not really an issue. The great majority of dog owners are very responsible, they train their dogs, the dogs live inside (and thus can't jump the fence when it's in heat etc), if two dogs do accidentally mate, the two owners will usually make a written contract regarding the puppies, the owner of the male dog gets a certain amount of money per puppy. If someone's female dog gets out and mates with someone's male dog, the owner of the male dog will usually consider it a form of theft and demand that a contract be made. Breeding for profit is frowned upon, and most dog owners won't breed their dog just to make money or just because the dog is "lovely". Generally they will breed for temperament or working titles, or they have shown the dog etc. Also, pet stores can't sell puppies, so there are no puppy farms, so a lot fewer puppies are produced. So the whole attitude towards breeding is different.

I love the idea of a trick as a conditioned reinforcer. Will definitely use that. We don't currently do obedience, but we are training for it and hoping to get into it, and I shape every behaviour, and obedience stuff is really boring to shape, so once we've finished with a behaviour I usually shape a trick, just cuz it's fun. My dogs both know lots of tricks, and I love trick training and shaping.

There is one north of Brisbane. Can't remember the name or exact location, just saw it on the way from Brisbane to Woodford...

Only had one girl and one boy, but the boy is smoochier and more dependant. The girl is affectionate but more independent. They both mark, so no difference there. Personally I don't really have a preference, I like that they're different and they compliment each other.

Eating weird things can be diet based, and Purina isn't very good food. Maybe try a higher quality food to see if that helps? Such as Eagle Pack, Artemis or Canidae. They're more expensive, but because the nutrition is so concentrated compared to the supermarket foods, you don't need to feed as much.

Couldn't you just put the dog in a sit and slip the collar over its head? If it has a solid sit it won't move. Or, lure the dog's head through the collar with a treat. If the dog doesn't show interest in the treat, it's not high enough value.

I plan to get a rottie in the future, and would love a big muscular male. Will be interesting to see if I get the same reaction. As for me, I assume whoever is walking the dog is the owner. It doesn't matter if it's a guy with two little fluffies or a woman with a rottie. I don't really think that much about it, and if someone asked me, I would just assume it's the owner.

Yay!

In that case you also shouldn't teach any trick that would erode a sit/stay, such as beg, high five etc. I don't really see an issue though. If the drop and sit is on cue and you ask for it and the dog plays dead instead, you just don't reward. It's all about stimulus control. If the drop is a really new behaviour then I wouldn't do a roll over or anything like that, but if the dog knows the drop and it's on cue I don't see an issue with it.

My top 5 (the ones I taught first) were shake/high five, roll over, beg, crawl and high ten.

I am wary of certain breeds too. It's a fact that some breeds are more prone to dog aggression or high prey drive, and while not all dogs of the breed would have those characteristics, and while they could be kept under control through training and socialisation, it's still a fact that some breeds are prone to it. That's why there are dog breeds, to get certain characteristics, and if I see a dog of a breed that is prone to that, I will prefer to keep my two small dogs away from it. It's not because I hate the breed, it's just a breed characteristic that I know of, and unless I know the dog, or I know that it's trained etc, then I will be wary and careful around the dog. For instance, I'd never let my small dogs play with a pit bull, staffy, sibe or greyhound, to mention a few. And I have nothing personal against those breeds, in fact I quite like greyhounds and would consider owning one, but I am familiar with the traits that are typical for the breeds. I'm not gonna risk letting my dogs play with breeds like that just to prove a point about how "it's not the breed". I'd rather be safe and be considered prejudiced than have two dead dogs that were allowed to play with known dog aggressive breeds. And when it comes to meeting loose dogs on the street, I would avoid it, no matter what breed it was.

If he's gonna be crated, why not have it inside? Also, if he's not already crate trained I would start with a plastic or wire crate that he can't claw through if he decides he's too bored to stay in it. Soft crates are for dogs that are already used to crates.

I took my puppy to puppy classes before he was fully vaccinated. Most vets no longer recommend keeping a puppy isolated until it's fully vaccinated because for every 1 dog that dies because of parvo, 100 dogs will be put to sleep due to behavioural problems. So if you take the puppy out in public before the final vaccine, there is a small chance it could catch something. But if you don't socialise your puppy, you are nearly guaranteed to have socialisation issues. Obviously be smart about it, don't take the puppy to dog parks and high risk areas, but puppy classes are fine, and you should also take the puppy out to experience as many new environments and situations as possible. Expose it to loads of people, dogs (without interacting, just as important as interacting), traffic, heavy machinery, kids yelling and screaming etc etc. Even if you have to carry the puppy, that's fine, it's still being socialised.