trojka

It seems I'm not even safe walking down the street without my dog anymore. In the last week I have been rushed at by two separate dogs, one a Rottweiler and the other a large Boxer who is very territorial and I worry every time I walk past that house that he will jump the fence. I love both those breeds, especially rotties, but being rushed at by such a large, unknown dog is not a nice feeling, and the next one will be reported. It has happened when walking my dog before as well, and certainly hasn't helped with his reactivity towards strange dogs.

Sorry to contribute to the OT discussion, but does anyone remember why they decided to cross the "Lebarnese" on Extraordinary Dogs? Couldn't a purebred labrador or Bernese mountain dog do the job the Lebarnese is doing? This is what the organisation says about the cross (from their website): http://www.mira.ca/en/our-dogs/8/the-labernese_37.html

I saw that too, and have to admit I really liked the look (and temperament, as far as I could tell) of those dogs. Although they are of course nowhere near being a breed, there seemed to be quite a few different "types". And I agree, the name is just as silly as Labradoodle, Cockerpoo and all the other designer breeds.

I recently got one from this seller off ebay. It's very similar to this one, and from the same seller: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/PET-BACKPACK-SADDLE...=item5adf83c421 I'm very happy with it, and my dog loves it (not just that, it has been a real confidence booster for him). I too didn't want to pay a fortune just to find out he didn't like it. One day when I can afford it I'd still like to get a ruffwear one, but for the price I paid ($13! and postage was free) I was very much positively surprised. It can slide to one side a bit, but I just make sure the weights on both sides are about even and that the straps sit well and have had no more problems.

Just a little story on the side. A friend of mine is Spanish. In Spain, dogs are no longer allowed on trains, unless they're (small) dogs in a carry bag. Well, my friend had a Maremma cross (I guess he would have been around 40-50kg), while my friend himself is a very short, skinny guy. He found a bag big enough, lifted his dog onto the train (I can only imagine what that would have looked like), and the dog was happy to sit in his bag for the duration of the train ride. He never had any problems with this and they traveled around a fair bit together. And dogs aren't allowed on VLine trains in Victoria, unless they're assistance dogs.

I agree with this. I am not from Finland, but where I am from the attitude is generally the same. A dog is seen as a big commitment, not just something to stick in the backyard. x2 Just a little example: I didn't have a car for a few months last year. All the vets are quite far away, so walking (especially in an emergency) would not have been an option. Since I cannot take my dog on the bus, there was no way of getting to a vet, other than relying on friends (and I don't know that many people here yet). This left me feeling bery uneasy, until I finally got a car again. In Switzerland, where I grew up, I would not have had that problem, I took my girl on trams, buses and trains all the time. She and all the other dogs I ever met on public transport have been very well behaved. She also went to a restaurant for the first time as an 11 week old puppy, a week after I got her, and peacefully slept under the table the whole time (and every time after that). So, while there might be water bowls out the front of cafes here (might have something to do with the climate as well?), this to me does not constitute a dog friendly society. I'd rather be able to take my dog to restaurants and cafes, shops and on public transport and carry his water around myself any day. The main problem to me is public transport, so much so, that I have thought about making some sort of "guide-dog-look-alike-harness" (don't worry, I haven't). I would imagine the fact that dogs aren't allowed in so many places would contribute significantly to the number of dogs that never leave their backyard. And I can't see why this thread would be seen as insulting.

I've been feeding Great Barko for a while now, and have also never had this problem. Have you spoken to your vet? Are you sure it's the food, or could that just be a coincidence?

Funny this topic should turn up now, my lab/kelpie/? cross just caught his first (as far as i'm aware) mouse yesterday, and I was quite grateful, it being in the house and all. I was rather surprised he got it, he tends to be a bit dopey at times. He took it outside and started playing around with it, let it go a few times, caught it again, but it wasn't going very far anymore at this stage. I took it off him and put it out of its misery. And he has been convinced all day there must be another one behind the stereo, although I can't see or hear anything.

how much longer will you be doing this for? i have a dog that i think would be suited, but i probably won't be able to make it down to melbourne in the next week or two.

nope. can't find the number at all. This should tell me he is on the nsw companion animal registry since he is registered with the council but nothing is returned. No - the NSW Companion Animal Registery does not come up on any other database searches. The only way to confirm if he is on the NSW registry is to enquire with your local Council if you are in NSW. This is why there are issues with microchipping and the NSW database. It is strictly controlled by the NSW Dept of Local Government and no-one, not even the RSPCA can alter or amend the details it contains. It is not accessible by any other state to my knowledge. Yeah, I had a suspicion it wouldn't come up if it's on the NSW register, since apparently that's a government database. If you look on the petaddress website, down the bottom are all the sponsors, and it seems all the others are on there. Sorry, giraffez, I didn't realize you were in NSW. Sounds like you might have to check with your council, just to be sure.

Oh, I just found this: http://www.petaddress.com.au/ You can type in the microchip number and it tells you what register it's on. At least that makes it a bit easier.

i entered my details in both the above and both cannot find my pet. I would have thought the microchip process should be more streamlined. Ie you microchip and it automatically puts you in the database. Looks to me that my dog has a microchip now but its not in any of the database. I just discovered this because of this thread... i always thought he was in a register of some sort Makes me wonder how many pet owners out there are in the same boat... they probably like me think its all in the system because their dog is "microchipped" but no where to be found if the dog is lost! ;) When i registered with my council, they didn't tell me i have to go through a seperate process for putting the microchip in the database....my breeder is under the impression that companion form does all the registration for the microchip stuff. So how would i have known if i didn't stumble across this thread? Have you tried the Australasian Animal Register? That's where my dog is registered, apparently. I also saw a website once that said there were 5 different registries. So there's the National Pet Register, Central Animal Records, the NSW Companion Animal Registry and the Australasian Animal Register. I can't think of the fifth one though. But I think 4 registries are already 3 too many.

I also don't think the council knows about the microchip (at least where I live, it might be different in other states or other councils). The council tag has a number, and the details are registered under that number. And there doesn't seem to be a default register, as when I called the RSPCA the lady told me he could be registered under any one of the registers, and she gave me at least 3 phone numbers to call. I finally found his number on the AAR site, which, of course, was the last one I tried. It makes no sense to me. But maybe a vet can recognize what register it is, according to the number? Or do they have to just try all of them, like I did?

I recently had this problem too, actually only a few days ago. I have moved and wanted to update the details. I entered the microchip number, which was written down in the vaccination certificate, on the national pet register site and was told it was not registered. Unaware that there are so many different registers, I called the RSPCA (since they microchipped him) and was told about all the other registers and to try them. I finally found his chip number on the Australasian Animal Register. Wouldn't it be easier to just combine all these different registers? I thought the reason behind microchipping was to be able to find a dog's owners quickly if it went missing....

Thanks again, HF. It sounds like I will give Cerberus a call then. I currently have lots of time, money however is a different story. But I'll definitely have a chat to her and see what she thinks and if she can help us.

Thanks, hopenfox! What if it's a bit of a combination of the two? Although I'd tend more towards the behaviourist from what you said. Or I might just give both of them a call and see what I think after talking to them. Anyone else?

Can anyone recommend a good dog trainer or behaviourist in these areas? The phone book came up with Bendigo Obedience Dog Club and Wag'n'Tails Companion Dog Club (which don't do one on one training as far as I know) and a few franchises, plus the following: Goldfields Mobile Canine Services Cerberus K9 Behaviour Training Jenny's School for Dogs Has anyone heard anything, positive or negative, about the last three? Or, even better, has personal experience with either of them?