chezzyr

Maybe we can take turns. The OH is such a softie, Rosie doesnt really take him seriously. I figured in structured classes it would help him learn *shrugs* (he wont learn from watching from outside as he has a condition that makes him fall asleep if hes not doing something!) We shall see. I will have to wear my humble cap and just hope the instructor has had some experience with Collies

wow, I am surprised there is so much involved in teaching sit. Not to mention the length of the posts Heck I am probably old school but I simply taught my dog to sit by saying a firm clear "sit" and lightly pushing on her rump. I stood at her right side and each time I said sit I would just push on her rump (gentle/firmish so there was enough pressure). She eventually cottoned on and was responding well within a couple of days. Of course I praised and treated her. Not the click click shove food way. My dog isnt particularly treat orientated and responds to praise She (nor I) have had any formal obedience training so it will probably be a shock to our system when we begin in a couple of weeks. Hope its not TOO text book/military style for us Edited: Just reread some of the posts and see that Ebony does NOT take to having her bum guided down *shrugs*. Rosie went through a stage of wanting to drop when I gave the sit command but she was just a bit confused with the new command. I now raise my hand above my head so that she is kind of looking up when I say sit (I do this only if she doesnt respond instantly). Much easier for her to sit than drop when head is looking up. I figure if it works why not. As for drop well I point my hand to the ground if I dont get an instant drop and that seems to work.

I am putting my girl in a show next week thus the reason for the nail clipper question. I can not justify the cost of a dremel type tool (actually my OH probably has one - he has a million tools!) - also probably the noise or buzzing would freak her out. Dremel sounds like a great all purpose tool though! I think I will just try to find a pair of cheap nail clippers (from supermarket or Big W like someone suggested). Probably wouldnt be a bad idea to manually file or buff them though. Do people use human nail files at all?

Jenny, youre starting to make me feel nervous. We START obedience lessons with Rosie on the 26th. I think I will send my OH into class with her and I will stand outside swigging on something

I want to get some nail clippers for a medium sized dog. What types are best? I was going to order some online but as I need them for next week I might just have to go find some at a supermarket or something. Recommendations of brand or type appreciated. I dont want to spend too much if I can help it. Thanks.

Oh yeah, madam devours pig ears and pig snouts but we tend to give them when we have to go out for a couple hours and cant take her with. Her latest yummy (dog grade) snack is some type of beef jerky flat biscuit (was a present from someone so dont know the brand) and also dried beef (my pockets are always full of crumbs these days) Edited to add: pockets full of crumbs and laundry always covered in muddy paw prints!

No problem whatsoever with the chicken mince here - I guess theres variation in the origin, processing, additives (if any), storage etc. Or maybe different metabolisms? Fortunately (so far) Rosie hasnt had the runs from anything and she tends to eat most things I give her (I believe in variety!). Having said that, she does think she needs to eat what we are having. Still knowing how much she LOVES dim sims and Red Rooster I only give them as very special treats when I am training or encouraging her to try something 'scary'

Tinsel now wants to come and live with you Cheryl Cheers Kate I couldnt cope with two rascally blue Smoothies Rosie says to tell Tinsel that she will happily send the empty Red Rooster box for her to sniff!

I feed mine raw chicken necks and raw chicken wings quite regularly. She gets quite a variety including supercoat and rice/vegies etc. A couple days ago I picked up some pet mince 2kg for $1.50. I was a bit iffy about pet mince but this was a lighter colour and didnt look as gross as some of the stuff Ive seen over the years. Butcher said it was minced chicken. Doggy loves it. Has to be frozen if not used straight away though. Oh and for special treats she sometimes gets some Red Rooster morsels

My local obed club has the i-clicks for $5, thought that was pretty cool seeing I missed out on this lot I will have to get more though - one for each pocket of every jacket :rolleyes:

Hi Corine Yes I do put the ziplock bags in my pocket but the hand usually dives down and comes out yucko She got a real taste for dim sims as I had to resort to that to entice her into the car (or out again). Now she sees me as the dim sim lady when we go for drives. She hasnt got used to the black beast yet so we take her everywhere in the other car (its quieter!) Anyway.... One of these days us Collie people should congregate at an off lead area. I will be at KCC Park on the 29th May but are people allowed to use the off lead area if theres a show on that day?

oh dear. Rosie has just turned 12 months and she hasnt done any formal obed training. We are going to get signed up soon. Of course being an older 'puppy' I guess she will bypass all that puppy pre-school experience so I am not sure what class we will go into or how she will go. I wouldnt be surprised if she gets distracted herself, and not sure if food is going to help. I really want to get her out there with other dogs/noises so I am sure it will be good from that perspective. If theres any food that will get her being a sticky beak and paying attention, its steamed dim sim and roast chicken. But I dont fancy carting those around in my pockets and dont want her getting to used to those treats (they are VERY special treats). She can be ho-hum about other "training" foods.

Looks innocent doesnt she? I have just let her in from her evening frolic/toilet and she had run amok in the backyard - new outside door mat in a crumpled heap down one end of the yard, two cushions scattered and battered, couple of mangled balls....AND she was barking a few times (we never hear her bark, didnt think she could). She is a little monkey! Never trust the quiet ones LOL.

If the clickers are less than 20mm thick then they can travel by 'large letter' rate which would be $1 (I am guessing). As far as packaging, why dont you look into getting a "bulk" quantity because it works out substantially cheaper! For instance, recently I had to buy a quantity of small mailers that normally cost 95 cents each. I bought a carton of 100 of them and it cost me around $30.00 so a huge saving!

Hi I cant remember if I ended up requesting any! But could you put me down for a couple please? Any colour is probably fine :rolleyes: Will you accept payments by direct deposit?

OK...adds free range eggs to shopping list. $2 to $3 extra per fortnight isnt going to break the bank :rolleyes: As for the cooked lamb bone. I am going to accept it off my folks so as not to hurt any feelings (they were so happy about having this yummy bone for my dog). I will assess the situation back at the ranch and if I have any hesitation about feeding it I will turf it (but will dig the marrow out for her!)

Interesting responses and reading material. My eyes werent deceiving me with those little chickens though - they grew big (fatty meaty) in a short period. And they looked "out of proportion" compared to others chooks I had seen. So theres something in the feed they are given that makes them do this! And whether its hormones or antibiotics or whatever surely it cant be fantastic for consumers. What about the "millions" of varieties of eggs available at the supermarket. I tend to buy the cheapest, the generic brand or whats on special. Are other eggs really that much better?

My rellies have been involved with chicken farms for years and I myself have observed little fluffy day olds turn into huge "out of proportion" things in a matter of weeks. It is quite amazing (frightening?). Ive been giving my dog raw chicken (wings/necks) with no thought to the hormones in the birds. I know myself free range chickens taste better but dont think I can afford to live like that.....

I dont feed cooked bones and I certainly would never give cooked chicken bones or cooked "brittle" lamb chop bones etc. I am simply asking about giving a roasted lamb leg bone once in a blue moon. I dont want to become a paranoid dog owner with a mollycoddled dog LOL Has anyone actually had BAD experiences with cooked lamb leg bones or do we just assume all cooked bones are bad regardless of which animal they come from or what part of the body they come from? I normally feed my dog raw chicken wings and chicken necks and am only asking about the lamb bone because someone wants to give her a present :rolleyes:

Hi I keep hearing that cooked bones are a no-no for dogs but what about the solid lamb bone from a leg roast? (cooked) The dog I had years ago used to get the bone after we had a roast and she never seemed to have any problems. Input please! Thanks :rolleyes:

Yeah, shes really starting to grow on me . Ive not owned a collie before nor had much to do with them which is probably why I have lots of questions! She is a funny little character. I will be looking out for other Collies at AP Lake on Sunday. Paws up who is going?

Anyone would think Rosie is trying to make me eat my words! This is what I saw tonight while preparing the dinner! OK, so she CAN play - with a couple of very select items.....

Lets know how you get on with the clicker method with Ebony! Because if it works with her I will seriously look into learning the method to use with my girl.

I have spied on Rosie a couple of times and sprung her carting a cushion around the yard (looks so cute prancing around head high with a floral cushion in her mouth). Ive seen her shake it violently and "gallop" with it in her mouth. And she is very clever with kicking/rolling a soccer ball around too. But if she knows youre watching she will usually stop (has acute hearing too so can hear if we are sneaking around the place). Rosie sounds a bit like Ebony, maybe its a female Collie thing? Although probably someone will speak up and prove me wrong hehe. Maybe if my dog is able to observe other playful dogs she might cotton on to the idea of playing more. Are there any doggy "playgroups" in Melbourne?

haha Yeah those Weis are awesome dogs - and cheeky critters! Probably a bit too much dog for me to own but make a wonderful photogenic subject! Pictured is Zac, a Wei I photographed recently. Not sure if your Wei would find my Collie's tail - it would probably be firmly tucked between her legs!