Alkhe

I am so, so glad for you. And to totally in shock.. I must say, having been following your story through the Facebook event etc, every time anything was posted I felt more and more devastated, thinking there would never be good news. I've never been more overjoyed to be proved wrong! Who knows where she's been and what she's seen... You'll probably never know. But congratulations (is that even appropriate??) and big hugs and relief from us, I don't know you at all but I'm so pleased for you!!! Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Someone mentioned to me recently that they use a pen that clicks, when they don't have a clicker handy. That had never occurred to me, but now seem so damn obvious, and has been really helpful! I always have a pen in my bag, and usually have that with me when I'm.. well, anywhere. Might be a good alternative for when you've forgotten the clicker?

WOO! More completely unnecessary poodle merchandise! :thumbsup: I love this site waaaaaay too much. :laugh:

I would take this approach too - just say that you ended up feeding him what you give your dogs, and he loved it and his poos were better. Rather than going the education route (which sometimes works well, but usually when more directly "solicited", if you get what I mean), just do the chatty discussion. You can then talk about why you feed what you do, if he seems receptive. :)

I think an older dog is a great idea - I would definitely go this route again, and it's how I got my Maggie. She was 3 when I got her, and had had pups before being rehomed to me. The benefits of getting an older pup or dog are particularly that you will be able to a better understanding of their personality, temperament, needs etc, and probably have a trial period to make sure the dogs get along. If you go through rescue, I'd suggest getting a dog who has been in foster care for those reasons too. You're just a bit better informed of the kind of dog you're looking at. Obviously there will be an adjustment and settling period, and every home is different, but by and large you're able to have a good idea. That's in addition to getting a dog who is toilet trained (most likely, though you can never be sure!) and gone through the baby puppy stage. For me that's a plus! But obviously some people love puppies and wouldn't ever want to miss that stage.

Hmm, it seems to me as though you've already made up your mind not to take the little girl pup and just wait.. ? That seems to be coming through in the last few pages of this thread, to me.. if I were you I would just wait it out. The perfect dog will come along and there won't be things like co-ownership and contracts to sort out, and all the planets will align. I'm not a believer in fate or anything like that, but I do get the sense that this is one of those stories that will end in a 'thank god I waited' type thing?

Yes And getting a "senior's information pack" from the vet kind of rubs it in.. my Mimi is 11 - though doing really well, and only small, so there are many years ahead of us yet. The other day a guy asked me how old the girls are, and I went "the black one is 11, and the grey one is 4" - he looked at me and went "they're both grey!". Which is actually kind of true now.. I still think of Mimi as being black with a white chest, but she's almost entirely grey now..

I think 2 is my limit - but I'm going to start fostering again in a few weeks, and am more than happy to temporarily have 3 dogs. I live in an inner-ish city suburb and like taking them everywhere with me when I'm not at work. So going to cafes, up and down shop lined streets etc.. 2 dog leads in one hand and a coffee in the other is fine. 3 though.. it would depend on the dogs, but I just wouldn't feel in control. Walking with a dog in each hand is perfect, for my "lifestyle". I do think it depends on the individual dogs though - I could have 3 or 4 Maggies, but I couldn't have more than 2 Mimis at a time (even though she's the 11 year old!) :laugh: Luckily I just have one of each and it's perfect.

I think 95% of dog training is actually people-training, so you're not alone there! I'm sure people here will be able to recommend a good dog school close to you - I have for the first time in my life found one that makes sense to me, and it has made me a much, MUCH better dog owner. The best dog schools will give you information about how dogs learn, how to communicate with them, and differnet tools, techniques and approaches to work with your particular dog. I know you're not looking for a dog just yet, but still, these things make all the difference. I'm so, so tankful for my current dog club!

It's really hard to watch, I know My mum is currently looking after grandma's dog while grandma is away, and her little dog took a few days to really perk up and get back to his normal happy self. I don't think there's really much you can do beyond give him a warm and secure place to go to. Have you got any clothing, bedding or anything of his, or of his owners? Perhaps something that smells of him might help.

That's what I was thinking! They're kinda large in my eyes - even if they're not tall, they're still.. large.. :laugh:

I agree - I would never do it. I've read too many stories here and on other forums etc that I'd steer verrrrrry clear It may be less of an issue with a male dog than a female, but still, I would only want full ownership myself :)

Everyone has covered the whole 'what if they don't get on' thing, and the general rule seems to be don't get another dog if it's primarily for your existing dog. So, yeh..not going to harp on about those things, as you've already thought them through :) My own opinion, from my experience, is that 2 dogs are better than 1, and really not much extra work. I recently brought my 11 year old poodle x Mimi (who had been living with mum since I moved out 7 years ago) to live with me, my partner and our 4 year old toy poodle. Mimi has some annoying habits, but apart from those, it's hardly any additional work. I walk them together, the additional costs for food are negligible really as both are small dogs - and I do think that the benefits far outweigh any negatives. I can't even think of any negatives, really, that aren't really all to do with Mimi and years of entrenched bad behaviour :laugh: The sum is greater than the parts :laugh: ETA - also, if you're going to have trouble finding a dog-friendly rental, you're going to have trouble regardless of whether it's 1 or 2 dogs. So I wouldn't think that's gonig to be too much of an issue :)

I agree with chuckandsteve... +2. If I were you, I would be avoiding any kind of legal battle and just making the best of a horrible situation. Have you discussed the incident at all wtih your neighbour, or had any contact since? I would be doing my best to maintain a friendly relationship, and in these situations would not insist on strictly exercising my rights, even if it meant paying a few hundred dollars. Its' not worth the problems that a bad relationship with neighbours can cause down teh track.

Oh dear I am allergic to dogs too, and it's devastating. My symptoms are more hayfever and asthma, but I get hives and rashes from some dogs too. Golden Retrievers and Labs in particular give me really bad reactions, especially if they lick me. I end up with rashes all over my arms whenever I come back from the park :laugh: As Jules said, the allergies may decrease as she gets older. My symptoms are now less hayfevery and more rash-y than they were when I was younger. I went to an allergist when I was younger (about 12 or so, I think) and ended up having injections weekly, then fortnightly, then monthly, etc, as was prescribed. To be honest I don't think they helped me that much, but it's hard to tell as I may also have grown out of them to some degree anyway. I will never be able to own most breeds of dog though As the dogs are outside, most of my suggestions are irrelevant. I would have said to definitely keep them away from where she sleeps. The only other thing you could do is perhaps get her to wear long sleeves when she touches or plays wtih them? Definitely make sure she washes her hands, wrists and arms after patting or being licked by the dogs, and avoid scratching because it wil just make it worse. Calamine lotion is good to soothe itchy rashes.

Oh wow, you weren't kidding with the "pretty busy" part, hey! :laugh: So many puppies! Blossom is gorgeous :)

Mm - I've read lots of threads where people on DOL tend to be quite happy to kick dogs, and get quite slap happy when another dog looks like its heading in their direction.. :shrug It seems like the flip side of that, really.

Aw, they look like they're having a great time! And yes, Rogue is so huge!! I always have in my head that Airedales are smaller than that

How fantastic, a dog day out, and catching up with friends for something to eat and drink - sounds like a perfect day Oh so she used the utensils, I can live with that. Might not want to eat with that, but if I saw a scene like this it would make me smile; I wouldn't notice the utensil faux pas. Got to love dogs and their people :) Me either! I wouldn't notice, and if I did I'd probably smile and .. not worry about it..

:laugh: me either! I tried to get a photo of them lying close to each other the other day, as proof that it once happened! But as soon as I went to get my phone they jumped up to follow me.

:laugh: oh yes, non-terriers can definitely be predatory, I know allllll about that! Hahah. Thanks for the tip - it's a great idea and I can't believe I hadn't thought about it. That might just be the trick!! I was hoping that if she got a nip on the nose she'd learn her lesson but nope, no pain no gain! If that doesn't work I will try moving it, it's just that the top of the cage already reaches about 1.5m high and I'm 156cm :laugh:

I recently brought my dog Mimi to live with us - she is 11, and was one of our "family dogs" and stayed with mum when I moved out of home 7 years ago. She's a very sprightly and young seeming dog, and has never had formal training. She is a relatively well mannered dog, and has excellent recall, but the only other command she really knows is sit. 3 weeks ago I got some rats which sit in a big cage that is raised about 60cm off the floor. Mimi is a Poodle x, supposedly crossed with a Bichon, but I've had my suspicions for a long time that she's actually sort of terrier.. her interest in the rats has only heightened them :D Mimi is VERY interested in the rats – I’m not sure whether she wants to kill them or just play with them, but it’s really bloody annoying! I thought she just wanted to smell, lick or play with them, but when I've let her smell them (and she's licked them too!) she then lurches at the sometimes, and gnashes her teeth. She can’t actually get them or do anything, but she jumps up and scratches at the cage, and whinges in frustration, or shivers. The cage stand is on wheels so she sometimes ends up pushing it around which is also really annoying and a disaster waiting to happen. I was hoping that the novelty would wear off and while it sometimes seems to, she still gets very fixated at other times. Sometimes she’ll sit or lie next to the cage watching them, or on the top of the couch watching them. Occasionally she will seem to forget they’re there, but as soon as I go near the cage (even to walk past) she’s back on patrol. The rats are in no danger and one in particular seems to delight in running up to her and sticking his nose through the bars and wrapping his fingers around them for her to smell and lick. He seems to like her, in that he hangs around while she’s pawing at him and runs away from her claws. I think she’s been nipped a few times because I’ve heard her jump back and shriek before. It only stops her for 2 mins though. I move the cage into another room with the door closed when I’m not around to supervise, but I would like some insight into what I should do to distract her. She’s completely un-motivated by food and always has been – I could dangle liver treats or roast chicken in front of her and she’d ignore it for the rats. I’ve tried using my voice to get her attention, giving her a little smack on the bum to get her to move away. I can go “UH UH” in a stern voice while standing over her and get her to sit, but she only sits while remaining fixated on the cage and shaking with excitement. And will jump straight up again a few seconds later. Does anyone have any tips for what I should do? She’s just not motivated by play, toys, food, balls.. she does love the ball but it’s no competition for the rats. I’m lucky my other dog Maggie loves food so much- she’s so EASY! :laugh: ETA - some pics of the lovely lady herself, and her little friends. The first pic is basically what Mimi always looks like now - head in the corner of the cage.

I recently started going to training at a new club but am going to answer with the reasons why I stopped going to our old training place. 1) What was the reason why you stopped training your dog? She was extremely timid and scared, and after attending weekly for a month or two, I decided that it was actually making her worse, not better. They hated that I wouldn't use a check chain on her (after it took me weeks to even get a flat collar on her without her shutting down) and I ended up basically dragging her around "heeling" for an hour each week. Or doing sits, for an hour. The instructers were older and were at pains to tell us that they were VOLUNTEERS, and b*tch about each other and were extremely rude in some cases, to owners. There was no consistency between trainers, or between trainers for each class from week to week. At that point I didn't know any better and thought that the club was normal. In hindsight it was a huge waste of time, money and effort, and I wish I'd never gone. 2) Do you feel your dog is well trained enough? Yes. She's well behaved, has basic obedience etc. 3) Did you not get results from previous training attempts? Yes, we learned basic commands like sit, drop, etc. But no explanation of what we were doing, the theory or anything behind it. 4) Is training too far away/ too often/ too expensive? I now go to a place that is about 20km away which is a bit annoying as I live in an inner suburb. I drive past probably 3-4 training schools to go to my chosen one. 5) Are you simply too busy? Nope, I occasionally miss a class now but for the most part I prioritise it. 6) Did you find training boring? Yes. An hour of walking around in a circle or sitting and standing, sitting and standing, etc. 7) What would prompt you to start training again or would you not start training again regardless? Finding a training school using more "modern" methods - not just the same things that have been done for years by people who have no desire or interest to work with individual dogs and use techniques that may work for them. Finding a school that has people with an interest in individual dogs, and their issues/needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Finding a school that wants to actually impart knowledge and work wtih owners, rather than consider dogs the problem that needs to be fixed into place. Thankfully I've found a great training school that I love, so we're back into it :)

I was going to suggest this too - I know I'm a bit late to the party on dog things and Patricia McConnell, but this book opened my eyes to so many things. I'm a much better dog owner because of it, and the books and things I've read and researched since :)

Oh god, I am so sorry to hear this. Thinking of you - please let us know how he gets on as soon as you know.