Nikki's Mum

Thanks for the recommendation as I'm also in need for a kennel shortly. :D Just tried to Google them. I can only find Woodside Kennel in VIC and SA. Have they maybe changed their name? Or did you mean Woodcroft? I for the following kennels in Duffy's Forest. Duffy's Forest Boarding Kennels & Cattery 413 Killawarra Road, Sydney Marendale Boarding Kennels 1 Bibbenluke Avenue, Sydney Woodcroft Guesthouse for Cats and Dogs 412 Killawarra Road, Duffys Forest

I started training my Sibe when she was 12 months building up slowly to 5km, then increasing by 1km every 4 weeks. By the time she was 18mths we were doing 20km 3 times a week and 5km on the other days. You will soon find your own dogs limit. In general I would think that 50km would be a realistic limit for one day. Depends on the balance between running and trotting. Trotting is quite an efficient gait and a very fit dog can do that for quite a few km. Love to know how you go. Just remember to make haste slowly LOL!

Great to know. I'll look into the NSW Husky Club :-) I should be back from Austria in Early April so that's be good timing.

Rules for dogs in Forest areas. The NSW government makes a distinction between State Forests and National Parks especially the difference in rules that apply to Dogs. National Parks - No pets allowed. State Forests - Dogs allowed but must be under control at all times. "When visiting conservation area such as national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas, remember that no pets are allowed (other than trained assistance animals). State forests, some Crown reserves and some regional parks permit dogs, but visitors should keep them under control and on a lead at all times." Apparently State forests can have pockets of national parks in them. However they are clearly marked. Also maps showing trails and areas appropriate for dogs can be bought online at forests NSW http://www.shop.nsw.gov.au/category.jsp?category=1261 Eg "he Central West Forest Map covers the area west of the Blue Mountains, including the Central Tablelands, the Macquarie Valley, Bathurst, Orange and surrounds The map shows all regularly maintained roads and trails, walking tracks, recreation areas and lookouts. The reverse side contains photographs and commentary on the history of the regions' forests and forestry in the area, and details of recreation sites, including the must-see sites and a recreation facilities matrix. This is a 'must have' for mountain bike riders, four-wheel-drive enthusiasts, bushwalkers, horseriders, dog owners and anyone who wants to explore the region's extensive public forest estate." Great to know eh? Needless to say, I've purchased all 5 maps LOL

Awesone, thanks, will do!

LOL that makes for a great visual. You are pretty close though. You generally use a x-country scooter like the one I have below hook up you dog to the front using appropriate harness and traces (shock absorbent ropes specially designed) and go bounding down the trails. Needless to say Nikki has been trained with the commands to turn left, right, move over left, right, slow down, speed up and stiop. You can also use mountain bikes and there are also 3 or 4 wheeled carts you can use for multiple dog teams. You can use pretty much anything so long as each wheel is braked and is within the pulling capacity of your dog. Unpaved trails are generally used as too much road work can splinter your dogs leg bones (just like horses) and put too much stress on the muscles. Most large breed dogs are capable of this sport but every country has their own laws governing this. In The Netherlands only specific polar breeds are allowed to pull anything. In France there are no restrictions on breed just common sense and humane treatment apply. I've seen giant poodles in a team of 2 pulling a scooter having heaps of fun ROTFL. That was exceptional, you mostly see GSD and other larger shepherd breeds as well as the other spitz type breeds and crosses used. I even saw a vid of a guy in the states hook up his huskies to a farm Quad bike. He had a team of 12 I think. Anyway, it's a great way to get out there and keep fit with your dog as you have to do a lot of work yourself with a scooter esp going uphill.

Thanks for the warning. This is the exact reason for my post. I do know that dogs aren't allowed in the National Park (and for good reasons) here in OZ, I just thought there might be pine forests from forestry companies where dogs are allowed. In NZ my parents live near such a pine forest and they allow dogs and horses to use the forestry grounds. They let you know which areas are safe to use and which have been logged etc. I used forest trails in Holland to train Nikki in Holland while there was no snow. It's so much fun to be bounding along on a x-country scooter or mountain bike. Nikki is really motivated to run then. The parks where I live hear aren't inspiring enough for her LOL!!!

Hi there, I haven't used one myself but have been educated about them as part of my dog behaviour therapy degree in Holland. Firstly you have to train your dog what the collar means. T 1 Put the collar on it's lowest intensity so as to give only a mild correction. Check this on yourself first and make sure you are happy to be using this on your dog. 2 Set up a learning situation with your dog using a well known and trained command. E.g. the word "No" or "uh-uh" and use this in conjunction with the area you do not want the dog to cross. 3 Have treats and your dogs highest regarded reward ready. Rewards can even be playing with a ball, depends what your dog responds to best. 4 Let your dog roam the area, when he/she approaches the boundary say No. Reward if they back away or zap if they advance. 5 Immediately after you zap your dog call them to you and reward and praise highly, esp. after the first time If your dog did not respond or feel the zap, make sure that the collar is fitted right and contacts with the skin. Otherwise increase the intensity by 1 notch and repeat the above process. Do this until you see your dog felt it. Don't forget every dog is different. Again I would test the collar on yourself so that you know what your dog experiences and are happy to be using this on your dog. Once you have found the right intensity that will deter your dog for venturing beyond the boundary you can go to the next step. Evaluate your dogs response and where you are in the training process. Between 3 - 5 visible responses is a good start and should have introduced the concept of not overstepping the boundary whilst giving the mildest reprimand the collar can give. PLEASE remember to keep training sessions short, no longer than 10 minutes at a time. You don't want to freak you dog out. If giving multiple sessions in one day have at least 2 hours between them. 6 Repeat steps 4 & 5 in small training sessions until you are confident your dog knows what if requested of him i.e. not to go beyond the boundary. 7 Check his understanding by introducing a mild incentive to cross the boundary. i.e. rolling a ball (only for dogs not highly ball focused!) slowly toward the boundary. Once you are confident that your dog knows not to cross the boundary whilst wearing the collar you can use the invisible pet fence as intended. Do supervise your dog initially so that you are confident he's not going to get into trouble or react badly. If leaving the collar on for long periods of time PLEASE remove the collar daily and brush the neck area and check that all is well. This will prevent sores. Should you see the first sign of highly irritated skin or a sore forming STOP the use of the collar immediately. If dogs are trained to wear electric collars correctly and used with thought they can be an effective tool that we can add to our toolbox of training apparatus. I purposely haven't given an opinion on what i think of them. That is for you to decide. Everyone knows what is suitable for their own dogs best. I hope my post was helpful.

Hi there Just a general enquiry if anyone knows if there are organised urban mushing groups around Sydney? I'd love to take it up again this winter. Or, does anyone know of any forests there you are allowed to have your dogs on lead that have suitable tracks i.e. mountain bike trails? Also, in Europe i would take Nikki on the cross country skiing runs. Is that allowed here in the Threadbo region or elsewhere? Nikki's Mum is starting to crave winter after this week of 40 deg C... Thank goodness that's broken.

This is a very good point. To choice_brandy the victim of this saga. Non payment is also considered a breech of contract. Therefore, because you haven't been paid, there is breach of contract which makes the contract nul and void. So, because you haven't been paid within the stipulated time in the contract the contract is nul and void. This then means that they have no claim on the non-poach clause. This means that you can board this dog without fear of repercussions and they have no recourse legally. Personally, I would only board the dog 30 days after the elapsed payment due date. This then proves you have given them a reasonable time to rectify the non-payment. Also, it's very important that you keep all correspondence with company to prove that you have exercised credit control and tried to recover the money owed to you. As for trying to recover the money.... Small claims court would be the best place. Good Luck and I'm sorry that you got ripped off like this.

I personally think that people are afraid of the kids/ dogs combination. I remember clearly my own sister telling me of a situation where 2 dogs were playing off leash and she was petrified they would turn around and attack her 2 small children. I'll spare you the details of the huge argument we had that followed her statement. We here (on this forum) are the owners and dedicated dog people who put a lot of time and effort into training our dogs to make them socialised citizens who are able to mingle in public with ease and without incident. Unfortunately there are those who don't and incidents arise which the media report on heavily and it's these reports that stick in peoples minds and makes them scared. I had one cranky bitter old woman tell me last month that I had no right to be in a public area with a dog as "one of those bit the face of a child last week"! and that this area was for families only. I can't tell you how upset, hurt and angry my husband & I got. I defended Nikki, explained that she was a well trained and socialised dog etc. Unfortunately there is no reasoning with some people... I mean, she saw first hand how little kids were petting and playing with her, how I made sure that Nikki wasn't near the pelicans, that when i got out of the water that I made sure she was as far away from other people as possible so that she wouldn't be a nuisance when shaking herself dry. Or that she stood perfectly still when she did slip her collar so that I could put it on again... This woman and my sister are prime examples of the general non doggy public's attitude towards dogs. Since moving down under my sister has been able to meet and get to know my dog and now sees how dogs can be. She still however, is very mistrustful of other peoples dogs. What is it that they say? Ignorance breeds fear. This is so true. I understand other peoples fears. I find them unjust in relation to my own dog and those of other good dog owners and therefore try to do my best to set a good example for the well trained dog and hopefully I can slowly change other peoples minds and create more freedom for our beloved canines. Unfortunately we do live in a society who has largely lost touch with animals and that in itself creates problems.

This is a great thread as we've been searching for good swimming spots too. The dog area of Pearl Beach has very rough waves so would not be suitable for the little ones or dogs timid of surf. I went swimming / wadding with Nikki at The Entrance near the harbour but had her on lead because of the Pelicans. With Nikki being a keen bird chaser I wanted to make sure these wonderful birds stayed safe. I do believe that The Entrance is officially an on leash area for this reason. Makes sense. Further down on the surf beach it's strictly dogs prohibited, sigh.... I would like to see more beaches in NSW, no, the whole of Australia do what they do in Holland. Dogs are allowed on the beach from late autumn to early spring 24/7. During the beach season dogs are allowed from 9pm till 8am with little pockets on the beach reserved as a dog beach where they are allowed 24/7 so people (esp families) can choose themselves if they are comfortable with their kids around other peoples dogs. I did notice in Holland the people only brought well socialised dogs to the beach and anyone who had dogs that were wanting in training were spoken to by other dog owners. The socialised dog owners were very keen to retain their lovely privileges. Social control and peer pressure was integral in this. i.e. people who didn't pick up after their dogs were chastised and overly dominant dogs were told to be muzzled. Owners I met who had entire dogs that would react to other entire dogs kept them on the line and warned other owners if their dog got too close. This in turn became a signal really. If you see a dog on leash in an off leash area it was a reliable indication that the dog wasn't a suitable playmate. Does anyone know if there are groups lobbying the councils for more off leash areas within NSW? Are off leash areas shrinking or growing in NSW?