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Start of the month means worming time and flea/tick treatment as well. When fortnightly application is needed, mid month as well. I just remember, I don't use apps on my phone for anything (I have a smart phone but I don't use it for smart stuff)

Thanks again everyone, I will pass all this along to her. It's very true that training a pup for this role would be hard, even more so with a child with high needs.

Thanks for the replies guys, I have written them down in a word document where I can put it all together. Lhok - I was hoping you would come in here, having experience with this sort of stuff. I will pass that on to her. KC - I don't know, I had customers lining up so didn't get as much info as I wanted to, just what I've written here. There is a dog trainer in town who trains assistance dogs though. She would want it to go everywhere, so yes shopping centres. Megan, thanks I will keep that in mind. I will possibly chat to her again before that though, as I don't know the fine details of his condition. I don't know what info she has had, but she's been talking to someone. She was talking about a program being discontinued and now brought back again (this is my understanding, I may be mangling her words) so she has some idea of what to do. Jumbaar I love lappies :) I'll tell her about them. I know there is a breeder only a little further north from us.

After serving and chatting with a customer today, the subject of an assistance/companion dog for her autistic son came up. She sort of asked/I sort of offered to help suggest breeds that may be suitable for her situation. My heart goes out to her, she's trying so hard for her little boy and they just spent the weekend in the children's hospital and he's been diagnosed with a very rare genetic condition (only person in the world with it). Basically, she wants a little best friend for her boy, someone who can go everywhere with him. My knowledge of him is this - he is full on but I've seen that he's gentle with animals. He respects them and their space (his mum has taught him about their personal space). I see kids tapping on fish tanks and shoving their hands in front of birds - this little boy doesn't do this. He is loud, and loves to talk and is very intelligent, even if his concentration span isn't very long. His medical needs include seemingly random anaphylaxis, his is an autoimmune problem (I didn't want to pry too much into this, she has had a hard weekend) She wants a dog that is small enough to sleep on his bed (I know lots of big dogs will do this also!) about 15kgs or lower. Also hypoallergenic. She mentioned "labradoodles", but seemed unsure, of course I will steer her preferably in the direction of a pure bred as that is where my heart lies. Straight away I thought mini schnauzer, my mum has two and I love their personalities. They are robust little things, and love a cuddle. They don't shed, but are high maintenance in this climate, needing regular clipping. They seem to be a breed that could deal with a full on little boy and be his best friend. There are also standards if she wanted bigger. Just now, I had a thought also of whippets, I know 4. The ones I know are a bit aloof and less cuddly than the mini schnauzers but seem like loyal companions. Coat maintenance seems non existant beyond a wash every now and then. A little worried that they may not be interested in being a little boy's best friend - can whippet owners tell me of their experience with whippies and kids? Also mini poodles (toy seems too little) I could tell her they can be left in puppy clip and look like a lab x poodle. Again, no shedding but maintenance with clipping. No idea of personality though, only met a few in passing and have no experience other than being told they have neurotic tendencies ? So DOL, can you help me with any more suggestions for this particular situation? I will tell her that she should spend time around these breeds before committing, and her son too so they can assess if he will react to certain breeds. She's also in contact with the relevant people re. getting a service dog. It's not my job and I don't need to do this but by god I just want to help this lovely lady! Also - thank you for reading if you got this far!

Haha he looks good! Dory, i'm expecting Nala to come in the next month...probably getting ahead of myself but Cleo came in spot on 6 months and Nala is now 5 months! where has that time gone! We're planning a big trip to Sydney for the Dalmatian specialty (if finances allow it now ) so I bet she'll come in for that. Not that I would let that stop us if we decide to go. Oh and I also have a female leg cocker. Cleo pees over everyone else's pee and squats + lifts a leg :laugh: it's a precarious position!

Yep, totally get where you're coming from! Although, I think because of my job I see a lot of people having a much harder time than me! But then it's like they're coming to me for advice, which I give (a lot of it comes from what I've learnt on here, and my animal husbandry upbringing) but then I feel like these people would expect me to have fantastic dogs. Granted, Cleo only has issues because she was attacked on lead by a little yappy thing, but that's what gives me anxiety when I walk the girls now (vicious cycle). I like your descriptive wording lol. I think Gus' crack head excitement would get along well with a Dalmatian lol.

I wondered about that...I think I just need to work on getting out more. I wish I lived in town proper! i'd say it's very probable she was picking up on my vibes, both with the dog and the loud lady at my work as I wasn't comfortable around either, yet the older man with Elvis I like and she seemed absolutely fine (as well as having my former boss there next to her, whom she just ADORES!) Thank you though, glad to know I don't just suck at being a dog owner! I hope Gus gets better for you too, and as horrible as it is for us, at least we are responsible in that we care about our dog's behavior and try to correct it!

I need some advice I took Nala out today, just the two of us. We visited my work first up, she was excited when she saw my former boss, but when we walked in the door she growled and barked at a customer (who I know) I assume because she was scared. This lady was walking towards her and talking VERY loudly. I ignored the lady, told Nala it was ok and walked further in the store past her. Then there was a little girl in there who wanted to pat her, so I crouched down and Nala just wanted to run away I got the little girl to feed Nala high value treats and eventually she came around but still not keen. Also while we were there an older male customer I know came in with his kelpie "Elvis" and Nala was absolutely fine! Then this afternoon we went to the beach for our weekly photo shoot and there was a staffy x thing that approached us (off lead, it is an off lead beach but I have NFI where the owners were) and Nala growled! The dog was following us - and I didn't like the look of it so I carried Nala away - I didn't want her to try to run and excite this dog into coming even closer. I am so embarrassed. Nala is meant to be the dog that I do it right with. How do I correct her? She's nearly 5 months old, I want to fix this NOW! I know you shouldn't correct growling because that's how you get a dog to bite with no warning (have witnessed this firsthand with a customer's dog), rather redirecting and teaching that there is nothing to fear is the way to go. Actually I know what I have to do, I've answered my own question. I just need more hours in the day and more people nearby with nice dogs.

8/52 I had a hard time deciding on which one to put up....ended up choosing the one with no actual subject in it coz it's a bit different to my normal doggy portraits. Just a girl and her dog

Yea, it's been over a year since I was told the reason why, so I may be a little forgetful, but I know it was something to do with the bison. Yea, this is my favourite brand of dog food but I can't feed it due to my dog breed of choice having issues with bladder stones, but I'm glad that they're expanding. Applaws is coming to my work soon, another food to learn about!

Found out today that there are 2 new Earthborn grainfree varieties headed our way later this year. They are not fish, but for those interested there will be large breed and weight control. They are already available in the US but they will be launched in October here because that's when the PIAA pet expo is (been trying to get there for 3 years...hoping this year is my chance!) See here - http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/ and btw, the Great Plains feast flavour is not available because of something to do with not being able to import bison meat.

I use the term furkid every now and then, I don't have human kids yet and my dogs are the light of my life (other than my husband) and to me, they are as important as human children will be to me. I don't baby them or anthropomorphise though. I also call Cleo Cle-Flea, Fleo, and Bubba. I realized at agility the other night that I call her Bubba more than Cleo when I coax her along.... Collectively though, I call them "The Spots" now, and my mum calls them her "spotty grandkids".

Why Lisa, didn't you know dallies only shed twice a year? For 6 months at a time

LOVE Nova, he's so gorgeous! I'm so unused to non-coated breeds that I can hardly tell what's happening with his coat lol. I do have a little red merle Aussie in my agility group though, so maybe I will learn! I love my low maintenance breed though, no dew claws (removed as babies) and the only trimming is the tip of the tail where it twirls up. Don't need to do it but it looks neater when I do.

You're not intruding! We love puppy pics! It's amazing how the skull changes so much in such a short amount of time!

It's awesome! I just want to practice and practice but I understand that I need a trainer at this point so I don't teach Cleo the wrong stuff. I love the group of people I'm with too, several of them are customers of mine and I've seen some of the dogs grow up from pups but it's nice having a different interaction with them as fellow dog lovers rather than a worker/customer relationship.

I've only got two training sessions under my belt (total Newbie here) but I am so proud of Cleo! Last week she was a bit reactive on lead (an ongoing issue with her, everyone is aware of our "no go zone") but she did very well at the two exercises - a couple of jumps and running in a circle on loose lead. She did very well at the circle running thanks to our conformation training! This week we were both much more relaxed (got several comments that she - and I - were more relaxed) and she did well again. She stumbled a bit at the tunnel, made a funny sound but once she realized what I wanted she did a good job, even doing a mini run off lead that included tyre jump, two normal jumps, a tunnel and a table. I was so proud! Then we did a collapsible tunnel and weave poles (not weaving yet, just doing a "channel" run between wide set poles). Can't wait to keep moving with Cleo, I need to remember to hold the treats in the hand closest to her (i'm so right hand dominant that I am already struggling)! LOVING agility so far!!!!

I've been doing them every week since 8 weeks, in the same location. The Dalmatian group i'm a part of love seeing the growth of Nala lol.

They grow so quickly! Nala is nearly as tall as Cleo already, but still tiny in regards of her body and neck size. Her feet are as big as Cleo's too, but I expect Nala to take after her mum (Cleo's sister) who is a bigger girl. Just for the heck of it, i'm gonna share some photos lol. This is Nala yesterday Her when she came home (you've probs all seen this photo, but it shows how much she's changed!!) My girls together And then I remember a while ago you guys were sharing photos of your pup's parents...so here are Nala's - Jaz is Cleo's sister as well as Nala's mum. http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=61875 And Ivan is her dad, http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=67520 I think Nala is very much her father's daughter! Which i'm happy with...he's been winning a lot lately! Sorry, for the overload but I've been soooo bored. Our power went off for 4 hours and I went slightly batty as it's a dreary day and I've got back pain. I wanted my computer lol.

7/52 The girls have been gardening

Re. cars, I have a Nissan X trail after stuff I read on here, have to say best purchase I've ever made! I can't see myself getting another car now, it's lovely to drive (previous car was a Camry) and I think it is a good looking car too. The square-ish cargo area is the reason I went for it, I too didn't want any SUV with a slopy cargo. We've done 30 000kms in a year (thanks to living in the sticks and working in town) and it has handled it so well. 2 bouncy adult Dalmatians will be the limit though, either in the cargo area or the back seat, a 3rd means we'll need a trailer I think (or no children lol, but that's in the pipeline).

could be wrong, but would it be something in the ZAA (formerly ARAZPA) guidelines? From where I stand I don't think he should have been bred at all. My uncle has been a studbook keeper of sea lions since the 90's and in that whole time there has been ONE mating that was not planned (through a fence with a very obliging female) and even then there was no actual problem with the pregnancy other than it wasn't planned. Any animal that had no breeding potential would simply be carefully managed or placed on contraceptives to prevent pregnancy, and this is how an epileptic seal has not been bred from in her nearly 20 years of life. I don't particularly agree with the public killing and feeding, he wasn't just meat, he was a (probably) much loved resident for a couple of years... The use of his body as meat however, better than being wasted and left to rot in the ground.

Cleo had to wear hers overnight for the first few nights and then she was fine. Helped that she had a collar with her name tag on it and I could hear if she moved, and if she licked. I would leave it on him for tomorrow, even if it makes him sad, at least he's not licking or fussing at stitches - which would make both of you very sad lol. Cleo just sleeps when she has a cone on, she becomes very subdued and does puppy eyes (a nice change from a crazy dally!)

My mum's mini schnauzers LOVE the beach! Where we live, going to the beach with your dog seems to be a requirement lol. Our lab is nearly 13 and I think her water-loving ways have helped introduce the little ones to the water. Just the other day when I walked with them, my dad went out into the waves for a dip as it was so hot, and he had to come back in because the schnauzers were just going to keep following him! They were trying to jump over the waves but are just a little too short to go out too far. They also love frolicking in the creek that runs into the beach, not too deep though as the tide can be quite strong.

I am another who will encourage not rushing in to buying the perfect pup for you, I waited a year before I had the chance to add my current puppy to my family, my needs were slightly different as I was after a show dog but the relationship I have built with Nala's breeder is amazing and something I will really cherish. I also have an amazing friendship with another breeder who was my original pick to get a dog from but the timing has never been right. The right breeder is as much an asset as the right dog, only today on facebook Nala's breeder posted a funny story about a trait that her original dalmatian had that has popped up in one of her current dogs, and another owner of a descendent shared that hers too did the same thing. My two girls are related to these dogs, and while they don't share that trait (yet) it's lovely to see the sharing of information that can go on between good breeders and owners. Nala's breeder also "likes" without fail, every photo I put up of Nala and enjoys watching her mature. I guess my point in all this is that the right dog is out there for you, and as much as I just wanted every gorgeous pup that I saw, I am so very glad that I restrained myself because I now wouldn't trade Nala for the world. And also, you don't need to restrict yourself to your local area, both of my girls are from Tasmania (I am regional NSw) but because I researched, and had built a solid relationship with the breeders first, I felt more than confident in purchasing only through seeing pics (in Nala's case, while her mum was still pregnant!)