DogsAndTheMob

Make sure she doesn’t have grass seeds between the toes. Some dogs have deep indentations between their toes, covered by the webbing, where grass seeds can work in. The discomfort will often make a dog lick her toes, creating something like a hotspot. Barley grass, in particular, can be nasty. I’ve known it to work in between the toes and right up to the dog’s pastern, causing an abscess there.

In my experience, couch is killed by frost, drought and heat, whereas kikuyu browns off more quickly but recovers more easily. Both are a nuisance in garden beds. Years ago, I had buffalo turf laid and was very happy with it; it seemed to be more drought resistant, although that may have been because it was laid on a good bed of soil, whereas the preexisting couch/kikuyu mix was growing directly on the clay subsoil. My dogs hated the buffalo, and avoided walking on it, preferring to play on the paved areas, and walking along the concrete fence footings to reach their toilet area at the back of the lawn. No canine foot traffic meant less damage to the turf. (In retrospect, I wonder if the lawn would have been a kinder playground for their joints, although neither dog was much affected by arthritis in old age.) Edited to add: I’ve just realised that this is an old thread, which has been revived by the previous poster.

That’s a good point. I’ve edited my post to make this clearer. I’ve also heard that the tattoo sometimes fades.

This webpage tells how the ear tattoo, if present, can be used to re-unite lost GSDs with their owners, but it might be possible to use this process to identify the dog. Many years ago, a friend of mine made contact with her rescue GSD’s breeder via the ear tattoo.

The proposed NSW legislation applies to all breeders - there is no threshold number of dogs. So much is wrong with the proposal that it’s hard to know where to start; I’ll highlight some animal welfare issues because the welfare of the dogs matters most. Under the proposed legislation, it would be permissible to keep a medium-sized dog - e.g. a border collie - in a 2m x 1.2m cage, without visual contact with dogs or people, for over twenty-three and a half hours per day. The lack of visual contact is almost mandated by the requirement for solid barriers between cages. Conversely, it would not be permissible for a breeder to crate a pup in the bedroom while they sleep, and it would not be permissible for a staff-member to allow a dog to explore her office while she works. The standards for supervision of a bitch and new puppies - 6-hourly monitoring until feeding and maternal acceptance are established - are totally inadequate. An entire litter could die within six hours, so responsible breeders monitor puppies almost round-the-clock for the first few days. The requirement for documented procedures to “capture” dogs is mind-boggling. What sort of socialisation standards does that imply? Only five minutes of direct handling per day is required, and handling is described elsewhere as “manipulation of the ears, feet, muzzle etc”. There is no mention of patting, stroking, caressing, praising or rewarding the dog. The enrichment suggestions are bizarre. Playing is mentioned as a one-word option, in the same sentence as indirect social interaction during cage cleaning. Thermal stimulation - placing a puppy or kitten on a cooled towel - gets a thirty-word description. Radio, TV and “novelty inanimate objects” are other enrichment suggestions. The illustrations for inanimate objects in the socialisation and enrichment chart shows a vacuum cleaner and mop. No toys!

This recall information was on the manufacturer’s website: Nexgard recall Important information for consumers about the voluntary recall of NexGard® Spectra Chewables for Dogs 2-3.5 kg presented in a 3 pack from Australian retailers. 15 November 2017 Merial advises that it is voluntarily recalling one batch of NexGard® Spectra Chewables for Dogs 2-3.5 kg presented in a 3 pack from Australian retailers. At Merial product quality and safety is our number one priority. The company is proactively taking this action in response to the discovery of one pack of NexGard® Spectra Chewables for Dogs 2-3.5 kg that contained a different blister pack than what was printed on the external packaging. The pack incorrectly contained six chews for dogs 30.1 – 60 kg. We would like to reassure our customers that we have received no adverse event reports related to this issue. However, as there is a potential safety risk we are instituting a voluntary recall as a precautionary measure in consultation with the APVMA. The batch details are: Product name: NexGard® Spectra Chewables for Dogs 2-3.5 kg Presentation: 3 pack Batch: AA1266/17 Expiry Date: 04/2020

Well done to both of you! The click is the bridge between the reward and the behaviour, so reward her even if she's moved after you click. Just stay close to her to give yourself more opportunity to reward before she moves. Occasionally - not every time! - wait a few seconds longer with her holding position before you click and reward. Once she's comfortable with that, you can build in more duration, then go back to shorter duration as you build distance. Don't fret if she breaks position or offers the wrong behaviour; just move around for a moment to relax her, then ask for the behaviour again. And remember, it's actually a good thing when she experiments by offering different behaviours, because it means that she's participating in the lesson. It will also make it easier for you to teach her new things. Most importantly, pay attention to how she's feeling, and make training fun for her.

My parents were GSD breeders and trainers, and I've owned one or more GSDs - often alongside cats and poultry - almost all my life. The worst that ever happened was when a GSD greeted me at the front door with a duck in her mouth. I took the duck from her, put it down and watched it waddle away. BUT... They were carefully selected and trained to be sensible, obedient dogs. I see too many advertisements for "high drive" German shepherds, posted by breeders who seem to think that unfocused "drive" is always a good thing, but don't realise that drive is only valuable in the context of other instincts, trainability and natural sense or judgement to guide the dog's behaviour. In recent years, I have been dismayed to see GSDs behaving hysterically, barking and lunging at other dogs. I would love to own another GSD but I would be very careful in my study of kennels and bloodlines before I bought one.

Probably not. German shepherds are a late-maturing breed with a strong drives, including prey drive. Although it is certainly possible to find a GSD with lower prey drive, this requires considerable knowledge of the breed and bloodlines within the breed. You will need skill to train a German shepherd or any working breed dog to ignore cats and poultry, and you will need time and probably mentoring to acquire that skill. Before you get any dog, but particularly a large working breed dog, you need to think about your future circumstances. A six year old German shepherd is a highly athletic, energetic, driven dog that needs a lot of on-going training and mental and physical exercise. GSDs are also a breed that many landlords don't regard favourably. Where will you be living when you're 25, and will you still have time for a GSD?

You were very fortunate with your previous dog. The only sort of puppy I would expect NOT to dig in a soft garden bed is a stuffed toy. To you, it's a garden; to her, it's a playground just waiting to be explored, with soft, diggable soil, interesting smells and worms and insects to dig up. If you plan to leave her unsupervised in the garden, she needs to be separated from recently cultivated gardens. She needs her own digging area, and she needs the mental stimulation of a good training program. Even then, expect some damage to lawns and established gardens.

Could she arrange for your visit to coincide with a behaviourist's consultation? If you don't know the dog's history, there are many possible causes. Perhaps you look like someone he knew "before". (Is it possible that you, as a vet nurse, held the dog for veterinary treatment?) It's impossible to guess the causes and triggers over the internet, but a behaviourist on the spot might identify what's happening. Has the rescue organisation offered any advice or assistance?

I've been fortunate; I've never waited more than 2 or 3 months. I would wait a year or so, but no more. These days, I grab the moment, because I've learnt that changes in circumstances can turn the right time to raise a puppy or participate in a dog sport into the wrong time. In the past, my participation in dog sports has been interrupted by injury, changes in work hours and changes in the health of a relative. Also, I think, waiting too long would load a burden of expectation onto the puppy. Even when I know the parentage of the litter for several generations and have carefully chosen the most suitable puppy, there's still an element of chance. One of my dogs gets so miserably car-sick that he hates travelling, and is so sensitive that one shouting obedience instructor ruined his enjoyment of obedience work away from home. After that experience, I chose my last puppy with hopes for the future, but let the plans unfold as she grew. It would be more difficult to accept the vagaries of chance if I'd waited years for that puppy.

When I was in Sydney a year or so ago, I saw volunteers for a wonderful project supporting homeless people and their pets. Conversely, I have heard negative stories about retirement villages and false advertising of pet-friendly policies, although I'm not sure how true these stories are; it would be interesting to get feedback from other DOLers.

Dementia dog study aims to prove effectiveness of assistance dogs Once again, I'm wowed by the ways in which dogs can help people. They are so versatile.

I bought a puppy from interstate late last year, and I visited the breeder twice before I collected the puppy - once before the litter was born and a second time when the puppies were six weeks old. I felt it was well-worth the expense and inconvenience of the interstate trips, because I hope she'll be a member of my family for the next 15+ years. l couldn't be happier with my girl.

I agree with the comments about the quiz's limitations but I still see it as a valuable tool to get people thinking about canine body language. I've looked at a few other quizzes and it was by far the best. Another quiz (which had vets as the target readership, I think!) compared a husky with a rose-eared cross-breed, and based the interpretation on ear position. Most rose-eared dogs can't lift their ears, and my husky almost never put her ears down or back.

I got 14/19 also. I thought I saw slight uncertainty in the way the Rhodesian Ridgeback's eyebrows drew together. I had trouble judging the moods of the dog on the porch (hackles not visible) and the crouching GSD (tail not visible). I thought the short-haired chihuahua was extremely frightened.

Look at these beautiful, hard-working spaniels! Weed detection dogs saving the Snowies

Look at these beautiful, hard-working spaniels! Weed detection dogs saving the Snowies

Look at these beautiful, hard-working spaniels! Weed detection dogs saving the Snowies

I think this quiz on canine body language is worth sharing. What do you think?

I wouldn't exercise a Japanese Spitz in a dog park. A large dog could kill him in seconds.

Isn't this dog adorable! I love the starburst of hair on her face. Sadly, I don't have space for one more. https://www.petrescue.com.au/listings/573104

Looking after pets in emergencies; why having a plan can be vital There are further useful links in this story, including this one on protecting animals in emergencies.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11915778 No pet left behind; lessons learned from Katrina