Jed

How about getting a short list of 8 or 10, and going from there? Narrow it down to a few, and do the research Medium size, short hair dalmation boxer staffy amstaff beagle pointer bulldog bull terrier basset hound whippet basenji collie smooth Some of those you wont like at all, so cross them off, and I've probably missed a heap anyhow. Collie Smooth is probably too large. Also consider a standard poodle - slightly bigger than "medium" and would need regular clipping, but apart from that, fills all the requirements. Doesn't have to have "big" hair. Whether it would be good with time alone, poodle people can fill you in on.

jed has said it all in one sentence ! I hate people who can be so succinct :rofl: Oh, bugger Sorry I've seen a few "horse whisperers" in action - both in public demonstrations, and from knowing people who actually are horse whisperers, but don't give demos. That's about reading the horse, and taking the right steps at the right time. Doing that gives the horse enormous confidence, particularly young horses, and they will then do what you want, because you are putting yourself into the right position to say "go forward", "go back", "come here" and so on. Horses are naturally more suspicious than dogs, and once you win them, you have them and they just naturally do what you want - once you can give them reassurance that you are a good leader and you can read them. Some people who promote themselves as horse whisperers aren't at all, they are frauds. And I don't think you can learn how to be a horse whisperer - I've known people go to heaps of classes and schools with real horse whisperers, and they still didn't get it. Not sure about dog whisperers. Dogs are, I think, more complex than horses, although horses are reasonably complex. Horses seem to have more direct and immediate thought processes, if that makes sense. Maybe horses are driven by instinct more, and dogs more by thought processes.

Once, long ago, food rewards were frowned upon for obedience. Now, due to different trainers, different ideas, they are popular. Times and fashions change. I think it depends on the breed - and the dog. One of my cockers scorns food rewards, and will work her little heart out for praise. She learned to sit by watching her brother being taught. She strives to please, and in fact, has been wasted because I didn't do obedience with her. Bait didn't do it for her in the ring either, she preferred to be a "good dog". She has good working dogs and many obedience titled dogs in her lines. The others would probably work better for food rewards. I don't like using any rewards I have too carry. Too lazy, and what happens if you don't have anything for a reward? I prefer verbal praise and commands. But, I am not training for competition. I suggest you do what you are comfortable with - the ideas you quoted are very valid, and do work. Might need some adjustment depending on the breed. Working dogs like to work, and cockers are working dogs, and the ones with the right instincts, which she has, will do the job for the pleasure of doing it. Different breeds have different motivation, know the breed, and learn what works best with your dog

I think, in the context Corvus means (and not pet psychics/mediums etc) it is about being able to to read the animal - whether it is fearful, confident, happy,unhappy, willing, etc, and knowing what action to take in a particular situation - whether to advance, retreat, reassure, encourage, discourage, etc, depending on the given situation and to be able to do it quickly enough for it to be effective. It's also about having empathy with the animal/s, and developing rapport with each one - via reading them and sending back appropriate signals It's an instinctive talent, which can be honed through exposure and experience.

The only reason people are still replying is in the hope of providing some education, and maybe countering the very pro BSL sentiments expressed here, for the sake of those reading who do not post - and for the sake of the dogs, of course. Jed I understand completely that many are fighting for the breed and rightly so, but to reply to some of those comments is giving those ridiculous comments substance and that poster clearly has no substance, knowledge or understanding. I understand what you are saying, ILK, but over the years, people on the forum have always refuted rubbish, in the interests of truth, and will continue to do so. If you leave it, people might believe it is so.

I agree with lappiemum, if the doco had not been so biased and full of untruths, it might have been taken more seriously. However, it has made me do quite a lot of research, and I have gained information I probably wouldnt have gained otherwise.

The only reason people are still replying is in the hope of providing some education, and maybe countering the very pro BSL sentiments expressed here, for the sake of those reading who do not post - and for the sake of the dogs, of course.

I agree with Gundog lover, from experience, but there is quite a bit of information out there which suggests it is so. Some of my cavs are "itchy" when fed grains, and I have had bald rescue dogs which were previously fed dry food with a high percentage of grain, and grew hair once the grain was removed from the diet. I would also point out that "grain" in dry dog food is whichever grain is cheapest by the tonne when it is sourced. So it is possible that it will contain wheat and then sorghum and then oats or triticale without any indication on the packaging, and changing grains has been linked to skin and digestive issues. I too would like to see any studies, as I am always interested in diet issues, in the interest of doing it better. I'd chuck out the rice and pasta too. Dogs don't need it, and I think pasta does increase weight in dogs. Haven't seen too many fat Chinamen, so I haven't decided about rice!! Cut the meat back, and increase the veges. He will still feel full. My dog with pancreatitis is inclined to howl and scratch at the door when he feels he hasn't had enough - which is most of the time, as he is overweight (we use him as a coffee table, a cup will sit steady on his back), so I give him a couple of extra carrots, and he's happy.

jackie al That is an opinion only - I haven't seen it - but I doubt that it is backed by any studies at all. Studies show that there is no over population there is actually an undersupply of pups, whilst adult dogs are keeping the pound numbers up. the figures steve posted are interesting too. Vote for mandatory desexing, and I think you vote for no cross bred dogs at all in time. I wont want one in 20 years time, but maybe you will, and there wont be any available. Desexed out of existence.

FFAK have you tried the woman at B'gary who is (or was) the distributor? Coat Kings are great. Fantastic for neatening coats, and IMHO a much better option than clipping a Cavalier or a Cocker.

And don't think it is confined to dog shows. I have heaps of horror stories of waiting for classes at the Royal with led horses, and what kids did, and what kids did generally Ellz, this will make you feel better - waiting to go back into the ring at the royal for champion, there's a boy about 7 or 8 who had obviously rolled in tomato sauce, and then crumbed himself with pink fairy floss. His hands were wearing pink and red gloves. The stallion, white - was doing a little happy jig, and this kid insisted on patting him on the rump - not likely to be kicked, but being trampled was more than possible. However, the thing which worried me was not him getting a hoof print right in the middle of his forehead, it was that he was going to bloody leave pink and red fairy floss and tomato sauce bits in that glorious tail which I had cultivated for 12 months for this very moment, or I would be showing a champion contender with a red handprint on his carefully washed, producted, shined, glistened and gleaming rump. Ala Apache Horse!! Not wanted at that time. After the third time of saying "please don't do that darling, you might frighten the horse, and he might hurt you" With no reaction at all.... I leaned in very close, and said quietly, "if you bloody do that again, I'll rip both your bloody ears off and feed them to the bloody horse" He ran screaming for his mummy. Whilst I adjusted my gloves, and smiled my most winning smile, so what ever he told his mummy, she couldn't possibly believe it I think that was the same day, when, whilst walking my fractious colt, I wondered why he persisted on jumping all over me, despite some stern words. Looked back, and there was this dear little girl, about 4, poking him in the personal bits (which were quite large and pendulous) with one of those whirly things on a stick. With the mother walking along, smiling at the human/horse interaction. I shall draw a veil over what I said. I shall say only that I was polite but firm.

Take a damp washer in a plastic bag (or some baby wipes, if you have them) and a clean towel, just in case. Take water and a dish, and a crate or something to contain her in the car. I take the washer and towel - never used it. And after they rush up me and say "are you my mummy now?" and I hold them at arm's length, the better to see them and say "well, YOU can stay you are a bit of alright" - and we get to know each other, then I phone the breeder to let them know the kid arrived safely. They sit on the seat enjoying the ride, or checking out the view. Never had a problem. I am not a big believer in crates. The cav boy wanted to sit on my lap on the ride home, but he soon got the idea about where passengers sit, and had a little snooze instead, resting up for the meet and greet when he got home. A washing basket or a big box works too, depending on the size of the pup. I have often put biggies on the back seat, but don't do it with littlies who can crawl under the seat and get tangled up in the brake pedal!!

Yep, pretty good I like this one although it is not exactly a raspberry -- well, maybe!!

Like everyone else, you are entitled to your opinion, but don't tell everyone you are anti BSL and then post continuous BSL sentiments. And don't extrapolate your experiences with your own dogs to every dog of the breed. Who knows, the behaviour of your dogs may have been due to bad breeding, or bad upbringing, yet you are tarring every dog of the breed with the same brush. And if you do have any idea, you certainly aren't demonstrating it here. A GR is perfectly capable of killing another dog, or a child -- in fact, GR's have killed a child. I asked you before, and I ask you again, come here armed with facts, not ideas which seem to have come from the fairies, or from your own experiences, and nothing else. this is a joke, right? No, the dogs should be put down because there is every possiblity that they will do this again, or they should be declared dd and so confined. Dogs aren't humans, they don"t "pay the consequences".

It's pretty useless challenging dog laws, but it seems to me, from reading the regulations, that the 2 dogs were sufficiently contained within the fence. The Lhasa (or part of him) was within the fence, the child was within the fence. It also seems to me that the owners of the dogs would have a reasonable case in law, if they wanted to push it. I agree with other posters, we will soon need fences to contain lions to stop others putting some part of their anatomy on our property.

Jemima Harrison :p ;)

Oh, lilli, please remember if it has a red nose it is a pitbull too. Scary laws, Wendy, scary laws

Abigail Total, unmitigated crap. You have no idea. Rather than coming here and sprouting rubbish like this, which most of us know is totally wrong, please go away and do some serious research. The damage which any dog of any size is comparable. You need to go and research this. Are you aware that St. Bernards have killed more people in the USA than Dobermanns? No, you aren't. If you want to continue to take part in discussions like this, please bring some facts with you. toy dog I agree with you on "which dog did the killing." They obviously acted as a pack. They may not even have been dog aggressive, it may have been pack behaviour. And I do think all three should have been euthanased. Dogs which will jump/crawl through/break a fence to attack other dogs need to have something done about them. Responsible people have fences which contain their dogs. It's sad that the dogs suffer for the acts of humans, but at least one of these dogs has proven he WILL kill another dog. He should not be allowed to do it again. Tough on the dogs but a hell of a lot tougher on the poor little chihuahuas which were minding their own business, on their own property, harming no one, and were killed in the most horrible and terrifying way possible. Something they certainly didn't deserve. Nor did the poor owners, who will probably grieve for years. Dog agression doesn't equate to human agression. On the other hand, dogs which form a pack and attack may well decide to attack a child, or a human. Who knows? It has happened though.

Abigail Why, then, are you actively supporting BSL which goes against the ethos of 99% of the other posters? Consider your stand, and consider whether you might be happier on another forum, which agrees with the way you think? As you asked, yes you are being unreasonable, and you apparently don't have a clue what you are talking about, as demonstrated above, yet you are happy to argue on it

So pleased you are having success, Alfie, well done. You'll be amazed at how good he is in a few weeks. Keep going, and his owner WILL be able to walk him. Might take a little while, and she will have to learn to keep him at it, and not let him backslide. But it wont be hard. I think the chain is the right way. They need to learn and at that age, they are not at their most receptive, because they aren't mature. They tend to pull you along on a harness - it's nothing for them to pull, and they have such strong necks, pulling on a flat collar is all too easy. A little pressure helps them to understand what you want, where a continuous pull doesn't - added to which, they soon relate the rattle of the chain with the coming command, and "uh" gives them warning pre-command. Chains have had a bad rap, mostly undeserved. Used properly, I think they do much less damage than constantly pulling on a flat collar. You can transfer "uh" to other stuff as well. Maybe the lady who walks him 3 times a week could have a little holiday? Someone mentioned food rewards. I found this worked with a lot of breeds, but I have more success with boxers with verbal praise. They seem to really appreciate that, and some of them get over-excited about food rewards, so you lose the aura of quietness and concentration you need. Gee, thanks, I think so! I posted it so you could see one not pulling on a chain whilst hiking along, but all compliments gratefully accepted, specially when I agree with them .

I am not sure what the laws in that shire are now, but they used to be 4 dogs, no matter what size block. It's rather silly, particularly in an area like that. There used to be a breeder in Miles with about 15 dogs, on a couple of acres on the outskirts of town - but she may not have had a permit at all. Previous councils probably weren't too rigorous about inspections, and they probably didn't have too many ACO's, so the laws weren't policed very well. Read "if the dogs weren't causing a problem, no one cared, and there were probably umpteen working dogs on properties anyhow" Some smaller (rural) shires on the Darling Downs didn't mind how many dogs you had, as long as you were "rural" which would be a couple of acres+. No need for permits, or registration. However, now they have all been rolled in with Toowoomba, I suppose the laws are different, and not so easy on breeders. We have a couple of posters who live in that area, and breed, but I believe they only have a few dogs. They may reply in due course. Moreton Bay Regional Council had the same laws but following amalgamation, and discussions with DogsQld (you go, guys), you may now apply for either a kennel license, or a breeder's permit, up to 19 dogs, I believe. Information on the council website is non existent, so I do not know how much land you need, but I know you can have 10 with a permit on 2 acres. Not that the above helps you much. If you want to move to another place, maybe check there. Does seem rather restrictive - but the state government has enacted the laws, and councils are following them - except where they are making exceptions for registered breeders.

No. I fought against proposed laws for mandatory desexing, because I believe the owner should have the right of choice. there is a body of evidence out there which shows that early desexing can lead to problems, there is also evidence that desexing at any age leads to problems. There is also evidence that not desexing leads to problems. I think that pet owners should make their own decisions. Mandatory desexing assumes that pet owners are all cretins who aren't able to manage their dog's sexuality. This is not the case, most dog owners are responsible. It is the irresponsible few who are the problem, and it is highly unlikely that they would either register the dog, or desex it, no matter what the law is. Desexing can have an adverse effect on coats as well as a few other things. Desexing does not cause huge temperament changes - ie, dogs becoming quieter, less dog agressive etc. These are socialisation and training problems, not sexual problems. Most of my puppy buyers desex. A few didn't, and I knew that when they bought the pup. I respected their decision (which had nothing to do with breeding, or the man thing of "ouch"), and none of these dogs have reproduced. In the long term, mandatory desexing for all but registered dogs will mean there will be NO cross bred dogs. None at all. I am happily a purebred snob, although I do own a cross bred dog, but I don't think the people who would like a cross bred dog should have to buy a purebred because there is no choice. The long term future with no cross bred dogs at all is quite frightening. Education, encouragement to desex, and putting pups into lifetime homes is the answer to the numbers in the pounds. There is no oversupply of pups, according to studies by bodies such as AVA, but there is an oversupply of juvenile and older dogs. to reduce numbers in pounds, we need to reduce the numbers of people deciding they don't want/can't keep the dog. Making pups harder, or impossible to obtain will not stop that. In short, mandatory desexing removes the right of people to choose what is best for their pet, and will not reduce numbers in the pounds. And mandatory desexing laws in shires in Victoria have proved to be a nightmare for pet owners, and look like being tested in court.

That's great Alfie, and once he understands a little what he is supposed to do, he will be a much happier and controlled dog. Wasn't going crook at you about him not being trained. It's easy for them to grow up feral. I've retrained some I bred - big boys who pulled like trains, yet the owners thought that was normal, or they'd done obedience, or gone to a trainer, but the dog still didn't really understand. I don't think desexed or not desexed matters much as far as this is concerned either. They don't actually need a hell of a lot of exercise. They are happy chasing a ball, or a toy in the backyard, or doing some training, or going for a ride in the car. Or sleeping on the bed ;) His problem is that he is over excited about all the stimulating things, and he doesn't know how to behave. A daily walk will be wonderful for him, and the mental stimulation will do him so much good. "uh" has another function too - once he understands that it means "no", or "look" - you can get his attention when he is about to get up to something (jumping on little dogs in the park?). The more you take him out, and the more gentlemanly he becomes, the better he will be. And he'll love being a good dog. Once he understands, he will stive to please you. Yep, Aidan, you're right, the op could have found out about clicker training, information is everywhere. She asked know how to stop the dog pulling on walks. I've probably retrained about 100 older boxers, and quite a few rescues of various breeds, and this method works every time, and it works for the owners when they go home, because it's simple for both dog and owner to understand, and the owner doesn't need to be particularly fast with commands or rewards. And that's why I posted If it isn't working, ask again. It also occurs to me that once he is trained, his owner will be able to walk him, he'll stroll along beside her.....you don't believe that, but he will!!

Um, hello, I didn't disagree with a word you said. Covertly, you did, by presenting other methods. From a platform of nil experience Well I have a platform of experience clicker training Boxers to walk on a loose leash using something similar to the 'silky leash' method. No complaints so far. So unless someone has specific experience with a particular breed they shouldn't present an idea because it would automatically be an unhelpful, irrelevant, covert disagreement? No breed is that unique, Jed, certainly not the Boxer. No, but they shouldn't give advice, even in good faith, which is going to lead to more problems and tears if they have nil experience with the breed. You represent yourself as a professional trainer, so you should know the experience level and the training levels of the dogs referred to in posts on this forum varies greatly. If you have a platform of experience with boxers you will be aware how agile and fast - and strong they can be. And I daresay you have less experience with boxers than I do. I know exactly what is likely to happen with a large unruly boxer let run to the end of a long line, and so, I am sure, do you. Whether a beginner could retrieve matters, or whether the dog would nick off totally at that point is problematical. Depends on how quick the handler is, and how unruly the dog is. Aidan, you have experience with clicker training - the op probably doesn't, so first, the op would need to learn about clicker training, and then train the dog. I don't think clicker training is particularly relevant in this case. Might work for you, but would it work for the op? Advice should always be targetted appropriately

daily ones are usually dimmitrol, monthly one of the ivermectin family. I understand that the daily hw tabs now contain ivermectin which might be a worry for some collie owners. Worth checking the ingredients list if you use daily tabs