Rilla-My-Rilla

Hello and Congrats on your little pup, I love Springer Spaniels! Have fun shopping, but be careful not to go overboard. I really blew my budget, mostly on toys lol! And once you get you puppy, photos are a must! :D

What was the reason why you stopped training your dog? - I was taking my sister's dog to training, but stopped after several months of persistence as I didn't like the trainers or their methods. They were biased towards certain breeds, couldn't be bothered helping you, were mocking, unwilling to listen to anything, etc. Also our dogs were snapped at on a number of occasions, lunged at and nearly attacked by out of control dogs, and if they were the favourite breed, nothing was done to control them. I also saw another person's dog have a snap at the favourite breed, and boy did it get in trouble! Just all of that sort of thing, a very clicky group. Do you feel your dog is well trained enough? I (and my sister) feel that Henry's training is coming along fine at home, we do lots of research, reading, and generally have found out what works best for him. I think this will be the case with my Border Collie pup, too. Did you not get results from previous training attempts? We got some results, but as mentioned above, didn't like the training atmosphere. Is training too far away/ too often/ too expensive? Are you simply too busy? Did you find training boring? No, no and no. I really love training, and was very enthusiastic about going to training club :) What would prompt you to start training again or would you not start training again regardless? If a new group started in our area, then I would give them a go.

Thanks everyone, I do hope she can keep it, it's such good quality, great bargain for $30!

1. Raw, natural diets such as 'Give Your Dog A Bone'/BARF VS commercial dog food 2. & 3. More research about holistic animal care, and the affects of conventional vaccinations, and for it to be actually put out there where it is easy to find 4. More studies done on how much nutrition really plays an overall part in animals (and humans) - although this has probably already been done, once again though - it is generally hard to find I can't think of anything for number 5 right now :)

Hopefully she can keep it then! She looks like she'll be a petite girl, and her grandmother, mum and sister that the breeder has all have a 36" crate.

Well it turns out I didn't have to buy a crate! This morning at the local markets there was 36" crate, very sturdy and only $30! She'll probably out grow it, but it will do very nicely in the mean time. Thank-you every one for your suggestions :)

Thanks, I think I will probably go with one of these as they seem very reasonable :)

Just also wanted to add that if Rilla hadn't figured out how to escape her pen, then she would have given her 'I need to go the toilet' cry, and I would have taken her outside. I'm also not comfortable going out for any length of time with her in that pen, as she could escape and chew something/ hurt herself escaping. She won't be crated for very long, just over night and when she sleeps, and as I previously mentioned for a few minutes in the times that I cannot supervise.

Oh yes she goes outside, I take her out all the time. She even has her mid morning sleep outside, so that she gets used to the sights and sounds of our farm. Her accident was my fault last night, as she had just been 15 minutes before, but hadn't pooed, and so while I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, she escaped (she sleeps in my bedroom) and had an accident. I'm training her to go outside.

I asked about dog crates some time ago (http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/233497-dog-crates/page__p__5708433__fromsearch__1#entry5708433) and someone recommended that I shop here - http://www.pethomesdirect.com.au/ That was before I got Rilla, my Border Collie, and knew how destructive she would or wouldn't be. I was hoping not to have to buy a crate for her, but to simply get away with using a small puppy play pen until she was toilet trained/not chewing any more. She's been home less then a week, and yesterday she discovered how to climb out over the top of the pen, and since she did this when I wasn't in the room, had her first toileting accident. She's fine in her play pen during the day, she just lies down and goes to sleep. It's only when she is not tired or needs to go the toilet that she makes a big fuss. I don't like to confine her when she wants to play, but sometimes I just can't supervise her and need to have her somewhere safe that she can't escape. Other than climbing out, she sometimes pulls the pins out enough to squeeze out. Luckily she hasn't yet figured out the door, but when I was watching her this morning, I don't think it will be long. I like the look of the crates at Pet Homes Direct (link above), and since they are in Brisbane, I figured that it shouldn't take long to get here, and also their prices are reasonable. I was just wondering it any knew if those crates were tough enough for a Border Collie? She hasn't knocked her pen over of anything yet....

Reggie sounds like a darling! Its lovely when people make a fuss over your pets :) What?!!! Already? My goodness, time goes fast!

Rilla asleep: I'm having such fun with her!

Thanks, I think she is

I was allowed to pick Rilla's registered name. I used the letters from the names of the mum and dad, and the two kennels they were from, and came up with Hearts Desire. :)

Thanks, she is better looking now than she was at 7 weeks....she just keep getting prettier lol! ;)

Well how is she She's very good! Such a darling, has been raised so well and is just the best little pup. I have called her Rilla. Our darn camera is still being repaired,so no at home photos, but here is her 7 week photo from the breeder. I'll give a more detailed post later - she is certainly keeping me busy! My goodness, it does feel strange not to be waiting any more - it's only been 12 MONTHS! lol

The Staffy x we had as kids couldn't swim. Our grandma put her in the water when she was just a pup, and she nearly drowned. She always hated water after that, she would howl if she saw us in water, obviously thought we would drown too.

2 more sleeps before my little girl comes home! I'm so excited - I'll probably get no sleep Saturday night :laugh:

She's really pretty, and well looked after looking

oooh, lucky you!

If the dog is overheating, pulling at the clothes in distress, etc then it is cruel. Putting them in clothes all the time might be a little mean too, since I know ours like to lick/'flea' themselves, and roll around on the grass etc...as long as the dog can still be a dog, and enjoy it's everyday life, then I don't really think it is mean. I wouldn't do it, but there are things that I do that others wouldn't, so each to their own... My sister's dog wears pajamas to bed, simply because she gets so cold in winter :)

I had to google to see what they were....Sealyhams are so cute! I've always wondered what those little dogs were.... Reggie is a lovely name!

awww, she's so cute That's great that she and your son love each other so much, they'll have lots of fun together :)

Congrats! I'm so glad I'm away from that length of waiting...they tell you time will drag, but no one elaborates on how much it actually does ;) Well I reckon it should count :D How long do you have to go?

naww, your little puppy is so cute! She looks like she has settled in well :)