LisaCC

Gorgeous Raineth. Digby does indeed look magnificent!

You have a very smart breed! Working dog puppies can pick things up really quickly. I found it difficult to think of new things to do with my Aussie (another smart working breed) to keep him interested. I would invest in a "clicker" and a few puppy books focusing on clicker training. You can teach them some really cool things One of the first games I taught my pup, was to target a mug coaster with his paw. I taught "shake" first then put the coaster in my hand and slowly moved it to the ground and different places. Soon I could move the coaster and send him too it and he would come running back to me for a treat. Eventually I was able to hide the coaster somewhere in the house and he would go find it Really great way to play hide and seek inside on rainy days If you go to the "Training/ Obedience/ Dog Sports" threads, you should be able to find some talk on tricks that might give you some good ideas if you get stuck.

That's great that he is in your room at night. I would be putting him in the back yard as soon as you have made it safe and secure. Yes he probably will still sleep most the time, but he will have lots more room to have a play by himself and stretch those growing legs of his. Tug of war is great, if he really loves it you can use it to train too. I've trained my boy using tug as a reward as he likes it more than food Just remember when he starts loosing teeth to be very careful with the tugging (around 4-6 months), it can loosen the teeth prematurely. You can do things with his meals for some mental stimulation too, like putting it in some boxes you don't mind being ripped up.

You will get varying opinions here. I'm guessing you mean 7 weeks not 7 months? I don't think the puppy is left alone for too long. Many people successfully raise puppies while working full time. But I do think the situation is less than ideal. It's a long time to be locked up in a laundry and possibly again at night. I would be fixing your fence asap, making it safe and escape proof, or erect a dog run. A backyard is much more interesting than a laundry. I would advise not adding a second puppy until this puppy is fully mature and trained well. If he is only 7 weeks, you shouldn't be walking him anyway as he isn't up to date with his vaccinations, but what kind of exercise and mental stimulation do you give him when you are home?

Interested to see the answers to this. I believe there used to be someone with them in Australia

Holy crap I keep forgetting how huge he is! Very cute video of Calli too

Silent child that's a beautiful story. Made me smile :) My last dog Sam just had the most gorgeous soul and was so intuitive. I've told this story before in his Rainbow Bridge Thread and there is a photo there of this day too if you want to see it. I had an operation in 2011 and couldn't do much afterwards, my gorgeous boy didn't leave my side unless it was to drink, eat, poop, or I threw a ball for him. When I was ok enough to go outside and it was spring and sunny, I spent the whole day reclined on a big outdoor swinging chair, and he layed next to me with his paw over my legs all day. This is the same big doofy labrador that normally didn't pay enough attention to his own body and once gave me concussion from an over zealous recall that knocked me to the ground Another time I had a seizure in the park behind my house while walking him and when I woke up he was standing over me and would only let my Mum approach. One of a kind dog.

Go Fritz!!!

It wouldn't be very fun if you're disqualified every time because your dogs jaw is ever so slightly out.

I think the problem is people buy them thinking the harness itself will help walking. Obviously it's not going to. I trained my dog to walk nicely on a harness from around 10 weeks old. I would switch between a collar and a harness so he knew to walk nicely on everything.

What a good idea!! I have a 'No Dogs' leash for when I don't want my dog to be approached but rarely use it because I worry people might misunderstand and think she is aggressive - 'In training' sounds much less alarming! I may have to consider getting a Julius now even tho I am seriously in love with my Comfortflex. Similiar to TSD my dog is also often collarless and harness-less especially for training which we spend the bulk of our time but I like to use a harness for casual walks. No problems at all with lead pulling for us - I just prefer never to have any pressure on the neck and throat. Have both, I do Things, I got mine from Dogify too, I think it was the only supplier I could find in Australia, they were very quick and helpful. They didn't have "In Training" Patches though, so I got them from K9 Pro, their patches fit the IDC just fine

What lovely model!!!! Just checked the site out. And am enabled. Thanks. Be enabled! Nathan will make them exactly the way you want, specific length, handle length, extra D rings, type of clips, silver or brass, I think he can get different coloured leather. This was his first order for a dog leash and it's turned out great! Very affordable too. He just does local markets so you might be his first shipped order

Just be consistent in your loose leash training when you get the harness

Oh the reason why I use a harness for jogging is similar to TSD, running arouses Nova much more compared to a normal walk, and if he spots a kangaroo or sheep while we're running he'll try to go off towards it, and I feel more comfortable using the harness in that situation.

No, I use this harness for walks where I'm going to do training and don't want people, children and other dogs coming up to him (it has signs saying "in training") as we had a lot of issues before we got this harness. For example he will wear it out when we go to markets or to get coffee or walking down the main street. He has flat collars and martingales for normal walks, and a lighter less restrictive harness for jogging. Yes I taught loose leash walking first, both on collar AND with harnesses from a young age. No issues with pulling on the harness as I keep up the training.

Looks nice .. a good idea :) (& a K9 pro leash ? ) Actually a custom made leash by a local man It's lovely, soft and sturdy! Only just got it. Skyline Belts

Regarding the bolded I've found yes and down to particular lines as well. So talk to breeders about the specifics. My breeder for instance told me that in her lines the males seem to "grow a brain" quicker than the females. I've only been around working keplies but the collies I've met are most definitely more laid back then them. I have a good friend who owns rough collies as house pets and working kelpies. He openly admits he doesn't think he could deal with a kelpie as a "pet". Not sure if you go towards show line kelpies.

Nova has the same harness as Ronin, the Julius K9 IDC. One good thing about it is that it has a snap that you can use to lock the handle flat to the back. Out of use the clip sits locked under the D ring. Here's a photo of it from above with the handle free. Clip can be seen under the D ring with the writing on it.

I don't often do much free play (like at dog parks), but I have a few dogs Nova regularly has a play with. I left Novas harness on once and he plays with this dog regularly, and they normally both have good manners in play. But this time other dog just kept grabbing the back of Novas harness and trying to tug with it. So I took it off straight away. So obviously now I always take them off first, but I am a big fan of harnesses with handles, they come in handy a lot especially when I'm short and the handle is at the perfect height for me to use like a traffic leash. I also found it super handy with squirmy puppy at the vet!

I know many large breed puppies raised on pro plan. Remember to go off the packet that you have (that's made here in Australia), as a lot of the review websites are American based and the American Pro Plan has different ingredients. If he is doing well on it I wouldn't change. I only switched because my boy can't tolerate chicken or grains. Holistic Select is made by Eagle Pack, they have puppy versions. The brand my boy is on now which I'm extremely happy with is Earthborn Holistic.

I agree with smooth collie. If you like them, perhaps go meet some at shows and talk to their owners/breeders? I also agree with Haredown Whippets, surviving puppy hood would be your biggest issue to overcome. Even the calmest adult dogs can be terror puppies

Try an Ezydog harness on before you buy them. I found it they don't suit the body shape of my Aussie, so we've switched to a Comfort Flex. I also have a basic Y front harness and a Julius K9 IDC harness. Unfortunately I have not found one Y front harness that fits my dogs body shape properly. The one I have is the closest, but still not right. I like the IDC the best, the patches and handle come in handy and it fits perfectly.

Unfortunately you may find neutering does bugger all with humping. I know a desexed bitch who tries to hump Nova. Nova has only humped one dog who was very submissive, and I approached it the same way as you do with ronin, harness or collar grab and tell him off. That stops him in in tracks. I think putting his lead on and leaving might be the best option, but I'm sure people with more experience will chime in

Agree with Simply Grand :) We had daily 'puppy crazies' up until around the 12 month mark (now it's more weekly or on a day I haven't exercised him enough). It was to the hour too, 7pm when he was a baby pup, then when he was awake for longer (around 5months+) it was about 9pm. Every. Single. Night! Could be the best behaved puppy you've ever met. Until 9pm... They are like gremlins, they turn evil at a specific time lol.

Yep. Breeders (of dogs) are a good example there. For every one that makes the news for abuse or neglect, there are thousands of others who love and care for their animals. Unfortunately, those good breeders would not support the argument so they're not shown. You really can't rely on AR groups to offer a balanced view of the situation so for some things, you do have to do your own research. Yes. If these same AR groups came out with a video of one breeder abusing their dogs and once again told everyone to boycott all breeders based on that video, I can just imagine the outrage here on DOL. Why is it different when they do it about livestock?