Echo

You need to have more than 4000 square metres in Cardinia to have 4 dogs. That is off their website. An acre is 4046.86 square metres. I don't know what they have on their website, but I am simply relating the process that Cardinia Council told us to follow. This was about 10 years ago, and at that time, we were told that with one acre, we must apply for a permit for more than 2 dogs.

We live in Cockatoo (Cardinia)on exactly 1 acre. We had to apply for a permit to keep more than 2 dogs, as they told us that 2 was the limit, unless you have more than 1 acre. We were issued with a permit to keep 6 GSD's without any problem. I was told that they would canvass our neighbours, but after the permit was approved, I checked with the neighbours and all said that they were not contacted in any way. When we submitted the permit, we had to supply a drawing which outlined our kennels, containing the location, size, materials etc. They never came to our property to check the kennels either. It was pretty straight forward and we have always found the rangers and other council officials very good to deal with. Cost to renew permit is $62 per year. KCC is 45 mins away.

Any branch of the GSDCV will allow use of headcollar for training. Recommended by them is the Black Dog brand. You can check locations of all branches by going to their website. http://www.gsdcv.org.au/

This is a really good point and it does make me rethink this whole discussion. I used a prong under the instruction of a very experienced trainer and still managed to stuff it up. My dog redirected its aggression to me in a similar circumstance to one that MJ described earlier. Multiple times- as obviously it learnt quickly that it was an effective way to make me back off with the correction. She would see another dog, react aggressively to it, I would correct and she would lunge and snap at me. I simply did not have the nerve to subsequently give a further correction, feeling I would not be able to prevent an even more aggressive reaction. Despite further assistance from my trainer (I just don't have it in me to use one properly), I gave up on the Prong and then used a martingale, which allowed me to hold my dog at arms length (thank god she was under 20kgs) when she redirected her aggression at me. So with all that history, I think that whilst I do not support an outright ban, they should be only used on a restricted basis, ie with correct training and ongoing support from a qualified trainer. I agree with MJ, we need to consider that the damage done may not necessarily be on the dog. If I understand your post correctly, your dog redirected aggression toward you when you applied a correction with a prong collar. Because of this, you then changed to a martingale, and still experienced the same redirection when you applied correction with that. Yet you single out the prong collar as the training tool to be wary of I have seen dogs redirect after correction on flat collars, correction chains and head collars. I have also seen dogs redirect aggression when no correction at all has been given. Should we restrict use of all these training tools as well? As many others have already stated, education is the key, and this applies to all the tools we currently use in training dogs, not just the prong.

Can you advise date and venue for Victorian seminar? I would be interested in attending. Thanks Julie

Just bumping this up to remind everyone that the seminar is fully booked. If you know anyone who is still planning on sending an application, can you please let them know. Thanks Julie

[quote Hi Angelsun one of our instructors is talking about starting Rally-O, we have got some of our members want to give it a shot, me for one :D would like to compete, our club is Westernport Obedience Dog Club :D I am right next door to you at the GSD Club. I havn't heard anything at all about Rally O, but would be very interested in seeing some sort of mock trial/demonstration. If anything happens with Westernport, don't forget to let us know. Good luck with getting something going.

We have these for our dogs, they are great. Bunnings has them for $13. And if you've got dogs that like to tip their water over, you can use the handles as tie points to secure them.

I have a nearly 6 year old, who has just started training with the clicker and she has taken to it like a duck to water.

Thank you to everyone who has booked for this seminar. Available places have all been filled. Julie

Steve will be covering in detail all the principles and strategies he employs in order to train a dog to work to it's maximum level. How to create and maintain a love of training, so that the dog will continue to perform at its peak. These principals can be applied to all aspects of competitive dog training, no matter which discipline is involved. Julie

Skye Branch- German Shepherd Dog Club Victoria, is pleased to announce it is hosting a one day seminar by renowned dog trainer, Steve Austin. Please find attached, flyer and booking slip for the seminar, as well as Steve's full resume. We would like to issue an invitation for all to attend. This will be a very informative day, and should prove valuable to all dog trainers, including club obedience instructors and trial enthusiasts. We would be pleased if you could pass this information along to anyone you think may be interested. If you require any more information, please contact me via email, [email protected], or Ph: 5968 8441 Regards Julie Urie Skye Branch-GSDCV STEVE AUSTIN_ flyer.doc STEVE AUSTIN Resume 1.docx

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new pup. I hope you can locate a club or good trainer who can guide you in Sch. training. Contacting Sch. Australia, as Nekhbet said, is a good place to start. Failing that, I would highly recommend the DVD's by Ivan Balabanov. The best ones for you at the moment are "The Game" and "Obedience Without Conflict". Since I live in the backward state of Victoria, I have trouble getting access to suitable training on a regular basis. I have found these two videos to be very helpful in demonstrating the basics that you need for this sport. They are not cheap, but they are very good. Julie

My GSD girl bloated at age 5. She was at the Vet for 2 days after surgery in which her stomach was tacked to the abdomen wall. When she came home, I started off feeding 5 very small meals per day. I didn't change from her normal diet, (dry kibble and a bit of fresh meat, mixed with a little water) just fed smaller ammounts. I did buy an elevated feeder, but it is debatable (depending on what you hear) if this is of any value. Over the next couple of months, I reduced the number of feeds gradually, down to two a day, which is what she had for the rest of her life. As others have already said, NO excercise or excitement at least 1 hour before/after feeding. After she recovered, (gained back strength and the lost weight), we did not change anything about her routine or feeding that wasn't done before she bloated. She went on to live a happy, normal life before passing at the age of 12. She never had another occurrence of bloat, nor any other illness until she died.

Hi Erny, I didn't take any photos. The white (from memory) was across the top of the muzzle and went up the muzzle about 2". The ranger collected the dog last night. I felt bad handing her over, but there was nothing else I could do. Such a sweet dog. At first, she was a bit hesitant around me, but after a short while she came out of her shell and I became her best buddy. Julie

Today I rescued a young dog from being hit by cars on the Pakenham Rd. in Cockatoo. She is a Kelpie X Mainly black, with white paws and a white snout. She is wearing a grey, webbing collar, but no ID tags and after taking her to the Vet to be scanned, no microchip either. There is a piece of black webbing lead (about 12inches) hanging off her collar, so I think she has been tied up and chewed through her lead. I cannot keep her at my house, so have rung the ranger at Cardinia Shire and he is picking her up between 5.30pm and 6.oopm tonight. I hope someone comes forward to claim this girl. She is very sweet and friendly, but is a little scared as well. I have placed this in the Lost and Found, but thought I would put it here as well. Julie

In the first instance, I would speak with the neighbours. This is the fair thing to do, before making any sort of official complaint. You can't assume that they will not listen and take action. You have to try this avenue first. If no joy comes from that, then your only other alternative is to make an official complaint to Council. I don't see why you think this can't be done, because they belong to the daughter. If the dog's barking is excessive, then who owns the dogs is not relevant. Julie

That looks like a good job. Does the sports tape go right across the back of the ear, from one side to the other, or just fold around the edge? Keep us posted on the outcome. I am interested to see how it goes. Julie

I'll second the Nitrigel suggestion. Excellent product. Julie

The GSDCV allow pups from 8 weeks of age. Owners must produce proof of first vaccination, before being allowed to attend. The rule of complete vaccination before allowing puppies to train was dropped many years ago. Julie

Have PM'd you. Julie

Not pointing fingers at anyone in particular. I just made a general comment. I am a breeder of purebred dogs. Have been for 30 years. In this case, the welfare of the bitch and pups could be at risk, given the OP is not an experienced breeder. I have never condoned the breeding of cross-breds, but I would not turn my back on someone asking for help when it comes to the welfare of a dog, purebred or not. If things go wrong: On my last visit to a shelter, I saw plenty of purebred dogs. These dogs presumably from registered, responsible breeders, out of planned litters. Many rescuers deal exclusively with the rescue of a particular breed. Rescuers do not deal exclusively with the mess caused by BYB. Sorry it is just plain irresponsible to have a x bred litter in this day and age. Will every puppy in this litter be de sexed or will they go onto homes and perpetuate this very same situation? Does every breeder of purebred dogs do this? Where do you think a lot of these cross-breds come from? They are the direct result of crossing two purebred dogs, presumably, once again from registered, reputable breeders, out of planned litters. So should all breeders of purebreds desex their pups as well? We are all in complete agreement that situations such as this should be avoided. But it does none of us any harm to help someone when they need it, and to try and educate people (in a nice way) to the correct way of doing things. Julie

This has already been well noted, so why bother bringing it up again? The OP has asked for advice, and whether the pups are pedigree or mongrel makes no difference at this stage. The deed is done and someone is asking for help. In an ideal world, these pups would not be on the way, but they are, so get over it. The snobbery and bitchiness of some people on here simply amazes me. Julie

The sooner, the better. Julie

Von Forell dogs would fit this bill very nicely. I would definately recommend you speak with Kris. He is a breeder / trainer of good reputation who would be happy to answer any questions you have. My experiences with him have left only positive impressions.