Echo

I agree with Montall. Earplugs could well be worth a try. I have used them myself, and I was sceptical as to how well they would work. I found them to be comfortable (didn't really know they were there) but the main thing was they were very effective. Another thing you might like to try, is leaving a night light or small lamp on during the night, so when the dog wakes, it is not in complete darkness. This may stop the dog becoming distressed and then barking. Cheers Julie

Last year, the GSDCV held one in Altona. I believe it will be held in the same place this year. Cheers Julie

Hi Bella, training starts again on the 1st Sunday in Feb. Merry Xmas Julie (Skye Branch Instructor)

I use this product for my dogs. I buy it from the local feedstore. My Vet. recommended it to me and told me to give 10ml daily. My dogs are all around 30kg. I feed twice a day, so put 5ml into each meal. I think it is absolutely great, and there is a noticeable difference in the condition of their coats since I started using it. It took about 4 weeks before I could see any difference. People (judges included) have remarked on their beautiful coats. Julie

I agree with the other posters on the various methods. I am also with "Carlins' mum" on not actually using the word "stay". Whatever position you command your dog to adopt, should be maintained by the dog until you give it a further command. I can't see the point in giving two seperate commands for the one action. On top of everything else, I have found it VERY helpful to use a Release word on completion of the excercise. For eg: if you command your dog to sit, the dog should stay sitting until further command. If you do not intend to give the dog further command, such as "drop' or "heel", then you can use a release word, such as "free" or "OK". This makes it clear to the dog that it is allowed to break the position, and the excercise is over. Julie

Good to hear evrything is now OK. Julie

Hi Erin, she could have a piece of bone (or stick) lodged between her teeth, across the upper jaw. This is quite common, so I would be having a good look up there. Sometimes it is hard to see, but persist until you get a good , clear look. I hope you find the cause of her discomfort. Good luck. Julie P.S. If you do find something up there, just put your finger in and hook it out quickly.

Absolutely brilliant!! Squeak, I know what you mean. I got a bit dizzy just watching all the twists and turns. I would have stuffed up the sequence for sure. Julie

I swim my show dogs in a chlorinated pool twice a week, and have done so for a long time. I always make sure that I rinse them thoroughly in fresh water immediately after the swim. I have never had a problem with their skin or coats. They have very nice coats. You might also try rubbing a small ammount of conditioner through the coat after rinsing (Aloveen is good, you don't have to rinse it out). Cheers Julie

Although I have never experienced this with my own pups, I have seen 3 GSD pups with ears that did this. One of these pups had both ears curled back at the tip. All of them ended up correcting themselves by the time they were 6 mths old. If you are worried that it may not end up normal, you might try taping the ear for a couple of weeks. But at only three months of age, I would not be worried about it yet. Your pup and her mum are both lovely. I really like a well coloured sable. Good luck with your baby. Julie

That's where I would go as well.

I don't think there is any need for concern. At this age, your pup is teething. Some teeth will just drop out without you seeing them. Others will become loose and may hang in there for a little while before they fall out. This is all quite normal. The baby teeth will be replaced by a nice, new set of adult teeth. Give your pup plenty of things to chew on, such as raw meaty bones. This will help the loose teeth to fall out. Julie

Quote from Jeff 10th July. Australian United Schutzhund Clubs are very please to announce that the decision on the appeal lodged in the Administration appeals Tribunal of Victoria, against the declaration of Mr. ++++++' male Rottweiler ++++++= (A) BH ZTP AD as a dangerous dog was set aside. The presiding member in making his decision to set aside the declaration made the following findings. 1. " I find on the evidence before me that such attack is limited on the sleeve worn by the helper or agitator and does not ever or in any way extend to an attack on any other portion of his or her person, with the focus of the dog being on the hesian or padded sleeve." 2. "In my view the can be best described as sterile or simulated or hollow." 3. "I find further on the evidence there is no basis whatsoever for the suggestion which was raised at the hearing before me that there is a risk of "boilover" or that there is a "second command" whereby the dog is required to follow the attack on the sleeve by making a further or extended attack on another part or other parts of the person of the helper." 4. "I find on the evidence that, apart from the subject training attacks, the subject dog has never attacked or bittern a person and that such training has not rendered it more likely to do so but rather, if anything, less likely." 5. "I find that the subject training is far removed from the training undergone by guard or security dogs were the entirely different objective is to injure and where the helper wears a full body protective suit." Above is the only case in the whole of Australia where a Schutzhund dog had been declared dangerous, and as you can see from the 5 findings the Judge turned over the decision.... Edited out names Hi Jeff, yes, the information you have provided above is absolutely correct. Many people at the time received this news greatfully, as it seemed as though the Dogsport enthusiast would now have an avenue to continue to train their dogs without the fear of them being declared dangerous. However, the wording of the legislation at the time of this case, was not the same as it is now. (See below) 34A Dangerous dogs A dog is a dangerous dog if— (a) the dog is kept as a guard dog for the purpose of guarding non-residential premises; or (b) the dog has been trained to attack or bite any person or any thing when attached to or worn by a person. The words I have highlited are those that were added after this case. It was because these specific words were not included in the legislation at the time, that this case was able to be argued successfully. Subsequently, these few extra words were all that was needed to be added, to now close this loophole to anyone else. The legislation is now quite clear. Although it does not specifically mention SCH, IPO, it does cover the type of training that these sports entail. I do not support this legislation, but I was merely trying to point out in my original post, that we do have a problem here in Victoria, re; the possibility of having our dogs declared dangerous. I don't know the answer to the problem that Dogsport people Australia wide face. The public is ignorant to what it's all about, and their opinions are largely fuelled by an even more ignorant media, who continually sensationalise stories of dog attacks. As I said in my earlier post, I believe that gaining recognition from the ANKC would be a great step forward for the sport. Regards Julie

Domectic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act (Victoria) A person must not train a dog to attack, bite, rush at, chase or in any way menace persons, animals or anything worn by persons, unless the dog is so trained— (a) in the course of conducting a domestic animal business on premises that is registered under Part 4, if training of such a nature is authorised under that registration: and (b) that person— (i) is conducting; or (ii) is employed by a person who is conducting— a domestic animal business on premises that is registered under Part 4. 34A Dangerous dogs A dog is a dangerous dog if— (a) the dog is kept as a guard dog for the purpose of guarding non-residential premises; or (b) the dog has been trained to attack or bite any person or any thing when attached to or worn by a person. inserted by No. 87/2000 s. 16. The above is the current legislation in Victoria. I am not sure whether all states are the same, but this certainly seems to say, that at least in Victoria, it is illegal to train your dog in the protection phase of Sch, and doing so will render the dog to be declared dangerous, by virtue of this training. This situation should be a worry not only to all Sch enthusiasts here in Vic, but also to anyone here who may import a dog which already has a Sch title. There are many dogs of various breeds, bought into this country for show/breeding purposes who fit this category. Their new owners will probably never continue with this training, but their dogs could still be classed as dangerous. 37 Notification of Council (1) Immediately upon becoming the owner of a dog that has been trained to attack or bite any person or any thing when attached to or worn by a person, the owner of the dog must so notify the Council of the municipal district in which the dog is kept. Penalty: 5 penalty units. (1A) Immediately upon a dog commencing training to attack or bite any person or any thing when attached to or worn by a person, the owner of the dog must notify the Council of the municipal district in which the dog is kept that the dog is being so trained. Penalty: 5 penalty units. I believe that all Breed Clubs which are the custodians of breeds traditionally used for Sch, should band together and make a joint submission to the ANKC to have this sport accepted in Australia. ANKC recognition could go a long way to having amendments to the above laws included to allow people to train and own Sch dogs, without having them declared dangerous. It would also allow the true Sch enthusiast to gain recognition for their dedication in training their animals to such a high degree. We have many highly titled animals here in Aust. and these titles are currently not recognised. Yes, there will always be a few cowboys out there, who only want to train their dogs in the "bite" component, but if the Sch Clubs have their act together (and I believe they do), then this will only apply to a very small minority, who will have to do this type of training with an unoffial body, as any official Sch club worth their salt will not allow this. Remembering that Sch has 3 components, tracking, obedience and protection. Great topic Reddog !! Regards Julie

I will be trialling as well soon, for the first time in years. Are you now required to show Vacc. certificate?? Never used to be a requirement. Julie

"But in the ring, she knows I can't talk to her. " Could it be, that although you are training her in different locations, with ring set-ups etc, she is working brilliantly for you in these situations because you are "talking to her" ? By this I mean that you could be using a lot of extra jargon while training, and your dog relies on/needs this to maintain performance. Then when you do go into a trial, the "extras" are switched off, and the dog is not able to work well without them. I have seen this happen with others, and most times the handler is unaware of how much extra chatter they provide their dog in training. It gets them the required response, so they keep it up. When the dog is still learning, the extra chatter is OK, but you must wean your dog off it before you hit the trial ring, and have your dog performing well with just the tools you may use when trialling. Just a thought. Good luck with your training. Julie

As a breeder, I have done this myself, and like you I took the trouble to keep them seperate for most of the time. They do spend some play time together, as well as spending time with the older dogs, but I believe it is vital for the pups to develope as individuals. I spend a lot of time with them one on one. This means that your workload is literally doubled. They are trained, socialised, handled and played with totally separately. By doing this, they grow up together to be good friends, but do not become reliant on each other, as they would if they were left together all the time. I think that this is a great burden for the average pet owner to take on, especially if they are novice owners, as you suspect. Most pet owners will want to keep the dogs together from the start and will not have the facilties or desire to separate them during their initial training and socialisation. Also, the breed you have, like mine, are working dogs, which require a good deal of training, excercise and attention. The average pet owner is flat out just dealing with these rquirements with one new pup, let alone two. Maybe you should do a bit more homework on the prospective new owners to find out if they are familiar with your breed, and if they have any experience in training dogs. I have in the past, talked new owners out of buying two pups at the same time, and once I explain my reasons, they are grateful for my advice. You may also want to point out to them that having two dogs will not only double their time input, but their food bills and vet. bills as well. Don't forget also, it's twice the noise, mess and mayhem. Some people don't think of this either. Keeping two pups from the same litter can be done successfully, but in my opinion, it is a big ask for a novice pet owner. Cheers Julie

Young puppies WILL eat just about anything, including rocks. I had a pup from a litter recently that stayed overnight at the Vet because it filled its little belly with rocks from our driveway. No harm was done, apart from the fact that the pup felt quite ill for 24 hours, and the rocks eventually made their way out, but it goes to show that you never know what a pup may find edible. It doesn' have to be anything terribly exciting. They will give just about anything a go. Dogs have been known to swallow all sorts of things, such as glad wrap, rope, shopping bags, children's toys (or parts thereof), safety pins, paper clips, jewellery and even kitchen cutlery etc. So it is wise to monitor what he plays with, and if you see him showing interest in chewing rocks, or anything else that could be harmful, distract him away by giving him something good to chew, or by having a game of some sort. Most dogs will lose interest in chewing bizarre things as they mature, but pups should be watched closely. Cheers Julie

I agree. Many GSD's are imported into Australia each year, and just about all that come from Germany will carry a Sch. title. If you do not declare the title, then there will not be a problem, unless the dog creates one after it comes in, and this should not happen if the dog has a stable temperament and has been correctly trained.

There is one in Sunbury. They advertise in the VCA gazette. Hope this helps. Julie

Fantastic !! Love the wave at the end. Julie

Poor old Nicky. Sounds like he's had a tough time with his eye. You have done everything you can to try and fix the problem, It's not your fault. Don't feel too bad about it. Once he is over the surgery, you will be surprised at how well he will learn to cope. In no time at all, he will be getting around as good as new. It never ceases to amaze me just how well dogs adapt with situations like this. Good luck with the op. Julie

I have just read about these things on another forum. Up until then I had never heard of them, but if I do come across them, I shall certainly be giving them a wide berth. My dogs are already good at ingesting seemingly inedible things, (it's amazing what they consider tasty) so I don't need to give stuff like this on purpose. Julie

Hi Winterpaws, good on you for taking on this task. Don't count on getting too much sleep at this stage. Others have given you good advice on feeding, but I will also add, that keeping them warm enough is also vital. These little tackers cannot regulate their own body temperature until at least ten days old. Until then, they rely on mum's body heat and heated box or room etc. Cold can kill quickly, so keep an eye on them in this regard. Good luck Julie