DakotaJ

Just want to share two experiences which are related to this topic. Two times in the last two months I have had dogs being walked on retractable leashes lunge and break the leashes and run over to my dog, not to attack but to play. Still this happened at a busy park (same place both times). Once the dog was a Border Collie, the second was a small sized cross breed. We were not close to these dogs and ours was well under control. The young lady walking the BC completely panicked so we had to hold our dog still and help her catch hers. Then she had a great deal of trouble getting him away without a lead. The other was with a man who grabbed him and picked him up - after chasing him round in circles. My lesson from that is never use retractable leads, these were small dogs and it didn't take much effort for them to snap the leads. Luckily the dogs weren't aggressive. If I see a dog coming I always tighten my lead and instruct my dog to heel. Lots of people seem to think it is ok to bring dogs together to "play" , I wish they wouldn't

No other costs except for an appropriate collar and leash. Best value ever. The instructors are all volunteers and they are very helpful, not only in class but with personal advise and support after class.

Thanks for the suggestion mate, I'll give them a call to sus out the details before the 1st Tuesday. Just one question is $75 for the year (or part there of)? Or are there additional costs? I took her to USYD (University of Sydney) Puppy Pre-School. It costed $160 for 5 weeks (1st is Puppy Free). They use click training and positive re-enforcement. There are 8 dogs all up, which are all around the same age. They give you a certificate of graduation at the end. The trainer was Kelly. She also runs her own business called "Love on a Leash". I think it's good for socialisation and getting to know how your dog relates to other dogs, new people and surroundings, something that you might not be able to do until fully vaccinated... which may be too late! I think those who have never had a dog before will benefit from it the most, as a lot of material is given. However like all forms of training, if you don't bother to do anything outside the classes at home, you won't get much out of it or your money's worth. If you have a look on the FB link below under the album "Class of Monday, 11th February 2013" you can see what it's like, or any other album there... There were mainly small less active dogs in my class, but this can of course differ from class to class. Links: http://sydney.edu.au/vetscience/veterinary_services/sydney/programs/preschool.shtml https://www.facebook.com/loveonaleash.au Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. Oooh! That's a second suggestion for bktc (assuming they're the same?). Yeah I know what you mean, travelling from the west to the city with a pup in peak hour traffic wasn't the easiest thing! Maybe I'll see you there ~ Anyway here's a pic of her graduation certificate:

I can very much recommend the Blacktown Kennel Club obedience training . They have classes every Tuesday, new members start first Tues of the month http://www.bktc.org.au/ I have a Golden but there are lots of people with huskies who attend - you could speak to some of them and they may have some husky specific ideas.

I chose Meeka because I wanted a name that would be clear and definite if I went on to do obedience training. I searched it on the Internet and it means "clever raccoon " in the Cree Indian language, which I liked as well. Also I didn't want a name which was likely to be a human child's name. This however backfired when a much younger person at obedience training commented in disbelief " Meeka, like the singer !"- turns out Meeka is a gay icon rap singer - best laid plans obviously went astray - lol

I used to get my C/D online from http://www.aussiepet.com.au/. The prices were a lot cheaper than from the vet ( even with the shipping). They had fast delivery, never had a problem. No I am not involved with the company in any way except as a happy customer

I am curious if anyone knows if this could be a problem. We have many flying Foxes which eat fruit from the local trees and drop the pits on the street and sidewalks. My Golden dives at these nuts and if we can't get her to give them up she just chomps them up. We are as vigilant as possible but she is pretty fast at grabbing them. I worry that these nuts would be covered in Flying Fox saliva, could a dog contract on of the Flying Fox related diseases from these nuts, does anyone know ?

Just an update - and for those who may be searching on this topic. Meeka has had all the tests done and it is not EU, but it is a condition called Vulvovaginal Stenosis.which "is an uncommon medical condition that affects female dogs. The vagina narrows at the point where the urethra ends. Small amounts of urine become trapped at the narrowed end of the vagina, which can leak when the dog stands up." She has had her vaginal opening made wider which should alleviate the condition, it was a minor procedure, no stitches. If your dog is incontinent it might be a condition to discuss with your vet Thanks everyone for your replies, they were very helpful

Thanks for getting back to me. She can go a few weeks without being wet and then we will find wet patches under her when she gets up and the side of her rump which she was lying on will be wet. This can then happen a few times over a couple of days then she will dry up again. I can't see why if it is a deformity, she wouldn't be wet all the time. She has had 4 UTIs since we got her at 8 weeks. I think our first Vet was very unsure of the cause of the incontinence and the second is playing it safe by sending us to a specialist. We are happy to take her because we would really like to know what is going on. It does make me feel better to know EU is usually picked up on when they are very young, maybe she doesn't have it. I will let you know the diagnosis, our appt is not tilts 22nd

Our Golden sleeps in our laundry at night - kept in by a child gate. She is happy with that but it did take her a few nights to settle in because she couldn't see us. I now think crating her and having the crate where she could see us would have saved us some sleepless nights. She now often chooses to sleep in the laundry when she is inside because she regards it as "her place". We leave her outside in the day when we are out but she's not usually alone for more than 3 hours. I know this is not realistic for working families but make sure she has lots of toys. Also be prepared for digging and chewing. My Golden managed to ring bark our orange tree in a couple of hours. You will also need to do plenty of walking, they have lots of energy so if they are alone for long periods they will really need a good walk at some time during the day. One last thing I have found really useful is obedience ptraining, they enjoy the stimulation and practice training can be incorporated into your walks. Good luck with your dog - enjoy !

Anyone have any experience with a dog having an ectopic ureter? We have a 9 month old golden retriever who has had random bouts of incontinence and frequent UTIs. Our first vet treated the UTIs but when it became obvious it was a continuing problem we sought a second opinion. This vet suspects it is an ectopic ureter and we have an appointment with a specialist clinic next week. My research indicates that this is a congenital problem which is fairly common in Golden Retrievers, and could involve a big operation to fix. We are pretty concerned particularly because we had never heard of it, and we had owned a Golden before. Has anybody encountered this problem ? Is it common amongst Goldens in Australia? We will wait for the confirmation by the vet before we leap to any conclusions but our vet is pretty certain. She will have to have a test involving her being sedated and having dye run through her bladder and scanned before they can tell where the problem is. If it is an ectopic ureter I think I will have to tell the breeder as it is the result of 2 dogs with the recessive gene being mated. It is all very disturbing or us, we love her ver much and don't want her to be put through a large and painful operation, with no guarantee of success, and of course there is considerable expense involved Any info on any experiences anyone has had with this problem would be greatly appreciated.