Kavik

How do I contact Robert McDowell? Where is he located? I've tried a raw diet with Diesel before - didn't seem to make much difference with his allergies, he still scratched. And I had to feed him so much of it! It was hard to keep weight on him with the raw diet, so I changed to dry and chicken frames.

I didn't use another cue to say how she was going. I had commands 'Bin' for going to the bin, 'Hold' for holding the toilet paper roll. But nothing to say she was going well. After the click, I would throw the food in a different direction so she had the chance (especially when targetting) to do it again. The most difficult part was the end bit - getting her to go to the bin after picking up the toilet paper roll. Because I had already taught her to retrieve, she would bring it to me instead. That is where starting close to the bin and slowly increasing the distance to the bin helped.

Arya One of the more complicated tricks I've taught my guys was done with a clicker. I taught Zoe to go and pick up a toilet paper roll and put it in the bin. She already knew how to retrieve. I backchained it. I taught her to target the bin, then to put her head in the bin, then to hold the toilet paper roll right over the bin and put it in, then increased the distance from the bin, then put the toilet paper roll on the ground and sent her to it. She does this very enthusiastically It is one of her favourites (and a favourite for those watching too!).

Thanks Rappie So maybe trying some different antihistamines is the way to go. My vet doesn't seem to be too keen on using them though - he seemed to think they were not really worth trying. Keeps trying to convince me to go to the dermatologist and get the specialist testing. I haven't decided whether it is worth the money to do that yet - from what I have heard they may not find anything there that is helpful either. Allergies are so frustrating!

I know if I take him to the vet they will just put him on cortisone, that is what they always do would like to avoid that if possible. We did try him on an antihistimine (not sure which one) and it didn't make much difference. I think it is a contact allergy. He itches all year, but it is worse during the usual allergy periods like spring. We ruled out a food allergy, doing an elimination diet. On Eagle Pack he feels rather oily but still has scurf in his coat. piebe - so Fido's Soap Free Shampoo is gentler than Aloveen?

I haven't tried Nutro, might see if I can source some, worth a try! Diesel does smell a lot too. The scratching and chewing probably doesn't help that.

Have you enrolled in a puppy preschool or dog obedience classes? A good puppy preschool should help you with some of these behaviours and give you some ideas on how to best look after your pups, especially if you are new to dog ownership. If you tell us where you are located, someone could point you in the right direction for training. For housetraining, consistency is the key. I agree with piebe, it will be very difficult to housetrain if they are inside with no supervision all day, as they will learn that they can go inside. Best to have them somewhere you don't mind them toileting if you can't supervise - for most people this is outside. When you are home, supervise them and take them outside frequently to go to the toilet. Puppies will want to go after sleeping, playing, eating, drinking, and in between! If they look like they might have to go, take them out and praise them when they do go. You may want to introduce a toilet command, give the command as they are going to the toilet, they will then eventually associate the command with toileting. With the playing, some dogs do play rough! Growling, snapping, grabbing and dragging other dogs. So it is most likely your pups are only playing. But as we cannot see what they are doing, you may want to have someone at training etc help you figure it out. If you think they are playing too rough, you can separate them and give them a time out in separate areas until they settle down. I have found crates to be very useful for both housetraining, their bed at night, separating if play gets too rough and a million other things! If you do a search you should find several threads on crate training if you decide to go that way.

Diesel has allergies and at the moment they are playing up a lot He is scratching and chewing himself heaps and losing a lot of coat. He is currently on Eagle Pack Anchovy etc but I am thinking of changing back to ProPlan. He gets bathed in Aloveen, I try to do him once a fortnight as he gets really filthy (seems to attract dirt like nothing else!). I noticed the area he is the worst (groin, tummy and flank) is warm to the touch compared to the rest of his body. I think this has something to do with the allergy? Does anyone have ideas on how to cool this area down, would it make any difference? The poor boy must be so uncomfortable

I find getting them to sit and focus on you instead (with a treat ) works well. Sometimes Diesel does this too, he is great among crowds of dogs like at meets or dog parks and at training, his issue is only when we are walking down the street and there is another dog coming the other way on the footpath. So I give the other dog space, put Diesel in a sit and get his attention on me instead of the other dog. Strangely Kaos, who is not as good as Diesel face to face with other dogs, has no problems passing other dogs on the street, he will normally just ignore them

I think the enthusiasm with the clicker has to do with the enthusiasm from the trainer - I find I am happy and enthusiastic when using the clicker, also because the clicker is often used to teach tricks which are more 'fun'. And dogs do seem to enjoy figuring out what got them that click!

I find the clicker really fun for teaching tricks, shaping, targetting etc as the dog is keen and happy and energetic about offering responses. And they have to think about it. Sometimes it can be frustrating though if they don't offer the behaviour you want, and sometimes you can accidentally create behaviours you don't want. Some dogs take a while to catch on with shaping as well.

K9 I would say that most people would like their dog to play with other dogs, so it is something they encourage. Everyone would like their dog to at least be civil with other dogs ;) . And a lot of dogs enjoy playing with other dogs, and we all like to see our dogs enjoying themselves Most people do not think of the consequences of this on their recall, or are not bothered by it.

Certainly owner education would go a long way People choose the breed they do for a variety of reasons, and not all of them get enough control over especially a large dog. The right tool can reduce the amount of time needed to get control by a large amount. And in some cases, quickly regaining control is very important, sometimes the dog's life depends on it (and the owner's sanity!). An understanding of training and dog behaviour is necessary to have in conjunction with the correct tool - dogs can learn to pull on any type of collar/headcollar - so you still need proper technique.

Sometimes the tools make a world of difference as to the control the owner has, and as to how in control the owner feels, which is often more important! Especially with large, strong dogs that have been allowed to be out of control since a pup, an owner may feel overwhelmed by their strength and not actually be able to control them on a flat collar. A different training/correction/restraint tool which gives them more control and allows them to then train the dog to be better behaved will go a long way in helping their relationship.

When I gave them a lamb shank there was a piece of bone left, so I threw it away and didn't try it again as I was afraid the bone might cause fights

I know a groomer who has an Airedale that she shows, so strips him, but not sure if she strips for her grooming customers - think she does a few as she told me she has done a Border Terrier several times. PM me for her details if you like, or I can check for you.

Diesel has allergies and also chronic ear problems related to his allergies Always scratching at his ears and shaking his head. Got an aural haematoma earlier in the year from this. It is very frustrating as the poor thing is always itchy and miserable, dirty and smelly no matter how often or not I bath him, do his ears or change his food to find something that helps. He is somewhat better when on cortisone, but still does scratch even when on it. Of course now it is spring so the worst time of year for him.

Things you can put in puppy packs * dog food samples (you probably get some for free from reps? Or can ask for them) * treats (maybe liver treats?) * certificate of completion of puppy class * notes on the puppy class (if not given out in class) and information on where they can go for further training (clubs in the local area) * toys

Actually Rainey bloat is a BIG DEAL! A major problem for large deep chested dogs, they can die from it fairly quickly. There is conflicting research into what causes bloat and what will reduce the risks. I know a few people who have had dogs die from bloat, and a couple who have had dogs bloat and survive.

I know ice if the dog has heatstroke is a big no no. But can't see why it would be a problem at other times. I give mine ice cubes in the summer, they love to crunch on them and carry them around.

Kaos had really managed to tangle one of his legs in the seatbelt and he was struggling - I was worried he'd break a leg! Having already done that with my GSD who broke it doing zoomies in the yard as a pup, I am a tad paranoid! Not something I want to repeat. Once I untangled him, buckled him back in, told him to drop and behave, he was good the rest of the short trip, but still didn't look overly impressed. I think he prefers a crate :rolleyes:

I agree with Tapferhund and would go with the crate. Although when he gets bigger you may not be able to fit the crate in the car! My GSD was always pretty good in the car, we only introduced the harness later though, he will just lie on the back seat. My younger Kelpie loves the car but when he was a pup he tried to eat the seat covers :rolleyes: so he mostly travels in a crate which he loves. I am trying to get him used to a car harness, but he is still not sure about that, freaked out the first time and tangled himself - we had to stop the car and undo all the buckles to get him free!

Western Suburbs Dog Training trains at Bressington Park, Homebush. They have pet dog classes on Saturday afternoons, and obedience trialling classes (which I go to) on Tuesday evenings. Your dog does not have to be trialling standard to go to Tuesday evenings, they train with the aim to trial, and gear their classes that way, different to the pet dog classes. http://www.sinch.com.au/wsdtc/

Is that how he normally holds them in that pic? They look like they want to sit down and not up! Do you have any pics with them standing as up as they get? For comparison, this is Kaos as a pup, at 5 months, and at 12 months. You can see that even as an 8 wk pup his ears were partly up.

sidoney I remember watching a show on thrill seekers and extreme sports etc - those that like to go skydiving, bungy jumping, BASE jumping etc - and it said a similar thing - that they required more stimulation than normal to get that excitement. Very interesting. My half brother and sister went bungy jumping when we were in NZ recently but my full brother didn't (neither did I!).