Kavik

Yep, Diesel has contact allergies too, and I am assuming probably to some type of grass. It has been pretty bad lately and he has a bald patch on his tail where he keeps chewing. I use Aloveen shampoo (oatmeal based), give fish oil and sardines, and at the moment some cortisone cream and the poor guy has an Elizabethan collar on at night to prevent him from chewing his tail The vet has suggested allergy testing, haven't decided on that yet.

In regards to the other pups at preschool, what exactly is he doing? How is he acting, how are the other dogs acting? Are you sure it isn't just rough play? With my most recent two dogs, instead of going to puppy preschool I have taken them to a club that I know where the older dogs are relaxed, and will help to teach mine proper doggy greetings. So that instead of jumping right into wrestling with other dogs when they meet, they greet by sniffing nose and bums and go from there.

bowser's story is the funniest (and the grossest Eewww!) :D

Not as bad as Kaos who has just figured out if he licks it or pushes on it with his paw it feels good :D Gotta love em!

Mornir Unfortunately Kaos jumped on the coffee table and used it as a launching pad/trampoline to the couch by the time he was 9 weeks old! But that is a good idea and I might use it if I get a dog that doesn't have springs for legs at that age! (You gotta love Kelpies!)

Diesel used to get them all the time when he was a pup! Kaos has only had them once or twice. Really gave me a fright the first time.

Zoe is an avid counter surfer Mostly I don't have her in the room when there is food around (I know, doesn't teach her not to do it). Diesel is fine, so far Kaos is alright too. Hmmm - those mats sound alright! My old dog and the Beagle my parents had for a bit were notorious counter surfers - would get on the table if you weren't watching and they found the Beagle in the sink! :D

Maybe fence off the areas you really don't want the pup to dig in. You are likely to get a few holes as pups of any breed do love to dig :D I am lucky my OH is not fussed about the condition of grass or the yard He is starting his vegie patch at the front where the dogs don't have access.

We use a whitening shampoo at work that is really good and works, but not sure what to suggest that doesn't include bathing. Have to agree with Tilly though - I am glad all of my dogs are black

I did my security licence course earlier this year and enquired about the dog handling, especially if I would need a special enclosure etc and the company said no, only fencing that you would need for any other dog.

Th club I go to is $20 a year and $2 a class

I prefer to wash by hand in the hydrobath, especially small dogs as the hydrobath hose jets out quite powerfully! For large double coated breeds (Sibes, Sammies, Goldens etc) I will use the hydrobath hose as it gets through the heavy coat easier.

The first time I saw the pinch collar myszka posted with the 4 rows, I thought it was a double rowed martingale! Very tricky

Zoe does this although I did not teach her - she will chase reflections from watches, torch lights etc. I avoid those things around her now. My boss's dog does it too because one person ONCE used a laser pointer. She will stare at the floor and look for reflections sometimes.

Since we are not dogs some of us may not be as good at using doggy language as others . . .

Australdi It is just that when young children are involved it is best to be cautious and not advise steps which might lead to a bite. And confrontations such as growling at the dog, rough handling etc may lead to a bite.

Of course you 'should' be able to take food from the dog - but forcing the issue here with young children and a pup that has growled over food could easily end in a bite and a bad ending for all .

I was going to suggest Eagle Pack too Also maybe look at Royal Canin - lists the ingredients http://www.royalcanin.us/vetdietcanineprod.html

Rather than taking stuff from the pup with a growl, what about teaching the dog to 'give' items and swap with food. Of course starting with low value items first. That way you are not putting people in a position where they might be bitten by resource guarding behaviour. This works well for the resource guarding dogs in the daycare where I work. Of course TOT and NILIF sound great

I don't think anyone is saying what you are doing is wrong Just that from what you write you seem to be diminishing your dog's prey drive not utilising it. Which is only a problem if you want to use prey drive for motivating your dog. On a side note I do the TOT with Diesel and Kaos, works really well But I tried it with Zoe who is 7 and who I have taught to sit for her food not through TOT (using control). And I couldn't get it to work she just sat as usual out of drive - again too much control work. So there are many means to an end but what you are doing is not using drive to do so. EFS

All of the dogs at the daycare are desexed and a lot of humping still goes on . We pull them off and redirect them, if they are really persistent they might get sin binned. Sometimes it is just overexcitement, sometimes dominance. Sometimes there are orgies :D The only one that really bothers me is a Goldie who has a few other issues (strange body language, food and toy possession). When she humps she really gets into it and then does her anal glands, which is annoying and smelly and messy to say the least! Any ideas on that?

Doing a quick search I found some information on the MSDS of citronella here http://www.essential7.com/essentialoils/citronellamsds.html

K9 Force uses prey drive to develop the control you desire instead of using pack drive. So a high drive dog is useful instead of a liability in this case as you are harnessing the dog's drive instead of trying to control it. When I was training with some people who did security work, most of the dogs used were GSDs and Rotties, I didn't see many Dobes. But the main thing is to do what works for you. Personally I am having some problems getting my dogs to generalise with their prey drive - they get too excited when out and about and aren't interested in playing tug when on walks even if they are fine at home. But I am coming from a perspective of someone who has always used food to train, and I am finding the switch a bit difficult.

Australdi I think you are confusing prey drive training with personal protection training. The two do not necessarily go hand in hand. You can use prey drive in training without this causing pack problems or guarding issues. Yes prey drive is used when teaching protection work, but you can use prey drive for other things. I am encouraging prey drive in my Kelpie for motivation in agility. Believe me he is not a guarding prospect I found with Diesel my GSD that I had suppressed his prey drive too much to use it effectively in training (although I am encouraging it now he does not display it well enough). He is also far from a guarding prospect with or without prey drive training. Prey drive is useful for getting a high energy response and for me this was best demonstrated at the SAR workshop that I attended. The dogs used there were Labs.

Well, to be nice and confusing, yes and no ;) With Diesel I wanted a dog for competition obedience but also a break from Kelpies after Zoe, I wanted something more laid back and social. I got the laid back and social bit anyway His nerves are pretty good, drive I would like more but I don't know how much of that was my mistake when he was a pup. When he gets going he is good but at times his energy level is lacking for the performance I want. He works really well at the training ground, so I guess it is there somewhere. Would I get another GSD - yes I would! But I would do more research first. Even if we don't make it to competition he is a great pet and fanstastic house dog. With Kaos, it is going well so far. Nerves seem good although he can bark at unexpected things, drive is good but he gets distracted in new places, something to work on. He has the makings of a great agility dog! I am more used to the way they work than the GSDs so that is an advantage with me working with them (fast, fast, fast! LOL!). I would get another Kelpie! Although they do take a while to become good house dogs . . .