Leah82

That is awesome :laugh: goes to show what can be done when the trained animal has a bit more dexterity. I tried to train my rabbit when I first got him, (little things like recall) but he wasn't very food orientated so I gave up :p

It is good having fluffy dogs, no-one can tell if they are a bit over or under weight :) Collie has been over weight from time to time, he got the full clip back in April and looked like a sausage on legs at 16.1kgs :p. (Vet didn't say a thing when we went to get his eyes checked) Since then he's slowly lost weight and now he's looking pretty good at 12.6kgs but despite being in the upper range in height for a Cocker he's under the weight mentioned in the breed standards. I'm not sure if that would be cause for concern, I can feel his ribs easily but you can't see them and he was recently clipped short on his back and sides so no fur to hide them.

Yep Sarah is my cocker x poodle also known as my little fluffy. I think the spaniel clip that I gave her made her look a bit more spaniely as well :) Both dogs have been curled up together for most of the day today while it's been rainy and cold outside. They are too damn cute, Collie has been using Sarah as a pillow for most of it but she doesn't seem to mind

We did eventually put the dogs in the car after the sun went down. It was a small house and the owners wanted the dogs outside so we didn't have many options. I did my best to monitor the situation but most people were aware of Sarah's past so it was a bit annoying that no-one else thought to intervene when I was otherwise occupied.

Another frustrating situation. We took the dogs to a family gathering last night, is was the lesser of two evils as the housemate was moving out yesterday and we didn't want to stress the dogs with all the comings and goings. I was a little bit worried about Sarah having to be around so many people in a small courtyard but seemed to be handling it ok until the 2 year old showed up. Despite telling him to leave Sarah alone because she was shy and that he could play with collie he still found the time to harass Sarah and in the process tell everyone that she was shy?! The most frustrating part was watching Sarah and the 2 year old doing circles around the table as he was trying to catch her when I was inside and no-one including my OH thought to stop it. As soon as I get outside and say something the response is 'oh she's fine'. Grrr So now I'm making it up to her with snuggles in bed even though the dogs aren't allowed in the bedroom :)

Thank You all the Vet Nurses out there, you do an amazing job caring for our furbabies. In other news it's National Coming Out Day :p

Ours get quite a doggy smell a few days after a bath, the room they sleep in is usually pretty doggy in the morning as well. Both dogs get oily hair around their ears, no infection issues just kind of like we do if we don't wash our hair enough. And Sarah's fur gets oily on her chest as well. Haven't figured out a way to prevent it as yet but I have just ordered a Zonk bed which is supposed to stop them from having smelly beds so we'll see how that goes.

Rules change from state to state. The assumption is usually that the landlord can evict you for having a pet they didn't know about, but the law isn't so clear. In VIC, the tenant union states that unless damage is being caused to the property by the pet they will not necessarily be able to evict you. http://www.tuv.org.au/articles/files/resources/Pets_FS_R_062009.pdf I had a quick look for a similar article for SA but couldn't find anything. In fact couldn't find any documentation on laws regarding pets in rentals in SA so I imagine it's similar to VIC. Obviously the right thing to do would be contact the real estate agents first, but depending on how much you really want another dog you may want to consider the likely hood of the landlord saying yes before you ask. If they say no then they'll be on the lookout for another dog at your property just in case you decided to ignore their wishes. If you don't ask and just get the dog then they won't suspect that anything has changed. Things to consider when trying to guess what they'll say: - What condition is the property in? - How quickly does the landlord respond to other requests? - How easy was it to get your current dog(s) approved (I'm guessing when you moved in)? - How many dogs do you currently have? - And are you planning to get an adult dog or puppy? The fact that you already have pets is a good sign though, many landlords will flat out refuse because Landlords insurance does not cover pet damage which is why it's so damn hard to find rentals that allow pets. I have heard that this might be changing though.

I shouldn't be reading this post while having breakfast

I did see that :) had a little giggle

It's funny coz it's true http://seriouslyforreal.com/funny/my-dog-the-paradox/

OMG, how about "put a leash on your dog so it doesn't cause a car crash" That would be worth reporting as a road safety issue

Smart, yet not so smart :)

His heart seems to be in the right place but the dogs will probably be better off being re-homed so they can receive more one on one attention. He just seems to be hoarding them. http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/dalmation-man-nelson-vergara-and-his-42-dalmations-live-in-chile/story-fngwib2y-1226736466745 AFTER watching the 1996 Disney movie 101 Dalmatians, Nelson Vergara began fantasising about rescuing and taking care of as many dogs as possible. In Chile, he's known to many people as the "Dalmatian Man' due to the 42 Dalmatians living in the backyard of his modest home on the outskirts of the Chilean capital. "It all started because of that film,'' said Vergara, 55. "That was computer-generated. But I wanted to do the real thing.'' That has him trouble with the authorities. His neighbors constantly complain about the foul smell coming from his yard, and municipal officials have threatened to evict him by the end of the month. Mr Vergara says he only wants to set an example and raise consciousness so other Chileans can help in saving the growing number of stray dogs. Free-roaming dogs number in the millions in Chile, a situation the country's Humane Society has called alarming. Dog owners rarely spay or neuter their pets, and commonly leave them outside when they go to work. Many dogs roam the streets all day. Chile Dalmatian Man Nestor Vergara, 55, pets one of his 42 Dalmatians in the backyard of his modest home, in Padre Hurtado, a town on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. Some of the animals he has rescued from the street suffer from malnutrition, and the unemployed Mr Vergara mostly feeds them through donations. "I wanted to help - not just the Dalmatians but all dogs, because in Chile we need a solution to the canine problem,'' Mr Vergara said. "Every day you see news of abandoned dogs roaming, but no one does anything about it. If we had a shelter, we wouldn't have these kinds of problems.'' Mr Vergara's love for Dalmatians goes beyond his home. He drives a white van painted in black spots.

Speaking of dogs and their sense of smell, our completely night blind cocker found the toilet bowl after discovering the water bowl was empty last night. I got up to get a drink and heard a dog drinking from the kitchen, walked past the laundry where the water bowl resides, nope not coming from there. Turned the toilet light on and I found a Cocker head first in the bowl :p

While your friend might prefer to have a puppy for training purposes there are plenty of advantages to getting an older dog. They are often already house trained No need to worry about shoes and other items getting chewed No need to worry about puppies biting hands and small children and teaching them general manners If you want them to spend time outside you can do that straight away as your dog is no longer a vulnerable puppy As far as training goes there is still plenty you can do with an older dog if my 7 year old poodle x is anything to go by. Since getting her in May she's now fluent in Sit, drop, heel, come, bed, no and stand for examination many people also worry about the dogs love and loyalty if they have had a previous owner but if you show them the love and attention they need it will seem like you've had them from puppyhood in no time.

We had a mutt growing up (beagle, border collie, dachshund) now with my partner I have a Cocker Spaniel and another mutt (oodle). I'm all for change and want more breeds than I can possibly have. My OH on the other hand grew up with Cockers and I didn't think I'd be able to convert him to anything else but lately he's been talking about getting something a bit rarer next, maybe an aussie, here's hoping they continue to remain fairly uncommon coz I'd love to have one :) Others on my wish list. Basenji, Lapphund, JS, Bernese, Italian Greyhound, Tibetan spaniel, Malinois and I've recently discovered the Picardy Spaniel - so pretty

Hmmm I think I might stick to clipping, he still looks very handsome with a show type clip though :) I put some recent pics up in the photos sections, after my attempt at clipping both our doggies http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/252324-collie-and-sarah/

fbaudrey, how long did it take to get your cocker's coat in good condition. Ours was clipped by an incompetent groomer when he was little and has been clipped ever since as he gets very wooly. Would be nice to try and fix his coat. Also are there any products (e.g conditioners) that can help?

Millions of years of evolution and these dogs still think they need to bully others, not to mention the owners also thinking that's OK behaviour. Sounds like the whole family needs a few more years of evolution to catch up to the rest of us :p

gotta love having smaller dogs :D no counter surfing for me. Must make your trip home from work each day interesting guessing what Rosie has gotten into. Ours are outside all day because I don't want them on the couch, and they are fine apart from the yelping and carrying on when we get home. They have a kennel to curl up in when it's cold and we'll be getting a clam pool for when it's warmer, plus we have some pretty big shady trees which help. When I left for work this morning all 3 were curled up asleep in the kennel :D I would try them outside, you're the human after all and shouldn't have to completely rearrange your kitchen to stop her. Remove her from the temptation rather than removing the temptation from her.

is your cousin concerned about the dog's behaviour or did she just post the video coz she thought it was amusing?

here's the facebook page, specifically setup to help these guys it seems. Wish I could help https://www.facebook.com/rescueacocker

I don't mind, Collie loves people and laps up all the attention he can get, although if he has his ball he won't be interested. Sarah has come a long way since I got her and I'm usually pretty proud when she jumps up on someone for pats :p I also like being able to tell people about Sarah's puppy farm past in hopes it will educate some, especially if they have a designer dog of their own. I refrain from saying that their dog is most likely the product of a puppy farm but give them enough info that they will hopefully draw that conclusion.

I've used Lonely Pets Club before for my rabbit, they were pretty good.