Lasareina

I had Hunter on Taste of the Wild - the Bison one. He did very well on it however Juno did not seem to like it and wasn't really growing very much. I was told that TOTW was an "all life stages" food but there seems to be some discussion about whether this is a legitimate claim. So I kept Hunter on TOTW and put Juno onto Earthborn Holistic - Puppy Vantage. She did much better on this one... the biscuits are much smaller which was good as she is very petite for a staffy haha and she did seem to put on a bit more weight on it. I have now changed over to a BARF type diet and they are doing even better on this. Juno was always picky with the kibble and would often leave half which was worrying. She gobbles down the raw stuff and is starting to fill out a bit more. When i was feeding the kibble i was buying from pawsforlife.com.au which I found to be the cheapest when I was shopping around.

haha ok you asked for it :p ... now just have to work out how to add photos haha Hunter when he was still little. Poor puppies have such a hard life. Puppies at soccer training - They really really want to join in with all the running children. This one gives you an idea of the size difference... only 3 weeks difference in age but Hunter weighs 22kg and Juno is only 12kg. Juno after she got stuck in the rain... poor little thing got the shivers so had to be wrapped up in my jacket. This shows how big and boofy Hunter's head is now... for some reason he seems to migrate from the foot of the bed up next to my pillow once his daddy has left for work! I will have to try and get some "action" shots when they are out playing at the park. EDITED: to fix the photo links - sorry sooo big... don't know how to control the size :-/

had a great time looking through all the photos... I am such a bad photographer! Especially with Juno... all i ever get is a black blur. Maybe I should join in and get some practice? There's no other staffies i've noticed. My high-end equipment is my iPhone though haha.

Gorgeous - and great photos too!

Good luck- I'd love to see your website when it's finished... sounds like it will be way cooler than mine haha ;) I can't wait till it starts staying light later... at the moment i'm getting home in the dark (and so not a morning person haha) not much fun walking in the dark.

I was looking at going to Logan All Breeds but found a few comments which seemed a bit un-favourable whereas i came across a few which were waxing lyrical about Bonnies lol so thought I would give it a go... we are actually closer to logan all Breeds so maybe after the 6 week course we can change over if we need to. I would be glad to hear you impression of it Elise. I'm pretty sure it is all the same people as the one at the Gap Lisey if that is the one you attended? I think i would try a private trainer if I had a specific issue i needed addressed like barking etc but i am happy going to classes and socialising at the same time for basic obedience/manners... my budget isn't the sturdiest of things either so that impacts haha. Where abouts in Brisbane are you Elise?

my insurance works out something like $25 a month for $10,000,000 public liability so not a huge expense :)

Hi Elise, I do pet sitting as a side business as well as my day job... it is pretty easy to create you own website. I get my publice liability insurance through Premier Pets (underwritten by QBE insurance) who have a policy specifically designed for pet industry. I would find it a lot easier to grow my pet sitting business if i had a night time job lol... a lot of people want someone who can go visit during the day when they work long hours etc and don't want the dogs home alone for so long. You can check out my website in the small link in my signature if you want to see what you can create quite easily yourself for free... I do pay for hosting so it has a proper url rather than the free webs address that you can get, which i didn't feel was very professional :) (hope this is ok to post... not trying to sell anything I promise :) )

wow Lisa that sounds like a great class...I will definitely talk to my instructors if Hunter doesn't get used to the halti during the week. He is a bit of a sook so it could be that after a few attempts he will accept it fine. I agree that in hindsight, sticking a halti on him and then expecting him to go straight into the class probably isn't the best strategy lol

well the reason I am going to obedience classes is because he doesn't "work"... not as well as I want him to anyway. One of my main issues is pulling while walking :) As I mention in the topic heading , this was my first obedience class so I am about as far away from an expert in dog training as you can find haha. Hunter has basic manners and a beautiful nature but he doesn't walk well on the lead and our recall in particular is what I would describe as "half-assed". As he is already 22kg, it is getting to the point where I want to have a bit more control of my dog so HE doesn't take ME for a walk. If these people with so much more experience and knowledge recommend a halti or a check chain then I am open to the suggestion... They were very focussed on the correct usage of these tools so I am not concerned that they are encouraging harsh treatment etc. My only issue is that Hunter doesn't accept the halti yet so if this can't be resolved then I will need to look to alternatives.

hi Lisey, yeah i agree that i probably should have go them used to being separated before now ... they did pretty well I think but he is definitely calmer and more confident when they are together.

No it was pretty much as you signed in the sold you a halti... I didn't have an issue with this until Hunter hated it so much! I will try some short sessions during the week to see if he becomes accustomed to it otherwise I might have to see about using the check chain if flat collar not allowed. It is a 6 week obedience class - basic level. I think they assume that if you are doing this level course then your dog hasn't had any other training - maybe that is why they don't evaluate them? To be fair, he was a tad overexcited when he got there,and was ahem quite eager to meet the other dogs ... definitely not displaying his best manners :)

No they put him on the halti straight up - i think they like everyone to use either the halti or a check chain... I'm starting to think a check collar might have been the better option for him though! I think it is probably because we usually walk him etc in a harness which is apparently no good for doing corrections etc. Also the collar we have on him at the moment is a leather studded one... super cute but probably not good for training lol

I took my boy Hunter to his first obedience class last night. My girl Juno is in season at the moment so she had to stay at home. Hunter was already a little anxious when we got there, as this was the first time the pups have been separated since we have had them. The dramas started when we introduced a halti for him to wear. Hunter was Not Impressed. He spent the first 10 minutes before class doing some very athletic contortions to try and get the thing off, and then climbed in my lap and hid his head under my arm for the next 10 minutes. After some initial difficulties ( first quarter of the class haha) getting him to walk at all on the halti he settled down and was going quite well by the end of the clas.. His "stays" surprised me with how good he was, but I think he may have been too miserable with the halti on to misbehave . Overall I was impressed with the class and relieved that the instructors weren't forceful or pushy... they allowed us space to try and work out our issues with the halti before rejoining the class and the general atmosphere was great. I can't wait to see how Juno goes when she is allowed to join in... Hunter is the easy, eager to please dog while Juno is a lot more independent so could be interesting. Is anyone else an absolute beginner at obedience like me? I read all these posts about all these wonderfully accomplished dogs and owners which seem light years away from my level haha.

...and then I saw cavNrott's post! My policy has always been for 80% of bill with $100 excess so that bit is not a surprise. I think a lot of the companies I looked at won't even cover a pet for anything other than accidents once they reach about 9 years old so I understand your point about being unable to change! I hope it works out for you... I have just lodged my first claim so I guess I will see how that goes.

Ok I guess I will stop worrying until I have an issue haha ... at least 10 people didn't jump in and tell me I'm doomed :p

Well the way I read it doesn't exclude it... I think the vet might have freaked me out for nothing lol. I will admit that I am a novice in the insurance world. I guess I just always expect insurance companies to use any wriggle room they can. I guess if a condition is inherited it is there from birth and therefore could technically be called pre-existing...

I think you have hit the nail on the head when you say "regardless of breed" ... I just hope that because the dog that did this happens to be a staffie, that the whole breed does not become vilified and targeted. Believe me I am aware of what any dog can do ... my dogs are very socialised, always restrained in their secure yard, never left alone with small children etc. The point I was trying to make (perhaps badly) is that my dogs are very different to the stereotypical idea of a snarling pitbull straining at the end of a chain. I am a firm believer in the idea that it is the upbringing of the dog that shapes the end result. The breed characteristics do play a part, but not the largest part, in my own opinion. I am not against dangerous dogs laws at all... but I hate to see whole breeds tarred with the same brush. edit: sorry not really sure how to use the quotes properly yet... I'll work it out :-)

I am just about to send in my first claim to Bow Wow Meow ... I have had both the puppies covered since about 3 months old in the hope that this would rule out any possibility of "an existing condition" but my vet mentioned the other day that some insurers will not cover hereditary problems such as hip dysplasia as this is regarding as pre-existing. Does anyone have any experience regarding this? My boy went in because he wasn't putting any weight on one leg. When he got to the vet he got so excited (they must have some very tasty treats there... never saw a dog who like going to the vet so much!) that he forgot all about the sore leg and walked normally from that point on! All morning he had been telling me that he was dying... I had to carry his 22kg butt up the stairs because he couldn't manage... but once he go tot the vet he was fine! In the course of trying to work out what had caused the lameness we did a hip xray which shows that he has some degree of hip dysplasia. As he is only 9 month old apparently they can't determine the severity just yet but the vet didn't think it was too bad. I'm just hoping if there are issues down the track that the insurance will cover it.

Thanks for the info Espinay2 ... I'll have a look at those links :)

I have heard different opinions on the necessity for the yearly booster immunization shots? Some say once they have received the full course of puppy immunizations then the yearly booster is unnecessary and possibly dangerous in the long term. Does anyone know much about it? I would be inclined to go better safe than sorry and get the yearly booster shots, but I have heard some plausible sounding objections to this practice.

:-( stories like this aren't going to help those campaigning against BSL laws. I have 2 staffies and can't imagine them ever hurting someone! I hope by "tough new dog laws" they introduce laws a little more sophisticated then banning a whole breed of dogs regardless of temperment or upbringing. I hope the lady recovers ok, would definitely have been a frightening experience!

wow that is one breed of dog you would want to set the "no jumping up" ground rules preeettty early! :)