LuccatheLagotto

That'll be great, thanks Willem. I never thought to look into stock routes. I was thinking the State Parks around the Central Coast area, but haven't figured out exact route. Think I'll just bring his vet bed and tie him to a tree or something. I like to know he hasn't wandered off in the night chasing wildlife.

I’m keen to take do a 4-6 day trek/camp with my dog. Can anyone recommend some good tracks or websites with such information. I’m in Sydney and am happy to drive a few hours to the start of the track. Has anyone done this before – would be grateful for some tips re trekking/camping with dogs. We’ve taken him camping before and he was fine to sleep in his crate in the car. But since we will be trekking to a new camp spot each night, he won’t have his crate.

I think our relationship with our dog is such a personal one. So, the way that we raise our dogs will vary and we can’t expect everyone else to be the same as ourselves. The only thing that we can do is control the environment that we put our dogs in and to train our own dog to respond appropriately to other dogs (whether that be one that is rude, polite, timid, aggressive etc). Like StressMagnet, I’ve seen Lucca’s manners go from rude (running and jumping up) to polite (approaching in an arc and sniffing) and I put it down to being corrected by other dogs in off leash parks. So thank you to all those dogs that growled at and nipped him. I am now confident that Lucca is able to handle most encounters with other unknown dogs. Also, I take great joy in seeing Lucca enjoying himself running around, swimming, digging in the sand and interacting with other dogs. Obviously, I’m not the only one that feels this way because there are always other people with their dogs in off leash parks. There are always going to be irresponsible owners out there but I think we have to be careful not to be so quick to judge other people and their “rude” dogs. This is because that person may have the best of intentions but are too embarrassed/afraid to take their “rude” dog anywhere and hence that dog will never learn how to be polite. I know that Lucca wasn’t always the polite dog that he is now. How are dogs supposed to learn manners or dog body language if it never gets the chance to experiment and to receive feedback from other dogs? It’s the dogs that you don’t see in public because their owners don’t take them out that are the problem.

Thanks for your suggestion – I will give it a go. I can totally empathise! We look Lucca camping and even with a whole new environment to explore, he was still more interested in eating a dirty tissue he had somehow found in the bushes!

I agree with this completely. Now that your puppy knows what “sit” means, I would be applying that to daily activities, sit before going through the door, sit before dinner, sit before you throw a ball, sit to put on a leash, sit for a pat etc. IMO, this sort of “training” is much more useful than having a dog that knows how to sit 10 times in a row but isn’t able to apply that knowledge to everyday situations. It also means that you’re able to train throughout the day without tiring the puppy out.

My puppy loves eating paper and tissues! This is causing a bit of a problem when we go on walks as he will want to eat every bit of paper/tissue that is left on the ground. If I see some paper, I will divert his attention or cross the road etc so that he doesn’t see it but this isn’t always possible or I am not quick enough. Other than that, he walks fine on a leash - with some encouragement and a pocketful full of treats. Does anyone’s dog do this and how can I train him not to do it? If only I had a $1 for every bit of paper that he finds. Maybe I can teach him to find bank notes instead…

You could also try leaving the radio on on a talkback/news show so she gets the comfort of people talking. I give Lucca treats before I leave for work in the morning. He is then so busy with the treat that he doesn’t even come to the door to watch me leave *sniff. Its like he’s saying “Thanks for the treat mum, cya!”

You’re not the only one! I refuse to buy Lucca squeaky toys because I find the sound so annoying (and I’m sure my neighbours would too). Plenty of non-squeak toys out there so I don’t think your puppy would be deprived without one. Can’t miss what you don’t know.

Thanks everyone for your responses. Good point Staffyluv about hip dysplasia – I hadn’t thought about that but Lagottos are prone to it. Since going to the dog park that first time when it happened, he hasn’t been mounted again. Maybe he has become more confident and it is coming across in his body language? But if it does happen, I will be pushing those dogs off!

So true about not being able to find a rescue that suits my needs. As a first time dog owner, I just wasn’t confident that I had the skills or experience to deal with any preexisting issues that the dog may come with, especially if I didn’t know their history. I don’t regret my decision to buy a pure bred dog from a registered breeder, whom I can go back to for help or advice, but I am always self-conscious when people ask me what breed Lucca is – trying to say Lagotto Romagnolo without sounding snobby is really hard! Then explaining that they’re an old Italian breed used for truffle hunting makes it worse! Luckily, Lucca is overdue for a haircut and is looking a bit scruffy at the moment :D

I took Lucca, 5 month old puppy, to the dog park yesterday and there were about 7 or 8 other dogs there. All the dogs were polite and Lucca did really well greeting and playing with the other dogs. Though, two dogs mounted Lucca but he wriggled away and was then play wrestling with them. Is this normal? Did I mention that Lucca is male?!

Definitely lesson learnt for next time! Will take things slower and great tip about just taking him to the groomer without getting anything done. I'm actually a bit relieved (is that the right word?) to hear that it was an accumulation of factors that led to the out of character behaviour. Yes, I've also heard that Lagottos can show those traits if not properly managed. So far, exposing him to new environments/people is working well as he handles new situations well and is friendly (hence the shock today). I groom him on a table but without the food distractions, he just doesn't stand still. I am open to suggestions as to a better way as I've got more than a decade to go with Lucca.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, that is what I am thinking/hoping as well. In hindsight, I probably should have given the grooming a miss. I am going away for Christmas and so wanted to make sure that he was vaccinated and smelling nice for my mum, who has kindly offered to look after him :D . Hope he doesn't have a negative association with grooming now.

I took Lucca to the vet this morning for his 16 week vaccination. During the examination, the vet noticed that Lucca had an ear infection and has given him some ear drops. When the vet was examining his teeth (just lifting up his lips), he started growling. I then took him to get groomed and the groomer reported that Lucca growled at her quite aggressively when she was brushing around his head/shoulder region. He was fine when getting his nails clipped and back/hid legs brushed. By way of background, since I brought him home at 9 weeks, I have been made sure to touch him all over, paws, in between toes, check ears, open his mouth etc. I have also bathed him and brushed him at home and he had been fine. I usually give him a pig's ear to chew on while grooming so that he has a positive association grooming. He has also been to puppy preschool and I've taken him to meet people/dogs at cafes/tennis courts/shopping center etc and he's always wanting to go up to them to say hello; so I wouldn't say that he is fearful. So today's experience has really come as a surprise and has me worried. I am at a bit of a loss about what to do and would be grateful for some advice.

So does Lucca! Though the side effect is that he now loves eating paper. The council should be paying him for removing paper from the streets…