Better Late

I would love to one day be able to take Bonnie to our local markets, there are quite a few around in Bendigo with the Showgrounds just a leisurely stroll up the road. The oval on the showgrounds would be absolutely ideal for distraction training because there's so much going on nearby! When I get my puppy in a few years, markets will definitely be up there on my socialisation list. Carrying in the beginning because its a fairly dog-populated market but its a perfect opportunity as huski mentioned to proof training, and neutralise them to people cooing and fawning over them :D I would certainly take it as an opportunity to educate any kids that came rushing up to crowd the pup, and I'm not beyond telling parents that their child is behaving inappropriately, or its rude to allow your dog to rush others. I don't care a jot if someone gets offended, I do try to remain as diplomatic as possible but with age its becoming harder and harder :p

I don't have a problem with it at all! Perfect for socialising to a variety of different things, plus how lovely is it to take your dog to the local market, grab some local produce and then enjoy a yummy jam donut while people comment on how well trained your dog is :D Well, at least thats what I hope to do with my girl once we see K9Pro and have a program to work on! I love seeing dogs at the local market. There are always signs up saying no dogs in pavilions at our local, you do get the occasional owner bringing theirs through but people will be people. Think about all the mental stimulation they'd get from all the smells!

Twice, human error both times. The first escape happened not too long after we came home with her. Maybe a month or two. I don't even remember what happened exactly but it had something to do with me being an idiot and leaving the screen door ajar as I was bringing the shopping in. My kingdom for a front yard with a fence and a gate. Anyway the next thing I knew she had vamoosed out of the house, I'm sure the entire suburb heard my expletive laden rant as I raced around trying to find her collar and lead, which my darling partner had moved to a different solar system for some unknown reason. I remember thinking to myself at the time...would it make a bit more sense to actually go after the dog? Oh wait...no use going after her if you cant keep hold of her...no recall to speak of...groan. Located the collar and lead, ran to the front door thinking of all the possible trouble she could have got herself into, was just about to open the screen door to step outside when around the car sprinted a quite panicked idiot dog who had somehow cottoned on to the fact that being at home with me had more value than the big wide stupid culdesac-come-crown-land that we live in/on. I'll never forget the look on her face and I admit I did laugh :laugh: The second time was a few months back, we had gone out for a bushwalk and we were standing by the car sorting things out. I was by the boot trying to stop the camelbak from leaking water and I thought my partner had a hold of the dog who was on the backseat fully kitted up ready to go. All of a sudden there's a commotion and a blue merle blur zips past me, she had seen a wallaby. I asked my partner if his hand was okay as we started to run off after her...he goes 'ummm yes its fine because I wasn't holding on to her' !!!!!!! We searched and searched and called and cried and panicked and called and yelled and nearly went hoarse for close to an hour. Tripped over ourselves through thick bushland, this was about 5.30pm here in Victoria and we were rapidly losing light. We were trudging back to the car and still calling out, resigned to the fact that we'd have to go home, call the ranger, get torches/food/god knows what else and come back to look. She had nicked off in her harness, leash and wet weather jacket...I was so worried she'd be caught on something unable to move Thankfully just as we reached the top of a crest near the car we hear a frantic scrambling and a bark, turn around to see our little escapee sprinting up the hill towards us. I've never dropped to my knees and cried in relief over a dog before! Even my partner blubbered and he reckons he doesn't have feelings lol men. Glad your boy is home safe :)

Her chest. If I'm patting her and stop she will more often than not either thwack whatever she's sitting on with a front paw or thwack me with one :laugh: Likes to tart it up for an inner thigh rub too and has been known to back it on up for bum scratches.

You are assuming that hunters actually care about what they are killing. Any hunter worth their salt does care. Most, if not all of the hunters I know are in it to assist farmers and landowners eradicate established pests from their properties. They are well trained, licensed and extremely responsible, skilled in the way of a quick, humane kill, targeting a specific area on the animal to ensure no suffering is endured. In the case of foxes, wild pigs and wild dogs, even crows, all of these are responsible for stock losses which can cost farmers significantly and puts a dent in their livelihood, not to mention the horrific maiming a lot of stock suffer due to wild dogs killing not to eat sometimes but more for amusement. Foxes and pigs as well as dogs will easily take a newborn or sometimes still being born lamb, kid or cria and maul the birthing female to boot. Ten pigs can destroy an acre of crop in half an hour, deer demolish fences and ringbark young native trees as well as disturbing stock, rabbits dig everything and where you have rabbits you have foxes, and so the cycle continues. I know what I would prefer - a quick and humane dispatching of a predator versus hefty and often torturous stock losses. There will always be degenerate yobbos who do the wrong thing but please try not to tar all of us with the same brush. I know many, many shooters who not only manage pests on properties but also keep a watchful eye out for trespassers, they fix fences/water troughs etc and report any illness or injury of stock to the landowners. Not all of us are bloodthirsty dickheads :)

Same offer stands for you TSD, if you cant get your mates up soon enough let me know and I can find someone for you, just shoot me a PM. They're all licenced and responsible :)

Hahaha, which forum was this? Some blokes wouldn't have a clue. I'm on AusVarmint and they're top notch, I know a lot of skilled and responsible hunters out there if it starts causing damage and you want to get rid of it. Just shoot me a pm if you ever get to that stage :)

Yep, deer poop! I see you're in Vic, where abouts? Could very well be Sambar as they're pretty rife here, but there are a few species. Check your fences and trees, they have no regard for wire and tend to damage trees by rubbing bark off to mark their territory. Venison does make good eating...;)

I have a few goals, some for my dog, some for me and some for us both. My biggest goal is to get her to a point where she is no longer reactive around other dogs, is calm around people and our relationship is a happy and fun one. I would then like to get her started in some low level obedience and also tracking, with the intention of getting her titled as she has an excellent nose. Getting us both into tracking is a baby step really as the next pup I plan on getting (when she is ready) will be from working lines and I intend on doing formal obedience as well as training it up to be a search and rescue dog! Very excited about this. Also considering cadaver dog training aswell. Then for me personally I will be starting the NDTF course next year. Having adopted Bonnie from the RSPCA last year has opened my eyes to so many things and honestly has reignited my passion for being alive, prior to getting her I was going through a very tough time mentally and I feel more full of life now than I ever have! Being able to help people with their dogs one day has become my ultimate goal as I know how hard it can be and want to give people the results they often times need desperately. I also want to educate the community, especially kids, on responsible pet ownership and how to interact with dogs safely. So yeah...a few big goals there, lol! But you can never stop learning and have to believe in yourself :)

Because people on the internet are calm, mature, well adjusted adults... ;) Well done to the Oops Owners for doing everything they're doing for these pups.

We're driving with our boofhead up to NSW in just over a month and I'm wondering what tick prevention will be best to use, better to be safe than sorry. We'll be staying in the Blue Mountains and will be going on daily morning walks/training sessions/play sessions, she loves water so will most likely be splashing about in the nearby river and lake. We'll be there for a week, and we'll be giving her thorough check overs every day. So, best product to use?

Thinking of you today, T. Hope today is filled with wonderful memories of your special girl xx

I'm not secretly watching Blaze grow up with a very vested interest, I don't know what you're talking about :laugh: Be very careful, because, just like Rottweilers, you cannot stop at one. Two is a balanced diet...one for each hand

I'm not secretly watching Blaze grow up with a very vested interest, I don't know what you're talking about :laugh:

Bec, you are becoming more of an enabler every time you post a photo of Blaze. My next pup will be from working lines in a few years so I can do obedience and LandSAR, and you are putting ideas in my head :laugh:

I have a spare cheapo collar and a shortened lunge line that I had left over from my horsey days that I keep in the car for these situations. The amount of roaming dogs in this city (Bendigo, Vic) is unbelievable with upwards of at least four a day. Thankfully people who find these dogs seem to be fairly responsible and always post on the appropriate pages - they've either taken the animal to the vet to be scanned, or they will in the morning as no clinics are open. Sometimes they've called the ranger as they cant get near the animal. I would do the same. But if I found out someone had taken my girl in after finding her and not taken her to a clinic to find out who owned her, I would be absolutely f***ing ropeable. This dog is my life, she has dragged me out of a very dark place and is practically my reason for living. She has taught me so much and has ignited my passion for dog behaviour & training. But further to that she is fed a specific raw diet tailored to her because she is prone to being overly yeasty, dull coated and lethargic on commercial dog foods. I do not want her stuck in someones crappy yard on some crappy kibble, she is doing wonderfully right now. She is also dog and human reactive so good luck getting close to her in the first place, and she has a missing tooth and a snapped canine tooth from possibly being kicked in the head to stop her "bad behaviour" towards other dogs, so she needs careful management to almost a militant degree. She is improving in leaps and bounds but would 110% go downhill very quickly if left in the 'care' of someone who had no idea what they were doing.

Not on your life We're travelling up to NSW in late August to see K9Pro, and were recommended a place to stay (thanks Huski), but they farm alpacas. I backed out of that idea pretty quickly :laugh: talk about a recipe for disaster. So we're staying somewhere nice and secluded where she cant lose her mind at anything that moves and we can be relatively stress free during our holiday. Post K9Pro I hope to be able to say she could be trusted because we've put in the hard yards.

Kepala sounds great, hopefully that works out. Alternatively, there could be a DOL member near you who could look after Annie for your peace of mind? Just a thought.

Main meal in the mornings and then training treats over the rest of the day. They're incorporated into her meal size (400g), I find we both really enjoy spontaneous training sessions throughout the day.

Poor hard done by Bonnie is not allowed to lick the oven door hinge because it smells of delicious chicken fat. Anyone would think she's about to get on the phone to the RSPCA from the looks she's giving me.

- Nose smudge resistant windows - Inbuilt crate with waterbowl and food dispenser - Built in storage compartments

Quite different! I'd have to pinch myself if I saw one at a park :laugh: Nekhbet is on my Facebook so I'm sure she'll see it, I don't have huski on there but I'm sure she'll see it here

I think she might have been from a litter that was born last year in NSW. Have shared the link on my facebook...I didn't even know this breed existed, much less existed in Australia. Could they be littermates? From what I can tell there's only one breeder here

I know this feeling so well. I need to go out. I need to come back in. Where's the dog? Oh so you DO need to go out. Are you going to do anything? By the back door again...REALLY. GO OUT AND STAY OUT THEN. My dastardly doggy reckons that by disappearing out of my line of sight, turning around and coming back, she has adequately fooled me into thinking she's gone to the toilet. Not unless you were walking and weeing at the same time :laugh:

Bi-annual bump just to sing the praises of calendula (or 'Calisten...calyp...calliloo...whats that bloody tea called again?!' according to Mr BL :laugh:) My girl was quite itchy with dorito feet and ears as well as bald patches under her armpits and around her groin that were starting to spread. After staying up until silly o'clock reading everything I could on here because I was 99% sure it was yeast related, I made the switch to a raw diet (with anti-fungal goodies like yoghurt and garlic) and bought some Calendula tea a few days ago from World Partea. The tea arrived this morning and after a big play session turned into a cuddle session, I brewed up a small cup of tea and dabbed it on her most yeasty parts, the armpits and groin. I'd already started to see improvements and less itching because of her diet change, but you should have seen her when I was dabbing! Rolled over on her side, holding her leg up for me and staring at me with those beautiful brown eyes, the little tart! She dozed off and started drooling on the doona after a little while, I'd say the tea was a huge soothing hit straight away!!! Gave her a big soaking tonight with a rinse, normally she hates getting bathed but I didnt even need a collar to hold her. Realised I accidentally spilt some leaves on the kitchen floor when I found her scarfing them up with gusto :laugh: She already smells better and her coat feels and looks incredible. Vote one above the line for calendula!!