Nekhbet

If the dog is not focusing properly on a job then she will never be 'worn out'. She's not thinking she's just acting like a very fit lunatic. Get yourself a nice high level E collar like the Dogtra ones with a remote, then have her on a leash and flat collar below it. This dog has to be 'forced' for lack of a better word to stick to a job. Give her a task, when she tries to go out of that task she needs a slight correction in order to bring her back into thinking mode, think like steering a car. Either way too far you turn the steering wheel to keep it straight, she needs the same thing. I've seen dogs similar, not as bad, but you literally have to step by step make them sit down and do the work properly. As for the bark collar, which static one did you buy? Mine have never beeped before stimulation. A trainer to look into is Bart Bellon, if you can see a few youtube clips how he uses an ecollar on his dogs. It's at a 'steering' stim level like I said before, to put the dog on the right track. This dog has drive through the roof but a lot of self control. Not expecting you to do this with your dog but he's on an ecollar and the whip is there to help guide the dog into the correct place.

Rubbish. Dogs like this make up the bulk of my business and that is not true (or I would be out of a job lol) It's a matter of teaching the dog to come to the handler when stressed instead of lashing out which takes time, yes, impossible - no. Well unless the dog truly has a severe mental issue then we think about if a one way trip to the vet is the best option as the dog is unsocial. http://www.shoof.com.au/auscatalogue/page_93.pdf The BEST muzzles ever are these Shoof Comfort Muzzles, cheap as dirt and the dog can still pant, drink, eat etc. Very light and dont rub the eyes, all my clients have sung the muzzles praises as the easiest to use. The best way to start is I cram cheese/kabana etc into the end of the muzzle and feed the dog out of it. When the dog puts its head in there willingly we quickly do up the strap, then off, then click, then off, heavily praising the dog and making a fuss. The dogs think they're the best thing since sliced bread within a couple of days.

Personally whoever came up with readily accessible medication for animal use like this needs to have a rethink of it. And frankly veterinarians are no more qualified at treating animal behavior problems with your GP is at treating most mental illnesses. We have specialists for a reason, people who dedicate their time and study to that field so send clients to try basics FIRST.

I'm not. It's becoming a fashion and I'm seeing it more and more, animals on a variety of medication with NO behavioral intervention at all. Veterinarians and underqualified idiots who call themselves trainers are doing it a lot, then when the animal gets pulled off the medication and goes ballistic it's marked for death because it's just a bad dog. Because we're all too scared to apply a punisher too, it's just nicer to PTS or medicate into a coma. Get away from the meds, go find yourself a trainer with a brain. NO trainer is qualified to tell you your dog needs these prescription medications without intervention and consultation with an experienced veterinarian. From the sounds of it your trainer has no idea how to train a bloody dog at all and is handing out dangerous advice. I had a client this week that after having her dog pushed into a corner, forcebly muzzled and SAT ON to have its nails cut at the vet was declared incapable of nail clipping without a LOT of valium. Funny, a few treats, some fun time and a lot of really awesome pats/cuddles the dog never even knew I snipped a couple of nails at all. When a person heads straight for the medication, run.

weigh up the price difference between 2 x Dogtra dual collar remote e-collar systems and making your poultry run 6 foot tall with inward sloping tops. I would electrify the outside with a couple of strands to prevent the dogs bashing at the fence too. Have a look at K9 Pro's website there's a few specials on there, I would go straight for the one remote with 2 collars package. Leave dummy collars on the dogs when you take the ecollars off so we don't have the problem of learning collar on = good, collar off = shenanigans

I agree you have a pack of dogs that have learned to hunt together. 4 strong e-collars and remotes, some almighty stims over a period to prevent collar smarts. Conversely keep your poultry locked up, or the dogs.

OMG what a horrible thing to happen I'm so sorry AFAIK the best you can do is report the incident to the local council ranger to investigate their practices as I beleive there is legislation in regards to places dealing with animals, then plaster it all over the local paper and news. Any compensation would have to be through civil litigation I believe I'm so sorry

I have 4 bitches and a dog here. 2 Bitches are entire, 2 are not. You don't have to have issues IF you are careful. I control all resources, I don't allow rough play time in a group, feedings are supervised and I separate them into smaller groups when I am not home so I dont have a pack of dogs running riot when I'm not home. No problems here at all everyone gets on famously, but I don't risk it. I have a couple of mentors for breeding, one has been doing it for years. I too was thinking of semen and he said forget it, he always preferred to get the dog in instead. You have ongoing access to semen, the chance to recoup your costs (which you wont if the semen doesnt take) and the ability to use that dog over a number of bitches in the long term. Damn he twisted my arm to import just have the dogs breeding viability tested by someone you trust before import.

show stopper isn't a balanced meal, it's a nutritional supplement to complement a diet, not make it. Try the VAN mix if she doesnt eat it then at least add the VAN Health Booster powder which will balance out the protein. I gives bones but I dont rely on them totally to give enough calcium to my animals.

The problem is we're talking to the average joe (no disrespect towards the OP) so taking one more thing to potentially go wrong out of the equation makes it easier. Who says the dog likes food anyway? My point is that you can build relationship without gadgets that take more learning on top - and why are you using a clicker as an interrupter? I didn't pull my theories from the sky, and they work extremely successfully no matter how crazy a dog is. If I tried to add a clicker to my clients hands it's one more thing on top to go wrong or frustrate them. They have a voice the dog understands, and they have their hands. Treats and toys are the sweetener while they build that bond of understanding. I understand a kelpie wants to work, I think we miss the dog wants to work FOR YOU. You want to be part of the drive, not skirt around it.

And what happens if the owner is stuck without the clicker and treats. You're using a tool when you should be concentrating on creating a bond between the owner and the dog. Yes be at a distance, but the dog should want to look at the owner, and if you're constantly interacting when it does you dont need to have a pocket full of stuff with you. Treats are good for jackpots, to sweeten the deal but why should you constantly click, treat. If the dog looks at the target, say nothing, if he makes motion to look at you talk to him, stroke his head gently, interact. The dog will be throwing itself at you for attention, and if the treat for some reason is not there all the time it doesnt matter. See I don't have this problem. When the dog learns it's a marker they're happy to get what they get or wait to be released because I insist on more time spent on bonding between handler and dog instead of loading equipment. A marker work can easily be taught quickly, relationship building takes longer so we focus on that. You can have all the treats and clicker you want but if the dog doesnt learn to willingly look to you for guidance it's just another trick.

Wouldn't you mark the dog looking at you and ignoring the target? Chuck the clicker you have your voice, a simple YES when he looks up at you and reward would do the trick and constantly reinforce looking at the owner. It's why I dont put a command on focus - it becomes a trick that can be ignored, then what can you do about it ... not much. If you expect your dog to look at you constantly as a way of life and keep reinforcing it, the process is easier, especially for more novice owners.

It depends is he itchy all over or just localised? Is there redness or nothing at all? Antihistamines are a good start, if you notice he's red just on the underside then it's in all probability a contact allergy. I know a couple of people who have had success with basic, non scented barrier creams on their dogs underside to prevent contact allergy.

adding more fluid to an already gooey area is not a good idea, you need something to dry it out before the infection gets deeper or in your case is spreading. Iodine based dab ons are a good start but the fact it is spreading is not a good sign.

OMG why did I look at this post ... no ... self control ...

Considering how polar opposite working lines are to pure pet lines why would you mix the two? Doesn't create a happy medium on average.

I would personally avoid 'working lines' mixed with pure pet lines. A working x Macklin, why would you do that? Decide what you want temperament wise as well and personally, I would go visit the parents and see their temperaments. There is not enough emphasis on temperament in this country compared to what you would have seen in the UK, and you might be used to something quite different. Weak temps and crossing show line dogs working dogs is becoming more common and for some people it's doing them no favours at all.

Vets All Natural products, take the guesswork out of raw and it's all balanced. We're so frightened of raw feeding but you really have to go to extremes to get it that wrong you cause major problems Remember commercial dog foods are only available to a minority of the worlds dog population and have only been around for a few decades. Dogs have managed to live perfectly well without ;)

Ahh yes this is again I think gleaned from those bloody working dog surveys I feel that Deakin helps run. They have no idea on equipment or training they just tell everyone else what to do. Get onto the RSPCA NOW people before they shut down the whole bloody country. The only people who will suffer are the dogs. They already are with the whole hands off idea.

Labs are a working breed they should be out working. There is nothing wrong with that pup doing that my last couple of pups I got did the same thing, and earlier. From 5 weeks old they were chasing toys and rags around. Labradors are not couch ornaments.

Sounds like she's not quite 100% sure on what she needs to be looking for. Take her back a few steps and see if maybe her success rate has come about through a bit of luck and other cues then the target scent you want her to go for.

They do seem to at least desex all their puppies and kittens before selling them and they have a desexing clinic in store. It's not as bad as most out there at least.

Ezy Dog make them http://www.ezydog.com.au/convert-harness/ I use them and they're great, the patches are removable and the rest is extremely strong with a big handle on top.

ask the vet about Xantac tablets if he's retching, you get them from the pharmacist. He could have a simple problem like an upset stomach that has gone on for too long which anti inflammatories would have caused immediately. Some NSAIDs can irritate the stomach severely, my rottweiler would vomit himself almost inside out at one point. Xantac helped my pup immensely. I also made a watery slurry of Di Vetalact, mince and vitamins for him which kept the weight on. The Royal Canin Starter Mousse cans work well too even on a larger dog. Liquid diet and gradually go up in consistency.

dogs digest fat and meat differently from us. I can tell you the 4 drama queen Malinois here at my place get fatty, chunky beef in big lots, even the pug does and no ones is fat ... in fact they beg to differ they say I starve them all Chicken only I dont like as it's too 'white' for me, and since the slaughter age of chicken is so young (only a few months old) they have baby bodies that are not that nutritious. I even feed half pig heads (to large dogs) a dog that has been slowly introduced to it will cope with real products. Diets that are very lean are seen on the outside of the dog ... usually dry coat, flakey skin etc. Whatever you add or change to do it slowly and you will be fine. The tinned fish like tuna and sardines in springwater can be another protein source for the meal, I used ricotta cheese as well for my Mal when she had some muscle problems.