Nekhbet

forgot to add it only works if you give her a little pop before the lead goes taut. If its taut it's too late. You want to teach the dog there is a limit to the leash and it is to respect it, so hence when you end up shortening/lengthening the leash the dog will immediately adjust it's radius to suit. edited because I have spaz fingers that cant spell lol

take it straight to a vet for a health check and ring the breeder. Sadly she might be another person who is going to learn the hard way about poorly bred dogs poor puppy hope it's OK

When I was a kid that was the biggest club we had in the city/area. What I was meaning that group schools should be more about the benefit of the wider community and dogs then lining peoples pockets :p Don't worry I'm not that old

they have proof because there are plenty of shonky breeders out there rubbing their hands with glee at people offloading buckets of cash for ill bred, unhealthy puppies. It's the same story with twisty cats. Something that is hideously unhealthy is a fad, being bred and people will pay for it because it's a novelty. Plenty of these types of things happening and I'm sorry but tell your friends, from me, they're suckers and do what is right in the interest of the dogs long term physical and emotional health, get a well bred one of standard size. A dog was not made to be that small and most websites sell them as handbag merchandise despite the fact they're actually a canine. http://www.barkrescue.net/teacup.htm

I would be investigating why my dogs digestion is so poor instead of putting it on a highly processed food. As for pieces of bone in pet minces, they are meant to. It's chicken carcass minced apart. This just means it has to be stored carefully and used quite quickly so it doesnt go off like any minced product. Human grade mince for a dog is actually rubbish, it's pure protein, water and unbalanced.

the high pitched yip is coupled with prey drive and chasing things around. Working kelpies do bark a lot to move stock, you sure know when there's one on the truck. Will she carry things around in her mouth? I found that can shut them up Conversely start with some training, if she also barks when you are throwing a toy do a little prey control. If she barks and carries on put the toy behind your back and ignore her until she's quiet then immediately throw the ball. Keep repeating you will find the yipping will decrease quite a bit. Then progress to introducing another dog into the equation while she is doing the same thing etc to try and not associate other dogs as herding/prey items.

start with either a flat or martingale and a pocket full of her favourite fresh treats, in tiny little pieces. Start in the front yard, just before she makes the lead taut give it a little pop and call her immediately back to you, then treat for returning. Walk around casually, every time she makes a dash to pull give her a little correction. The more she remains by your side the more treats she gets, praise when she makes it a conscious choice and treats when she looks at you in the face. Let her have the whole lead, dont use too long a lead. I find this the best method as the dog is by your side by choice and hence will remain there a lot more consistently. If you want to let her go sniff something put a command to it 'off you go' but still no pressure on the lead. When she's done peeing/sniffing again 'OK, come on' to let her know its walking time again. I find in one session dogs will be not pulling. Because her habits will already be formed you will need to introduce more distractions slowly, so when she's proofed in the front yard progress to the street etc.

Probably more nutritious then the dog roll anyway :p

what breed, how old, when does the dog pull, what have you used so far and have you had any training at all

I had the same problem HA, even the ferrets were not impressed with their lack of fresh food over xmas

You need to make this dog understand this is not her house. Already she is deciding what she does and doesnt want to do. As for the marking, I have an 8 year old bitch that has done it most of her life, she's the bossy boots of the house. Definately spey her, she doesnt need to be entire. At night crate her so she cannot run about the house and pee. Otherwise become a little firmer in training her what is required in this household and how she is to behave.

It comes down to a couple of things - Breeders coddling their pups a little too much. So many spend too much time locked up or in the whelping box, they're dogs and they need to get outside ASAP no matter the breed. They need to fall over, hear loud noises, get dirty and sometimes, be frightened of things and then run back to see whats going on as pups do. Too many people bringing home chubby, dry-socialised dogs that have met the same few people and barely left the breeders home. My friends current litter is already out on the grass at 4 weeks of age, had pots banged, CDs of thunder, music etc played and this week they even had firecrackers set off near them. They didn't bat an eyelid. I do see the same thing with new pups purchased. My Mal bitch too, when we babysat them at 7 weeks they were happy to entertain themselves if you were too tired, toilet trained and went straight to a crate to sleep. Never heard a peep from either of them. A little effort goes a long way. Dogs need to learn to learn. If they dont learn as pups it becomes an uphill struggle from there. As for the puppy purchasers, there is this obsession also perpetuated by vets, of locking up pups. It shits me to tears that we're so obsessed with disease risk that it's better to lock them up. They're puppies they HAVE to go out and explore and be outside. The fact peoples backyards are shrinking too doesnt help, imagine living in these modern 'boxes' as a dog. It's also an idea of we must protect our pups from being frightened by things! Oh no it got scared, quick RUN HOME AND LOCK IT AWAY AGAIN! We need to become a little tougher. Fear, anxiety, stress, etc are all normal parts of how an animal learns. Fear periods are now the new pop word for excusing dogs behaviour and owners/trainers backing off making the dog deal with it. We have instilled such an anxiety in dog owners that many I have seen literally reduced to tears in frustration and afraid of ruining their dog. Dogs are more resilient then we give them credit for, the more we fuss, dote and panic the more neurotic a creature we are raising. These half-baked puppy preschools that somehow have become a replacement for the old style of taking the pup straight to dog club after the last vaccination are contributing too. 4-5 hours of mucking about somehow becomes a replacement for a couple of years of real dog training in a lot of peoples minds, how that logically works is beyond me. It's in the same category of 'I went to kindergarten, ready for VCE now'. More accessable dog clubs are required, I am in awe of any group class only classes that charge clients up to $1000 in order to get 'lifetime training'. Remember the old days you'd pay a little yearly admin fee and then chuck a gold coin in the box? OK trainers were mainly volunteers but there was an option for everyone, no matter your income, to go out and train your dog, see other dogs in a controlled manner from a young age.

supercoat keeps them full ... saying that I suppose if you dont mind cleaning so many big poos a day then stick with it. It sells a lot but personally I think it's rubbish. Whatever comes out of the back of your dog is food that is not digested - compare that to how much goes into the dog a day and you will see how much of that food you buy is actually eaten. Adult is about 22% protein ... saying that how much of that is actually quality, digestible protein or is it mostly cheap much added to bump the analysis up to a minimum. In fact these cheaper foods have quite similar foods to chicken/game bird pellets. I didnt mind paying more for food if it meant my lot looked really good and I only went through 15kg in just over a fortnight, further if I gave them more fresh or missed kibble days totally. Why dont you give your dogs meat? They're dogs. How much healthier could you get then nice fresh raw meats and bones. Your dogs will fart the place out because their stomachs are not used to having to digest real food. Keeping them on cans, tins and rolls gives dogs lazy stomachs and rubbish digestion hence the stench that comes out of both ends. Start slowly, a bit every day and you will notice your dogs will tolerate it more to the point they can have a whole meal of fresh. I really dont understand the obsession with feeding such a highly processed grain based diet to your dogs, and raising puppies on the same stuff no wonder the dogs grow up not being able to stomach anything else. So many people who feed their dogs these diets say their dogs are doing OK and looking good, but so many have come back and said 'wow we didnt realise how much better they can be' when they improve the diet, either fresher or up in quality. Unless the dog has a dietary problems there is no reason why they cant eat raw meat and fresh bones.

That will always be the eternal question won't it. It happens in all industries, there are people who ask you a question and yet either refuse to follow advice or tell you you're wrong and it should be done their way (which negated the need for asking in the first place :rolleyes:) Thats why really, I dont. I get the owners to do it and work with them so they achieve it. Dogs can change any time we want them too but unless you help change the owner it wont be a permanent fix. Thats why I suggested move right away from this problem the owners fixated on

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/pets/dog-care/private-keeping-of-dogs/dog-code

if you want to hunt pigs and deer as well why dont you look into something like a Catahoula Leopard? A few breeders in QLD http://www.currantcatahoulas.com.au/ good allrounder from what I hear, lot of people love them

sounds like the dog is a little 'over trained' and she's been pushing too hard. The dog is shutting down especially if its being forced. I think taking some steps back and just having some fun with the dog, working on basics and playing tug or just flirt pole for a while to build the relationship back up. Saying that if she wont listen she wont get anywhere.

Well done Kirty and nice looking dog for her age too

Have you tried PetRescue.com.au? Also there is the Kelpie clubs around the country, leave a message with them about the type of dog you are after. Sorry to hear how poorly you were treated. I too have been through a similar thing and it's both disheartening and frustrating as you're only trying to do the right thing. The same place turned me down because I owned an entire bitch and wanted to take another they had of an incredibly specialty breed.

kit kat I believe they are also going to add chicken to the formula too. I know for sure it was going to be changed to have wheat as the company believes that wheat allergies are only really about 1% of sensitive dogs and that people are too fast too point to wheat as an intolerable ingredient :rolleyes:

you can hire the britex machines from most supermarkets still, it's the only thing worth doing as the dog dander and dirt works its way down the pile. Use really hot water (hot tap only) and my trick is to then go over the carpet again with just plain water. Smells are gone and totally refreshes the carpets. Plus dries in no time too if you pull the vacuum slowly and dont soak the water down to the underlay.

he could have too much testosterone if he's more well endowed then average. I have seen a few adolescent dogs like that, castration was the best thing for them BUT saying that, I sent that all for very thorough check ups at the vet first.

I think I know what you meant Cosmolo :D and I wholeheartedly agree no kid visits until we sort out whats going on!

I dont like pro plan because it contains a lot of wheat and sorghum. I was also told the sensitive formula would also start to contain wheat O_o it already contains a sweetener from Stevia, F-4449 I can't fault the Vet's All Natural products, it's doing my dogs well. I dont stick to a single protein though I do give them a mix of beef and chicken (preservative free) Ferrets look great on it too.

www.leerburg.com has a lot of very good articles to read. As for crate training ... stick with it, get yourself a crate. It will be a lot easier in the long run.