Nekhbet

you are not your dogs pack leader and don't get entrenched in modern pop words around behaviour like this. Give Mark Singer a call ASAP, this is something you need to work on before progressing with obedience classes since they do not know how to handle your dogs behaviour and improve it. http://caninetraining.com.au/ Mark is a behaviourists and working breeds like German Shepherds are his speciality. On another note whether your dog is truely aggressive is a whole different issue. Considering what you wrote I hazard a guess she isnt truely deep down dangerously aggressive BUT incredibly reactive as a lot of shepherds here in Australia are. Your situation is one I deal with a low especially with shepherds, border collies and a few other common breeds.

sounds like a whole body wash in Malaseb wont go astray with the season, it has been very wet in general. My bordeaux is stinky too skin wise. Betadine solution can be used around the mouth

ok well if it's all new with her then definately no running or on wobbly equipment where she has to dig herself in and scrunch the leg muscles to hold herself up. Just light easy stuff all on lead and she how she pulls up after each one. May pay to do a little basic stuff at hone for a couple of minutes a day too to help her body adjust to this exercise. Once a week is still going to be a bit iffy with animals that have previous injuries.

not every dog can catch just like not every person can either :p

I would be going with 0:0 elbows and low - no score even hips if you can. Not impossible but better below the breed average

step one - don't get frustrated at all. If you are your dog listens less and less as you are no longer fun. At all. step two - keep it short and bring along a few different things to tempt the dog. Toy, treats etc and dont feed the dog that day at all. step three - have a heap of fun with the dog. Change it up a bit, don't stick to the same routine when you're at dog classes. He's a baby, have patience and have more fun.

are you sure it's not a tooth or stomach problem? Sometimes smells come up from the stomach and through his breath. If his teeth are OK and there is no infection in the gums then I would be looking at his stomach. You cannot use human mouth washes on dogs. You need to fix the problem not mask it. I also would not be using angel eyes as it's a daily low dose antibiotic which I really dont agree with. Dogs mouths are also not like ours so if there is a bacteria in there causing bad breath it needs to be dealt with medically as it is now a problem well outside the norm. What is his current diet?

I wouldnt be taking a dog with very uneven scores like a 5:0. Then again I'm extremely pedantic.

Desexing is unusual for the simple reason you cannot be bothered to manage your animals. My aunt had about 40 dogs at one point, you didnt desex them all unless something was wrong, you were responsible and kept them separate. Her gardener exercised them every day and they ate fresh meat and bones, not canned food and kibble. The rubbish we feed our dogs here is a massive surprise as well. Dogs also came with you everywhere including on the aeroplane while travelling

it can be a few things. A controlled environment like a dog club can be very different to the real world. If the smaller dog exhibits erratic behaviour and bad body language it can incite larger dogs to make a beeline for it. And they tend to be real screamers hence exciting larger dogs further. In hindsight unless you know the dog I tend to stay away from other peoples dogs in uncontrolled circumstances especially the little ones.

has she done it before? I would be starting her on low equipment and all on lead, just a few minutes at a time. She has to relearn how to use her body and what to do before being off lead or running about with equipment.

a better question to ask is - are you ready for another baby and all the 24/7 work to go with it. If the prospect of another child is frightening then maybe leave a baby puppy for a couple more years It's an assumption made by so many people despite the fact they're not exactly low in the level of effort and care they require. They see them as guide dogs and that makes them automatically quiet, calm, level headed and low maintenance.

If anyone is after a dog to train/companion/competition there is a Malinois (I think pure until I meet it) http://www.halfwayhome.org.au/adoptions/dogs/adopt-ruby.htm I'm going to see the dog in the next couple of weeks. She's a little difficult with dogs but just needs a bit of work. I'm happy to provide the foster carer/adopter with free help if needs be

I did not say it was a solution, you did not read my entire post.

Thunderbird is probably going to be your cheapest option. A plug in power pack will be the best value as battery/solar are more. There is a few ways to do it, you can either screw insulators to your fence or you can buy the multi wire plastic tread in posts which give you the option of adding more strands of wire. What kind of fence and what kind of distance? Your fence type will dictate what type of insulators you need. Also remember that you need to earth the entire unit properly especially in dry sandy soils or you run the risk of a weaker signal the further away from the unit. I do electric fencing at work so if you want advice on the cheapest way of doing it just let me know what kind of fence/area you have and I'll send you part numbers/styles

the factor should not be cost but quality of life. If you dont like what your vet has told you find someone else to give you an opinion. You use medications like that as they are needed and under supervision, if the dog needs it for X amount of time and it's working then you keep using it. You never just 'stop' medications like that you wean the dog down slowly so it's brain can cope with the change in biochemistry that is occuring now the dosages are changing. Same as in humans. A situation like this is not something people can answer over the internet. A serious problem where the dog is causing itself such extreme physical harm needs a professional, if that doesnt help or you dont want to shoulder the costs then do the dog a favour and PTS.

Have you seen a behaviourist about her problems or just medicating? Medication without behavioural work wont help the dog long term. I think speak to a good veterinary behaviourist first and then go from there. If the dog is that bad it hurts itself every time it's stressed and cannot be safely managed then you have to look if there is quality of life for this animal in general.

I would be finding a new vet and looking for a simpler explanation then jumping into MMM. The symptoms you describe can be consistent with many many different problems from tooth, bone, dislocation, or muscular. MMM is an autoimmune disorder and the only way to really know if that is what it is, is to do a blood test for antibodies. I would be x-raying the head and neck first to see if maybe the dog has cracked or dislocated the jaw.

no probs I'll head to the clinic first thing, just bought some food

oddly enough if the pup was in a pet store window the price usually isnt blinked at.

I have sent Kirty some SMSs and she has my number, I'm home all day and live in North Geelong so pick up wont be a problem if someone knows where the cat is can you sms/call me 0401389863 and I'll go collect it before it goes to GAWS

there really should be little to no difference between a pup that shows and just a family pet when it comes to their physical health and temperament. Price wise, if you're not happy keep looking, a lot of breeders can mean a lot of variability in pricing.

hang on I have to even find where I have left my mobile :p

I can look after kitty until you can pick it up can you call me or just PM me the details and I'll go pick it up for you Kirty

if they are scoffing the bones down that fast they are too small - the RMBs you are feeding should be quite large not chopped up. RMBs was based on the concept of the dog eating as if it had caught the prey itself ... so ripping off meat/connective tissue and chewing off the edible bone parts. If you want to feed a flap you get the whooooooooole big thing for a large dog and decrease the usual diet to compensate for what they got