Willowlane

Hi Guys Im looking for an affordable hotel/motel etc that will allow us to take the dogs inside the room (in crates). Really dont want any trashy hotels though. I have found places in Gunnedah and Canberra that look nice, hoping there is at least one nice place in Bathurst and Dubbo too. Its too cold for my mum to camp hence the hotel :) Cheers WL

So what is so bad about the injection?

Welllllllllllll I cant give too many of Steve's secrets away but I got a great impression for our first lesson! First off we sat down and just spoke and I went from feeling like an ok dog person to an omg I have so much to learn from this man person....He just read my dog and the situations she reacted too like an open book. He was great at explaining everything on a standard non-expert level that made sense but my oh my was I happy mum came along and videoed some of it because after 2hrs straight of information my brain was bursting and I can only remember half the word commands :laugh: . Next he showed me some exercises to start using at home with Mapies. First having her do some patience work on a platform, then he showed me how to start training her in loose leash walking which she desperately needed to learn. Lastly was a fun game to begin recall work or start getting the idea. It was incredible to watch him work!! The best news is that Steve feels Mapie my dog will be able to get over her barking and lunging at other dogs when we go walking :D it will take work and dedication to training but she is capable of over coming it....yipeee. Even with his help from one phone consult 2wks ago and some email he has (touch wood) stopped Mapie from barking when I go out of the house and leave her and the puppy alone for short periods of time. She use to bark non-stop So this afternoon I trained her and she did so well...I was so proud of her and I had so much fun working with her whilst doing it. Cant wait for tomorrow and my lesson on Wednesday will my puppy Willow :D :D

Poll corrected :) hopefully

We use Pro Heart on all our dogs, it works out very well and we know they are all very well covered against heart worm which can be so nasty. But cost wise im considering other options.

Found my answer she can have it from 12weeks How many people use the pro heart injection?

So who uses Pro Heart and Why? Who uses tablets and why Would you use Pro Heart if it was more cost effective? Old Question: At what age are the allowed their first Pro Heart injection?

My Welsh Springer Spaniel who is not even crate trained will go and put herself in either the 30 or 36" crate and curl up for a snooze. I have thought about buy her one just for her as a special treat and place she can go to get away from everything (she's 14 bless her).

Thankyou everyone for the replies, guess its my turn to answer :) Is your dog crate trained? 2 of mine are in trained/in training. When (age) did you crate train him/her? Maple started when she was 1.5yrs old so about 2months ago and our puppy Willow started 4weeks ago at 8weeks of age Do they still sleep in their crate now they are older? If not where do they sleep? Maple sleeps on our bed some nights and in her big soft crate other nights. We mainly crate trained her so when the puppy came she would be crate trained and not loose walking around the bedroom whilst we expected the puppy to be confined. As it turned out we started some training at k9Pro and are using the crate a lot so its worked well. Willow always sleeps in her crate. When did they stop using the crate? Maple only really uses it for training (which is a lot) and sleeping. Willow loves the soft crate in the lounge room and spend most of her day playing in it. Where is their crate in the house? A large soft crate and puppy pen in the lounge room and two crates in our bedroom for sleep. Does your dog use the crate only for sleeping? As I said Willow spends most of her inside time in the big soft crate in the living room, Maple doesn't mind going in either but she spends so much time in there already with training she's happy chilling on the couch.

So my questions Is your dog crate trained? When (age) did you crate train him/her? Do they still sleep in their crate now they are older? If not where do they sleep? When did they stop using the crate? Where is their crate in the house? Does your dog use the crate only for sleeping? Cheers WL

Im so: excited nervous energetic tired happy scared and so much more for my first lesson tomorrow..... All of this rolled into one person I have no idea how Maple my cocker spaniel is managaging to contain herself as she sleeps on the end of my bed My lesson starts at 9am so thought I would aim to arrive at 8.50....excited much

So I finally bit the bullet and took the plunge and were entered for our first show - for either one of us :D Its on in 2 weekends so the 19th, 20th & 21st of June. Its being held at Gunnedah but its the Coonabarabran KC Championship Show. We get to do 2 classes a day so 6 in total which makes the drive worthwhile and mum and I are making it a girls weekend away so it should be a blast :) It will also be nice to not be around quite sooooo many of the professionals as there is at the sydney shows (or is that just my hope lol) little less nerve racking. So after the first aid kit thread im now going to put one together but I had some other questions.... Google maps says it will take us 5hrs with no breaks( and going the speed limit) to get to Gunnedah. I am betting we take 6hrs30mins at least as we wont be doing 110km all the way. We will either have a dog trailer which will be her first time on board or we will have a bike trailer/caravan which we tend to not go over 100/105 with anyway. Plus she will need stops along the way. 1. How often would you stop for a 12wk old puppy - every hour? 2. Being her first long trip should we take another dog with her or is it best to have her travel alone to build confidence if that makes sense? We are leaving and travelling Thursday then planning on travelling home Sunday afternoon but if were late then we will stay till Monday and travel home Monday We have a caravan/motor bike van to stay in but Dad said it will be freezing this time of year so im thinking of getting a hotel that allows dogs in the rooms...I think I might have found the only pet friendly hotel in Gunnedah lol...if anyone can suggest some please suggest away!!

Its more medically that im restricted. They advertised for 13-16hrs but were then saying it might have to become 30hrs+ at short notice I am going to struggle with 13hrs. There is a reason I have not been able to work. Its not been a matter of not wanting to work but not being able to. My Dr doesn't even want me to do 4days but I wouldn't listen.

Well no job for me today, they needed me to work every Friday, Saturday oh well was only my first interview and they said otherwise they loved me so onto the next one I guess.

Can you recommend a dog-safe antihistamine and where can you buy neocourt from Powerlegs :) Thankyou for such an extensive list Maddy. A few questions 1. Where is the best and cheapest place to buy this stuff? 2. can you by things like Styptic powder and hydrogen peroxide over the counter? 3. What is F10 solution? A few questions HazyWal 1. What is Ungvita ointment, what is it used for and where can I buy it from? 2. Also what is Solugel, what is it used for and where can I buy it from? Hi Persephone, just wondering what glucodin tablets are, what they do and where I can get them from. Also what the carb sode does? Lastly I too wondered how to store the kit when temperates go over 30degrees? What does everyone else do?

This work for me will more be a way of inching me back into the work force after my time away. My doctor feels it is equally important to have the stress relief of the dogs as it is of having a job hence why the time is put into the dogs. They are truly like therapy dogs for me and the competition allows me to challenge myself in a productive way I wont get much money per week being only a casual and on so few hours and what I do get some will go into helping my husband with utilities and the rest will go towards entries and lessons etc on the dogs, and a bit into savings of course. When im ready for a full time 9-5 Monday - Friday job im sure my priorities would change although the doctor doesn't feel this is a realistic goal for me to have at the moment due to medical reasons. Im just thrilled I can even try for a job after so long away from the work force :D

I have an interview tomorrow, it will be my first one in 5/6yrs after an extended absence from work due to medical reasons. Over the 6years I have ridden horses and because I wasn't working my competition schedule never clashed. I also only competed at State and Nationals plus a few major shows so about 6-8 times a year. With the dogs I want to compete every two weeks including some country shows so how do you guys work a busy work schedule and competing your fury friends (doesn't have to only be the show ring can be agility etc) Im thinking just casual, my doctor has said I can only do 4days to start with anyway but I am imagining that is going to make getting a job really hard if I say 'oh I can only work Monday-Thursday even if for medical reasons

I thought I would give you some feedback on my lesson today with Luci Ellem. We arrived and it started with me telling her about Willow, temperament, age, where I got her etc. Then I showed her how I stacked her and of course she was really good to stack - none of the wriggling we have had before. I explained to Luci about my shakes (due to medication and about the difficulty I have controlling her head and she explained that so long as the shakes were consistent it shouldn't worry Willow once she's use to them. She had me hold the lead high on the neck right on her ears with the ring under the middle of her chin to stack her with Willows chin resting on her palm which seemed to give me more control of the head, my thumb was also free for more control when I could coordinate everything. Every time willow would turn her head I would immediately place it back into position with my other hand. Luci handled willow really well, not too rough or forceful but direct.saying that Willow is a very easy going puppy so doesn't present much issue. To move her legs the front was moved from the elbow so her leg did not bend and the line was kept through the shoulder to the foot. She said the hind legs should be placed as wide as the hips. She wasn't even pulling back and we didnt have to bait her which was great. We practiced running encouraging her head up with no pulling, I took cabonossi, roast chicken and cheese so she enjoyed bits of all 3. She also loves to sit so we started encouraging her to stand on command. She then had a big break whilst Lucci and I chatted about the ring, crating, horses, about Willow and her confirmation, temperament etc. She seemed very impressed with her on all fronts!! Said I was also lucky to get a puppy from a breeder such as I have, I strongly agree!!!!! We then did triangles which, because we were doing in a confined area indoors it was good as I had to be very precise and small unlike when I tried with you. She taught me the turn in front of the judge at the end also and try to get willow to free stack which we got 75% of the time. Everything was very much what I have been learning from my breeder already just through different eyes. Next was up and back which willow performed perfectly straight...now we just need to practice with other dogs around! Lastly I stacked her again and she stacked perfectly twice :D Luci mentioned that I dont actually shake if I do things quickly its just if im slow and over thinking...maybe I just need to not think lol. Overall an amazing lesson!

Well I had my lesson last night in the indoor school and it was fantastic!! I learnt so much and lots of little tips and tricks to help me along the way. It probably helped that Willow was a complete star of the session never putting a foot out of place except when her mum made an error but even then Luci calmly corrected me and we just went over it again. We had lots of breaks where Willow showed her calm relaxed side and just slept which I was super pleased with, she's a pretty chilled girl. She was then really good at getting back up and getting back into action. I do need to get her more use to dogs barking which I noticed when we left she was quite hesitant about but the noise, other noises she couldn't care less about. Im planning on going to two shows over the weekend of the 20th-21st to observe and get her out (not compete) just for experience. Excitedly Luci was very complimentary of Willow, her conformation, way of going ect which was great to hear! I cant wait to hit the show ring!

I have a cocker spaniel, Welsh Springer Spaniel and now a new English Springer Spaniel puppy and they are the most joyful dogs. Playful and yet can miss a day of walking and just chill on the couch. My cocker spaniel has proved super quick in learning with obedience training. There coats are easy to maintain, a brush once a week and we have them professionally washed and groomed every 4-6 weeks. I just adore them

An update on Willow Her toilet training is going well, she now reliably goes out and goes pee and poo to the world toilet when ever we take her out. We still have an odd pee mistake but its because Iv'e left her too long. So the training has worked well. Her show training is going well and we had a great showing practice session with her breeder on Saturday. She was very good considering she was out with her sisters (3 of them). They had a really good play and run around at the end. Its was so good to see my breeder having them play and have fun at the end of the end of the session. Its so important to keep it fun I am finding out. I have a lesson with Luci Ellem today for our show training at 4pm. Im really looking forward to it. I have no idea if its the right path as ive heard she can be quite strong (everyone trains differently) but my puppy is pretty laid back and relaxed so im sure she can handle this training. We will find out :) Then I have also called Pauline Hartwell who runs the Castle Hill training classes. She is back at the end on June and has said she will give me some one on one before joining the group class. Then I can decide if I join Pauline or Luci's group classes depending on whose training fits best with my breeders. We then have our lesson with Steve from K9 Pro not this Wednesday but the next (this coming Saturday I have a lesson with my other dog). Im really looking forward to both lessons. I have had one trouble with Willow and thats her eating, shes not carrying enough weight but I just cant get her to eat enough, she is incredibly picky...any idea's??

Hi everyone A quick update on Willow (the puppy who started this thread). She now goes out and does wee's when ever i say the word toilet, She's pretty reliable pooping on command also. The only problems we have is if i forget to put her out regularly enough or we are at my parents house. She gets so caught up in playing that even when let out she forgets to go or fully go so we get little bits of wee springing up through the house. I tried a lead on her but she just fought it tooth and nail and with her needing to really accept the lead for her show work I gave up on the lead idea. However we only have a small backyard so not much ofher things to get focused on.

Thankyou very much! So what can a baby puppy contest?

Thankyou :D im really looking forward to it! Any other thoughts from people?

Another silly question that has been answered for me a few times but I still get confused. How do the classes run? First what are the age classifications: Baby Puppy 3-6months (not elgible for Challenge Champion but are they elgibe for anything other than sweepies and baby puppy class? Minor Puppy Puppy Intermediate Open Australian Bred Then how do the classes run: eg Class is judged and top 3 placed in the dogs(do you get ribbons)? winners from all divisions of dogs go in for Challenge Champion once this is awarded 2nd place to CC comes into challenge. The same then happens with the bitches. Then the Dog and Bitch face off and 2nd place comes in to challenge for Best of Breed? Then there is best in group? Is there a runner up best in group and does 2nd place challenge again for runner up? The best in show is all the best in group champions (do runner up best in group challenge if the best in group wins best of show? Is there a runner up best of show? Next question One show I saw champions awarded for each intermediate, open etc out of the dog and bitch...was this because it was a speciality show? AND how do general specials work, is it just all the same classes again? What does it mean when they put general specials on the program with a judges name next to it but no group? like a whole seperate ring.