Cosmolo

For the trainers- do you give a guarantee sight unseen that you can resolve a dogs behaviour problem? Why/ why not? For the owners- do you expect a trainer to give you a guarantee regarding solving problems with your dog? A few weeks ago i received quite an aggressive email, demanding that i provide a guarantee with regard to a serious behaviour problem. I don't give guarantees for the simple reason that i am not the only input into the dog so i can't guarantee what others (owners etc) will do. A plumber can provide a guarantee because 'most' people won't touch the plumbing after he's gone- i think dog training is different!

I wish for Dexter to not have hip and elbow dysplasia so we could do some harder work with him + start agility

Hunt as a pack Midol? Or just go into prey drive? Two different things IMO. And is it social hierarchy- or just dogs working to get what they want? How do you define hierarchy?

Midol thats not always true- my vet has seen dogs that have been healthy and mobile their whole life, then get hit by a car and have x rays and their hips are screwed!

Thanks for taking the time to write that kelpie i. I have thought some of those things before but never had such a direct and concise way to explain it as i believe what you've written does. Personally i think its very accurate- particularly when we think about what our dogs would do if we 'threw them out' onto the streets. Did Ray talk about whether over generations, street dogs would then become packs? I would imagine this would depend entirely on the environment and the need for the individuals to hunt- if they could survive scavenging there would be no need to explore other options. I recently saw dogs living on the streets in Fiji- and although they are wild and unowned- they are certainly scavengers and don't appear to hunt as packs. What would then motivate these dogs to form a pack and hunt as one again? The individual dogs who run out of food to scavenge die- so would they ever form packs again? Those that would have needed to would be deceased and the surviving dogs would continue doing what has worked for them- scavenging as individuals. Raises so many questions. Sorry- i am just randomly spitting out thoughts here..

I have a dog with bilateral HD- he is a rescue. Would i buy a dog with unscored parents? No- unless the dog was a rescue in which case i would probably take my chances with him/ her. Dexter is the perfect dog for us in every other way- his hip and elbow dysplasia sucks- but i don't regret for a moment choosing him to come home with us.

I'll pm you trisven

IHF- i was sure RT's were banned in NSW too? Does someone have the relevant legislation handy? Indigirl- thats not true for all dogs, some dogs become collar smart, some do not- depending on how you use the collar and how the dog responds to the correction

I'd try an air spray collar Trisven- Grover is probably soft enough for one. And while i agree that its not ideal to have to correct him for barking in play, sometimes living in suburban areas and dealing with neighbours means our dogs have to do things they otherwise would not to stay safe.

I would definitely suggest getting a good trainer to come and assist you- it can help with he puppy and in some cases, with the children and their responses to the puppy.

Me too kelpie i :D ETA- i just read a review of Ray's work and agree with what he said- i'd love to read more though,are his books good kelpie i? Sorry for OT..

Its possible that because there were so many dogs together that you were inadvertently flooding- such an intense situation that the dog felt she could not react (as she couldn't control the situation) and explored other behaviours that have then become specific to that environment. Prior learning around the streets may also have an impact- bad or stresful experiences reinforce the same behaviour each time.

Agree with persephone- whereabouts are you located?

So sorry Not your fault Kirty- i am sure she knew you loved her and would have been a relief for her that you were there at the end.

The dog world can be so divisive- and nothing will be achieved with all the in fighting occurring in place of a cohesive effort. Yes the legislation is unjust but it comes about through ignorance and lack of understanding- not because of positive trainers or those who compete in other disciplines. Comparing other sports just brings them into play and its not relevant if they are not targetted.

Thanks Erny- thats what OH just said. Was anyone notified of the law change? ie the clubs themselves?

First off- i do think the law sucks.. But- i always thought that dogs trained for bite work had to be declared dangerous and kept as such. So if there have been dogs being trained for bite work and not declared- isn't that illegal..?

Does anyone have the current legislation handy?

I thought the current law already stated that though?

Its Southern that own the grounds, not Southside as they use a public park Clayton South Primary School 3-4pm on Saturday Have a look at the website if you would like more info about us and what we do.

We have classes available in Clayton South geared toward pet dog practical obedience. I have a course finishing this Saturday if you'd like to come and have a look- just let me know and i can give you further details.

I ended up not ordering because the conversion more than made up for the free postage.. Sorry puppies!

They're not charging shipping now. The final order price- is it already converted to AUD?

Not sure Tess. I have seen a fully vaccinated dog die from parvo virus though- and quickly A nasty disease

When i was at mega pet warehouse they had this blue dye sprayed on all their raw meat? Has this changed?