Two Best Dogs!

Look!! She has never met this person before, this is after only a couple of hours (and her initial greeting was cautious leaning approach with slow wagging tail versus stiff stare off + growl/barks + putting herself to bed) previous brave girl. think the training x thyme presence x rescue remedy combo really helping her to relax also i spilt adaptil the day before, unintended.

I got mine from boomerang tags. Really nice quality. Need to order more for the new dog...

Poor Thistle got more check ups than she liked! But that's because I wanted to evaluate how they'd physically handle her in a consult (e.g. when I advise its better we avoid the table, better we both sit on the floor, whether they object* to me having her in a muzzle on occasion, the general tone they take with me and her). I took her to a new one about once a month I think. But I found 2 good vets out of 3 so easily done. Yeah online they all look the same. I did have some criteria - like 24/7 open for emergencies and I have a preference for walk-in options and a backdoor entry....so if its too busy for us we will go away and come back later (obviously not an option for surgery or emergency but for a consult...) *actually happened once, a vet of all people...

I completely vet shopped to find vets who would interact with my dogs in a manner I approved of and who didn't push if I said no on a suggestion. I've got two. My convenient close quick one for vaccinations and nail clippings and my bigger one for emergencies or when I want big tests done. Both vets meet my standards for calm and patient with my dogs. Nobody claiming they're stubborn or correcting my dogs. It is important im trusting and comfortable with the vet, so I am calm and my dogs are calm. This is a long relationship for the life of my dogs, I need to trust these people with them. I would not trust a vet who roughly manhandles my dog or isn't patient with her fearfulness. I don't want her to bite or try to bite because they do not take the calm and steady approach. The vet should be as stress free as possible so the dogs health can be evaluated as accurately as possible - nothing missed because they're having a case of the scares. Maybe go go back to your vet a few more times when they're not busy and just relax in the corner without any check up. Do that a couple of times, the no pressure visit, and see how she feels. Let her sniff around if you're not in anyone's way and inspect the environment so she feels comfortable. No reason you cant have two vets in the event of an emergency.

Hard at work!! Look at those tails go. Im really partial to forests with areas of water as our go to exercise. where those cannot be found...a footie field will do dogs like to run and it's the best to watch! (even if not always practical)

There was one on eBay a couple of weeks ago. Might still be there. It was second hand and they hadn't mentioned the brand name in the title - was just browsing 2nd hand harnesses

Yeah you wouldn't want formal heeling on all your walks, just little check ins and glances. My neck aches in sympathy if whole walk! My preferences is to walk by my side but if they're not yanking you about and straining you both who cares if it's your left side or right side or out front or behind? And careful not to overwalk, I did that a couple of times not used to puppy stamina. Go go go then sleep Wont lie, my fave way to walk them is to drive to a field and let the dogs loose! Sometimes with a race car to chase and bark at. What fun! But they have been trained to come when called (knock on wood) i second a reqtest for photos!

I walk on martingale cause dogs cannot slither out of it! Flats can break and I'm personally uncomfortable with how the halter jerks the head around if the dog startles. He didn't start wearing martingale until 6 months as I was concerned about little puppy necks. He is 7.5 months now. my puppy harness is currently an ezy dog car harness. It doesn't prevent pulling or anything, it is purely "between growth convenience" choice. When he is bigger I'm planning to get him a nice leather one once I work out what works with his coat. It'd be the ones in a H shape, nothing that stops pulling. Sometimes i get him to heel one step at a time down hallyway, his reward is getting to run around like a headless chook. Hes show style I forgot to say, not the spotted devils style of fun ;) they'd run rings around mine lol

My ESS puppy can walk on a lead and he does noseworks! i find he's a dog who is the kind to pull and pull no matter how it hurts. But we had success with two methods 1. The 180 route. When he starts going too far ahead I will turn around and walk the other way. I do this before the lead gets tense. This encourages him to follow more. Although if he does suddenly pull, I will do a 180 then as well. Some days he is very excited to get to a particular tree and every time he picks up speed and is going to rush ahead, I do a 180 and go the other way. Then if he keeps pace he is rewarded to smell that thing he wants to smell! 2. Reward him when he is near me and rewarding for head raised/ eye contact. He can sniff unless we are formal heeling bit if he chooses to look up at me I will give treats or praise and be exciting or play a game! sonetimes we just run around being excited and him following me to remind him o fun and interesting too he really likes encouragement to make him confident that he's doing the right thing! i walk him in both harness and martingale. The martingale is more for safety than corrections.

Question: have any of you used rescue remedy? I tried it last night for guests and again for today for dog school - to help with Thistles "left out anxiety" when she sees me leaving with Thyme. She ate her pig leg in the car! and didnt destroy my hat I had accidentally left in the car (previously she was so upset at being left out she ignored the pig leg and ate a seat belt...) Seems to have taken the edge off, it was particularly noticeable around 2pm when I walked into the lounge and it didn't turn into a spinning whirlwind of bouncing dogs competing for my attention. They both jumped a bit then quickly and politely sat and I was able to reward them for being so well mannered. Less over excited wagging too (happy tail...) I'm thinking keeping her on it for about 6 weeks to try and instil a solid calm routine and solidify that she's not going to be "left out". The earlier ones I gave in her treats, but thinking just adding the drops to the water as it doesn't seem like it should negatively affect the puppy? What do you guys think? two dogs who are CERTAINLY not in the kitchen....

I like the majority of this article, it is quite informative, including giving the casual reader an idea of stressed behaviour to look out for and that there's more to a dog than genetics: LINK Veterinarian and animal behaviourist Kate Lindsey said there was no such thing as an aggressive breed. "Aggressive behaviour can occur in any breed, just like aggression can occur in any person, given the right circumstances," she said. "The three factors that drive any behaviours are genetics, environment and experience." Dr Lindsey said a dog attack against its owner was an incredibly rare event, and it was dangerous to blame it on a breed. Watch out for: Signs of fear or anxiety include: the dog wants space, lunges barks or growls, freezes or stares Signs of stress include: yawning, stiff body, a high tail or tucking it under its body Ears back, closed mouth and visible whites of eyes "We have to be careful not to generalise that it is a behaviour that is specific to a certain breed," she said. "There are many wonderful, mixed-breed bull mastiff staffies out there that are incredibly loving members of their family." Ms Lindsey said she looked at the vision of the dog issued by the pound, and it was exhibiting signs it was frightened and anxious. "So this is a very behaviourally unwell dog, that has been in a very specific set of circumstances, that has led to the inadvertent injury and death of a very compassionate dog lover. "And there is always a trigger. These behaviours are very unlikely to occur for no reason."

gorgeous birthday girls deserve the biggest cuddles

because they are an "exotic" pet is my understanding. That was the price from lort smith vet btw. I no longer user them for rabbits, as the specialist vet was never available and the non-specialist vets kept diagnosing things as abnormal that were normal (perfectly fine teeth ), or give advice contrary to rabbit health/metabolism (to not feeding before a spay etc) There is a rabbit specialist in melbourne who will do house visits for like $120 and that includes vaccinations and dental check, so ideally I prefer to use them.

City suburbs for a primarily walk in vet $65 general consult - dogs $110 general consult - rabbits "exotic" pet $130 afterhours consult - dogs i forget the rabbit after hours. It was less than $200

I had a vet check both my dogs on the day I got them, but I wouldn't have bothered asking them for breed suggestions before the fact. My vets simply don't know our life enough for me to value their input on this kind of topic. I did heavily check in with my trainers and behaviourist though. Mostly came down to individual behaviour rather than breed, for us, though. Better than talking to nobody though. atgh stupid mobile forum won't post properly

YouTube sound playlists damned near every sound imaginable is on there somewhere start it off so quiet they barely notice and reward calm behaviours. Slowly building the sound up, so the puppy never reacts more than a curious look around. Some people feed dinner whole the sounds go on. I like to play games or have a couch cuddle.

You'll get reassurance from me! taking in the commute - I am away from home between 11 and 13 hours (work business depending). Some have tried to make me feel bad for that but I say f*** them. Times and urban environments have changed. It's not always practical for me to be home as much as might be done in the past. How would I afford all the dog things we do do, if I cut back the hours that pay for them? I play with them in the morning, I exercise them at night. We train and do brain games. We dabble in sports. Saturday's are my dedicated dog adventure day (+ cleaning and grooming) and Sundays are obedience to make them happy little socially adjusted Vegemites. And of course, the all important cuddle times. When Thistle was solo dog she did great with the Aussie home alone toy. It's great for tugging and knocking about. I don't use it much now cause of the puppy and food resource guarding. Many types of kong toys that roll around, "tuff dog toys" etc. thistle loves recycling boxes for me. I'd leave one of those out and shed tear it to tiny pieces. Rest of the time is sleeping. Oh boy do they sleep when I'm not there. Good off switch is invaluable. Does dog seem happy and healthy, however unconventional your routine? Then it's working out for you.

Maybe this will inspire someone to start up a similar business in your area! I think this is run by only 2 or 3 people and deliveries only happen wed, thurs and fri to specific areas, so I do hope they succeed and don't get overwhelmed. It's really great so far, really provides some variety in the typical meats without me having to actually drive around to assorted stores to find out they don't sell that animal they sold last week. Really need to get a dog freezer so I can fit in roo ribs and the like. Really bulk buy on the specials.

i think a vet trip tomorrow is a good idea. when thistle's ear was bitten through, the vet was very concerned about infection - something about the ear tract allowing easy access to the brain. he gave us painkillers (meloxicam) and antibiotics, it healed up quick enough and you wouldnt see it if you didnt know where to look

I'm really liking this place! They have a wide variety of meats and deliver straight to your door. They just brought in even more cuts (roo ribs, whole rabbits, roo tails*, offal, minced chicken carcasses, duck legs, turkey necks). They deliver exactly on the day they say they will. I left instructions on leaving the order in a cooler box near my car and they followed it to the letter https://rawandnaturalpetsupplies.com.au/shop This time I have ordered multiples of: Whole Rabbit (Frozen) 1 pack (INTRODUCTORY SALE PRICE) Free Range Turkey Necks (Frozen) 3 Pack OX Cheek Mince (Frozen) 1kg Packs Orroroo Kangaroo Mince (Frozen) 1kg Packs 1kg Cooked Roll Beef, Lamb and Chicken Roll by Pure Tasmanian Pet Food Beef and Lamb Offal Mince (Frozen) Minced Whole Chicken Carcass (Frozen) thats about as much as I can order until I get a little storage freezer somewhere. Last time I ordered: 1kg Cooked Salmon Roll by Pure Tasmanian Pet Food 1kg BARF Roll by Pure Tasmanian Pet Food 1kg Cooked Roll Beef, Lamb and Chicken Roll by Pure Tasmanian Pet Food Wallaby Mince (Frozen) Duck Mince (Frozen) Minced Whole Chicken Carcass (Frozen) which looked like this (I got a little extra! how kind) I'm really excited for the next order! Bring on wednesday! *both my usual roo places have stopped selling it

You could ask the GSD club in bundoora who they would recommend around Melbourne. They're a pretty responsive lot if you call them up and explain your concerns. Terry Taukus 0439 003 468

I am hoping this is the good kind of quiet, where everything is progressing nicely for all the dogs!

My favourite toys are the heavy duty chuck it balls, floating water retrieve sticks and a remote control car that I've only had one week. Reslly like my flirt pole too and a ol traditional wrestle.

Got hit with the wonderings on how those in my fave dol thread are going. How is everybody and their dogs? we are good. We are still working out the double dog household thing but I think in time with training and maturity and routine it will work out. Biggest challenge: feeding off each other's excitement and "left out anxiety" from both. solution: making them sit when I get home. Dog with butt on ground gets treats. Release when the initial "mums home!!" jitters wear off. Dog who is being left out gets a bone or kong. RIP my seatbelt though. We just started nosewoeks back up again so theyre going to get lots of time to practice being "left out". All in all. Good little puppies.

I think more important than if your dog wants another dog, do you absolutely want another dog in your household? I'm glad I waited the two years to fully train up my current dog, as having one dog being pretty reliable has made introducing the new puppy go much easier. We've still had our bumps from transitioning from a solo dog household to a dual dog household but I can say with certainity: I'm glad it happened and it's working out. While working up to that, she's had special play dates with some assorted other dogs like with @dididog who also made the double dog leap recently. Certainly costs more and hell of a lot more poop and dirt about the house. I take both to dog school which doubles the amount of time training and I'm still walking them separately since the young one cannot walk as far and needs much more breaks. I have not had issues with super attachment to each other, but I figured my older dog will keep loving me most and I make sure the puppy gets his special time with me. and...in some ways it has benefited my old dog (she's finally at a healthy weight! she's more confident around people!) it's had its cons (was not expecting this to make her develop some separation anxiety, so excited she's injured her tail from too much wagging, puppy taught her about counter surfing). But it is working out and that makes me happy. Happy enough that i'm 75% sure I still want that third dog in a couple of years ;). I am keeping the ages staggered out so all dogs are suitably well trained when the new family member comes, and as mentioned above, I'm keenly concerned about having a nice spread of ages.