mowgliandme

I think there is a huge difference between the petshop/puppy farm oodles and ones that are ethically bred by good breeders (yes they do exist but i realise there are not many of them) When we went to puppy school at the vet (mostly oodles and a couple of dachshunds) the pet shop oodles were scared, uncomfortable, yappy, highly strung and obviously not well socialised. I would not be surprised if they were to grown into nutty hyper dogs at all...and to be fair i dont think the owners really valued obedience and would probably be the type to let their nutty dogs loose at the park with no recall - some of them were already letting these tiny 3month old puppies walk without a leash in the streets

Awesome i was actually just about to sign up for Dogs Vic membership anyways as i wanted to use the library :)

Ive been there once but she was only 4.5 months so with the train ride and short walk there she was too tired and had to be carried around for much of it :p I'm not even sure we got all the way to the botanical gardens...probably just the Alexandra gardens actually! (I am trying to keep exercise sort of as per the puppy culture recommendations... and she is also a pretty low energy puppy most of the time apart from the few minutes of zoomies a day and the excitement of new meeting people) We would love to join you if Thistle wants ignoring fluffy puppies practice :) will send you a PM when i get home!

I think that most people don't do much research about the type of dog that they are getting, so they are getting what their friends have and designer dogs are sort of "fashionable" so lots of people have them There is a sort of perception that pedigrees are only for people who are only showing dogs - even though there are lots of benefits of having a pedigree, genetically sound, health tested dog! People can be a bit put off by actual poodles because of the pom pommy hair cuts I dont think many people understand that not every poodle cross is going to be non shedding People get wowed by words like "the best of both worlds" Back yard breeders and puppy farms are good at advertising and registered breeders are often difficult to get in contact with and have few litters which can mean long wait times - which doesn't go well with the "puppy for christmas" mentality that some people have People are after a bunch of characteristics which may not be present in a single purebreed hence why they want the personality of a "xyz" with non shedding hair of the poodle There is also little knowledge of the purebreeds available that are non shedding and in a certain size range (small-medium but not toy size) and also another terrible reason but the ones that are often dont have the classic floppy ears/teddy bear "look" that people are after (like miniature schnauzers and westies - even though they are beautiful!) I hope my post doesn't get deleted because of this

Its about 30minutes away but happy to travel for distraction work etc :) is that on a specific day of the week? and are non-event people allowed? Shes pretty good with all the distractions at home - she's very into fetching the ball but will wait until released if i ask her to sit/down and then throw it etc I have done lots of jumping around/crazy movements/thrown food or toys etc But we haven't really started working on distance work yet though so i cant get her to go from sit to a down from more than 1.5 metres away at this stage I also havent played music or doorbell noises though so will try that too :) I have PM'd TSD but not sure if she has received it

That sounds horrible! that is exactly my fear with the home based ones: that any instructions wont get taken seriously enough... that said I havent tried any and would only give my dog to my sister at this stage as she actually understands dog behaviour

Love it! :) finally an article that explains it~

I think there is more demand for personalised boarding now - with photos sent of your dog's adventures, knowing that they are getting one on one time, treated like a pet inside the house etc I used to board my previous dogs and wouldn't do it now at the same places even though they were described as "luxury" pet accomodation. Some reasons are: I'd want my dog to have some interaction which I don't think they would get much of it there, id want her to have access to toys/treat balls/something to keep it entertained all day I really dont want her to learn barking - last time i went there, there was heaps of dogs barking all day - they had nothing else to do. She is also sometimes fearful of dogs barking behind fences while we walk past which I am working on desensitising She's more on an indoor dog and loves being with people I wouldn't like her to be left alone in a kennel run for weeks at a time, but if she was with another dog id want them supervised (probably not going to happen in a kennel) as shes a puppy and sometimes can annoy my housemates dog - she doesnt listen much to his growls either and just continues to try to play which i think is dangerous with new dogs as she could get nipped There is a huge demand for doggy day care here though and grooming gets booked out weeks in advance even without the summer rush! (although i am grooming her myself at this stage)

True - ususally many reasons why dogs do things - wish we could just ask them! :) Ooh love Susan Garrett - hadnt seen that one before I should probably clarify that i'm not after training consultations or even a few weeks obedience course at this stage - she is perfectly behaved in 99% of situations :) I'm after a sort of weekly or ongoing type obedience class that i can use for distraction work with lots of dogs around on leash ideally outdoors in a park - i train with her a lot so she's got the basics down quite well (sits/downs/loose leash walking/recalls/settles on mats etc) and we do a lots of tricks and are able to work in most settings - the hardest setting so far being when we are moving around in obedience classes in parks :)

Thank you PK :D knew it was the right thing to be doing for my dog! Just probably didn't need to cry the whole way home because someone else's puppy got corrected that ive never even talked to

Thanks for all the suggestions :) we may train nearby one day (we are rarely here for weekends anyways) I havent let her off the leash properly (i've let go of it a couple of times when i was sure she would come back and she did) but we use a 10m lead for park work so we dont bother other dogs - but other dogs come and bother us instead Pet market sounds lovely - locked it into the calendar! I thought the dominance theory had been disproven...? i would think shes kicking the ground in an instinctual "burying" type way - ive had dogs that do that that definitely werent "dominant" in any case

Im new to grooming so i used an attachment comb over the clippers and it was pretty easy! I got the wahl stainless steel attachment combs set of 8 - it has so many lengths to choose from! (i was going to buy 2-3 individual combs but it ended up being the same price to just get the whole set with shipping) its recommended to use them over a number 30 blade (mine hasn't arrived yet so i did it with a number 10 blade that came with the clippers and it still came out pretty good) :) I like her fluffy so I used the longest comb and it was a lot longer than I expected, so next time i'll probably try a couple of sizes down - I used a shorter comb underneath her body. I think that set has everything for a winter or summer cut/any other in between cut you do! Im very happy with my wahl italian series scissors, i have the 7inch straight scissor and the 6.5inch thinning scissors ETA: I just got mine so i am not sure on the maintenance/durability of these but i have heard great things, apparently with the blade as long as you oil it regularly (my clippers came with oil) they should last for years - youre not meant to wash them in water though I dont know how to look after the blade combs but so far i have cleaned the hair off them with a soft toothbrush and wiped them with a cloth...but i dont know if they need anything else

Noted for next time...this one had "positive" in the name so i thought it would be!

Not your fault thistle! :) I think we are both too soft, mowgli and me! I think she would shut down with corrections and I would be in tears like i was today just watching - if I can train her in purely positive ways, I will! I'm not really sure if its just that trainer that we had today but so far we've had 2 (apart from from the head trainer who i feel is much more positive) who have done things like this or suggested things like correcting other peoples dog for "dominance" things like "getting on the couch" when they weren't in the room I think I would be too annoying if i was training nearby? She is excellent at doing anything if we are standing still and there are dogs nearby (even a couple of meters) its just i have difficulty with loose leash walking near dogs so we have to go sit in a driveway while people walk past us in the street etc - so i'm going to try find dogs to practise walking nicely with sometime soon! That said she is only a puppy so it is expecting a lot of her anyways

I'm not really sure on the definition but I don't think its a local obedience club so probably private! As in, its not something like "location" dog club? Thank you for those links PK :) looking into them now, I am looking for a school which is outdoors though because she has no problems with focus/obedience at all inside, on the streets, on trains, in the city etc and we are just working on distraction work mainly around lots of other dogs in parks (not that we go to parks much but I would like her to be able to work around dogs) I think I was too naive, I honestly thought that that kind of training didn't exist any more

Need recommendations for good places for dog training in Melbourne's south east but they must actually be positive reinforcement only! We just got back from the worst class ever, I sucked it up for class but left in tears Apparently they cant teach no jumping to dogs without a “correctional collar” and they encouraged dogs to jump up by exciting them and patting their legs and then yanked it when it did! Apparently that’s how you teach, you set up scenarios where your dog will fail and then suffocate it with a martingale collar harshly. Apparently a dog barking in fear at a passing scooter needs to be firmly corrected and then taken over to where the scooter was and corrected again (until it yelped) for sniffing the ground where the scooter was – how is this even dog training at all? I am at a loss, I pretty much covered my dogs eyes and gave her treats while this happened. None of this was done with my dog (nor will it ever be!) but I was encouraged to get a martingale collar which I refused because my tiny puppy was sniffing a lot while we were waiting for the next exercise even though she was responding well when actually asked to do things. I am very happy with training my dog myself (which I have been doing) I just want the added distractions of dogs working in close proximity which I haven’t managed to get successfully at the park to the same level as training.

oh i didnt see these either! he is sooo adorable!

This is our dogs too, neither is very food motivated with their own food in their own bowl... but even if its their own food in the other dogs bowl they MUST have it! :) They also dont like the water bowl which is in the kitchen or the one right outside the back door underneath a tap, which are both easy to keep clean and filled up, but prefer the one on the deck which is is only sometimes filled up by rainwater and has dirt in it (because they paw at everything that falls in there - like little leaves or bugs...)

this is all provided puppy is sourced from a reliable and ethical breeder who can prove that most likely genetic conditions are not present in parents ..and has taken good note of how pup has grown /what health protocol has been in place . Not sure of pet insurance ..but if a pup was to be food intolerant, or have HD , or lose sight due to something hereditary ... what happens here? I also definitely recommend going through a reliable and ethical breeder as well who health tests :) Hereditary conditions are covered by PetPlan provided no symptoms in the first few weeks of insurance/whatever the waiting period is...so medications for those would be covered/including surgery for HD... Dont think there are treatments for loss of eye sight/food intolerance though ?

Dremel noob here! :) Do i need to get a heavy duty/expensive one for a small dog (under 10kg)... I don't really have any other use for it Will this one do? https://www.bunnings.com.au/dremel-200-1-21-125w-series-rotary-tool_p6280075 And is this the attachment that you use with it https://www.bunnings.com.au/dremel-13mm-120-grit-sanding-bands-6-pack_p6282519 Or is a pet specific one better like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pet-Dog-Cat-Wahl-Premium-Pet-Nail-Trimmer-Tool-Grooming-Grinder-Clipper-Wireless-/361589138258?hash=item5430646352:g:D7AAAOSw9eVXWRo9 Ive had a look on the Bunnings website but the dremel stylus/medalian engraving tool or the dremel pet nail don't seem to be available any more, and the dremel 3000 is $128...which I could get if its better but not sure if its necessary for a such small dog... i have been using human nail clippers so far on her

I agree with tdierikx :) Thats what i did, but be careful as after the initial meeting which went great I thought they'd be good with everything but turns out the older dog guards some toys from the puppy and is a bit edgy with treats being given on the ground (but not to him directly) too which he never was before/with my previous dog or with any humans

I am in melbourne so our house is normally pretty cool but here are a few suggestions that i would use outside but some of them should be fine indoors too if you have tiles or floor boards :) Wet towel to lie on or a cool gel mat Ice in their water (larger pieces keep it cool for longer so we fill little containers) Freezing water in a milk bottle overnight - mine like to lie on it! Icey treats like veggies/chicken necks in stock (no onion or salt) frozen can keep them entertained too - not an indoors thing! Closing curtains/blinds also helps keep our house cooler on very hot days They are adorable! I think if they have access to lots of drinking water most dogs are comfortable inside? :) But im not from Queensland so someone else will probably know more!

Thank you Simply Grand! :) I am amazed and how well its going! Wouldn't have been able to do it without all the advice from this forum! this isn't a park with dogs though, so she is not really playing as much as sniffing things and coming back to me... but we play together (some tug/fetch), run around and do some training (other than recall) too, and then we just chill out in the shade together (her idea not mine!) we will probably go to a busier park down the track and do the same thing there too in the last week or so she is actually less interested in sniffing and more in just following me around seeing what we'll do next/what treats she can get

She is almost six months at the moment so not sure if we were just in the start of the teenage phase a few weeks ago? or if its yet to come? but happy to back track for her, even now I am starting slow each day/so i dont let her run loose as soon as i get to the park, i do a few practice recalls from 1m, 3m, 5m before building up to 10m and then letting of of the long line and sometimes if its not working, we just stay on that level for the day but the park we are going to is not busy, normally pretty empty apart from a couple of kids/birds Its a fun place to play tug in and run around with her though :)

I just wanted to give a quick update! All the things worked :D Getting great recall even in a park with children playing, balls being thrown and birds on the ground, even from 10m distance (I use a long line as the park is not fenced but in a quiet street) Sometimes I can’t get her to stop staring at me when we are walking for ages (which makes me uncomfortable so trying to get a little less of that!) great for heeling but I just want loose leash walking without running ahead - guess it just works too well :) Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions :)