Cairo1

The only dogs that wore boots had some minor grazes or tenderness. Nearly all of them ran barefoot. The huskies even slept in the snow and didn't seem to mind it at all. And yes, it is in Victoria but since the event is run in a National Park you have to have a permit to have your dogs there. So no, I doubt that a weekend up there with your dog would be feasible We all had to leave our dogs behind. . . . The other reason being that errant dogs create issues when the huskies are running and one or two got into tangles with other dogs. . . . Not sure where else you would go. . . . . But WAIT!!! There is plenty of snow in Tassie at the moment and you don't have to go to a National Park to play in it!! Half of Hobart was under snow today!! Cheerio Cairo1

Hi All, I have just come back from a terrific weekend at Dinner Plains (Vic Highlands). I went especially to see the Sled Dog Challenge and it was terrific fun!! It was also a great opportunity to take some fabulous photographs! There was heaps of snow - in fact it snowed for most of the weekend. The huskies looked very happy as did the other breeds with their lovely warm coats. . . . The mushers and helpers themselves were also very nice and friendly. I had four days up there with a group of friends and we had the time of our lives!! Anyone interested in dogs should make at least one trip up there for the snow races!! When I have sorted out my photos I will put them in the photographic topics!! Cheerio Cairo1

Hi There, Sorry to hear about the bites. . . . my first port of call would be to have him checked by a vet. He may well be sore or unwell in some way and this should be the first thing to rule out. If he is apparently healthy then the next step would be to sort out a management strategy. You have to decide what rules you can and can't live with in order to keep your children safe from being bitten. That will depend on your circumstances in relation to available time and facilities. See how you go with this information and I will be interested to know what happens from here on. Good luck! Cairo1

Hi There, No, I had a Sheltie some years back but my primary obedience dog has always been a german shepherd. He passed away last year and I decided he was irreplacable and so chose a smaller breeder. Mind you, I have been working with Shady since he was 8 weeks old. He knows a lot of behaviours but I now need to add the verbal cues. . . . He is a great fun little dog to work with!! You can email me privately if you like on [email protected] Cheerio Cairo1

Hi Snoopy!! I was sorry to have to leave the class early but I had a late lunch to go to at Richmond. They are a nice group of people and the one who spoke to you about being a member must be one of the grumpiest old stalwarts there. Take no notice they are now in the minority - believe me, I have been going to that club off and on for nigh on 20 years and it has taken some enormous leaps of faith (inspite of the old school)!! I think our instructor is terrific, very much in line with my thinking and she has been an asset to all the new puppy folk that come. I am only there for now to do a bit of socialising myself. I have done a lot of work with Shady at home and because we live on the farm we don't get out and about as much as I like. To be honest, last week was only the second time I had taken him and I was amazed at how social he was! Willow was amazingly social too!! Some dogs are naturally outgoing and some struggle when not given the right exposure early on. I wouldn't worry about Willow - she was there to make friends and have a good time. At the moment that is more important than outright obedience. Also, you have a bit of knowlege to go home and work on. You will find she gets better and better. I think you will find her a joy to work with if you can maintain and direct the enthusiasm. Anyway, all being well - I should be there again next week. I like to go a bit earlier so that I can watch the agility. If you want any help or have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] and yes, I used to have four borzoi but I only have two oldies now! Cheerio Cairo1

The Domain Cross Roads are near the Sports grounds (not the Aquatic Center) but if you go past the Aquatic Center and up the hill you will pass the Tennis Center and then Sport Grounds and it is on the right. It is a lovely green oval with lots of car parking space. Maybe we will see you there? Cheerio Cairo1

Whooops! Just heard from my instructor that puppy classes have reverted to the normal time of 1.30 on Sundays from onw on. Hope you catch this email before you go! Cheerio Cairo1

Hi There! Yes!! There are puppy classes at the Domain Crossroads at 12.30 on Sunday afternoons. They started a couple of weeks ago. That is followed by agility classes which are always fun to watch. Official classes don't start for another week or two (I think). It only costs about $7 to join and then $2 per class. Bring a bag of doggy treats with you when you come because the class is run on strictly positive training methods. Also, you will find that a flat collar and lead is essential. They are a nice friendly group of people and you will enjoy the classes - we have a very good instructor!! I have a blue sheltie of five months old so I may see you there!! Cheerio Cairo1

Hi Daxilly, I don't know if I am allowed to do this but there is a fantastic website called K9 Events. It is an Australian based website and is chock full of information. You will find some terrific articles on kids and dogs and also I am sure that a couple of very knowledgable folk in Melbourne put a booklet together about the topic as well. You will find that on the website too. Not sure if I can mention names etc. Anyways, go and have a look and you will come up with more information than you dreamed of!! I hope this helps Cheerio Cairo1 :D

Hi There! My old dobe bitch was on Stilboestral for a while but since it was ongoing, my vet recommended Sudafed! From memory it was only half a Sudafed every second day and it was cheaper than the previous medication. In his later years my shepherd also became incontinent but he had to remain on Propalin because aparently the Sudafed is more suited to bitches than dogs! Speak to your vet about it since it is an option. Cheers Cairo1

Hi All, I have been to a number of Schutzhund clubs to watch and photograph and from my experience the clubs are well aware of the negative feelings towards them. As such I have found that they take great care in (and of) their members and foster an ethic not seen in many other clubs. I know that those members that are active in these clubs do so with a passion and train and work hard. Somehow I don't think they would tolerate 'cowboys'. I also think that most of these dogs are so highly trained that they make exemplary canine citizens. Cowboys can be found in any discipline and the most dangerous ones are those that have no affiliation with any club because they are the ones that are out of reach as far as education is concerned and they will do as they please. To be honest, of all the canine aggression/accidents I know of, I can't think of any where the dog has had a good level of education (be it Schutzhund, obedience, agility what-ever). I accept that there will always be abberrations as with anything but my comment is in general. My comments aren't meant to be a slight on clubs of other activities because they manage things at a level appropriate to the nature of the club and I applaud the fact that Schutzhund clubs take things so seriously. Cairo1

Hi Karma, I am so sorry to hear of your Rottie's predicament I have had first hand experience with osteosarcoma in one of my borzoi girls. Her condition came on very quickly and within a week she was screaming in pain. She was a bit lame for a day or two initially and I thought it was a running injury and then when she became distressed a few days later I took her to the vet only to find that she had the dreaded C in the shoulder. There really was little for me to do except let her go to heaven. . . . . it really would have been unfair for me to have amputated because Chita was a dog that LOVED to run (being a sight hound). It was one of the saddest days of my life but I am glad that I let her go rather than inflict the dreaded chemotherapy and amputation on such a wonderful friend. I sympathise with you on this - Chita was in extreme pain and there was not much choice for me. In your case, I hope that your Rottie girl is coping alright and that you have the opportunity to persue other forms of healthcare. All the best in this trying time Kind Regards Cairo1

Hi DobermanDave, I had four borzoi, a GSD and a Sheltie. As you can imagine I had to be carefull with what I fed them or they would have eaten me out of house and home. I was showing the borzoi and so a good diet was imperative. After a few years of trying various brands, I finally settled for Bonnie (I think it is about $32 for 20Kg here in Tassie). I used to agonise about winning dogs in the show ring being fed on Eukanuba and other expensive diets and in the end, my dogs looked just as good and did very well in their own right! So, I like Bonnie but I do give chicken frames, shin bones and vegetables when I can so they do get a balanced diet anyway. I had the same agony finding a decent dry food for cats. It is easier to feed them the expensive brands because they eat less. However I spent weeks reading the various labels on the bags and the differences in content was very small. I have now settled with Supercoat and of course the obligatory chicken necks. I don't know if this helps and but this has worked for me. Good luck with your investigations Cheers Cairo1

Hi There Lablover and the other respondents! An interesting topic and one that I have thought about recently too! Many years ago I was proud to be a club member but soon learned that I could have more fun in the army!! I knew little about dog training other than what I had read but I just knew that this wasn't what I wanted. . . Along with the rest of them and yanked, jerked and yelled commands for a short time before leaving. I was so disappointed that there were no other options and I was even more distressed that the clubs were so 'stuck in their ways'. Not long before I left I discovered FOOD!! That made training much more fun but of course it wasn't allowed on the training field. So I trained with a few keen friends, read a lot more and joined various training groups on the internet. I learned all about clicker training and started to attend seminars in Victoria and from there a whole new world opened up. No, I will never join a club of that nature again. I prefer to surround myself with like-minded people who are forward thinking and consider other options in training. Training should be fun - it is after all a hobby for most of us!! Just my thoughts Cheerio Cairo1

Count me in!! I am in Hobart but am happy to attend in Melbourne!! We have few seminars here so I am expecting to travel (with dog). Cairo1

AN UPDATE ON MAYO Hello again and thank you for your kind comments and advice! After some thought I have had a second opinion on Mayo's condition. Given that he was on Rimadyl and didn't appear to be in any pain and the fact that he had to be kept absolutely still made me wonder what in fact may be going on? The other professional opinion was much closer to the mark and so I have changed my practices with Mayo. What he in fact has is called Degenerative Myelopathy (also known as German Shepherd Myelopathy). The symptoms fit him to a 'T'. I have learnt a lot more about this disease in the past week and although it is progressive and degenerative, his quality of life should still be quite good. He is now on vitamin B12 suplements and is expected to continue exercising - if for no other reason than to keep his muscle tone maintained. In the end it will be a very hard decision because there is no pain and Mayo continues to be his very affable self! The time will come when he will have no bowel or bladder control and/or not be able to get up anymore. That will be tough for a 45 kg dog - let alone his owner. In the mean time he is now getting even more extra special care than before so that when he goes, I, at least will know that I put the best I could into his care. So, fingers crossed for a slow decline (to give us more time) and a quick one in the end when it becomes critical. That is all I can wish for. Kindest regards to you all Cairo1

Each time I posted I tried to add an image of Mayo but failed. Hopefully this one works - I finally found the instructions!

I am overwhelmed at the generous advice - thank you everyone! Well, we had a vet visit tonight and she pointed out that the problem was neurological and it looks like he has some instability in his mid spine region. Both his back feet were unable to recover from flection tests and he could bare very little weight in his hindquarters. He is now on Rimadyl as well as cartrophen injections and of course Sacha's Blend. I cross my fingers that there will be some improvement from here on in. Thanks again everyone - I will keep you posted and continue to welcome ideas and advice. Cheerio Cairo1

Thank you for your responses! Trifecta, thank you also for your information. I suspect that I will have to get some medication for him although he doesn't seem to be in pain as such. What really frightens me is that his Mayo's legs go and he is still spritely in the mind. He still has tremendous will power and I think he will hate it if I leave him behind on walks. At the moment there is a big gap between him giving up (mentally) and the deterioration of his hind legs. I can accept it if he wants to go. I have done that before but having to do it because it is practical (since he can't walk) is a terrible choice. I just cross my fingers that when the time comes, it will come together kindly. Thanks again for your help.

Hi there, I am very new to the forum and arrived here by accident really. It is a great resource for all kinds of people and one that I now find necessary to use, sadly. I have a 12 year old GSD (desexed male) who is my pride and joy. He has been the main man in my life, he is loyal, protective, kind, smart, social, fun and we have achieved lots in the way of obedience, flyball, tracking and general PR work. Of course I thought he would be with me forever until this week that is and now it has hit home that he is elderly and not going to be with me forever. In a space of about 4 days he has gone from leaping up steps and into the car to barely being able to pick up his back legs. He seems painfree. Today I walked the 100m or so to the shop and to my distress found that he wobbled all the way and found it a bit tiring. Of course I am now beside myself with grief since I know that this is the beginning of the end. I will be taking him to the vet early this week for a medical but I know in my heart that this is what happens to old GSD. I would love to hear from other people, particularly GSD owners/breeders etc (and other large dog owners for that matter) who have had similar experiences. Were there any natural remedies which held the condition at bay? Please tell me everything you know. . . . Mayo is a big boy of about 27" and weighs about 45 kg (he isn't over weight) and has never had any health issues. He is the more traditional shape and has been sound as a bell since forever :-)) Advice would be greatly appreciated Regards Cairo1