Erny

My previous car had leather seats. My current vehicle has cloth. I want my leather seats back . MUCH MUCH easier.

Did he not take it?

:laugh: ..... I have eaten part of my dog's meal once, when there was absolutely zip else in the fridge or freezer, for the same reason as you (i.e. no time left after looking after the dog). The beauty of having healthy, wholesome, human-grade dog diets is that it is possible to share them :D. I cooked mine up first, though.

Me either KC is a virus and ABs wont help = treat it the way you treat a child with a bad cough - steam and honey. Every dog Ive ever known to get KC had the vacc . Ditto here. Active Manuka Honey (highest UFA factor possible). Off the teaspoon a few times a day / as necessary. I sometimes like to melt some and add it to a small bowl of water (don't overload the bladder too much) if I suspect the pup/dog could do with keeping up hydration more.

My dog (past and present) eats more healthy than I do. I'll eat some junk food - but then I know what junk food does/can do to the body, I'll deal with it. My dog/s doesn't have the presence of mind to be so discerning and trusts that I'll give the right food to eat. And so, to the best of my ability, I do.

I was driving from a consult appointment and along the way I saw a person walking his dog in a head-collar, giving the dog a solid hard few jerks from the leash because his dog was getting excited at the sight of another dog. I cringed, big time. Felt like stopping but the traffic around me prevented that. I didn't see the episode described by the OP and I'm not condoning it, but from what I read I'd cringe a bit less at a slap by the lead than I did at what I saw happening with the head-collar abuse.

I know what you mean. I don't "hate" snakes exactly - I think they are creatures who deserve their space on earth, and I wonder at them for what nature has created. But I do dream of hiking through bush and forest lands such as they do in New Zealand, in nice weather and without concern for their dogs coming across a snake.

No suggestions for individual names, but seeing the photo all I could think of was "The Secret Seven".

I'd be inclined to investigate medical and diet as a possible base line contributing to her behaviour. I'm not saying I think these are culprits, just saying that given all that you've worked on and her manic behaviour is persisting, these would be worth ruling out, at least. These things won't necessary fix the issues you are experiencing, but if they are a foundation to her manic behaviour and they continue to be, any sort of training you work on is going to be at the least difficult if not impossible. Blood work up, including thyroid (and I'd not bother with an Aussie thyroid test - I'd be going USA testing which is not that expensive as you might think). Diet change - depending on what you're already feeding. ETA: Dancinbcs and I seem to be thinking along the same lines. Just saw her post.

I've sent the message on to a friend of mine as well. Her lab has had incontinence issues for many years, from when she was quite young.

I'm not. It's becoming a fashion and I'm seeing it more and more, animals on a variety of medication with NO behavioral intervention at all. Veterinarians and underqualified idiots who call themselves trainers are doing it a lot .... Same here. I'm hearing it quite a lot - people who call me up and ask me to come out to them, few too many have informed me that medication has been suggested to them. Fortunately they have had the presence of mind to query it before jumping on the 'treat-it-with-drugs' wagon. Worst is that the medication is suggested, without recommendation to combine it with behavioural training. (Oops - just noticed you wrote that too, Nekhbet. Obviously it isn't as uncommon as it should be.) In most cases, I've worked with people and their dogs and with a bit of structure, routine and patient persistence, we've been able to work through things. One dog in particular springs to mind we had out and about walking with the owner gobsmacked at how well her dog performed, within the very same first session. Medication didn't even enter my mind for this dog and yet further into the consult the owner confided in me that her Vet had recommended medication for her to administer.

No words can describe what I feel for you. Pretty much every post has said anything I could think of but description doesn't really come near it. It was not your fault. RIP Buddy - run free and swift I am so very sorry for your loss.

Yes he is an idiot but i find this odd. Why do you report him yet these ones have dogs offleash as well.?? I gather either there all breaking the rules so surely then if one is an issue shouldn't the rule apply to them all?? There is the rule of "effective control". Seems to me the others are demonstrating effective control where the other is not. I am personally not concerned about people 'breaking the law' by not having their dog/s on lead when by law they should - provided they have effective control and demonstrate courtesy and consideration towards easily and readily preventing their dogs from encroaching my space without invite, I'm satisfied.

Sorry - I worded that poorly. I was speaking generically when I said "our dogs" - not specifically referencing to my dogs. Given that I only have one here. What I meant was that it does impact on dogs (in general). How it impacts and to what degree/s is another matter entirely, but it is something that is generally noticed in some shape or form. Hope that clears that up a bit better :). I agree that the recent heat can affect and may contribute or be the cause of the lethargy you notice, as could perhaps be the meds he's on (and maybe a combination of all of that).

Every arrival and departure of a 'pack member' (be it human or dog) has an effect on our dog/s. I'd be inclined to not have a dog long term and then have it depart. If Finn is really missing another dog and is not coping well without, I'd be inclined to seek out the company of another person/dogs Finn can interact with more on a short term basis and where long-term pack structure is not altered. Doesn't even mean that dog stays over, but not to suggest it can't from time to time. In the meantime, perhaps looking at altering your pack structure with Finn. Not saying good structure is not there, but can it be improved upon? Working and training with Finn in a different way that lends itself towards pack being more focused on YOU without decreasing his sense of independance (and perhaps even increasing it).

The excessive moulting and more dull than usual coat is symptomatic of a dog's system not running to par, but the reason/s could be various and numerous. Heavy moulting could relate to the onset of hot weather, could be that he is feeling a bit itchy as a result of allergy and feeling a bit stressed as a result, could be dietary related, could be thyroid issue, and so on. A mucky eye can also be a sign of the system not running to optimum - ie running down. I'd check his paws, inspecting carefully between the toes and at the nail beds for signs of infection, grass seed invasion. I'd give his paws a good wash with Calendula Tea to ease any irritation that he might be feeling there. Even a full body wash with the use of the Calendula Tea might be something he'd enjoy. For temporary issues such as contact allergy (assuming the contact is not ongoing) the Calendula Tea was might prove to be all that you need, but either way it might provide him with some relief. Remember also that licking at paws or leg can sometimes be through referred pain from somewhere else. Not saying this is the case for your fella, but keep it in mind.

Thanks :)

Yes, the bindiis do seem to be worse this year than before. Also noticing more grass-seed-in-paw incidents affecting dogs as well .

Work your dog's mind. Get him to work for the reward of retrieve. And train in such a way that he understands not only the rules, but the choice of item for retrieval is yours. It sounds to me as though your dog has had a reasonable dose of reinforcement for choosing the item himself, and that with a bit of effort and a lot of persistence, when the game will start, so expect re-training to take a while. Start training so that there is an "on" switch and an "off" switch and never play the game unless the "on" switch (command) is given. But work - lots of mentally stimulating stuff such as those tricks and obedience responses (and new/extended ones to make it more mentally challenging) in between each retrieve. And YOU choose the item - stick to one item only to begin with, until he gets the idea.

Thank you. Message passed on to my brother :).

at Anniek

This is not for show-dog stuff, just general coat maintenance - what is the best brush to get for use on a Golden Retriever? For general grooming and to help remove bindii's from the coat (bad season for these blighters). Would it be a furminator? Thanks in advance :).

I agree. During this period I tend to work on what the dog CAN cope with, using repetition on repetition on repetition as my means to "progressive training" (believe it or not, it IS happening) during that phase of development.

And don't always push for more and more and more. Be happy with enough given the pup's age and tendancy to be easily distracted by the most of benign things, as they tend to be when they are pups. Work within the perimeters of the pup's level and phase of mental development and capability. Steady as she goes will gain you a dog who has not learnt to fail at the errors of our own hands.

Are these "numerous places" outdoors, perhaps where Charlie wants to avoid and therefore is preferring to stay inside rather than partake in a drink? Dark yellow and drying thick sounds to me as though the urine is too concentrated indicating insufficient hydration. ETA: Although I'm not a Vet and am assuming this is all the problem is, to encourage a dog to drink if I feel it has not had enough, I sometimes add a small amount of (e.g.) Active Manuka Honey to enough water for the dog to drink in one sitting. Not too much that the bladder will over-load, but enough for me to be satisfied to know that enough has been taken. The honey is often enjoyed and drunk whether a dog is thirsty or not - this is good to encourage a dog which needs to take in more but is also another reason not to over-do it.