fainty_girl

Thanks kelpiesrule . When I'm out with Tilly she is not that interested in dog treats (now this sounds weird, but she loves banana and the few times i've taken one with me it has definitely gotten her attention way more than any dog treat). She is definitely responsive to being told "good girl" etc in a more excited voice and pats though, so this helps with her recall. The past couple of days i've tried to be extra positive with her at the park when she is listening well, and she was particularly good for me this morning. The other day she had gone to round up this dog a few times and wasn't listening, so I called her and went towards the car to leave. She went up to this same dog today, had a very polite sniff and then came back to me, and even though she did start to run over towards the dog again a couple of times she stopped and came back to me when called. I'm also trying to get her walking better on the leash (stop her pulling) while also getting her to see the leash as a positive thing. I think she really picked up on how frustrated I was with walking her, plus when I used to take her to dog parks and was having issues with her getting into scuffles with particular dogs, I obviously had to put her on the leash and leave. When she sees a harness/leash she is quite reluctant to wear it, but she loves going for walks. Just by trying a different method with walking her on the lead, she has definitely improved. I also agree with what you said about park time, and its actually one of the reasons I avoid dog parks now (I just take her to an ordinary park that has the odd dog strolling through). I take her to this park because there are less distractions around her and it definitely keeps her more focused than she would be at a busy dog park. I actually asked my dad to come with me to the park the other day for a bit of support/advice for managing Tilly and he could see that Tilly was listening to me more than she used to when we first got her and that she had definitely improved. Sorry my postings about Tilly always seem so negative... . She really means a lot to me, so I tend to worry about minor things a lot. She is actually a really lovely dog, contrary to what I always seem to post.

Thank you , you just made my day!

She looks like a beautiful dog . My kelpie X Tilly was about 8 months old when I got her and she was a stray too. She is about 1.5 now and isn't calm yet...I think i'll be waiting about another 14 years for that to happen . She is relaxed, content and very happy at home, but is full on to take out (both on and off the leash). I suppose my tip would be to find out what rewards Faith values and use it when you are training her. Tilly has a much loved squeaky ball that she will do anything for. I don't let her play with it all of the time and use it to reward her, get her attention and distract her. Good luck

Your sketches are lovely . Here are a bunch of different photos of my dog Tilly. You are more than welcome to practice drawing her!

I tried taking a banana to the park a couple of times in the past week and it has definitely gotten her attention way more than a dog treat ever did. Whatever works I guess...some people take dog treats for rewards, for Tilly I take a banana and her favourite squeaky ball.

kelpiesrule, how do you effectively deal with the independent streak in a kelpie? Eg. I had Tilly at a park today (not a dog park, but people do walk or play the odd game of fetch with their dogs there) and Tilly got totally fixated on this old labrador that was playing fetch with it's owner as they walked through the park. Tilly rounded up the labrador non-stop as the man walked through the park, she ran rings around them the whole time. When Tilly goes to run with a dog that is playing fetch I normally keep my distance from her and call her, and walk in the opposite direction from her, or try to get her to focus on chasing her own ball. Or if i'm near the other dog owner and it's obvious that the other dog owner is happy for Tilly to run with their dog, then she will happily run with other dogs, but will keep an eye on me and will follow when it's time to leave. I just couldn't snap her out of it today. I've had a cold for several days now, with a sore throat so my voice isn't very strong at the moment and i've felt a bit rundown from it. The owner walked back towards me briefly, and smiled as he said she had too much kelpie in her. I apologised and reassured him that she would come back to me when she knew he was leaving...sure enough as soon as he began to leave the park, Tilly ran really fast towards me and seemed to have her listening ears turned on again . Tilly listens to me so well at home and listens at the park, provided she is not seriously distracted. I just always seem to have some minor trouble when I take her out, due to how independent she can be.

Thanks for posting this info... It's always interesting to read, even though i've only owned Kelpie X's.

I'm a big fan of Cesar Millan and i've never seen him repeatedly poke a dog over a bone... . I've seen him claim a bone, but not poke a dog. My dog Jessie was protective over her bones when we first got her and still is a little bit. If I had tried to poke her and take her bone there's no doubt in my mind that I would have been bitten. If I need to get a bone off her or move her to a different area to eat her bone (say that she had snuck it into the house) then I ask a family member to help and distract her by calling her for a treat into another room. So I would only ever touch her bone if she was a good distance away from it. If either of my dogs are eating decent bones (like lamb shanks), I separate them in the yard. Tilly eats her bone in the pool area and Jessie will eat hers on the deck and in the garden. I like to give them both space when they are eating bones, and don't want to make them feel like their food is threatened. Quite often Tilly will sneak in small pieces of bone into the house, that she will end up sharing with Jessie. They are always supervised and if one dog is munching on a small piece of bone, then the other must give them space.

Eating a banana skin must be pretty unpleasant though . If I take banana skins outside to put in the worm farm or in a birds nest fern she starts jumping around with her eyes popping out, thinking they're for her. Tilly will eat just about anything though...the only thing she draws the line at is eating citrus and lettuce.

Thanks for your replies. Sometimes Tilly will have a whole banana or she will have half with Jessie, or other times I just break a piece off if i'm eating one myself. In the past i've mashed them (sometimes mixing with puppy/dog milk) and frozen it in a kong and she enjoys that as a treat too. She gets veeeeeery excited about them and has even gone as far as eating a banana skin (yuck!) when I wasn't home...

Are bananas ok for dogs? Bananas are probably one of Tilly's favourite foods, and a couple of times a week she might eat one as a treat. Are bananas ok for a dog to eat as a treat?

Tilly is quite the free spirit if she is out of the house. I don't really associate the term 'defiance' with dogs though. If i'm at the park with Tilly playing fetch and she ignores a familiar command, something that i've found works with her is turning and walking in the opposite direction (ideally towards the car) and that seems to send her the message of if she's not going to listen then we'll go home. It doesn't work all of the time, but it is reasonably effective for Tilly.

Here is a link I found with some info about stumpy tail cattle dogs, with some info quoted from the site below: http://www.wolfweb.com.au/acd/stcd.html "The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is NOT a short-tailed Australian Cattle Dog, but a different breed. Some of the differences between the two include:- The Stumpy Tail is a "square" dog, having a 1:1 height - length ratio, or a "square" dog, whereas the ACD ratio is 10:9 ratio oh length is to height. The Stumpy Tail has a finer and more wedge-shaped head than The Australian Cattle Dog. The Stumpy Tail has no tan markings at all. The Stumpy Tail’s ears are high set( but smaller rather than large while the Australian Cattle Dog’s ears are lower set) and moderately pointed at the tip. The Stumpy Tail is a more racy, active dog than the Australian Cattle Dog. The Stumpy Tail’s tail is naturally bob-tailed and must not be docked."

Could have been an ACD or an Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle dog. Strangers in the street often say "Allo Bluey" to my stumpy tail cattle dog X.

Boy am I glad that I've only got female dogs . When my older brother was really young, he commented that my late Grandma's poodle had a lipstick.

We got Jessie desexed when she was on heat. When we adopted her she had kennel cough, and after she got over that she went onto heat. Our vet said it was more risky to desex her when she was on heat due to the risk of increased blood loss. Well an entire dog who was about 11 years old flew over our 6 foot fence one morning. We were not sure if anything happened between them, but after that incident we booked Jessie in to be desexed while she was on heat. There were no issues at all with her surgery and the dog continued to visit us every month or so for several years (Tilly went nuts the past two times he came to the door though, and he hasn't come back since + he is quite old now too).

Cute video!

Thanks poodlefan, we do have some dog nail clippers here, but they've never been used. Tilly's nails were short when we got her 9 months ago, so it's taken them a while to grow, even though 99% of the time she is running on grass. I just don't want to hurt her, that is why I'm willing to get them done at the vets when they need to be done.

Thanks luckypup . Tilly loves pawing at everyone (in a playful and friendly way, or just to get your attention), so I guess they feel sharper and longer than they look when they're scratching me.

Thanks redarachnid

I just use dog shampoo (normally Fido's), no need for conditioner here. Washing Tilly is already a struggle (like wrestling a crocodile that doesn't bite :D ) without prolonging bath time with conditioner.

Are my dog's nails long enough to be clipped? Tilly's front claws seem to be getting quite sharp...from the photos below, do you think they are long enough to be cut? Just don't want to waste going to the vet if they are still to short to be cut. (Sorry if this seems a stupid question...my other dog Jessie has never let anybody clip her claws!). One of her front paws Both front paws Underneath front paws

My dog Tilly was really food obsessed, but she is better with this now. When we first got her she would get excited about seeing me with a glass of water. She also used to really inhale her food at meal times as well. She still loves her food and will happily eat just about anything, but she has definitely relaxed more. Tilly was a bit skinny and I don't think she was used to being fed regularly. But over time, with the predictability of getting fed decent meals regularly, she has relaxed quite a bit. Maybe your foster greyhound will be the same.

I can sympathise! My dog Tilly is about the same age as your dog, and a few months back I started having some issues with her getting into scuffles at the dog park (a particular dog at two different dog parks that she did not get along with). Like your dog, fortunately she did not cause any injuries to other dogs, but it was upsetting and embarrassing when it did happen. She does not just go and attack any dog she sees or anything like that, but there are certain things that trigger her behaviour. I just have to be weary about the places I take her... -I don't take her to any dog parks in the day and there is only one empty dog park that I take her to at night after dark when there aren't any other dogs around. -In the day time I have recently started taking her to a local park (not a dog park), so she can have a good run around. There might be the occasional person walking their dog through the park (on/off leash), but that is not an issue for Tilly. Or instead of this park, I also take her to an empty sports field to play fetch. Maybe eventually when Tilly is more obedient off the leash, and more controllable when excited, then I might venture into dog parks again in the day, but I don't think she will be that way for a while. In my situation, keeping Tilly away from dog parks and taking her to quieter places where she will just see the occasional dog is a safer option for now. I did try taking her to the dog park in the day wearing a muzzle or keeping her on the lead instead, but neither of these options worked for Tilly. She wasn't her usual happy self when she had the muzzle on and wouldn't run and play as usual. And with staying on the lead, she just appeared to be frustrated when she couldn't run and play with other dogs. I suppose it's trial and error, with trying to find what works best.

Thanks fbaudry . Is agility done off-leash?