Ons

not sure about kelpies but all the things you mention are very coolie like especially the holding hands and the vocal noises "woo woo woo" is a common sound from my male coolie. Wait till you tell her off and then she answers back And kelpies were derived from coolies so sounds like you have a normal kelpie there I fostered a kelpie last year for a few weeks, the most beautiful dog ever but oh she was a livewire there is a great kelpie thread in general dog discussions

oh well done Sheree E4 I'm so glad Mello is going home to you. Bit of an oxymoron calling a coolie pup "mellow" though unless she is nothing like my coolie pup!

No offence, Onsntillnflash and others who might have suggested it, but I wouldn't do this until the OP can start a new regime where s/he is able to provide mental stimulation through training. These can and should include obedience training, but also tricks; being able to go outside of the yard; and subject to improvement plus trainer/behaviourist recommendation, sports. But if the tennis balls are the most of what this dog has (from his pov) for entertainment at the moment, to remove them might only provoke him to manefesting mental boredom in some other undesirable hobby. One thing you can do now though, whilst you are waiting for your trainer/behaviourist appointment, is get your dog to do something for you before you throw ball for him. That will at least be a basic start in the right direction. oh okay I see your point. I was actually trying to think of something else that could stimulate the dog's mind rather than the balls but coudn't think of anything that he wouldn't become obsessed with too. Any suggestions Erny? maybe a rope toy or something?

gorgeous doggy! and I agree, professional one on one training and then go to a dog club to get some of his energy off. He is not too old to learn. Agree take all balls away from him but still throw them to him but put away after the game, they are now your toys! With alot of hard work but very rewarding you will have the loving companion that you want

I used to feed Advance too until it got too costly Now I feed Supercoat large breed and even my girl with sensitive skin is doing well on it. Big W sells it the cheapest. they get biscuits every night with the stuff below on it. for breakfast they get Wolfbix bone shaped biscuits, it has no artificial flavours or preservatives, probably no goodness either but it's not their main meal by any means. And they also get pet mince @ $2.00 a kg cooked up with coles frozen mixed vegies and pasta or chicken wings - great chicken factory outlet near my work so I'm sure there would be one near you as well. No brand sardines are a great feed as well. I actually can get the pet mince cheaper at another butcher but it is too fatty. A big bag of bones for $4.00 lasts my four for two nights. All mine are healthy and happy on this diet - my golden retreiver girl does get upset tummies or skin allergies so I have to be very careful what I feed her but I find that she thrives on the above diet and best of all it doesn't break the bank balance.

no answers but just want to give you lots of hugs, I feel so sad for you

what about putting a warm coat on the dog itself? that may help?

without seeing him in "dog" he does look a bit stocky to be pure kelpie but what an absolute absolute cutie! Looks like he is loads of fun. My coolie pup should have standing up ears but alas hers don't, she is now nearly 7 months old so I don't hold up much hope. Her nan has "flying nun" ears so I think Latte is going to have the same although occassionally they do sit up for a short while.

I owned a cavalier Poppy and a maltese Daisy. Poppy passed away and there was a horrible empty house feeling with both Daisy and myself becoming very depressed. So I got my Onslow. A couple of years late Daisy got cancer and a heart problem so I knew that her life on earth was not for much longer. However I didn't want that horrible emptiness again so I found a litter of golden retreiver pups and put my name down for Tilly. I would would have 3 dogs for awhile and it would be company for Onslow as Daisy got sicker Four days before I was to pick up Tilly from her breeder Daisy got so sick she couldn't breath so the kindest thing was to put her to sleep I still feel guilty that people would think that I replaced Daisy so quickly and I did have problems bonding with Tilly for a few months, she was very needy and Onslow didn't like her for many many months. Now both Onslow and I love her to bits Flash was a foster dog so I tried not to bond with him, failed miserably and he became a foster failure Interesting with Latte I have always loved her and felt close to her and vice versa. but it just seems to me that in the last couple of weeks that we are forming a really close bond, she is becoming less reliant on Tilly and more reliant on me

that's a good offer! My butcher charges me $4.00 for bones but I'm not complaining - lovely big bag that does all my four dogs for dinner for two nights

I wouldn't rule out a male golden retreiver. My boy could live quite happily in a townhouse, his golden retreiver sister would go nuts. I think the boys are probably more placid than the girls but there are exceptions of course. Ons went and stayed at my auntys in a terrace house recently for a week and he was very happy with his walk morning and night and able to sleep the rest of the day away. she has a pocketsized backyard and I presume he was out there when she was out (which wasn't often). At home he loves being outside even when he is able to come in but just sits by the gate looking out, he hardly ever runs around the yard like the others. Some of my american friends have golden retrievers in apartments and as they are adquately exercised are fine

well done and what an absolute cutie!

... they won't be sure unless you tell them? O my dog - you could make a fortune!!!! none of us are sure what time the ending is supposed to be so we are presuming (tongue in cheek of course) that's it at 12.01 am no matter what time zone is, so me being first if the world is still there at 12.01 am they know they will survive - roflol Umm there is actually a small country a little east of NSW called New Zealand that will actually be first in the world. ;) I meant that I get Saturday earlier than what my american friends do - but that's a good point - New Zealanders can let us know if they are still here at 12.01 am! lol

... they won't be sure unless you tell them? O my dog - you could make a fortune!!!! none of us are sure what time the ending is supposed to be so we are presuming (tongue in cheek of course) that's it at 12.01 am no matter what time zone is, so me being first if the world is still there at 12.01 am they know they will survive - roflol

enterprising I'm on a golden retreiver forum where everyone else is American so I have had to promise to stay up until 12.01 am on Saturday morning and post whether the world is still in existance or not It seems that it has been getting quite a lot of publicity over there the end of the world, haven't seen any here

my understanding is that the State Law in NSW Companion Animals Act says that you can have as many dogs as you like provided they are not a nuisance. State Law overrules council law eta Woofen posted at the same time as me

whilst I do have to put Latte into her crate each night as she would rather sleep elsewhere, as soon as she is in the crate she settles and goes to sleep without a peep so I consider her crate trained. Latte is the only one of mine that does sleep in a crate now but flash, at my friend's has no dramas about being put in a crate and will stay there quietly as will Onslow. so i consider they are crate trained as well. I put tilly in a crate once with flash and she was okay but I wouldn't say she would stay there for long without a fuss. eta that on the few nights that I haven't put Latte in her crate to sleep half way through the night she has put herself in there anyway

When I was getting my golden retreiver pup as a pet I was allowed to have one of the two girls - the breeder wanted to keep one for showing and was not going to decide until 8 weeks old. Every week the breeder would send me pictures and every week I prayed it was going to be the darker girl. The breeder ended up choosing the lighter girl as the darker girl had too much white on her front and her paws and her head. Tilly still has a bit of white on her, not as much as she did when she was a pup but she is just the greatest dog, her breeder thinks now she made the wrong choice and is urging me to enter Tilly into neuter classes. And as for her sister, hated showing. Basically what I'm saying don't miss out on a great dog because of a few white hairs

my Latte, a 6 1/2 month old coolie loves running around the house and yard squeaking this http://pets1.com.au/JW-Ruffians-Octopus.html she plays with it for hours each day, lucky for her that the other dogs aren't interested in it especially her older brother Onslow the toy ripper. she has also just discovered that it's great fun dropping it in front of Mum's feet so she will throw it to you and you go chase it as it bounces here and there, just hasn't worked out to bring it back directly to mum yet.

part of my golden retreiver's diet list when he came home at 8 weeks old was chicken wings, I don't think that I cut them into two. They are a frequent part of the diet around here and no complaints whatsoever, and no problem eating them. With four dogs they all just get their chicken wings put on top of their biscuits, not cut up. I say that I don't supervise but in fact I indirectly do as I'm in the same room as where they all eat their dinners. My mum's cavalier though gulped one whole and had to pull it out so I would be a bit cautious around the smaller dogs but not a lab.

RIP Tiy, fly free and join your beloved mum in heavan hugs to you Persephone

I'm very sorry for your loss It sounds like Nova had a wonderful home for his last few years and was quite a character RIP Nova and hugs to you Ker

if you are going up the New England more than welcome to stay at my place (provided it's not the Easter weekend) I'm 5 mins off the Highway

frodo is gorgeous! and funny!

I think BB might be a bit out with the cost of a bassett hound When I made enquiries they were from $1500 upwards and that was last year I also was told by my vet not to go near them with a barge pole because they have massive health problems. Now I have no idea whether that is true or not but it may be something you may want to discuss with your own vet.