Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[Primedogs]

Love the two video's

luckily the breakdown was only 800m or so away from my house so not that far to walk once I convinced the doggys that napping in the car wasn't going to get them home and they had to walk. Thanks for the good luck wishes.

hope you can get there with that stand lilli_star, no help here but KTB has some good advice on that thread

[Clastic]

Love the photos and the vids are awesome!

Primedogs, glad that the breakdown wasn't too far from home.. but still, it sucks!

Good luck with the 'stand' lilli_star, we haven't done much with ours on that.. but most of the time they just want to sit when I ask them to stand. LOL. Hope that soccer ball lasts, we currently live behind a child care and the kids always throw random toys over. We've had 2 inflatable balls comes over the fence and ofcourse when I get home, there are just pieces of plastic everywhere.

A bit of a wet day today, bet all the Sunday dog training Canberrans are happy assessment was on Thursday and not today!

I think I might just lounge around today.. although I do have a tonne of washing to do! Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!! Stay dry!

[betsy]

Looks like you guys had a great day. The doggies looked very well behaved with one another. And I'm sooooo jealous of your dog park!

[KumaAkita]

thanks to all for coming, it was a great day. Glad the weather held out and didn't pizzle like it is today!

I didn't manage to get my camera out, so no photos from me. Kuma is enjoying his stash, I'll try to get photos before they're all well and truely munched on.

I'm just nursing some savage sunburn now, had my phone fixed and all's well. Enjoy the rest of your weekends.

[wuffles]

I'm just nursing some savage sunburn now, had my phone fixed and all's well. Enjoy the rest of your weekends.

I don't know if it could compare to my sunburn I'm going to be stinky for a while because I can't shower

[lilli_star]

Yeah it's raining here too. No walk for Miss Ruby this morning, and if it keeps up like this, I doubt she'll get one this afternoon either

I have a tonne of washing to do as well- didn't do any yesterday in case it rained while I was at dog school, but typically the rain held off til today. The dryer will be getting a workout today lol.

I look forward to seeing pics of Kuma with his stash of pressies too

I'm supposed to be doing reports...better make a start I suppose

[koalathebear]

Sorry to hear about the sunburn! I appear to have escaped unscathed. We were lazy and slept in until 11am this morning Both doggies were sleeping in our room, Hoover in his crate and after his morning wee, Elbie was in his dog bed. Perhaps the sound of bucketing rain soothed them? Neither was impressed by the heavy rain though and OH carried each one out to Poo Corner in his arms in the rain As soon as they were done, a wet doggy came hurtling inside again through the dog door.

I am relieved that assessment was Thursday night and that Saturday was such a lovely and fine day - doing our Saturday classes and then the BBQ in the rain would have been challenging The BBQ facilities out there are lovely (if you can get one) and we all like the dog park there! Elbie and Hoover were so tired - even late last night they were still snoozing peacefully. Elbie did his usual playing 'around' the other doggies. Hoover likes to run with the gang but on the edges like he's herding sheep or something.

Clastic - I am so sorry that Hoover tried humping poor Pepper twice. He's getting desexed early next month. Elbie grew out of his puppy humpiness and I hope Hoover does, too. I thought of this post with a wry face yesterday and was very relieved that there were no Angry DOLers around to post about my badly behaved puppy.

Other posts I find scary today are this one (pedigrees are a work of art and crossbreeds are a scribble ... I find it interesting, illuminating and just a little bit scary to see how different people regard their dogs) and this one (rehoming a high drive stafford). The latter was one of those posts where I could just see how the tenor of the conversation was going to go and how it was all going to end even before there were any replies.

Edited November 28, 2010 by koalathebear

[lilli_star]

Yeah, me too KTB. I read the first five or six originally, and then didn't revisit the thread until you posted the link. Yikes! It certainly snowballed from there I truly hope that I, and indeed, any of us, never have to experience what the OP is going through.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (sorry, flashback to Fast Forward parody of Derryn Hinch just came to mind then!), I'm so glad we have this cosy corner where we are all so supportive of one another and our doglets.

[Primedogs]

Well to much rain here so our assesment has been put off till next sunday, am glad as that means my cold should be gone by then so I don't scare deakin with a fit of coughing in one of the activities, and it also means that there can actually be a chance of passing and a more proper christmas party.

I am also sorry about Deakin humping Kuma, he is desexed and doesn't normally do that so I don't know what got into him.

[ravenau1]

Happy (belated) Birthday to Ava and Kuma! Looks like everyone had a great time. Those biscuits you made looked yummy KTB, do you mind if I ask where you found the cutters?

I wonder if I can talk OH into having a party for our Puppy on her birthday (which is also our Wedding Anniversary), they look like fun. Though my chances are fairly slim I think.

Loving all the doggie pics, and I have to admit though all your dogs are lovely, I am seriously in love with Satch! He really is so striking looking!

The whole dog humping thing puzzles me somewhat as I always thought some humping was normal doggie behaviour . Of course I imagine you don't want it to become a constant thing but I remember when i was growing up our GSD (female) would hump my Grandfathers Daschund (usually his head!) and no one really seemed bothered by it. If the Daschund got annoyed he would tell the GSD off, or someone would 'shoo' the GSD away.

Same with killing things. Pretty much anything that came into the yard was fair game. The same GSD once broke into our chicken coop and killed most of our chickens. I was pretty upset because she killed my pet chicken named Paradise (who I used to push around in a pram ) but my parents explained that she was a predator and it was natural and it was our responsibility to prevent her, and if we didn't sufficiently then we were to blame, not her. She also was MA, that's Milkman Agressive (back in the day when milk was delivered). She also once bit a friend of the family, who used to tease her. "Served him right" was the general feeling. I guess these days she would be called a problem dog or something because of these things! Back then she was just a normal dog doing what dogs do.

We also had a Keeshond when I was little. We moved from the country to the suburbs and she wasn't adapting well. My parents sent her to live on a farm. I always thought that was the usual code for her dying or them having her put down. It was only a few years ago that the subject came up at dinner with my parents and I discovered that she really DID go and live on a farm and she lived until she was 15!

We have 12 days to go until puppy day

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and those of you who were burned are recovering!

Oh, and KTB, I saw your puzzle thread in the off topic section and I have a puzzle fiend here too he's from a long line of puzzle nuts! Anyway it inspired me to get out a couple of our jigsaws again

Edited November 28, 2010 by ravenau1

[Niques]

Kuma and Ava's party looks like it was a hit! :rolleyes: James and I are very jealous (especially of those biscuits - yum!). Loving all the photos. Ava, in particular, is a very photogenic pup.

Very, very exciting, Ravenau! Hopefully those 12 days will just fly-by for you. Are you all prepared?

We had our usual Sunday dog-park outing today, and encountered our first dog there just before we had planned to leave. James was (mostly) very well behaved with her - huuuuge relief. Although he has a tendency to sniff female dogs' bums to the point where they get a little cross with him so had to reprimanded once or twice. Thankfully he was all knackered out so he could only muster a little bit of energy to play. Even then the other owner kept commenting on how much energy he had - if only she knew that was James at his most exhausted

Forgive the photo overload

"I'm coming to get you, ball!!"

"Nearly there!"

"...oh, I've missed it, haven't I?"

"Prepare for take-off!"

[wuffles]

Awww how cute is James!!! Flying lab! I'm impressed that you got the mid-air photos, I'm always too slow.

For those of you who are in QLD (in or around Brisbane), I'll be up there over Xmas with my two ferals if anyone wants to meet up. I'll have a car so can go pretty much anywhere, but my parents are near the airport so close to the Nudgee and Nudgee Beach dog parks :rolleyes:

It won't stop raining so it looks like we won't be walking today. Satch hasn't been outside to pee yet today. Ava went out after much encouragement although I did get a death stare We're off to see Harry Potter tonight, yay.

[lilli_star]

"...oh, I've missed it, haven't I?"

I love the expression on his face in this pic- and his ears!

Cue the Peter Pan song- "He can fly!" :rolleyes:

[koalathebear]

I think I might just lounge around today.. although I do have a tonne of washing to do! Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!! Stay dry!

We are also doing laundry but we'll be using the dryer today instead of the clothes horse. As mentioned before, this house doesn't even have an outdoor clothesline. :D Weirdly enough, OH thought it was strange that people here use their outdoor lines, apparently in Canada it's more normal to use the dryer!! I said that growing up, we always hung up the clothes outside and didn't even own a dryer. Then when we did get a dryer, it was only for wet days or clothes we need to dry urgently. Anyway, the doggies show no interest in pulling the clothes off the indoor clothes horse and having no clothes drying outside removes temptation from them ...

lilli_star: good luck with the reports.

Yeah, me too KTB. I read the first five or six originally, and then didn't revisit the thread until you posted the link. Yikes! It certainly snowballed from there ;) I truly hope that I, and indeed, any of us, never have to experience what the OP is going through.

I agree ... I also think it was a huge mistake to post about such an emotional and distressing topic here without knowing the dynamics of the place first A post like that was never going to get a receptive hearing. Also, rehoming an animal to better circumstances isn't always a bad thing. Our teacher on Sunday owns a jack russell terrier that was rehomed to her. It is apparently a chicken and a cat killer - will kill any small animal it encounters. Its previous owners couldn't handle it but our instructor worked with the dog for a while and the dog was fine when it was with her pack. When they tried putting the rehabilitated dog in a new home, it killed again so it came back to our teacher where it's been fine ever since and even though she never supervises it with cats and small animals, it hasn't killed again. There are some dogs that can only do well in the right home - it's definitely not the case that it's always bad to try to rehome that sort of dog.

primedogs: glad to hear that the assessment was deferred. OH and I were commenting that it really wouldn't be fair to expect a doggy to perform well in the pouring rain!

ravenau1: I bought the dog-shaped and dog bone-shaped biscuit cutters from Cooking Coordinates at the Belconnen Markets here in Canberra. I'm sure you could get them online.

I wonder if I can talk OH into having a party for our Puppy on her birthday (which is also our Wedding Anniversary), they look like fun. Though my chances are fairly slim I think.

I sympathise. OH is very committed to the dogs, loves them heaps and looks after them better and more than I do - but even he was a little dubious about doggy parties. He is now mournful at the fact that even though he and Hoover share the same birth date, chances are Hoover will get more prezzies than him :rolleyes:

The whole dog humping thing puzzles me somewhat as I always thought some humping was normal doggie behaviour ... Same with killing things. Pretty much anything that came into the yard was fair game.

I think the thing is these days, dog ownership has been elevated to a level almost akin to having children and dogs are very much humanised so when they display inappropriate behaviours that are arguably normal dog behaviours, they're frowned on more. For killing things, my old family dog used to kill the occasional bird that was in the backyard. He didn't eat them, I don't think he even intended to kill them but he would pounce and if they didn't get away in time, the force of the pounce would kill the poor bird. I never thought it meant that he was vicious or should be put to sleep.

As to humping, I think it's also a relatively normal doggy thing but it is very bad manners to let your dog go around humping other dogs without trying to stop it. Some dogs do not take kindly to other dogs humping them - humping their faces etc. It's an invasion of their space and they don't like it so left unchecked, it can lead to fights etc. Some people say that it's dominance-related, other people say that it isn't - that argument goes around in circle forever.

It's also been elevated to human etiquette level i.e. it is bad manners for me to let my dog hump others. Elbie used to hump my OH's arm if he was wearing a dogshirt or he saw certain toys and blankets. He grew out of it. Hoover has a bad habit of occasionally trying to hump Pepper or Ava - fortunately wuffles and Clastic are very understanding and know that OH and I try to get Hoover off of their dog when we see it happening. I think part of the reason a lot of humans get annoyed about the dog-humping is that some people find it funny. I hope Hoover grows out of it, but in the meanwhile, we'll keep pulling him off dogs if we see it happening.

I don't agree with the condemnation I see on DOL about the dog humping per se. Every time there's a distressed thread about humping on DOL, you're guaranteed to see a few people saying: "I don't understand why your dog humps, my dog never humped/none of my dogs has ever humped" - I think I read someone here saying that it must be a breed thing because none of her border collies ever humped etc. I don't enjoy being made to feel like a mutant because my dog is humpy sometimes given that I do my best to intervene if I see it happening.

Anyway, it's one of those topics that just goes around and around. Kind of like how some people say that a 'friendly dog' is actually just a 'rude dog', desexed or don't desex, raw vs kibble, puppy food vs adult kibble blah blah BLAH. There's never going to be agreement but for my part, I apologise about the humping because I know it's socially unacceptable and I am embarrassed my pup does it and I do try to stop him

We have 12 days to go until puppy day

Yay!!! So exciting! And what a cute little doggy Name yet?

As to jigsaws, I'm thinking of trying to do a puzzle today! It's been ages since we've done one. The problem is, I've done something to my shoulders and I woke up incredibly stiff and sore this morning, barely able to move my shoulders so that doesn't bode well for leaning over a table and sorting puzzle pieces

Niques: Gorgeous photos! Please don't ask for forgiveness, this is a photos thread after all!!! I love all of his flying shots, this one in particular cracks me up as he flies through the air. He's telling you he wants to do flyball.

wuffles: our problem is getting the doggies outside. Once they're out there, they're willing to Do Their Business even if it's bucketing down. :D

Some photos of our gang. Hoover is spending his rainy Sunday arvo snoozin'

We have been trying out Christmas costumes on Elbie - who wasn't very impressed. Santa Elbie was ok with the cape, albeit dubious

Most forlorn Santa dog on the face of the planet ...

We also have little antlers but with our doggies ears, we have problems putting them on them

[KumaAkita]

Kuma has grabbed all his squeaky toys and put them into a pile. He is currently taking turns at squeaking them. It's a squeaker symphony at the moment

[lilli_star]

Weirdly enough, OH thought it was strange that people here use their outdoor lines, apparently in Canada it's more normal to use the dryer!!

Yeah, my ex's parents' house had a clothesline (but not a Hills Hoist type), but I was the only one who ever used it! :rolleyes: Middle of summer, and they would still use the dryer! I just couldn't get my head around that.

lilli_star: good luck with the reports.

Thanks. They're not really going anywhere though :D I've had a prac student on my class for the past 5 weeks which meant that although I was in the classroom, it wasn't me teaching, so as a result, I'm not where I would be usually to be ready to write reports. Having a prac student in Term 4 was extremely unhelpful, and I was kicking myself for not looking more carefully at the dates when the boss first asked me to do it. Anyway. They've finished up their prac now.

Anyway, it's one of those topics that just goes around and around. Kind of like how some people say that a 'friendly dog' is actually just a 'rude dog', desexed or don't desex, raw vs kibble, puppy food vs adult kibble blah blah BLAH.

Oh God, don't even get me started! I'm STILL confused as to when I should stop feeding Ruby puppy food and why or why not I haven't yet. I think I'll change her over to adult food when this bag is finished (not long opened it). I know that puppy food is really only a relatively new "invention" so to say, but all the differing opinions, even just within the one breed is confusing! And as for desexing, well, it's done now, but there's still a niggling voice in the back of my mind that wonders if I should have waited just a little bit longer. Then the voice of reason takes over saying that I did what was right at the time, I had advice from several vets (including my sister), I have no facilities to lock her up if she had come into season (especially with an entire GSD next door, even if he is only a puppy), and at the end of the day, she's a pet, not a show dog. But...still. :D As for raw vs kibble, well, I give Ruby a mix of kibble and meat- sometimes mince (frozen in a Kong), or sardines, or a couple of times a week lamb shanks. My next door neighbour COOKS food for his dogs- I'm not kidding. The other day when I was mowing the lawn, I could smell something really yummy cooking like marinated chicken wings. It turned out my next door neighbour was BBQing some- for his dogs! Yes, he breaks every rule and feeds his dogs cooked bones. He really, really loves his dogs (cooks up vegies, pasta, meat and gravy for them), and even though I have said that cooked bones, especially chicken, are really not safe for dogs, he assures me that he always has, and they're fine, so what can you say?

KTB, did you tuck Hoover in, or does he snuggle under the blanket himself? He looks so cute! Ruby is currently curled up on the wet grass outside doing her Poor Little Matchgirl impression again. At least it has stopped raining!

Poor, long suffering Elbie! He really does look like he's saying "Okay Mum. I'm doing this for you- but I don't like it! Not one little bit!"

[koalathebear]

And as for desexing, well, it's done now, but there's still a niggling voice in the back of my mind that wonders if I should have waited just a little bit longer. Then the voice of reason takes over saying that I did what was right at the time, I had advice from several vets (including my sister), I have no facilities to lock her up if she had come into season (especially with an entire GSD next door, even if he is only a puppy), and at the end of the day, she's a pet, not a show dog. But...still.

If it will make you feel better, I will say this ... just imagine how you would have felt if neighbour GSD had impregnated Ruby and you had ended up with a litter of GSD/lab puppies (which are actually kind of ugly, gotta tell you)?

Also imagine how you would have felt if this happened and I posted in BIG RED letters on DOL (twice in the Breeders Sub-forum) what you had done and how you hadn't desexed your dog ... :rolleyes:

While there may be some on DOL and elsewhere that disapprove of your decision to desex Ruby at that age, there are probably even larger numbers that would disapprove and slay you with paper cuts and lemon juice if you had not desexed her!

All we can do is make what decisions seem right based on our own circumstances and the information we have to hand. You are the one who has to live with the consequences and you have to decide. I would have done the same thing. Heaps of dogs are desexed 'youngish' with no adverse harm. We only hear about the Scary Cases, alas ...

[lilli_star]

Also imagine how you would have felt if this happened and I posted in BIG RED letters on DOL (twice in the Breeders Sub-forum) what you had done and how you hadn't desexed your dog ... :rolleyes:

And pm-ed a few certain people? :D Stirrer! :laugh:

I do stand by my decision as being the best one I could make taking all things into account, and she was almost 6 1/2 months. But, as with the puppy vs adult food issue, it does make you wonder who really does know best- breeders or vets since neither can come to a consensus.

Edited November 28, 2010 by lilli_star

[Clastic]

Clastic - I am so sorry that Hoover tried humping poor Pepper twice. He's getting desexed early next month. Elbie grew out of his puppy humpiness and I hope Hoover does, too. I thought of this post with a wry face yesterday and was very relieved that there were no Angry DOLers around to post about my badly behaved puppy. :D

Hoover has a bad habit of occasionally trying to hump Pepper or Ava - fortunately wuffles and Clastic are very understanding and know that OH and I try to get Hoover off of their dog when we see it happening.

Pepper was oblivious to what Hoover was doing. :rolleyes: These things happen and its not like you're forcing or telling Hoover to do it, and as you said you guys intervene when you see it happening. Doggies will be doggies and sometimes they just do that. :D

I think I might just lounge around today.. although I do have a tonne of washing to do! Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!! Stay dry!

We are also doing laundry but we'll be using the dryer today instead of the clothes horse. As mentioned before, this house doesn't even have an outdoor clothesline. Weirdly enough, OH thought it was strange that people here use their outdoor lines, apparently in Canada it's more normal to use the dryer!! I said that growing up, we always hung up the clothes outside and didn't even own a dryer. Then when we did get a dryer, it was only for wet days or clothes we need to dry urgently. Anyway, the doggies show no interest in pulling the clothes off the indoor clothes horse and having no clothes drying outside removes temptation from them ...

I miss having a dryer... just got one last week for the new house, but have to wait until we move. Until then, we have to rely on the clothes horse here and wait for everything to dry naturally.

Kuma has grabbed all his squeaky toys and put them into a pile. He is currently taking turns at squeaking them. It's a squeaker symphony at the moment

KTB - Awwww.. look at little Hoover all tucked in, the work of your OH I assume...?

Niques - Pics of James are great, looks like he had heaps of fun with the other doggy.

ravenau1 - Only 12 more days? Yay! I'm sure it has seemed so much longer though, will be counting down the days until we are bombarded with photos of the little girl!

So I was looking on threadless.com today and wanted to get some shirts, have added a whole heap to the shopping cart.. but have I bought them yet.. ofcourse not. I keep thinking to myself If I need them or not.. now if I were looking at dog items such as treats, toys etc.. everything would have already been paid for and I wouldn't even think twice about it!

[wuffles]

Hoover's humpies don't bother me because you watch him and stop him doing it. I have had to leave the dog park before, though, when dogs have gotten obsessed with humping Satch. I have come across the owners that think it is funny, and poor Satchy gets quite distressed after a while. At least one of the dogs was so big that I couldn't get the damn thing off him, so we left :rolleyes: Satch will do it occasionally, but he knows he's not meant to and as soon as I go near him he stops

So I was looking on threadless.com today and wanted to get some shirts, have added a whole heap to the shopping cart.. but have I bought them yet.. ofcourse not. I keep thinking to myself If I need them or not.. now if I were looking at dog items such as treats, toys etc.. everything would have already been paid for and I wouldn't even think twice about it!

Heee I love threadless. I am wearing a threadless shirt right now, although it is hurting my sunburn.