Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[ravenau1]

wuffles: Love the water vid, Satch is really into it! And the fur you could make a whole other dog with that! Satch looks worn out in the background there, a it like Sampson losing his hair. Did you use a furminator type brush? We bought one a while ago for Silver and Tiger since they shed bucketloads and it sure made a difference.

KTB: Hahaha! Funny you should say that about keeping all of them, out of the litter of 9 there is one puppy for sale, I did think about taking two Love the vids, I really like the obedience part, I think that's very good for potential adopters to see. And Lucy getting a towel off, hilarious!

Interesting reading about Hoover running back to his crate, I guess they really do love them eventually. Do you leave that crate in the bedroom, or do you move it around during the day? We have a couple of crates, one for the bedroom and one for the living room but I think that may be too confusing, I don't know. During the day our dog won't have access to the bedroom because I don't like the cats in there unsupervised, but the dog will be sleeping in there at night. Not just as a puppy, but permanently. We are still having the dog on the bed/dog not on the bed debate

belgian.blue: Ohh! I've read about cow's hooves but haven't been able to find them, can I ask what markets you went to? Sounds like they have some good doggie stuff there! Did you end up going to the show thing yesterday?

And yeah, all her dogs are super shiny! The Breeder puts it down to the fact that on her property she has chickens and her dogs get fresh eggs fairly regularly. I guess Mum dog has passed some of that along.

KumaAkita: Interesting what you say about the obedience training as I've been wondering about that a bit myself. Not about not doing it, but about different dogs suitability for the style of training they do.

We don't know which puppy is ours yet, hoping to soon as now their personalities will be coming about a bit more

lilli star: I think keeping them quiet after an op would definitely be the hardest part!

Niques: They were 2 weeks old on Thursday We will be bringing her home right on 8 weeks, can't wait

And James figuring out how to get out of the crate is so funny! I can just picture it... head popping up and lightbulb going off "Oh, I see! Why didn't I ever notice that before?"

Edited October 31, 2010 by ravenau1

[Clastic]

KumaAkita - Love the pics of Kuma 'supervising' and especially love the last pic of him.

KTB - I hope Hoover gets to join in on a beginners' class, that would be fantastic for him! And woohoo that Blossom has been adopted, you did a great job with that vid! Oooh the monkey is still alive, I thought that Elbie would have killed it by now.

Niques - Hehe, nothing better to wake up to than a wet nose in the face. Cute though!

lilli_star - I'm sure the op will go well and be fine, but yes.. keeping them quiet is the hard part!

For our mat we have a roll up travelling cushion bed thing.. if I forget then normally its just a towel I have in the car. Although I need to find something new for Mars as he doesn't really fit on his current mat.

wuffles - That is one heck of a lot of fur! How many brushes was that!? We really need to buy Mars a shedding brush, he's losing a bit of fur now.

Sorry we couldn't make it for the walk around the lake, Satch looks like he had heaps of fun in the water.

ravenau1 - oooh, 6 more weeks to go now?

Went and did a bit of shopping this afternoon, got Mars a new soccer ball which by now already has puncture marks on it. Also got them some chicken carcasses to chew on, took them ages though.. Mars wasn't really sure how to eat it, normally they only get chicken wings and necks. I cut Pepper's in half for her to make it easier. Went looking for other bones for them as Mars' back molars have a bit of gunk on them but unfortunately because I went late they didn't have much left. I was thinking lamb flaps, lamb necks, roo tail (although roo makes his do stinky farts..), lamb shanks and brisket bones.. any one got suggestions on great bones that will make Mars chew using his back molars and clean them more? He already has the deer antlers and loves chewing at it, but it isn't getting right up the back there for him.

[koalathebear]

We went to visit Kate out in Queanbeyan today - OH took photos and I took video footage of the doggies she had in foster care with her. I'll post the photos and videos as they're ready, but first cab off the rank is Boris.

Here are a few of his photos. If you want to see more, they are on this page, but these are my favourites:

And Boris' draft music video is

.

[betsy]

Hi All

KTB I have baby gates aswell. I'm sure that Ziggy could possibly jump over them but as yet has not. I will not be encouraging it (for the cat's sanity). Hope Hoover's hair grows back quickly. I'd also second wuffles recommendation of giving up the early am pitstop. My dog has better bladder control than me!

KA It must have been interesting having the visit with Steve. I'm sure that if I could learn to train in drive Ziggy would be happier. He hates the repetitive stuff at training and I can see his interest waning quickly. I always find that the opinions Steve expresses on DOL are so rationale.

lilli_star Good luck with confining your puppy. Ziggy is yet to have the snip. But he's a boy so in some ways not as messy. I am thinking I will wait til 12 months. I have this irrational thought that I would like to show him, just once (he has main papers), but not sure if I could actually groom and train him to that level, and most of the shows are >2hr away so really, methinks it won't happen.

wuffles that fur. We have a bit of a battle on grooming here. Although he likes being on the 'grooming bench' getting treats, he's not soon keen on the actual grooming part and is a PITA to bath. No chance of blowdrying :

Clastic Sounds like your dogs get heaps of yummy bones. I also give marrow bones every now and then but not sure if they are any better for back teeth. However I usually get my bones from supermarket and have been a bit of a stalker for the past week as they seem to have run out!

ravenau Must be counting down the days. Although I do remember being a bit shellshocked on the first day as the reality hit! Good to see that you get lots of piccies to tide you over.

We've had another sort of lazy day here. Sooo much rain lately makes it hard to get out. But there was a break in the weather and we braved the beach. Met a lovely Goldie there who was happy to have a bit of a romp with my boy so he was happy. On the way back I leashed him as we were going past the beach fisherman. I then let him off, thinking we were far enough away. But then he made a massive bolt back to the BAIT ESKY With Lid Off that he had pretended not to see (or smell) the first time. Thankfully I saved him from eating any bait. He is such a cheeky bugger at times. (he also managed 2 cuddles with strange men. Not shy my boy )

I've also recently bought a hula-hoop from Kmart so I'm trying to teach him to jump through that.

[wuffles]

I've also recently bought a hula-hoop from Kmart so I'm trying to teach him to jump through that.

If he's got the same Aussie spirit as Ava he'll love that. Ava would jump all day if you let her.

[koalathebear]

A quick question for you all- when you guys go to dog training, what do you take as your "mat"? I've often wondered. MDTL had those hessian bag bed type items, but as I don't have one at home, I don't think Ruby understood the whole "On your mat" command. On the last lesson I took the little mat I use at home and put it on top, but Ruby barely fits on it now (compared to when she used to be able to lie on it and there was room left over! ).

I'm a bit buried in rescue dog videos right now but this question is very dear to my heart.

It's so varied! Some people bring cushions, some people bring dog bean bags, some people bring the mattresses from their dog beds, some people bring the little $2 dog blankets with dog paw prints on them that you can buy from the Reject Shop/Hot Dollar. One person brought what looked like a massive doona. The issue is that you want something that won't tangle too much, is comfy for dog and also isn't too heavy to carry around the place. For Elbie we use a large cloth floor mat ... I guess it's a bath mat or something. For Hoover, I was using a hand towel but I'm definitely going to have to find something better for him because it kept getting tangled and sliding around ..

[betsy]

anyone know a good dog-proof kitchen bin

[wuffles]

A quick question for you all- when you guys go to dog training, what do you take as your "mat"? I've often wondered. MDTL had those hessian bag bed type items, but as I don't have one at home, I don't think Ruby understood the whole "On your mat" command. On the last lesson I took the little mat I use at home and put it on top, but Ruby barely fits on it now (compared to when she used to be able to lie on it and there was room left over! ).

I used a cheapie "dog bed" I got from Homeart. It's in video around 20 seconds. I had to train the mat exercise completely separately to "go to bed" which she already knew but didn't generalise to the mat... once I did that I had no problem

For Satch I use a polar fleece blanket because nothing else is big enough, but he just does NOT understand that exercise. I've tried so hard to teach him and he just has that blank look on his face

anyone know a good dog-proof kitchen bin

One that's up on the bench or hidden in a cupboard

[koalathebear]

ravenau1: There's a 'permanent' large mesh crate in the kitchen that's technically Elbie' sat night, but Hoover borrows it during the day now and then. We have a soft crate in the bedroom for Hoover right now and also a spare soft crate which we haven't opened yet but will probably have in the lounge. The crate we used for toilet training the puppies was smaller and narrower so that they could lie down and turn around but didn't have a lot of room to do anything else i.e. use the thing as a toilet.

I don't think the dogs will find it confusing. As long as it's inviting and comfortable, they'll go to the crates/crate-like things naturally. Put toys, blankets, cushions and treats in there and they'll amble in and out as they see fit.

clastic: I'd love it if Hoover could join but understand if policy or whatever means that he can't join until Feb. The monkey is alive - we save it for special times like when poor Hoover is trapped in the crate after being medicated. We also make sure Elbie doesn't get it since he is the Toy Destructor. Also, I didn't hear the verdict about Mars and his weight - did HH give him the thumbs up yesterday? I feel so sorry for the owner of the other border collie, HH has to tell him every week that his dog is too fat. I'm so relieved Elbie passed the weight test - he might be exiled to the car for barking but at least he's not too fat.

betsy: At our old place, Elbie was always getting into the bin but here, we have a bin cupboard which makes life a LOT easier ... I don't think there's such a thing as a dog proof bin that's not in a cupboard

Now, some more photos from today. This is the elegant Cilla

This is Pebbles the little crossbreed puppy. I didn't do a video for her because she's so cute and a puppy so clearly needs no help - and in fact was adopted today but here are the photos:

Hasn't she got the cutest little face?

OH believed that photo number #3 below was the "Win Photo" that would have got her adopted ...

This one:

But I personally think this would have been the winning shot

ETA:

Latest videos ...

Edited October 31, 2010 by koalathebear

[Sydoo]

anyone know a good dog-proof kitchen bin

One that's up on the bench or hidden in a cupboard

Second the cupboard - though our little miss can open drawers now so it's probably only a matter of time until she masters cupboard doors.

[KumaAkita]

KumaAkita : lol, great shots. Kuma should be digging those holes, or perhaps you could borrow Hoover for an afternoon.

Turns out Kuma decided that the OH hadn't dug the holes properly and felt the need to "reshape" them... we have a hi-vis vest and hard hat at home, I'll try and organise a photo shoot!

KTB ditch the pit stop I say!

+1

[Niques]

KTB, Hoover sounds like a little champ! I hope you manage to get him into the current lot of classes - sounds like it would be right up his alley.

All the rescue dog photos are lovely, but I am head over heels in love with Boris. Is he a puppy or is he actually that incredibly adorable as an adult? Gorgeous dog

What do you do with these mats at obedience? I've never had to use one James used to know a "go to your mat" (i.e. old towel on the floor) command for when he was eating an old bone in the house but we don't do anything with mats at obedience. Sounds interesting.

Betsy, Ziggy's beach escapades sound hilarious :D I hope the fisherman took it well!

Clastic, as well as lamb shanks, lamb off-cuts and chicken frames, I also give James soup bones. I assume that due to their shape, they're quite good for getting use out of the back teeth.

As for bins, we have one of those sensor bin lids. I would recommend it, but only with the caveat that I think my dog is broken - he's never attempted to raid the bin in his life. The lid comes off sometimes when the bin's getting full and he still couldn't care less about it. So whether the lid is actually a deterrant or not is probably still up in the air.

I think I've mentioned previously, but James has a penchant for snotty tissues and will pinch them whenever possible. I've had a bad cold this past weekend and went to pop a tissue in the bin - the lid flipped open and James inserted his mouth over the top of it, hoping to catch the tissue on its way in He looked quite genuinely disappointed that I wasn't putting it in his mouth.

We did the dog park thing again this weekend. Was, again, blissfully empty. I wish we lived within walking distance - nothing tires him out quite so well.

[koalathebear]

All: regarding the 3.30 am toilet stop for the doggies, I am in favour of ditching it but OH thinks that it would be pushing Hoover's little bladder too far and it's because I am a lazy slug and don't want to get up at night _{which *cough cough* might be true. Ahem.}

Last night was uneventful though, opened the door, chunky monkey bum-wriggling wombat pounced out of his crate and waggled his way out of the bedroom and down the kitchen stairs at top speed. Along the way, I sprang Elborino out of his crate and the two scuttled towards Poo Corner, did their business in unison and then hurtled back into the house. As I closed the door on Elbie's crate, I saw the chunky monkey bolting up the stairs and by the time I got back to the bedroom, he was comfily ensconced back in his crate looking out at the world with his sleepy, limpid gaze. It was all very cute and very efficient.

niques: Glad you like the rescue doggies. I was surprised at how lovely they were ... OH took a real fancy to Matilda the deaf little cattle dog and I have some ideas for her music video that I'm keen to play with. Let me know if you ever feel like trying your paw at doing videos - I liked the one you did for James a lot. Boris is still a puppy ... Kate was worried he looked too sad but I said that he was just sad because he was still looking for his home :D

Re the mats - that's so weird that you don't do the matwork anymore! Bronze and silver still have a "go to your mat" component for assessment. Strangely, though - in silver, the stays don't seem to be done on the mat so perhaps they will phase the mat out. For the trial work later on, I think they send the dog to a box (square on the ground) so perhaps the mat is pre-training for that? Elbie has always been great at 'go to your mat' but during class I have seen a lot of dogs have trouble with it. Sunday was kind of funny because Hoover's classmate just would NOT go to his mat. His handler sprinkled treats on the mat, put a toy on there, borrowed the instructor's dog's toy. At one point there were three adults standing around the mat trying to coax one stubborn little dog onto the mat - such a funny and cute image. What cracked me up was that when no one was paying attention, Hoover ambled over to the other dog's mats and started eating its treats

Elbie didn't do so well in his Saturday classes which aren't obedience so much as behaviour and good manners. He barked too much and then got banished to the car for 3/4 of the class, then by the time we released him to be tethered to a tree and approached and patted by strangers he was way too excited to keep his butt on the ground. Poor Elbie ...

Edited November 1, 2010 by koalathebear

[KumaAkita]

hey all... just searching youtube to see what I'm in for with Kuma's coat blow:

[Max#1]

Enjoying reading!

We don't use a mat at obedience either. I haven't tried directing Max to a place in training - though that might be a good one to work on the next time we have a wet weekend!

Meanwhile, Sunday morning I was the only person who showed up (completely forgot it was cancelled due to the long weekend - I am in Melbourne) - nevermind the fact it was pouring with rain. What a hoot!

Kuma - took at quick look at that link. I can't help but think Max would hang himself if I was to tie him up like that then use some kind of mechanised blowing device on him!!!! Probably both accidently and on purpose! He runs a mile from the blowdryer (I've had to use it once or twice to dry 'wet spots' when he was a wee puppy - ha! pun)....

Anyway.... just sitting here at work fantasizing about being able to work from home (or not work at all!) and get another puppy (sigh). I was just sent an email about a rescue bc, only 12 kg (tiny!), female, 2 years old - she looked very cheeky - and like she'd have so much fun playing with Max (sigh)...

KTB: excellent descriptions of Hoover's night time antics. I can almost see the chunky monkey diving in his crate!

Betsy - I had a bin with pedal to open lid. I quickly discarded the outside of it, and put the plastic bin bit inside the cupboard with a bag in it once Max arrived on the scene. While not an obvious scent-hound, he has his moments...

Though our bigger problem is still with bench surfing. On the weekend Max managed to steal about a quarter of a porterhouse steak, cooked rare-medium on the BBQ, that my OH had leftover on his plate, smeared in with some egg-y pasta salad - with that kind of reward I don't think he's going to give it up anytime soon.

[betsy]

Max we also have a huge problem with bench surfing. Lucky my kitchen benches are a little bit higher than the norm, but boy his tongue is long and its amazing the reach he has!

KTB I had to laugh that Elbie was banished from the nice manners class!

On some sadder news, my parents are going to be taking their BC to the vet tmo for 'the big sleep'. She has cancer and has been declining at home quite quickly. I know it will be a sad day for them (and me ). I actually bought her for them as they were grieving over the last doggie loss. My mum is coming to visit soon and I expect she will get a lot of love from my furkids here.

[koalathebear]

hey all... just searching youtube to see what I'm in for with Kuma's coat blow:

Yikes!!! Also, I can't imagine Elbie standing there so placidly while having a blower on him ... We'd be chasing him around the yard.

Anyway.... just sitting here at work fantasizing about being able to work from home (or not work at all!) and get another puppy (sigh). I was just sent an email about a rescue bc, only 12 kg (tiny!), female, 2 years old - she looked very cheeky - and like she'd have so much fun playing with Max (sigh)...

Do it ...

KTB I had to laugh that Elbie was banished from the nice manners class!

We were mortified.

On some sadder news, my parents are going to be taking their BC to the vet tmo for 'the big sleep'. She has cancer and has been declining at home quite quickly. I know it will be a sad day for them (and me :D ).

I am very sorry to hear this. My thoughts go to you and your family - I hope her passing is peaceful and that your parents are going to be ok The worst part of having pets is when they leave us

I have been struggling a lot with rescue dog videos today ... hard to make something that satisfies the rescue group.

Anyway, here we have two VERY different dogs.

the fat, old toothless dog who no one wants. His owners must have been heartless to dump such an old dog with so little chance of rehoming.

who we found delightful but no one wants because he's not cute and handsome ... He's such a lively little fellow and he videobombed so many of my video clips of other doggies Edited November 2, 2010 by koalathebear

[Guest belgian.blue]

belgian.blue: Ohh! I've read about cow's hooves but haven't been able to find them, can I ask what markets you went to? Sounds like they have some good doggie stuff there! Did you end up going to the show thing yesterday?

It's in Manning, every Saturday from 8am to around 1pm. Local produce [fruit/veg/meat/cheese] and an overly all awesome vibe! You're welcome to come along with me one morning :D Excellcent coffee and naughty sweets hehe. I go once a fortnight.

Also buy the smoked dog treats there too.

I've only ever found the cow hooves at the Como IGA. $13 for two medium ones. Should have kept the bag as it said where they are made in Perth, doh.

hey all... just searching youtube to see what I'm in for with Kuma's coat blow:

damn that is a lot of hair adore akitas but no thanks to the hair! Ivy blows her coat but it's a nice blow

I'm so very slack with photos, no excuse! I will try hard to post some tomorrow night.

[minxy]

hey all... just searching youtube to see what I'm in for with Kuma's coat blow:

Thank doG I have a few months to prepare myself for Kyojin's!!! Think I best be getting myself a force dryer.

[Max#1]

KTB: I have to limit watching your videos, they always make me a bit teary. Those poor puppies - especially the old guy. (There was a little typo I think in the first word screen of his movie, just an extra word).

To all those with 2(+) dogs. What are your thoughts on having two dogs.

How does it compare to having one dog?

What changed when you got your second dog?

How do you split obedience/other activities between them? (Though that one I kind of know from posts on here).

How much space do you think you really need for two?

Any thoughts (and of course photographic evidence! ha!) appreciated!