JulesP

That was the problem I had been having since Fern passed away Gayle. I either took one out or all of them.

I had some pack issues. Think it is ok now. Brock was the leader in a very non pushy way. The change from 4 to 2 dogs is a big lifestyle change. It has been years since I've only had 2 dogs. I hope Toby is ok, Tobster.

Glad to hear it is going well. Waldo is very cute!

I wouldn't use apple cider vinegar if the dog has any sores. I used it on my own head when I had allergies and omg the pain! I was just about sobbing. Very ouchy.

Thanks Gayle for this thread. To be honest I'm still not doing too well. I'm starting to get over the shock of how it happened and now have to come to terms with the fact Brock is gone. I've only lost old pets before and they have been really old. I got to give them lovely, pain free farewells. Even though I have 2 other dogs the house feels very quiet. And Brock was the quietest, least demanding of the dogs. But right now he would have trotted around to the outside of the room I am in and would be licking the window. I guess I've also gone from 4 to 2 dogs in the space of a year though. The girls are getting spoilt rotten. They now sleep in every night and think that is pretty good. I can also take them out more as before I used to rotate them.

How about getting one of the bunnings wire compost bins for the lounge? Cost is around $26 and they make a nice pen.

Lilydale toppings etc have concrete dust in them so they set hard. I have path of castella toppings that has set like concrete. You need reasonable drainage though. I have a horse yard that has crap drainage and nothing has worked in there.

How about wood? Have a look here - http://www.bettapetsystems.com.au/prod11.htm Or Bunnings do square wood pavers.

Congrats. He is super cute! Hope the house feels a bit fuller tonight.

Poppy throws herself at people, squealing, like they are her BEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD. Most embarrassing when I don't know the people at all. She will not work for other people though and spends most of her time staring at me. All my borders have been people friendly. Amber is pretty shy but is very sweet with people.

OES freak Poppy out too, lol. Is Fly your herding pup that you were talking about?

Why would I want to challenge my handling skills? Not being a smart arse but don't really get that. I don't have anything to prove. I guess my skills are ok though as in 5 years of instructing I can usually get the pups to do what I would like when I handle them. Except for Chis. They scare me too much.

Very cute. Fly is lovely! Have your dogs seen a Samoyed herding? That totally blows Poppy's brains as I am sure she thinks it is just sheep running around.

I'm up for cake :D

Personally I think the 'challenging skills' with a less ideal dog is total crap. Try training a border collie that anticipates so much that it does a right about turn on the judges command! Training a high drive working dog is like driving a sports car (not that I know what that is like but you get the point), very very easy for the handler to stuff up. Very sharp animals are quick to learn and give you a super feeling but they are challenging. All my border collies have required great self control from me. None of them have appreciated correction and just a gruff command if I am having a bad day can have a nasty effect. Kelpies I've noticed are a little the same. They will take their toys and go home too. Aussie's seem a little bit more robust although I have seen some soft ones.

Even so its hard to imagine anyone being stupid enough to shoot the dog while someone was holding it. Better the guy holding it lost a finger or got a nasty bite than got killed by a bullet you would think! I was suggesting what might have happened. I didn't say it was a sensible thing to do, did I.

The only thing I think of is that the pup was having a go at the man whilst he was holding it.

Is this a Dalmatian? And does it need a low purine diet? Some of the ingredients are Ok in Black Hawk and some aren't. Brewers yeast for instance is high in purines. Maybe get the folks in the Dally thread to look at the ingredients. I don't know heaps about it but did some investigations when I had a couple of Dallies in my puppy class and I was concerned about what training treats they could have.

Interesting people are saying get a WL border collie. In Victoria I see mainly ANKC border collies competing. I have always gotten the breed I want to live with and then found an activity for them. Ok I've only had border collies Hate to be a party pooper but think you should think very carefully about this as you are renting. Would hate to see you in a position were you have to rehome a dog because you can't get a rental.

I just got some sticky roller things from a supermarket, they had a demo of them. You just wash the hair off the roller. Don't know how long they will last but have to say that they are so far the best thing I've found for hair removal.

Mine is under my kitchen table.

No way could I do an obedience round during a herding day with Poppy. I can heel her down to the start peg off lead and her stay is pretty good. Have recall obviously. But whenever I've had an obedience play outside the sheep ring, it has been pretty crap. Herding means I have a great drop on recall though!

Yep I've seen a couple of Roughs at Kate's.

Yeah I think Sue & Cindy and Pretty Miss Emma need new fur babies. Neither of you should feel bad about getting a new pet. I feel weird not having a boy border but not sure how Poppy would feel about another puppy. I've looked at Aussie pups Gayle, and Shelties.

When my first border died at 15yo I found my other border was very very sad. Fern basically lay on her bed and didn't move. A friend had lost 2 borders very close together so I freaked out and managed to find a friend for Fern, that was Brock. Would have been within 2 weeks. I didn't really like feeling like I had replaced Moss and Fern was also getting old so when Poppy's litter came up I got her. So I had 3. Ferny rallied and kept going. I then decided I liked 3 dogs and so when Amber was born I got her too. So I had 4. Ferny passed away at 15 last year. She was my heart dog so that was horrible but she was old and had a great life. 3 young dogs were a bit hard to handle. With 4 it was much easier. With Brock gone I am back to 2. So half the number of dogs in a year. I don't want to get another dog this time. I am trying to look at the positives of only having 2. Also feel too crappy this time with how if happened. If I had one dog left I would see how they were and put their happiness above my own. ie Are they missing a friend? I don't think I could be dogless so if the departed dog was my only dog I think I would be getting another dog very quickly. Having another creature to care for also helps the healing I think as you can't sit and wallow.