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Coldddddd Was 3 degrees yesterday when I went to the agility trial at 7am

I think your situation is different Sheena because your dogs knew the weaves - I believe Hudson is still learning the wesvers?

The video series might be free but the actual course will cost money. ETA I would like to do it but last I heard it was around $400 which is a bit beyond me currently!

Someone told me the lure coursing was really busy and you pretty much waited around all day and then got one run - has it improved now that it has been around for a bit CC? I think Trixie would loveeee it but we have an agility trial that day.

Nope :) too busy saving for a wedding, big honeymoon, and vast dental bills

Obedience is a different kettle of fish to agility - I know obedience numbers are in a sad state. Flyball still has a lot of BCs from a quick search of Australian teams, but I guess the saving grace for the smaller flyball dogs is that it is good to have a smaller height dog on the team. Getting back to the labrador breed - I have seen some labs ringside at shows that were like jabba the hut - no muscle going on there at all... but I have a question, were these 'traditional labs' required to jump over logs etc or was it mostly flat ground and swimming?

Sorry Showdog I disagree- I have competed in agility in WA for 5 years and have noticed increasing numbers of new people and also higher numbers in heights other than 500 - particularly smaller dogs. There are also quite a few 'old faces' with BCs now getting smaller dogs to compete with. Yes agility is dominated by BCs but so is flyball isn't it? I think BCs dominate dog sports because the types of people that like them/have them also like to do active things.

One of mine is not impressed by rain... This morning - I saw it was raining so I coated Trixie and stood outside to make her go to the toilet (she hates rain and has been known to pretend to go outside then sneakily pee inside). She took one step outside and tried to come back inside - I kept telling her to go, eventually she followed the other dog out and went and ran inside. Then a bit later I was trying to put her into the kitchen section (baby gated) before I left - well I'm pretty sure she thought I was going to make her go out into the horrible rain again because she kept running away from me, then when I followed her she did the stop and drop onto the back! I picked her up and she was visibly relieved when I put her in front of her crate instead of making her go out in the rain again Definitely a Summer dog that one.

The vet told me to give 5-6 pieces a day and it made a remarkable difference to their teeth - I was doubtful in the beginning but it really did work for them

I use the large size T/D for my little dogs because they have to chew them more.

My vet suggested adding a few pieces of Hills T/D into my dogs' food each day to clean the teeth a bit and avoid getting a dental (they get bones too but they don't seem to make much difference) I noticed their teeth definitely improved a lot on the T/D and they loved the biscuits, thought they were treats. They were much cleaner after using them for a few weeks.

This is like de ja vu - my boss' dog looks similar to yours, also had a spleen removed due to hemangiosarcoma last year, but he had chemo. Had a heart murmur, seizures by the end and would go in waves of off and on food. They gave him his wings a couple of weeks ago when the bad days were getting too regular and it was hard, but we could tell he was in pain. In my opinion it was probably left a little too long because he was very uncomfortable in the end, despite pain relief. He would fool us by acting as you say - and returning to his normal bouncy self on the good days. They are very stoic. Very tough thing to do. Dogs rarely pass way peacefully in their sleep unfortunately, they need us to be tough and strong and look into their eyes and make the big decision for them - and sometimes that means we have to look at our situation and ask if we are keeping the dog going for the dog's benefit - or for ours. Just some things to think about. Perhaps if you are going to carry on as you are, you should find another vet - one who is honest with you about your dog, and can perhaps supply stronger pain relief. I wish you and your little man all the best

That's a lot of puppy teeth :eek:

If this is true (innocent until proven guilty etc) I hope he loses his licence, poor dogs

Ah okay - I thought you were moving somewhere else around then. Hope you find an awesome place soon :)

Didn't you say you were moving somewhere else in August? Just FYI you probably know this but you need to give 14 days notice to end a periodic lease.

I think nature plays a bigger part than people realise - and I think it is narrow minded to say things like "it's all how you raise them" because it isn't - humans can be born 'bad' and wired incorrectly so why can't dogs?

Suck it up and set up the garage as a living space and spend time with the dogs there. It sucks and is wrong but you aren't going to find another rental that allows pets and will rent to you for only 4 months (guessing this is why you signed the lease instead of saying no) - it will be tough but it's not that long, hope it all works out okay.

Yeah I heard SA also - not sure where I heard it.

I wouldn't be without crates. My dogs sleep in their crates in our bedroom overnight (doors closed) they head in there when they think it's bedtime and curl up in them. They don't make a peep until I get up unless they need to go out for an emergency (very rare) They travel in crates in the car. They are crated in there during agility trials and at training. We use their crates while camping - I feel better crating rather than giving them free range of the tent which they can break out of. I don't crate them during the day - IMO that's just too much and I prefer they have sunshine and free access in the back yard. If it is cold I'll put the crates outside for them to sleep in (door open). Often during the evening they will cruise into our bedroom and have a nap in their crate. My dogs have very little fur and have blankets over and also in their crates, when I wake them up they are curled up in balls under the blankets :laugh: I think all dogs should be crate trained even if just for the benefits when at the vet or if they need to recover from injury. Also important for of there is ever an emergency and you need to go to an evacuation centre

Mine have never had a scuffle that I have witnessed (surprisingly because they are both quite insane and the older is quite mental and reactive). The only thing was when the younger was a puppy she got snapped at and had a scratch on her nose. Older dog can get a bit OTT while wrestling and gets told to calm down by me, but it's always noise and they move on instantly. My boy is often lucky that my girl who is bigger and faster is quite easy going and submissive with him. I think it is harder and more complex with more than two though, and I know when other family dogs come over the dynamic totally changes and my brother's dog (oldest, and a bitch) makes it known to my eldest boy that she is in charge, and he is happy to be submissive to her.

I wouldn't go by litres - the Astra wagon has 454 litres but because of the shape and length you can fit a lot of stuff in there (I have a shelf, 2 x PP40 crates on top, a compact gazebo, two large camp chairs, and other miscelaneous stuff) It's not that much more room litre wise than the SUV you are talking about, but their cargo space is tall and almost like a triangle so much less practical. Buying a dog car = very difficult!

Yep it's a massive problem - boxy might not look sexy but it's super practical!

Doesn't seem that small for a hatch? My tip - if you are going to do dog sports get something with larger cargo area rather than smaller - you will be carting a lot of stuff around :laugh: Gazebo, chair/s, cooler, and much more :laugh: I am near capacity in my Astra Wagon with two small dogs and that's with a shelf in the back to put stuff under :p IMO Life is much easier if the dogs are confined to the back cargo area in crates / cargo barrier - yes there is the risk of you being rear ended but if they are in the back seat then you risk them going through the front windscreen, and then the seats staye reasonably clean if you need to use your car for people carrying.

The thing with the Rav 4 which would annoy me (I get my dogs in and out of my car a lot) is the side opening tailgate What a shame Nissan have ruined the X-trail - such a great practical dog car, now it looks like a generic SUV with not much boot This is what I am getting next, love them