BC

Vinnie and Cooper are initially jumping around and sniffing madly for a few minutes then resume what they were doing prior as if they were not there. (this is only if I bring the dog into the house. would be completely different if it just wandered in itself)

As D4F said I would also retrain the entire excersise. Start with taking out of your hand and holding etc, then picking it up off the ground in front of you, then a meter away etc until the confidence is back. Is there also someone you know with a well behaved border who can just stand nearby while you are retraining the excersise and lessen her anxiety when she does see another border cos no doubt when trialling there will be borders in the same class or one of the other rings. Good luck

Yep, as Rysup said, look underneath the nail and clip until you see a while calcium ring. It is a little white circle you will see once you have clipped enough off so keep going until you see this. If you go any further the nails will most likely bleed. Happy clipping

I have a few treat pouches but dont really like any of them. They dangle around too much, food comes out sometimes etc so I prefer to use a vest with deep zippered pockets I also wear a vest in the ring so training and trialling are the same sort of attire.

If there is obviously heaps of fat on them I will trim a little off, but apart from that mine get them fat and all.

My dogs have never swallowed them whole but my cat Jet has a couple of times. I just pull it out with my fingers, apart from that I'm not sure what I would do if my animals didn't let me do that

I agree, just put it on when you want it on and ignore the sulking etc. He will get over it

You will need to find clothes to compliment your dog and make your dog stand out. Example I would not wear black pants with a black dog. I show black tri's and blue merle Australian Shepherds so black, blue, grey's, dark brown are out of the question. I go for colours such as green and red/orange with a nice white shirt and jacket if cold to compliment. They are not normally colours I would wear but both colours I can use with each colour dog so the dog does not blend in and the judge can see the dog clearly. As already said, Ebay is great to find some showing gear. I just bought 2 Alannah Hill skirts, one green and one red for around $20.00 What a bargain !!!!

Layer brush with a slicker and comb every inch of their body right down to the skin. Most should comb out, but the rest you will need to pick out yourself, and then never take them to the same place again If you dont get them all out by brushing down to the skin bit by bit it is quite a big deal when one gets infected :p

can be frustrating but it will pay off sooner rather than later :p

These things take time and you have to be patient. Just keep doing what you're doing and as your dog matures she will learn what you want her to do. IMO those who say they have completely toilet trained dogs at 3 months are mistaken (this is only 12 weeks old and 1 month after coming home ) Just because you haven't found anything inside doesn't mean they are 100% sure of where they need to be going. I would not 100% trust Cooper until he was about 8 months old. He stopped doing anything inside well before then, but until it is completely in their heads and the dog has matured more and is not still in the real puppy stage, I will never completely trust them. Just be patient and it will all work out. There is no time limit as to when a dog is toilet trained :p

:p Sorry, I'm not of any help but you bloody crack me up every time I read your posts

Yes, it is hard to read. I had to put these on and sit back a bit

A healthy dog will not starve itself, so I would be feeding the dog what I wanted, not what the dog chose to eat. Decide on the food you think is best and then stick to it. If your dog does not eat it within 5 minutes take it away and have another go at their next meal time. Trust me, they will eat if they're hungry. I prefer my dogs to eat everything in their meals and dont leave food around to nibble, so I make sure they're kept hungry and I never have a problem with them eating food regardless of what it is. You can add things to kibble such as sardines, raw egg, cottage cheese a couple of times a week to make it more interesting for the dog and they're all good for skin and coat too. As for what others feed their bulldogs, I dont know, but I cant imagine it would be much different to any other premium diet. Some others will jump on and answer that one for you though. Good luck

You'll find you dog is making a "nest" to lie down/sleep in. This is very normal and my dogs do it in their beds prior to settling down, but in your case quite annoying when its being done on the couch. Personally to stop it I would just put the dog on the floor every time she does it without speaking at all. She will most likely jump back up as she is allowed to sleep on the couch, but just keep putting her down each time she does it without saying anything and no eye contact. She will soon get the picture. Maybe get her a bed set up next to the couch where she can dig and make herself a nest all she likes ? She will continue to dig until you set new ground rules as its a natural behaviour. Maybe sleeping on the couch is not one of them if you dont want scratched couches. Good luck

Yes, would be nice if there was an Open class for untiltled dogs and 1 for titled dogs so then the newbies have a bit more of a chance to win the ring etc. I felt a little guilty when Cooper and I won at the Royal. It was my 4th CCD pass, but as entries closed so early, I only had 2 passes when I sent my entry in and gained the third pass just prior to the Royal Was a good win though and more experience I guess.

This is correct. If you have 2 passes and have entered a double you can still compete in the afternoon if you get the 3rd pass in the morning as it was entered prior to you having 3 passes. Once you have 3 passes you cannot enter any new trials in CCD class, must be novice from then on.

It is going to be hard, but I would only show the dog any affection when you get the desired behaviour. With my dogs they are often ignored when I get home for about half hour before I even talk to them. That way there is no sillyness, barking, jumping etc when I get home as I dont react to them at all. We have snuggles and talk time when they are settled and calm. By doing this your dog is not going to think you dont love them etc !!! It is just establishing the certain behaviour you want and pack order, and affection will be shown after this has been accomplished. Your dog will then start looking to you for direction.

Cooper started to show a bit more territorial barking etc when he was around 12 months old. Those he knows he will let in the yard/house and smother with kisses, but anyone he doesn't know or seems a bit fishy try and get into the house and he will have your head !! When we are home and inside and there is a strange person come to the door or up the driveway the barking from both Vinnie and Cooper is through the roof, and Cooper will run to each window the person passes growling. Once I get up to walk to the door it all stops, the tails wag and Vinnie goes into pogo mode, but I would like to see someone try and get in if no one was home

Sad looks dont work in this house. Too bad I say !!!! As far as I'm concerned I have told you to get on the mat so you get on your mat regardless of sulking and sad looks. The owner needs to be a bit tougher and realise she is the leader and the dog is to obey her. These ones make me laugh. When people see a sad look on a dog they feel awful, guilty etc. I like to compare it to children. If you ask your child to brush their teeth and they dont want to or start sulking the reaction would be too bad, your brushing your teeth whether you like it or not. What do dogs make people feel so much more guilty ??

I dont mind my dogs on the bed or furniture but only if I have invited them up and if they get off the instant I tell them too without any hassell. By this I mean I tell them once only and they are to get off straight away. Some nights they sleep on the bed and some in their own beds which is next to me.

Cushings disease could be a possibility but vet will hopefully find out. Different symptoms of Cushings disease are: • increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia) • increased/excessive urination (polyuria) • urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs • increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia) • appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc. • sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance • weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution • loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss • bony, skull-like appearance of head • exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness • new reluctance to jump on furniture or people • excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on • symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso • other coat changes like dullness, dryness • slow regrowth of hair after clipping • thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin • easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly • hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis) • susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary) • diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures

I carry a stick if I'm out with the dogs by myself to defend myself and my dogs against wandering dogs posing a threat. If OH is with me I dont though.

Vinnie and Cooper eat everything they are given in about 2 seconds cos I always leave them starving :D Lambs flap or chicken frame every second day. Lamb flap days they get nothing else. Advance turkey and rice kibble on every other day apart from lamb flap day with either raw egg, sardines or cottage cheese.

Me too, Mega Pet Warehouse