Gayle.

Guns are not banned in this country and you can shoot birds over dogs in Victoria at least. You can shoot fur (rabbit) on private property in most states I think, You can also do field work and retrieving work towards titles. Mercedes, here's an English photo of working Clumbers - far less heavy in body, coat and flew than what we see in the ring out here IMO. They're not? I honestly thought they were. What was with the gun amnesty a decade or so ago then? What do you mean "shoot over dogs"?

Do you mind if I ask a 100% dumb question, I am not being facetious, I just want to know..... how exactly do gundogs "work" seeing as guns are banned in this country?

I think she's bonding to me faster than a puppy would (although Dusty as a puppy stuck to me like glue). Puppies tend to love everyone and follow everyone. Shae seems to prefer being near me, or if I'm not here she's happy with my husband. She doesn't jump! That is awesome after having 25 kgs or so of Isaak hurling himself at me to show how much he loves me.

Sorry a Little OT, The standard says The preferred height for males is 51-58.5 cm (20-23 ins) and females 45.5-53.5 cm (18-21 ins). Quality is not to be sacrificed in favour of size. Do they vary more then that in height? Yes they do. My new one is unlikely to be 18 ins, she's more like 16.5-17 ins (but she's not a show dog, so it doesn't matter). Benson is at the top end for a male and I have met a couple who were taller than him. The vast majority would fall in those size parameters but outside them is not all that unusual. The operative words in the standard are "preferred"....and that last bit "quality is not to be sacrificed in favour of size". It leaves it pretty open as to how tall an Aussie can be.

I wanted to get a fourth dog to even up the pack, as I found 3 dogs difficult to manage...two show dogs, one had to stay home alone. Two to obedience training, one stayed home. Biked two (husband and I) and one had to stay home alone. I can walk two but not three......so getting another dog seemed to be the solution, now they always have company. But not a puppy, having been there recently with the cutest puppy ever, I was not keen to go back there in a hurry due to a reduction in the number of brand new shows I now own, among other things. So I did some searching, sent off an email and last week, collected a gorgeous 5 year old rescue Australian Shepherd from the airport. I have been spending the weekend getting to know her and integrating her into the family. And aside from the obvious.......she's already house trained, I have discovered there are other benefits and surprises of bringing an adult dog home. The people she came from were also her breeders (they run Australian Shepherd Rescue in WA) but they didn't have her back at their place for more than a few days before she came here so they didn't really get to know her very well and couldn't tell me much. So we're learning as we go. She is fully grown, but she's tiny. No surprises wondering if she's going to get any bigger (unlike Isaak who seems destined to never stop growing!) She has a very cute baby face and that's not going to change because she's fully developed. We've discovered she has a ball fetish.....she loves fetching a ball and can run like a rocket, and inside she loves to carry a ball around in her mouth. I don't have to teach her to walk on a lead, she walks beautifully and also seems to understand "No pulling!" She herds chickens! One thing I had heard was the she was good with chooks, but didn't really know how to take that....good with them as she wouldn't chase them?, good with them as she wouldn't bark at them?.....but she came with me yesterday into our paddock and I let her go to see what she'd do with the three chooks who'd escaped their run, and she simply herded them towards the gate and they went in. That's a very handy skill! I don't have to teach her to lie still while I groom her. I got the brush out to give Isaak a going over then called her to me, and she just lay down in front of me and stretched out on her side for me to brush her. When I'd finished she sat up and offered me her paw, no doubt to do her nails, but I took the opportunity to trim the hair around her paw pads. I am just LOVING having a new dog, but this is the first time I've ever had an adult dog as my new dog. And it's awesome! So, those of you who got your dogs pre-grown, what surprising things did you discover about them?

If they look hard enough, they'll find a proper Australian Shepherd in a smaller size. They are out there, the new girl I got last week is tiny, she's 5 years old and I doubt she hits the 13 kg mark. She is MUCH smaller than my others who are all average/above average for the breed, but because this is a breed that's been developed from stock dogs, originally for their working ability over and above everything else, there's a wide variety in sizes (and the standard caters for that too).

I kind of get the border collie cross, the gsd cross (benson as a half grown puppy) but the kelpie cross, by a national obedience judge, now that just made me go hmmmmmmm.

I doubt anyone expects sunshine and rainbows, but most people expect adults to act in a civil, mature fashion and not like middle-aged kindergarten kids chucking a whammy cos things don't go their way.

Who's top dog when you're not there Gayle? There will be one. Dogs don't live in a social vacuum when we're not around - there will be a pecking order. I have to say that I fail to see how reinforcing the "top dog" status of an older dog being challenged for the position by a younger one would be helping. The top dog here seems to change daily, but like you, I fail to see how putting a dog in charge instead of a person when the person's there, is improving things.

I don't know much about dog behaviours, only what I observe with my own dogs, but I'm always a bit curious when someone gives instructions to make one dog the "top dog". In my house, I'm the top dog and they obey me without question, no matter who gets fed, patted, brushed, attended to first or last. If one starts in on another one, either growling or pushing in, they get a short sharp "That's enough!" and that's the end of it. Not sure if it would work with Staffies, but maybe your friend might like to find a behaviourist who will put HER in charge and not a dog.

Kirty works in a job that brings her into contact with many, many purebred dogs. She is more qualified than most to make that statement.

Due to your incorrect use of the word "excepted". It should have been "accepted" in the context you'd used the word. Kind of funny, considering your username.

Hourly. I swear some days I could watch him grow. He is huge now and have this massive coat that makes him look like a yak. Poor Dusty had a coat drop extraordinaire at the start of summer and dropped 10x more coat than she ever owned, so she is bald, Shae's clipped so she's nearly bald, I've stripped out Bensons undercoat for the summer so he's lightweight too.......and it doesn't seem to matter what I do to Isaak, his coat still grows and grows.

She has a really cute little baby face. I think even with a full coat she is going to look puppy-like. And she's so little! I was so surprised when I saw how small she was.

I thought she had one brown eye and one blue eye but it appears her dark eye has a really large pupil, like it's permanently dilated. It seems to be sensitive to light because she squints when we;re outside but she's fine inside. It doesn't hamper her at all though, she's absolutely dynamite with a tennis ball and it doesn't matter how far I throw it, she's right onto it. I asked the breeder if she had any health issues to be aware of and he said no, so I'll take that as her eye is fine. All up, she seems like a resilient little dog, very sweet natured too. I was told she's a bit wary of men. She took one look at my husband and turned that myth on it's head, she has fallen in love with him and follows him around like a little lamb. He is installing our new kitchen and every time he turns around. there's Shae, gazing up at him adoringly.

Thank you. They are the "great unwashed" at the moment, Shae is the only clean one, she must have had a bath before she came because she smells beautiful....the other definitely NEED a bath, because they smell suspiciously like dogs.

Meet Shae, she has come from WA to live with us. She is 5 years old, a pedigree Australian Shepherd and for the second time in her life and through no fault of her own, has fallen on hard times and has been abandoned by her owners. Both times she was returned to her breeders who are also Australian Shepherd Rescue in WA. She is a fine example of why to buy a puppy from an ethical and caring registered breeder. She was sold, then rehomed, then rehomed again to us on the proviso that no matter what, if she can't be kept she is to be returned to the breeders, no questions asked.. She is also a testament to a breeder who carefully selects for good temperament.......in her life she has been neglected, unloved, undergone many changes and still she has a happy, sunny, outgoing nature. Yesterday she came from WA to Vic, it was a big day for her and she was a bit bewildered when she came off the plane but today she's getting to know us, she's been haring around the paddock after a tennis ball, snuffling in my hand for treats and following the other Aussies everywhere. Isaak is in love and showing off like a true idiot. At 10 months of age, love means humping a ladies head apparently! Shae is a tiny Aussie, much smaller than my other dogs and her coat has been clipped right back which makes her look even smaller. Her registered name is Borderton Dappled in Shade, she was previously known as Shade but we've given her a new start in life and a slight change of name to signify a new beginning. All the dogs on Mainstreet! Isaak, Shae, Dusty and Benson.

What is the answer then? I'm not trying to be funny, it's a serious question. How would you stop people being rude? I would not react, in fact I'd just set an example by being polite, friendly, congratulating them on their successes, making a point of saying hello each time I saw them, complimenting them on their lovely dogs..... Rudeness being tolerated doesn't make it right. Making uncomplimentary remarks about someones dogs only makes the person opening their mouth look really really ugly to those hearing it. Rising above it makes that person look like the better person. Hard to bite ones tongue, much harder than giving as good as you get a lot of the time, but at the end of the day at least you don't look anywhere near as ugly as those who can't play the game nicely.

What a shame that kind of behaviour is seen as "acceptable" at any event and people need to be told "it's all part of it". There is no excuse for that type of rudeness, and the only reason people get away with it is because it's tolerated as being part of showing dogs.

It was actually in reply to the post above it by Isiss. As Jules poited out, you said you came on here to find out info before you said anything stupid. I would take that to mean, before you said anything stupid to your sisters fiance about his new puppy. What you often see on DOL is a rabid pack of wolves going after an innocent bystander. And it's not socially acceptable behaviour. If you take what you see on DOL and use it in the real world you'll find you're not very popular. That might have been the title of your post, but it wasn't all of the content. And besides, the only one of my posts that was directed at you was the first one and that was in repsonse to this statement: I automatically had sirens going in my head, but then thought I'd go and visit the ever wise DOL before I said anything stupid

Why would the sisters fiancé take the dog to the OP if it had health problems? Is she a vet?

I don't like anyone who thinks it's their god-given right to spoil someone elses pleasure in their new pet with unsolicited opinions and criticisms. keep in mind for future reference, if someone didn't ask you or consult with you, they probably don't need or want your opinion.

I do, especially if I'm looking for something in particular. Sometimes I just go for a browse, maybe once a week or so. But last week I emailed about an item that was for sale, enquiring about how much it would cost to post it to me (it was not a huge sized item) and I still haven't heard back from the seller. Even just a quick "Sorry, local sales only" would suffice.

She doesnt want me to get a dog for some unknown reason, even if its for my career and even if i have a job and pay for everything myself, she confuses me. Her first excuse was *i dont have the money for another dog* and i said what if i get a job and she still said no :S its not that she doesnt think i will be able to look after it. I think she is worried because ive always wanted a german shepherd it will be aggressive (mum was bitten when she was younger by a german shepherd). I try to tell her 90% of german shepherds arent like this in good hands but she refuses i also have suggested other breeds and she wont budge. I really want to do this course next year, i called them and they said to be successful i need a dog. I have max but he is like 16yrs old and i dont want to put any pressure on him. I just want a younger dog doesnt have to be a puppy i just want one that is still willing to learn and focused. She isnt against rescues at all thats where we got max from I am a mum, and we get pets on my terms, not my kids terms. Fortunately I love animals and we have a lot of them, but I am well aware of the damage they can do, the havoc they can create and the sheer amount of mess they can make. There is no way in the world I would have animals here that were not of my choosing. Three of my kids have grown up and left home, one has two very much loved dogs of his own, one would like a dog but can't have one where she lives and the other one wants a dog one day but not right now. The one who lives here (aged almost 17) gets to share my dogs, cats and chooks, she can take a dog to obedience training (and she get to choose whichever dog she wants), she can have one sleeping in her room, she can hang out with all of them or take one to a friends place with her, but ultimately they are my dogs and I am 100% responsible for them. I can fully understand why someone who isn't a dog lover wouldn't want one living in her house.....they create loads of work for whoever does the housework (mum?), they can devestate a lawn and a garden in just a few days and there are often physical barriers and adjustments need to be made to the home to accommodate the dog. Probably best to wait til you've grown up, moved out and can have a dog on your own terms and in your own place. Then do the course.

I was thinking a good name for an Aussie Shepherd girl would be Amanda. There are so many Amanda's associated with Aussies, it's time someone gave a dog that name.