Gayle.

Morning all. Just cooked bacon, eggs and toast for brekkie so dropping in with a big platter for everyone. Who's making the coffee? So glad to hear of improvements in Jeds condition.

My female Aussie blows coat twice a year and it's drastic but once it's done, it's done and I help it along with an undercoat rake. My boy hardly sheds at all, but I strip his coat out with a rake every now and then or he gets too wild and woolly. Aside from the bi-annual coat drop, it's not too bad....the odd hair here and there but no tumbleweeds. They can't hold a candle to the Maine Coon cat. She sheds her weight in cat hair every day and her weight is considerable. I would never get a hairy cat again.

All three but leaning towards relationship.

Dusty would go for the throat. Of that I have absolutely no doubt. Benson would probably hide behind my legs.

My dogs have always spent their days outdoors, aside from when they were tiny puppies....but once they got to around 14 weeks, out they went. They have shelter, beds, toys, water etc. And we have just moved to a place with the most amazing yard.....3/4 acre of securely fenced gardens, lawns, paving, and a rough cut paddock which the dogs have access to all day. They would feel VERY deprived if they had to look at it out the window all day.

Eagle Pack Regular and Holistic. Pro Plan Selects..... my guys LOVED this stuff, but we can't buy it here. Nutrience. Royal Canin. A small trick for a dog that doesn't like kibble on it's own, try adding a couple of mashed sardines and mix them through.

Isn't he just the most adorable little pumpkin? He is apparently a real sweetie. He will be here in a couple of weeks.

Why would you not want to buy toys for your puppy? Who cares what your family says, giving a puppy cardboard to chew on is like giving a toddler a few tissues to play with and expect them to be happily occupied and interested. My Aussies have a large variety of tug toys, Kongs, chew toys, balls, fluffy toys and just plain fun stuff. We have frisbees we use for games, throwers we use to toss the balls and hoops a long way for them to chase and squeaky toys we use for rewards. They LOVE their toys, and there's no way I'd be depriving a puppy of them.

I am being visited by a Rozate puppy tomorrow. My best friend, who I hadn't seen in months, suprised me a few weeks ago when he sent me an email with a pic of his new puppy.....a black tri Aussie boy from Rozate. He is finally bringing him over to visit tomorrow. I bought my second Aussie from Tuscamada because I'd contacted her about a litter that she was expecting and she ended up having the exact puppy I wanted.....a black tri girl with a blaze on her face and long white stockings. She was everything I ever wanted in a dog....sweet, pretty and very, very lovable. My big doofus boy, my first Aussie, came from a Vic breeder....Hevnsent. He is just a big clown in a black furry coat and he started my love affair with the breed.

Tuscamada in South Australia. Isaak is going to be Tuscamada Twist of Fate. The breeder is also a member on DOL, you will no doubt see her on the Aussie thread.

Lyndsay is getting the sister to my new boy......Holly and my girl Dusty are from the same breeder. There are shows on most weekends at KCC Park in Cranbourne. If you checks the Dogs Victoria website you should be able to see a list of activities on each month. I will be starting to show my new little man around mid-July, I hope. ETA, here is my new little love. He will be coming home on the Queens Birthday weekend. His name is Isaak.

I have two black tri Aussies and will have black tri number three in a few weeks when a little boy from SA will be joining the herd. We got our first Aussie because my husband decreed he didn't want a dog that looked like an alien...............I was angling for a small brachy breed..................and they sounded like the right fit for us. Thank god we went with his idea and not mine, because I can't think of a more fabulous breed to own. Thay are smart, loyal, amazingly funny and it wouldn't suprise me if mine started talking one day. In fact, Dusty moves her mouth when I'm patting her, and I swear she's trying to get words out.

The shank?

This is the second time in two days I've seen this reference. What are canon bones? I've never heard of them before. I give my dogs brisket bones from when they are pups, but under supervision as they eat them, not just gnaw on them. They occasionally get pigs trotters, which they love.

My oldie gets those little foil packs of Natures Gift mixed with her kibble. She's 16 and she's earned her right to eat whatever she likes. She doesn't have raw (aside from some mince mix and a few meaty morsels from the big ones chicken frames) as she doesn't have too many teeth for crunching bones.

That's the same barrier I bought for my X-trail. It took Dusty just a few short weeks to work our how to stick her muzzle between the cross bars and the window and push the bars enough to get her head, her shoulders and then her whole body through and over into the front seat where she'd take up the co-pilots position. Bloody dog, once she figured it out there was no keeping her in the back!

There is mo way my dogs are ever getting bathed inside my house, and they def don't do cold water so we go to the coin operated dog wash every few weeks. It costs me $10 and I can get both dogs washed, rinsed and deflead for that. Princess Dusty hates it but she stands still for me. In fact they are both really easy to bath and we get it done fast. Our aim is for a hydrobath for the dog shed later this year though.

I showed Dusty for around a year, then had to stop to do other things. I found the majority of people to be friendly and helpful to me, but I did see and hear a lot of stuff that made me go None was directed at me though. We will go back showing soon with a new puppy, so none of this stuff puts me off. And I don't think it's the reason for declining membership. Dog shows aren't that popular because they don't have a good reputation. Pedigree dogs are seen as elite and also don't have a good reputation. The reputation is undeserved but the people who could turn it around aren't really doing anything much about it. The whole pedigree dog world is in serious need of some fabulous publicity because people believe what they are told and for the last few decades they've been told a whole lot of crap by a few bullshit artists (gardeners and the like). They aren't being told anything different so that's all they've got to believe. When did the decline in membership start? Around 20-25 years ago? Cos that ties in very nicely with the advent of the designer dog.

Just popping in for a quiet sit and a sing, got the Aussies with me tonight. Watch your laps, Benson thinks he belongs there and he doesn't care if you don't know him. He's a really nice boy though. Good to hear there's been an improvement in Jeds condition.

OK fair enough, the 20 years or you know nothing was what stuck out to me. For some of us, we are getting into the pedigree dog world in middle age, after a lifetime of owning and loving a succession of family mutts. But we won't have 20 years, so why bother?

The lady who bred one of my Aussies also has a Lagotto and has bred a couple of litters. They are awesome dogs, loads of fun, very responsive and aside from needing a semi-regular all over clip, they seem to be quite low maintenance. You would have to brush them, I think but not obsessively. If I were looking for a small-medium, non-shedding dog with a great repulation for being a good all-round family dog, the Lagotto would be right up there on my list.

That was the comment as I read it at the time, and while there may have been further clarification in the thread, there wasn't when the comment was made.

Recently I saw a comment on another thread that you had to be involved in the dog world for at least 20 years to really know anything. It's attitudes like that that drive people away.

We have just moved to a property with 5 sheds. I have earmarked one for doggy stuff as soon as we get sorted....not only their belongings but also to have a grooming table there too. My plan is for lidded plastic tubs (big ones) to hold dog blankets. open shelving for grooming products and tools, and open tubs for toys, frisbees etc. And hooks on a wall for collars and leads. We seem to have developed a bit of a fetish for collars and leads so they have a lot of them. Once it's done (in a few weeks) I'll take some photos and post them.

I've brought in the written standard for the Lithuanian Goat Catching Retriever so we can all study it quietly, and learn about the breed in order to discuss it more knowledgeably with Jed when she wakes up. She's the world authority on that dog, it would be nice if we learned a bit more about it. Can I please squeeze on the end of a couch?