dee lee

I recall Leo's story, it was so sad yet heartwarming. I agree that the ability of a rescue dog to recover from bad experiences is in a large part due to the dogs genetics. I know for a fact my dog was beaten & that her initial flinching behaviour was due to this, but it's testament to her essentially good nature that she was able to recover & now you'd never know she'd had such a bad past if you met her. Sure she is overly sooky & puts on the big pat-me eyes, but that's because she is spoilt, not because she is sad. :laugh: But i dont think its just genetics, I think rescue dogs often find it harder to move on from their (possibly) sad pasts when their new owners cave at the first sign of odd behaviour. I found the advice in here invaluable when I first got Honey & made an effort not to mollycoddle her from sympathy whenever she exhibited nervousness. That combined with her good nature got us where we are now.

Our lovely Doler, Ruthless, makes gorgeous & strong leather collars & leads- http://ruthlessleather.com/ She owns bullbreeds & used to have a husky, so she is very conscious of how strong her products are. They are all hand made.

When we adopted Honey we were told she'd had a rough life. Trained through beatings & left in a yard alone. She'd also had a litter or 2. Her initial behaviour really reflected this. When called, she would come & hit the deck in full submission. Any attempt to pat her head & she'd drop as if you were going to hit her. Putting a lead on she'd do the same. Poor darling, she still maintained such a sweet loving temperament. Those things improved fairly quickly with lots of love & kindness. She is such a smoocher, as her rescuer said- desperately trying to catch up on those 2 years of no love! :laugh: She still has some funny quirks that mystify me though- she is obsessed with & will chase sky writing & plane vapour trails. My only guess on that is that being a high drive gun dog (she is the same about seagulls too), perhaps it was her only entertainment while being left bored in her yard? (Which may also explain her supreme ratting skills... ergh!) Another is that she occasionally tries to protect me from dark men with hats on (with big woofs, she is a real sook for the most part). I do wonder if that's what her past owner looked like. Oh and she is getting better at playing with other dogs now, when she can be bothered, previously she had no idea, so she'd perhaps been left alone from a very young age. Generally though now she is pretty much well adjusted into her new life- it makes me happy that now she has been with us longer than her bad life. Actually in a couple of weeks we will have had her for exactly 3 years! Aww my beautiful Honey dog, I can't imagine life without you!! (so stop chasing those planes you goose!!)

I don't think anyone is suggesting that, I think it's more that a fragile owner would be less likely to deal with a full-on attack on their dog. Also it is highly likely that a DA dog will redirect its aggression to a human if interrupted in its aroused state. This doesn't make them HA, but the danger is still there, not to mention the risk of accidentally getting in the middle of the attack.

My dog gets Nutro. Initially I had her on Artemis, I thought she was doing well on it & just had a sensitive tummy, as anything aside from it that she ate gave her the runs. I had to be very vigilant. Then, after running out & being unable to source it for the umpteenth time (SO annoying ) , I switched to Nutro, purely because it was always in stock at Petbarn. Turns out the Artemis was causing the sensitivity- two years on & she hasn't had the runs since, despite eating a range of naughty things. Maybe it was just too rich for her.

Try Darlo vet on Crown street in Darlinghurst: 9380 2300. My friends & I have always found him to be extremely reasonably priced compared to other city vets.

We book a dog friendly beach holiday house every summer through Stayz. We have come across some great places within an easy walk of dog friendly beaches. Never had a problem. Though... You do need to double check that they have secure yards- some are pet "friendly" but not fenced. And some only allow pets outside.

Sounds like my girl. Her incontinence comes & goes. We used silboestrol for a while, at first as directed then intermittently whenever I noticed little dribbles. But... Over the last year or so, I had noticed that she was guzzling a lot of water each time- & it seemed to be habitual. Since running out of my stockpile, I have been only keeping a minimal amount of water in her bowl at any time. I put a glass of water in each time I see it empty, but no more (unless she is home alone for a long period). Since doing this we have had minimal leakage. I'm convinced she was just drinking more than she could hold.

We stay in the sthn highlands regularly and when we visited the vet there recently (& asked the same question), he recommended we use advocate monthly with advantix every 2 weeks. Safe to use together & protects the dog from everything. (we use advocate normally) It's such a bugger about Proban, it was so convenient to use for short visits.

I often wonder about this issue. Years back when I was enquiring about pups, I was trying to find a calmer pup to fit my circumstances. Several breeders were helpful, said they would keep that in mind when the pups were born, but one breeder was adamant that you can't rely on temperament in young puppies. I was a bit suspicious when she then offered her last remaining puppy from a litter. I didn't take it. I guess breeders do need to sell the whole litter, they can't just hang on to the naughty pups! So I do wonder how much a breeder might discourage a buyer from the "live wire"? To the OP, if you don't want a lively, cheeky pup, do not take it. Wait til the right temperament for you comes along. I know Boston litters are few and far between, but you will have to live with the dog for 15 years or so.

Last night Buckie was returned to her owners!! Apparently someone tipped the police off. The boy in the CCTV footage had indeed stolen Buckie with the input of his family. How terrible is that? Makes you wonder just how often that happens. Anyway, she is home safely now.

A friend shared this on facebook this morning- It's very distressing, the poor family are beside themselves. Buckie, a one year old blue stafford, was stolen from her yard in Lamrock Ave, Bondi, last Tuesday around 3pm. I'm on my phone so can't post photos, but here is the search Facebook page here Last update they have posted a CCTV image of a young boy carrying her away. If you live nearby (there have been suspected sightings in Woollahra), keep an eye out & take a look to see if you recognise the boy.

Yeah, not happy at all about no more Proban. I'm down to my last few tablets. Just spent half an hour at a country vets getting some great advice on ticks. I am on hols & needed a tick twister & to have a couple of ticks on my dog looked at- I LOVE how much he was up for a chat! :D (didnt hurt that he was VERY cute too ) Anyway... He was quite bothered by the end of Proban, said its been the best product for such a high tick area as he is in (nsw southern highlands). On his advice, I bought some advantix to apply a few days prior to each time we come to a tick area, we alwaya use advocate for the rest of the time. Previously I've been concerned about using the advantix around our cat, but I'm satisfied now that she will be safe around our dog once the advantix dries.

Mrs RB, I can't see how you can put the blame onto the person throwing the ball, when it's your dog stealing it? When I play fetch with my dog, I understand the risks of ball stealing & I am alert to other dogs approaching, but I expect that owners with known ball stealers will be monitoring their dogs & at least attempting to prevent it! Sure dogs will be dogs, I hold no grudges, but I find it perplexing that anyone would think that the ball thrower is the problem?

Just ignore the judgers & consider the friendly advice. :D I just did a quick search & here is a recent thread that has some ideas http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/232868-bordem-busters/page__p__5686872__hl__boredom__fromsearch__1#entry5686872

Slatermasters, I think your hours away sound fine, pretty minimal in fact, and you are doing all the right things to care for your dog. Your dog is quite young & you still have time to address the issue. :) It does sound like boredom to me- & there are a number of things you can do. If you do a search on DOL for boredom & many threads full of ideas will come up. A few ideas- Put a clam shell full of sand in the yard for digging, putting kibble or toys for him to dig out. Freeze a block of water with kibble in it. Use kongs. Use bones. It doesn't sound like the barking is excessive, but the night barking is probably annoying your neighbours the most. At night, there are a lot more stimulating things outside to bark at, can you leave your dog inside just for that period? Contained in the bathroom with a juicy bone perhaps? Good luck, you are doing the responsible thing & seeking advice. (ps- don't take the less than constructive comments to heart- newbie shooting can be a sport on DOL sometimes. :) )

Do you really need it 24 hours? I prefer to open windows whenever possible, buy fragrant flowers & use smelly candles (I have a particular addiction to these!). Along with regular bathing (humans AND animals :laugh: ) and washing of bedding & floors, we don't have a smell issue with our 26kg shedding machine. Much better for all concerned than those chemical spray things.

I think Honey thinks she owns me! :laugh: She does have a real soft spot for my youngest daughter, but really she is all mine. :) I can ask the kids for a hug & before they even get close, she has dived in for a cuddle. She just expects that I mean her! :laugh: Walking to school with the kids, if I'm slow out the door, she won't budge until I catch up to her & will keep looking to make sure I'm there too. Not suprising since I am the only one who always walks her & trains her.

Think of your bub- in a few years he/she will NEED their own pup!! :laugh:

Teebs, if Kaos is as easy as you say, then you won't chuck her outside. :) She sounds like she will be the perfect new mum companion. But a puppy will be a different kettle of fish. It will be necessary to lock it out regularly when tending your baby. Do you really want to start off puppy training distracted & not giving it your full attention? We all know how important the early months are.

I had a sad experience with a rescue staffy X, she was DA & it was a big learning curve that taught me that I am not suited to more dominant feisty breeds. So my next breed was the deliberately the opposite- a Golden Retriever- & it's been a perfect fit. I find the softer nature of gun breeds are much better suited to me & my family, & I will stick to them in the future. :)

Don't do it!! Too many variables with babies (& pups!). You may have a lot of time on your hands OR you may find yourself struggling. No way to know until bub is born. Personally, I was never bored when my kids were babies, I was exhausted & emotionally drained in ways I had not foreseen. Having a pup would have been hell. Why make life harder that it needs to be at this special time? My advice would be to give yourself a chance to get used to being a mum, before you have to split your time & energy between a baby and a pup. Another pup will come along in the future. :)

I presume there are moderators for gumtree? Perhaps it's better to approach them? Surely it couldn't be too hard for them to pin a permanent advisory notice about FTGH issues.

My dog seeks out and eats my cat's poo, she also licks her bum. Aint no way I'm using cutlery right after she has licked it!! To be honest, I'm grossed out at the idea of anyone doing it. AND dogs licking people's mouths.

I have used stilboestrol with my 5 year old Goldie for 2 years now, but I only give it to her when I notice the puddles happening. A couple of days & it seems to keep her dry for the next month. Not too bad. Additionally I restrict water. My dog tends to be a habitual drinker, so I only put a small amount of water in her bowl & top it up when it's dry. I make sure she gets enough, but not so much her bladder overflows. This has been the most successful strategy so far, but obviously it would be difficult for a diabetic dog. I've heard about the tofu remedy- apparently soy based foods mimic natural oestrogens (same for menopause). I've not tried it though. Another interesting remedy I read was, to increase the dog's tail wagging! :laugh: Theory is that all those muscles are grouped & it's like pelvic floor exercises.