RuralPug

Thanks so much @ness Your blood's worth bottling!

I would absolutely love one @ness if it it still available let me know and I will PM you. Am happy to cover postage or can send you a SSAE if you let me know the size.

Heated throws are used entirely differently to electric blankets. i recently purchased a heated throw from ALDI, which I and the cats adore. I haven't seen any recall notices for that, just my luck of there was I think I have become addicted to it!

The wheaten probably ticks more of your boxes than the Lagotto or Poodle! If you meet this breed and like them then it could well be the breed for you! OMG a quick look at the Dogzonline breeder listings shows a breeder in Murray Bridge with a current litter ...

A lot of mammals get Toxo a lot more often than is usually thought but frequently a healthy immune system will dispose of the parasite before it becomes a problem and because no symptoms are seen no tests are run and no-one realises that their dog/cat/neighbour was ever infected. You can't catch this parasite from your dog - it is caught by ingesting cysts found in raw or under cooked meat or in cat faeces. It can pass through the placental barrier in mammals and causes spontaneous abortion if caught early or severe malformation of the young if caught later in the pregnancy. Good news - more than half of dogs and cats showing symptoms of infestation can be treated and cured with medication. Bad news - if there is an underlying immune system deficiency (FIV in cats for example) then killing the parasite might not be enough to return the pet to good health. Worst news - if the parasite has already done a large amount of damage there might not be any cure. The two main variables with recovery are how much damage the parasite has caused and how robust the affected animal's immune system is. Praying that your boy will get that miraculous return to good health very soon!

to the forum! The licking together with the poo eating at his age I suspect are most likely symptoms of OCD (dogs can suffer from it for much the same reasons as humans). I really think that your best action would be to see a vet behaviourist who as well as advising you how you should act to minimise or decrease this behavior will be able to prescribe some temporary medication to help your dog reduce his OCD. If you state the area of WA that you live in, some people here might be able to suggest a good vet behaviourist in your area. The toileting under cover in the wet weather is probably because he doesn't want to get wet. I have had in my life several divas convinced that they would dissolve in the rain but it is a bit unusual for most of the setters in my experience Which of the setter breeds is he? Can you think of a time when perhaps he was shouted at or something for tracking mud all over the furniture? I'm not saying that was the cause but if it happened a fear period in his life he may have been sort of over sensitised to it? Or maybe he hates being towelled dry if he gets wet? There are heaps of reasons why he mightn't want to get wet, with effort and consistency in training him that toileting in the rain will bring him kudos and great rewards you can reverse that behavior. Of course it could be something else altogether - maybe he does like to get wet but doesn't want his faeces to get wet in which case I am sounding like a proper dill! The jumping through screens and banging on windows might be anxiety rather than excitement in which case the vet behaviourist again is your best bet. If it is just excitement/being demanding then you might need to go back to basics with your training so that he understands he is not going to be let back inside until he is calm and waiting patiently. This needs to be done gently but firmly a little at a time - do some research on NILIF ( Nothing In Life Is Free) there are some great resources right here if you search .With effort and consistency on your part using NILIF he will behave as you wish to be let back inside. But please do check first that it is not anxiety causing this.

Water Spaniels? To get one you will need good luck and a lot of patience because they are not very common in this country at all. Looking at the latest ANKC registration statistics that I can find: (link is here) In the entire year of 2015 for the entirety of Australia the total number registered (i.e. born or imported) is as follows: Irish Water Spaniel total new registrations: 10 Chesapeake Bay Retriever total new registrations: 35 Portuguese Water Dog total new registrations: 70 Curly Coated Retriever total new registrations: 108 As for kid friendliness they are not renowned for it, but then nor is the Lagotto or the Poodle. That doesn't mean that you won't end up with a child friendly one provided that you choose your breeder carefully and the dog is raised with care and effort.

Congrats on your poodle! I assume a Toy? Not everyone is aware that Poodles come in three sizes; Large (Standard), Medium (Miniature) and Tiny (Toy). It is easier I believe to find a child-friendly Standard or Miniature Poodle than a Toy. (Child friendly Toy Poodles certainly do exist but please research your breeder carefully). I would think that someone considering a Lagotto would also be considering a Standard Poodle - in both cases carefully bred and reared puppies will grow into lovely dogs if given the intensive care and interaction for the first year of their life that you would want a toddler to preschooler child to have - actually this is true of most breeds. To answer @Chloe08: Whippets do shed so you will find hair on the furniture, and being short it adheres more firmly and gets "into stuff" more so than silky hair but they certainly do not shed as heavily as the double coated short haired breeds such as Labs and Pugs.

Yep, I know a few that have become partners in their clinics and reap all those benefits. I also know that they didn't walk into those partnerships straight out of vet school - the ones I know slogged along at low wages for 15-20 years (getting more quals in their own time during that slog) before they reached senior and then partnership level. So I figure they've earned it. It is true, however, that specialists usually are able to charge more than generalists (same as with specialist doctors and surgeon vs your family GP) and there are greedy people in the industry who will recommend unnecessary procedures just as money spinners. Bad apples in every barrel, unfortunately.

@Troy would be the best one to answer this. Certainly he is the only one that can authorise them in any form. If we have any DOLers who would be willing to undertake the organisation, overseeing production and delivery etc. now might be a good time to speak up and make a suggestion to Troy! I would be another happy customer!

Viszla's are nicknamed "velcro dogs" so if you enjoy hugging your dog that is definitely a breed that will get maximum enjoyment out of it! You will find that most of the hounds, setters and working line spaniels are very different in the way they respond to training than the retrievers and working dogs that you are used to working with. The all purpose hunting breeds - GSP (both smooth and wire haired), Weimaraner and Viszla are the ones that would most easily fit into your plans I believe. The four setters (Irish, Red and White, English and Gordon) are possibilities, as are the working line spaniels (Field, Brittany etc.) but both types might be more of a challenge for you given your experience with GSDs and Labs. I suggest you research the all purpose breeds as much as you can, especially contacting the breed clubs for each in this state for dates of club activities where you can meet and assess each breed. There may be characteristic of one breed over another that suit you better, (if more than one breed is equally suitable then well and good - you may be able to source puppies faster) then you can begin your hunt for a breeder. One of the things you might want to find out is if a particular breeder has produced successful performance dogs in the fields that interest you. A breeder that has titled their own dogs in obedience, tracking etc. will obviously be very desirable, but don't forget to look at breeders who have produced dogs that others have had performance success with. Don't forget to also check the Dogs 101 forum here for your breeds to help you know what to look for in a breeder. And if you look in the breed pages for your desired breeds here you will find breeders advertising. And please be aware that good breeders often have litters pre-sold well in advance - puppies, of course, are not stacked on shelf like furnishings to be available whenever you need one (with the possible exception of puppy farms ) You might need to wait for a year or two for the pup of your choice. Good luck!

I have two problems with e-collars (1) idiots mis-use them. In the hands of a properly trained professional, that is not a problem - but a lot of people think they are trained professionals who aren't and may use them more often than a last resort. (2) this may be due to over-use by idiots but some dogs learn to obey when the e-collar is worn and please themselves when it is not. SG your point is right on target. Maybe the e-collar refresher would give the trainer more confidence so that she might be calmer in the face of a similar distraction, but whether it really strongly reinforced the dog's trainer better than a positive reinforcement refresher is a moot point. (I suspect her panic might have been read as excitement by the dog, reinforcing the road kill joy. I could well be wrong there though.)

Everyone grieves a little differently. There really is no quick and easy fix for grief. Just be as supportive as you can.

You have my sympathy! I have a new puppy here who is also a climbing champion! The puppy pen was conquered the first night she came home LOL and was replaced the next morning by a giant breed size crate (she is a very very small breed so it is playpen like for her!) She has also demonstrated the ability to climb the upholstery on the dining chairs to get on to the dining table ("Well if the cats hang around up there, why not me too?" she seems to think.)

The breeder is an idiot, sorry. But they have tried to make the best of both worlds - letting you have the pup and still keeping him available for their breeding on the most minimal and least obtrusive basis. Other breeders wouldn't have even given you the chance to have the dog at all once they had changed their minds. A giant breed should not be desexed until growth is complete anyway, so I don't think you would really have been inconvenienced much by allowing one semen sample to be owned by the breeder. But it's too late now. You've scared off the breeder by not agreeing enthusiastically to their compromise and they will no longer trust you to stick to any contract. Take the refund that has been offered - you can't force someone to sell you something if they choose not to. I am very sorry that you got stuck with an idiot breeder who allocated puppies to buyers too early. I am sorry to have to advise you to start all over again and choose another breeder.

Definitely a poodle person should comment with an opinion! I do know that some of the poodle colours are sneaky and are born quite dark and the final colour might not manifest for a couple of years, but I would have thought that by age three he would have finalised colour change. According to this website if he is blue his hair colour will be mixed at the root but black on the ends. The other possibility seems to be that he might become a gray.

My darling rescue Pug, Cheddar, was never moved at all by the sight of himself in the mirror, his reflection in a shop window etc. He was pretty bombproof. Until one day I took a few pictures off the wall to dust behind, leaning them against the bookcase. He took one look at the B&W pencil head study print of a fawn male pug and attacked it, taking extreme offense when the whole A4 sized frame toppled over on top of him! I broke up the fight and neither pug was injured, although Cheddar, most uncharacteristically, rumbled and grumbled to himself for an hour or so afterwards. I don't mistake inanimate objects for dogs, but it has happened that I have admonished uncooperative shopping trolleys with a firm "Come!" or said "Settle Down!" to a twisted vacuum cleaner hose. It's just automatic.

It is fascinating how we all are individuals with our words - I use "wait" for both don't eat that until I say "Okay!" and don't go through this door/gate until I say "Okay!". If walking rurally with with no traffic I will also use "wait"/"Okay!" for an off leash dog about to cross a track or road. It really doesn't matter what words we use as long as it is quite clear to the dog LOL!

I use Drop! mainly during fetch games to let mine know whether I'm going to toss it again or if we can play tug with it (I will use the excited phrase Tug! Tug! Tug! then). But mostly they will also Drop! if they have something in their mouth that I don't want them to have. I am a bit overly verbose and always follow in that case with "That is NOT your toy. THIS is your toy" and offer one of their toys. My theory is that they will bring me anything new they find to swap for a toy and/or game. This works with some dogs, but not with others who chose to secrete everything in beds/hidey holes sigh. Personally I only use "leave it!" when I don't want the dog to approach/take much notice of another animal or person that is passing or approaching. If I see them doing something I don't want them to do I will usually distract them away from it although when I am under par I might say in a growly voice "Don't even think about it!" ( but they stop what they are doing - probably because they are confused - mea culpa).

Try to brush her for just a few minutes every single day - start with just one minute, the next day two minutes, the next day three minutes and son on - give her an enormous reward (whatever she likes best - a special treat, a game, an extra walk just up and down the street) and praise her for being good! If she struggles, just put her and the brush down and ignore her - no fuss, just ignore. Then try again a little later. Very soon she will be be standing quietly for the brush and looking forward to the treat. You can use the same process to get her to stand quietly for the clippers and scissors too. Most dogs have fairly sensitive feet (except for the actual pads underneath, which are quite tough.) Again it is constant daily handling for a very short time - start with touching her pads while she is relaxed on your lap and praise her for being still. A few seconds on each paw a couple a of times a day, then move gently to touch the top of the paw after she is comfortable with the pads beings touched, then move to holding each paw gently and the final step is gently check between her toes and pads as if checking for burrs etc. It can also help if you want to teach her to shake hands too. Again, it's introducing a little at a time when she is relaxed, and not moving forward to the next step until she is comfortable and trusting with the step before.

Firstly, do you need door to door (most expensive), or from pick up point interstate to pick up point in major city near you or airport to airport? For airport to airport I highly recommend Moorholme transport. They can also arrange a pet taxi from your nearest airport to you but the quality of pet taxis does vary widely from area to area (which is also a problem with some of the big franchises unfortunately ).

I understand the reason for your question as OP said they were adjacent to an off-leash area - but I didn't assume that they would be walking the dog off leash unless they had full voice control recall. In my opinion, no dog should ever be walked off leash unless it has reliable recall. As they said that they were keen to do obedience I imagine that this will be enforced.

As a companion for a five year old stop looking now. A five year old does not yet have the knowledge to train a dog. I'm hoping that that was just a slip of the tongue so to speak and you a really seeking a dog for the whole family that will work well with a timid five year old. So you will need a sturdy breed, but not a breed that is boisterous in its youth (likely to knock a 5 year old flying) which does rule out most of the gundogs, and many working dogs as well. I do think that your Beagle suggestion is very likely, except that Beagles (as are quite a lot of the hounds) are a little bit prone to being distracted by an enticing scent to excel at obedience - although some have done very well. I think you could consider a terrier. The Australian Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier are both sturdy and do not need hours of exercise - although they will happily accept it! They do, being intelligent, need a great deal of stimulation to avoid them finding their own, which could lead to bad habits. If you find the right motivation, terriers do well in obedience but it must be the right motivation (often a tug game or a fluffy toy work well as well with praise.) In addition these sturdy terriers are very often quite long-lived which is always a consideration when choosing a family pet.

Lovely boy! Congratulations!

I have recently bought a puppy, sight unseen, except for photos, from interstate. I was not prepared to fly to Darwin and back and travel from there to the breeder's home. What I did do: I asked so many questions that LOL the breeder actually thought that I was an ANKC spy and not a genuine inquirer! The breeder shows dogs and that made it easy for me because I was able to ask around my show friends who had show friends in NT who had met the breeder and seen his home and were able to give him a glowing report re welfare/ethics. It works both ways - the breeder asked me for references from people in the dog world - so I gave him a few. He checked with one that he knew and one that was a stranger to him and apparently I ticked all the boxes there. Obviously the dog world connections will not work for the average joe public pet buyer - I just mention all this to help people understand why dog world people are happy to buy interstate sight unseen but always warn pet buyers against it. So what can you do if you want to buy a puppy from interstate but don't have dog world connections and are not prepared/logistics don't allow you to travel there? Ask the breeder if it is alright if a friend of yours (can even be imaginary if you don't have friends or relatives in that state) can visit to look at the puppies. If the breeder says no way and can't give you a good reason, do not proceed with the purchase and look elsewhere for your puppy, I have heard a rumour of one person who actually phoned the breeder's shire spoke to the ranger who actually went and visited the breeder (oops the dogs were not registered but were healthy and clean).I'm not sure that many rangers would actually do this so that person was lucky!