Nushie

It really depends on each dog. Jager was really good from about 4 months but we kept him penned when we werent home just to be sure as we didnt want to encourage him to be lazy. But generally we didnt have to watch him all the time or take him back to the pen from 4 months on, he just did that himself. You really have to teach them that no matter whether they are penned or not that you want him to go back to the pen to toilet. And to do that you have to take him back each hour and show him. He will get it eventually. Good luck and please post more piccies! Frenchies are adorable!!

We did the exact same thing as you. We had the loo in Jagers pen in the house and then eventually moved it to the balcony. It was always in the house just inside the balcony door so that as a pup when he was in his pen he could see out off the balcony. Eventually when he was old enough and had the hang of toileting we moved it out onto the balcony on the Friday night, spent all weekend at home so that we could keep an eye on him and make sure that he went outside and knew where it was, about every hour i would walk outside and call him out, he would have a sniff at the loo and we would go back inside. It only took that weekend for him to know it was there. but he was about 5-6 months at the time. I wasnt confident that he would go back to his pen to toilet until he was about that age, but it will be different for each dog. If he is still struggling with finding the correct place to toilet now, then dont move it, you will just confuse him more.

My mum used some of that plastic mesh and cable ties but corflute might be better if you have a chewer.

We had a few incidents about 10 years ago where the neighbours kids would go through our side gate to get their lost ball etc. We had a dally and a foxie at the time, both ignored the kids as they pushed past them out onto the street where they would spend the day until we got home. We had no idea what was happening and then we saw them one day. The kids would open the gate and let the dogs out get their ball and then go home. When we yelled at them, they said that they always left the gate open so that the dogs could go back. Great help! So from then on, no matter how many times we yelled at them to not go into the backyard they still would, but instead they climbed the gate. I think parents should be responsible and teach their kids not to go into peoples yards. As a kid i would NEVER go into someones yard, if i wanted it back i would knock on the door, but generally as a shy kid i just left it never to be seen again :)

Hi RV - what camera and lens did you use to get these shots? They are awesome!

Havent been to look at cameras yet. We had a few bills come in and then rego, so i havent wanted to tempt myself until i have some funds to throw around. Fingers crossed my tax return will cover it! the ones that i have been looking at online and chasing rewiews for are: Nikon D3200 and Canon 600D Both are about the same price (i think about $30 difference) on Kogan. Will still be going and have a look in store somewhere. I just find it hard to compare cameras, not only because i have no idea what i need, but also cause i have no idea of how different stats compare and what they mean in the way of how the photos will look etc. I get confused so easily :)

Yep, one of my mums friends found this out., luckily about a year before they actually moved in, so they got another dog and another cat (both their current pets where getting on in age) so that when they moved a year later they had 2 dogs and 2 cats. That way when their older pets passed on they would hopefully still have the younger ones.

Thanks for that CC!! The kits i have been looking at come with 2 lens so that should give me plenty to play around with :) I also found some great tutorials on youtube. I have been reading a lot of articles but seeing it helps as well, especially when they compare the same photo but with different settings so it is all starting to sink in. Hopefully we will get a chance to go into a few stores this weekend and check some cameras out.

Our cat Kira was 5 when we got Jager as a pup. They have never been "friends" but they just ignore each other for the most part. If Kira runs Jager will chase her but as soon as she stops he stops and just walks away. Kira was always a very timid cat though and if we have visitors in the house she just disappears. I would separate your cats and pup while you are not there until things settle down but always make sure that even when you are there that the cats have somewhere that they can go to that the dog cant, maybe a room or a cat climber. Also if you have a crate, try putting your pup in there and allowing the cats to investigate and sniff the pup without being threatened.

I have been looking around at new and used cameras. Some come with "body only" and some come with a lens. As a beginner, is it worth just getting the body only to play around with and get a lens later or just fork out the bit extra and buy them together? Some of them are only $100-$200 more to include a lens. It is probably a stupid question cause chances are i will just buy both but its something that i didnt think about originally :)

Just about everyone says this, so I am out of step, but totally disagree. If a camera has all the features you want/need but isn't quite the size you are used to, of course it will feel a tad too big or too small, too light or too heavy. So it gets side-lined to stay in the comfort zone of what you "think" is comfortable. It will feel 'right' after some use, it's more what you are used to that makes it feel right, so don't let that put you off a camera that otherwise has exactly what you want. Large hands don't need a large camera, small hands are not limited to teensy cameras. It it's heavier than you are used to - well work out a bit, doesn't take much muscle to pick up just an extra chocolate-bar weight. My other nit-pick is that people often steer 'beginners' to barely entry level, lowest common denominator models. Nothing wrong with a beginner starting with the best they can afford - and the technicalities of getting the best out of it can be learned. It beats getting something less than terrific, and being frustrated twelve months later because results don't pass a certain point. Thank you for your thoughts. I really appreciate it. I want to see if i can get something that i can "grow" into. Start off using the basic stuff and then as i get more confident I can then try out some of the more advanced features.

I reckon an iPhone 4S would still cost me just as much as a dedicated camera!

Yay indead! I am really excited! I cant remember the last time i have been this excited! I really appreciate the links; anything to give me an idea is GREAT!! So thank you. Also just wanted to say that your photos on DOL are what has really motivated me to follow this up. I absolutely LOVE your photography. So even though you didnt mean it, thank you for giving me a kick in the butt to finally do something about it :)

Thanks for the tip, Tikira. I'm really not concerned with brand that much, at this stage I am just interested in getting some ideas of what others have used so that i can get an idea of what settings and features etc to look for. I dont like just wondering into stores unprepared, I always think that someone will take advantage of that and steer me into looking at something that i dont really need. But I will definitely be going into a store to check them out before i settle on one. But you are right, I didnt think about shape and weight of each individual camera, not that i intend to spend hours and hours holding it but "fit" is a factor that i hadn't thought of. So thank you for that!! :)

Hi DD. Thanks for such a quick response!! I love the photos and your signature photos. Are they taken with the lens? Im hoping that with all the stocktake sales on at the moment I might be able to pick something up while its on sale ;) PS Elsie is adorable!!

Hi All - I am after recommendations on a good camera for a beginner or what features/settings i should be looking for in a camera as a beginner. I have only ever used the camera on my iphone 3 to take photos and i have been really enjoying it but its just not producing the quality and the crispness that i want. I am currently taking photos of our family pets (has to be able to take somewhat decent action shots, dogs and horses running and jumping etc.), still life and some landscape. Photography is something that i have always been interested in but just never had to opportunity to get a proper camera to play around with. I am also interested in playing around with photos in post production (I think that is what you call it :)). What should i be looking for in a camera for a beginner? What should i avoid? Any brands that are better than others or more suited to beginners??

I love my pig in mud dog door insert. Had it for 3 years and everything looks new except for the dog flap itself. Doesnt matter how many times i clean it, it still ends up with pug snot all over it :)

We use dentastix, cant say I have seen an improvement in his teeth but I dont feed them for that, I just use them as a treat or just feed it if we are leaving the house (if I have forgotten to freeze a kong). Generally we feed raw chicken wings/necks and Jager loves to chew on his Nylabones so i think that is going to be better for his teeth than what dentastix or Greenies do. But thats just my opinion.

Report the dog being out everything you see it. If they are concerned about he cost of fixing their fences then the fines from council might change their minds. Our dogs got out about 8 years ago (we think the gardener must of not latched the gate properly) and they were picked up by a ranger. Cost us $150 to get them back and we were warned that the price goes up from there if they had to be collected again. So maybe that will snap some sense into them.

We are booked into the vet this afternoon for a check up and i have been taking him out to the park at the end of our street for toilet breaks. We used to do this when we were in Sydney (lived in an apartment) so the morning and afternoon toilet walks are not a new thing. But since we moved to Melbourne he has been happy to use the courtyard. Saturday morning i took him to a local off leash park in the rain and he was not happy with me. He stood under a tree while i danced and ran around like a fool in the rain. He only came out when it slowed to a light sprinkle and then sniffed around and we played fetch with a stick for awhile. I didnt want to force him into the rain in case this just made it worse but we will see. We left on a good note while it was still lightly spitting. We will stick to the toilet breaks twice a day and see how that goes for awhile. So far we havent had any more accidents since the bed wetting so fingers crossed it was just him being a bit of a princess. But we will check with the vet just to be sure. Thanks for all the replies.

So Jäger hasn't pee'd inside since he was about 6 months old - he's now 3 years. It's been raining on and off here for the past few days and usually when it rains he pee's on the concrete undercover near the car. That doesn't both me. But this morning I came downstairs and he had pee'd on the kitchen floor (just inside the dog door). I was cranky but just cleaned it up and went to work, didn't think any more of it. Tonight it's been raining really heavily and we have been keeping a close eye on him but I gave up and went to bed. Was in bed for about 5 mins - Jäger sleeps on the bed with us - and he stood up, he was just sitting next to me, walked to the end of the bed and pee'd! It wasn't just a dribble, it was a full bladder. I just don't know what I have done wrong to cause this to happen, his routine hasn't changed, food hasn't changed, I'm just baffled. So I pulled his crate out and he is currently asleep in it next to the spare bed - where we will be sleeping tonight - guess he will be sleeping in that for a while so that he had to tell me when he needs to go to the toilet and I can take him out and supervise. All his other behavior is normal, eating normal, energy levels etc. Any ideas on what might have caused this? Do I just go back to puppy toilet training with him? At least we don't have a busy weekend planned so I can keep an eye on him all weekend and make sure he goes outside. If it was just the kitchen floor then I would have put it down to a one off laziness due to the consistent rain, but to pee on the bed that we - and he - sleep in is far from normal for most dogs right???

Can anyone give me some advice on how to take action shots with an iPhone4? Anytime i take a photo of a moving target etc everything just comes out as a blur. Is there an app or a setting on the phone i can change?? Thanks - and loving the phonto's

Thats a good one. Jager does the same.

I feel proud (and guilty), when in the haze of a hang over, I feed Jager breakfast and forget to give his release word. I wonder off to the bathroom, put the kettle on and collapse in front of the tv only to realise he is still sitting waiting patiently for me to give the word so he can eat.

Sounds like you are starting to make improvements which is great. As for toileting, i agree with the others and i would start taking him out on a lead so that he cannot run back and pee in the wrong spot. If there is nothing for him to pee against you can try putting a stake or two in the middle of the lawn to try and encourage him, or i have seen some purpose made ones that usually look like fire hydrants, they are filled with sand to keep them sturdy and they have a scent to them which is supposed to encourage a male dog to pee against it. I havent tried them myself and i have no idea how expensive they are but it might help to get him into the right mind set??