RiverStar-Aura

I have a local vet who does in-clinic titre testing, although I'm unsure as to whether it differs to the tests they run O/S. Whilst I can see the drug companies not wanting to lose money annually, there is also a huge concern regarding dogs' overall health too. By pushing an annual vaccination, it gives an owner the chance to have their dog looked over every year. I'm not talking about the standard DOL member either, I'm talking about the owners who won't go to the vet for any other reason than to get their dog vaccinated. I don't want to think about a poor arthritic dog struggling to walk and in pain purely because it hasn't seen a vet for a few years. Until ALL owners are responsible in that they continue to take their pets for annual check-ups (or immediately when they notice something wrong/different), I won't be condemning the annual vaccine.

I bought a Booster Bath from Deals Direct for my guys. We have a gas hot water system so I don't have to worry about a hot/cold tap adapter.

The play barking and growling isn't really an issue for me. I'll only tell the dogs to knock it off when they start getting too feral and into it. Kirah Little loves roughing and tumbling with big brother Zeus, but sometimes I think Zeus forgets she's still only half his size and weight.

My girl Kirah has an infatuation with a mini schnauzer at our local dog park. Whenever he arrives, she bounds up to him and bounces and flips around him in excitement -- it's like watching her do cartwheels around him. She doesn't do this to other dogs, just this boy!

Does anyone have a theory as to why some dogs get like this over cats? My two dogs think the cat is a chase toy and wouldn't hesitate to bolt after her. Some of those dogs behave like they're terrified of the cats.

I'm so sorry you've had to sell your pet -- no one has the right to make you feel so trapped and crappy. Perhaps you could look into erecting some kind of barrier protection in the future before looking into getting another pup. Better yet, build a huge dog run, that way they can throw stuff to their heart's content without you worrying about the pup's safety and welfare. We too had abusive neighbours the man cracked the sh*ts with us because he'd bought a house with a garage too small for his ute. He started bitching about leaves falling in his ute tray causing staining -- funny thing about trees losing their leaves! It got to the point he started throwing the leaves over the fence onto our property and once he dumped them, with some rocks in the mix, onto my head. We packed up and sold our house. Some neighbours are just jerks (to put it mildly).

I really can't wait until I'm able to start trialling with Zeus. I hope I haven't left it too late because we're just starting out and he's 4 years 5 months old. He's a very quick study so I'm hoping it'll work out -- I'm just bummed about the break in training over Christmas, especially since I've just got off my backside to enrol in training!! I've made weave poles from PVC pipes I bought at Bunnings and I was lucky enough to purchase a tunnel earlier this year. Any ideas on how to make jumps -- I currently use spare posts which I set up with the outdoor dining chairs :laugh: I also have a hula hoop that I cable tie to the seats to make a makeshift tyre jump!

The harness you were told about was probably a Sporn harness -- they have the fleece stuff under the armpits. Sporn Halter

Fosters -- you know, to keep in the Esky ;)

Circle around you backwards & cross arms (paws) :) Sounds like he is a smart little guy. Zeus is way too smart for his own good and he definitely tries my patience sometimes :laugh: I've been meaning to come back and ask how to go about starting training Zeus to circle around me backwards -- it doesn't sound easy!

Whilst it killed my back, I just persevered with bending down for Kirah. I somehow managed a good heel on the right hand side but she won't heel on the left. :/

We were posting at the same time. I'm still unsure about the actual laws as far as restraining, the article says "It is not a legal requirement that pets be restrained in a vehicle - rather, road users can be fined or lose points from their license if they have an animal on their lap while driving, while in some cases a driver could be fined for negligent driving if an animal is causing a distraction to the driver." So if that's the case they can be in the back seat behind a barrier but not be strapped or clipped in? The bolded part answers your question. Provided the dog(s) aren't distracting the driver, they do not need to be restrained. If they're bouncing all around the backseat then yes, the police may deem them as distracting and issue fines. If the dogs are quietly lying in the back area or back seat, then according to the law as it currently stands you cannot be issued fines.

He may have also heard the latest results from the NRMA who tested 25 different car harnesses and found that only 2 actually don't break. Here's an article about the results: NRMA dog Car Restraints There is a video about this test too floating around on Facebook and in the interview, the guy from the NRMA does say that perhaps there needs to be new laws introduced regarding dog restraints in cars. It also comments that for the record in NSW, it is not illegal to have your dog unrestrained INSIDE the car, only on the backs of utes.

Zeus loves doing his trick training and has such a zest for learning. I've been teaching him to stand on things, but because he knows 'touch' too, he thinks I'm asking him to touch the box. When touching doesn't get him a treat, he'll start bashing the object with his front paws very enthusiastically as if to say 'just in case you didn't see me touch the box, I've bashed it to slide across the floor' :laugh: He's a funny boy! What I want to work on is him learning voice commands as he's very signal focused right now. I'm not sure how to start phasing out the hand signals and marking the actions to words. So far Zeus knows: sit, drop, stay, search/find, sad face, roll over, high 5, high 10, touch, beg, dance, stand, play dead/bang, take a bow, leg weaving, circle clockwise to sit at left side heel(round), circle anticlockwise to sit between my legs (through), jump over things on command, go through tunnels, weave poles, and to back up/walk backwards. I thinks that's everything he knows so far. Any other tricks you guys can think of to add to his repertoire?

T/D can work but only if the dog chews the food -- both my turds love swallowing the pieces whole regardless of their large size! Plaque Off I'm still unsure of. My guys get it daily (Proden PlaqueOff) but I'm unconvinced it works. Their teeth are fantastic, but they also get frozen turkey/chicken wings every other day. Depending on how bad Poppy's teeth are, you might be better to just have them professionally cleaned then maintain from there.

What about wrapping a ticking clock up in a fluffy blanket for her? The poor girl

As far as I can tell Maeby, the reason they're allowed to wander is simply "because they're cats; that's what they do". They have a get out of gaol for free card.

I feel the same way OSo. If the cat was kept confined within this lady's property then maybe she might get some sympathy from me. Don't get me wrong, it's sad that the cat was hurt, but wandering cats give me the sh*ts.

I know nothing of BC's but I do feel they have the potential to be good family pets. Regardless of breed, all puppies are hard work and time consuming so as long as your friend puts in the time and effort, things could go well. The main thing, aside from suitable breeds, is to look at your life and make sure you can fit a puppy into the schedule. The kids are young and will be taking up a lot of your friend's time, so is she able to add a third child (for lack of better word) into the mix? If yes, then go for it!! :D Good on her for looking into registered breeders first!

It was suggested to me to use a velcro pouch or the likes in order to teach Zeus to tug at agility training. He's part beagle and definitely prefers the chase over the tugging aspect of play so I was told by using a velcro pouch, I could put treats inside and that it would hopefully encourage him to want to interact with the toy. He could also then be rewarded for playing tug a I could very quickly rip open the pouch treat him then snap it closed -- if he was too slow in putting his snout in the pouch to pull out a treat before I'd closed it, then he'd miss out that round. I never did get around to trying this to see if it worked as I changed agility clubs due to me being unable to make the classes.

You should be so proud of yourself that you've managed to get your pup to settle -- their crying and thrashing does tug the heart strings but waiting it out is all you can do. She sounds like she's already starting to improve with the crate just keep it up. The thing to remember is to never let her out whilst she's carrying on! Good work!! I just thought with the toiletting although Nic B did mention it too... If she's only going once she comes inside then why not trick her. Take her out to toilet then if nothing, bring her in. 5 minutes later just take her straight out again (or even go in then back out immediately). If it was me, I'd just sit outside until she goes, even if it takes hours!! Puppies are all about the waiting game and it's a matter of who's more determined at winning waiting it out. You're in good hands with Steve (K9 Pro) -- don't hold anything back because trust me, he understands and needs to hear your thoughts. I can vouch for him being a client of his myself! The best advice I have is to always be willing to learn WITH your dog for the rest of her life. Dogs are a learning curve, much like kids, and as long as you're willing to go on that journey with them then you'll have the best relationship you could hope for!

She was a stunning girl Grumpette and I can see from those lovely photos just how loved she was!! My favourite is the one with the ray of sunshine streaked across it -- just beautiful. RIP sweet Baylee and may you watch over your family until you meet again

I'd be asking why the love of female dogs. I always thought females to be super cuddly but it wasn't until I got Zeus that I realised boys are so much more fun and lovable. I don't mind the mix of sexes but 3 females is ambitious! :laugh:

Yeah I think the Blue Heeler is on par with the Sydney Silky -- just ACD and Silky Terrier now.

Dear Kirty, Thank you so much for being a loveable, compassionate human. As tough as it was for you to make the decision to let little Pye be at peace, please know that we are all grateful that you were there for her. She looked like such a sweet little girl. Put your mind at ease knowing that she had your love. RIP sweet Pye