grumpette

Zeph will chase balls and bubbles and bunts non stop, and will even ignore a plover attached to his tail

Dee is a high prey drive dog who will chase anything, but has learnt to love balls and the game of fetch. She used to loose interest when the object stopped moving, but discovered that if you returned the object it would move again. Balls even encouraged her to swim.

There is nothing quite as terrifying to a photographer than hounds coming towards you when filming, because you know the lens is going to be snotted on and you are going to get a black eye

They came out to film the Newfoundland Club of Victoria doing water rescue at Lilydale Lake last weekend. We had Newfies and non Newfies present: Rottweiler, Leonberger, Portuguese Water Spaniel, several Labradors.

Luka is beautiful. A very regal photo there.

CaneToad I love the second and third photo: the great capture of the dog mid stride and the colour contrast of the green gums against the blue/white sky. Kirty "fragile" is so very cute. Helen, my guys just discovered the SavourLife treats and love them more than the Black Dog ones.

SheWolf huge hugs to Big Dewey. He has an awesome smile. :D

Week 6/52 A stunning sunset taken using my phone while at the fire brigade. This is looking towards Melbourne.

Ranga I love him. And in a beautiful native setting. The grevillea is gorgeous.

If I would let him rip the bed cover off he would, so that his bed would not eat his ball. When the ball gets stuck near the downed tree, he gets frustrated and rips the bark off. Or he can be dribbling the ball past part of the tree and he will stop to strip bark. Zeph is one strange dog.

My Zeph is a dag just because.................. http://vid260.photobucket.com/albums/ii14/grumpette_bucket/20150201_144023_zpsaenfb2pk.mp4

Tay, I love the richness of the colour in the second one, but I love the framing of Jess in the first one. Sorry that was no help was it :)

Oops a slight stutter. DOL seems to be hanging at the moment.

Beautiful photo of Didi mid stride. Great effort Terri. OMG those Cavies are absolutely gorgeous. I love Harry. Oops that should have been Henry and Deniki.

You know I will take your photo posting permission invitation and bolt with it don't you VM??? Speaking of which, we have not seen photos of Horrible Herbert for a long time.

We seem to have loads of frogs around atm, hopefully they are coming back with full force. Such fascinating creatures. We call ours "bonk bonk frogs" because that is the sound that they make, but apparently they are Banjo frogs. I will have to get photos now.

Oh that lizard is stunning Ranga And SheWolf I have a soft spot for frogs. The colours that they come in are amazing. We have frogs in the pond out the front, but they are not as pretty as yours.

Thank you MDD for the great focusing advice for action shots. Week 5/52 Dee jumping up to steal Zeph's water stream (I could not choose) And because Zeph is very special

What an absolutely glorious sky Canetoad. Well worth getting out of bed for. Nothing as funny as a shameless belly flash :laugh: Teekay I love the reflection.

Zeph is a dag because apparently you have not peeed properly unless you have cocked both legs on things. You pee while lifting the left leg, then turn around and pee in exactly the same spot while lifting the right leg. Really

It does take a fair bit of time for the pack order to settle and for new bonds to form between the dogs. It took Zeph several months to interact with Dee in a playful manner the way Dee and Baylee used to play. Dee did not play ball and swim the way that Baylee did. I would give her time to establish her place in the pack and to bond with a new dog. The company of the pup sounds like a very good idea.

I believe that the purpose of a breed club is to protect, promote and preserve their chosen breed. To be a contact point for the general puppy buying public so that they can direct suitable prospective owners toward a reputable breeder, thus trying to minimise the number of wrong owners matched with inappropriate dogs. To maintain records of sires/dams, health scores for testable conditions etc so that future matings can be considered with all the information needed to maintain or improve the breed, both health and temperament wise. To support all owners of that breed with information and advice to assist in the raising of their dog. For example provide training to modify unwanted behaviour and assist with the transition through teenagehood ie obedience classes. For those that wish to work their dogs in the activities that they were bred to perform, provide the training and organise events where they can work with their dogs. Provide information to the general public about the breed by attending pet expos, Dog Lovers shows, agricultural shows etc to try to combat the misinformation that is always out there about different breeds. I joined my breed club because of the knowledge of the people at the club about the breed and their working style, but stayed with other all breed obedience clubs because my dogs need to work around other breeds of dog and accept their different behaviours and idiosyncrasies, because the world does not have only Rottweilers in it. I have been a committee member, instructor, member of the promotions team and editor of the club magazine at both my breed club and all breeds obedience club.

My emotional side says it is love. My intellectual side says it is various reasons. My dogs will sit or lie near me no matter what part of the house I am and they will move when I do, but they will not do the same for OH. Is this love or pack orientated security ie Stay near the leader just in case you miss an opportunity? My dogs will sleep near me and sit on the couch with their heads on me, but they will move away if OH touches them. Is this love or gaining comfort from the pack leader? My dogs will work well for me, with lots of joy (most of the time ) but will look for me or to me when working for other people. This is the reason I cannot be around when Zeph shows. Is this love or uncertainty about the pack order or anxiety/lack of confidence in the other handler? My dogs will bring me toys and treasures of all descriptions, but they will also take toys to other people if we are at peoples' houses visiting or visiting the nursing home. Is this love or a tactic to instigate retrieving games and get treats? My dogs will greet me at the door like some long lost lover, with madly wagging tails and in Zeph's case a toy, tub or sock. Is this love or the pack leader returning with resources or the chance of freedom in the way of a walk? My dogs will come to me when they want something, be it a pat, food, walk, to be let out to the toilet, but not the OH. Is this love or the fact that I can read them a lot better than the OH and can meet their needs? So many alternatives. I like to think that it is love and a special bond that we have, because I am always doing things with them (walking, training, entertaining) or for them (feeding, grooming, healing, protecting) but is it purely a survival behaviour?

Love? Respect? It does not matter, because Ernie was brilliant and a very very good boy for coming when called.