grumpette

Is Troy going to wear something so that we instantly know who he is? I know it is not going to be a Tin Hat. Something with spots? Something to represent the breed of dog that he has? Which would be what actually? Thread picks up here

A huge thank you to the person who nominated me for such a prestigious award. I wish all the fellow nominees all the very best at the awards night and in their future endeavours. I am unsure if I will be able to attend, as a lot depends on the OH and cash flow.

Yep Isiss I do the Responsible Pet Ownership program with Baylee, but Zephyr is in training to take over the role from the old girl. The link that is posted above is a great place to start and depending on the age of the children the kinder or primary school information will be best. The program teaches children when to approach a dog and when not to approach, for example when the dog has no owner, is tied up, is eating, sleeping etc. I wish your friend luck. If her children are in kinder or primary school maybe she could ask the school to organise a visit from the program.

I have two young Rotties out in the fog and rain chewing bones and doing zoomies The old girl and I are inside warm and dry in front of the fire. It is February isn't it?

I would be very interested in the desexing presentation because at what age a large breed dog should be desex is a hotly debated issue for many reasons. KismetKat thanks for the reply

KismetKat can you please list the points made by each speaker?

Carrots. Just imagine three Rotties sitting perfectly in the kitchen, drooling while you are cutting up raw carrot Baylee used to like naked strawberries until she saw OH put cream on his one day. Now she will only eat them if they have cream on them as well. Zephyr absolutely loves watermelon, rind and all None of them will eat carob or doggy chocs. How do I know? I have had them spat back at me by all three dogs every time I try to give it to them. Baylee did this from a very young age and she is nearly 8 now. But if you have good quality chocolate though.......................

I would love to see clubs encouraging owners to utilise their voices more in conjunction with positive reinforcement (food toys, pats); negative reinforcement (removal of pressure when using compulsion ie hands on); positive punishment (correction) and negative punishment (withholding treat, pat, attention). The three tones of voice are so effective with MOST dogs regardless of size/breed when paired with the above and owners NEARLY always have their voice with them. The reason I say this is that dogs are not always on lead, owners don't always have food, ball or toy, or clicker. But they can still have effective control of their dogs in most situations if a deep tone has been paired with a correction or warning, a command tone has been associated with sit, drop, stay and if a praise tone has been connected to a reinforcer/reward. When done correctly the owner has nearly total control over their dog and their dog has more freedom to enjoy off lead walks, swimming, romps with other dogs, more freedom inside the house etc.

I have seen the effects of both extremes of training at two different clubs - purely positive reinforcement (food) and purely positive punishment (correction collar). Both of which have generally proven to be very detrimental to the dogs. I have seen positive reinforcement using food turn into nothing but a reward for bad behaviour, where there are no consequences for undesirable behaviour as the behaviour is ignored by the owner, and this has resulted in dogs that are out of control, cannot heel loosely on lead without food shoved in their faces and most definitely cannot be allowed off lead in open spaces or in the company of other dogs. They freely aggress and lunge at other dogs because the owners have no control what so ever, and there are no negative consequences for the dog as a result of that behaviour. I have seen purely positive punishment using correction collars or physical punishment used as a consequence of bad behaviour, with NO positive reinforcement given for desirable behaviour, result in dogs that MAY be compliant with the owners directions, but certainly not willingly, with no enthusiasm and a great deal of fear. In some cases it has escalated the undesirable behaviour. I sincerely believe that training should involve all four of the following, DEPENDING ON THE DOG: positive reinforcement (food toys, pats); negative reinforcement (removal of pressure when using compulsion ie hands on); positive punishment (correction) and negative punishment (withholding treat, pat, attention). I believe that owners/trainers should be able to utilise any or all four methods, if necessary, to ensure the best possible outcome for the dog/owner team and that no club/organisation should turn away people purely because of their chosen training method. This only alienates people who need help and results in problem dogs.

Erny I said yes to this. The reason being that it will help give a more accurate picture of bite statistics. Yes, you will still get breed bias to some degree when it comes to identifying the breed responsible, but it will capture the incidents of owners' dogs biting family members a lot better than currently recorded when people go to the emergency dept of hospitals. With a lot of dog bites people tend to go to their GP and that data is lost. It is possible that it will help balance some of the media hype surrounding dog bites.

This just illustrates that parental supervision is the easiest way to reduce the number of dog bites involving children. Supervise or separate. So simple and so easy to do, yet it seems to be so hard to get this message across to the community Most (around 80%) of dog bite incidents involving children under 12 occur in the family home or that of a family member or friend. They are therefore being bitten by their own dog or one known to them. Not the stray dog the ranger is after.

Erny right hand side, look for a bright yellow box with dangerous dogs symbol. This is the first question and it has me concerned. If a stray dog is suspected by a council officer to be a danger to the public by virtue of its size, breed or disposition and it is also not registered – should councils have the power to immediately size and destroy the dog?

Hi Grumpette Thanks so much for your lovely offer. we are in the northern suburbs but a little far from where you are (30-40 mins). as i said, usually i do have company its just my parnter was tired last nigh. its always the way isnt it, murphys law and all that. OT would love to see pics of you baby ;) As requested. Taken two days ago. We are quite happy to drive 30mins for a nice walk along Malcom Creek anytime you want some company or some socialising for Sally. Edited because it helps if you add the photos

Are you in the Northern suburbs near the Hume Hwy? If so I have a 9 month old Rotty pup who loves all other dogs, especially his own age, who would love to go for a walk with you and Sally along the creek path. Just let me know. It is so important for Sally and yourself to go for walks along the creek path again to show the BOTH of you that the majority of the time nothing bad happens. This will improve your confidence and Sally's and ensure that Sally remains calm and unstressed when walking in similar environments. The encounter affected Sally as indicated by her urination.

He sure has grown Saga. He is taller than Baylee and just a bit taller than Dee, with still some growth plate left

Thanks Dyz and natamalie Polar Pads are inside for the Girls . The Monster Boy licks and eats his if unsupervised Polar Collar is on OH and he is all cool in his office

Nice and cool down stairs, just do not venture up stairs, or later into the kitchen

Staying cool Zephyr style Baylee style (the water is dirty but oh so cool) Dee style (you had to throw her bone in )

Zephyr also thought that Bronte and Chloe were pretty cool dogs to play chasey with Bronte Chloe

Drying off Baylee and the pups chasing butterflies

Zeph stops swimming sometimes

Flint and family Family swimming together

A ball works every time

Flint and Zephyr mastered swimming at this Kepala meet Family gathering Zeph with Baylee showing him how to swim

Really? What Council? Deemed "annoying" by the residents involved and society in general. The fastest way to get a reaction regarding dog behaviour from councils, media or society in general is to say that the dog involved was "big and black". You do not get the same reaction if you report an attack by "a small black dog". I acknowledge that previous "reported" incidents’ involving certain breeds is the main reason for this community perception and not just the size of the dog involved.