Papillon Kisses

Such a cute little gang. :D

Is this the chained dogs - blind bight album? Are you asking this to be shared with lost/found groups on Facebook? I'm confused about the situation but it appears you cannot say more? Were the dogs stolen or something?

I had to look up "leccy blanket"... so he has his own electric blanket? That makes me smile. :) I totally get it about keeping records / noticing things more, and then not knowing what you're seeing. I find it's better as a long game: once you get more data you can look look back and see how he was one or two weeks or a month ago, and have a better perspective. You might also start seeing patterns like X activity made things better or worse a day or two later, when you may not have picked up on it otherwise. I had some interesting experiences with that when I was using a diary to track exercise and rehab from injuries. For example, I was able to see that doing a particular activity or treatment would make things temporarily worse, but that the time to recover from it was shortening over time. It meant I didn't freak out over expected setbacks! And with Malcolm I've also noticed that if has a stressful experience he might still be more reactive the following day, so I need to keep things low key for him. Stuff like that. It sounds like Vivotonin might be one of those drugs that take a while to build up proper blood levels... some other meds are like that.

blinkblink - who justice sees...??? Yeah that's who I was thinking. :)

They don't have to necessarily see the possum. My dog's main trigger was the sound they made rustling in the trees but especially that terrible fighting (mating?) sound. You could presumably find videos or recordings of possums online to get the sound and then desensitise/counter condition that. In any case, my dog sleeps inside at night and the behaviour modification happened in the evening pre bed. It carried over. It is much easier to lock them inside, but if the dog is anything like mine the mere sound of a possum would wind him up from indoors so you still have a problem to address.

Does anyone know of a groomer in the northern suburbs of Adelaide who would be suitable for washing an anxious dog? They would need to use positive reinforcement and know the signs of the dog being overthreshold. Asking for someone else. I know someone in here is a groomer but I can't remember who or where they are located. Hmmm... I think I've found it.

You make possums reliably predict something very very good, like cheese or BBQ chicken or roast meat. SEE HERE: http://grishastewart.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/counterconditioning-ahimsa-manual.jpg Another way is to train your dog to do a conflicting behaviour. When my dog barked at possums, I would call him inside and tell him to go to his bed. "Go to bed" wasn't said as a punishment (this is very important!!) but as a conflicting command. "Do this" not "don't do that." It is physically impossible to be outside barking at possums at the same time that you are inside on your bed. It is easier if you have a rock solid come inside when called. When your dog is outside at any time but not barking, call him in and reward him with an AMAZING treat even if he dawdles. Note that it has to be a high value treat, not just an everyday treat.

How's the dear little man?

:D

What a relief! You can do it Amber, keep fighting girl!

Congratulations on another successful Stand for Exam. :)

I calculated Malcolm's costs for the year to date and felt terrible, like I'd put a price on his head. And then I came home and saw his adorable little self and forgot about it. Having a dog with Addison's Disease, anxiety disorders and shonky conformation adds up. I'm so grateful for our lovely vets who relieve some of the pressure. I wouldn't trade him for the world.

I deliberately mix up Malcolm's schedule because I don't want to be nagged. He does like to go to bed at a particular time though, and will come and "fetch" me if he thinks I'm taking too long. :laugh:

I think you can make either work if you, well, put in the work. PS: make sure you are ready for the lifetime commitment and cost of dog ownership.

Our papillon with congestive heart failure had to have a dental at 15 (he'd have died for certain without it) and, like you, the GA was extremely risky. My parents had him operated on in a specialist clinic, with a team of people working on and monitoring him including a specialist anaesthetist. They thought they were going to lose him at one stage, but he pulled through and lived for a further two years. It will cost a bomb, but if you can, have it done at a specialist clinic or otherwise have a specialist write the drug protocol and give instructions, like Kirty did. It's a very hard place to be in when there's no option but to operate, and I feel for you. Remember too that while your dog may look happy, they are very good at hiding their pain and sickness.

If you are allergic to dogs, you might be a candidate for immunotherapy to change the way your body reacts to dog allergens. It is a big commitment both in money and time, but one that is totally worth it if you love dogs. Just FYI. :)

I might be wrong, but I seem to recall that if your dog goes missing you have to pay more to spring it from the pound if it's unchipped. Hopefully someone from rescue will correct me if I'm wrong.

Many people who work full time leave their dogs that long, but there are also a lot of bored, frustrated, lonely dogs in suburbia, howling mournfully and causing destruction. So what do you do? - First of all, as you have considered, you select the right breed but perhaps more specifically the right dog for you. - Secondly, from the get go you train the dog to be ok without you for those hours. - Thirdly, you get up early every morning to walk your dog before you leave and/or take it out again when you get home. Even when it's raining. Even when you're tired. - Fourthly, you give your dog mental stimulation which will tire it out far more quickly than excessive exercise, which can create a cardio junkie. Think dog training, food dispenser toys and puzzle games. - And finally, you provide enrichment activities for your dog to do while you are out. Normal, healthy dogs sleep at times throughout the day, but they need to have a life, too. You can take the dog to doggy daycare or hire a dog walker to take it out (the cost of a dog walker is cheap when you consider what you'd happily spend on other things for yourself), leave the dog with a stuffed Kong, hang a tyre from a tree, have a fun garden with lots of plants to sniff and wander through, hide treats or their regular meal throughout the garden for them to hunt out. Lots of ideas available online. One option would be to adopt a senior from rescue, who I'm sure would love to spend their retirement years with you. For example, take a look at gorgeous Grace: http://saveadog.org.au/animals-adoptions/dog/all/1410/ http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/261854-saturday-senior/page__st__300 (Last two posts)

Since you know you want to see it.... Here's the Leaning Tower of Malcolm

Yeah Malcolm had trouble at first with the 15sec sit and then the 20 count. Since I'm training relaxation and not a sit/stay as such I don't mind if he goes and lies down or something, but I was initially getting a Jack in the Box, sit-stand-wiggle-scootch, am I sitting good enough? will raising a paw earn me a treat? do you want a high 5? shall I lean like the Tower of Pisa? (seriously :laugh: ). Then it twigged that he didn't have to DO anything, he only had to be still, calm and attentive. We did task 2 today. My goodness the kid is hilarious. We got all the way through but he huffed impatiently on a few occasions. :laugh: I think he thought we were going for a walk when I put on my shoes (can't jog without them due to injuries). So we'll be repeating it again tomorrow, unless our VB says otherwise. How's Thistle going?

Scottie is so sweet. Yesterday it was 27 degrees in Sydney!

It just occurred to me... Malcolm has started napping through the afternoon dog parade — aka the witching hour when dogs stream past our fence/gate, with some of them trying to attack him as they are dog unfriendly themselves. He used to spend the entire time racing out to do his bark and mark and spring bok around the garden. I haven't even been playing his calming music.

Dominance Theory Debunked: http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org

Whoop! ???? Zero shaking or fidgeting today, just a calm attentive expression. Moving up to Task 2 tomorrow!