Quickasyoucan

I would think the intent would be to stop byb puppy farmers hiding behind a web address or a phone number with no real way of determining where and in what conditions the puppies are actually being bred and breeding stock kept. I have been told (have no direct proof or experience) that some operations have more than one supplying "breeder" who breeds relatively small numbers in rural fringe areas to funnel into a single supply chain. It would be very hard to monitor health and welfare of dogs in those type of situation. I belive there was a report in one of the Sydney papers along those lines too but I cannot remember which. I am not saying I agree with the address issue but I believe this would be the intent. I agree with PF though that I think there are privacy issues here. I can understand why the regulators would need to have addresses. Why they need to be publicly available, making breeders sitting targets for theft of dogs and pups, beats the hell out of me. Yeah I agree, I think it should be more along the lines of a closed list. After if you want to check, for example, a solicitor is registered to practice, the Law Society doesn't hand out their home address they will simply say yes this person has registration number XXXX.

I would think the intent would be to stop byb puppy farmers hiding behind a web address or a phone number with no real way of determining where and in what conditions the puppies are actually being bred and breeding stock kept. I have been told (have no direct proof or experience) that some operations have more than one supplying "breeder" who breeds relatively small numbers in rural fringe areas to funnel into a single supply chain. It would be very hard to monitor health and welfare of dogs in those type of situation. I belive there was a report in one of the Sydney papers along those lines too but I cannot remember which. I am not saying I agree with the address issue but I believe this would be the intent. I agree with PF though that I think there are privacy issues here.

Hope you go well with your class Grace1979, let us know how you get on will be interesting to hear about the classes. Besides, I suppose it makes a change from the classes in my area where they will only train with food. Seriously I am sure if he is a good trainer he will find what is best for your dog. Off topic I have never had a dog, mine or family that snapped for food and tried to take your fingers off. Just curious is it a learned behaviour as people tend to withdraw their hands quickly?? or do some dogs do it and some dogs not??

I get mine online from the Natural Pet Store (in Sydney), not had a problem with supply so far. Ordered some on Monday got it today. This is EP Holistic Kibble (duck).

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/marau...0-1225891118931 A FIVE-year-old boy was found dead inside a Lincoln Park, Michigan home today - amid fears he was mauled by the family dogs. Kyle Holland's body was discovered about 9.30am local time by his 29-year-old mother outside his bedroom, myFOXdetroit.com said. He had significant trauma to his chest and one of his legs, Lincoln Park police Chief Thomas Karnes said. The boy's death is being treated as a homicide. The family's two dogs - a 16kg black and white Labrador mix and a 90-pound 41kg husky and German shepherd mix - were impounded, the Detroit Free Press reported. Neither dog had a licence as required by the city. Neighbours, who said they heard the mother's screams as she found the boy, told myFOXdetroit.com the dogs had been a major problem. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. "Those dogs are always jumping the fence, and I guess they never took care of the dogs. People around the block used to sneak food and water over the fence just so that the dogs were able to eat and drink," one person said. Police arrested the mother's live-in boyfriend for drug possession following the incident. He and the mother were helping police with inquiries. Read more at myFOXdetroit.com Extremely sad , but for a change actually quite balanced reporting (bolding is mine). This report is also eerily simlilar to some of those described in Karen Delise's book in terms of background information surrounding attacks.

Full time 1 dog, dog is walked 3 times a day, by me early mornings and evenings (even in foul weather) and by a lovely ex-neighbour during the week mid-afternoon. Spend evenings and all weekends with my dog if at all possible, my preference My relos say when they die they want to be reincarnated as my dog.

Walking at dawn would probably be cheaper. The idiots seem to llike to sleep in. Or walk in heavy rain - only for the truly dedicated Slightly off topic but on the same theme a friend of mine who has a DA dog who is on leash at all times and only street walked has had to resort to walking at 5.00 am or in bad weather because we have a number of owners in our area who think it is their right to walk their dogs off leash on the streets. She actually struck up a conversation at a distance with one woman who had her dog on a lead as she is trying to desensitise her own dog. The conversation went something like, "My dog is DA I am trying to desensitise him, this is helpful to chat at a distance", the other lady's reply "Oh my dog is a bit DA and a bit HA you are lucky as I was about to let him off the lead (this is on a suburban street where there could be young children, dogs, old people etc)". When my friend questioned this she said it is my right to do what I like with my dog. I mean what is in these people's heads - Rocks?

Thanks Jigsaw for digging this up have passed on some suggestions. Cheers,

Hi could anyone recommend a trainer who does in home visits for a family in Riverview, Sydney (North Shore) Just basic over excitement issues, jumping up etc. They have rescued a young whippet size ish crossbreed from the pound and probably need a bit of guidance with training. I am just concerned they may go the Bark Busters route so I said I would ask. Any contacts much appreciated. Cheers

Unfortunately the behaviour you describe from your lab is exactly what is repeated time over at dog parks. As Erny said dogs are supposed to be under effective control in a dog park and that means not bothering other dogs or people trying to enjoy the park regardless of how friendly your dog is. The other persons reaction might have been a little over the top but you do not know what experience they have had previously. Also if your dog is getting growled at by other dogs for his behaviour you are putting him at risk of being attacked. Plenty of dogs resent over-enthusiastic intrusions into their personal space, why run the risk. It is good that you are questioning it but perhaps practising your recall is a good idea so that you can guage an owner/dog's eagerness to play first and then everyone is happy. Its a bit like kids asking before they can pat a dog. Not everyone goes to the off leash to have their dog play with others, some go so their dog can chase balls, to train under distraction etc, not every dog has to play with other dogs, but owners are limited in where they can exercise their dogs off leash and not everyone has the benefit of acreage to run on. On a legal note you should also be aware that "attack" as defined by law includes chasing, rushing or harrassing any animal or person other than vermin. I have heard of a case of a dogbeing declared dangerous for simply jumping up on the wrong person or chasing someones cat up a tree. Better to be safe than sorry and train good behaviours into your dog.

I agree with Jed on both the bolded points. I also think it would be more useful to have stats on actual serious bites rather than generic "attacks" as defined by the law and for that to be separated out properly and clearly into human bites and other. The SMH headline said "Bite worse than Bark" but actually the 156 SBT's were listed for "attacks" which can include not inflicting any physical injury at all. there were also more attacks by dogs listed as "breed unascertainable" in total but that didn't make good headlines obviously. SBT's papered or unpapered can be DA, I don't think there is an ethical breeder out there who wouldn't admit that. And it is not all down to training. So can other breeds obviously but we are talking about the SBT here. I'd bet the majority of the list "attacks" by SBTs were against other animals not people. And whilst that is terrible, what the general public cares most about, I am sure, is whether humans get attacked and DA most definitely does not automatically equate to HA. Pitbull bans weren't brought in because the public was led to believe they were DA it was because the public was lead to believe they were human killing machines.

You're right. If they don't list source of information re how that breed label was reached....we have no idea at all what the actual breakdown was. The only group of dogs where actual evidence would back their breed on a microchip.....would be the purebreds with papers IF proof was required. And if this info was mandatory in reporting on dog/bites. These purbreds with papers are the only dogs that can form a distinct group among all that finish up with 'Staffy or 'Staffy X' on their microchip. So, there's a good reason for putting ANKC- papered on the microchip....because it'd then allow this group of dogs to be measured against how often they turn up in the stats figures for dog bites/attacks. If the science holds that dogs from registered breeders tend to have less problems with aggression, then these purebred staffies MAY buck the trend for so-called 'staffies' being over-involved in bites/attacks. and this goes for all the other breeds listed too, especially those favoured by BYB's, as I think Clyde mentioned there was mastiff on the list, I last time I looked mastiff was more than one breed anyway, ie bullmastiff, neopolitan mastiff etc. I'd have a punt that, for example, the rotties listed too weren't ANKC papered ones... My dog is a medium-sized desexed shorthaired black crossbreed and I would have no issue with him being listed as such. Doesn't change how wonderful and special he is to me. Besides aren't those enough descriptors for identification purposes? I guess it goes to human beings liking a label for things.

Doh gremlins

I had a quick look at the report and it also had a higher number of "breed not identified" dogs involved in "attacks" than any of the breeds mentioned (even staffords). It seems to have on it stafford but also stafford cross wonder where that information comes from if not off microchip, given what Mita is saying. It also doesn't list source of identification. As I said before there is a great difference between what a victim thinks a breed was, particularly given the awful circumstances of being involved in an attack and how that might alter perception and identification by way of microchip or even better pedigree registration papers. I wonder what the percentage difference would be if you added up total registrations across all councils in NSW for 'staffords' and total Dogs NSW registrations for papered SBT's? But I suppose even that would be inaccurate as you would have to factor in low rates of council registration (I think it is supposed to be around 30%) and also the fact there is no requirement to notify a death. If I had a dollar for every person who said to me I thought my dog was a pure stafford I would be a rich woman. He is so far from what a pure stafford looks like and in fact (according to BITSA) has twice as much border collie than the very small amount of stafford but yet he appears to be what the public thinks is a "stafford". It seems it is hard to get a clear picture. I don't have a problem with what SBT 123 said re registrations but the form is such that you have to put something on it that it is a breed approximation.

The other thing to bear in mind is this: "A dog attack can include any incident where a dog rushes at, attacks, bites, harasses or chases any person or animal (other than vermin), whether or not any injury is caused to the person or animal." I know there are cases where dogs have been declared dangerous for jumping on people, chasing cats etc, not that this is acceptable but it is not a case of a dog biting a person, which I think can be the public assumption when reading articles headlined "bites are worse than bark". ETA I also assume "breed" is identified by victim or witness in most cases and not by owner or pedigree registration.

So do you think that means the 41% is a statistical blip? I was only thinking about this this this morning as I drove past my first off leash on the street dog of the morning. I mean how hard is it to walk your dog on a bl""dy leash on the street. I actually would like to have the power to go round on the spot fining everyone who had their dog off the lead on the street!!! I t makes life very hard for a friend of mine who does the right thing, but has a dog who is DA in some circumstances when she is constantly having to be on the look out for dogs rushing hers on the street when she is doing the right thing training and keeping her dog on a leash at all times. She shouldn't have to go through that and then cop abuse from people when she tells them their dog may get bitten if it rushes up to hers.

So BSL and not targeting irresponsible owners is really working well then. However, I take the increase in penalties as a positive if that means that they are actually enforcing existing general legislation. I also see that these numbers are due to increased reporting so it may not really be the 41% actual leap that they are reporting.

My understanding from researching cruciate surgery is that it does not necessarily mean that there will be no problems with the leg afterwards ie that there could still be some arthritis from any damage that took place prior to the operation. My dog has had some on off mild cruciate problems and the orthopaedic specialist in the end put us on a wait and see as he thinks it could only possibly be a tiny tear (few fibres), but he did say to me firstly that in all likelihood it will eventually go but also that there is a balancing act between leaving it too long and having the op done in terms of how much arthritis you get post-op. I have noticed that since it turned cold my boy has been stiff on occasion in the mornings, could this be a factor too? I have a friend whose rotty had a tta and apparently a titanium screw broke post op, she is okay now as I think eventually there was scar tissue build up but they had some worrying times too. Bl""dy cruciates. Good luck with your dog.

In my fantasy, I have loads of money world, I want a VW Tiguan, selfishly because it is only me and the dog. However, looks like I will be stuck with my 2001 Toyota Echo - lucky I only have one dog, though it is surprisingly roomy and has fitted 2 large dogs and mine in the past!

For anyone who has foxtel there is a show which comes up on Animal Planet called K9 cops, it is set in somewhere like Minnesota and they go out while the dogs mantrail and do drug and firearm searches. It is really interesting to watch. I enjoyed watching the dogs work on this one but only came in half way through the program so I think I missed Tank. Be nice to see an Australian show, with a lot of the work that is going on here not just in airports but protecting wildlife from feral pests etc. Dogs have so much to offer ;)

.......whoosh..... that's the tongue in cheek bit flying over my head. There's a really good horse training website that stresses that the use of the terms "positive" "negative", "reinforcement" and "punishment" in the OP quadrants aren't about being "nice" or "nasty".. I honestly wonder how many folk truly grasp that sometimes. That's why, like you, I don't use it in classes at all. While useful for people who understand it, the language is very counter-intuitive for the uninitiated. Being even less sophisticated I talk about "good stuff for dogs" and "bad stuff for dogs" because the other thing people don't grasp all that well is that what a dog experiences as rewarding or aversive may not be what a human thinks is rewarding or aversive. Damn, I thought that said. "that's why I like you".. Yep, if the folk you are training can't grasp the concepts, you need to simplify. I have to admit, and I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent (though others may disagree) that being a person with the requisite "5 minutes of real dog experience on dogs of my own acquaintance", I have to think long and hard about the whole 4 quadrant thing to categorise real life examples into it. I was thinking about this a bit this morning when I exercised my dog. What I try to do is have an effective "conversation" with my dog to guide him away from dangers and help him have a good walk. The park where we go is also a popular picnicking spot, naughty people tend to leave chicken legs and other potentially harmful stuff around which my boy loves to try and find. Most of the time the lure of some sort of drive/ball game is enough to keep his mind off the tasties, but sometime I have to give him a stern, "leave it" or an "uh uh". It works, he comes back to me and we continue the fun stuff. Sometimes when he is on lead he gets a correction as he has rather too a fondness for skateboards. But I don't abuse that, we move on and our walks are pleasant. I guess people could say I should have a better recall and should have been able to work out the skateboard thing with counter-conditioning, but this is a dog I acquired through rescue at 10 months to a year and some of the behaviours were already there, plus I am certainly no expert, this is my first dog that hasn't been a family dog. For me Joe Blow dog owner a balance of good and bad stuff keeps my dog safe so I am comfortable with that.

at exploratory fashion. It's the talon like grip of even the smallest dog I can't quite get over plus that look of total and utter concentration. Sorry off topic.

:D PF but is that dog in Deschonko's new range and does it come in red? ;)

Premack principal, the dog can get to the other dog to play (provided they are socialised), but only if it is on a loose leash. I'd be teaching "you cannot move forwards on a tight lead" without the presence of other dogs, so that the dog got the idea without too much distraction, with additional rewards (food or toy rewards) until the dog got the idea, and then let it see other dogs (perhaps at an offleash park) from a distance, once it has kept a loose leash for a few moments (gradually increasing moments) the behavior would be marked and the dog would be allowed off leash to play. I may or may not suggest a head halter or easy walk harness, depending on the size/strength/determination of the dog etc. ETA: A friend did this with her Great Dane. She'd been told by a few people that such a big, strong dog would need to go on a check chain. All she did was stop moving when he was pulling and within a week he'd stopped pulling altogether and now walks beautifully. How is a head halter not an aversive. My dog went into a total face scraping frenzy the one and only time I put one on him. IMO head halters are not working with nature at all in any way. Might be okay for a horse, but how can it be okay in the mind of someone who has a positive bent? Also when you observe a bitches behaviour towards its pups there very definitely is punishment in there as well as encouragement and reward. How can it not naturally form part of balanced training. I just don't get it.

Trouble is with the continued focus on breed, there is no focus on education. I agree with Souff, in that if I had a dollar for every kid who launched itself lovingly at my dog out on walks with their parents watching on, I would be a rich woman. Now my dog thinks every child is another licking target, but that's not the point, how do these parents know that my dog is safe. Then again you only have to travel on public transport to see the things that parents allow their kids to do, hanging over the edge of ferries, real youngsters running around unaccompanied on deck, I could go on. Frankly I am surprised that more children don't end up hurt in all manner of ways given some of the things that you see parents overlooking or allowing them to do. Irresponsible owners and Irresponsible parents = a very dangerous combination.