~*Shell*~

I gotta ask...what is with the camo?

Don't get me started on the camo :rolleyes: :laugh:

Awww come on! I keep seeing all these camo references on fb too...and I just don't get it!!!

Lol - K9Pro wears a lot of camo. I'm sure you'll see it!

How many people who are opposedto them have actually used one on their dog or on themselves?

or own a dog that would benefit from one?

I have often been berated and belittled on this forum for having used a prong collar on my dog but until those people have had a dog like mine was, i refuse to let it get to me. I have never seen a single one of the nay-sayers own a dog who was even a 10th as aggressive as Zero. If people follow k9 pro like a cult, consider me the temple priestess. He was the ONLY person I went to see who taught me how to get results with my dog and after having had 3 well respected (and 1 not-so-respected) professionals tell me that my dog couldn't be fixed and that I should have him PTS, i wish i had put a prong collar (teamed with the fantastic rehabilitation program developed by k9 pro) on him sooner. Yes, they are not for the normal dog, but if Zero and I had not had access to them, Z would still be sitting in my backyard, scared out of his mind instead of being the wonderful, loving and gorgeous dog that he is now.

The simple fact is that I tried purely positive methods with my dog for 18 months and got NOWHERE. He could do all the obedience work under the sun in the backyard but the second i opened the gate, he would not take food, wasn't interested in toys and was in such state of over-arousal that nothing i could do would interest him. I have seen him try to kill his own shadow, react to even a chihuahua in someone's arms (that i didn't even notice!) with explosive aggression and had 3 of my fingers dislocated (one of them at both joints) when he pulled me through a gate to get to another dog, not to mention the injuries from the multiple times I was pulled off my feet. Even my extremely strong cousin had difficulties holding him back.

I tried head collars (and for the record, won't ever again after seeing the damage it did to his neck!), martingales and no-pull harnesses and saw no positive results - i often see people who come to our obedience club with these tools whose dogs spend the rest of their life wearing it because they don't understand that it's a training tool, not a fix-it. Zero only had to wear the prong collar for 12 weeks and went from being a dog who couldn't even think he saw another dog without reacting with extreme aggression to a dog who could attend a group obedience class without so much as a growl. It has now been in my cupboard gathering dust for over 2 years.

Do i believe they're for the average pet owner? No. I would be happy to see them regulated so that you had to consult with a behaviourist to be allowed access to one but banning them will only stop people from using them on the dogs that truely need them, like Zero. A lot of people on this thread had met Zero in the fur - is he afraid of me? No, in fact, quite the opposite. Is he shut down and oppressed? No, again, quite the opposite. The use of the prong collar allowed him to see that there were other things in the world and so he didn't have to worry about the things that frightened him so much. He now has a lot more freedom.

If people want to debate on the matter, bring it on. I can show you a dog where every other method failed. I can show you a dog who even well-respected professionals gave up on. I can show you a dog who may have ended up being PTS without one. And i can show you a dog who has had what Cesar Milan would call "red zone aggression" who has been rehabilitated to the point where he was able to become an accredited therapy dog.

I'm off to NSW to give the obedience judges their seminar in October.

Is this something that non-judges can go to? I've heard you can become a judge after you put a title on your dog. Z will get the RN without a problem and I'd like to help get it off the ground if i can.

Is his sign on order yet Luke?

I would love to have crates that don't look like crates under benchtops. i saw a great example of it once where the kitchen benches were wood fronted (hiding metal behind them) with granite tops. I wouldn't want them to be the kitchen benches because I love kitchen stuff too much but maybe a bench next to the door in the entrance hall or something.

You should put an HRH in front of it, or a esquire after it lol but it's definitely getting there

Barkly

Barkly definitely needs his name put on it!

You should get one of the gold ones like lawyers have on the wall outside their offices :D

He's just too cute Luke - still love the tongue!

Gorgeous!!! Love the 5th one down especially - you can see the cute little puppy belly!!!

I'm jealous - I'd love a onesie!

I worry about Zero all the time - like you and your boy, he is my heart dog. He's just turned 7 and he's slowly going blind and deaf and has spondylosis. For now, I cherish him while I have him, take lots of photos of him and just try to make his life as fun as I can. One day, he won't be here and I know my heart will be broken but at the same time, I'll be able to look at all the ways he has made my life better, and how he's made me a better person and I know I'll be okay

I have just bought a k9 pro crate - it was a lot cheaper than my k9+ crate. Both are great quality

http://www.k9pro.com.au/categories/Crates/

I wanted a smiley one but it wasn't warm enough to get her to pant so she would open her mouth. If we'd had more time i would have taken her for a quick run but oh well!

Sorry I meant call it and if it doesnt respond give it a tug....

I would still not call it and then punish it for not responding - the dog probably has no idea what you're punishing it for. Are you punishing the aggression or the non-compliance? Or both? If it's over-aroused, it may not even be able to hear the handler.

Best take the dog to see a professional Dee-al If Jane has helped you before, there's your first port of call!

Thanks guys :D

A couple more just for fun:

I really like the first one, such pretty colours too. I've only just noticed you have a watermark, is it new or has it been there for ages, very nice anyway.

I've had it for ages but haven't used it on my photography yet - it was set up so I could watermark my design, DOP and production stuff. I've had a website for a while too but I've spent ages fighting my webhosts so it's not live yet.

I would suggest everytime you see him getting to the stage of growling or the slightest aggression you correct your dog with a stern name call and a pull on the leash. you need to establish yourself as the leader and make the dog feel you have the situation under control. so the dog doesnt have to worry.

You would correct your dog after the use of it's name? All you'll teach the dog is to dislike it's name because it comes with a correction.

My advice is to go and see a behaviourist who can see why your dog is acting the way it is and who can come up with a rehabilitation plan to fix it before it escalates. Aggression shouldn't be dealt with over the internet and a lot of aggression problems have nothing to do with dominance. I had a lot of people tell me my dog's aggression was a dominance thing - it wasn't, it was fear. Worked on the fear (and got him to look to me for cues) and the aggression went away.

We went to see k9pro - he was amazing. In Victoria, maybe you could get in contact with Erny? I've met her and she's lovely :D If she can't help, she might know someone who can.

The 7D is a crapload more than I'll need ever.....

me too! I often say I might be "over camerad" not sure if it's really a word or I invented it. But I do love my 7D, sigh, sometimes I just gaze at it and think, you magnificent beast!

Hahahahaha - I say the same thing about my 5D. I would like a 7D though just for action shots.

Working out how to get noms is a serious business!!!

I was lucky enough to get to photograph the Evil Beagle herself today :D We only had 5 minutes before we had to leave for the airport so it was just a few quick photos. I would have liked to have taken some more but we spent too long talking to k9pro for that!

Over it!

I went to see him last time he was here and in truth, wasn't that impressed. It was entertaining but I didn't learn anything I couldn't justify the money this time.

Zero and I do treibball - at the moment we're not on the hills team but I've been really slack in training him recently. I'll have to get back out there and actually do some work with him.

To start, teach your dog to go around the ball and sit behind it. Zero also has directions on him so if i tell him to go left or right, he will. We use a piece of rolled up carpet with treats in it to teach them to push. Zero is a little different because he pushes with his chest rather than his nose but he can push with his nose too if need be. I have taught him to go round the ball both ways though he definitely has a preference to which way he goes (which is the same direction as he turns on a flyball box).

He loves it - he doesn't have the natural herding ability that most of the other dogs do so i have to micro-manage him but he picks it up really quickly

So very very tempting....

We are VERY excited about the Rally trials that will be up for offer!

Trip to victoria anyone? :D

Love his expression! (Geez that collar gets around, doesn't it? )

Hahahahaha - yep! Certainly does! I think the only dog who hasn't worn it is Mr Zero - his fat neck wouldn't fit in it!

Oh no - me and Shell posted at the same time, haha!! so X5!!!! hahaha!

Oh snap :D