Tassie

Hey Sparty - congrats on Bodie's first Novice pass - and huge congrats on your little girl's arrival - and for having such a gooood baby. Hi CTD - very exciting about your new baby. Look forward to seeing pics - and hearing how the boys get on with her. Moses was such a friendly fellow at camp - bet he'll love having a puppy. So who's coming to camp with you next year?

Personally I wouldn't use an aversive like this on a pup which is just being over-friendly - for the reasons given above - he may associate the presence of other dogs with unpleasant things - not something you want in any dog. IMHO, it's important for your friend to teach and reinforce behaviour which is incompatible with lunging towards other dogs. She will need super treats, and good timing, and she may initially need to use her body to turn away and re-focus the dog on her. What she is after is for her dog to see the presence of other dogs as a cue to check back with her - to look at her and turn back to her for further instructions. When appropriate, those instructions may then be that he is allowed to go say hi - nicely. Or they may be that he should sit, or walk with her - or whatever. If she can achieve this, it will be so much more useful to her in general life - when walking the dog on the streets etc. So the sequence would go "See other dog, look at mum - and then do what mum says." And all without a squirt bottle. This is one of those situations where a clicker-savvy dog can learn more quickly - you can click even the slightest head turn back towards you, and then treat - then you get a bigger turn etc.etc. At the recent APDT conference, Pat Miller was talking about switching on a "Where's my chicken?" response - she was talking about it in relation to reactive dogs, but it applies equally well to over friendly dogs. One of the problems about using a squirt bottle is what are you going to do then? How is the dog to learn what he should be doing in those situations?

My Border Collies have a dessertspoon of plain yoghurt every day - usually Jalna fat free, but they have had Greek, Peters, Tamar Valley .... Any plain, fat-free with acidophilus etc., I think.

I've got quite a collection from my previous boy and my current two (hastens to add, it's a lot easier to place in a small state! ) It was going to be a retirement project to stitch them together to make a quilt or wall-hanging or something like that. Somehow, it hasn't happened yet - and won't for a while, as I'm back working -- partly to feed the competition habit and pay the entry fees and petrol trying to get more Qs and sashes! I like the idea of a picture in frame with one or two of the really special ones.

Just wanted to say I bought the heartworm and tick meds I needed for my trip north through priceless pets, after consulting with them on options via email. They were very, very helpful, and the meds arrived in 6 days - not bad from Brisbane to Hobart. I found them excellent to deal with. (And no, I don't have shares - just went on recommendations from friends.)

Yes, Border Collie people will recommend kelp powder - supposed to help deepen pigment in eyes and nose. I gave it to my two for their first 12 months or so - a teaspoon or so with their food. Don't know if it works, but I don't think it can do any harm - though you may want to check that. And yes, I'd go with sunscreen - there's one formulated for dogs. I'd also thought that tattooing was cosmetic only.

Oh, that's good news Kristie. Sounds as though she may have been done later in the day, and so was still in recovery when you picked her up. Now, your task will be to persuade her that she needs to take things a bit easy for a few days - good luck with that. (My two - male and female -were desexed on the same day. The next day they squeezed through a small hole in the fence to go play with some kids on the street 100 metres down my road - Luckily the kids were savvy - put leads on, took them into their yard, and rang the number on the tags - bless their hearts.) It's so hard when they're in surgery - had a surgery done on my old (17) cat the other week, and my heart was in my mouth every time the phone rang. Vet office was good though - rang to say she was OK - and she came home fine - and hungry. Anesthetis have sure come a long way in the time I've been a pet owner. Just wanted to say too, bless you for your work on that other matter. Hope all is well with you.

Coming in late on the update - but just had to say congratulations, Roody. Jackson is sure one lucky little pupper to have found an owner who is prepared to work with him, and give him time to come out of his shell and show you what his true personality is. Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job - and it's great that you're seeing results quickly - very heart-warming.

Hey MrsD - glad you got an answer. Ann is going to teach at a US camp later this month, and I was afraid she might not be able to reply. So we'll have to look out for you on the Friday. (Mary has a little Sheltie, so she'll love your pup, I reckon.) CTD - no fair that you're doing both. :wink: I didn't know about Richard Curtis until too late - but in any case, I haven't done enough dancing stuff to make it worth while. I'll look forward to meeting you guys at Camp Tailwaggers - look for the Tasmanian number plates and the 2 Border Collies. We're staying in a cabin - this is my luxury trip for myself!

My two Border Collies and I will be at the Mary Ray camp - yay!! Went to her weekend at Camp Tailwaggers 2 years ago, so I'm really looking forward to this one - it's not just dancing though - obedience and agility as well.

Heheh - and you know what Shek's next excuse will be, don't you? Oh dear - entries closed a couple of weeks ago. Never mind, Shek - there's always next year, and if you get a bike pump from Mornir on Sunday, you can start Sunday afternoon. ;)

Would I laugh? Not when I have a completely OTT Border Collie boy, who is, I think, starting to gain some maturity and self control now - he's 4 and a half going on 9 months. His mum's breeder did say she thought he'd be a late developer! ;) His concentration span is increasing a bit too - it's now probably marginally longer than a goldfish. But I love him to bits, and one day .....

;) Hi biker girl All being well, there are four of us coming up from Hobart - 3 Border Collies and a Sheltie. I'm the senior citizen with a pony tail and a Border Collie - probably my boy, since he's a mummy's boy. All being well, a friend's husband will bike with my girl. What's your boy? How's your training going? We think the kids are going OK - but that warm weather last week knocked them back a bit, my BC boy particularly. Hi Australdi - didn't realise you were in Tasmania too. If you do come for a look see, promise you won't laugh at the senior citizen!

If it is (and I don't think it is down here, at least), it shouldn't be. I think way too many people think they don't need to take their little dogs to training - when in fact it would benefit them and the dogs. But also, these little ones can be plenty smart, and deserve the opportunity to learn 'stuff' every bit as much as bigger dogs. I have seen a great little Papi trialling down here - years ago now. He was very good - very attentive heeling, and a recall to die for - little tail streaming out behind him as he flew in. I must admit, he had a few problems with stays on very windy days, but he worked like crazy to hold his sit stay against the wind. I would think Papis would make great little agility dogs too - and the ones I've known are keen as mustard.

He's a gorgeous looking boy. Do hope he's feeling better this morning. On the question of paracetamol use in dogs, a quick net search shows that while a larger dose is necessary to cause significant liver damage in dogs than in cats, any use of paracetamol, at least without specific veterinary advice, is regarded as highly dangerous. Here for example is a quick but useful summary by a vet. ETA another link from Provet UK

Good advice from Nekhbet. Unfortunately you are starting from a fair way behind the 8 ball with this poor little man - but it sounds like he's landed on his feet now. The very fact that you're concerned enough to observe and respect his reactions, and to post here, says that you're on the right track. How long have you had him? He has certainly not had what I would regard as the 'normal' puppyhood so far, so you'll have the job of making up for a lot of the socialisation in various areas - not just interaction with humans - that he should have been having in an ideal world. I'd say you're on the right track by just letting him feel his way, and as Nekhbet says, giving him opportunities for closer interaction when he's ready for it. The good news is that he will play with a toy. You could provide a variety, watch which ones are his favourites, and then maybe sit on the floor turned sideways to him, not making eye contact, and just play with one of the toys yourself - and just see what happens. Try a variety of (healthy) treats for him to sample, so that you can observe what floats his boat - then use these when you're encouraging him to come closer. Wait till he's a bit hungry, then again, sit on the floor, sideways to him, not looking at him, and gently toss a treat towards him. Don't make eye contact, but if he takes it, toss another on, then another - and see if you can get them closer to you. The reason for the sideways posture, sitting on the floor and the no eye contact, is that they may act as calming signals to the pup, leaving him time and space to make his own decisions. Please keep posting here - there'll be more ideas, and we'd love to know how you're getting on.

Yes - helpful! Another vote for the Shirley Chong method here - although I confess I haven't used it consistently enough. However, it got a totally non-retrieving dog into happily grasping the dumbbell but the bit from hand or floor. My problem is that Fergus can't walk and chew gum at the same time. He tends to throw his head back when he has the dumbbell in his mouth, and that makes him walk backwards not forwards. So I'm trying to get him to hold it firmly by tugging on it, and clicking the hold, then trying walking backwards while tugging, so he takes a couple steps forward. Could be a long process! Anyone have any ideas? This is a rather anxious dog, who tries hard to do the right thing, and gets pretty stressed if he can't. cc - do you have a link to the john fisher method you were talking about?

Hi Andrea - that's a bummer - poor Scandal, and poor you. Yes, it's definitely around - one of the boarding kennels was closed the week before last because of it. And a friend's dog had a light dose - only lasted a couple of days (he was UTD on shots), and luckily her girl didn't get it. Hope the boy feels better soon.

Does anyone have experience with Proban tablets? I'm going to be travelling to a heavily tick infested area and the locals use Proban along with daily searches as the method they feel safe with.

Yes - my vet said the same about using zinc cream on a cat, since they're compulsive groomers. On my dog's nose - on the muzzle above the leather, it's fine, and he shows no inclination to lick it off - but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't risk using it anywhere the dog was likely to be licking it off.

I'd do it for safety area , bridgie-cat. I do the area on my dog's nose-bridge that has some hair, but doesn't have the same pigment under the hair that the rest of his nose does.

Since I only need to use it on a bit of my Border Collie's nose, and since I have a memory like a sieve, I like to use white zinc cream - it lasts a long time, and you can see when you need to redo it. No good for show dogs though - the nose does not stay nice and white! ET fix typo.

You and Ollie are real troopers, Jodie. Enjoy the precious times - and remember that while you know the future to some extent, Ollie is just enjoying today. (Easy to say, I know - but it does help a bit if you keep saying that to yourself.)

Oh yes, forgot the bit about training methods. Positive motivational (food/toys/praise/allowing them to do the activity they want - like having sheep, or the next obstacle) - with some negative punishment - e.g. being removed from the scene for a time out. I also use verbal corrections for serious misdemeanours. I love using my clicker but not I'm not a 'pure' clicker trainer.

I love doing almost anything with my 2 Border Collies I was lucky enough to have the chance to do some farm sheep work with my 4 year old girl - who thought she'd died and gone to heaven, once she got over learning that it had to be done according to our rules, not hers. She also loves training and competing in agility - although she gets cross with me when I handle badly and don't give her early or clear enough cues. She's done some basic obedience - though she's not a big fan of that, and I haven't fussed with her about it. She also enjoys playing around at flyball - and I've just started her on a little bit of tracking. My boy doesn't mind obedience - though he loses his brain periodically, and then gets worried 'cos things didn't go quite right. He's completely OTT when he gets the chance to play with agility, so I'm waiting for him to grow up a bit (he's 4.5 years going on about 9 months!) as I don't want to heavy him. He also loves flyball, but is only slowly learning to concentrate in the presence of other dogs - bit of a disadvantage in a team sport. He's competing in tracking - but not with any great success yet, although he's shown he can track quite well when his brain is actually engaged. Now we're playing round with training with a bike for ET - they both seem to like that. Oh, and we sometimes get keen about doing some doggy dancing moves. Pity I'm working 4 days a week - it seriously interferes with doggy pursuits! Do I sound addicted?