tdierikx

OK - I think he's another one of those very rare and highly sought after Cuddlehounds... and a stunning example of the "breed" may I add... *grin* T.

I think Stevie may sit on him if he travels in there while he's a young'un - not to mention that he might want to play with her all the way home... Pauline will be able to let you know which size travel crate he will need, and I'm happy to appropriate one for you to use, OK? To give you an idea of sizes, Harper is using a PP30 travel crate when I take her in my car at the moment, and she has a bit of room for growth in there... but she may need a PP40 in a few weeks time if she keeps growing at the rate she is currently... T.

Clarifying my earlier statements - my dogs ARE rewarded for good behaviour - just not with food. They are not "punished" for inappropriate behaviour, but they are aware of my disapproval by a growly tone (read "uh uh") when being corrected. It is actually amazing how much a dog will do just for the praise or positive attention (pat/scratch and happy tone of voice) of their human. That said, my dogs aren't "perfect", and neither am I - but I truly value the bond that I have with each of them. They are all different and want different types of attention when they do what I've asked of them - so I accommodate that for each individual dog. Training is MUCH more than just having a dog do things on command reliably - it is also an amazing opportunity to form a stronger bond with each individual dog. I love the fact that I can take my dogs out in public and know that no matter what, their desire to please me is still paramount, regardless of external stimuli. (and I don't need to stuff my pockets with treats to enforce that desire) I won't say that I've never used treats during training, but I work towards not needing to... T.

OMG!!! He's stunning!! Katdogs - you is gonna have the best looking dog in the whole suburb! I have a cage crate here that might be just right for bringing him home in if you want to borrow it - it's a 30" one from memory, a bit smaller than the normal size I have in use on a regular basis. Or I may be able to borrow a plastic airline crate from my rescue friend - we have PP20, PP30, and PP40 ones. It all depends on how big he is when it's time to come home. T.

but cause they are smaller and their owners don't think they are a problem they are often not contained properly. ... and they can fit through much smaller gaps than the bigger breeds... *grin* T.

Success is ending up with a method that works well for both dog and owner - and results in the dog behaving in a responsive manner to said owner... *grin* As you are a trainer of some note, and have indicated that you will work with both dog and owner to find a training method or tools that work for both towards the common goal, I'd say you would have more success than the weekend group training clubs who prescribe to "my way or the highway" methods/tools. Say for example, you were faced with my scenario of an owner who knows how to use a check chain, and preferred not to feed their dog at every turn - I'd say you'd probably start with working within those basic guidelines if it appeared to be working for the dog and me, yes? The group training club I was referring to totally disregarded my input with regards to the food issue and decided that they knew my dog better than I did... then "expelled" us when the dog became unruly due to being fed all the bloody time... So I found another training club when it was time to try some obedience with my disabled dog - one that listened to why she was going to train in a harness and no collar, etc... they also used food rewards a lot, but were flexible enough to let me only reward with food at irregular intervals so the dog learned that praise was more often going to be the reward. Quite frankly, I'm not always going to make sure my pockets are stuffed full of treats when I take my dogs out in public just to make them respond to my commands - they need to learn voice only command/reward IMHO... the only thing I want to have to remember is poo bags... *grin* T.

My Lab beats up my Pittie... can someone tell her that she's supposed to be this big vicious killer please? *grin* My Pittie loves kids and all new friends - I think she missed the memo about eating them... T.

Why is it always the "pitbulls" or larger breed types that get such a bagging in these sort of threads? Seriously - if there were one or more swfs in an inadequately fenced yard threatening to get out and do me or my dogs harm, I'd be just as narked off as if the dogs were of a larger breed. Funnily enough, around our way, it's more likely that it will be the swfs that will have a go... not the larger breeds... ... and don't give me that malarkey about smaller dogs doing less damage so it's more acceptable for them to be nasty... it's not! T.

All of my dogs learn very early on what "uh uh" or "leave it" mean... and I'm not going to go all lala over them for doing what they are told in scenarios when I use the command either. Their "reward" for obeying those commands is me not growling at them any more... *grin* Thusly, when we decide to venture out to a group training environment, if they are acting up, then an "uh uh" from me will usually settle them back into focus - and they don't need a bloody treat then either... tone of voice when they are doing something good or bad can sometimes be all that a particular dog "needs" in order to respond appropriately. Then again, I'm not wanting to have my dogs obedience trained to a trialing level, so as long as they do the basics reliably (including recall), I'm happy and so are they... T.

Yep - the trainers were feeding my Labrahoover from their bumbags - and not just when we were training either... even after I expressly asked them not to... If my dog is doing what is asked of it, and enjoying the praise and/or pat when doing it well, why persist in insisting that it needs to be fed as well? Needless to say, we stopped going to group training because my Labrahoover would have eyes only for bumbags and refused to work unless there was food on offer. Not my idea of a decently trained dog - and it took ages to break her of that mercenary idea of working only for food. Now she will do as asked when she's asked, no thanks to those particular trainers' pushing of their own methods/agendas. My disabled dog went to a different training group, and she needs to be on harness due both to her occasional stumbling (I can make sure she doesn't fall), and the fact that she has a couple of hypersensitive spots on her neck right where a collar sits - anything even lightly touching those spots sets off her back leg scratching, which then makes her fall over. The training group I took her to was appraised of her issues, and accommodated them with adjusting our training techniques to suit the actual dog... as a result, my crazy spastic camp dog now can sit, drop, and heel on command - all on her harness... *grin* T.

My Labrahoover was responding well to praise only in training - until she was continuously fed treats from the trainers bumbags. Quite frankly it wasn't necessary to feed her for getting the command right... T.

I prefer to train in a check chain... much to the chagrin of most of the training groups around my area. Once I show them that I know how to use one, they usually concede the point and let me use it. The trick to check chains is getting the right size link for the dog you are working with - too large or too small can cause pinching, which isn't desirable. The one thing that I really hate is the groups who insist on food reward training. That was a complete nightmare with my food obsessed Labrahoover. The only thing she learned with 100% reliability is that bumbags contain yummy treats... grrr! T.

Not only are my dogs contained in my back yard, it's also double gated... but come to my front door and 2 of my dogs will give you a "greeting" that looks pretty unfriendly. I know they aren't likely to bite anyone, but a stranger doesn't know that... As for dogs in front yards... I'll admit it's a bit offputting to have them going off every time someone passes by... must really nark off their neighbours... T.

Always been known as check chains as far back as I can remember... only the ignorant and the activists refer to them as choke chains. Think about it - what good does it do to choke the crap out of your dog? Whereas a check and release is very effective when done correctly... I only have to apply gentle tension to my girls' leads and just the noise of the links moving has them corrected quickly. T.

Having seen Danny's Darling with her boy Danny... I reckon her DOL name fits to a tee... *grin* I still have that pic I took of him staring up at you adoringly DD/MM... you truly are his one and only... T.

To be fair, the OP is usually one of the first people to engage others in talk about dogs - in a positive way... You must have been having a rough one for whatever reason DD... I think you can be forgiven this time... *grin* I could lend you Pickles for an afternoon's walk - she gets all sorts of comments about her crazy walk... lol! T.

Ummm - the "choke collars" are actually called "CHECK chains"... the idea is not to choke the dog with them, but check them with a tighten/release motion. All types of collar can cause injury to a dog if not used correctly. Let's completely ban all of them... *grin* T.

Well written, covers all of the basics - and doesn't force one option as "better" than any other... AWESOME!!! T.

I do the poo patrol morning and afternoon/evening... yet they still will go out for a midnight snack while it's dark... I have 3 poo-eaters here, but they only eat each others - not stranger poo outside of our yard. I'm pretty sure that the older girl has taught the younger ones the habit... T.

Those figures are only for those that were registered with the ANKC, yes? There is at least one "breeder" who is crossing them with other breeds... who knows how many they may be producing that just aren't registered with the ANKC... T.

Annandale vets are brilliant... I'll also second Ayman at Narwee and Green Cross at Mortdale. If you want to go further west, Rossmore Vet Clinic is excellent. T.

Are there many reputable breeders out there that knowingly use a "blue" stud or dam? T.

No way is the dog a full anything. I'd go for Shar Pei cross. Stranger things have happened - I've seen some quite leggy pure Peis... pure but not well bred... T.

Could be a badly bred bone mouth Shar Pei too... Fling some pics to Ams - she'll have a better idea than most as to whether he's a full bred or cross Pei. T.

I don't know any vet that will give a 3 week old pup a C3 vaccination - and even if the vacc given is only a Parvac, the pup is still at risk from Hepatitis and Distemper at the very least. I have seen dogs with both Parvo and Distemper over the years - and can attest to the fact that any pet owner would NOT want to see their pup suffer from either. Honestly, I would be advising your friend in the strongest terms possible that they do not want to adopt any dog from this particular breeder. T.