RubyBlue

Nice comment

Take the DNA test to the vet and get a breed statement....surely council rangers cant believe that they are better educated than both vets and geneticists.

You have my sympathys. I also have a rescue, fortunately now passed the distructive stage but some evidence remains I have used rescue remedy. I have found it useful to calm dogs/me down but I dont know that it would help with boredom....well given that a very large proportion of it is ethanol it may help my boredom but I dont think dogs would appreciate it in the same way. I gave a few drops in the food. I dont think it lasts too long though. I also tried DAP and didnt find it helpful. Good luck.

Yup I nearly stepped on a red belly black in the middle of July on a cold and frosty morning in Nortons park. Certainly changed my opinion on when is safe to wander through long grass.

Working on it.

Thanks. I have done most of that, though will look into "Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation". Food works great - but I dont want her to be eating for 8hrs. She gets her kibble breakfast in toys I would say that takes about 2hrs for her to vacuum. Thats still a long time left. I have tried DAP - no success (the cat one is fantastic but then cats tend to mark when they are stressed). I dont think she notices I have left (too busy eating) and I ignore her for a while when I get home. If I got out in the evening and she is already inside I tend to just get up and leave and come back without acknowledging her at all. It seems as if by simply being at home is enough for her to calm herself down. If I go round to my parents with her though then it really begins. I have left her under their care for days/weeks at a time on a few occasions and now she wont let me out of her sight preferably out of contact when we're there. If I do leave her there she clings to my mum and whines. I have been trying to desensitise her to being with my parents and friends but Im more inclined to think shes worse. She has a bed which travels everywhere with her so she always has somewhere comfortable to be (a habit we started when my other dog got arthritis). When she starts to get clingy and follows me from room to room she gets placed back on her bed so she cant continue the behaviour, her bed goes outside in her kennel when no one is around, and if my housemates get home first they will bring her bed in with her. I usually place a recently worn article of my clothing with it. Is there anything else I could be doing?

I dont think its a lagotto. I know two and both have extremely tight curles when the coat is short, becoming looser but still defined curles when the coat is the length is similar to the dog in the picture. That dog has a much straighter coat. I would be inclined to say that is a portugese water dog (having only seen pictures) or a cross between a poodle and something else. That said if your friend likes the look of that dog then lagottos are a great breed to go for.

The police will take male black labs for general duties including manwork and smaller females for more traditional roles (eg drug searches). Im sure a yellow could do it too but there is this community perception that they are more friendly. (as was discussed in the black dog thread) From the vic police dog squad page "http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=171" "General purpose dogs General purpose dogs are skilled in the areas of tracking, searching and protecting life and property. Handlers and their dogs often work from home within an allocated police district. The dogs used are male German Shepherds and Labradors as they are physically strong, are of a good size and often need to be aggressive. The greatest demand for dogs is at night when a dog's acute sense of smell is most needed. However, there is a 24-hour roster for general-purpose dog teams to ensure there is always at least one team on duty. Narcotics detection dogs Narcotics detection dogs search houses, cars or personal belongings. Female German Shepherds and Labradors are preferred for this type of work, as their smaller frame is more suited to work in confined spaces. Handlers and dogs predominantly work on an appointment basis for stations or specialised units requiring the expertise of a dog. Consequently, they can be called upon night or day." I have no doubt they could do it - lest you lay a hand on me or my anyone in my family when my last lab was around, on occasion we were startled by friends/family and he showed his willingness to protect (didnt muck around with it either). And you'd have to have nerves of steal to get onto my property with my current lab, shes all bluff but certainly puts on a show. My neighbour has two goldens and you wont ever catch me going round there unannounced (death by golden would be embarrasing). The dog in the video was sloppy but thats more to do with training than because he was a lab.

I had to correct someone elses dog at an off lead dog park - it was harrassing several other dogs to the point where a fight was going to break out. Owner nowhere to be seen...

I know there are a lot of topics on this and I have looked through them but feel I need additional advice. I had two dogs - an older very confident male lab and a younger female rescue lab. I got her at 13months and she is now 5. In January I lost my male and Millys anxiety has since skyrocketed. She is fine whilst I am around but when I am out (my housemates report) that she wonders around the house whinging before finally settling in the doorway to my bedroom. If she is fast asleep on her bed and I take a shower I always emerge from the bathroom to find her curled up on the otherside of the door. When left in the car (at trials or training) she howls unless she can see me. I have no idea what she does when left in the backyard (I have had no noise complaints from neighbours but then I am surrounded by barking dogs...). She also seems a lot more worried/concerned/serious prehaps? than she used too. These are all things that have started since Jackson died. She is not destructive but when I am home all she wants to do is sleep - I am assuming because she is exhausted from her vidual. Not a big problem I guess but I quite enjoy trialling so want her to be able to be at her best during training and trials. She always gets a minimum of a 5km walk or run every morning and usually an additional walk or offlead run with doggy friends during the day or evening. When left outside she gets her breakfast divided up amongst several foraging toys or sprinkled across the lawn. The food works well at distracting her until its gone. I have tried asking a friend around to break up her day but then got told thats worse because then she gets left on her own twice (no idea of the validity of this). My comings and goings are always very low key and I try to gently persuade her from hanging around me too much, she is usually happy so long as she can see me. I certainly dont think it is a big enough problem to consider medication but am wondering if anyone has any other ideas on things I can try to calm her bit when I am not present. Cheers

what's it for? Can you call him a cattle dog mix or do you need to say exactly what he is?

Thanks so much, I would really appreciate it. Did you get my message??? - first time Ive tried to send a private message so am not sure if it worked or not.

Yep. We train Saturday mornings. Ask to speak to Trevor May. I'm not actually a member, but wondering if you take 'outsiders' as you are my closest group. Happy to become a member for insurance reasons, of course. I think you will have to become a member - its very cheap to join (not much more than a tracking trial entry lol). Will pm you Trevors details - tracking at knox is his baby so hes the best one to talk to.

Yep. We train Saturday mornings. Ask to speak to Trevor May.

My experience is different. I went from struggling to keep weight on my dog to struggling to keep it off following a spey. Our exercise regime has not changed.

lol - it was on special. Ill keep museli bars in mind. Someone got a small bottle spirits for a test 7 at Hastings and I got a family sized block of lindt chocolate for laying a test 3. I was told that you give a bit more when its for a title...... Yay for you and Oscar. I got to see a bit of his track but wish I could have watched more (I was torn between not standing in one place and not distracting him - seems I need not have worried about the latter)

WOW - thats heaps! How long are the tracks? We usually only train once a week, though with trials almost weekly and on the same day as we usually practice (and getting progressively harder) I think itd be good to do an easy track during the week to keep Milly keen every time she starts one. When we started we used to do two tracks a session but now the tracks are getting longer Milly gets more tired, so now we only do the one. I figure she knows how to track so its more for me to practice reading her and making sure she doesnt forget that articles sometimes contain goodies. Out of interest - what does everyone else do?

Awesome - congrats on your pass too. Id be keen to do another training session - how do Tuesday mornings sound?

Hi all, going to have a bit of a gloat seeing as I cant wipe the grin off my face. Milly passed test 2 at Hastings a fortnight ago and passed test 3 at the gsd trial at Ballarat on Saturday. Going to send off for her title today. Many thanks to my smelly tracklayers.

I found a group that did it, it made it much easier to start and be motivated for the early morning training sessions lol. It also means that there can be a tracklayer at the end of the track to feed and play with your dog and if you have enough people in the group then someone else can organise the track so that you dont know where it is. (and its always good socialise with other doggy people whilst waiting for the track to age ;)) I think a lot of people do it on their own simply because there is no one else around - I sometimes lay my own tracks mid-week now but I dont think I would have stuck with it if I didnt have other people to motivate me. Im sure its different once you have trained one dog - but this is my first attempt at tracking. Maybe try the local obedience or breed clubs and see if anyone there does it or ask the NSW tracking club. There will be someone in Sydney it just depends on what times you're available and how far you're prepared to travel.

Yay

I am really sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my old boy in January. Although Milly searched for him for a few days I think her depressed mood was more a reflection on my mood. When I get out with her and do some fun activities she perks up. Best advice I can give is to get out and do something with your dog and try to get him excited about life again. I felt guilty trying to be happy at such a sad time but it made it easier for both of us to keep moving forward. A good romp with a group of doggy friends at the beach does wonders for the soul - your boy will probably enjoy it too. Good luck - soon the good days will outweigh the bad.

Cheers

Thanks Ive entered in the Hastings trial and plan to enter in the GSD one too - I will hopefully see you there, though I can only be there on Saturdays .... work is interfering again. Out of interest - on the entry form for the GSD trial should I put test 2 or test 3? I will have done the Hastings trial by then so do I assume we'll pass or do I put test 2 'cause that is where we are up to when I put the entry in? Does anyone want to practice around Melbournes north east during the week? Its easier to be motivated to get up on cold morning if there are other people to practice with.

Are you free during week days? My weekends are full until early July.