megan_

I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to get injured when I pick my dogs up from the kennels tomorrow. I recently had my gall bladder removed and still have wounds - they'll jump on me for sure... but I'm going to be so happy to see them that it won't really matter.

Being a long weekend it might be hard. You can try All Breeds in Lyndhurst (allbreeds.com.au)

It doesn't meet the size requirement? Also, can they be walked 30+ mins a day? To the OP, if you didn't mind grooming (clip every 6 - 8 weeks, occasional brush) then a mini schnauzer should meet your requirements. You'd need to go to a good breeder and get them to pick one to suit you - mine are very well behaved, but I have seen some feisty ones that try to pick a fight (some owners aren't in control, but I've also seen some strong leaders struggle). They are very popular with puppy farmers so you need to be careful where you source them from. My boy comes to cafes, friend's houses, kid's birthday parties (and I don't have kids), farmer's markets etc and just blends in. People at our local park often seek him out for a pat.

Mine get their own walk every day, in addition to a walk together, so it means more time. I think it is important for them to bond with you and also spend time apart from each other to avoid them getting too dependent. And it seems like 100x the training!

sounds like new eggs are hatching? Personally, I wouldn't be putting more chemicals on him. I'd rinse him with water and use a nit comb to comb out the fleas. I'd do this every day for a while. I'd wash all bedding on a hot cycle. Then give it time.... Did the vet say that it's okay to combine Frontline and Revolution?

She started taking notes???? Do you think being in a room (ie enclosed space with no escape) changed your Collie's behaviour? My fearful girl will now get a pat by a stranger at the park, but never when there is no escape route.

tooth infection? I had an infected tooth (with no real pain) and I had a high white blood cell count, was lethargic etc - fro 5 months! Anti B's didn't help me either. It wasn't until the tooth was removed that things improved.

How do you become part of tis study? I would love to see my two.

When my boy had gastro it cost $3900. If you have to go to an emergency vet and have overnight stays there it racks up pretty quickly. Also, I think people tend to round when they say what something cost. My vet bill was really something like $3903.25, but I don't tell everyone down to the cent.

Agreed. Never argued for puppy farmers. Rather, my point is that when you insult someone's dog (and not the puppy farm practices) you immediately create a barrier between you and them. People love their dogs regardless of where they sourced them. The issue here is how to change their minds. We all agree that puppy farms are evil. I detract the honey statement. Steam was blowing out of my ears when I wrote that :-) I have never claimed to be some sort of a saint? Many people have done far more to help dogs than I will ever do. I provided info about my girl because: a) I love her to bits and b) for context, lest someone think I am an oodle supporter. I would never support a puppy farmer again. But Average Joe doesn't know about their practices and they think that pure bred dogs are for showies only. If you want to change their minds then you have to engage them. If the first sentence out of your mouth is "your dog is a crapoodle" you will immediately get their back and and they'll switch off. If you introduce them to a puppy farm rescue and tell their story it is much more personal and they might actually change their mind. And every lab that I've ever met is obese and bloody naughty, but I'm not going to lump all labs in that bucket.

Honey we all know this. So ask yourself, do you help dogs when you're trying to be morally superior or will you help dogs by actually engaging people and changing their minds? I'm sure it makes you feel good to slam them, but it doesn't help the DOGS one bit. If you want to help the dogs then you need to be smart about your approach. You need to talk about the conditions that the animals live in and not call someone's BELOVED pet an ugly mutt and a piece of crap. People who call oodles stupid and ugly are a puppy farmers dream - it just drives ordinary people into their arms. For the record, I own a dog who was used as a puppy farm breeder. I think they are the scum of the earth. But by being engaging and telling people my girl's story I have helped steer at least a dozen people away from puppy farmers. If I called them morons they could rightly tell me where to go. I also own an oodle. I bought him before I knew what puppy farmers were. When someone writes about stupid and ugly oodles it makes my blood boil - and I am not an advocate of oodles at all. If you turn me off, you have turned avarage Joe off a thousand times more. Think about your objective and the most intelligent way to meet it. Taht is the only way to help the dogs suffering in puppy farm hell.

Cahrming. How many hearts have you won over by calling them that?

No, the two you've met have been dumb. You cannot extrapolate from two dogs that every dog from this place is dumb. They might well be but two is hardly a good sample. As to assuming, you're hardly in a position to get snippy at someone else. I agree with Sheridan on this one. You can't extrapolate that they breed dumb oodles because you know two of them who are "dumb". As for saying they are ugly, that is just unkind. To the OP - I wouldn't go down the "dumb, ugly oodles" - it is a fight you will lose and people will be turned off straight away.I know I am everytime someone says it on DOL. I give my oodle a very big hug - he is the bestest dog I have ever met! I would talk about puppy farms and how they treat their dogs. Count the number of dogs they have and tell them that NO ONE can give that many dogs the walks, love, training and attention that they all NEED. Tell them that puppy farmers say that they're not "one of those puppy farmers". But they all are. You can't have 100 dogs and provide them with all the love and attention they need. Most of the dogs they breed with are companion breeds - they don't need acres to roam, they need their people. My girl was used as a breeding dog at a puppy farm. She didn't leave her cage and she didn't have a name. Her little tail wags every time I say "Lucy". The farmer sold to many local pet shops. I'm sure they told everyone that the dogs came from a nice farm setting with plently of space to run around. Bull shit. End of rant. ETA: I know plently of pure bred labs who eat everything. They aren't dumb.

Agree. If you are training a dog to walk on a loose leash with a flat collar you are meant to stop every time the dog pulls (or some variation of this method). If you have an older active dog that needs to get mental and physical stimulation how are they going to get their exercise if it takes weeks and weeks of stop start walking (for some dogs it isn't simple)? If a harness means that the dog gets a daily walk, sees new things, sniffs new smells etc then it is the lesser of two evils.

I want to be your dog.

For this kind of fear I would see a behaviourist (if you let us know what city you live in we can recommend someone). My girl used to tremble at the sight of a stranger and couldn't walk on a leash. She now loves her walks and can happily walk past someone. It has been hard work but definitely worth it. There is no way I could have done it by myself - having an expert guide me made all the difference.

bear in mind they are very expensive - I haven't heard of one selling for less than $2000 ish. They are also very active?

It was Liver Treats, beef jerky, Roo jerky, sticks flavoured like chicken and kangaroo, this item called chicke and roo delite and lamb sticks May have been others too can't recall all of them as i have them in the shed. Yes i know I bought a heap. I bought from the same place. Stuff smelt a little but it isn't processed so I didn't give it a second thought. Oh well, mine have polished it off. It isn't a health hazard, just gross

I suggest seeing a trainer too. Try getting one that has a lot of options for stimulating her mind (clicker training comes to mind). You don't need to teach her serious, formal stuff either. I do a bit of shaping with the clicker every day just to get my dogs to use their brains. They love it ans i don't have a particular trining goal in mind - it is just for fun. Try searching 'Shirley Chong" on this forum to get you started - she has a free download that many find useful for introducing the clicker. Other ideas for using her mind: * Try going for walks at different locations and different times. Two small walks are better than one longer one. 1/2 an hour a day isn't enough in terms of mental stimulation. Think of it this way: she is spending 23.5 hours a day seeing exactly the same thing. If we had to live that way we'd go mad. Try taking her out every night, even if it is only for 10 mins. Walk a bit, then throw in a bit of training. Walk some more. Play a game of tug etc. Try taking her to some interesting locations. Mine love the Royal Botanical Gardens and the beach. * Do some training at home. It doesn't have to be for long (a few minutes is a good idea). You can use the clicker or other methods. This is where a 1:1 session witha trainer really helps. Alternatively, look at some of the early posts in the "tricks" section of this forum - they provide a few methods of trick training. Look at YouTube too - they often have instructional videos on how to teach your dog something. Targeting (touching your hand/an object with her nose/paw) is a really easy thing to teach and mine love it. I always get mine to target my hand with their nose before getting a pat. * Make her work for her food and, providing she is okay with a changing diet, change things up a little. Does she get raw, meaty bones to chew? This can keep them entertained for a while. Throw in some kongs, a treat ball etc and her life will become more interesting.

Uta bindel said that it is important to "charge" the clicker (just click and treat for nothing) very often and in varied locations (out, in the house, give the treat, throw the treat, for looking at you, for looking away etc) so they don't just associate it with one action.

It is great, but you should teach a start command (mine is "play") and a release command and actually teach the dog to release (so many people yell out 'release" but they've never actually taught the dog to do it).

My boy did somethign similar when he was going through a fear period. Ignore him and carry on with life. He will soon get hte message that there is nothing different.

I would never walk past a house (with our without my dogs) if there was an unsecured dog out the front. There are lots of idiots out there who think it is okay for their dog to run up to you, jump up on you etc because "he won't bite". I'm not saying you're like this, but I don't take risks with unknown dogs.

Oh that's no good... they appear to be fairly good quality too, although I've only had and been using mine for a week and have only been carrying my phone and treats. Maybe you got a faulty one? Would be worth contacting the makers I'd say I wrote them an email just before I posted and they've responded - they're going to send me a new one! Great service.

I have just noticed two on muzzle and another one on his neck. They are kind of hard like a wart, but must have some gunk in htem as his fur is gunky around them. I will now take him to the vet but is this normal with a sebacious (sp) cyst? He was groomed 1.5 weeks ago and the groomer didn't mention anything (so I think they're new). Also, I brush and pat him all the time and haven't noticed these before.