megan_

it is still worth getting (eg accidents, illness). Get it now before it goes any further.

What do you do if the cat walks up to your dog? You can't control a cat-hating dog when the cat is in its face. My dog doesn't have an issue, but I really wonder about the wisdom of having a lose animal roaming around a vet's office. If it was any other cat everyone would be up in arms.

Thsi might make her more anxious - the "joy" of a familiar face and the "stress" of them leaving again. VNM - I think if it is a decent kennel (run by experienced people) then your dog will be fine. Leaving her there and not fretting will make it easier on both of you.

Have you thought about in-home dog sitting where your dog stays in a home environment with a family. Don't know much about these 2, maybe someone can recommend or otherwise http://www.houndsathome.com.au/ http://www.dontfretpet.com.au/ This can be worse for a dog with issues. For example, someone who loves dogs might molly coddle an anxious dog - making the situation much worse. There is also a greater escape risk. My girl has issues and I feel much better leaving her at a good kennel than leaving her with someone in a home environment. A good kennel may even help her get over some of her anxiety. I noticed my girl was more confident when she came home.

Tehy hae this at my emergency vets. When your dog is hit by a car you don't have time to pop in and ask them to put them away!

LM - If she gets a rescue that has been in foster care, they will know a lot about how the dog fits into a family, its issues etc. A pedigree dog can aslo have issues (eg be an escape artist, be a yapper etc). Some of those links only apply to puppy farmers - not cross breeds in rescue (eg Leo's story). From the OP, it doesn't seem that the friend is interested in getting a DD oodle, but rather a rescue which will, in all likelihood, be a cross breed. Also, there are pedigree breeders who are puppy farmers also. Pedegree does not, unfortunately, euqate to "always ethical". I would never advice someone to get a dog from a pound, but a ethical rescue is a totally different kettle of fish.

A cross breed from a rescue org can be just as healthy, happy and loveable as a pure breed. Intentionally breeding cross breeds is another kettle of fish all together. I would also be wary of a rescue group that had loads and loads of puppies available, but that is just me. If she wants a rescue puppy, she may have to wait a while. It is also a bit of "pot luck" becasue the parentage of the puppies is NEVER 100% guaranteed. She'd need to be prepared to have it grow and grow and grow, or go for something slightly older.

Mentioning St Francis won't help - sainthood is a Catholic concept .

I think you are focusing on the wrong thing - it doesn't matter if they are cross breeds or pure breeds, no one should be selling living animals to raise funds. Go into the rescue thread and get some stats re: how many healthy, happy dogs are euthed in NSW every year and give those stats to your Aunty. Tell tehm they are directly contributing to this. And ask her the ol' chesnut "What would Jesus do?"...he certainly wouldn't do this.

I am no expeert but it is my understanding that there is a subtle difference between the two. Rewards based training: If the dog obeys the command, they get the reward. Training in drive: With my boy, we tug before I ask him to do something. This gets him in a certain 'state of mind". He is much sharper - he has amazing focus. We then go through a little training routine. Then, I sometimes throw in the tug as a reward too (which is the reward aspect of the training). We are now at the point when I can show himt eh tug at the start of training, and he gets "in the xone" without us having to tug at all. I might be doing it all wrong, but it works for me.

agreed 100% - one of my mini schnauzers gets more than that! Do some mental exercise with him (ie training). Look up clicker training and give that a go. Does he get much off leash time outside of the yard?

try "gluing" it together with something they can lick. I stuff mine with natural youghart stuffed with sardines and some dry food. They love it now! You can also freeze it on a hot day and it lasts longer. Don't be worried if your dog takes a while to get used to it - it is all part of learning. Just leave it and let him work it out.

Saturday was the intro course - so the actual exercises were very simple as most dogs had never experienced the clicker. We did classical conditioning and then touch targetting a spatula. We then played a really great game - humans only. One person was the "dog", one was the handler. Dog goes out of the room. Uta picked a behaviour or item that the 'dog" had to do. The "dog" came in and no one was allowed to talk and the clocking started. It was really helped people hone their handling skills, and helped us "dogs" get the other perspective - one ill timed click can make it really hard for the dog to succeed. Some of the key points I got out from it: * conditioning isn't just done once. You have to do it in a variety of places, positions, when the dogs is looking at you, when the dog is looking away etc. She stressed the foundations were important - take your time and let the dog experiment etc. * I didn't really get the "power" of shaping until I went to this seminar. I like the idea of the dog really thinking and offering up behaviour. I have done a bit of conditioning with my boy as well as a few simple exercises. As soon as the clicking stops he is already trying new behaviours: do I have to touch the bowl with my nose? My paw? My mouth? * She doesn't use corrections at all when training this way. She has a "you're heading in the wrong direction" marker, but it is said in a neutral tone and no punishment is applied. * Traditionally trained dogs might struggle at first - they are waiting for their owners to tell them what to do. They have been conditioned that going off on your own is "naughty". My boy does htis a bit - if he isn't getting success quick enough he sits and gives me perfect focus. * Teaching targetting (either nose, paw, mouth) is easier than teaching behaviour and actions (eg lifting a leg), as the dog will naturally be curious about items. * Once the dog is clicker savvy, you can use the clicker to get them in the right frame of mind "in real life". I'm going to try this with my fearful girl. Uta suggested clicking before she starts to exhibit fear to help "lift her spirits".

My boy had something similar and actually had to be cut open because they suspected a blockage - not all blockages show up on x-rays. It took him a few days to recover once he started to get on the mend. His first stool after hospital was a bright green - which is how a dried blood poo looks like - I rang the vet in a flip! It was about a month to six weeks until he was 100% back to his old self. My boy also had a prescription diet to get better (I used Eukaneuba), with no treats or anything rich. I then slowly introduced him back to his normal diet (EP Holistic and Raw - all human grade).

In all seriousness, I think it is something you'd need to train your dog to do - if you wanted to do it. When mine walk, they are allowed to go either side of me, as long as they have a loose leash. This wouldn't work running.

Day 1 was fabulous - I really enjoyed it and I finally understand that the method is far more than just a marker. Perfect Partners - all the dogs are kept outside.

I thought most vets starting out earn about 40k a year and it increases pretty quickly, whereas vet nurses are only paid about $18 an hour, correct me if im wrong. OT - Not according to the vets and vet nurses. $40k is also a very low starting salary. By comparison, half-decent IT grads get about $65k starting salary these days.

Do you ever need to kennel him? If not, titre, but if yes, then check that they allow titre tested dogs.

whilst i do not agree that all vets 'suck' as i believe there are good and bad in every profession, i do disagree with the amount some charge. Read the OT thread - vets, with 20+ years experience are earning about 80k pa. Grads are paid less than vet nurses for a very long time (eg 30k pa). Most of the charges to to overheads (insurance, rent, staff, quipment, drugs etc). Heidii - lots of !!!! and CAPS don't make an argument any stronger ;-).

Awwww....Snot is one of my favourite dogs that I haven't met. He does have that "I iz so sick, please give me cuddles" look down pat though - could get away with murder.

sent them an email on Monday - no reply. Will follow up with a phone call next week. Lappiemum - they are registered breeders - they have a prefix.

very normal. When I was home sick one day the dog walker cam over to give (my then) puppy a walk. He rolled over for a tummy rub and then wee'd in her face due to excitement.

thanks. I was pretty sure that this was the case. I have sent something off to the CC.

I'd try "I've got her", rather than "she's friendly" - that often means they'll jump on you but, hey, "she's friendly"! I know Daisy wouldn't do that, but it really is a tainted phrase.

I think in life balance is a good thing. If you were training Ditty to be the next agility champion of the world, then maybe I'd have a differnt reply. Spending time with Bubby "just being a dog" is a very good thing for her. It will make her appreciate her training sessions even more. If her only joy comes from training with you she will get very worn out very soon. Even the top ability dogs have breaks. In fact, I'd encourage her to go with Bubby and stop playing just so that she doesn't miss out on the fun.