toshman

Ditto to all of the above! Last week I bought the first box that I've bought for quite a few months - noticed how different it looks before even opening it, and not nearly so easy to open/handle. It almost smelt off, but not quite - quite different to the original which always smelt delicious! It has a slimy feel to it, too - not nice! The dogs ate it, but certainly not with the usual gusto, and my old girl was quite half-hearted which is very unusual for her. Two of them had slightly runny tummies the day after, too. What a shame.....

My Borders throw their heads back and sing together :D They're also the most versatile of breeds, able to compete in just about every sport they're allowed to - mine have done earthdog, agility, obedience, lurecoursing and tracking - all with a great deal of flair and enjoyment! Not sure how they'd go at herding however...probably just as well they're not on the list of herding dogs CECS (Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome) is a bit of a worry, though. One of mine is symptomatic and it's distressing to see the look in his eyes when he is in the middle of a seizure - lucky for him they're not too bad at this stage. But they're fantastic dogs and I couldn't imagine life without at least one...or two...or three!

I was delighted to see that one of the breeds used is a Border Terrier (albeit a rather large, leggy one :D ) and I heard on the grapevine that Steve was particularly impressed with its work ethic.

Can you have a Doggie Door put in? Then he can come and go as he pleases.....

Does anyone know if these are at competition length in terms of how far apart the poles are? Seems quite cheap though, would be interested in these if they are the right length. The description says "50cm gapping" - I guess that means 50cm apart. Not right for either ADAA or ANKC if you're fussed about it.

It's the old adage, isn't it - if it sounds too good to be true then it usually is!

What area/state do you live in, kezzza? Need to know because my next door neighbour keeps chooks and I'm always afraid one will fly over the fence for my terriers to chase and probably kill!

Thank you, I've just had a look - great prices, too!

Here's an idea for keeping them straight as you put them in the ground; A piece of string/twine with knots in at the appropriate distance apart, and a loop at either end, then just hit a pole into the ground through one loop, stretch out the other end and hold it down with another pole, then you can put in the rest of the poles one at each knot - voila! Straight poles and the correct distance apart. Take away the string and you're ready to go... You can do virtually the same thing with some flat 1 inch wide tape and some grommets at the correct distance (instead of the knots), then stick a pole through each of the grommet holes. That leaves you with the tape on the ground still, which gives the illusion of bases, but you have to be careful the dog doesn't trip.

Do you buy the Kyjen toys from the USA? Would love to get one of the squeaker mats for my boy! I also love the West Paw tough rubber toys - the Huck ball and the Hurley - they're the only ones so far that have lasted my power chewer longer than a week or so...

At my place it's called "Just Add Water..."

Is he on his own outside? Dogs are pack animals.....perhaps he's lonely...I'd be howling too if I was on my own outside all day long

I suggest you say hi to these people next time they come past - and ask them if it's OK for you to bring your dog out and introduce them - you'll make new friends, and so will your dog!

I bought the Green Comfortis online from Ebay - $54.00 with free shipping - that's the best price I've seen.

Here is the piece on dominance by Turid Rugaas, this is a post she wrote to the DogRead yahoo list a few years ago when she was the guest writer. She is famous for her teaching on Calming Signals in dogs, and if you can get hold of her books or her DVDs she really is an interesting and insightful person.... Permission was given to re-post this... (Turid Rugaas is from Finland) (<snip> Dominance and submission are words that are too much used, and in a lot of wrong places. I have often wondered why. The description of dominance is a creature's ability to make others around him/her obey, and in wolves and dogs that is very often a quiet, non-conflict-making individual, sure about himself and his abilities. Such dogs are not in big numbers - it is a rare gift. The ones I have observed up through the years have been the most pleasant dogs you can run across. I had one collie bitch like that. She never was in a conflict, and during the 13 years she lived she growled a little 2 or 3 times, - what she actually did was turning around and look at the one "sinner", and the look itself just made them either stop and do something else, give her a calming signal ("peace signal") or in a very few cases give a slight submissive signal. She never asked submission of them, she just looked, made them behave, and she left the arena as queen of the hill. - Another real dominant dog I knew was the most mellow dog around puppies and young dogs. They could almost harass him, biting him, hanging in his fur - he just turned his back on them. Another male might get a growl or a chin on his back if they were too forward, and they always gave in just like that. No submission, just giving in. I have actually never had or seen a dominant dog demanding submission from another, like demanding them to roll over, lie down belly up, or anything like that. - When people do things like that, they overdo things. I would never do it. It only scares the dog, it is far too much, and it might occur, but is far from usual in the dog's world. A noisy, demanding dog is far from dominant. He is insecure, wants to climb, but does not have the talents of a leader. A dog like that is easily piped down. Dominance works between dogs. This is one of the areas where dogs seem to exclude humans, or keep it as a separate rank order, what do I know. I do not think anybody really knows. There is too much talk about dominance and submission, and a lot of bad treatment, scaring the dog, is a result of what we think is dominance, but in fact is fear, defense or other things. I have never had any trouble being the human leader of my dogs, though I never use dominance actions, or demand submission. I just want them to listen sometimes, which is another thing. Think about what a rank order really is. A pair of dogs (I am thinking free dogs, without human interference) get puppies. The puppies love and look up to their parents, grow up with respect and love for them, as canine parents are wonderful loving caring and patient with them. When the puppies are adult, the parents will still be their "leaders" as they have been all their lives. New puppies grow up, and there might be some quarrelling of rank order further down, seldom serious. But the parents keep their position. I have stopped calling it leadership. I call it parenthood. If we can be good parents to our dogs, we will also be good "leaders" and we do not need to go around being dominant and demanding submission from our dogs. This has worked for me for 30 years, I feel very confident that this is really so, have never had any problems with any dog in this house, rehomed or not, and strongly believe too much is put upon actions of dominance - and often wrongly. <snip>

I agree with you, Clyde. Most of what we describe as dominant dogs are, IMHO, "wannabe" dominant! They want to climb up the scale, they want to be dominant, and they're trying their damndest to get there. Truly dominant dogs don't have to do that kind of thing - they're already there - and they can dominate with just a look or intervene with just their presence, and they are usually calm, nice dogs. Turid Rugaas is the best person to read about dominance in dogs. I have a reference somewhere to something she wrote about it but I'm at work and can't look it up at the moment.....

Have to join in here - as proud owner of the first Master Earthdog in NSW, and first Border Terrier Master Earthdog in Australia!!! Earthdog is tested up in Brisbane - if you contact the Canine Control up there they will give you the details of who to speak to. It happens through the winter months only (not nice to meet up with a pesky snake in a den!) and if you have a small terrier, or a dachshund or even a cross-breed "of earthdog type" and size, who is showing a good prey drive, then they think it is great fun. We put 9-inch square 3-sided wooden liners into trenches - there are corners to be negotiated, and in the higher levels a constriction where the dog has to get through a 6-inch part, and an obstruction where the dog has to climb over a barrier in the liner. At the end are some wooden bars and behind the bars is the judge with the quarry - usually a dead rabbit, or a squeaky toy if the dog prefers that, and the dog has to "work" the quarry for a certain length of time - the rules say "Work shall be defined as barking, growling, digging or any form of activity which, in the Judge’s opinion, indicated the dog’s interest in the quarry." Thats the basics of earthdog - there are levels of Novice, Senior and Master to work through for the various titles. There is also an Introduction to Quarry class which we use down here in Sydney for the real beginners to see what sort of instinct they have. We don't hold training classes as such for earthdog though - here in Sydney you would need to come along to a test day and we are happy to help and advise, and then for you to try out an Introduction class. I don't know if they have the Intro classes up in Brisbane though (they're not compulsory), but again I don't believe they hold training classes as such. It's not the sport for everyone! We have a pretty small group who do it here in Sydney, the same in Victoria too, and in SA where they recently started earthdog, and in Brisbane. But our dogs just love it judging from the smiles on their faces when we pull them out of the dens at the end of a test!!! If you want to PM me, I can give you more information or let you know a particular person to contact in the Brisbane area for more details.

Mostly I just want to line him up straight before he goes, and as far as I'm aware that was the purpose for doing it at training. I've been thinking about a tab and even looking around for one, but haven't seen any. Does anybody know where to get them? Perhaps you could consider getting him into place by using hand touches instead of grabbing his collar???

This is just a general question to breeders out there who have male dogs at stud. I don’t breed, but I am a “consumer” so to speak! Do most (or any/some) breeders keep records of the bitches their stud dogs serve, and the outcome of those services? I’m guessing that breeders using their own dog over their own bitches would probably do that, but what if your dog serves outside bitches? Do you keep notes? By outcome I mean number of pups produced, number of males/females in the litter, etc.; and, more subjectively, what the pups are like conformation-wise, whether any go on to be shown, gain titles (both conformation and performance) etc? If you do keep records, does the information you obtain then influence the choices you make regarding the dog’s future as a sire?

I completely agree. It is revolting to think this used as a "training" method. Also it is absolutely unnecessary. What on earth is wrong with using treats to get the pup to love all training ? In the case of table training use the treat to "walk" the puppy a step or two. I'll agree, too - completely unacceptable and unnecessary to train a young pup using this sort of aversive treatment - surely it's better to give a pup a really positive experience right from the start on the table! It's not rocket science.....

I was pulled over once by RBT. After Cop is finished testing me and before he tells me I'm right to drive off, he sees Sheila (my red ACD) secured in the back seat, so he leans his whole arm in the window behind me and roughly pats her on the head saying "D'day Blue!". Stupid! Thankfully, all she did was give him a filthy look. S Ah, Sheila....my heroine! And I can tell almost the exact same story about my red ACDX Emily - pulled over by the RBT cops, Em in the back seat. Cop puts his hand on the window sill of the car waiting for me to blow into the thingy - has to withdraw it pretty quickly when he sees and hears a flash of white teeth and deep growl from the back. He was gracious enough to admit that she was very good at her job!!

This in itself can be considered an offence. If any dog runs up fast to me or my dogs it gets my boot in it's face. A and G, here's a great article written by Suzanne Clothier, on her website, called "He Just Wants to Say "Hi"! It's a bit long, but contains some very sensible advice..... http://flyingdogpress.com/content/view/42/70/

Have to agree here - have a real power-chewer Border Terrier who has destroyed every ball he has ever owned, until I chanced across the Huck balls - Zygoflex or Zogoflex or something are the makers, you can get them here in Oz now, but they can be cheaper overseas with the exchange rate even including postage - look around. So now I only have to replace them every 8 months or more. And the makers claim they will give you a free replacement if the dog destroys it - I know this is true too, because the first one he finally destroyed I sent them photos of what was left of the ball and they send me a freebie!

Just a question Megan - did you write this post yourself, or did you copy it from an email which does the rounds at various times? Some of your phrases sound rather "fishy" so to speak?

X2, Labsrule - I found that quite awful! And I got the feeling watching that Russian (?) lady hugging the supposedly 'tame' fox that it was very nervous at her touch.....lots of lip-licking, etc.