Red Fox

Public education. Make the general public aware of existing laws then enforce them. Some examples: Signage - reminders to register your dog / pick up after your dog on council bins, signs marking off leash / on leash areas (not presuming that the public can tell the difference). Signs would need to include info on fines for breaking these laws. Flyers clearly outlining laws and basic expectations distributed to all households when renewal for registration is due. Targeting kids. I whole-heartedly agree with this statement by BCPuppy: poodlefan:

I see "pure bred maltese shih tzu" puppies advertised all the time and wonder how people can be so stupid. How you get a pure bred out of 2 seperate breeds is beyond me. Usually shih tzu is spelt wrong and the add goes something along the lines of; "Gorgeous TINY fluffy pure bred puppies for sale - Maltese shitzu. Parents on show" Hmmm surely these "purebred" parents who are "on show" look different to each other if one is a Maltese and one is a Shih tzu? Unless of course both parents are malt/shih tzu crosses (usually the case) in which case parents AND puppies are simply mutts. Oh and of course the parents are registered (by the council) and health checked (by the vet every year) Personally I think the "nasty dog syndrome" shown by most of these crosses comes down to a combo of poor breeding + bad ownership (no leadership, rules, training or socialisation).

VetnPet direct http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/Products?search=cuz Lots of vets seem to stock them too.

Oh dear, I only love my dog 60% - way below the national average. I guess that's because; I don't allow my dog to run riot with other dogs - and no it's NOT because I "just don't have enough time" I don't always sign his name on cards I don't send him to the grooming parlour - Oh no, I actually brush him, bath him, clean his ears and clip his nails myself ;) I only take him to the vet when there's a reason I don't jab him with proheart or pump his body with chemicals that he doesn't need... The shame. I suppose good diet, exercise, training and common sense aren't enough.

Well, it doesn't result in anything that needs to be cleaned, or any disagreeable odours. It's not especially annoying unless you can't walk around the room because you have a dog attached to your leg. It often doesn't directly impact humans at all. It comes down to whether you're embarrassed by a non-human animal engaging in sexual behaviour right in front of you and the welfare of those that might get humped. Fact is a lot of dogs and humans don't like being humped, so I would stop it. That's the only reason why, though. Sexual behaviour is not IMO inherently rude. I certainly never bothered trying to stop my hare from masturbating. He's a boy. He has urges I have no control over. Errrr well that's debatable, boy dogs do tend to "finish" the job. In this house it's a firm "NO" (and I'll always stand up to say this - if necessary between the dog and his object of desire), if it continues then "crate". He will occasionally try it on with the cat (usually ends with him being clobbered), or when he becomes over excited during play, or with visitors he is unsure of - neither is a sexual behaviour and neither is acceptable.

I am thinking so too :D

Okay question number 2. If I am limited to a choice between ivermectin (Heartguard/Valueheart) and moxidectin (Proheart) which product would people consider to be the most gentle on a dogs system? And are there known common side effect to either?

Yes, same combo of ingredients will do the same thing. However I'm after one with the active heartworm component only if that makes sense ;)

Thanks RSG. I'm struggling to find something similar in a monthly dose that does heartworm alone, most seem to be a combination or heartworm/intestinal wormers. As my dog has done well on Interceptor I'd prefer to stick to similar active ingredients (if possible) rather then switch to an unknown and risk a reaction.

That sounds like a LOT of grain to me. A little rice, pasta or oats wont hurt but they don't necessarily need it. Your 2x2 biscuits contain wheat too. If it were me I'd cut out the rice/pasta/oats/bran altogether (or at least cut it down). Wheatgerm contains vitamin E which is good, but it can go rancid so keep it cool. Omega Pet oil would be a better option. Add some variety to your veg (green leafy veg is good - spinach, pumpkin, cellery, green alfalfa, and/or fruit - apples, pears, oranges, bananas are all fine) and puree it in a blender until its mush. Also, and most importantly, you need to add some bone to your dogs diet. Either whole raw meaty bones or pet mince containing bone. Add the (crushed) shell of the eggs into your mix too. You should probably add some offal in too - liver in particular. Other things you could add (if you wanted to) are canned sardines or mackeral, cottage cheese, natural yogurt, parsley and ACV. Hope that helps :rolleyes: eta, just saw that you give her chicken necks as well. I'd substitute her 2x2's for another neck, or swap her meal for a wing, drumstick, thigh, lamb flap or shank now and then.

Which heartworm treatment would contain the same/similar active ingredients to Interceptor but treat heartworm only (not intestinal worms). Looking for the closest I can find in a monthly dosage. Active ingredients in Interceptor (for large dogs) are; 23mg milbemycin oxcide, 228 mg praziquantel. Thanks :rolleyes:

I came across these the other day, they look pretty tough . Not sure if there are any Australian suppliers though? The Gripper® Flipper This Jute Flyer is great fun for all! This high quality 100% natural jute toy is a remarkable flying disc! It flies through the air to increase a dog's prey instinct, yet the durable jute makes it a perfect tug toy. Measuring 10 inches in Diameter. The Gripper® Flipper is easily hidden making it a great drive-builder toy for working dogs. Any dog that enjoys chasing toys will love the "The Gripper Flipper". http://www.gripleash.com/training.html Edited to delete giant picture

http://roochoos.com.au/products.html Pet treats Mixed Dog Treats Pack The mixed treat pack contains a selection of our products designed to allow your pet to taste and try the different varieties of our product. Standard pack consists of 2 leg bones, 2 upper leg bones, 2 ribs, 100gr jerky, 2 flaps and 2 whole tails. Variations available – just email or phone and discuss your dogs needs. The mixed pack is an excellent way to give variety to your pets instead of just the same old every day fare.

What an odd little dog. What is it?

Black wheaten is the rarest of these colors, however were it not for an owner’s love, black wheaten RRs might have become more common in the US. Back in the 50’s, the owners of a large kennel in CA went to Africa to purchase RR stock. While attending a party one night, they saw a gorgeous black wheaten dog and tried to purchase it, but the owner wouldn’t part with it. The body appears black, but on closer inspection the lighter roots show through in all the usual places – behind the shoulders, on the side of the neck and in the britches. Also it peeks through on the undersides of the dog and remains dark on top. I hope you can see it in this photo of a very rare dog – a black wheaten Ridgeback. Thanks to AKC for the photo. Brindle is a pattern of stripes,which can be red and black,fawn and black, isabella and gray. It occurs in Great Danes,Greyhounds,Boxers, et al and sometimes Ridgebacks. The K locus plays a pivotal role in coat color. This locus is a relative newcomer in our understanding of canine color, and includes traits formerly attributed by some to other genes. The dominant allele in the series is KB, which is responsible for self-coloring, or solid colored fur in pigmented areas. This trait was formerly attributed to the Agouti (A) locus as AS, but recent breeding studies had shown this not to be the case. There are two other alleles, kbr, and ky. KB is dominant to both kbr and ky, while kbr is dominant only to ky. kbr is responsible for the brindle trait and for a long time had been considered to belong in the E locus. Recent breeding studies had also shown this to be incorrect. The recessive allele, ky, allows the basic patterns of the A locus to be expressed. So too does the kbr allele, but with brindling of any tan, fawn, or tawny areas. Any animal with at least one KB allele will be self-colored.Any animal with at least one kbr allele, and no KB allele will be brindled on agouti background (see A locus).Any animal with two ky alleles will show agouti patterns (see A locus). The mutations responsible for these alleles were identified and described primarily by Sophie Candille in the laboratory of Dr. Greg Barsh at Stanford University Thanks to Jabulani RRs for this photo. http://kalaharirr.tripod.com/oddcolors.html

More rare Ridgie colours Unlike the Black and Tan, who's coloration remained the same as she aged, the Rust and Tan's coat has "wheatened out".

White dobermann

That is debatable. Ultimately, if you're communicating "that's not going to be rewarded", then that is technically a conditioned punisher, assuming it actually does suppress behaviour. I heard Ken Ramirez talking about NRMs today at the APDT conference. He says he's seen a small handful of trainers out of hundreds that use NRMs and actually do so effectively. You don't want to be heading off all their attempts at something new if you are remotely interested in them offering new behaviours in the future. I don't use them in shaping because the lack of a marker is plenty information enough. They ought to be throwing things out there until they get a click. If I want to fast track it or help them out in some way because they are struggling, I would fall back on targeting. It's extremely effective IME, and I use it heavily with my dog that isn't entirely comfortable with trying new things. I tend to agree with you here (highlighted text), but I do think NRMs can be useful to guide the dog where needed. Of course you wouldn't head off every wrong attempt or the dog would try nothing, but I see no problem with giving a NRM when the dog is confused or keeps offereing up same the wrong behaviour every time. For example could the OP not use a NRM for her dog sitting then when/if the dog stands up click and praise? She just needs to break through to her dog that the sitting is not required for that particular behaviour and perhaps the lack of marker is not enough in this case.

Reminds me of a poster I saw on the notice board at vets the other day: GORGEOUS PURE BRED MALTESE SHITZU puppies I wonder if it was the same puppies I saw at the local show today. In a cardboard box, eye's not even opened yet, kids poking at them and a big for sale sign with "orders being taken" on it.

NRM is just a form of comunication to guide the dog (not a punisher). Basically it should mean "that's not the path to the reward, try something else", same as a RM mean "yes, you're on the right track, keep going" and click means "yes, that was right, here comes your reward". (Hope that makes sense?) I find for my dog that it makes things clearer for him and helps motivate

Good suggestion, SecretKei. I use the NRM throughout my boy's training and both he and I find it very helpful. Kei does too :D If I just stand there and c/t saying nothing he gets bored and walks off. Then again I'm not very good at just standing there and saying nothing anyway Does he understand the NRM well? If he does it should help to guide and motivate him. Perhaps go back and try conditioning it with commands that he already knows well? I've just started teaching Kei REA with a step. I'll see if I can upload a vid for you when I have a chance so you can see how we did it. ETA, you could also try giving your "too bad" command and ending the session when you get no response to give it more meaning. :D

What Ruthless said. Having a martingale (or prong collar) fitted high up on the dogs neck allows you to effectively correct your dog with minimal effort, so you only need a tiny pop for the dog to register the correction - nicer for the dog and easier for the owner. Of course you can fit it down lower and they are great for dogs like sighthounds that can slip a flat collar, or for the convenience of being able to just slip the collar on and go, but in that case you aren't using it as a training collar. It really depends on what you want it for.

Have you tried using a "no reward marker"? So when the dog does the wrong thing you say "nope" or "try again" (or something to that effect), then when the dog does anything resembling the right thing you c/t and go wild with praise. And perhaps try using something bigger/higher/more obvious to start with (like a small kiddy step), you can always switch it later on once he has the hang of it *sp

Have you tried using a harness on him and attaching the tether to a child safety bolt on the floor of the wagon? You can fit 3 bolts - 1 behind each seat.