Red Fox

Completely legal in SA I've had an instructor tell me that same thing. Rubbish! They might not like them but doesn't make it true As has already been said - prong collars are not readily available like some other "training tools". Any idiot can buy a halti and abuse it (and many do) but most people would have no idea what a prong collar is let alone where to buy one. And generally the trainers that sell them are pretty good at ensuring that the buyer knows how to use it. If you've never seen or used a prong they are far from painful (when used correctly) and a hell of a lot safer than check chains or haltis... I know which one I'd rather wear

A Halti should NOT be used as punishment! Fordogs, you might want to try posting your question in the training forum. I think there was a similar topic in there not long ago which you might find useful eta, here you go http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=201289

My Ridgie can easily cram himself into a 36" crate. I would go for the 30" for a Beagle eta, I should add that the 36" is a bit too small for him. I use a 42" sized wire crate and an XL soft crate but also have an old 36" size that he prefers and will sleep in during the day.

Oh yeah, I know that look well It's the "You threw it, YOU go get it!" look But chasey.. now thats a whole other game

Why not? If your dog ever has to go to the vet what do you think they will use? Or if you ever need to travel, will you take the whole pen with you? How will contain your dog safely if you decide to trial her in obedience or dog sports? Most dogs love their crates because they are small, cosy and secure. They can be easily transported so that the dog always has it's "home" no matter where you go. A big open space cannot offer that.. There is nothing wrong with using a pen. They can be very useful, particularly if your small puppy must be left alone for a few hours. However they do not offer the safety or the convenience of a crate. Dogs are not humans, they do not see a crate as a "cage" but rather a safe place which is theirs, a den. You will only disadvantage both yourself and your dog by "humanising" things.

Action Kei

As a sport I'd be waiting until he is a little older - 18 months at the very least. As a recreational thing I should think he would be okay to chase a frisbee every now and then if you're not overdoing it. A canine chiropractor could give you better advice on this and I think the every dog differs Why not? Jumping Ridgies are great fun

Treat toys Orbo http://www.k9pro.com.au/products.php?produ...bo-%252d-Medium (similar to a Kong) Bob-a-lot http://www.k9pro.com.au/products.php?product=Bob-A-Lot Everasting treat ball http://www.k9pro.com.au/products.php?produ...eat-Ball-MEDIUM Buster Cube http://dstore.com.au/pets/buster-cube-small/1084347.html Tug-a-jug http://dstore.com.au/pets/busy-buddy-tug-a...ml/2598835.html Canine Genius Leo http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/CGLEO?sc=9&category=177 Busy buddy http://dstore.com.au/pets/busy-buddy-mediu...23/1087148.html Activity Treat Ball http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/TREATB Tucker ball http://dstore.com.au/pets/tucker-ball-med-...og/1085672.html Squirrel Dude http://www.twobigdogs.com.au/dog-toys/squirrel-dude.html (similar to a Kong) If you are looking for something durable you can't go past the Tug-a-jug or the Orbo toys Tuffie toys are good for durable soft toys, but expensive http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/Products/Tuffie-Toys

He's probably scared to jump down. Thats not unusual for a puppy.. A crate is only a cage if you try to humanise it. To a dog a crate (if use properly) is a den, a safe place to go, rather like a kennel. Dog tend to feel secure in a small enclosed area (den). Same as a pen, he will bark, cry, become restless, scratch at the door.. each dog is different but you will know. Depends on how quick you are If you have the leash on top of the crate and are keeping your ears open then you should be fine. With a pup you should be taking them out every hour or two to toilet anyway. Yes. But not ALL their toys - just one or two favourites. Depends on what you want to use it for. Best to put it in an area where you can see it and puppy can see out, though having it in the bedroom at night is fine if thats where you want the puppy to sleep. (makes night time toilet trips easier too.)

Yes. Practical reasons for using a crate are toilet training, confining puppy to a safe, secure place when necessary (ie when you can't supervise, when there are children/strangers in the house, travelling, vets, shows, trials, etc), teaching your pup to relax... In short: No! That would be extremely dangerous. Puppy could easily jump off and injure himself. If he doesn't now he will soon. Plus it wont contain him, not will he feel secure. Well no not necessary, many people do without them but they make life a LOT easier. If all you are wanting to do is confine puppy to a certain area of the house you could use baby gates or a pen too.

We've done the padlock thing and she got her paw wedged in between the zip and hurt herself! Why didn't I think of the carabiner clip!!!! That's a good idea to try! Last night she went back in the laundry. She slept in until 5am today (this is two hours more than the previous night)!!! I ignored her until about 7.15am when I had to get up. Lucky for me I had left the heating on, so when it heats up every so often, it would drown her out long enough for me to doze back to sleep! We will get there. We will just keep working her really hard! Thank you everyone for being so understanding and for all your suggestions. I am sure it is a phase that we are both going through, but when you are tired it always feels so much worse. Ouchies! Try sewing a carabiner to a strip of material and then attach that in the top front corner of your crate (so it hangs down to zipper level) Then do your zips up so they end up in the top corner and thread the carabiner through the holes of the two zips. That way the zips stay up high and there is a lot less chance of her paws getting caught if she tries to pry it opened (hope that makes sense?)

You need to start training in a low distraction area and gradually build it up. Home is a low distraction environment, that's why you find it easy to motivate him there but not out in the street where there is the distraction of new sights and smells, it is too big a jump and you are setting your dog up to fail. Look at it from his point of view - what is more exciting? His owner with a piece of food? Or an exciting new scent in the street? To have his focus you need to be the MOST exciting thing in his world. Teach him that ALL exciting things come from you, make him WANT to be with you. Build it up by starting somewhere with no distractions (say your backyard), THEN move out into a slightly more distracting area (your front yard), If you can get that down pat try out in the street in front of your house, only move on when he is getting it right. If he fails then take a step backwards and make it easier. Keep your sessions short too. Puppies get bored quickly

You could use a small padlock on your soft crate to stop her from breaking out. Just leave the key in so it's easy to open. Otherwise try a mini carabiner clip - the ones you get from the key cutters.

Mine holds when it's raining. Or stands on the veranda on pees of the side. Though he has developed an annoying habit of racing to the back door, pawing at it like he's desperate. Then when I get up to open it he bolts back to the laundry door and sits there expectantly with his "since you're up can I have a biscuit?" look. Ummm no! Yet I still fell for it 3 times in 10 mins the other night

http://catchoftheday.com.au/ Just a heads up for anyone interested

I've seen wooly pull on covers at Big W too

:D

I've had a similar experience. Stray dog following us on a walk, my dog on a leash, stray dog running onto the road and almost getting hit, me calling him to me and putting a spare leash on him while I got abused by drivers and stared at by passers by for letting "my" dog run all over the road! I eventually leashed the dog (lucky he had a collar on and I had a spare leash on me - strap of my Houndbag ), walked him to a quiet place and called OH to come pick him up and take him home. (I had recognised him as a dog I normally saw on my morning walk and knew who the owner was and where he lived). Only one person thanked me (a man who actually went out of his way to approach and thank me the following day - and no, not the owner!) Everyone else just stood and stared The owner never said a word. Same thing last week when I found a lost baby SBT pup. A lady stood there and watched me stuggle with my own dog as this puppy bounced all over me. When I asked her if she knew who owned it she told me to hit it with a stick and walked off. Left me to struggle home with 2 dogs - 1 almost 40kgs and very excited, one a baby with no collar or leash, covered in mud and bouncing everywhere At least the poor pups owners were grateful to have her returned, apparently she had been missing for 2 days!

I wouldn't have a clue about them , but I think there are a few DOLers who are doing/have done these courses. Try posting your question in the training forum

What kind of dog? Ummmm a BIG one At a guess I would say that its the angle of the pic and the size of the girl that make him appear so huge He looks like an English Mastiff or even a Tosa Inu to me

NDTF does courses if you are interested in dog training http://www.ndtf.net.au/new/html/trainer_courses.html Otherwise there is grooming? Or working in a kennel? Or even volunteering at a shelter, rescue... eta, our doggy chiro is also a vet so I think it might be a little more involved

I'm not sure where I stand on it as an ethical issue.. But if horse meat was available in the supermarkets and fit for human consumption then yes I would buy it occasionally if it was out on special, just as I do with beef, lamb, pork and chicken. However I would not feed it as a main meat. I prefer roo which is free range, lean and unaffected by bad farming practices, drugs, poor quality (unnatural) feed. It's unlikely that I'd buy horse meat if it contained preservatives either.

So are you saying that blues are rare in non dilute to dilute matings? (genuine question). It is a recessive so both parents must carry the gene to produce it. So yes, it can be "rare" in a non dilute to dilute mating. However that is not what I'm necessarily referring to in the particular reply that you have quoted. My main inference in that response is that whether a blue be "intentional" from a blue to blue breeding or "accidental" from a breeding that MIGHT produce blue, the colour should not cost the purchaser any more than any other colour would cost them. Anybody who charges (for example) $900 for a "common" colour and MORE than $900 for a puppy from the same litter that is NOT a "common" colour is doing little more than capitalising on the colour and that IMO isn't acceptable. Ok, thanks for clarifying. I see that another thread has been started on this topic so I'll post any other questions there.

So are you saying that blues are rare in non dilute to dilute matings? (genuine question).

Could possibly be SK, but if a look at the puppy listings here is anything to go by, the odds arent' that good. There's a ton of breeders out there with BLU or BLUE in their prefixes churning out this season's preferred colour. Yes, I know But I still think it's worth giving the OP the benefit of the doubt She did say that she has been looking for "a while" so I'm sure that with all the blues being listed continuously and all the "breeders" that are cashing in on it, that she has done her research and found a healthy pup from quality parents. Dee al, enjoy your new puppy regardless of what colour he is. But do be aware and keep an eye out for any issues that may be more common in his particular colour. Insurance is a good idea for any new puppy