all that glitters

I know they are quite challenging as they can be very dominant, but boy are they beautiful! hehe

I am very interested in what they say also, I am with PIA as well (only had cover since July 09)

What a lovely tree and a lovely way to mark her grave, I hope it brings you good memories when you see it :D

:D Yay for #2's!!

I just wanted to add that it's not all about passing straight away either! Shyla and I are in Class 1 now but are missing 2 sessions cos she just got spayed Anyway I am trying to train MYSELF to stop focusing on passing first time all the time and to focus more on my goals with her in the future, and the fact that I want a well socialized, obedient shepherd. I would MUCH rather stay back and repeat the same 4 weeks 2 or 3 or 4 times til I get it right, than have the instructor pass me up just because we did "Ok". I'm a bit of a perfectionist like that :D But in staying down and repeating classes, if you think about it, you and your dog are learning more and will be better at certain things in the end, and each week your dog will become a little more well behaved and used to being in the training surroundings. I doubt we will pass Class 1 examination when we go back cos we are missing 2 weeks and Shyla doesn't want to heel nicely when we are around other dogs (bugger, she is a STAR at home ) and if they just try to pass me when I think I did bad anyway, I WANT to repeat Class 1

Wowsers thats awesome!!

Ohhh that's fair enough then, that's so sad :D And your right there's no point putting him through the stress of tests and clinic visits (which he obviously hates) if the outcomes are not definite anyway and prognosis aren't promising

Surely more tests can be done to rule out other possibilities before 'hard decisions' comes into it?? Poor chap! He could have another good 4 or 5 years in him if he overcomes this hurdle

a lot of forward planning and rotating toys. they are very full on so every spare minute is devoted to some sort of work with them which is why I have the wonderful 5 1/2 year old bitch I have today. So when people complain about the normal pet pups I find it rather unfounded. Dont want things chewed - move them. Sick of them under your feet - crate them. At least yours tire out mine would GO GO GO for almost every moment I was home and giving her a sleep routine from the moment she came home was a godsend! ... I'm so glad I didn't get a high-energy shepherd! .. which wouldn't be anywhere near as challenging as the malinois im imagining?

Wowsers!!! How do u make malinois pups behave while out of the house fulltime hours?? They sound soooo full on

Ohhh poor bugger, I hope he's ok! What a worry

This was my experience - 8 week old pup - 3 months of age(ish) Always have to watch her, chewing everything, eating everything, poo and pee inside if not taken outside regularly, chasing cats, chomping on power cords, lots of energy and whining when bored, waking up halfway through the night for toilet, having to be locked in crate at night, pulling on leash, scared of the dark, waking up at 7am even on weekends cos thats when she woke up and I couldn't leave her unsupervised Now I have a 6.5month old more mature and beautiful dog! - Fully toilet trained, obedient, knows lots of tricks, doesn't pull on leash so walks are enjoyable, sleeps in our room with us free, I can SLEEP IN FINALLY cos I can leave her in the house unsupervised and she doesn't do *too* much damage (lol), is a lot nicer to the 3 cats now, can walk out the front door without running off, jumps straight into the van for car trips, knows our routine and never whines out of angst anymore, goes to 'bed' at 10pm every night (falls asleep then), happy to entertain herself with her toys, has FINISHED TEETHING YAY, doesn't chew half as many things now. Mm yeah! It's soooo worth it in the end, I keep thinking if mine's this good at 6mths old, she will be amazing at 2yrs +!

Oh my goodness, I am SO SORRY. It's soooo sad especially when they are so young and just starting in life -- Why he was taken who knows, but I am sure there was a reason to him blessing your lives with his short presence. Remember the good times, RIP beautiful boy!

Shyla grew out of this habit, the more I told her off the more she did it, so scolding didn't seeeeem to work at the time.. then suddenly one day she wasn't doing it anymore!

Oh this is just so sad, I am a mess now. RIP amazing big boy and Memphis, I can't believe the way their lives were stolen away.

I can imagine that to be stressful! It seems my girl will always cry for the first 5-10mins after we leave, she's been in this routine for over 4 months now so I think it's just her. She is settled the rest of the day and doesn't destroy ANYTHING in the house, aside from a few small holes in the yard I think she has to have her little outburst when we first leave and then she accepts it. The fact she cries AT ALL though still stresses me out but oh well what can you do

Yikes! So that would be terrible then if they needed the crate-only 6-8wk treatment from a leg injury or cruciates etc... cos you can't leave them alone at all, and after that long how would you? Agh

Thanks so much everybody!! This is a great starting point!

Shyla is getting desexed in 4 days and I have a week off conveniently right after. I don't want to spend all 9 days with her in a row though incase she forgets how to be alone -- is it STUPID to think that?? Provided she doesn't chew at her stitches I'm planning two outing days next week with my sister so she will be 'alone' at home like usual on those two days. I just think after 9 days straight with me she will REALLY vocalize her opinion come the next Monday morning The neighbors said she always cries for about 5 minutes on the mornings we leave her, then she shuts up all day unless she hears other voices. It worries me enough she still cries every morning but if it's only 5 mins it must just be a shepherdy way of saying HEY COME BACK! So yeah, anyone found their dogs are worse off with coping being alone after a long stint of having company, and then being alone again? (Shes only alone 2-3 days a week but Im super paranoia woman)

I mean the whole hog with lenses and stuff. So I can use different filters, focus on different points, change aperture and shutter speed, make the background blur and the subject not etc etc

Any particular cat biscuits extra tasty/tempting smell? Im sick of not being able to find dog treats small enough for training, I buy Natures Gift ones but cut them all in half, takes me ages! I'm onto Schmacko sticks now and breaking bits off but that's tedious also

Well I have decided I would love to get into photography - moreso than just having a tiny little canon digital camera that you can't do much on. Any suggestions on a groovy proper camera but one that isn't *too* scary? I hope their instruction booklets are informative!

I take hubby to protect me on walks But I really try to minimize coming into a situation like that by walking with someone else, walking in daylight as much as possible, and avoiding parks in the dark etc

I bet it wouldn't be the same result if it were a maltese or chihuahua or other small breed dog cos they are 'harmless'

Just from a bark?