Zug Zug

Don't cut back too suddenly though - if you get too stingy with your treats now you might lose the progress you've made. I would suggest you cut back to intermittent treats on the exercises he already knows well and does almost without thinking. But keep the reinforcement rate high for the stuff he's still learning. You want him to experience as much success as possible, and keep his enthusiasm for work high.

Hmm, options I can think of: 1. tether or put your dog in a crate, and fetch in front of it with another dog who fetches beautifully so your dog is watching. This is likely to trigger all kinds of excitement, which could then be translated into action when you swap the dogs over (but be careful doing that - I would keep them separate in case things get too excited or possibly possessive so be careful). For the same reason, you'd need to be very careful to ensure when you throw the ball that it doesn't accidentally go near the dog that is confined - or you could end up with the two dogs fighting over the ball which would be the opposite of what you're trying to achieve. OR 2. have a fantastic treat available to trade for the ball once returned - show it to the dog once they've chased and got the ball and then run fast away from the dog as fast as you can, with the treat in full view in your hand (hopefully this might inspire your dog to chase you for the treat - and the ball might just make the trip in your dog's mouth without the dog thinking too hard about it). As soon as the dog arrives, they get the yummy treat (so they are likely to drop the ball to eat it) and as soon as they've finished eating you throw the ball again so they get it straight back as their ultimate reward for bringing it to you. Actually I'd try option 2 first - then option 1 only if that doesn't work. There are some risks with option 1 so you'll have to be careful, but that is what did the trick for my young lad. The yummy treat could be anything your dog likes more than balls. Bacon springs to mind. Another option I've been taught previously is to teach 'hold' and 'give' as a separate thing (static, from sitting on a chair with your dog sitting in front) and then gradually build in distance so the giving is a critical part of this brand new game. To do this, I would suggest you start with a whole new object, such as a dumbbell, so the dog views it as completely new and nothing to do with the ball keep-away game they've played previously. I hope you find a solution! Sometimes it's a lot like trial and error isn't it? I have seen people playing fetch with 2 balls, but I think to be honest that's really just avoiding finding a solution for the original behaviour.

or buy one online - for example k9pro.com.au or somewhere like that. They have a good range. Handy hint - watch out for the line getting tangled around your feet. If your dog runs off and you're not quick enough, you can get a nasty rope burn on your calves. I learnt this the hard way.

My dogs sleep on their beds, alongside our bed, so no poo issues here. But my old girl (14 yo) was snoozing next to me on the couch one day when I felt a gradual, warm wet feeling. She was completely asleep, and had weed without knowing it. My reaction woke her - she looked as surprised and disgusted as I was. Poor old love - luckily it was the leather couch and easy to clean up. She hasn't done it since. Sleeping on the couch next to me as I type this.

I trained my dogs in wire crates, then used soft crates inside with no probs. But during renos recently we put the soft crate outside and my bored dog chewed the front door (which was flopping open that day - not even done up) and it is therefore now a crate in name only - the zip is broken so it can't be done up. I will be replacing it with one exactly the same (from K9 Pro - they are a really good strong soft crate) - but I won't leave it outside again to be used as a chew toy. The same dog is very happy to spend the night sleeping in it and won't fret at all. He could chew his way out (in theory) but is happily crate trained and just wouldn't do it. My mistake was leaving it outside for him to start 'playing' with, instead of keeping it for use as a crate for him to sleep in. We are back to using the old wire crate for the time being, and while these are certainly the stronger more durable option and I prefer the ventilation in a wire crate, I don't find them very portable as they're so heavy, so that is a limitation if you want to take your dog on holidays or to shows etc.

Nothing much to add except to say I sympathise - and have had a similar experience with my adolescent boy dog at agility training. He turns into a wild animal around the equipment as soon as another dog is using it instead of him. He is attempting to resource guard I think. So much so he is completely unable to train in that environment, and I've had to pull him out to work with him more in obedience and probably rally. We'll have to take him slowly. I'm not sure at this stage whether he'll be able to be settled at agility training when he gets older or not. No rush though. Adolescent boy dogs!!! I haven't had one for a very long time and my only other boy was a really soft fellow. My other dogs have all been girls. This pup is different - he can be challenging at times and is proving to be an education. But he's so lovely most of the time I am just working through his issues one by one. But yeah, it will be nice when the adolescent boy phase is over. Let's hope I'm not still saying that 10 years from now :laugh: :laugh:

Yes it is weird (my Std Poodle is a gun dog through and through) Then again splitting up the poodle sizes into different groups would also be weird

Why oh why isn't he coming to Adelaide???

I agree Steve - if there are criteria these should be freely available.

But you miss the point how is council to define criteria for which group to work with? You know what you did and you know what you feel is ethical but that isnt ever going to be exactly what everyone else thinks - and much of it is about integrity not just what you are seen to agree to. Its about values and the things you do when no one else is watching. Basic human nature tempts people to do things "just once - no one will know " etc What criteria should council have to determine which groups to work with? If they don't have criteria and they cant identify those things which would make a group ineligible then anyone kept out would yell discrimination and threaten legals. There is nothing to stop Council setting criteria for what they consider to be a responsible rescue process, making that criteria public and only working with organisations that meet those criteria. It's no different to setting up any other kind of Council policy. You get advice, you assess the advice on a reasonable basis (a simple risk assessment process) and you make your decision in an open and accountable way. No different than selecting a good plumber to do work on Council buildings. You have your criteria, they are reasonable criteria based on a simple risk assessment, you make them public and you invite people to respond to them. It's a simple process and the key to it is to make sure you are open and up-front about your criteria and the process you are using to assess and select. Yes sometimes people will challenge processes and decisions, but if the process has been run properly and you're addressed any legislative requirements in your state etc., you're fine legally. It could be argued that it would be irresponsible for a Council NOT to set suitable criteria.

Councils could set criteria however. They can make their own policy decisions on this score, so long as they give everyone an equal opportunity to consider and meet their criteria. The way I see it, this could be treated the same way as selecting any contractor. Set your criteria, make your criteria public (e.g. as part of a competitive public tender process) and invite everyone to respond to your criteria, then select the one that best fits your criteria. Just because no money is changing hands does not mean a public tender process cannot be used. I work in Local Government (not in animal management) and have done this before where no money was changing hands, but where we wanted to ensure we were selecting the best organisation to be involved with us in providing services within our community. If it were done that way, yes a Council could certainly define its criteria and make a selection. They are not compelled to work with dodgy rescue organisations any more than they are compelled to deal with dodgy builders or other tradespeople. It may require them to think a bit differently about how to go about things.

I think you're right Sheridan - there is a belief that any dog will suit any person. It just isn't true. I have allergies. No staffy crosses for me. I also have spinal injuries - can't be yanked around by an over-exuberant muscle hound either. Also I like the softer, more people-focussed ones. (Perhaps because my teenage kids won't let me hug them anymore?) And it really didn't sound like her staffy cross was a great match for her, to be honest. Or perhaps she wasn't being a good match for the dog, which I suspect is more likely. Anyway needed to vent. From my perspective I take my hat off to the breeder of my standard poodle boy (14 months old) - she bred a great dog who suits me down to the ground, and she even house-trained him for me almost completely before he arrived at 9 weeks! And I have greatly enjoyed my years with my older pound girl (she is at least 14 years old - we'll never know exactly). We have had a few dogs from pounds over the years, and may well do again one of these days. There should be no rescue vs. breeders divide. Seriously. We need both.

I was wandering through an antique shop yesterday, and overheard a conversation that was just so ridiculous. It started with a women describing to a man in the shop how awful her dog was. It pees and poos in the house all the time, horrible dog, she doesn't like dogs but her daughter does so she has to keep it even though it's a horrible dog. She has had it for 5 years. Hates it. Then she starts describing how she's involved in dog rescue, and when this man is ready for his next dog he should get it from her. She was telling him that most abandoned dogs are staffy crosses. No-one wants them, they spend too long at the pound (ok this much is true - there are a lot of staffy crosses in the pounds in this state) Then she gets really animated about how he should only come to her to get a dog, how 'we' (i.e. the group she is involved with - I don't know who they are) - but anyway 'We hate breeders - we call them greeders'. Even breeders of purebred dogs - apparently they see lots of purebred german shepherds in the pound (I haven't noticed this myself, but I don't go there terribly often) The comment about 'breeders are greeders' just made me angry. At that point I made a comment about how ridiculous and moved on. She was not the kind of person to have a rational conversation with. I hope the man has more sense than to listen to her. Honestly why would anyone get a dog from this person??? She claims not to like dogs, and has clearly been unable or unwilling to train her own dog. And why is she blaming all breeders for the fact that dogs end up needing rescue? Surely she should be targeting her frustration at the breeders of staffy crosses...? And the owners who have failed to train them, and end up giving them up when they get unruly. But no, it was all about breeders and how they're just greedy and want money.

Oh God how absolutely awful. I can't imagine how they gave you the news - it is just unimaginable as a pet owner (but something that all groomers should be so very, very aware of and careful about) It just should not have happened, but it did and I feel for you as you try to come to terms with losing him in this way.

But it suits her! She really is beautiful. Or you could rename her and call her 'David' from now on My dog is called Pasha, but is often just called Harry. My other dog is Zamba (a completely made-up name to prevent my husband calling her - wait for it - 'Zug Zug' which lives on as her nick-name and also my DOL persona). The dog I grew up with was named Winkle. Suffice to say I will never criticise anyone on the subject of silly dog names ;) Other dogs' names in this house over the years: Mozart, Kore, Philomena (Mena usually), Kali, Tessa. Future dog names - Eve or Eva

Beagle x kelpie crossed with a huge basset x goober to give him such enormous paws! :laugh: He's a cutie

Some of the discussion in the Pound Rounds reply quoted earlier in this thread were really disturbing and incredibly naive. I strongly agree with Alkhe's earlier post above. All people rehoming dogs need to apply a standard of safety and suitability before sending dogs to homes. It is completely irresponsible and very dangerous not to do this appropriately. I am in favour of re-trainable dogs being rescued for retraining. Then if all goes well, they would need to be assessed again and determined safe and suitable before going to a home. But not all dogs will be realistic candidates for this - I would exclude seriously DA dogs and also any form of HA. There are plenty of other dogs also needing help and I think it is necessary to set priorities based on risk and best chances of a successful outcome. I fell victim to the lack of thorough temperament assessment when I brought a dog home from the pound last year. He mauled my existing dog - she needed 2 surgeries to repair her face. I returned him to the pound - it was absolutely gut-wrenching for me even though I'd only had him for a few days. He had shown some signs of problems in the temperament assessment, but this reaction came as a surprise to all of us. I wish they had been more careful. This is a photo of my lovely old dog after the first surgery - I am relieved that she has recovered (although still has some irritation on that side of her face and probably always will): Result - I would be VERY hesitant to get an adult dog from a pound again. And I have had several pound dogs previously, including the old dog that was injured in this case (she is now 14 years old, brought home from the pound at approx 1 year of age). I have dealt with behavioural issues (she had serious separation anxiety and was a fence jumper/climber), but aggression is altogether different and far worse. I have also been seriously attacked by a big aggressive dog many years ago. There would have been no way to rehab that dog - he was a very dangerous animal who attacked many people during his life. So while I love dogs, I am very aware that rehoming dogs like these without highly skilled rehab/reassessment is incredibly naive and very harmful. It undermines the reputation of pound dogs, and can cause serious injury and trauma to the people and dogs they meet once they've left the pound. It is just not as simple as saying all dogs are 'worth it'. Some dogs are just not safe. To criticise people for 'killing' these dogs is narrow-minded. Of course no-one enjoys doing it, but it is necessary in some cases and shirking this responsibility by handing DA dogs to inexperienced people is quite shocking. Rant over - but for obvious reasons this really pushes my buttons.

Definitely reporting them is a good thing. Next thing the dog will be charging at a child walking past, or a young person walking with their own dog. Avoiding the dog is fair, but the problem goes on and the risk is still there for other people. I avoid houses with dogs in front yards if I can, even if the dog is fenced in. It's too stressful for me and my dogs. But I would report a dog that habitually charged out beyond the fenceline, and have done this before when a dog chased and grabbed the trouser leg of a child who was cycling with me and my family a few years ago. Dog owner's excuse: the dog doesn't like aboriginal children!!! So why keep it in the front yard I asked??? Given there was a house of aboriginal kids only 3 doors down from this house. Some people are idiots and need the Council involved.

Health testing results for all the breeding animals, so the reader can see it straight away (and you don't have to contact if you're not comfortable with the results you're looking at) Also it shows very clearly that you take the testing and your role as a breeder seriously On the puppy page - a description of how the puppies are raised while with you Also agree with the comments about an easy to read, quick to load design. Nothing to slow, glitzy or bedazzled. Go for simple and elegant - the dogs photos are what people are really wanting to see anyway.

I think the inside/outside mix sounds ok, especially if they are planning to have the dog inside with them when they are home. I understand why it would need to be outside when they're out and about. Families at that stage are busy with school, sport, work etc. so they'll need a dog that can be happy when they're needing to be away from it. But also with a family of that size and age I would imagine there would be no shortage of social interaction when the family is home, so long as the dog has access to the family room which is where all the action is. So based on that assumption, and noting that none of the kids are really 'young' anymore (youngest is 10 years old I think), and assuming they don't want to do much in the way of advanced obedience but essentially want a nice polite friendly family dog - how about a borzoi or perhaps a deerhound? My daughter has a lovely borzoi who would do fine in that situation, so long as the kids are nice kids and are taught to be gentle. Doesn't need enormous amounts of exercise, is a lovely looking sweet-natured dog that is adored by everyone she meets. She is very low maintenance in a general sense, although being a large dog does eat a reasonable amount and vet bills are always slightly higher for larger breeds (but not much higher than a lab or a goldie really). She wouldn't be a ball-fetcher though - so if they're wanting a dog they can teach lots of funny tricks this breed would probably not really be the pick. Again it depends what kind of family they are. If they're sporty, they might prefer a dog that would learn some party tricks the way a lab would - but that relies on them being willing to put the extra effort into the additional exercise and training those kinds of dogs need. The larger sighthounds cope well with some time alone and tend to be lazy and sleep a fair bit of the day. They are less demanding of exercise than many breeds, and the coats are pretty easy-care. They are very tall dogs though - so it also depends how much space is available in the house/yard/car. If they drive around in a smallish car it might not be practical, but with a family of 5 I'm guessing they may have a wagon/4wd of some kind...?

I pulled a grass seed out of my dog's eye last week - it's so scary when you think how easily it could be missed. She was lucky - it all came out and her eye is fine although it was very swollen on the day (almost closed - I think the seed had been in there since the previous day) We have since gone through our yard with a fine-toothed come to remove everything we can find that has (or may have) grass seeds attached to it. There was a patch along the back fence under some shrubs we couldn't see from the house and I think this is where she came upon it. You just have to be so careful at this time of year

What an awful video I wonder in how many homes there are similar scenes going on - and the parents just do not realise what immense pressure they are putting their dog under Having said that - allowing a kid to 'bounce' on a dog's ribs like that??? I don't think that is reasonable by any estimation. Surely those 'parents' have parents themselves? Or friends? Those people should have stepped in to tell them off! Just can't help thinking 'that poor dog'. He saw the toddler coming and the dread was instant. You could see it is something that happens regularly. I really hope the parents have seen the video and learnt from the experience and now start protecting their lovely dog. I too have only had great experiences with Rottweilers. Lovely breed. I was being attacked by a dog once and there was a younger male dog in the same household - subservient to the dog that was attacking me and free to join in but he chose not to (for which I am eternally grateful). I was in real trouble that day - a second dog would have been an absolute disaster and I have always adored Rotties from that moment forward. Instead of joining in (as so many dogs would) he took the opportunity to sneak into the house and sit on the couch. Good boy!! Like any dog they deserve far more respect and caring than this!

Just wanted to say how gorgeous he is. I've never had labs, can't comment on his 'type' in that sense, but he looks like a lovely, friendly happy boy and so sweet. My standard poodle puppy is just 13 months old now, so just approaching the end of his puppy-ness. It has been a wonderful year and so entertaining for the whole family. It had been 15 years since our last puppy. While there are inevitably a few frustrating moments (such as when he chewed my brand new and absolute favourite sandal), the fun stuff outweighs it ten times over and it's such a great ride. Enjoy!

Just want to say good on you for looking into this carefully and not just buying the first pup you see. It can be difficult to walk away from a cute puppy (and they're all cute really aren't they?), but it is so much more important to get a sound and healthy puppy that you can enjoy sharing your life with for the next 10-15 years. Good luck - and lucky you getting your first puppy. What an exciting time! Keep us posted - when the right puppy comes along for you, we'll all want to see photos :) Staffordshire Bull Terrier Puppy litters are on DOL here - with 75 litters being advertised there are bound to be some great options for you to choose from: http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/puppies/staffordshire-bull-terrier.asp

Hmm. I wonder if you could do a few things about it before a decision is locked in stone (i.e. before they write back to you), such as: 1. offer to get a letter of support from each adjacent neighbour, pointing out that your dogs are not nuisance barkers, you are a responsible dog owner, they are happy for you to do it, etc. 2. perhaps agree to some conditions e.g. if the fourth dog were to lead to any complaints in future, you agree that you would rehome one of the 4 dogs at that time (after giving yourself a reasonable amount of time to address any issues, of course) ??? Perhaps call them and get a feel for what the key issues are. I suspect it's barking/noise concerns. So if that's the case, then getting support from your neighbours could be very powerful. I would get in now, before they put their decision in writing. If that fails, you could go to your local Elected Member to request support. But I would be getting support from the neighbours first. Without that, I doubt you would get very far because the Council would need to take into account any concerns they may have.