raineth

I think it depicts the very rare beast known as the Polar Hound. Very accurate in my opinion.

Why do they need to be chained when they are in a cage?

That is pretty full-on and I am glad she is taking it seriously. Hopefully she will engage a behaviourist to help her with this problem.

It's really great that you are being so pro-active about fixing this problem. You might never know exactly what went on but ensuring he can't get out means there can't be any more issues like this in the future. And as you say, that is keeping him safe as well as anyone else.

Sometimes I wonder whether some of these instances are not so much dogs being stolen from yards, but dogs getting out and then being found by people who choose to keep them (or choose to keep them after making only half-hearted attempts at finding their owners). I say this because I have actually come across a lot of people who have actually done this, and I was speaking to a vet nurse who has also heard this story many times. I also notice how often parcel delivery people leave gates open while they deliver the parcel. A dog across the road from us got out this way just last week.

What a terrible position for your Mum to be in. I hope the vets can find some answers and poor Micha can feel better soon.

There is no calcium source in this diet.

Go to a show and see what appeals to you. As you say, you might want to rule the terriers out, but there are loads of other breeds. Exhibitors usually love to talk about their dogs and they'll be able to tell you whether they'll suit or not.

I love oldies! I have only admiration for them. I haven't yet been lucky enough to have a dog live to old age, but I feel quietly confident about my current girl making it :) There is one tiny Chihuahua dog I see, who seems very ancient, and blind but always makes the effort to stand up from her spot on the porch and tell us to move on, she makes me smile. Don't get upset by what people say. I have a very noticeable dog and we get comments all the time. Some of them are nice comments, and the rest we just ignore :) Afterall, I don't have my dog for the pleasure of other people, but because I love her, she's my mate and that's all that really matters.

More photos!

I have to say I love espinay's idea of a newsletter and huski's idea of a facebook page

Well the only dog-friendly accommodation we have stayed at is family :laugh: Del is allowed on the bed there, not on the lounges, which is fine by us. She is a plus-sized dogg and I will say that not having to take much bedding for her is advantageous for us. Her bed ways many kgs and takes up a lot of space (in the car and in the home). I have heard some accommodation will allow dogs on furniture as long as the furniture is covered with a sheet. I think that's not a bad way of doing it. If we stayed at accommodation where she wasn't allowed on furniture then I would just pack her bed and she would sleep on her bed.

That is super cute teekay :)

Different dogs have different energy needs. Just feed him less and he should maintain his weight :) My male dog was heavier than my female (by more than 10 kgs) but she needed to eat a third more food to maintain condition, or double the amount when she was my running companion.

Brush tails are a big feral problem in NZ aren't they? I wonder if there are any problems with sourcing food in that way though.

awww yes, he is very, very cute :)

Oh common, we need a pick of this pup! :) oohsam, one trick I use to keep training short is to get out ten treats. Once those ten treats have been used up, then I stop and do something else :)

Ouch! Yes I do think that dogs who are regularly offlead on the streets often work out that they have the advantage over a leashed dog. Good on you Better Late :) You are doing a good job :) I love how you are also making the most of functional rewards too.

It sounds like he is going really well Hankdog :) Yeah Del doesn't turn back around and have a go, but she is much calmer if the dog is in front than behind where I'm guessing she feels like she's not leaving her defenceless back end to be munched upon :) Some smaller dogs especially seem to understand that they can bully her quite safely from behind and will go behind her to bite her back legs. But thankfully its been a while since we've met any of those :)

well done Great work :)

Interesting to hear you guys talk about the emergency U-turn. I can only use this before Del sees the dog (or if the dog is far away enough for her not to be care) because Del actually finds having a dog behind her extremely nerve wracking (probably due to being attacked from behind) and I really think it is one of the reasons BAT only got us so far.

well I can't really help you there Terri, but feel free to post your video up of Didi Tugging :)

Oh God, I have to do this, I am going to go sit one by the front door so I don't forget! Once he went nuts for it I started tugging him down to the letterbox - was a really nice way to transition. When he was mental about tugging at home I started to make home tugs boring and saved the fluffy tugs for out and about. Awesome! Well I currently have fluffy Big Bird from sesame street waiting at the front door so I can do this :) Also very welcoming for anyone who comes to the door!

Ok that could be another reason that you are finding she doesn't get as much satisfaction from playing tug, vs hunting etc. She may be in food drive rather than prey, or hasn't really developed enough desire for the tug vs live prey. I would definitely try transitioning to a different tug that doesn't smell like food or even something like a flirt pole so you can build a bit more frustration and drive. When you say you want more anticipation, do you mean you want her to show more desire/frustration to get the toy? re: the anticipation, I just find it is a reliable way to get her excited about something. I don't know if you know it, but probably the closest we ever get to proper prey drive is when I play Susan Garrett's "I'm gonna smoke ya" game; she actually shakes with adrenalin while she is waiting for me to say those words and run away. She loves the flirt pole at club, doesn't love the one I bought her. But I might see if I can attach something different to it that she might find more exciting :)

Oh God, I have to do this, I am going to go sit one by the front door so I don't forget!