aussielover

I honestly wouldn't do it. There are very few group training situations where the dog will learn to competition heel (at least the way I would like my dog to do it- animated, happy and attentive). For a beginner dog even 1 minute of "heeling" is too much. Additionally do you want to set your dog up for failure by having other dogs, other people etc distracting them (at best) and actually scaring them or giving them a bad experience at worst. Most group classes last for an hour and there are very few beginner dogs that can maintain the level of focus and precision that I personally desire, training for that length of time. Your money would be better spent on an online course. I would personally not go into a group unless my dog was already working reliably at home and with some distraction. Once you think your dog is ready for trialling or working at a good level, joining an advanced group (ideally a trialling group if available) may be of some benefit. Good luck!

Aside from health problems related to being brachy, French Bulldogs are almost the ideal pet for inner city people. They're generally friendly, low maintenance, have moderate exercise requirements, come in a range of colors and are cute. I can see why they are popular.

I actually agree that there is no point in charging higher rego for entire dogs. Truly irresponsible owners are unlikely to register their dogs in the first place. Having a higher fee for entire animals may well put some people off registration. But you really can't compare Australia to Norway- the attitude towards dogs and culture is so different. as for desexing- I wouldn't judge anyone either way. However it is clear that willem feels people who choose to desex are the "unethical" ones who are risking their dogs health, rather than the opposite way around which he implies in the title of this thread.

No if anything I think many resemble rotties more than labs.

If it is safe to do so I would leave her outside when you are not home. That way she can't make any mistakes. As long as you provide a warm kennel, toys and interactive food dispensers such as a Kong or treat ball a 6 month old kelpie should be able to handle being outside for a few hours. Additionally I would still expect a few accidents at 6 months of age and wouldn't panic too much at this stage.

What exactly are you looking for in a home check? I don't things like an unfenced yard should always be a barrier to owning a dog. I'm 100% sure I could keep my dog safe and happy even if we didn't have a fenced yard. She stays indoors when I'm not home. I'm not that keen on having some random inspect my house. Especially having seen here on dol (judging by the home check requests)that the person doing the check may not even be a member of the organization or met anyone from the rescue group.

Do you own your own home? I think lots of people with pets would jump at the chance to house share as it's quite difficult to find a house share situation that allows dogs. When I was in a share house the resident dog definitely benefited from the playmate and extra training and walks.

Her biggest lapse of judgement was the original Facebook post. She really should have known better, and you would expect a "celebrity" to understand the power of social media. At least she apologized.

If she was that dangerous she could not even be handled for a walk why was she not put down? A dog is better off dead than locked in a small cage for 2 years with no interaction.

What's the bet they won't comply with the DD regulations anyway.

I really like German pinschers and think they would fit most of your criteria except for being s guard dog. They're actually quite small dogs (<15kg) and not really intimidating. Like most dogs they could probably be easily taught to alert bark though

I guess it depends on the type of cafe. I've been to a few where the owners dog/s just wander around but they all have outdoor areas as well. I also thought greyhound would suit. And they are large enough to be at least a deterrent to an opportunistic burglar, if not a good watch dog.

Seeing as you own the business could you take the dog to work with you?

There are plenty of people who could catch him judging by his Facebook page- they just choose not to. I think it's a combination of selfishness- no doubt he brings pleasure to their life and makes them feel special as they are part of only a small group that can interact with him. I also think they genuinely think he needs to be "free" They enjoy interacting with him and "looking after" him without the usual responsibilities that come with owning a pet. I doubt many of his enablers would step up and take responsibility financially and legally if he were hit by a car or injured someone.

Is it important practicing with a proper thrower before doing a RATG trial? Also where do you get pigeons from?

My main issue is that plastic buckles are not safe enough if my dog were to suddenly lunge (she doesn't usually but you never know) but the metal ones tend to get rusted very quickly as she swims a lot.

I think what willem is trying to say is that he doesn't distinguish or recognize positive or negative punishment as separate entities because both result in a negative consequence (and hopefully subsequent extinction of behaviour) thanks for giving my layman thoughts some credit :D ...however it is more that I differ between the phase when you start positive reinforcement training rewarding your dog and the later phase when he is used (conditioned) to it. It is the later phase, where he is used to this kind of training and expects earning the reward that I believe the current terms are limited, actually the subject matter experts seem to ignore the difference. Refusing the treat / reward at the start: I wouldn't call it punishment at all as I believe that it doesn't have a big impact on the dog's behaviour (also a lot of experts would call it a form of negative punishment)...it is just the reward that affects the behaviour (IMO). The later stage is totally different - the dog is now used or even addicted to the reward and refusing the treat becomes a very powerful form of punishment; holding the reward back will trigger now negative feelings / perhaps frustration ...and I'm the one who triggers it, I'm the one who gives / adds frustration to the dog...so yes, IMO punishment, but it doesn't fit smoothly in the existing quadrants. The terminology doesn't relate to you, it relates to the reward/ punishment. The punishment is removed (negative reinforcement) The punishment is given (positive punishment) A reward is given (positive reinforcement) A reward is removed or withheld (negative punishment) Yes, it's true that you control the punishments and rewards but the dog doesn't think "that B**** didn't give me my treat" they think more in terms of "this behaviour did not result in my getting my treat"

Exactly in most cases here we are talking about not giving a treat, not starvation. Although I accept that there are people that withhold meals in order to make an animals more receptive to training with food rewards. I let my dog have 2-3 attempts at an exercise and if she has no success I'll change it to be easier. She tends to lose enthusiasm or otherwise just go quite wild and fail to engage the brain if she doesn't have success after a few goes.

I think what willem is trying to say is that he doesn't distinguish or recognize positive or negative punishment as separate entities because both result in a negative consequence (and hopefully subsequent extinction of behaviour)

...that's why it is called 'opinion'...and everyone is entitled to his/her own :) An opinion can be wrong. Of course, you're still entitled to believe the wrong thing if you choose. Others in this thread have quite clearly explained how withholding or refusing to give a treat is NOT a form of positive punishment.

I disagree. They are both easily recognizable as Labradors. If anything the show one is tending toward a more Rottweiler type look, and the field one more like a GSP look but I would say the average person would identify both as labs. Also the show one is in show condition and the field dog in working condition so not really fair to compare.

I don't really understand- is she actually a working dog or not? Any dog can move sheep from one paddock to another but it doesn't necessarily make them a proper working dog.

I don't think there are enough field Labradors in Australia to justify being a separate breed. If I were in the market for another lab i would like one from adderslot who breed American working lines. There are few in dog sports homes that I have met and they are great dogs. Perhaps not suitable for an average backyard dog but then I don't believe labs thrive In that sort of environment no matter what the breeding. They are really a breed that thrive when they have a job to do- hence their versatility and use as many different types of working dogs. The structure and temperament may vary slightly depending on the specific job they were bred for but all definitely recognizable as labs.

I have been told Retrieving instinct is an essential criteria for assessing service dogs as puppies. I've also been told retrievers should never be encouraged to tug (if you want to do trials etc) and I suppose I do work against the "soft mouth" instinct because I tug with my dog at agility and play tugging games at home (she loves it). She hasn't had any problems with hard mouth at retrieving training but we only use dummies and on occasion she might jump up and grab it once we have finished training and tried to tug. She certainly lives to carry her soft toys around the house and is very gentle with them.

This is once again a case of one irresponsibile person ruining it for others. Whilst most people on DOL have well behaved dogs or at least recognize what situations their dog wouldn't cope with, clearly the general public don't. It was a nice gesture of bunnings but I didn't think it would last in Australia.