aussielover

Aww so glad Zeus had a happy ending! He looks very sweet Who in their right mind would release a dog that looks like him to a state with BSL though??? To most people he would definitely look like a pitbull. I'm also surprised the old owners didn't learn their lesson about keeping him in the first time. Perhaps they didn't realize the serious consequences?

Lots of very successful vet clinics these days have switched to 3 yearly C3 vaccs and/or titre testing. I actually left my last job partly due to difference in opinion regarding vaccinations and desexing with my last boss. It's important to keep up to date with recommendations. I'm surprised Greencross are making a big deal as it doesn't really look very good for them.

Thats awesome! I hear K9pro is doing a workshop in VIC this year maybe you could see if you could go along Ally? BTW I just wanted to say I'm totally impressed with what you've managed to achieve on your own with Bonnie. Great improvisation with equipment and as other have said Bonnie always looks very happy working with you. I think you could go really far, as you're very keen and enthusiastic and already a good handler. TBH I'd try another club, the one you're with doesn't seem overly helpful and quite set in their ways. In NSW you would not have these issues with most clubs. In fact, Bonnie almost looks ready to trial in novice jumping so it may be worth just entering her in some trials for fun. Many clubs are more accepting if you have some titles already.... I just moved to the ACT and whilst they are a bit more strict about entry into agility here, all that is required is a basic obedience test, seeing if your dog can work around distraction (like other dogs) and making sure they are not aggressive. I really hope you can find a good club to help you.

Then don't. For the life of me I do not understand WHY people want to put this gear on their dogs when TRAINING is what is required to stop a dog pulling. Most front attach harnesses cross a dog's chest, restricting their front end movement. Why you'd want walk a dog that cannot fully extend its frontl legs beats me. It's better than leaving the dog to sit in the backyard all day. At least they can get out and about even if they are relying on a harness or halti or whatever for control. Unfortunately people aren't willing to put in the work into training a good loose leash walk. At least this way the dogs don't suffer (as much) and still get the chance for exercise and mental stimulation.

Have you talked to the instructors maybe show them the videos you put on here? Perhaps they could work with you separately or make an exception for you. Would be a shame to exclude you from agility classes, if anything young people should be encouraged into the activity! I don't understand many clubs insistence on attaining a certain level of obedience through their program. Whilst I understand you can't have out of control dogs running around in agility surely a basic obedience test (come sit stay informal heel etc) would suffice in most cases? If dogs fail this test them obedience classes could be recommended. Personally I find obedience quite boring and I know my dog picks up on this. If possible keep training sessions short. I find rewarding with a toy brings much more enthusiasm- in some ways it seems odd because my dog is normally very food obsessed. She is also a gundog breed, and a bit prone to distraction (especially smells) but I find if I have a ball I usually get super focus! Can be a bit hard to do this on group situations though. ETA- I'm also a crazy dog person! I have to remind my self not to just talk about dogs to "normal" people . Luckily in my job I pretty much get to talk about dogs all day! And then I go spend my spare time with other dog people at agility lol.

A mature dog from a breeder or foster home will suit you better. If you're open to getting a dog walker or dog daycare then the range of dogs suitable will be much larger. Even though we have a decent yard my dog spends pretty much all of the time inside on my bed or on her bed. But she's also active enough to enjoy long walks (20+kms), running or cycling with me and doing activities like agility and retrieving. I get a dog walker several times a week and I'm lucky enough to be able to come home in my lunch break. Previously I had her at a dog daycare centre which worked out well too. I might add she was not an easy puppy. I had the year off for research so I could spend lots of time with her as a pup. My situation now wouldn't be suitable for her as a pup. You just need the right adult dog. There could be a number of suitable breeds for your situation. Maybe an older labrador, golden retriever, GSD or even RR could suit?

So glad it looks like he has found a suitable home! When you say he might be a working dog - what exactly is meant by that? Police, defence, security etc? Or dog sports? Either way great for him if he is suitable. Would be pretty cool if he became a police dog or similar, although they usually like to start training from a young age? And they have to be entire for that sort of work don't they? I also don't see the big issue with him being entire especially when it is for a working purpose. It's been established he is going to an experienced home, not some random. What use would an ankc judge be in this situation? It's not a show dog. Without getting into the whole working vs show, there is a reason why many service dog organizations have their own breeding programs now and why working dog people buy from working dog breeders.,..

One of the most common presentations of kennel cough is the dog "choking" on a bone. But best to have him seen by a vet. It's impossible to diagnose via internet.

How about just trying a balanced raw diet?- plenty of resources available these days to help formulate an apprpropriate diet. I don't know much about VAN but surely anything packaged will have some degree of preservative/ alteration. At least with a home prepared raw diet you can guarantee fresh produce.

May as well give it a try. If he's not specifically food allergic it's unlikely to make him worse. Although just switching him to a raw diet may also be an option if it's processed foods you are concerned about. I assume he's had blood tests and skin tests etc?

Thanks AD. I like the tip about course walking. Being a slower dog (lab) I am finding in masters one little mistake on my part puts us just overtime (in jumping anyway). I'd like to work on speed and drive, I get she will never be fast like a border but id like to get a little more speed where possible. She also has a difficult habit of being slow during training and quite fast in trials so it's hard to know what to do. Any suggestions for books etc? I've heard there's an alphabet drill book for jumping? Not sure where to get it from though?

I'm in a bit of a training rut at the moment and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I've moved to canberra and unfortunately the clubs training times here don't fit in with my work schedule- they all seem to start quite early presumably due to the cold! I've previously been lucky enough to train with Vickie (who is awesome) and felt we were making great progress- we went from no titles at the start of last year to ADX, JDX, GDX, SD and SPD and AAD titles by the end of the year! Now I'm not really doing much training and going to trials only 1-2 times per month. Being in Masters now is quite challenging for me- I feel like i'm out my depth and don't really know what I'm doing a lot of the time. Half the time I'm so amazed we've got through a hard section I stuff up the easy part or forget where we are going... I'm finding it difficult to train at home. We don't have any contacts but we now have 4 jumps and a full set of weave poles and a tunnel. The yard isn't big enough to accommodate all that though so we are limited to doing short sequences of 3-4 obstacles. I also find it hard to motivate myself to train as I don't really have any idea of what im doing or what to do... Sometimes I take her to a park that has agility stuff to let her practice the dog walk for contacts. But the other stuff is concrete so I don't like her doing jumps or tunnels there because she knows what she is doing she goes quite fast and im worried about her smashing into it. Also it seems stupid to have concrete agility obstacles because dogs that don't know what they are doing can crash into it as well when playing. ANy tips appreciated

I'd hardly call someone in their late fifties old!!! My parents are in their mid fifties and walk over 15km per day or cycle over 40km per day. That's more than most people in their younger years. Its definitely more than what I do.... Back to the topic though.... How about a an adult border collie from a breeder or rescue that is known to have a calm temperament? Or even a puppy from a good breeder that can pick the more laid back pups for her? If she's used to working dogs they might suit as they are generally light and pretty easy to train. My parents are probably going to get a border collie when they are ready for their next dog. Cavalier might suit her if she likes that type of dog or even a mini schnauzer?

Rottie or black lab. On average I'd say labs are slightly easier but there are some gorgeous rotties around. Labs generally need more exercise though- probably at least 1hr + per day and most will go all day if given the chance. If she is a smaller person a lab might be easier to manage. A smaller dog is cheaper to feed (and labs don't need very much to maintain condition- they only have to look at food to put on weight lol), easier to lift in an emergency, easier to bath, take up less room on the bed (lol) etc. They are also well suited as a first dog for most dog sports as they are so easy to train. They may not be the fastest or the most flashy but they are generally good steady dogs that are willing to please. I agree with others that say dog sports may be a less stressful hobby than showing. I've generally found people to be very supportive in the dog sports I participate in. There is always room for improvement in dog sports where as in showing if the dog is not show standard there's not a lot you can do... As with all dogs, the right breeder is important in terms of health and temperament. Good luck with deciding I know my black lab girl is an awesome companion and I'd definitely be lost without her. It's amazing when you have that special relationship with a dog :)

Is this story even real? It's sounds too ridiculous to be true.. Very worrying situation all round if it is real.

I don't think it is reasonable. 20km at a trot is hardly physically taxing for many dogs (particularly those of working breed background) even at an older age. It would be more physically demanding for them to regularly compete in agility/flyball. Working dogs will often work beyond 8 years of age anyway so that particular age limit seems restricting. There a 2 breaks for vet checks and any dog showing any signs of illness or lameness would not be allowed to continue on anyway. Personally I don't think the ET title proves much in many breeds, although in a small non working breed (especially a brachycephalic breed) it would be a relative achievement, although how many pugs or bulldogs for instance would have this title? However, it is always good to see dogs and their owners bonding together and working towards a title/achievement. I'd like to see it become more challenging for the more physically suited breeds eg. gundogs, herding breeds, sledding breeds for whom 20km is hardly challenging. Perhaps having 2 categories would be beneficial? Like a marathon vs half marathon? Both are impressive achievements for sure but there should be a way to distinguish exceptionally fit dogs.

AWL does desexing vouchers don't they?

Unfortunately not everyone treats their dogs like they should At least the python isn't going to be killed and appears to be getting the medical attention it needs

I'm interested to know what people would classify as a "canine athlete" Is it dogs trialling at national/ international level? Actual working dogs (eg assistance, police, farm,customs etc)? The casual competitor? Only when they've reached a certain level? Breed of dog? Personally I wouldn't say my dog is an athlete. We train in agility a few times a week and trial once to twice a month at masters level, we also do some retrieving training. We have a break over summer (nov-feb) with training and trialling. We exercise about 2 hrs a day usually free running, running next to a bike, swimming, some lead walking and ball throwing. But In between exercise she's generally very lazy. I'm aware this is probably above what the average dog would do but I don't really consider her to be an athlete. I mean I participate in sports too but I wouldn't say I'm an athlete either lol I don't put any special effort into her diet although being a lab she can't get fed much. I've never had any lameness or stiffness issues with her. I would consider nutritional supplements but it is hard enough to keep her lean on a normal diet! Id also consider doing exercises or seeing a physio/chiro if there were specific issues but none yet so far. But after reading everyone's comments I may consider conditioning and supplements more seriously now

That's exciting! As it happens I'm looking for a food dog groomer and dog daycare in canberra at the moment

If your dog is food allergic then it all depends on which type of foods he is allergic to. If he is allergic to beef or chicken (quite common) then a typical raw diet will not help improve things. Often a kangaroo or fish based diet can be used for food allergic dogs however It's important to find out exactly which foods he is allergic to so a specific allergy free diet can be formulated. To be honest if they are doing well on z/d it may well be more convenient to keep them on this in the long term.

I would certainly never choose and oodle, the look just doesn't appeal to me, not to mention the grooming required. However most of the ones I have met appear to be nice dogs that are well suited to first time owners. Skin issues seem to be the biggest problem and our groomer does often complain about the condition some of them are in and how naughty they are. I think dogs behave differently when they are being groomed though especially if the are a knotted mess

8 puppies is too much for one instructor. Did they have a helper? Some of those puppies also seem too old for puppy school. Usually the cut off age is 12 weeks. After that we would normally recommend obedience training or a follow-on puppy class (if available- some training centres/vets offer puppy kindergarten etc) I have been lucky and found an excellent puppy preschool for my lab pup. She started when she was 8 weeks- only 3 other pups in her class. There was a good mixture of talking and keeping the pups restrained and quiet, socialisation (in a controlled way) and actual training. My pup thrived in this environment and learnt over 15 commands and tricks in a relatively short time. The instructor was always in full control and seemed to be very knowledgable and adapted her training style to each individual puppy. Some puppy classes are crap though. I prefer classes where all the puppies start and finish at the same time- rather than ones where people can join at any time. I would try to find another place on your area that runs puppy school and see if they are any better

The pup is very cute and someone will pay that price for sure. It doesn't necessarily guarantee a good home but hopefully will help to avoid the impulse buyers and people just looking for a cheap dog. The ad doesn't do it any justice at all, it sounds like an awful little dog! Its just a shame that not much of the profit they would be making of pups like these appears to be going into the care of the animals, increasing the amount of animals etc. The RSPCA appears to have very different standards across its shelters. A pup displaying this kind of behaviour would be euthanased in some of their shelters.

I think you need to work on getting her wanting to work with you. I don't think its safe to have dogs on lead when doing agility training. The risk is too high and even if they don't get injured they could give themselves a scare and you'd be worse off than you started. You need to teach your dog that working with you is the funnest thing ever. Its easier if you have a very food/toy motivated dog. I'm lucky because i've never had any issues with my dogs not wanting to work with me or running off, but I'm still working on the relationship and a strong reward history with my new dog. My more experienced dog has recently started becoming more motivated for the ball than food and I find I'm getting more drive and focus when using a ball as a reward in training. I'm excited working with my new dog as I think she'll be great once she has the confidence and experience but I'm still trying to work out how to get her more focussed on me