aussielover

Is he happy in his sleeping area? When my dog was a pup she would pee and poo through the night in the laundary. As soon as she was moved to the bedroom she never had an issue again with toileting inside overnight.

I think its handy to be able to take the dog in with you if you're on the way back from a dog event or walk and are just ducking in to pick up a few things. I wouldn't take my dog just for a day out or if i needed to get more than a few items or browse for a long time. But really if you take your dog to a public area that is busy it should be able to handle pats and attention under supervision.

Taking on 2 dogs is a lot of work and taking on 2 problem dogs is a challenge even without a baby on the way! I'd probably go for an easier dog as a second dog.

You need a gun licence to do retrieving trials don't you?

...seems you are not familiar with the physics of heat transfer....if my dog is laying in the sun, her black top coat can be well above the 40 deg C as it absorbs the sun light...if she wouldn't have the double coat she would become heavily sunburned and she would more likely overheat as the heat energy will flow from higher temperature to lower temperature - the coat as an insulation prevents this...in the sun even the coat of a dead dog could have a higher temperature if there is enough radiation...following your theory bitumen in the sun is alive because it's hot, yeah? So in terms of keeping a dog cool, insulation would only be an advantage in temps of over 40? I doubt my dog or myself would be outside let alone doing physical activity in temps over 40!

I'm interested in the handheld dummy throwers but I e heard they're very noisy (so not suitable for use in suburban areas) and can be hard to find parts for.

It is very sad when they lose their enthusiasm for something that WE love doing She didn't even enjoy training night last week & she usually loves that....could have been because there was thunder around though. We are going to try swapping dogs & see if that might perk her up a little...new handler..new dog...maybe :) I know, its hard because I still love agility but I can tell she doesn't. Mindy is the opposite- she is usually slow at training but perks up for a trial. But lately she's been a bit flat at trials as well. Hopefully the summer break will be good for her. We will give retrieving a go because she shows more enthusiasm for that. Does bindi like herding?

They have to get their money for R&D back (and of course make a profit- they are a business not charity after all) in the period where the drug is still under patent. A company that produces a generic doesn't have to do any R&D or very little as that work has already been done by the original company.

Does anyone train by themselves? I am finding it hard to throw the dummies by myself. At the moment I put her in a stay and walk about 80m then throw the dummy so the total distance is around 90m which should be ok for RATG novice. The whole process takes a long time (if I run she breaks) and I feel it doesn't really simulate trial conditions. We can only practice single and double marks this way (I only have 2 dummies anyway) but it seems impossible to practice a double rise this way. I have tried hiding a dummy behind a tree but I think she sees me do it. We have to practice at a park or oval as I only have a small yard so I cant really have her out of sight when I do try Hide them. I'm not sure it would be worth getting a dummy thrower as they seem quite expensive .

Agreed. I don't really understand the point of the OP? are you saying the prices overall are unreasonable or that the difference between sizes is unreasonable- that smaller dogs should pay significantly less and the price increase between sizes more? ...it is like paying the same fuel cost for your car, no matter whether it is a 4WD using 18 l/100 km or a small city car using 5 l/100 km...would be unreasonable, or? But the prices are different for different sizes. As you identified earlier the cost of the drug itself is probably relatively low. It's the research and development, marketing, packaging, transport etc which is the main bulk of the cost and has nothing to do with size of dog and makes up the base cost of the final product.

Even though Mindy is only 5 she also seems to have lost enthusiasm for agility. she has achieved her ADM, JDM, ADO, JDO, SPDM GDX and SDX titles which is much better than I ever thought we would achieve! And pretty good for a low drive dog who would rather be eating chips in front of the TV! So we probably won't be going to as many trials next year I'd like to finish off her GDM title- we only need 3 more passes which I think is doable. Gamblers is one of her favorite events I think because I run around like a crazy thing as well lol I've never been able to get my head around snooker so I think our SDM is a lost cause Otherwise I am happy with what she has achieved in agility. I don't think she really enjoys it- she doesn't mind doing it and of course likes to get treats after but she doesn't LOVE it like some dogs. I'd like to start RATG trials as she really seems to enjoy retrieving. It's a bit difficult to train for on my own but I'llake an effort next year. I've also entered her in some rally o trials.

Agreed. I don't really understand the point of the OP? are you saying the prices overall are unreasonable or that the difference between sizes is unreasonable- that smaller dogs should pay significantly less and the price increase between sizes more?

Aren't e collars quite useful for deaf dogs as well? I've heard they can be used on a low level to train recall or to get the dogs attention?

She does look adorable clipped. Thanks for the explanation and diagrams. My dog always has a thick undercoat- I can use the furminator for ages and have a garbage bag full of hair and still more comes out! I think that may be why she does better clipped. I think her thick undercoat limits the effectiveness of cool coats and swimming because wAter rarely makes it through to her skin. Great if you are a Lab Canada or UK expected to retrieve from freezing rivers!

Could anyone provide any scientific evidence why this is bad? I understand that if they are clipped to short, they are prone to sunburn etc, but I am having trouble understanding the theory behind a double coat acting as "insulation" against the heat. For example I don't feel cooler if I wear a thermal top under a light shirt on a hot day. Obviously, I feel warmer and would probably take off a layer. Also, many double coated dogs aren't historically bred for hot humid aussie conditions. I have had my lab clipped a few times (mainly when she's in a tick area), and feel that she is subjectively cooler without all the hair. But I don't know if I'll do it again this year as we won't really be in tick areas much this summer. Thanks

I think it's the individual dog and luck. My old dog had no issues. My current dog nearly died from a perforation after a lamb bone. I believe the benefits outweigh the the risk on the whole. My current dog still gets chicken frames and has had no further issues. I tried her on a lamb neck but found some disturbing small sharp fragments in her faeces so just sticking to chicken frames for now.

Yay, Go labbies

yeah I know a month isn't really enough. My main aim for this trial is to have her not run off and not jump all over me (she jumps up on me when she's bored or doesn't understand what is wanted) or bark too much. I'm not planning to do formal obedience in the near future so I suppose an informal heel will suffice. Actually, just staying with me and not running off to chase birds would be a good start! Although, I did want to maybe do some obedience in the future when shes too old for agility, so am hoping that teaching a heel is something you can come back to. Sadly I have a feeling its a bit like contacts in agility- you never really get it 100% if you don't train (and maintain) it properly from the start. Oh well, Mindy is my first sport dog and we just like having fun and a laugh :) Maybe my next dog will be better trained lol.

Thanks guys! This morning I taught her to pivot on a target (the lid of a toy container) for rear end awareness but I'm not sure how to translate this into left hand turns etc.

I stupidly said i would enter a rally o trial with a friend in November. So now I need to teach my dog to heel (amongst other things) I'm looking for some resources to teach a dog to heel. She will walk along side me but I don't think she really understands the meaning of heel position. Thanks

It's a bit wordy and aimed at the wrong target group. A more positive approach eg discussing her potential for dog sports or great family pet or whatever in an experienced home rather than a sob story would see her better placed in a suitable home. And they never mention why it was "urgent" she find a new foster or adoptive home. Is she having issues with the current carers dogs?

Just out of interest- what harnesses are recommended? Not for pulling, but for general use. I find a lot of harness have too much material and seem quite heavy and hot for the dogs.

Should be ok as long as the meat is ok at the time of freezing.

But what if they don't have a job to do? I know that an off switch must be trained to some degree in most dogs. Can they be happy without significant mental stimulation or "work"?

They're in kiama. I keep hearing different opinions of the working spaniels! A few have said that ESS are full on, working dogs only. But I've also heard cockers are more busy and less focussed, so it's hard to know! In terms of size and "look" they're spot on. It's just the high drive and no off switch that worries me. I'd actually quite like one for agility but they aren't interested in doing any of that so 80% of the time the dog wouldn't get much "work".