Mrs Rusty Bucket

I don't know why they advertise online if they're not prepared to respond to an online enquiry. But quite a few breeders I know are technophobes and while they might have a basic online page - they don't keep it up to date and if it's a puppy enquiry and they're not planning any or all potential puppies are spoken for - they might not think it's important to respsond. They get a lot of tyre kickers and time wasters and scammers so sometimes a real enquiry might get lost in the crowd of crappiness. Which doesn't happen if you go meet them face to face. Is there a breed club for this breed? Do they have social events - maybe go to one of those or find out when they will be all at a breed show and show up at that. This is an article from a breeder's point of view. I'm not saying what they say is right but bearing in mind how much stuffing around they get... this might clue you into why you've not had much response. It's a bit like online dating or job applications - the faster you get off the net and on the phone or face to face, the better. https://rufflyspeaking.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/puppy-buyer-ettiquette/

there's a thread for that... http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/201801-thread-of-immense-lols/page__st__10840

I said it was a risk. If you haven't met the breeder, seen their dogs and the puppy - you risk trouble. There have been a lot of threads in here where exactly that has happened. This is not the first person in here who has not gotten what they paid for. A risk - is a chance that they picked the wrong person to buy from. They reduce that risk substantially by going and meeting face to face. Just because some of you do the right thing does not change the chance that in all the breeders selling dogs that some don't do the right thing. Risk - a chance of - is not the same as an absolute certainty - which is how you've interpreted what I wrote. If there was no risk - there would be no threads in here where people did not get what they paid for.

Maybe ring up Dogs QLD (or whichever applies in the state where the dog is from) and discuss with them. Also talk to consumer affairs in your state or the state where the dog is from because you did not get what you paid for. There's always a risk buying a dog without going out there to see it and the parent dogs.

Bunnings have that stuff they make soft fall in playgrounds out of that some of our locals have used to rubberise contacts. It comes as a bag of rubber bits and a two part glue stuff that you mix up and then put in the bag of rubber stuff and shake up until mixed and then apply to what you want to be padded rubbery. It does seem expensive tho (from bunnings).

I changed the variety of dry dog food I was feeding to something slightly healthier and the fortnightly runs stopped. I don't know why it made a difference but I take what I can get. So I was feeding advance chicken and something and I swapped to Nutro chicken and something and the runs stopped. Later I changed to Blackhawk lamb and rice - but the food was like flour - all crushed - several packs in a row so I changed back to Nutro - lamb and rice. I also make my own dog food casserole from time to time and use the dry to supplement or as training treats. I suspected whatever it was that caused the problem would slowly build up and then get flushed with the runs - and then slowly build up again. What (dry) food are you feeding? - what are the first five ingredients on the pack. If any of them are wheat, corn or cereal byproducts you might want to consider trying something that doesn't have so much of that. Eg rice instead of corn or wheat, or there are even dry foods that are "Grain free". and sometimes it's the protein. Eg your dog might do better with fish (and potato) instead of chicken and wheat.

Dogs are pretty good at hearing differences. They can tell their clicker apart from other trainer's clickers... Ie if you have a class of 6 dogs and clickers, they soon learn which one is for them. However my dog also knows that anyone calling their dog - is an opportunity for treats - so she will go when someone else yells "Rover" across the park, especially if she's already checked that person has treats. Clickers are for precision - good for capturing head tilt or a paw lift. "Yes" and similar are good for capturing movement like heelwork. So - depending what you're trying to achieve - use both. And I admit - I hate the sound of a clicker at the moment, and I am not co-ordinated to hold leash, clicker, and dispense treats and give a hand signal. And I'm not co-ordinated to make identical clicks with my mouth. I can make all sorts. Just not always the one I want when I want. Even Skippy could click "frustration" or happy. And I find the big click - rolled tongue variety - is too slow - and requires spit.

I used to live with an Australian terrier - who preferred dry carpet indoors to rain and wet grass outdoors. Mum recently said it was because she couldn't manage the dog door - but I think mum doesn't remember things how I do. We used to carry the dog out to the middle of the lawn for toilet and not let the dog back in until she had performed. So she learned to perform very quickly. So this was part of the routine on wet days - to supervise potty time in the morning, and before going out and after getting home and before bed. I have to do the same thing with my evil hound - she'd rather not go when it's raining - so will wake me up at 2am to go out when she realises - she can't hang on any longer because she didn't go at 10pm because it was raining. My fault for not supervising and making sure she goes before bed time. Hope that helps OP. Can't help Karen15. I do find it very confusing when someone posts a similar question but with different set up, different age dog and different circumstances and then I don't know who I am addressing my answer to and there's two different answers required anyway. Should have been a second thread. This is not whirlpool.net.au where you're only allowed one thread per topic (eg toilet training). I have to agree with Snook - I would not leave my dog outside in stormy weather like that. My brother's dog would try to hang itself by jumping the fence while tethered to get away from the thunder. And yes - thunder is expected in this round of storms.

I second what Persephone says about cardboard blanket box cut in half - makes two beds... and op shop for old tshirts and blankets and jumpers (or have your own wardrobe purge). One my dog got to about 18 months we graduated to a "plastic" cardboard box ie one of these (other shops sell them, RSPCA have started using them too) https://www.petstock.com.au/products/121419000013

trouble with dogs - is "sometimes" means "anytime". If you can get your training right at least 4 out of 5 times - they will get the message but if they get to go be naughty "sometimes" they will figure that means anytime. My dog figures it's ok to go hoovering for food in the playground - anytime. And it's not - dogs on lead in playground... and she doesn't check for kid on swing before chasing the bickie on the ground. So she spends a lot of time on lead when we're nearing the zone of doggy deafness around the playground.

Most dogs could do that to a soft crate, hence it is a good idea to train a dog new to crates in something sturdier. But my dog won't because it's her safe place, and she knows I'm coming back to it.

Well there is the blurry line where when the dog doesn't get the reward it was expecting and is really upset about it - that's definitely not positive from the dog's point of view. There's always a swing between the dog training you or you training the dog. The rate of fail with guide dogs trained the old way is sufficiently high that most are transitioning to the new way. http://thebark.com/content/guide-dogs-blind About guide dog training - the thing that puzzled me was they wouldn't even try to train a dog before it was 12 months old. Before that it would live in some foster carer's place as a family member and receive very little training. No shaping practice, no learning to work through frustration or try new things. Or any foundation skills for things that guide dogs need to be good at. And yet that's exactly what the chief instructors at my old dog club were teaching. And yes - massive fail with my current dog. Hence me being forced to learn the new ways.

evil hound gets hosed off after the beach Sat/Sun and dried with an imitation chamois leather (Shammy). She gets claws trimmed - I aim for once a month - with blinkblink. And we've added hydrobath and blowdry - cos it helps get rid of some of the shedding all at once. Brush about once a week or as needed with one of those rubber horse brush curry comb things with the pointy rubber fingers. I clean the floorboards daily with a flat mop dry duster.

I think IPO has caught up. From what im seeing. Rare to see a compulsion trained dog at the top of IPO trials. Old methods show in the end result. And its not pretty. There's no joy. This is true but some of the old school are still training newbies the old ways. We've got this in obedience and agility too (even tho Agility forbids it - I still see dogs getting yelled at or yanked around in a choke collar - by people who get to instruct). I still see FB posts from IPO and trainers from military / police backgrounds trying to insist you MUST use force - maybe not all the time but some of the time. And the times they suggest you must use force - are probably the worst times, ie with an angry and upset dog.

It's supposed to be a $2,500 fine for an dog that is declared dangerous to be unmuzzled and off lead and doing no harm in public. If they're doing harm - they risk an upgrade (destruction order / death penalty).

IPO is still catching up to the current animal behaviour and training science (including human behaviour). There are some trainers that are right up there and some that are still talking stuff that doesn't make any sense any more. Collar grab isn't only about interrupting a behaviour you don't want - tho it's very handy for that. There's a whole lot of other uses for it. Susan uses it both for preventing or interrupting undesirable behaviour (like breaking a stay) but also winding her dogs up and getting them excited about something (eg restrained recall). You must keep putting the grab "cookies" in the bank for it to be at its best or the dog will start to duck when you reach for it instead of shoving its neck into your hand (woot). I don't know how you're going to train your dogs not to bark at the fence if you can't get the behaviour happening when you're there to train something else. I think I'd try to set things up so they thought you were out (eg take your car out then walk back close to the fence then send friend with trigger along the fence)... But - you'd need to do one dog at a time and would one dog fence run if the other wasn't there? Would be useful information.

I had a wire crate and rehomed it. If I put a cover on it, evil hound would pull it in and eat it. Tho that was more difficult when I put cardboard box over the top then cover over that to hold the cover away from the wire. But was a bit too much of a palaver. If I get a puppy I will probably have to get a new wire crate or one of those plastic tub ones so that the puppy can't break out of it. The soft sided ones won't hold a determined dog. However the K9+ ones have been good even when my dog is upset about other dogs being too close (clueless owners - seriously). Don't confuse the K9+ Royale with K9pro. They're subtly different. My dog likes being in both or either. I felt more comfortable with her in the big Caprice K9+ when we went to QLD in summer. Or if she has to be in a crate on a hot day. I can get two coleman soft bladed fans in it with her too. And me if I'm desperate. She likes the crates that are covered on all sides and dark. She does like to be able to see out a bit but not too much - like a cubby house. She also likes to go behind the sofa between it and the wall if the crate is not available. I think if you want to see if your dog likes crates and what sort, maybe go to an agility competition and talk to people there. Lots of different crates and styles will be available to look at from the show dog on trolley styles, wire crates, lots of different soft sided crates... I had a vebo pet soft sided crate but after a few years it died. Didn't help I used to give my dog a "bobalot" to kick around inside it. She ended up digging through the bottom to get stray bits of kibble.

Sporti Are you saying that your dogs will not fence run if you're home. No matter what goes by the fence? What if you're home and you shut yourself somewhere separate to the dogs (but where you could still see or hear if they fence run). There can be a problem with back chaining... where if you call a naughty dog, the dog may act naughty to get the reward of being called (or getting attention). If you've yelled at the dogs for fence running - you haven't given them the choice point that you need to get this to work when you're not there/paying attention. There must be no cue or call. Just grab. I would not trust my dog to sort out another dog using "dog etiquette". Dogs do not always make decisions in their own best interest - consider the SWF that charges barking up to a big dog. Younger dogs will usually defer to older dogs. But at some point some younger dogs decide the older dog needs to be deposed and will fight way beyond what is safe for either dog. I don't know your dogs, maybe that won't happen. But I have seen it happen and I don't assume all dogs will act appropriately. Triangle of temptation is sort of it's yer choice, but I got the same behaviour without causing my dog so much physical and mental trauma that TOT can cause. I think there is something different that goes on in a puppy's head when it's physically restrained from its dinner in a way that can be painful and invokes something called the "opposition reflex" than when you just stop dinner prep or fail to put the dinner bowl down (or move it back up) if the butt lifts off or barking starts.

The SA law actually allows for councils to make a destruction order (or somebody to apply to the magistrates court for a destruction order. It's when the council does not make the destruction order that questions should be asked. And that might require all the dog owners to show up at their local council meeting and make deputations or ask questions. What I wouldn't like is if the dog in question has been first attacked or harassed by the SWF - gets a destruction order for defending itself. However that does not apply to the Great Dane.

I know people who live in the area and they avoid several dog parks in the Largs Bay area. The rumour I heard was this great dane had been killing not just mauling other dogs. And no mention of only picking on little ones. I find it odd that the council made that decision for your case Snook - you can't be sure that dog would only attack Staffies and since when is that ok anyway? But my council - did declare a kelpie cross because it put a small hole in the pants leg of a man. And scared a couple of small dogs. It's been declared dangerous. The owner puts a orange and yellow stripey collar on it (we're supposed to know telepathically what that means) and he still brings it to the local dog / footy oval unmuzzled and lets it off lead. And while it doesn't tolerate small yappy dogs in its face, it hasn't hurt any. Personally - I think that one should not have been declared dangerous but I also think the bloke who owns it is incredibly stupid. First for not turning round when a man with two small yappy dogs got on the bridge he was already on (that ended badly but nobody was seriously hurt), and second for flouting the dangerous dog declaration he already has. But I don't know how you get a bad decision reversed in SA. I should find out. There but for the grace of god go I. Or maybe when Frosty scares the crap out of some rude dog that gets in her face, I stop her and apologise. Even tho I think the other person is in the wrong for letting their dog jump on mine. I think this other bloke would probably reacted much the same way as his dog to the idiot man who didn't wait for them to get off the bridge before he put his SWF on it.

I've had problems with kennels too but I've always got my dog back alive. And the rashes and things were fairly straight forward to fix. Someone I know, on the other hand - "boarded" his (untrained) dog with his inlaws at their home. Was ok a few times but eventually - dead dog - took off and tried to herd a moving car. I'd be wary of boarding some place that was in a fire risk zone during summer but otherwise - I think kennels with good fences are a safer bet and best to get one recommended by word of mouth.

There's a double whammy in here. He's not getting walked enough. And he ate her glasses. I wouldn't take him any more either if I was her. And the lady that was looking after him doesn't know how to prevent or fix the problems so they would have been getting steadily worse at her place. You need someone younger, stronger and more dog savvy. Or professional kennels that just don't allow him to get away with crap and keep him away from their dinner and other temptations. He probably won't get exercised or trained enough but there will be routine.

It's hard to tell what your experience is because you asked a question that you probably already know the answer. The only shampoo that will stop your dog from shedding is two pot epoxy and I wouldn't recommend that either. So you live with shedding. And brushing and the occasional trip to the groomer for a serious blow dry.

My dog has done this a couple of times. But I don't make a fuss when I get home. I also don't keep set hours.

My dog knows. She knows by the time of the day it is. What I put in the car, what prep I do - not just setting the table. Whether we go for a walk at the usual time. Prep includes shopping, washing, packing my handbag or backpack, packing treats for her, what collar I put on her... lots and lots of things. She's very wary of me going out in the middle of the day and often hides, does not want a long car trip to be finished with a lot of crate time while I enjoy an undisturbed lunch with family.