Mrs Rusty Bucket

People ask me what my dog is - and I say mostly cattle dog. And they say - "she looks like she's got a bit of heeler in her" - like that's some other breed. Erm. She also gets mistook for Dalmatian. My mum likes to say that she's extra dalmatian when my dog is being particularly slow or naughty. A bit of an insult to dalmatians. And sometimes german short haired pointer cross, but not that often because mostly people who know what a GSP is would also know what a cattle dog is and a dalmatian.

I've been to a lecture done by the two traceys... First you go see Tracey the vet - who assesses your dog and may prescribe anti anxiety meds or adaptil or whatever she thinks will calm your dog down enough to be responsive to training with the other Tracy the trainer. I haven't used them other than listening on the radio and going to the occasional lecture. Didn't learn anything from the last lecture that I didn't already know and they were very focussed on the meds + training route. I'm not sure if that was only for extreme cases or what. They weren't very clear. I second sending Snook a pm. I'm not sure who the vet-behavourists are - you want the combo - drugs and training. Or training first and if that's impossible then the combo. Personally I'm not sure who to get as a trainer. You want someone who is good at training you more than the dog but good timing and rapport with the dog helps. The last few trainers in Adelaide I've been to - I know more about what needs doing than they do (theory), but they often have better timing than I do (practice). But I don't know much about fixing a really anxious dog. I also went to a training course run by Alexis from scholars in Collars (mount barker) - I like her training methods tho she was not familiar with "reward in position" ie it's important where you place the reward for faster learning... She is now. I don't know if she deals with anxious dogs but she might be able to recommend someone. My dog got over her screaming the house down when I went out - pretty quickly. But I play the "I forgot something" game a lot. Ie when I go out the door or pack up my stuff and gather my keys - I might be leaving. And I might not. I find she's not all that keen to come with me after a long beach walk - she'd rather stay home. I also give her yummy treats when I go out. The first few times she didn't touch them till I got home but after a while - all gone way before I got home - or even before I could get back into the house to get the thing I forgot when I went out. Hat, coat, phone, money, book, notepaper, shoes, spare sox, drink, shopping list, errand list, address... go back in for one thing at a time... You've only got three weeks. I would definitely be talking to the neighbours to let them know you're aware and working on it and could they please let you know what happens, make it clear you're willing to listen. Take your dog around with you and introduce the dog. I find that helps a lot - ie people who know you will listen and do your best to improve things will not call the council. My dog is inside when I'm out - so her initial protests about being left alone - were somewhat muffled... one neighbour leaves his dog in a tin shed - his dog is VERY LOUD and the shed makes it worse.

I use the same word for "stay" - ie "wait". Stay according to my first instructors means stay there until I come back to you... and Wait meant - stay until I call you. But Susan Garrett has you stay there until I say the release word eg a sit,drop, stand are all "control positions" and the dog must hold the position until she says they can go do something else. So at one point one of her dogs spent 20 minutes outside waiting for her while she got changed and had a shower... And they will all wait on chairs or tables until she says they can go do something. So i quit using two words and just went with the one. And have quite a few different release words for different things. Tho mostly I use "Go"... sometimes I use "geddit" (get the toy/food) or "on special" (permission to eat dinner) or "Jump" ie do the first obstacle on the agility course... Ie if I cue go do something - she can quit sitting and waiting and go do the something. Got my best stays and duration in front of her dinner. She really had no clue before that. The training is always "build the value" while the dog is learning and then "test the value/understanding" when they've got it. You do "test the value" often but a lot more build the value. testing the value - also helps build tolerance for frustration ie the world doesn't end if you get something wrong... you just get to try something different... try again.

What brands is it sold as? I know Talon (or the active ingredient in it) is really bad. No rat bait would be good for a dog. Except the ordinary food you might bait a trap with ie non poisonous bait.

That is so dreadfully sad. I wonder if the customer fibbed about how far along the puppies were. I can't understand why the vet would allow the owner to take the bitch home without either putting all the puppies to sleep or making the litter stay with mum. Disasters all round. One tiny good thing - hopefully no more puppies from that source. And I'd be hoping the vet would be doing an ultrasound on the next bitch that looks a bit fat/pregnant before agreeing to desex.

you could look up the recipe for satin balls - something like chicken mince, peanut paste (Smooth and no artificial sweetener like xylitol - cos that can kill a dog), eggs. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/57472-satin-balls/page__view__findpost__p__902897 Some recipes have cereal and egg shells - I would not feed that to a puppy. I make boiled chicken and rice for my dog when she's had a tummy upset. And sometimes I eat some of it. I boil the chicken and the rice together. for my dog - I use skinless fillets but she doesn't need to put weight on. If I wanted to make the dog fat - I'd use the skin and fat. Don't cook minced chicken carcass. Use the human grade chicken mince or cut the human grade fillets. I just don't trust the stuff put into pet grade mince. floor scrapings with who knows what mixed into it. You could also try a little bit (a dessert spoon ful) of yogurt - some dogs are sensitive to lactose but in yogurt and cheese most of the lactose has been converted into something else (fat?). And you may want to try a little bit of fish eg a teaspoonful of sardine in olive oil (I like the canadian one - less pollution I'm hoping than asia). Do not feed the whole can of sardines - or the farts will drive you out of your house. No onion either - never ever give a dog onion. Pay attention to what your dog checks out in the garden. he may be picking up something there (germs, slugs rat lungworm, worms) that is bad for him. Grass is ok by itself. But not if it's covered in snail trails. Also pay attention to any table scraps or treats he gets from the human's table. There's some things that are fine for most humans to eat but no good at all for a dog. Things like chocolate, walnuts, macadamias, grapes, onion, cooked bones, some raw bones... Do keep us updated.

the weird thing - looks like horse mane to me. But the top left bit looks like a small rodent skull and eye looking up with nose at the very top. But i don't know any rodents with horse manes. It also looks a bit like a big fur ball, ie what some predator ate but couldn't digest and so gave it back.

Wasn't there a whole family of Russian royalty - Anastasia Katarina Alex (variations on that theme) Nicky (also variations on that theme) Natasha, Tash Olga Maria (lot of ordinary Christian religion names from before the revolution). Tatiana I'm thinking if it's one of those fast dogs - naming it after a fast russian plane. I think some are called is "Mig" ie varieties of Mikoyan jet fighter there's also Sukhoi, and Tupolev And I quite like Ilyushin

Ever since a certain federal tourism minister picked one up and got peed on - I've been a little bit wary of picking up koalas - tho I did hold one at cleland once. Mostly cos the Japanese tourists I was with wanted two Aussies in the photo.

What would Susan (Garrett) do... She'd quietly collar grab and walk the dog back to where it started, and then look at it until it remembered what thing it was supposed to be doing... my dog never remembers, but she will usually offer something I can pat her for. But if it was 4 minutes into a 2 minute training session and she'd just pushed too far, she'd release the dog have a play, park the dog (crate/table/house), and then "bang head here" - make a new plan for next time. I second what the others are saying - close up train rapid response to random known cues... lots of rewards, and remember the play (balance) breaks between. You can test understanding by changing what you're doing when you give a cue eg will the dog drop if you're sitting on a chair, or the ground or standing on one foot, or waving a hat (oh dear - fail).

We've found whole geckos. Once I saw a Koala going for walk and was grateful evil hound did not see it. Often what catches my attention is little kids things - you know how they toss things out of the pram and Mum doesn't see... Shoes, hats, sox, dummies, toys.... I was thinking of starting a photo gallery of things ejected from prams... Also frequently see pet rabbits wandering the street verges... as well as possums and cats. and this time of year - birds, murdered birds.

I taught my dog chin tap ie tap chin on ground (cos I could not understand why people were teaching their dogs to mush their noses into the dirt - yuck). And she now offers that up first or "when all else fails to get the treat". You want your dog to offer stuff when you're shaping. You want your dog to offer new stuff. So I'd try... a shaping session 10 treats, reward every different thing the dog offers up. and I'd try random things on recall - not just drop... but (and start close up) can you recall your dog and then get them to spin. Or twist, or back up or sit, or stand/wait/stop, or drop or chin tap or sit pretty or "speak" etc. Ten treats - reward each correct cue response. These should be things she knows well on cue. And you might want to start with something simple like "sit on recall" or "stop/stand on recall"... Just a pile of other things she could be doing so she doesn't just guess... And be very careful not to reward stuff you didn't cue, if you're not doing a shaping session. Not sure how dogs know the difference but maybe shaping sessions have clickers and obedience training sessions have "yesses". Note - a second cue - some dogs think this is a reward all by itself. So what do you do when the dog recalls and drops with no cue? Do you give another cue?

I was thinking - glad that's a box and not a couch... I reckon if you kept all or any of them - would never need to worry about strangers sneaking in ever again.

Mostly I feed my dog home made casserole - a bit like meatloaf. But when I run out of that, I feed dry - but lately I've had to make a special effort to slow down how fast she eats it. A couple of times she's eaten it too fast and then given it back (not the carpet - ugh too late)... Bleah yuck. Other times she just looks uncomfortable. So mostly now I stuff the entire lot into a bob alot so she can only eat one bit at a time. It was raining tonight - so we played find the kibble on the floor inside. Ie I toss one bit of kibble that way and while she's going that way - I toss another bit behind her. Sometimes I roll up the kibble in towels but she's very fast at unrolling them. It doesn't slow her down enough any more.

I guess you don't need good people skills to be a dog breeder - sigh. But I am surprised this breeder does not seem more interested in the health and well being of the puppy they bred. Does not seem to fit entirely with item 6 (and some of the others) in the Dogs NSW code of ethics. However pointing that out to the breeder at this stage - might not help. Definitely mention to the vet about the rock eating.

How much time is there between a meal and exercise? What kind of food are you feeding him and how fast does he eat it? Do you know about "bloat"? There is a connection between eating and exercise - especially in bigger dogs. A bit like getting the stitch if you swim too soon after eating. Only different. He may be getting some discomfort in his gut and digging relieves it or gives him something to do to distract himself. Other signs of pain include ripping up or shaking toys, Sniffing or biting at tummy, zoomies or running around like just been stung by a wasp. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/8_1/features/Dog-Bloat-Causes-Signs-and-Symptoms_15682-1.html And I would not trust homeopathy (rescue remedy) to do anything useful.

could be shift workers - eg nurses. I do meet a lot - that drop the kids off and then go do their exercise and then go work from home or part time in whatever they do.

There were two puppies of the kind of dog I like at the shelter when I went. I took the pretty one with symetrical markings to the play pen first and all she wanted to do was go back to her pen / litter mate. Would not interact with me at all - never mind "sit" or "jump up". The other one - her sister, was asymetric, played with me, got distracted, played with me some more, got distracted... was generally interested (intermittantly) in what I was doing. The volunteers said she was noisy at dinner time - that hasn't changed. She was definitely the friendly one and very food motivated. I'm still glad I chose her. I see a lot of people trying to deal with timid dogs from shelters - some of those dogs never get better no matter how much training and good experiences they get.

australian consumer law can be used to get a refund on the puppy if you send it back to the breeder... that's the hard part - sending it back to the breeder. If you don't want to send the puppy back - then you're probably on your own with costs. You may need to be very persistent with the vet and getting answers. PS have you let the breeder know that your puppy is sick and not eating? PPS - I know someone who got a puppy that had eaten a rock - either in transit from interstate - or just after arrival. Cost $$$$ to get the rock out and the dog isn't really enthusiastic about eating anything now. So it's skinny but reasonably healthy, about 8 months later.

yes and their neighbours would like that too :)

I find yelling "call your dog" - even when mine is clearly trying to eat the other dog - does not work. For some reason the other owner thinks it will all be fine because their dog is "friendly". I find yelling "Bad IDEA" as their dog approaches - works better. Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of "I told you so" situations. And if I get the chance - I just say "my dog had a bad experience with a dog that looks like yours - so now she thinks they're all bad" (completely "racist" dog I have). Some people think that means I should never exercise my dog but I just refer them to the state law on dogs harrassing other people or dogs or the state law about dogs being on lead on footpaths. chucking a handful of kibble in the face of some dogs (Eg most labs and lab crosses) may give you enough time to escape but if that dog ever sees you again - it's going to be charging up for its treats which isn't helpful. PS I have to yell "Bad idea" in a happy (but maybe slightly mocking tone) or my dog will try to help with the scolding. Also not good.

I reckon footpaths next to busy roads are least likely to have out of control off lead dogs with clueless owners. Ie those dogs would not live very long. However - my dog is terrified of busy roads (more than two cars going in opposite directions flat out). There's no place guaranteed not to have off lead dogs, but some places are less likely to. Eg close to football games, or in shopping areas. I did encounter quite a few off lead dogs on the promenade path between Henley and Grange jetties last Sunday. My solution was to feed them. Tho one shot by me and my dog without stopping - half it's family were behind me and the other half ahead and they lived at a house right on the promenade. The guy even cleaned up after his dog - so he was only half irresponsible. Ie never mind all the cyclists and joggers that had to avoid that dog. I have seen dogs off lead at the botanic gardens in Melbourne and on the bike track that goes next to the Yarra. They were very well behaved mostly. Ie not the clueless say hello to every other dog sort. I was quite surprised dogs were in the botanic gardens - that's not allowed in Adelaide.

This shows so well why it's a good idea to keep litters together while they're learning manners and how to play nice...

Banks might look suburban but it's right up against a big nature reserve. And what Canberrans would call "North Cooma", ie last suburb going south. And most Canberra suburbs have wide green belts that would link the nature reserve right into the centre of the houses. We used to ride horses through some suburbs, one maccas would get horses and riders through the drive through - tho my horse would never agree to that. And one in three car accidents in Canberra - involve a kangaroo. So that there was a wombat there - doesn't suprise me much. It could just as easily have been a deer, or roo. And we used to encounter wombats in the snow (Perisher) quite a bit. They usually warned you off if you tried to mess with them but some people always wanted to pat them or get photos with them. And that's when the people would get bitten or scratched. I guess wombat attacks might be under reported - because - like being bitten by a very small dog - you don't want to admit you did something stupid to annoy it. A wombat actually charging someone who gets too close - not heard of that much but one that lives in or near farmland might not be very dog friendly.

So cute. You might have to photograph some of the tan ones with distinctive toys so people can say - the one with the pink tug, the one with the green rope, orange ball... I make some of my tug toys out of plaitted up sliced old tshirts... And I'd be rehoming each with a pair of rigger gloves. The teeth... OMG the teeth...