lovemymutts

more from that day here. If you cant find anywhere to course your hounds perhaps you could form a club, or at least get a group of interested people together, buy yourself a drag lure, or if someone is clever enough, make one, and organise your own days. Your dogs will love you for it.

My Staggie boys ears do it looks so strange!!

I would also be very interested to find out about Lure Coursing in SA, funnily enough I only posted in the IW Club of SA fb page just recently asking about this! I wonder if there would be enough people then to get one up & running?? Although I have no idea how it's done & you'd need some land also. My 2 Staggies aren't trained but do love to chase bunnies etc. & generally listen & I would love for them to have some more fun! :D

In other words you traumatised the dog. You are exactly the type of person I would not want within a mile of my dog and there are plenty of groomers like you. If you could not handle the dog tell the owner you are unable to take the dog for grooming and why. You have no right to abuse the dog. Think about this in perspective for a minute.... if dogs in the wild are carrying on or missbehaving do you think their pack members put up with it?! NO, they would deal with it the only way they know how, by a good old fashioned doggy telling off, a few teeth & snarls & then dog gets put back in it's place. Similar concept really, little spoilt dog is being a nasty pasty on the grooming table or carrying on ridiculously, sometimes they need to realise who's boss & once they're told, most come to the realisation that all their nonsense isn't going to get them anywhere & behaving better is far less stressful. I've seen this with my own eyes. Yes, sometimes there are dogs who find it far too stressful & need to have it done under sedation, but that's a different kettle of fish all together. I realise domesticated dogs have different behaviours but... let's stop cotton wooling everything. Not everybodys dog is 'a little darling' I agree with using negative as well as positive methods to modify a dog's behaviour, but what you have said isn't really applicable to the situation in a grooming salon. At home there are many ways that the pack can behave and this will affect how the dog interacts with each member. But a groomer may be somebody from outside the pack. Much of the aggression groomers would experience with a new dog would be clearly defined as a challenge. The dog is anxious and doesn't want to be groomed because it knows it hurts. It also knows that the way to avoid being groomed is to behave aggressively. The groomer needs to be calm and assertive. There is a place for stern growls and gruff voices from the groomer. There is no place for yelling as increasing the volume will increase the dog's anxiety and aggression. There is a place for grabbing a dog and physically holding it into certain postures, either to change the dog's demeanour or to allow the safe grooming of the dog. There is no place for shaking a dog as that sort of frenzied action will increase the dog's anxiety. No dog is more dangerous than a dog owned by people that have allowed it to become aggressive. An unknown person handling the dog is in danger of being bitten, and so they need to be assertive and try to assess the nature of the dog and gain its respect before the grooming starts. I don't think that can always be achieved with purely positive methods, but if we use negatives for training, they need to be used in a fair way that won't heighten the dog's anxiety. And I don't blame some groomers for sending some clients away. There is a role for vet nurses to sedate and clip off neglected, aggressive dogs. If a dog has these problems, a bad haircut is the least of its worries. The bolded section is what I was referring to, not shaking etc.

I have seen many rescue dogs, especially male dogs come into care at around 2-4yrs entire & just completely annoying unfocussed idiots. & the change after their desexing is great! They start to enjoy life & play & it is a fabulous transition for them

I know a Doug the Pug and a Daniel the Cavalier Spaniel My friends old cat used to be called Boxhead & now they have Warren or Kotha Watha or Wazza

I find it terribly sad that everyone, myself included is so wary now of animal related groups/organisations. But sometimes when you see what you see & know what you know you become cautious & believe these organisations must be more transparent. I want to see Puppy Farms closed, they should not have been allowed in the first place, in the end it is all about $$$ though. But then the conditions at many other...and I'm just going to say 'animal' places are just as bad. This includes breeders, rescues etc. etc. I also think the RSPCA needs to stop for a moment & look at what they were originally started for, you only have to look at their name ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. They need to be doing more of this <<<

In other words you traumatised the dog. You are exactly the type of person I would not want within a mile of my dog and there are plenty of groomers like you. If you could not handle the dog tell the owner you are unable to take the dog for grooming and why. You have no right to abuse the dog. Think about this in perspective for a minute.... if dogs in the wild are carrying on or missbehaving do you think their pack members put up with it?! NO, they would deal with it the only way they know how, by a good old fashioned doggy telling off, a few teeth & snarls & then dog gets put back in it's place. Similar concept really, little spoilt dog is being a nasty pasty on the grooming table or carrying on ridiculously, sometimes they need to realise who's boss & once they're told, most come to the realisation that all their nonsense isn't going to get them anywhere & behaving better is far less stressful. I've seen this with my own eyes. Yes, sometimes there are dogs who find it far too stressful & need to have it done under sedation, but that's a different kettle of fish all together. I realise domesticated dogs have different behaviours but... let's stop cotton wooling everything. Not everybodys dog is 'a little darling'

X2 :D Also love Turner & Hooch, and Milo & Otis, although I haven't seen them in a long time. I have another couple of old dog movies I haven't seen in a while but I am sure they're good - Greyfriars Bobby & Big Red. I also remember watching a movie a while ago called 'My Dog Skip' & although shed a few tears I loved it!!

x2! Love old staffies but that's a long way off for me yet

Yes, very true indeed! My old boy Kaspa used to get called Nooni also & Now I have Tashi, who also gets called Tai Chi & McTashiburger :D and Elsa who gets called Els & Elsgirl. And I think dogs adapt very easily with name changes. I have found it best to also go through some names with them & see if they respond more to any of them Not sure I would ever pick a really long name for a dog, but it would probably just get shortened anyway!

Oh that is GOLD! The dogs look like they're having a ball too Thanks so much for sharing!

OH WOW! I was given his book 'Outback Mongrel' as a present a few years ago now & LOVE IT! Ever since, I have wanted to go on a trip around the areas he visited, I have always loved the outback but just never have the $$ to go *sigh*. But I'll get there one day. I loved the photographs in it though & it is often a talking point with friends

If I had to make the decision again, I would go for cremation & then spread the ashes, even if they aren't all my dogs ashes. My old boy who passed in January is buried on my fathers block of land. I was quite angry because I had asked my dad to dig a hole for him (my back is too painful to do it myself) and when I returned after having him pts my father had dug this puny shallow hole I tried to make it deeper myself but couldn't so had to bury him in that. I placed rocks over it but since then foxes have tried to dig it up twice. I know it's just his body but I still feel anger towards my dad, Kaspa was my first dog & gave us almost 13yrs of love & loyalty & for my dad to do a half hearted job of something so important just upsets me. But I would say if I was to dig him up now I wouldn't find anything other than some fur & bones...

The last shot of the little pup showed him alone, without the baboons My poor girl Elsa came rushing over (quite distressed) when she heard the pups cries. Had to mute it for a bit. Just seems like a sad situation really...

IMO there are things in this world which should not be messed with. Genes are one of those things. I believe we tread into dangerous waters when we start modifying genes, creating clones etc. Just leave it be.

A friend has Sir Walter I think & it does prettty well with many different dogs. But a sports type grass sounds like a good idea. I think I would want real lawn, yes it might be a hassle sometimes but, cooler in summer. Nice & soft for the dogs to lay on & natural

I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) there has only ever been one confirmed case of Lyssavirus in a human in Australia & that was up north somewhere. Not to say there won't be more with the Flying Foxes spreading across Australia. All decent carers must have their shots up to date. Not sure about dogs with Lyssavirus but yes best to be cautious & try to prevent them from being bitten or having access to guano.

yep, depends on the food too, good quality fresh raw carcasses/meat with some biccies = less poop. Poor quality "dog food" 'wet/dry' = more stinky poop ;)

I remember a few years back hearing of one of these called 'Innotek' but whether they still make them I'm not sure...

My old boy a CCR x BC, now deceased used to get lots of ear infections, he had the same problem with the narrow ear canals. We did have his ears flushed which did help a lot but one ear in particular continued to be problematic. In the end he had a full ear resection on that ear & it fixed the problem completely! I've continued to use this vet clinic even though the vet that did this surgery is no longer there but the other vets used to compliment what a fine job was done with this operation as they hadn't seen many done. I would definitely recommend the ear resection if your vet feels comfortable with that & if the problems are continuing.

I use Birdwood Vet & love it. Very relaxed atmosphere where you can be more involved with your pets if you choose, they're not just whisked off out of sight (if that makes sense) I used to travel 45mins to get there, little closer now but well worth it. Their prices are quite reasonable too

thinking about this more this morning & does anyone out there in DOL land have experience or ideas with smaller 4WDs? Just thinking less costs & more economical...

I remember this place being on tv. Thank goodness it has now been resolved, even if one dog did have to be destroyed, better than living a life of misery!