Skruffy n Flea

Because some people love animals and end up taking on too many that they can't adequately care for (food or health wise). When you have 3 or 4 or 5 dogs it exponentially increases the noise when they bark, particularly if they set each other off. Luckily mine seem to get quieter with each new one I get. staff, thank you ... this is the 'dog lady/cat lady' perspective ... k :p i am satisfied too with this remark cuz this is where i wanna be in time to come... and with this staffy you have allayed all my fears ... thank you *hugsmuchly*

k, so i don't believe i have SWF ... BUT i do have two small dogs that if not for their inbreeding, might be considered SWF... i'd initially fed bella on self-prepared raw meat and veg ... then i did enuf research, and after about 6 mnths fed her BARF! it took a while for her to get used to it so i added some wee bits of bbq chicken [no skin] ... byron, my 3yo rescue [since 10/09] came along and he took time adjusting too so i gave him the same latitude... bella = 19 months and byron = maybe 3 years NOW it's as follows: morning: less than 1/4 cup science diet small bits, 4 natures gift treats, about 4 teaspoons vip sausage; and then at night 1/4 barf brick, 2 chopped circles of carrot [20c size], love 'em liver sprinkle [1/4 ts], 1 dst spn science diet small bites, some thumb squishes of bbq chicken, all mixed up [into this mix is 1 tsp organic vinegar and 4x caps fish oil] with some more thumb squishes of bbq chicken on top... every work day: one RMB [lamb/beef] each ... gone, if i find it when i clean up the yard at night... they eat BEFORE we eat so they get about another tblspn of bbq chicken after we've eaten... CAN SOMEONE TELL ME: is this too much for their tiny bodies!??! i can feel their respective rib cages ... but not so much YKWIM?!? help me out here dolers ... ima novice and i only wanna do the best i can for these two dogs...

Good luck pinning him down long enough to do it!! :p i hab da nak ;)

perpetuation ... an irresponsible community at large... another damn good reason to ban live sales thru pet shops ... tall order *gutted*

man, i could soooo snuggle his belly

srsly this is soooo OT ... i just wanna say i love chi's and I ADORE MOOSE OP, i really hope things work out for ya

i don't get it ... leaving alone all homeless and unloved smaller and larger variety in the animal kingdom, with sooooo many dogs and cats unloved and uncared for WHY does ANY council wanna charge MORE for peeps that wanna look after and care and love them!??! i just don't get it?!? why do they wanna make it harder!??! and what about rescuers ... fosterers!??! wadda they do!??! *perplexed*

i'm like that. see button- must press! what's this red button for!?!? *giggles* tess, you've got all the advice ya need ... heed it!

it's the same with me ... i don't venture too far from base but there are plenty of vocal dogs in my neighbourhood and i too use it as a training tool ... bella acknowledges them but is happy to move on whereas byron i think is single-minded and defensive... i'll cry the day i crack his code

Who 'smacked' your dog??? Me! as she was very naughty chasing a little dog and she wouldn't come back when I called. I wouldn't come back either if I knew I would get smacked when I did. OMG! No! Never smack your dog for not coming back to you! I see that so often and then the owners wonder why the dog won't come when they're called. It's pretty obvious really. What's the incentive??? Smacking dogs, if ever done, should be reserved for only very serious situations IMO and even then you've gotta know what you're doing. If you want your dog to come back instead of chasing something, you need to make it more FUN to return to you than it is to chase the other dog. Screaming, yelling, smacking etc achieves the opposite. Don't let her off the lead before she is trained to recall for a start. But sometimes it happens by accident so you need to know how you're going to get her back (hopefully). And keep in mind she's not being "naughty" she's just having fun and not understanding what you want. My newly adopted untrained dog accidentally pulled the lead out of my hand the other day while walking through a forest and started trotting happily off up the track. I said "Oh shit" and a friend who was with me immediately panicked and roared "TANGO GET BACK HERE" and started chasing him. I told her to stop and don't yell. Then I ran in the opposite direction calling "Look Look! What's this Tango, what's over here!!!" in the silliest brightest voice I could manage and then stopped and pretended to be interested in something in the bushes. Tango came back to see what was so interesting in the bushes and I gave him a million pats and quietly picked up the end of the lead. Unfortunately I didn't have any treats with me because that would have been the best thing to do when he came back, but I'll remember to take them next time!!! Even I was shocked at how easily I got him back (don't know if it will always be that easy LOL) but if my friend had gone chasing after him and yelling like he was going to get a thrashing I can guarantee I'd never have found him again. brilliant!

Who 'smacked' your dog??? Me! as she was very naughty chasing a little dog and she wouldn't come back when I called. my understanding is that your dog would have NO IDEA why it felt the sting of your hand when she returned to you ... what she will likely recall tho in the future is that when she does return to you, she might feel pain... unacceptable JMHO

ima noooob only had dogs of my own since sept 08 and now i have two [since 10/09] ... i'm obssessed now and learning every day! dogs be priceless bundles of life and i wanna do all i can to ensure their happiness and security...

thank you ... their site is quite informative and their rates kinda cheap, which is a plus! No problems I do encourage yourself or the owners to talk to any behaviourist or trainer that you might go to see first though (regardless of who you choose to go with). I believe not every trainer is suited to every dog/owner. I had one who did not understand Sasha's needs (she was a very fearful rescue dog), but Craig has had experience rehabilitating abused dogs - and he and Sasha just clicked and seemed to understand each other. He has helped her gain much confidence. I think you need to discuss their methods etc as well, if it is something the owner is not happy to use, then it is pointless to see that trainer as the lessons will need to be continued by the owner. Just my opinion very informative ... thank you. i will pass this information along to them as well :D

Be very careful, this may not be a good idea, if the BC is unsocialised and inclined to be DA a lab bouncing around trying to make friends could be perceived as a threat and cause the BC to snap or even attack. My dogs are all well socialised and certainly not DA, but even they don't like over friendly dogs who get in their face. Also look at it from the young lab's point of view, the last thing he needs is to be attacked by another dog. Contact a behaviourist like Steve at K9 Force and get the dog evaluated before you do anything, when you're dealing with DA you really need someone who knows what they're doing because it's very easy to make things worse. Also I note that the dog is 4 years old, his behaviour will be well ingrained by now so it isn't going to be easy to change. You may get to a stage where the aggression can be managed, but don't expect the dog to become a social butterfly, chances are that he will never be friendly towards strange dogs although he may learn not to react to them providing they're not right in his face. aahhhh, see this is why i need to be here :D that is very good information ... thank you miranda! the dog isn't unsocialised but you are absolutely correct ... it really needs to be assessed first! i'll take a look at k9force too as an option for these pple in making their decision.

thank you ... their site is quite informative and their rates kinda cheap, which is a plus!

I don't think there's anyone who provides livestock as such, but the Quaker's Hill/Kellyville / Annangrove areas certainly have wider spaces and possibly a few small farms. However I would also imagine that if the BC is not trained as a working dog, most people with cattle etc. would not really want a herding breed 'randomly' amongst their stock. thanks again mrs t i read something somewhere that described places where dogs with herding instincts were provided a small flock of sheep and under strict supervision the dog is allowed to then 'round up' and herd the flock. the exercise exercises the dog's basic instinct to herd... i wondered if there was something like that out blacktown way ... perhaps not!?!?

noted. and thanks ... if you wouldn't mind, i would like to pm you when i've got say a few names to see if one of them matches your person. that will avoid any libel :D

Just be careful with doing this. Although it is better than nothing, sometimes when you end up with a fit BC they just keep needing more and more. I would recommend 30 minutes physical stimulation and 30 minutes mental for a balanced pup. (Even more is better, but that would be a start.) thank you do you or does anyone know of any places around her area [blacktown] that provide livestock for herding dogs!??! ETA: could you plse define mental stimulation for me? i'm a girl off the farm but i had nothing to do with the working dogs.

thanks that is exactly what i said to her the other day and i reiterated it today ... even a half hour in the morning, with a half hour at night!

OMG! i would DIE!!!

:D thank you ... yes, plse, pm me her contact details! i think a play date would be fantastic ... i'll find out and pm you :D

hello i'm making this request on behalf of a work colleague. the BC is a male about 4yo, who came to her family as a pup 'free to a good home' when a family friend told her dad about the litter... she doesn't know whether it's a PB or X '... but it has short hair?!?...' the dog gets little to no exercise but lives on a large block that has a '...pretty big backyard tho...' and from what else she tells me i don't think it's provided with much else stimulation ... it's becoming an unfriendly dog and after her and i talked generally about it last week, she says her mum is on board too with having someone help make him a happy, settled and balanced young dog. her dad, who made the decision to get the dog, has very little to do with the ongoing care of the dog so it's only her and her mum looking out for it. if anyone out there knows of a behaviourist or trainer or whatever in the blacktown region, please let me know their contact details so i can pass it on to my colleague. thanks muchly :D

aawwww absolute BLISS :D

ROFLMAO :D

thanks mita and i should mention that because the next thread discussion is about a rescue, i'll post it in the rescue forum thanks again everyone for your input!