Little Gifts

The one sitting up the back in the middle with the blotchy nose looks nawty so is my favourite! I think he/she should be named Sneaky Face!

Oh GG I am so very sorry. I know how much you love your fur babies.

Thank you Pers - I love this stuff!

Honestly I think dog attacks are terrifying to all involved. I remember being at an event at my vets and this old bloke (who could hardly walk) lost the collar off his cattle dog and it ran full bore at us. We had three dogs with us and one was only a few months old. We had no time to do anything but turn our backs on it and huddle around the dogs (mainly the pup) but it still rammed into my older sbt girl and she was so unprepared she peed and pood herself on the spot. The people around us grabbed the cattle dog and no blood was shed but the whole thing happened in a nano-second. The vet staff were so angry with him as they knew what his dog was like. He'd come with it for a free dog wash to a public event with a loose collar on! Anyone who knows they have a problematic dog (even if they are trying to address those issues) has to be mindful of maintaining full control of that dog in public and if that means a harness or muzzling and keeping it leashed/tethered then so be it. The risk to other dogs, children and the adults who try and intervene is simply too great. I'm sorry you, Toby and your daughter had to go through this.

The guy only learnt to read and write recently so he has always been an oral storyteller rather than an author.

Meant to ask Sas and Skyefool what techniques of his have worked for you or did you find interesting? I'm sure he does oodles of other little things which aren't in his books. I know he was sharing spit with one dog and rubbing his hair on another (sharing calm scents) and his simply ways of stopping a dog protecting an owner did not seem to be in the telling book, although I haven't done a thorough read.

I was talking to his wife Lee and she had not heard of the Amichien Bonding methods that I use (because they work for our pack) but then she asked was it the same as Jan Fennell (it is) so they are not professing to be highly educated experts but having seen him in action I can't fault his understanding of dog language - we had a real mix of dogs and behaviours at the event. I started reading the teaching book last night and found it blah so then I read the telling book and found it much more interesting and useable. Having also seen him on You Tube videos I wondered if he was a bit of a knob but in person he just has so much presence and soul. I can't describe it any other way. There were only maybe 15 of us and 10 dogs so it was a very intimate experience. My household is still incredibly calm and quiet. We usually have lots of barking because the dog across the road is always in our yard. Each time the dogs have barked we have investigated (calmly but with intent) and thanked the dogs for alerting us. If they barked again we have said 'enough. Any more barking and we make a noise with our tongues on the roof of our mouths and sort of snorting out of our noses. Immediate end of any noise. Apparently that is a noise a mother dog will make to a pup to tell them to stop bothering her. Tempeh at night is often up and down off the lounge like she can't find a spot she likes and whining about it. She will also crawl over us and the other dogs in an effort to find the perfect spot. We realised she is always trying to find the highest spot. So we just nudged her off her little Queenie perch whenever she did it last night and my sister and I would do exaggerated yawns while looking away and keeping our chins up high and also doing slow blinking. Nearly every time Tempeh would shake and after only about half an hour of this she found a spot on the lounge at the same level to the other dogs and went to sleep. This technique is meant to tell her that we are not interested so not to bother us and just relax. And as she is our hungriest dog she usually gets her food put down first. Last night she got fed last (as that is her spot in the pack) and there was not one issue with doing it. We always thought she would want to run to the first bowl that went down and cause havoc but that was not the case. She also wanted to go in and out quite a bit last night (gecko spotting) and instead of getting up and calling her back in we decided not to waste our time and left her to tap on the door when she wanted back in, while not rushing ourselves to do so because we are more important. I love trying little things like this and seeing how the dogs respond and already we have had some positive changes. I honestly can't believe how quiet the house is - no barking and no elephants running through the house. And my sister and I can also see how much turf we have been giving to our little Doodle-Bug but we're taking it back!

Holding out on me eh?

I'm always crying after I come into this thread now. Narla's story and your efforts are just so heartwarming and at the foundation of what rescue is all about - not giving in when things get too tough. I just want to hug you guys and not let go!

I bought two - What's Your Dog Telling You and What's Your Dog Teaching You. He also has another called The Dog Man and I think is in discussions to write an autobiography. His wife Lee said the best book of his was What's Your Dog Telling You. Also for anyone involved in rescue they offer free advice sheets if you email or message them through FB. It is still quiet and calm around here!

BFR hosted Martin McKenna at New Farm Park this morning and oh what a beautiful man! For those that don't know anything about him he is dyslexic and has ADHD. He is one of identical triplets and was always called stupid and ended up in a series of foster homes before running away and living with a pack of dogs. He was actually crying recalling how the dogs that became his family were eventually seized and pts even though it happened 30 to 40 years ago. He shares what he knows about dogs out of respect for those that he lost. I had watched his You Tube clips so went there with some pre-conceived ideas and several specific questions but the whole session was very organic and hands on. There was a deaf bully there and she even responded to his actions like the hearing dogs so it wasn't what he said but more his actions and energy. He also did an introduction of a new rescue dog to a new foster carer and her dog, creating and sharing an energy that told both dogs that there was nothing to be stressed about. Then there was a foster dog who nipped anyone who got near his carer and didn't like children and he actually took the dog for a walk around the park near children and desensitised it. People in the park probably thought he was a little mad! I am still trying to absorb all the things I learned and bought his books (even though he tends to just give them away) as I learn a lot by reading as well. But I can tell you that we came home and immediately put into practice his suggestions about greeting your over excited dogs and how to stop your dogs from barking at anything and everything and there is this amazing calmness in the house at present. Tempeh is whining a bit but the other two dogs have caught on immediately. I wore my Peiradise t-shirt and went over to say thank you before we left and he told me his wife started teaching him to read late last year and he discovered that God and Devil spelt backwards is Dog Lived! He was also asking me about being a foster carer and I told him that a little piece of my heart goes off to a new home with each one that is adopted and how ungrateful pei can be, not even looking back to say goodbye. But he made me realise that without foster carers these dogs wouldn't be ready to even find a new home. And that's true. Even if I never finished all the training or behavioural work I wanted to do with a dog before it found a forever home it still needed me to get it on the right pathway back to good health, able to trust again and open to a new family. He reckons the dog never forgets a person who did the right thing by it but I have been snubbed by at least two ex-fosters! The other thing I liked is that he said that every dog is individual and should be treated as such. Certainly there are commonalities but each dog has different ways of testing whose the boss so it is those issues that need to be addressed individually. Makes sense to me as our three are completely different in temperament and personality and different things have different values to them. Has anyone else seen him and used any of his suggestions?

I'm really proud for you that a large dog business has developed this award in acknowledgement of Buddy and the preventable tragedy that took him from this world. He lives on through this and his story continues to be told so that other lives can be saved. I think it's a beautiful tribute to a beautiful boy.

I got to smell a young puppy today and next weekend I will get to smell another two! Oh it's been far too long between sniffs....

Hopefully 'Leslie' might also be on FB and post so keep your eye on the thread!

I love the name! Your girl needs a special treat tonight!!!!

I used to leave mine on my old SBT and have been known to leave one on my young SBT who just hates the cold. One winter she refused to let me take it off her and had it on for three days straight! Getting caught on things was my main fear with my old girl (deaf, blind, dementia) but I find this style of coat (DGG warmies) was comfy and safe as far as not snagging on anything went. My other advice is of course a shameless plug but my Little Gifts fundraiser can make this style of coat to suit your dog's shape/size. There is a link below to my FB page about this.

I hope you and hubby are hanging in there too - Narla clearly is. It can often be very stressful finding more and more things wrong with a save like this girl. You just have to trust in fate - she is in far better care with you than she was with her sucky owners and dogs live in the moment. She obviously knows she's safe and trusts you and all the procedures she is going through will be forgotten. Big hugs to all three of you and the pups!

Oh poo. I'm all teary now! Beautiful girl may you be busy sunning yourself over the rainbow bridge, lying on one of your favourite blankets and being hand fed your favourite treats. What a wonderful way to leave this earth - during your nanna nap. XXX

I can make them in any size and you choose what fabrics and ribbing trim you want. Postage is $2.50, although if you are northern GC I'd probably just come down for a drive and drop them off and maybe take the fur kids to the beach! Check out my FB page (link below) for all the info you need. My email address is also on there for any questions.

Haven't double posted in ages!

Excellent idea! They may lease the fields from council (probably for a pittance) for matches but when not in use it is public space and those little control freaks need to be reminded of that. What kind of damage will a dog do to the field anyway? Their toenails are more likely to aerate it and as long as you pick up any poop and your doggy has piddled around a pole (thereby saving the need for whipper snippering that spot!) then you are leaving a minimum carbon footprint on their precious field. What's more you will be making a lot less noise than they will be during playing time!

I was only joking about the cabbage leaves as I thought it was only for humans. Can't imagine a dog lying there happily with cabbage leaf boobies!

what happened to cabbage leaves?

She's such a beautiful girl! I'm glad she is finally feeling a bit better. Give her big hugs from us worried DOLers!

My eyes are leaking a bit....