GoldenGirl85

Care to elaborate? I have Lexi walking nicely now in the sense that she doesnt pull, but she does walk ahead of me on a taut lead, Id like to try and bring her back a bit but nothing Ive tried really works

Explains why Tess is being more of a hyper nutcase than usual

Not really, but she isnt a water loving breed...I mean she will go into water up to her belly if she is chasing a ball or something, but she wont actively swim

the photo could have been taken by the owner before the incident :rolleyes:

Being a Retriever she should like retrieving, so I would encourage her into the water with a retrieving toy attached to a rope and to start with don't throw it out to far, just into the shallow water to encourage her in to get her confidence up and then gradually throw it further and further out when she is ready. With the retrieving toy attached to a rope that you have hold of, you have no danger of losing the toy if she decides not to retrieve it or you inadvertently let the rope go, which I have done before but luckily was able to get hold of the rope again. Each time you take her swimming, she should gain more and more confidence and you can throw the retrieving toy further and further, depending on the length of rope you have. I brought the River Rope and Puppy trainers when my youngster was a baby pup and I got them from here (just scroll down to see the puppy trainers) and I still use it today when I take him to the river. The puppy trainer is nice and light and very comfortable for a youngster to carry as it doesn't need to have its mouth wide open to carry it and therefore reduces the risk of pup/youngster swallowing too much water. I also brought a Katie Bumper (a blue and white one) at the same time which I use for land retrieves at this stage. Good luck and just take a gently gently approach with her as once they are confident in the water there is no holding them back and it is a delight to see :rolleyes: She is a failed retriever in more ways than one lol Oh I see any chance of a refund from her breeder Doubtful lol She wants to retrieve, but she will just run after the toy and then run back to me lol, she does fetch on occasion but more often than not she will just chase the toy lol...or just sit there and look at me as if to say "well, you threw it now go get it!"

Being a Retriever she should like retrieving, so I would encourage her into the water with a retrieving toy attached to a rope and to start with don't throw it out to far, just into the shallow water to encourage her in to get her confidence up and then gradually throw it further and further out when she is ready. With the retrieving toy attached to a rope that you have hold of, you have no danger of losing the toy if she decides not to retrieve it or you inadvertently let the rope go, which I have done before but luckily was able to get hold of the rope again. Each time you take her swimming, she should gain more and more confidence and you can throw the retrieving toy further and further, depending on the length of rope you have. I brought the River Rope and Puppy trainers when my youngster was a baby pup and I got them from here (just scroll down to see the puppy trainers) and I still use it today when I take him to the river. The puppy trainer is nice and light and very comfortable for a youngster to carry as it doesn't need to have its mouth wide open to carry it and therefore reduces the risk of pup/youngster swallowing too much water. I also brought a Katie Bumper (a blue and white one) at the same time which I use for land retrieves at this stage. Good luck and just take a gently gently approach with her as once they are confident in the water there is no holding them back and it is a delight to see :rolleyes: She is a failed retriever in more ways than one lol

I don't know about there being an absolute "correct" way, but in my experience I think the best way comprises of the following criteria : Quiet/still water An entry that is gradual - like that at the beach where it (generally) is a matter of wading in towards deeper water, rather than one moment having feet on the ground the next moment nothing. Allow the dog to become comfortable with the water depth in his/her own time. Make it lots of fun. Being in the water with the dog is helpful - gives confidence. The problem with the beach are the waves - crashing waves (even small white water) can put some 'first timer' dogs off. I found the best times to go are right on low tide and of course on the most still days you can arrange. Dams/lakes are good for still water - but you need a nice entry point where it is not too much of a sudden drop to nothingness. You also need to be mindful of snakes as dams/lakes are where they often manifest in the warmer months. In my limited experience (ie my own dog) I found introduction to water via doggy swimming pools too much. Too many other dogs and noise. Too enclosed. And one moment you're on hard ground, the next it is gone. I found this order of re-introduction served well for rehabilitation : Clam Shell Pool Dam/lake Beach Thanks Erny Yeah I took her to the beach about a month back and she liked getting her feet in the water, but the movement of the water was scary, she was *ok* with it if I was right there with her, with my hand on her in support, but otherwise she would run away from the moving water...when we actually get a warm/sunny weekend Ill seek out a place to take her

What would you guys consider the 'correct' way to introduce your dog to water? Lexi isnt that keen on water (she is a broken Retriever) but I want her to learn to enjoy it

A vet once told me that they can try and feel for scar tissue which can indicate the dog has been desexed Both my girls got tattoos when they were desexed, for some reason Tessas seems to have disappeared though, almost as though her skin has absorbed the ink

hmm, but your dogs all have poodle in them dont they? maybe if they have that woollen coat the fur texture doesnt change like a regular coat would

I go to PADS, if you are interested in it at all they do an obedience class (just very basic manners not competition stuff) and they also do a class called Motivation & Control, which is a bit like a pre-agility class, they teach you about handling, shaping, off lead work etc, I do that class with my pup

They keep changing the age on me, when I first started looking into this it was 12 months, then when I was contacting them about it they said 14 months (even though the website still said 12 months) and now its 18 months... I thought that was strange too, when I first looked into it it was definatley 12 months. Might be worth giving them a call, maybe they have changed the rules? Yeah I might, When I was emailing them she was about 10 months old and she was telling me she can get assessed when she is 14 months, Ive been working really hard to get her ready for the next assessment, but she wont be old enough now I would haver thought if they were thinking about changing it then they would have told me of the possibility so *watch this space* Its frustrating, I dont see what the point in changing the age is, I mean some puppies are calm enough to do that sort of work at 12 months, Lexi is very close and is 12 months now, I dont want to have to wait another 6 months when the next assessment is in 4 months (for my area, Id rather not have to go to the gold coast for it) obviously if people are getting pups assessed at that age and they arent ready its not as though thats their chance gone, they can always assess on the next go Ive emailed her, I found one of the old emails that she had mentioned 14 months in, that way it might remind her, Ive worked out that she will be 17 months at the next assessment date, so hopefully they might let her in ETA - I just heard back and she said in this instance she will let Lexi do the assessment in April, but she cant start visiting until she is 18 months, which Im happy with

They keep changing the age on me, when I first started looking into this it was 12 months, then when I was contacting them about it they said 14 months (even though the website still said 12 months) and now its 18 months... I thought that was strange too, when I first looked into it it was definatley 12 months. Might be worth giving them a call, maybe they have changed the rules? Yeah I might, When I was emailing them she was about 10 months old and she was telling me she can get assessed when she is 14 months, Ive been working really hard to get her ready for the next assessment, but she wont be old enough now I would haver thought if they were thinking about changing it then they would have told me of the possibility so *watch this space* Its frustrating, I dont see what the point in changing the age is, I mean some puppies are calm enough to do that sort of work at 12 months, Lexi is very close and is 12 months now, I dont want to have to wait another 6 months when the next assessment is in 4 months (for my area, Id rather not have to go to the gold coast for it) obviously if people are getting pups assessed at that age and they arent ready its not as though thats their chance gone, they can always assess on the next go

I guess Id rather have mine outside where there is all sorts of good smells etc, I know they probably sleep most of the day anyway, but its still got to be more stimulating outdoors than indoors

They keep changing the age on me, when I first started looking into this it was 12 months, then when I was contacting them about it they said 14 months (even though the website still said 12 months) and now its 18 months...

I know right? I just wish I knew who it was... LM the thing is that these storms are coming over so quickly, I dont want to have to leave her inside all day every day, there is a little doggy door here I might see if he minds if I leave that unlocked, Lexi wouldnt have a hope of fitting through but she isnt worried by storms, she should have the sense to go and sit in her crate

Yes Lexi was very quiet last night, poor baby missed her big sister, I didnt realise how attached they were, but now that I think about it they have never spent a night apart except when Lexi got desexed

The guy I rent off (he also lives in) is happy for the dogs to be indoors *sometimes* I dont really want to push it, he said he is going to get one side of the fence concreted in, tomorrow Im going to buy more big pavers from Bunnings to stop her digging under She has never tried to escape before, I dont know what provoked her to run this time, it was a very scary storm, at 2pm it was so dark it could have easily been 8pm Yes Im very relieved now, all they knew was that she was found in my estate, which is very big, but he knew my street so he cant be too far from me

Sorry guys Ive been flat out at work, took an hour or so out of my shift to pick my girl up! yes it was her!!! Tess now has her name and number on her tick collar and she will also be wearing her embroidered collar on a daily basis, at least until these storms are over, but Ill also be keeping a close eye on the weather and if there is any hint of a storm Ill be making sure the collar is on her, Ive also got a phone number to ring about her microchip details

Looking good the vet has a jrt called Tess, chances are she is my Tess, I'll be heading up soon to get her

Left the back gate and her crate open all night, with food in it...food is still there Im still holding out hope for 'found' person, I have to go to work soon but Im going to write a note on this sign on the way past, also going to keep trying to call them today. Where I live is a horrible place to get mobile coverage, Ive had to go with Telstra so I can get contacted for work, so im just hoping when they leave the area today for work or whatever then they will get my messages Another person in my agility club has put an email out within our agility circle, so anyone registered with ADAA will have it, just goes to show how straight I was thinking last night...NOT I want my puppy back

I dont imagine a hockey ball will be any good for their teeth

I keep hearing more loud thunder...I really hope she is snuggled at someones house tonight

Puppy Sniffer lost her keys, and has a key ring of a black dog, so she made it out that she had lost a black dog then posted a pic of its 'siblings' a pink and white set of dog key rings, chewy pointed out that it might be in bad taste because people (me) have actually lost their dog today, but it really wasnt, thanks chewy and all, but it really did give me a laugh...so did your pic actually

Tess cant get through the blue and orange Chuck It balls, also iSqueaks survive her vigorous chewing...except they are hard to come by and dont fit in the ball thrower thing