Pretty Miss Emma

Emma used to have a jingle ball (about $5 from Kmart!). Rubber ball with a bell in it. They also have rubber bones and tugs that have bells in them. I was also going to say get some smelly toys!

I have the dog of a million beds!!! She loves a snuggly bed. So... This is her Snooza Cuddler that is in my room for her at night. This is her chair in the living room. But if that is occupied she has... her snuggle bed (most recent addition after she kept squeezing herself into the cat sized one at work...) And at work she also has her crate (she also has one in the living room at home) Then outside she has a trampoline bed and a kennel!! There may be a million beds but funnily enough they all get used!! :D Ed - pics were doing funny things!

He is behaving in a way that he perceives as beneficial to him - either by getting the dog to back off or by releasing stress. Dogs aren't born understanding the rules of human society, they have to be taught And they are unlikely to take lessons in when they are in a highly arouosed state, so I believe Pretty Miss Emma is saying (if I may speak for her) is not to let your dog practice an unwanted behaviour during the training process, and gradually work on increasing the dog's threshold to reacting. Spot on Weasels!!! :thumbsup: It used to be that Kenzie couldn't cope with dogs 10m from her, now that distance is much closer to 2m and that has happened by lots of practice at inching closer while she is in a calm state. The moment she gets too aroused we back off, calm down and then try again a bit later. It's working a treat!

Thankyou!!!! :D :D :D I think we are coming along leaps and bounds and I'm so proud of how she is doing!!!! She is actually quite delightful to be around most of the time now and she is gaining so much confidence. I guess also knowing that others have the same problems (and some much worse) and can deal with them helps me. But yes is does take patience and understanding! I dread to think what happens to dogs with these issues when people aren't prepared to ask and get help and help their dogs learn to manage. I guess that's part of the reason why there are some dogs that never leave back yards or they end up in shelters. I'm still of the belief you get the dog you need - she's certainly taught me lots and lots about the world of dogs and I love every bit of her for helping me in that way!!!! To the OP - triggers are really important to recognise (we just avoid them still! Getting closer but I always keep Kenz below the threshold where she will react, still push the boundary a tiny bit at a time) and having a planned management strategy. I think the best thing I've done for Kenzie is that I've learnt how to be calm myself even if she does react - that's when we just walk away and do a few quick things (sit, hi-5, shake, wave, drop, etc) to regain focus and calm down. No point making a song and dance as that just exacerbates the situation. But find someone who can help you with your dogs specific needs, every dog needs it's own strategy.

I think there's lots of good advice here and if you are worried get a professional to help. sounds good, but how do you manage that calmly and safely when a dog suddenly appears in a vet waiting room, or while on a walk along the footpath ? Kenzie is reactive (I wouldn't say she's aggressive), and she has come leaps and bounds and will tolerate most dogs being in a relatively close vicinity. In the above situation if I saw a breed that I knew she would probably be reactive towards I would turn and walk the opposite way on the street (or cross the road if I could) - if that wasn't possible I just got past them as quickly as possible on a short lead so as to minimise issues as much as possible. At the vet I have been known to duck behind the reception counter if a dog comes in and I can see her starting to show interest - but I have a great relationship with my vet staff and they know that I'm worried about training etc so they expect things like that from me!!! It at least gives you a barrier to try and calm your dog.

Hmmm, I don't have lots of ideas for you on this one sorry. But the one idea I do have is... can you restrict his access to certain parts of the house particularly those that don't have carpet? I assume there is a doggy door to get out to the courtyard, can you just give him a small area near this inside to use but not the whole house? At lest then if there is a problem it's localised. And maybe he would be more encouraged to go outside as he won't want to dirty his small inside space?

Heaven Scent Hounds

Biozet. Although it will leave the spot cleaner than the rest of the carpet so that might be noticable!!

My previous housemate did! She was ace. When I had to have Emma put to sleep she was the second person I let know (after my Mum), she was Em's second mum! She always looked after my fur-kids when I wasn't home and would take Emma to the beach and pretty much everywhere that she went when I was on holidays and the like. She's been overseas since last October and I keep trying to entice her to come back to Aus!! She will eventually, she's a yank who can't stand Americans :laugh: Agree - if you're going to live in my house - you MUST love dogs!!

Thankyou!!!

Was there a thread somewhere here some time ago (it may have been in a different forum) about transferring dogs from limited back to the main register??? If there was and anyone knows where it is can you point me in that direction please? And if you've had any experience in this I'd love to hear whatever you might have to say! Just ticking over ideas in my head and stuff like that!!

Definitely wire!! Kenzie started in a soft crate which was fine until she learnt how to open the zip, so I dealt with that and then she learned that she could eat her way out!!!! SO we now have wire crates as she can't get out no matter how much she fusses and tries!

She's showed up home just in the last hour or 2! Apparently looking cleaner, fatter than when she was last seen, so who knows what's really happened with her. Pups have been doing well and as soon as she was able to get in the house she ran straight to the pups to check on them and start feeding them. Many thanks from my friend for the crossed fingers and putting word out!!

I booked down at Nyora. You all talked it up (plus a few others I know!), plus they just looked really good when I looked in to a few! So it will be a big drive, although it does mean that Kenzie gets to have a sleepover at her grandma and grandpa's so we a a bit closer!

No the pups are still at home. I haven't heard recently how they are but I know that the whole family has been going over when they can to chip in and help with round the clock feedings. Hopefully Mum is home soon.

You actually have to be careful doing that, because if you're set up near the ring you're not actually allowed to broadcast who you/your dogs are to the judge. Hmm, well maybe if there was some way of letting people know that without having it emblazoned everywhere.

I've made the leap we're booked in!! I'm excited and nervous already and it's a month til we actually go!!!!

I think this is a great idea! It would mean that the general public who might be looking in to a few breeds of dogs can find a bit more info about them, and it would also be great it there was something to indicate who was there (ie which kennels. Maybe kennel names near their dogs?) - that way if people are really interested in certain dogs they can get the name of kennels without interrupting and then contact them at a time that is hopefully more convenient. Certainly the first time I visited a show it was way too scary to approach people to find out about their dogs (that was me as a potential puppy purchaser with no knowledge of show world but knowing when people look busy/like they don't want to be interrupted!!).

I don't know if there is an easy answer to this. I feel like I was in a fortunate situation where everything went down hill very quickly (and not in an overly traumatic way), and when I spoke with the vet we decided that there was no good course of treatment. I, like you, had been trying to figure out what I would look for and when the time came I saw it - but I didn't know what it was until that day I saw it. So my story - Emma was diabetic, lots of surgery recently with complications (that didn't help her overall health), then she got pneumonia and a few weeks later became hyperglycaemic. With all of those things going on I sort of knew time together was going to be a lot shorter than I wanted it to be. And ended up spending quite a few evenings in tears trying to figure out how I would cope without her. So I made a decision that we would do all the things she loved and see all the people she loved - I didn't care if we did that for 2 years, I just wanted to make sure that it happened!! Anyway, 5 days before she died she was still doing all the things she loved, coming and working with kids, going on walks, playing with her jingle ball. But, she was being really fussy with her food. This made me think something was up. Then over the following few days she gradually stopped eating and food made her throw up. So we were in at the vets a few days in a row, both they are I just thought that it was a product of us playing with her insulin levels to try and get them right. But on the last day we did a full blood screen because her blood sugar was coming back at a good level. She picked up during the day at the vet and was eating, but they called me at 2pm to come in as she had dramatically gone down hill. Between then and me arriving her bloods came back and her kidney function was almost non-existant. So as far as I was concerned there was no choice to be made. She had been telling me the previous couple of days through her eating pattern and cuddles that her time was here. Also I think my other dog Kenzie knew that Emma wasn't going to be with us, the previous night she had slept the whole night on my bed cuddled up to me - something she never ever does and hadn't done since. So we were in a situation where there was only 1 acceptable course of action and I was very lucky that up until that moment she had been very happy and able to do all the things she always did. So, I'm a big believer of "they will let you know". But you have to be prepared to see it. Otherwise (and maybe also) be guided by your vet if you trust them. I trust my vet implicitly. At the time she told me of things we could do for Emma, and when I pushed her and said "but none of them will work" she was very honest and said no and if it were her dog she wouldn't go through the treatment. And Em had spent enough time with them I think they almost thought of her as their dog a bit!! It was really heart wrenching for my vet and the nurse to be there at the time, I think my vet had been in tears all afternoon and I know that she sat with Em from the moment she went downhill until Kenzie and I were able to get there. Anyway, how did I cope? I don't really think I am coping yet (and it was 3 months ago). I'm in tears writing this, but I have gone from crying daily to now it's only maybe a couple of times a week. If I didn't have Kenzie I wouldn't cope at all (I live on my own so there's not even another person to deflect this stuff off). I think in some ways it's been harder for me, because I started a new job 2 weeks after she died and she was supposed to be coming to work with me every day - so there was that massive gap (Kenzie comes sometimes now instead!). I was lucky I was on holidays at the time as there is no way that I was able to do much that week and I was very lucky that I was babysitting a friends puppy so when Kenzie and I came home it was to a playful house which I think was really good for both of us. SO, like I said there's no real answer!! You can only do what you can do. I take comfort in the words of one of my vets who said that she see's putting an animal to sleep as a great privelidge and honour as it is the last great thing you can do for them. The card she sent me said... don't cry because it's over smile because it happened. I'm still working on it but I know what she meant!

Cross posted here to maybe get a few more people who may be in the area but don't look in the lost/found thread. Posting for a friend. Please PM me if you know anything and I will pass the info back to them. "LOST/TAKEN: Pure bred Tri-colour Bull Terrier, female, 4 years old. Last seen in Oaklands Junction area (Bulla; Victoria) 7/11/11 answers to BONN. **New mum** We fear that pups and Bonn are now at risk of illness if she can't feed them. Big Reward offered for return -No questions asked. Please pass this on if you live locally. She is a very much loved, very gentle family pet."

My thoughts are it's never too early - especially if you are upfront about your plans and why you are contacting them early (ie. you want one of their dogs but just not yet). Not that I'm a breeder but I think that I would appreciate people being upfront about not wanting one now but they do want one later! I'm sure there are some that may not like it though. I see no harm in putting feelers out!

That's a great article! hAven't read it before but it says so many things I see in Kenzie and the dogs that just want to say hi to her!!! Definitely would be great if every dog owner in the world would read it! :D

Every dog I've ever give a bully stick/pizzle stick/whizzer to has never said no!!! They absolutely love them and take a good while to get through!!

How great is it!!!! And that's not even half the dogs that were there, and they were all really well behaved with each other!! SnoutGirl, under other circumstances I would have been back there tomorrow but we're off to a playdate out on some acreage!! Maybe next time we head over I'll think of sending out a call-out for playmates!!!

It was such a nice day, so off to the beach after a morning at work!!! Make the most of the sunshine and warm swimming weather!! I now have a very tired girl who played with lots of dogs, did heaps of swimming and even rolled in a few dead fish!!! She's happy, I'm happy!!! Hope you've all had a lovely day too! :D