Pretty Miss Emma

I'm with 1300insurance and they went up $1 this year (so from $30 tpo $31 per month) with a $250 excess. After having spent $4000 in the last 3 months on the dog that isn't insured (she was too old for illness cover when I got her) there is no way I'd be without insurance for the younger dog. Even if the premiums increase, so likely will the cost of vet care. As my Dad always says to me (and I heard it on the news today inregards to flood damaged houses) - Insurance is expensive until the moment you need it!!!

My old girl was adopted by me at 9YO, she had come from a multi dog household to loving on her own with me - she was very happy to have my undivided attention I think. The 18 months down the track I decided I wanted another dog (I reinforced that thought to me by saying Emma wanted company during the day!). It was the BEST thing I've done!! There was a settling in period where Emma had to get used to sharing me. But now she and Kenzie are best of friends. Em has spent several days/nights in hospital recently and she has been more excited to see Kenzie first than me when we have picked her. Having 2 dogs does require thinking and planning. Due to the age difference between my girls I have to factor in that most of the time they need to be exercised spearately (which I actually think is a good thing to do sometimes anyway regardless of age just in terms of giving them each their own special 1 on 1 time). All vet, food, grooming costs will double. If you do obedience or dog sport training will you do it with both, and if so the costs and time for that will increase. But completely agree with what others have said, you need to be getting the dog for YOU not for the dog. Good luck with your decision making!!!

Good move to visit the vet, best case scenario they say it's nothing and if that isn't the case at least you will know what is going on and how to deal with it. Just make sure that you go to an eye specialist as normal vet practices just don't have the equipment needed to do the required testing (it's just way too expensive for them to have given that they haven't had the specialist training required to use and interpret them). You generally don't need a referral from your usual vet to see the specialist (I took myself off of my own accord because I knew I was just going to be referred). Good luck!

I got Emma from the RSPCA, as an older dog she was cheaper (~$250). Kenzie is a purebred, who is now desexed etc. The vet costs for all her final puppy vaccinations, desexing plus a tummy upset she had in the first 3 weeks I had her well exceeded $500. So good luck to someone who thinks that $350 for a pup with most of these things done is expenseive!! Glad to hear there has been some follow up!

RSPCA Queensland has a flood relief donation set up and they will dispense funds/goods to anyone and any animal in need. donate.rspcaqld.org.au

I can't help you much in terms of a young dog. I have heard that dogs vision at night is quite good, so maybe dusk is a bit confusing because the light is coming from an unusal angle, etc. What you have described behaviourally is how my old girl is. She's 12YO, went blind around October, recently had cataract surgery so now has some vision back (lots of issues afterwards that have resulted in some lost vision). But she can't see at night. When she was losing her vision (which happened over around a 4 week period) she would just freeze on walks at night/dusk if she heard something that she felt ws unusal, she would trot off to where she thought I was not where I really was and often would need to be physically guided. By no means am I saying that your dog has a problem like this. But if you don't see some changes or find a reason why she is behaving this way I wouldn't hesitate visiting a vet opthalmologist - even if it is just for your piece of mind! I assume she's been tested or clear by parentage of any known breed related diseases that could affect her eyesight. Sorry, don't mean to make you feel panicked. But having just gone through watching my dog lose her sight I know that it can be scary and very emotional. I know that now the moment I have a worry I'd be off to a specialist even if just for reassurance. Good luck and hopefully she's just having a bit of a "moment"!

Thankyou so much for all your advice and thoughts so far! It has all been very useful and gotten me thinking hard. Something I hadn't thought out in depth was the show vs performance dog thing. I think I need to do some more thinking about this. And I think the reason I haven't as yet is just because in my head everyone would be doing the things I do with my dogs (and we love doing them!!), so it didn't really enter my thought process that some lines are breed for their performance not just their conformation. Need more thinking about this!!! I love my dog activities!!

I think you can train any dog anything (within it's physical limits) at any age. You can teach an old dog new tricks!!! I would suggest just start at the start. Good associations, things to keep her occupied while she's in there with the door closed (bone, Kong, etc, etc), start with very short periods of time and then build it up, having the crate in a location near you so she doesn't feel totally isolated. I think the fact that she already likes going in is a big bonus! Just don't assume that she's older so you can skip steps etc, pretend like you are starting from scratch with a brand new puppy and think about how you would go about it then - do the same thing here!!

Sorry for your loss. I haven't lost a dog yet, but just thinking about it makes me want to cry (and going by how I've dealt with some of one of my girls heapth issues recently I will be a complete mess when that time may come). With other animals I have had to PTS there have been 2 things that I/others have done that have made it just teensiest bit better. One thing, planting a tree/plant that you feel best represents them. I planted a butterfly plant for one of my pet rats that died because she always flitted about. When my first cat was PTS my Dad bought me a rock that had been painted as a cat - it's just something that I can always have that is little but it is the reminder of him and who he was and it can always move with me no matter where I go. Since then I've always made sure that I get "something" that I will always be able to keep and take with me no matter where I am living. These are the things that work for me. But hang on to your happy memories, they will make you cry at first but eventually they will make you smile and laugh!

I dissolve it so that it is a soapy liquid. Pick up/blot up whatever you can of the mess first, then I pour the liquid over the mess and then blot that up. I don't know if I'd be pouring liquid on the bed though! So you could just make a cloth quite saturated with the biozet liquid and then blot the accident area with that? May be better than having a big wet biozet spot!!

Thankyou for all of your feedback so far! I feel like I'm learning, and also having some things I thought reinfirced. All good. Yes, it would be a BC. I keep trying to find another breed I like as much, but so far it just isn't so!! Maybe one day. I am a member of the BCCV. So I think good advice to make contact with them and try to meet breeders through them. And I will try to start heading to shows once I get back from my trip (argh! Have to leave my girls!!! ) in a few months. I know a couple of people who show (BC's and others), so I might see if they would be happy for me to tag along with them sometimes. I'm glad I'm thinking these things through now, I knew that it would likely be an extended process. But I'd rather be prepared and then decide that I don't want to continue down that line rather than continue thinking as I am and then be disappointed to have to continue waiting and waiting!! A question that may be a different thread, but I think sort of works here. Co-ownership? I certainly can understand breeders wanting to protect their lines and be able to be careful who they allow matings with. What tend to be the other aspects of co-ownership? How much control does the breeder have as compared to you who they live with? Do you pay the same? If you think a new thread for this let me know!

I'm wondering if there are differences between breeds as to willingness to sell puppies on the main register? As in, are breeders of some breeds more willing to sell main registered pups and allow full ownership of them and for them to be shown, etc. Whereas other breeds are more reluctant for whatever reason. I'm hoping even if this is so that they would look at potential owners case by case as to who is suitable to provide such homes. Mind you, I did also have someone (who is just a doggy person not a breeder or shower, etc) say to me that wouldn't a breeder want as many of their dogs as possible getting their name out there if they are breeding dogs that are great examples of the breed. But I also understand the possible implications this could have for breeding that may not be desirable. Thanks for all the good advice so far!

I haven't ever free fed my dogs. But if I had I could potentially see a problem with it now. Emma is diabetic, so therefore I need to know that she has eaten all her food and exactly how much. And now with another dog in the house, I need to know that she hasn't eaten the other dogs food. So when I put her food down I need her to finish it now, this is also because she has an insulin injection with each meal and if she doesn't eat her whole meal within a reasonable time after the injection she can go hypo (not good!!!). So I could imagine had she been free fed and then been expected to move on to our current regime there could have been many problems, possibly involving trips to the vet because she could be in a coma from a hypo. I agree with a lot of what others have said as to why it is not good to free feed, but this is just another take on it. Emma's diabetes took us by suprise, you can't predict and plan for it to happen it sort of just does sometimes over a very short period!

Yes, I think so. Going from the dogs I have met and seen so far there are a few Vic breeders who I had good experiences with when getting young Kenzie.

Nothing worked for my girl other than me being vigilant, and when I couldn't supervise her she was in a playpen or crate. I just redirected her to something she was allowed to chew and had plenty of rawhides, etc to give her (although I think you need to be careful about how many of these things to give). But if you find that nothing acts as a deterrent then you might have to go with the system of pup can't get to the things to chew. Good luck!!

Hi, I'm hoping people who are either breeders or who show their dogs may be able to give me some information. This is planning for at least 12 months away (realistically probably longer). When I got Kenzie she was listed on the limited register, not a problem for me at that point because I wanted a pet dog to do obedience and agility with. She is wonderous and doing really well in these areas, hopefully will actually compete this year and do well. So being on the limit register is no problem. However, as I'm sure many of you have experienced, I am falling more and more in love with the breed. I am thinking when I get my next puppy that I would like to try and get a main registered one so that I could show it (along with the other dog sports that I enjoy). Do I want to breed? In all honesty, I don't know. It is a lot of work and that is something that I would discuss with the breeder anyway. It seems to be quite difficult to get dogs on the main register. And I am somewhat particular about who I would be getting a dog from, I have seen DOL listings wher eif you pay more then the pup is main registered. I would have thought the decision to main register a dog would have been more about how it conforms to the requirement of the breed rather than paying more. But as someone who is not part of the show community I feel that it is difficult to try and start establishing a relationship with a breeder so that they would have confidence in helping get a main registered dog and in showing it. So, I know there aren't really questions here but I'm hoping you can see where I'm coming from and give me any advice/pointers/explanations/etc. Like I said this is some time away, but I also understand that if you were a breeder you would want to have some sort of relationship with the person who will be showing a dog under your kennel name. Thanks in advance for anything you can tell me!!

I got mine through 1300 insurance. Haven't had to claim in 12 months so can't comment on that side of things, but it seems straight forward. If I have problems I'll change when the time comes. My premium went up by $2 per month this year (I guess like all insurance everywhere!), and I will have to pay a $250 excess per "condition". It's all confusing and I guess you can only go with who you've had resommendations about or good experience with!

My young one did the same thing to 2 toes late last week. I've sort of ignored it (after initially giving them a saline bath!). And she's more than happy and they are looking good. Have made a conscious effort to do a bit less walking and keep her on softer surfaces though.

I really think it depends on so many factors - type of dog, temperament of dog, age of dog, the people involved, location, etc, etc, etc. Small spaces can work, I have 2 BC's with only a small yard. But like many others have said, this takes thought and planning. By living in this environment I have committed to my dogs to take them on very decent walks EVERY day regardless of weather, how I feel or what I have going on (and if I can't do it then I need to get someone in to do it). But that is a decision I made and one that I discussed with the breeder of my young one. I'm not a breeder, but am a trainer. From the training perspective, if you can provie the environmental enrichment your dog needs you can make this work. As for what my thoughts would be if I were breeding dogs, then I think a breeder has a right to find what they feel is the best home for their puppy. And if the breeder isn't satisfied the home will be right for the puppy they should say no. I think this is the responsible thing to do - find the most appropriate homes for your puppies.

I agree with others. Go back to basics. If it were my dog I think that I would probably take several steps backwards and pretend that it hadn't been trained at all and take it from there. When I goot my rescue dog I knew she had been trained but she needed to know how to work with me so we started at the start. The other thing that is probably important is more about you, try not to get frustrated as your dog will just pick up on it (hard I know!!!). Again it's going back to basics, if you feel yourself getting frustrated stop the training session and try again later. Something else that may be useful is to keep training sessions really short (ie. try to keep the dog wanting more). As for yummy treats, my pouch contains... devon meat, 4 paws, liver treats, roast chicken, natures gift treats, cheese, sausage and probably a few other things. I generally try to have a different type of treat every 2nd or 3rd training session, or a mixture of some of these, but definitely really yummy things (roast chook!) when I know we are going to be in a high distraction situation. Good luck!

I do the same as Staranais. I try to get a bit of time with my girl walking close to me to keep her focussed. But particularly around people. Don't forget, having a sniff around to see who's been past is also brain work for dogs - different sort to heeling, but brain work nonetheless. Plus imagine if you had to go for a walk but couldn't check out anything around you it'd get boring. I have found by mixing up every few minutes or so on my walks what I'm asking of my girl she's doing all of them better (her heeling has been fantastic in short bursts, she walks close to me the moment I ask and when she has the length of the lead she doesn't pull).

I think I'm a bit different to many people who are new to the dog world. For me to get my first puppy from a breeder took 6 months of researching (I already had an older rescue dog). And I did a lot of talking to people I knew who had the breed I wanted to get recommendations and what to look for/ask. But after all that, I went to a few shows to see the showing breeders in action and see the different dogs within my breed. After that... I was more attracted to breeders that had a website. I was able to find out about their dogs achievements, activities and see their pedigrees (not that this meant a lot to me at the time, but I was able to see names that were familiar and recommended to me). It didn't need to be flashy, it needed to contain information. However, the breeder I think I would like to get my next puppy from (probably at least a few years away!) doesn't have a website. But they were very helpful to me at a show in giving me suggestions about what to ask when other breeders wouldn't even acknowledge me. Their lines are also in the heritage of both my girls and this is now an influencing factor for me. About the breed club. Not sure really. I don't know that it's imperative, but I feel that a breed club should be representing your breed well so breeders should want to be part of this. But that's all a different question! As for how long to wait. I said 6-12 months. For me it's about timing with my work (teacher - defined holidays and seeing as though I get them I'd like to get a puppy within my holiday time to get it established at home. So for my current girl I was really lucky to get her 1 week into my long break). I would be more prepared to wait for a litter that coincided as best with my holidays as possible rather than get one at a time that I know will be busy. Ideally within 6-12 months (also because I think it takes a couple of months to get to know your breeder if you haven't dealt with them before), but if it was shorter or longer so be it if the timing is right and the puppy/breeder is right.

I would be interested in becoming more informed about this. I feel like I did my research. But I didn't realise the extent to which you could register outside of the ANKC. I felt when looking for my puppy that ANKC registration was the only sort of value. I assume to some extent I might be right, but some of the types of group names you mentioned "sound good". That brings a new level of confusion!! When things sound good/official people arre often inclined (rightlyor wrongly) to believe that they are. I agree that there does need to be some sort of clarification/differentiation in terminology that makes it a bit more clear to people who they are dealing with and what standards they abide by. I appreciate anything I can learn about this because it sounds like it is becoming a very complex issue from one that used to be straightforward (from my limited understanding of how it used to be!).

Completely agree. I feel it's the sort of field where you need to have as much information as possible and then pick and choose the bits you feel are best for the dog/situation. One thing I have really admired in some of the instructors I've had has been the ability to say "This is how I'd do it, but go and speak to so and so as they do it differently and that might work better for your dog/you." Just like with people, each dog is different and we owe it to them to tailor the approach.

It's funny that there seems to be a bit of Cesar popping up everywhere at the moment. Personally, I think that he has the potential to reach a lot of people with what he does, and just hope it is for good and not to the detriment of the dogs. I also think with most trainers that they should be able to present different ways to do things (dog training is not a one size fits all type of thing). There probably are some really good trainers out there that don't necessarily have qualifications (the few quals that are out there!), but many in this situation I think are also usually on their way to qual to give the people they work with some confidence in their ability and so they have a background of formal education in this area. Certainly I am in a situation where I do some volunteer work in training, and when I have people asking for advice and private help and what do I charge I can't bring myself to go any further than this and recommend them to qualified trainers I know. I'm looking at doing one of the courses when the finances allow, and I have been through a pretty comprehensive non-formal course - but to me that isn't enough. There is so much knowledge out there and courses available, so why not do one if you are working in the field. Anyway, I got slightly off track there! Something I was just today sent that will be of interest to those who may question Cesar's practices, link is below (assuming it works!). If you adore Cesar and think he is the be all and end all you may not like some of the things quoted in the article but it may give you some more insight as to why people question his methods. Part of my reason for sharing this is because it includes comments from people with some research behind them, not only anecdotes. And yes I do think anecdotes are good but it is easy to pick and choose which ones to use. I really think, dog training should be done from a toolbox where there are many options and you choose the best for the dog and the problem, and preferrably where humane alternative are considered before anything else and the ante gets upped as required rather than starting at the other end of the spectrum. http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html