Pretty Miss Emma

In many instances humping is a behaviour that dogs do when they are over stimulated. So the appearance of a lot of dogs combined with a whole heap of play could just be waaayyyy too exciting for him, so basically the release of his excitement is to hump. I also believe it can be an anxiety related behaviour, again the humping is a way to self calm if the dog is anxious. I'm sure a professional will be able to shed more light on the situation though!

Good luck. My first dog, Emma, came from the RSPCA. But I had her chip number which also had her exact date of birth, kept her original name I knew which suburb she had come from. Through some chance meetings and someone who insisted that my BC was a purebred I found out who her breeder was and got in contact with them to let them know I had one of their dogs and that she was in an exceptionally loving home. They were so grateful to find all this out and I am still in contact with them one way or another. It was wonderfful for me to find out about the short time she had with the breeder (she was a show puppy!), but I think it was even better for them knowing where their dog had ended up. Keep up the chase. The small dog world will turn up something at some stage!

I can't believe it's 3 years either. In some ways time has gone so fast, in other ways it hasn't. Kenzie, Hamish and I were herding today. I think they had to be channeling Miss Em, I haven't ever had them work as well as they did today!! Both of them were just super stars and while a foot was put wrong once or twice they both showed me that we ork really well together and I have 2 very special dogs with me at the moment, both of them with a commection to Emma - Kenzie grew up with Emma's influence, Hamish is related to her. So somehow I will always have my very very special girl with me!

3 years tomorrow since I last saw my Miss Emma. Kenzie, Hamish and I are going herding (even though the weather looks horrible!). I would have loved to take Emma herding, instead we will remember her while we play with sheepies.

I don't do any of the grooming (thank goodness!!!!), his owner is dealing with all of that. He is a groomer and is getting help from a few different avenues to fine tune the "show grooming". We know he's not up to scratch with the grooming yet, but we want to get him out and about so he can learn to love showing - which I think he is going to!!! I think he's a bit of a natural!

I don't have any good pics from when I had him in the ring, but we were playing and practicing afterwards so these 2 photos are from then (thus why his grooming doesn't look so flash!). The work is still going with getting his grooming right, and there were some lovely people who helped his owner with some tips on what to do and how to do it and also helped us get his eyebrows looking a bit better before we went in the ring. It's so nice when people are nice to you and help you out especially when you are totally new to it all (well I'm totally new to group 6 and his owner is totally new to showing!!). Anyway this is one of the better pic of him stacked on the table... And this is just cos he's sooooo cute!!!!

Well, we survived!!! He was a little superstar! And he's just gorgeous!! He moved really nicely, stood still for a good 30 seconds on the table (hehehe!) and even did a nice little free stack. There's still a bit to be done with his grooming but his owner is on top of sorting that out. I think I'm going to enjoy working with this little boy!!! Although I did spend a lot of last night watching videos online of mini schnauzers at dog shows!!

Same here. Saw the bill come in hadn't received any paperwork. Once I emailed and complained it got emailed to me. Now have had to email them to ask to cancel the policy as I've had to sit on hold for too long each time I've rung and have given up as I just don't have the time to be sitting on hold just at the moment. Oh and I still haven't received any paperwork in the mail yet! I emailed them ages ago asking about the complaints I had heard about, and was assured at the time that the paperwork would arrive before the money was taken out. So, given the price hike plus the fact they can't even send me the policy documents on time I don't want to use them anymore for sure!

He will be in baby puppy, I think probably must be 4 months old. I haven't spent time with him yet, but will be able to do so. I know his owner well and I have gone through with him some basic training tips so the dog is used to having his feet moved if needs be and working on a show lead. But it's more that I haven't dealt with dogs being on tables (that's one of the bits I'm most worried about!), I usually deal with BC's and collie roughs!

I'm about to start handling a mini schnauzer! help!!! Is there anything special I need to know? I don't have to do any of the grooming, I'm just taking him in the ring. I know that he will have to go on a table, any hints about that would be great! But otherwise anything I need to think about, know about???!!

Good luck kallistar and Tassie for Saturday!!! I'm not entered and can't be there, but I'm sure you'll do great!! How long are you staying over Tassie? Just for the trial?

As we know!!!

You no doubt then will have read about my experiences in dealing with cataract surgery with my old girl, so I won't rehash that. I would suggest send Kirty a PM, or no doubt she will see this at some point, as she might be able to give you some insight on this. I don't regret doing the surgery for my dog, but I would think twice about it if I had to do it again - mainly because dogs adapt really well, and I think I did the surgery as much because I wasn't coping with her going blind more than her not coping. And don't forget, any surgery in an older dog carries a much greater amount of risk than in a younger dog. Just something to think about.

Sounds a bit like my neighbours. I only moved here last November, but since then I don't think I've ever heard them take their dog inside. I'm pretty sure it lives down the dead side of the house only. He's always outside. He's a 2 year old ridgeback, and I worry at this time of year that he will be cold. He doesn't have an ounce of fat on him at all, I worry that he's too skinny anyway, and then to not be allowed inside and I haven't been able to see a decent kennel and he doesn't get a coat. i just hear him periodically throwing his metal food bowl around on the concrete. The only interaction I hear him get is him being yelled at to sit for his dinner. There are kids there but they play with him or talk to him. He never gets walked. I just don't understand why they have him.....

I said yes, but they only reason they are allowed to is because I cover the bed/furniture with sheets (and they also have to dry!). My other issue is that if I tried to stop them then no one would get sleep. Hamish will happily sleep in the car or a trailer, but Kenzie only ever sleeps on the bed (on top of my legs) when she is in an unfamiliar environment when I've tried to get her to sleep elsewhere it means that no one gets to sleep!

This is my mid-year review!! So, Kenzie... So far this year she has obtained her FS.S (previously known as DWDF.S), we trialled in dancing at the BC nationals and then managed to get another 2 passes at our next trial after that so she got that title!! She's also gotten her herding instinct test and also her Herding Test title. And then this weekend just gone she got her final passes in Rally Advanced, so she got that title!! The reviewed training plan for Kenz... *start training for PT (herding) *try to be ready for CCD (we tried it at the BC Nats but apparently sit-stays aren't really part of our routine!) *ET, I really want to do it!!! Maybe we will start training if I can find a location and then we just need to do it!! Hamish... Well he got his herding instinct test, Herding Test and also Pre-Trial test. Proud of my little herding boy!!! Oh and we picked up a few more points at a conformation show. Training plans... *continue herding. *start ET training *do more work on things like obedience

I think it just depends on the dog. Some cope with it some don't. I think BC's are quite people oriented, so they need time to be with their people and that is what keeps them happy (generalisation obviously!). My first girl had lived with another dog for the first 9 years of her life then was on her own for 2 years with me, she did fine. Then Kenz had 11 months on her own after my old girl died, she did fine. Hamish, well he hassn't known life without another dog, but he has at least 2 days a week at home on his own and he's fine. But my dogs are able to be in the house when they are left at home, and I do a lot with them. Pretty much if I'm gong to do something they usually come with me. We go to shows or trials on weekends, we go to training during the week and sometimes on weekends, they come to work 2 days a week with me. I actually think they like their day at home because it gives them a break!!! ETA - Oh, and I started leaving them at home from Day 1 and within a week they were doing full days alone at home.

Hell no :p If you're looking to do cert II but can't get into your local Tafe to do it, Tafe NSW offers the course online for around $500. They're offering a cert II for $500???? I don't know how they are doing it for these prices!!! NSW must have really good funding arrangements with the state government or something. Did you do this one? And what about learning the practical components? I know the cert II has several UOC's that require learning and assessment to be done in a practical context, how do they manage that? Obviously these questions are irrelevant if you didn't do the course!

Mystiqview, is that the Cert IV vet nursing (nationally accredited)? $5k is such a good price if it is, all our prices in Vic have gone up shockingly over the last 12 months due to the state govt getting rid of a whole heap of funding and changing funding bands and all that sort of thing! I agree $5 isn't too bad if it is a "good" course, but if it isn't valued at all in the industry and isn't going to help get a job then hmmm yeah is it really worth it. At the moment I'm trying to find something comparable to a non-accredited course I'm sort of designing - which will be face to face classes and prac sessions and the possibility of some online assessment, and the option to do some work placement. It's just difficult to find details of the cost of non-accredited training!!

Maddy, did you do the course? If so what was it like? What sort of detail? Good for pet owners or people in industry? Any info would be good! I don't like that you have to give them all of your personal info just to find out more about the course and costs!

Thankyou!

Has anyone done this course? Or has anyone enquired? I'm just wanting to know what the cost of it is but I don't want to fill out all my details and be harrassed by them!! It's the Certificate in Animal Care that isn't nationally recognised.

I emailed them yesterday to ask if they will send me the renewal with plenty of notice in case it goes up, and that I expect if they withdraw the amount on the renewal without me having received it that they will refund it if I choose to cancel. I got a reply saying they send them out with plenty of time and that if I haven't received the paperwork and they charge me for it then they will fully refund if I cancel the policy. So I will hold them to that if it comes in as expensive as what the quote said!

We will try to catch up with you Kirty!! I don't know if you've been recognising the black and white face on the website, but he will look forward to seeing you (he's a bit bigger than last time you saw him!)!!

Just went through and did a quote and mine is going to almost double! And just when I've been telling others why I like PetPlan. I haven't had to use them yet, but I guess I will be looking for someone else now. I can't afford to have a social life anyway, paying that premium will mean I can't eat (plus will then be the same or higher than my own health cover). Disappointing.