betsy

Hi All and Ziggy says thanks for the birthday wishes Woof Woof. He would kiss you all if you were close enough! I have been working the weekend and today, so not posting much, but skimming thru the thread to keep up ;) Sounds like everyone is back into the full swing of doggy school again. Kyliegirl I think the others have given you good advice re dogschool. Ziggy is a lungeing fool when we are there - and I can't stand near a couple of dogs because my dog tries to start playing with them. Max#1 Love the photos. The beach is such a great place for dogs. KA - hope training gets a bit better. Not sure how anyone could be scared of Kuma, he always looks so cuddly Well, think photobucket has uploaded, prepare for photo overload!!!! First day home Fluffly puppeh!

Now having sausages for dinner so I can use leftovers for training tomorrow :D

oh poor James (and Max too!). Hope they are both feeling better soon.

Wuffles - I can relate! My dog just loves chasing other dogs. He nearly killed a whippet on the beach, because although whippets are faster than him, he seems to be able to just keep going energiser-bunny style. I don't think this whippet had met an Aussie before......... Also, once he catches the dog he will try and grab onto its rump or tail Kelpies and BC don't appear to enjoy this either! I also have the visual of Kuma and his 30s herding play

And if you put an Aussie in the mix, they'd run straight through the middle of the formation body slamming dogs as they went, thoroughly mortifying the BCs and kelpies. :D Absolutely! Wondering why all the other dogs were being so serious

Thanks for all the suggestions (and warnings wuffles ). I am a tad worried now because the 4paws roll is really big, there is no way that it will be eaten in a few days (I need to get another dog haha). Might try the devon/ham. I tried to use leftover chicken once but found it a bit messy. I do also use the natures gift dried treats just to break it up. Will have to put up with the side effects of the night of training. (I can use kibble/dried natures gift at home for rewards)

Glad to hear everyones' kids are back at school and it wasn't too bad Hoover is looking adorable! Lilli_star - well done on dislodging the bone! I took Ziggy to the beach this evening, and ran into a lovely 5mo aussie pup. The dogs had a ball and I was chatting to her owners. Ziggy played beautifully, rough, but not too rough, and she certainly wasn't being shy! This is a fairly new beach to us but so far it has been a very positive experience! We are supposed to be back at school Thur night. I am on call for work so may not make it. I can only imagine how excited my boy will be. He will be pulling a lot!! A Q for you all - what do you use for training treats at dog school? I normally use kabana/cheese but it does upset Ziggy's bowels . I just bought the 4Paws roll and am going to try cutting that up... (Sorry if too much information )

Congrats Wizzle on the news, I'm sure Miss G will love her little sister! Lilli_star - do we get to see photos of this tunnel of love????? :eek: A few photos post beach: Had another great morning at the beach - now all the holiday makers have returned home! Ziggy's recall was tested (and failed) due to an absolutely irresistable whippet flying along the beach. Boy whippets are fast! I finally caught up with the dog and its owners and managed to get Ziggy back. Otherwise he was pretty good, and there were some nice other dogs and owners there who didn't mind my boy having a play with their dogs.

She looks like she fits right in! Congrats

I relish the freedom in naming a pet. As kids we took it in turns. I think you can use whatever you want!

KTB - Ziggy is 1 on 14th February. Easy to remember! - and only a day older than Elbie (although not as clever in the tricks department :D ) There are a number of close work colleagues who are thinking about adding a furry friend to the family, which made me reminisce about the early puppy days of Ziggy. I had also entertained the idea of another dog, but thinking back to amount of work etc, and given there is only one of me, I think I will wait until Ziggy has a bit more relaxedness and self control! Other than that he is perfect. And his dog antics make me laugh. And no, when I am considering another dog, I won't be looking for a poodle or sending generic emails :D

Glad to see that thread has gone *poof* - although I must comment that there were a number of people from this thread who made some pretty valid points in there! Lilli_star - it must be soooo nice for Roo to have a permanent next door buddy - how is the tunnel going?? Ravenau1 - great tags for Astrid, she is going to be one trend-setting dog. Loved the cupcakes too! Re the strange behaviour - could it be a fear period? I can't quite remember when they are, but there is a great topic pinned in the puppy section regarding this. KTB - hope Elbie is feeling a bit better! And it is a bit cooler in Canberra for poor hot Hoover Wizzle - sounds like Miss G likes the subfloor ventilation provided by the top of the crate position! Any recent Tales of Destruction It was pretty hot here yesterday, so when I arrived home, I refilled the clam shell and squirted Ziggy with the hose a few times (he tries to chase the water stream!) He also jumps in the clam shell full of water and starts digging. So weird! I have also bought the "lawn saving rock" - may be a complete waste of money. Mainly because Ziggy thinks I have set up a new interactive game that involves him getting the rock out of his water bowl and me putting it back it So, Ziggy is nearly 1 Time Flies! I think I will have to do some serious photo taking this weekend and send a nice big email update to his breeder. What has everyone else done? Or planning to do? for the big First Birthday!

I couldn't help myself - had to post in the thread. It will be deleted by daybreak I presume. I had a really cute incident with a child asking if he could pat Ziggy. I was with my mum at a cafe near the beach (Ziggy had just had a good off lead walk/ run there). There were actually a couple of dogs sitting outside with their owners (Corgi, Goldie, WolfHound ). All quite sedate and relaxed apart from my very active/inquisitive working dog. Anyway, the wolfhound had heaps of request for pats (mainly children but my mum also went over ). Poor Ziggy didn't get any requests, until a 6yo boy came outside and asked politely if he could pat him. I said yes but explained that he was a bit bouncy, and I would hold onto his collar so he didn't jump up. He then replied he could tell Ziggy was a Crazy Dog, which was why he wanted to come and pat him. Aparently he was missing his Hungarian Vizla who was in the boarding kennels whilst they were on holidays. And she was also a Crazy Dog! ;)

Good question - as I have been wondering the same! I spoke to a few of the trainers at the dog school I go to. They all thought that agility or flyball would be possible in the not too distant future (we and still doing general obedience), but they all suggested doing the agility term first. Also, it is often difficult to get into dog clubs - another reason to keep up with the obedience classes (if they are run by the same group)

Here Here Minxy!

OMG that toxic thread is like a train wreck. I should really stop reading it - but I can't! Thankfully I found (IMO) a good breeder when I was looking for Aussie Shepherds. I can only say that she has been 110% what I expected . She doesn't show either . Clastic - glad to hear things are getting back to normal in your household, and I'm really glad it was Mr Clastic's left hand (they can take a while to heal properly) I feel I am missing out on doggie dreams . Will have to see what I can conjure up tonight.

My dog lets out one short bark (at the waterbowl) when he empties it - so I know to fill it back up!

Hop Mr Clastic goes ok tomorrow. It sounds horribly painful (and I'm sure was a bit messy!) Good to hear that he is going to the surgeon tomorrow - was it his dominant hand????? Also good to hear that you have someone to look after the doggies whilst you have to look after Mr Clastic. BTW - Ziggy is fine now. He drank about 1.25L of tap water prior to getting in the car and no more V&D since we left the beach. I think he just overdoes it sometimes. I haven't fed him too much today, just in case. He has had a few ice cubes as well. I think I worry more about dehydration - hence switching over to aircon and keeping him quiet inside for the rest of the day. Bonus was that I kept quiet too and read a book on the couch!

Glad to hear I don't have the only one! I always have plenty of water and my dog drinks heaps after a trip to the beach. I hope once he matures a bit he will stop ingesting so much seawater!

Hi All Clastic - your house is soooo tidy! How do you do it with the pups? (I have fur bunnies everywhere ) KTB- fab video of the doggies playing on Australia Day. I was thinking when I was watching it how great they all look, and what a wonderful keepsake! I will have to try and take some of Ziggy! Sammie S - great to see you back. Sounds like there are a few of you in Brisbane that may be able to meet up, even just for socialisation! Wizzle and Max#1 - hope your poor doggies are coping with the heat. Well, I have had a fairly lazy weekend after returning from a short OS trip this week. Lucky for me my mum loves animals and came over to housesit. I do miss my dog when I have to go away, but I don't worry so much getting my mum to house sit than having to use kennels. Today is a scorcher - s'posed to reach 41 Went spent the morning at the dog beach going to a "dog party" - my friends dog was turning 1. Ziggy was like one of those ADHD children that I am sure you only ever invite one of to a party. He pulled terribly on the lead on the way to the beach . There was alot of stopping and starting to try and curb this!. During the course of the morning he managed to bite the party boy (they always play incredibly rough, don't worry DOLers), vomit from ingesting saltwater, and finally had diarrhoea In between all that he had a blast running around with the other dogs. Recall was so-so, but not horrendous. Unfortunately (because of the heat ) the beach was a bit crowded so we had to pop them on the lead a few times when there were smaller doggies about. A beautiful airedale dog (who was 18mo) also came and had a great run about with Ziggy. We both came back from the beach, blinds shut inside, ceilings fans on, and had a bit of a nap

ooohhh green with jealousy - certainly won't show this photos of doggy fun in Canberra to Ziggy! I am coming home from a very short OS trip - my mum is house/dog/catsitting But looking forward to seeing my little man soon! Love all the pics. The Akitas are certainly looking very squishable. KTB - why not leave a bucket with water outside? I leave the drinkbowl and a bucket. Always enough. Oh, and an iceblock if you can be organised enough!

Minxy - Great photos. Boy those man-eating Akitas look really scary :rofl: :D Niques - sounds like James had a bit of fun having a playmate all day! I am sure it won't take long and he will be back to normal James Wuffles, Clastic, KTB, KA and other Canberreans, I am very jealous of your playdates. Clastic - great house! Looks very dog friendly too... I still have boxes left unpacked and I moved over 12 months ago Ravenau and Kyliegirl, love how we now have puppies on this thread so we can all get our fix (see most of us now have grownup - well in body anyway - doggies) Max - sounds like the flyball is going well. I will probably not start until mid year. Will do normal class first term then I hope Ziggy will be up for agility second term, then flyball! He is not quite focused enough off lead, but certainly has drive, so think it will work out! Well, after reading this thread, I went out to buy and set up a worm farm today! Poor worms, having to eat dog poo! Does anyone else do this? Oh, and I was speaking to my mum - she is ready to start looking for puppies (her old BC was PTS last year) I think she is looking at getting another BC.

I don't need a bell here - Ziggy bashes against the wooden venetians that are over the back glass doors and I know then he needs to go outside for a pee. Or that he is trying to trick me into getting up from the dining table so he can thieve what I have been eating . (The noise is also enough to wake me at night if he ever needs to go out). He pretty much trained me to do that himself :) Don't despair Ravenau - it took Ziggy until about 4 and a half months to be toilet trained completely, and since then he's been rock solid.

Welcome Kyliegirl and the handsome Echo! Well done on the cat interactions, I have failed miserably! Ravenau - Astrid is growing so quickly, and her paws are huge. Love the photo of her with the giant frog . Lilli_Star - Miss Roo looks very happy with her palace! Hope it provides some shade. I know that Ziggy enjoys lying under the trees by the fence as it is well shaded there. I think most dogs are smart enough to seek out some shade when its hot. Glad it was your brother who found that poor doggy. I beat she thinks she has hit the jackpot now ! Max#1 - good to hear Max is emerging from adolescent brain fade . Minxy - any new photos of Kyogin?? KA - Kuma looks like such a big snugglebum (I have one of those too, bit of a sookah really) I took Ziggy for a playdate last night with a couple of Irish Setters down the beach (no photos, sorry). He had a blast and was exhausted! The younger Irish was only a few months older than him and loved to run, exactly what Ziggy loves in a playmate. It worked out well as I managed to get up and feed him early and went back to bed for a sleep, and he is still tired now (having a snooze on the couch as I type) Oh, is there any news of Niques and James????

Great photo of Kuma and his daddy! I was talking to a work colleague who was telling me how flooded the off lead dog park was, so I went to have a look and take some photos. This is not the river, the river is probably usually 150m away. Amazing! Apparently people were jetskiing on it! There were a few rubber dingy types things there as well. I am not game enough to take the dog there yet since it has turned into a lake (heard that snakes have been active with all the flood waters)