Genabee

How do you upload photos...? All mine are too big in their file size. What's your trick?

Genevieve hides carrot sticks in the back yard... they get revived about a week after they were issued. I have found lamb ears in bizarre places... like the back of my car??? And she will dig anything... dirt, pavement, carpet, sheets, cork floors, piles of washing... She buried my croc slipper in the front garden at one stage... Not sure what occasion she was saving that for!

It is a nice feeling isn't it!

Come to my Obedience CLub!!! It is great. Hobsons Bay Obedience Club.

We are going to Phuket in January and we are having a friend house sit... aka. Genevieve sit. It was either that or we were going to fly her to Perth to spend the fortnight with my sister! If lived closer KTB, Elbstar could come crash at our place!!!!! May be you will have to come and visit while you do the Great Ocean Road!

I can't believe I didn't know this thread existed before now???!!!!!!!!!! I'll need to get the camera out!

I think this is probably more what my issue is... Defiant little sh*t!

Exactly!!! As KTB said, it is a bit like having kids... At least my 'privately educated, snob, circus trick performing' dog, will be quite the socialite!

Good thinking poodle fan! I should have been quicker on my feet. I know I probably took it way too personally... But I also think, why ask in the first place... My personal favourite was a friend's boyfriend who told me that training would turn a dog into a "robot". HIS pup was going to be "a free spirit". "Oh really" was my comment "free to pee and poo in the house?" "Of course not!!" he said. "Oh, so you will be training him then" was my comment. I feel better already!

Good thinking poodle fan! I should have been quicker on my feet. I know I probably took it way too personally... But I also think, why ask in the first place...

Ok... so I know that relative to some, perhaps even some of you reading this, I work Genevieve pretty hard in the obedience/trick department... (maybe not as hard as Elbie!!!! ) Admittedly, I don't have to take her to school every week. I don't have to play with her, by her toys, teach her things etc... I choose to, or rather we choose to, because we believe it makes for a happier, healthier dog all round. And no, I don't expect everyone would do this with their pooch. Bearing all this in mind... In my movements today, I came across a lady who is getting a puppy, and asked about what age is ideal for puppy school. I gave her my two cents worth (along with others), as you do... I explained that you want to pick a good pre-school programme that covers lots of things, not just free-for-alls where the pups get all wound up and go mental. I explained how for example the one we attended was great because Genevieve learnt all these things etc. And further explained how we continue with obedience now because I felt 4 weeks at puppy school was not enough. And I said start sooner rather than later, as bad habits can set in without even realising... Her response... She doesn't want a circus performer, just wants to make sure the dog sits when it is told and it craps outside, not on her bed! Fair enough. I further explained that it isn't about creating a 'circus performer', the things they learn actually serve a purpose - like getting them to lie down or stand to groom them, getting them to stay so they don't run on to the road etc. Anyway, she failed to see my point. Rant over. Apparently Genevieve should join the circus. Any followers?

Perhaps just at the early stage anyway. OH and I are intending to share handler duties at silver now that bronze is done. Also, I should add that even though we had OH as the bronze handler, we both showed up to all the classes so we knew how Elbie was to be trained and there was consistency. I think it might be difficult for both G and your OH to 'dive' into the obedience if he's been away for work etc. They both aren't quite sure what is being asked of the other. Also, there are some people who just don't enjoy obedience classes as much as others! Is OH going to have to go on the road again soon? If not, I think it's probably good for you to share the handler duties at some point. Alternatively, if he can't go to classes with you, you can tell him about them. Then again, if he's anything like my OH he'll roll his eyes and go: "Oh gawd - more dog stuff????" Yeah, he is off again next week.... I think you are right. I will stick with being top dog! What is frustrating though, is that she won't listen to him. But even in class the other day, I walked off and left them to it (so to speak) and she kept looking at me on the the other side of the park the whole time!! I ended up rotating back in, just so she would do as she is told. Is it normal for a puppy to only take direction from their master and no one else? This is what concerns me, as I would like for her to listen to others also.

This. They don't do anything that will hurt themselves. You could hire my husband! He was very good at following Genevieve around, making sure she didn't jump, stretch, lick, scratch or anything else that may have REMOTELY caused injury! If she was lying still he wanted to move her!!!!!

Well done!!!!

Sorry, nothing constructive to add. Other than I would have stolen the pork crackling too!

What a knob!!! I spose it would be ok for me to attack him, say... at the movies or a restaurant, as it's a social gathering site!!!!!!???? What a stupid, moronic, retarded thing to say. Don't you wish you could just bop people like that on the head?

Thanks for the congratulations. We're very relieved but will have to work harder with Elbie's heel-work greetings/sitting for pats for silver. G's defiance must be frustrating for your husband. We have an interesting dynamic in our house. To try to reduce confusion, my OH has always been Elbie's handler during obedience class even though outside of class we both train with him/practise what we've learned. When I had to do obedience with him for the two weeks he was overseas, I was a bit worried about how Elbie would be but fortunately he was very responsive and well-behaved - but he could very easily have gone the other way. OH spends a lot more time with Elbie but I'm usually the sterner one ... for instance, we've had disagreements about how to handle Elbie's car barking. While OH was away I took advantage of his absence to make Elbie be quiet OH was quite shocked at how well-behaved Elbie is in the car now. :D Good luck with establishing the domestic household dynamic! It's so complicated! What will happen when Wee Wizzle comes along? That is interesting to know KTB! Thank you for that! Here I was thinking that maybe I was doing the right thing in trying to share the obedience work... but maybe you are right, one handler is less confusing. Hubby thinks you are right too! I'm not sure what happens when wee Wizzle comes along... I will probably still be top dog!!!! Tired and sore top dog, but never the less!!! While I am not really a dominant person so to speak, I am probably the most authorative person in the relationship - I think that is more out a necessity though (well, he is never home and things have to be decided up and done!!!)! So I guess it is no surprise that she looks to me as top dog. Hopefully she doesn't try to dominate Wee Wizzle when they come along.

Does playing with him in the laundry mean bath time?? Take him to the beach and throw a frisbi around with lots of treat giving!!! I've never had a water loving dog so I can't really help but, I would have thought anything involving treats is a good start!

That is awesome!!!!!!!! Congratulations to Elbie and Ava!!! :) Auntie Wizzle is soooooo proud!!!!! Our next trials aren't until November... so I have a couple of month to work on G!!! I want her to pass bronze too!!! If today was anything to go buy... it won't happen! Hubby came to school with us today, for the first time ever!!! Genevieve won't listen to him though!!! Which is becoming a slight problem. So I ended up taking over the class with her because she was being distracting to the other dogs. It didn't help that our normal teacher was away today, so we had another lady (who I wasn't so keen on). Made Hubby in charge of all dog feeding and walking duties for the next few weeks he is home... hopefully G will start to see him as top dog too!!! It is frustrating to watch, but I try so hard to not say anything to them! Anyway, she is exhausticated and has passed out on our bed! We went to the markets after dog school today, and she was soooo good there (made up for being a menace at school!). I bathed her earlier as we have guests due any minute for dinner... I am sure she will resurrect herself for the occasion!

That is my bet. I still bath G every fortnight or so, and I rub the aloveen conditioner through her coat in between... I use it like it was a moisturiser in that regard! Keeps her smelling nice too. I read in the nutrition section, that Nutro and Artemis were the go for dogs with dandruff.... Some people also use fish oil supplements. I went with Artemis as my groomer also suggested this, as did the bloke at the store I bought it from. It supposedly has less preservatives and cereals in it...? I am not phased by the details, I just want something she can eat! I am a big believer in feeding what is right for your dog, whether it is home brand coles stuff to the top of the range super premium food to raw. An exclusive raw diet would be my last resort though, as I don't feel confident in my ability to ensure she would be getting everything she needs. I don't really eat well myself, so preparing a gourmet menu for the dog just wouldn't happen. I switched her over within 48 hours and she has been fine. Didn't upset her tummy and everything has been fine at the other end. We have been on the new food for nearly a fortnight now. She still has the dandruff, but no where near as bad. I gather it will clear over time. I wish I had done it months earlier.

My pup is 6 months and is still unco!!!! That is part of the puppiness! We have cork floors and she can't sit for very long, with out her back legs sliding out from beneath her. It is quite funny to watch, especially if I ask her to 'high five' - requiring her to lift one of her paws off the ground! This often results in her sliding into the 'down/drop' position. For this reason, we do the bulk of her training in the lounge room where we have carpet. She has better traction and doesn't have an issue with lying on the floor! I wouldn't worry too much about your puppy. They all go through an awkward clumsy stage. He sounds very cute!!

Genevieve has dandruff - thank fully not as bad as what it was! I was upset for her because she was always scratching and chewing her paws... I too switched to using Aloveen, added sardines (at one stage every day!!!), raw egg and moist food to her predominantly kibble diet. She was also scooting on her bum a lot (no worms and anal glands were empty). Turns out she is allergic to her dry food, Advance. It took me a while to come to this conclusion though, as her coat has been glossy and smooth from the start. Have switched to Artemis and now she hardly scratches or chews her paws and I haven't seen her bum scoot once! Her coat is still glossy and smooth too, which is good!

:mad

Awww a happy thread!!! Genevieve is definitely a Mamma's girl!!! In fact, Hubby has been home for three days after being away for three months, and she just looks at him as if to say 'Who the hell are you?!'. I just have to look at her and she sits and waits for whatever it is. I feel bad because Hubby will be asking her to do something, armed with treats and all, and she just looks at him. As soon as I get up... I don't have to say anything and she just does it!!! When I have left for work in the afternoons this weed, she apparently has spent most of the afternoons sitting in the front window, waiting for me to come home again! She is always there waiting for me when I walk in the door. I love it!!! I don't even think my Husband loves me that much!!!

Marley'z Mum - He is in his PJs!!!! Not really a good look for national viewing!!!!! I'm a mean wife!! The last few days having him home after so long has been interesting. G has really blossomed in that time and hit puberty (and has an attitude to go with it, as the video suggests!), so I'm having to re-train him all over again. She does anything and everything for me, yet looks at him as if to say 'Who the hell are you!?'. So I am trying to stand back a bit and let him feed her, discipline her, play with her... He is going to come to school with us on Sunday, which will be the first time he would have ever seen her at school!!!!!! So I will probably do it with her this week, but then he is going to take her the following week. Depending how we go and what we do in class, I may step out half way and let him take over. He is learning to over come the frustration and just be calm with her, and she is improving every day with him. Which is good! KTB - I so need to get G one of the wobblers!!!! Is that a North American only thing or can we get them here? I will have to get on ebay and have a look!!!!! Next time we have ice cream, I will video her... gives me an excuse to have more ice cream!!!! This is my favourite thread by the way!!!