Dxenion

This article by Caroline Zambrano titled Dog Safety in the Car sums it up nicely.

NSW NSW Legislation Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 No 200 7 Carriage and conveyance of animals (2A) Without limiting subsection (1), a person must not carry or convey a dog (other than a dog being used to work livestock), on the open back of a moving vehicle on a public street unless the dog is restrained or enclosed in such a way as to prevent the dog falling from the vehicle. Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units or imprisonment for 6 months, or both. Road Rules 2008 297 Driver to have proper control of a vehicle etc (1A) A driver must not drive a vehicle if a person or an animal is in the driver’s lap. Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units. There is no specific reference in the legislation covering the restraint of dogs inside the vehicle but the police can use Rule 297 if they feel that the dog is distracting the driver (which means that the driver does not have proper control of the vehicle).

We have two of the original versions in the front yard of our standard suburban block. The solar panel has a clear cover which can turn opaque from UV damage. When this happened to ours, we rang the manufacturer and received a free replacement which is simple to install. We were told it was a batch issue but the replacements have also turned opaque (although it took 14 months to do so). We live across from coastal scrub land where dugoits and tiger snakes are common. One neighbour had a visit from a baby tiger snake and the other neighbour had a visit from an adult dugoit. So far (touch wood) we've been snake free. I have heard that they're not great against brown snakes but have not (and hope never to have) had the opportunity to test this for myself. The MkII version may have resolved this issue. $80 is a great price. We got ours 2 1/2 years ago for $150 each.

Can you tell us more about this letter ie which Government Dept she got it from etc. We were advised by a WA based assistance dog organisation that this letter is only required for puppy trainers so they could access shopping centres etc for training. We were told that they needed the letter because they didn't have a disability and that the letter is not available for a bona fide assistance dog user as the DDA covers them. The letter issued has names of all dogs and handlers covered by the organisation. It isn't an individual letter for each dog and handler. Which organisation were you speaking with? Do you have an assistance dog? We were speaking with a WA organisation (will PM the name if you like). We have come across a few service providers that have stated that they require a Letter of Authority from the Local Government minister authorising the dog as an assistance animal. Problem is, no one we've spoken to in either the WA local government or state government knows which department issues the letter. Would it be possible to find out which government department issued the organisation the letter for Melanie to carry? We may be able to chase it up from there. Another concern is that although a service provider can ask for evidence that the animal is trained and meets behaviour and hygiene standards, the DDA doesn't specify what form that evidence must take for owner trained assistance dogs. Some service providers are reading the DDA Section 9 and applying the evidentiary requirements for dogs accredited by interstate/ territory law or accredited by an animal training organisation to animals that are owner trained. In cases where it is not possible to produce the evidence they ask for, persons with owner trained ADs are being refused access. A chat with the Human Rights Commission confirmed that if a service provider asks for evidence that is not possible for the person with an owner trained dog to provide (the PAT certification for non permanent WA residents or certification from an accredited AD training organisation in WA are two I can think of), it could possibly be classed as discrimination against persons with owner trained assistance dogs. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) who set policy for flying with ADs within Australia are now looking at possibly revising their policy after this was brought to their attention. A national companion animal course provider also requires unattainable evidence from persons with owner trained ADs before attending their course and we are working with them to see what alternative evidence can be provided. Someone could point out to service providers that they cannot ask for evidence that is not possible to provide, but it is difficult to have this 'discussion' when you are standing out the front of a resturaunt where other patrons are looking at you with undisguised interest. Sometimes you just don't feel like being the centre of attention. You could go everywhere armed with a copy of the DDA and the Australian Food Standard 3.2.2 (just in case) but at some point the desire to dine at Resturaunt XYZ dissipates when it takes a herculean effort just to get in the front door. Yes, a complaint to the Human Rights Commission will help the service provider see the error of their ways but it doesn't help at the time. Something like a Letter of Authority from the WA Government would make it easier to gain smooth access at the time. Actually, national accreditation would vastly improve ease of access for owner trained ADs but we'll start with baby steps. We've spoken with another WA based organisation to find out where they get letters for their puppy carers from and they are chasing up the information for us. Will post the results here.

Mum and Dad (and Grandpa) are object associated words that our dogs recognise and that we use in cues, eg "where's Dad". Our friends refer to themselves as Aunty or Uncle (something they decided to do themselves) and our parents have resigned themselves to having furry grandkids, even asking how the grandkids are when they call. We refer to the dogs as our kids and use the term in conversation all the time. Mum, Dad and Kids are just titles - we know they're dogs and they get treated as dogs however we do care for them, provide for them and worry about them just as Mums and Dads do for human kids.

Can you tell us more about this letter ie which Government Dept she got it from etc. We were advised by a WA based assistance dog organisation that this letter is only required for puppy trainers so they could access shopping centres etc for training. We were told that they needed the letter because they didn't have a disability and that the letter is not available for a bona fide assistance dog user as the DDA covers them.

3 GSDs and 1 WSSD = a lot of hair! Dyson DC15 - upright, no loss of suction, bagless, great on carpet and hard floors. Vax Linx Stick vacuum - lightweight, relatively quiet, battery operated, keeps running at full power until needs recharging with no loss of suction, bagless. We take it with us if we're staying somewhere that allows the furkids inside so that we can do a quick cleanup before we leave as a thankyou. Bissel Pro Heat Carpet Cleaner - for cleaning up any accidents on hard floors or carpets. Very easy to use - just fill the water tank, add the separate solution tank and use like an upright vacuum. I have one of these models too - highly recommended!

A long one but a goodie - Author unknown

Author Unknown

With 3 GSDs and one WSSD, dog hair is a constant battle. I think our front door mat sums it up nicely:

Prodigium, why hasn't this side of the story been told to Today Tonight or one of the other current affairs programs? Rocky's family should be given the chance to bring some balance to the issue. This is from the MDBA Pacers home page. I don't know if this situation fits under their banner but could be worth asking. They may know someone who could either help with an appeal or your case against the rangers. Words cannot express my sorrow for what Rocky must be feeling right now.

Our 18 week old already seems to have developed this syndrome. Doesn't help when the OH is a partner in crime.

Have a look here for an A-Z list of Celtic gods, goddesses, mortals, spirits and other creatures. Also gives you a bit of history of the name. Also try here where you can type in English words and get their Welsh translation. Also has a button so you can hear the pronounciation. Best wishes for a successful birth.

From the description of Buzz and some videos I've seen of him, he was indeed an extreme dog! Susan's description of him launching off the top of an A frame and landing 10 feet in front of it had me in stitches. Then there was the time that she mentioned the word 'noodle' in conversation (Buzz's early days cue for weave) which sent Buzz screaming out of the room and zooming back and forth past the door looking for the weave poles. Susan describes laughing so hard she couldn't squeak the command to stop him! However, I mentioned the book and DVD because Susan showed how to build drive and focus for a toy as a reward and then transfer that to the equipment. I think this could help the OP's low drive dog, worth looking at anyway. One of ours has low drive and it helped us increase his drive and performance of cues.

I've been reading a book called Shaping Success and watching a DVD called Crate Games, both by Susan Garrett. Both talk about agility and drive. In the book, Susan explains how she taught drive and focus to her border collie Buzz and in the DVD, she demonstrates how to increase drive for a toy and how to use that for agility. Although both focus on agility, we are using some of the methods for other forms of training as it increases the dog's desire to perform the behaviour to get the reward, eventually transferring the desire for the reward onto the required task (or agility equipment). Both are available online.

I love that one :D me too We loved it so much we bought the CD. It's called 'Dog Songs', the song is called 'German Shepherd' and it's track 7, not 4! We are in the process of teaching one of our Shepherds to bark in time to the song. Our plan is to be able to pull up at the lights, crank up the song, down the window and cue the dog. Should stop traffic! Out of interest, the CD also has songs about the Chihuahua, Great Dane, Cocker Spaniel, Terriers, Dashhund, Hunting Dog, Saint Bernard, Just Plain Dog (for the heinz variety lovers), Pekingese, Dalmatian, Boxer, Collie, Poodle and Boston Bulldog.

We brought home our pup a week ago. At the moment his bed is a crate in the bedroom next to our bed. This has worked on six Shepherds so far: Give him some exercise before bedtime to tire him out. Give him a small meal warmed up. Toilet him last thing before bed. Give him his favourite toy from the breeder so he had something to chew on. Give him something with the smell of his mum on it (ours was sent by his breeder from Sweden). Most importantly - don't give in to his whining unless you can tell for certain that he needs the toilet!

The dog on the Beneful packet is a wheaten terrier. Thanks for the correction.

Found this thread about dog back packs too. We use and are a distributor for one brand of back packs however if you'd like more info, please PM me. Can't put details here as posts of a commercial nature are against forum rules (promoting other people is fine, just not your own business).

We use a Rogz collar and harness on our pups because they are fully adjustable and grow with them. We use an adult leather leash from Dogquip that can adjust from 1.5 metres to 3 metres. We couldn't justify a light weight leash for a German Shepherd pup because they grow so fast.

What training method are you using at the moment? Praise and reward when calm or looking at the pram. Probably not a good description. I have never done any clicker training with her so wasn't really sure how to start. Thinking I should maybe get a trainer to come and have a look but again not sure. --Lhok Just finished watching a DVD from Susan Garrett called Crate Games. In one section, she demonstrates how using the click and treat method, she can get a long legged smooth coat border collie to go into a crate that's half his size in order to show how to get fearful dogs into a crate. The same method could be used to get your dog to walk next to the pram and want to be there. There are a number of threads about clicker training but the basic idea is to pair the sound of a clicker, word or hand signal (called a marker) to a treat. We use 'Yes' in a quiet super excited voice because I don't always have a clicker with me. You start by saying Yes and immediately giving a treat, then repeat this a number of times until you can see that the dog has associated the word with a treat. Make sure the treat is something she really likes. This is most commonly called charging the marker. The reason you do this is because the dog may do something you like but you probably wont be able to immediately get over to her to reward her. By saying Yes (or clicking etc) exactly at the moment the dog does what you want (called marking) and then giving a treat, the dog knows exactly which behaviour will get a reward because she will now associate the word with a treat. The next step is called shaping a behaviour. You start with the dog and the pram in the same room and try to remove any other distractions (ie people, food, toys). When you start, you should watch the dog very closely (but without staring at her) for any turn of the head or eyes towards the pram. The second she does, mark and treat. Then wait. Look for another turn, then immediately mark and treat. The idea is that you are rewarding her acknowledging the presence of the pram. Be calm, quiet and still in between so that you don't unconsciously guide the dog or reward for a behaviour you don't want. As your dog offers more behaviours ie look with the eye, then turns the head towards, then takes a step towards, then two steps towards and so on, mark and reward. If you mark and treat an eye turn, the next time she does it, mark again. The third time, don't mark. Let her try and work out what behaviour gets a treat. This is where you have to watch closely because she may offer the slightest behaviour in the direction you want and if you're not watching carefully, you may miss it. If she offers a behaviour in the right direction (towards the pram), mark and treat the first couple of times and then not the third as it will encourage her to offer more and more behaviours, one of which could be the one you want, ie when she's constantly looking at the pram, you now only mark and treat when she offers a new behaviour in the direction of the pram. Occasionally give a few extra treats when marking as this adds as extra encouragement. Think of it in the context of doing the dishes. The first few times you do it, you receive $20. The third time you do it, you get $70, the next time you get $20 but you now know that each time you do it, there's a chance you might get $70 - makes you more keen to keep doing it, right? Keep the sessions short so that she doesn't get bored. During a training session, Susan talks about letting the dog make a choice on what it wants to do but minimise the choices it has so that it has more chance of making a correct choice and being rewarded for it. If you want to use this method on your dog but are worried about getting it wrong, try it out on a human first. Have a friend stand in a room with you and explain that you want them to do something but cannot tell them what it is. Tell them they will have to figure it out themselves. You can tell them that when they hear Yes (or a click or whatever you want to use as a marker), they are on the right track. Think of something odd you want them to do, ie put a book on their head and then start the game. Remember to stay quiet and still but watch for any signs that they are heading towards the book, picking it up and putting it on their head. It's a great learning experience for trainers as it shows how effective this method is and how it can be applied to anyone or any animal (works on the OH too - just don't tell them what you're up to!). If you like you can borrow the DVD, otherwise it's available online. PM me if you're interested.

What training method are you using at the moment?

A Guard of German Shepherds

I am compiling a list of dog breeds that are (thanks to TV commercials) associated with products or brands, ie you see the dog and you think of Brand X. This is what I have so far: ACD for Midalia Steel Golden Retriever for Goldy Holdens Border Collie for Better Pets and Gardens Labrador for Kleenex German Shepherd for Ford Mondeo Old English Sheepdog for Dulux West Highland Terrier for My Dog Irish Wolfhound for Progressive Direct Insurance Jack Russell Terrier for Hyundai, Advocate Briard for Purina Beneful Can you think of any to add that have a specific product or brand recognition?

We bought our latest furkid an assortment of puppy toys in all different shapes, sizes and textures. Which one is his favourite? None, however this is a showing him playing with his new favourite toy. Each one keeps him amused for over 15 minutes and frozen ones get extra attention - go figure!