blacklabrador

OK I didn't get a chance to buy a halti today (can't find my old one) But the good news is that a check chain WORKED A TREAT!!!! I took her out and the first dog she barked at (which was about five houses away and not barking at her) I checked her and gave a big "NOOOO" and she required no more than that on any dog barking or cat running away etc etc. I didn't take her past the bad house as suggested - we will just work on the less provoking targets for a while. She also walked much more nicely on a loose lead :cool: It was an absolute joy. She can come on a walk with me any day :D Thank you for all your advice - I shoulda tried the check chain before I posted ;)

no you're right - and that was my plan until they're sorted. The others can get away with little walks and doing zoomies in the back yard anyway I am going to try the halti first.

I don't know if it's on the way from Canberra but I stayed in a place in Scone that allowed me to have Tbone inside. The lady that runs the park has got 5 rescue chis - she feels sorry for the dogs sleeping outside in the cold!! The cabin actually had a little bedroom with a sliding door... so I sat him on his mat in there. Its a van park - pretty much the first place on the right as you enter town (if you were coming from the south)

Thanks Isaviz. First I will try a halti or a check chain. If that doesn't work I will be back for more suggestions

I don't praise her until she has walked a few metres ignoring them. Each time I had jumped on her saying "NO" the moment she pricked up her ears to start. Once she calmed and walked on a few metres she was praised.

There are two great Van Villages up there - very tolerant of dogs - but must be onlead and outside.

I could avoid it - but I would prefer to cure the behaviour so we can walk in areas that I don't know. Yeah I tried walking on the other side of the street - these particular dogs still bark.

ETA She is also walked on a flat collar. I haven't tried check chains or anything else.

Ok that should be titled "Walking MY feral dogs past other feral dogs" My lab girl gets a bit over reactive when we walk past dogs behind fences that bark at us. It has been a problem ever since she stayed in a boarding kennel last year (not sure how it came about). When a dog starts barking she growls and then goes mental - barking and jumping and twisting in the air to get off the lead - wanting to go toward the dog that is barking. If there is an opportunity for her to get to the dog - once she reaches it it's all wagging tails and wanting to play. Tonight I took her for a walk and was determined to try to get this under control. The first time a dog started she growled and I immediately said "No" and grabbed her by the collar and put my hand around her muzzle while I told her off. It worked - she listened and we kept walking - she got lots of praise. It happened a second time and I did the same again it worked. Third time was a fence that has FOUR DOGS who are allowed to run up and down barking. It's always a problem. This time I couldn't calm her - she actually broke the lead and ran over - again wagging her tail and zooming up and down the fenceline with excitement once she got there. I am having difficulty interpreting this behaviour - as she seems so aggressive initially yet seems to only have the intention of playing once she reaches the dog. She is a dog that is very well socialised and shown twice a fortnight. It's a difficult situation to control her as I usually have the Crestie or the Boston on lead while walking too. I need good, sound advice with this situation. Nasty responses will be told where to go NB the lead was a Crazy Clarkes one - I won't be using that type again.

I believe that the Brisbane Obedience Club trains at Stone's Corner one night a week - that would be your closest one I think. Every club has it's positive and negative points - you're probably just best to go along and see for yourself

Just a correction there. Benedryl is merely a cough suppressant. It will not cure a dog with kennel cough. It will give the dog a few hours break from coughing which is sometimes needed for everyone in the house to get some sleep. When a dog has KC the cough is very loud - like a seal barking!! I have had excellent results with using Drosera homeopathic drops from the vet. They calm the coughing down AND have the potential to shorten the life of the virus - which they seem to do well. My last case of KC lasted only 48 hours. The dog was treated with Drosera within four hours of the first cough. Gemibabe re cough supressant medicine - there are weight measurements on the bottle. The doseage isn't too stringent - I am able to give 5 - 10 ml to a 30kg dog (child ) according to the bottle. I use Durotuss though - so just check whatever it is that you buy. It's "Pholcodene" (sp?) that you need. If you want to, run the brand/ingredients by the vet to make sure before you give it.

Yep my dogs all burp. T bone is the worst offender I think - probably the fastest eater too. He lets a big one go and I say "good one matey are you gonna scratch your nuts now??" (well where they would be if you had any?)

Well actually, it comes from the show ring and putting pieces of food in my mouth while I stack the dogs. have you tried the liver treats in your mouth??? I try to use BBQ chicken in the ring cause it tastes ok :p

PW - fascinating approach.... however irrelevant to the question.. To the OP - you have a lab - are you having difficulty interesting it in food????? :rofl: I used homebaked liver treats, BBQ chicken, kibble... hell my dogs would work for a piece of carrot

I can disagree with this from personal experience. I work for one of the major chain of GP surgeries on the east coast of Australia. I have contact with drug reps on a daily basis. They provide the Drs with a nice lunch while they try to push their product down the Dr's throats.... and the "equipment" they provide is tissues, tongue depressors, pens, sticky tape holders, rulers... etc etc. anything that will put their brand constantly in the face of the Dr. If the provided REAL equipment my job would be a whole lot easier. In saying that I suspect that vets probably get DISCOUNTED stocks of food so they get more PROFIT when they sell it. That would be a benefit that would be impossible to detect as a vet nurse unless you were doing the bookwork. I know a guy who was a vet student a few years ago and he had all his dogs supplied with free science diet for the whole time he was studying. So they do start brainwashing early. There is a whole book all about the politics that goes on between dog food companies and vets - how the crappy food actually keeps the vets in business. VEEERRRY INTERESTING! If anyone wants the name of that book PM me and I will find out. Like Drs I believe that vets get very little training in nutrition. I'd love to see "dieticians" for dogs the same way we have them for humans. The only people like that who exist work for dog food companies as far as I know. Wierd huh?? yeah totally.

So sorry to hear that Macdolly....

Don't beat yourself up - I can't see that ice cream on occassion could possibly CAUSE diabetes in a dog. snap Miranda - I shoulda read all the posts first

I wouldn't say that the majority of people/breeders recommend raw diet but a lot do. There is a thread on this page about vet and raw food. Most raw feeders struggle with their vet on that aspect.

Not all vets are against BARF Some can think outside the square. One of the practitioners I see regards dried food as "junk food for dogs" which always makes me laugh. He is a behaviourist too - and believes that eliminating dried food from the diet can help calm them down. I reckon the condition of my dogs speak for themselves too

Perhaps keep her crated while not supervised inside? Wait until she is older and more reliable before you leave her unsupervised inside.

oh Fifi that is such a tragic loss... just a puppy. Sorry to hear that. Run free Soxy.

So sorry to hear about Dodge. What an awful shame. From one lab lover to another - I know how much you must be missing that face. RIP Dodge.

Sorry to hear about your boy MM :D

That is excellent news.

ahh the big dispenser bottles should be okay - but I think that all plastic does leach to some extent (hence the taste as Cactus said) so personally I would only use ceramic or stainless steel - and change the water daily and scrub every few days.