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I DEMAND PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!

Give pooch some time to adapt. A foster I have at the moment took 4 weeks to stop being a destructive little bugger....he has the occassional replase from time to time. Just remember to do what you can to keep pooch stress free whilst you're away from home. 1) provide a kennel or room where pooch can feel safe and secure & of course to sleep 2) Chew toys/bones 3) A couple of toys....don't overload the garden with toys - they become less desireable 4) Paddling pool / sand pit & teach them how to use it 5) Scatter small treats around the yard 6) Put a small portable radio outside (shower radio) out of reach of the dog of course. 7) Don't make a bog deal out of leaving.....put dog outside with a biscuit or something positive and leave. 8) Don't make a big deal about coming home, even leave it a few minutes before opening the door. 9) Use rescue remedy short-term to see if that helps - if things don't get better see your behaviourist/vet to discuss possibilities. 10) Fish oil has been related to lowering stress/aniexty

We use fish oil capsules that have Vit E in them - 1 per 10 kgs of body weight. With my Dane & GSD x if they were not getting the fish oil I would provide 1 x Vit E capsule every 2 days......careful on the supplimenting....speak with your vet or animal holistic practioner.

Dogs don't think like that I would suggest you go to your book store or research online for a toilet training program and start from scratch, it will be something that you are doing which is meaning the dog isn't toilet training correctly.

So sorry.....how grateful he was to have such a wonderful foster carer for the last 2 years of his life. Another Angel you know....

I'm also on the list for distance education. waiting......waiting.....

Interesting replies saying that too much potato causes Bloat.....University Studies show that they don't know 100% what causes bloat but have some therories such as the higher the bowl is elevated the higher the risk of bloat....never saw anything in the report about potato.

We ceased going to obedience with our older dog because she and us were bored to tears....we'd like to have more interaction and time to play with the dogs because 1 hour of solid training is too much for us.

Fantastic photos!!! Congrats to the winners! My Lee Lee is in there too! Danni - your kids look fantastic - Congrats!!!!!!

Interesting....anyone know of any vets in Sydney that do it? Just read about it, sounds interesting, not invasive and not dangerous.

Thanks heaps for the info Topa! Can you explain why further why you're feeding a higher meat ratio....are you referring to possible weight gain?

I haven't researched that part on it yet. However my understanding is that it is mainly a genetic disorder, so you can't stop genetics, however by using pre-ventives medicines can slow down the effect. HD can also be a product of over-excising a young dog or by a young dog being overweight etc etc. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

HI I'm Rufus' foster carer. Rufus is Kaeleigh's sister and they were xrayed together yesterday. Even though a doggy cart is great idea, these poor kids elbows aren't great either. What spured me to get Rufus xrayed was actually a problem with his elbow so I don't think they're going be doggy cart candiates. These 2 kids are very active and would just have a melt down if they had to be confined for long periods of time, these 2 will even scream and cry when left. Sadly Rufus is more advanced than Kaeleigh. So many different non-surgical options to consider...

Awww I'm so sorry to hear about your baby boy. Our thoughts are with you.

Just a few of us there today, the weather did give us a break....see you next time

Jacq in Rouse Hill says the weather seems ok, blue skys with the occassional shower so we're coming out.

Sorry to me 'I' think you over-did the dicipine, not only did you give him a whack but you also shook him and yelled at him....I'd be a little scared of you and probably wouldn't respect you much either.....sounds like pretty old-fashioned dog dicipline.......we've come a long way since then. Have you researched into NILIF, it's a training program designed for humans to gain Leadership status with their canine companions and also create a better behaved pooch. It's important to note that Leadership and Respect are 2 different things.

Jeez, I have a bad enough memory as it is and agility is something I'd like to get into LOL

funnily, according to the council, the person who complained about the barking, gave the reason that the barking caused his/her dog to be stressed!!! by the way, what does bark busters do? DON'T GO TO BARK BUSTERS....waste your money.....try a bark collar instead.....visit www.k9force.net to learn more. You can also rent them from here: http://www.innotek.com.au/prod_bark.htm My dog gets stressed by the neighbours dogs barking so I wouldn't dismiss their reason for complaining.

Ever heard of the 'Scat Matt'?

Yep, sounds like a bored pooch to me. Can pup not go in the backyard with kongs/bones etc?

Getting a dog based on the breed alone won't guarantee you a good guard dog. Each dog has their own personality & character. There are some really bad GSD & Rotti Guard dogs out there, they'd lick a robber to death LOL How about go with an older dog.....what you see is what you get. There are close to 1,000 rescue dogs at www.petrescue.com.au find a pooch you think is compatible with your family and call the shelter/carer and see if the dog will alert bark. I gather the dog will be part of the family and be allowed inside with you?

Sounds like a completely normal Labrador youngster to me. The only thing that seems to be missing is training & leadership.....doggie school for pup I'd say. Side note: I personaly don't feel labs get a brain until they're about 2, that's going by the labs we had when I was growing up.

Do you remember what breed dog?

I can't wait for the day that NDTF offer the course via correspondence! I've looked into flying in each month but it's not relaly financially viable I like the NDTF program rather then Delta as I don't believe in 100% pure positive training. Each to their own and whatever works for them