Echo

Glad to hear that Beau is well on the mend, and also that you have now been treated decently by the clinic responsible. I hope he can make a full recovery and be back in the show ring. Best of luck. Julie

We have GSD's. After working them up to it, eventually ours will do 500 meters each. I do it in two sessions, with a short (3-4 min) break in between. We do this 2-3 times per week. These are adult dogs. I would not recommend any where near that distance for youngsters. I start regular swimming at about 10months of age, but for much shorter distance. Hope this helps. Julie

I taught my dogs to respond very well by using food treats. Start off in the house. While you are close to the dog and with the dog facing you, blow, then treat immediately. Repeat several times in a row, so the dog begins to associate the sound with a treat. Then move on: Wait for the dog to lose interest in you, and when it starts to walk off, blow again. As soon as the dog returns, treat. Keep the whistle and treats with you whenever you can, and practice as often as you can. It only took a couple of days to get a quick and reliable response, with the whistle being blown from different places in the house. After the conditioning was done inside, I moved it to outside. If I was out in the yard with the dogs, I would wait until they were away from me, then blow and treat as soon as they came. If the dogs were out, and I was inside: At random times throughout the day, I would step outside and blow the whistle. Then treat as soon as they came. Because I have four dogs, and they are all highly motivated by food, it soon became a bit of a competiton to see who could get to me first, even though they all recieved a treat. So the speed involved in responding is fantastic. We have a very long driveway, and I mainly use it to bring the dogs back up to the house when visitors arrive at the gate. If I were to yell at them to come, everyone in the neighbourhood would be able to hear me yelling at the dogs.They will respond to this first time, every time. They also respond just as well when we are out on walks, and can hear it from a long distance. I have been able to call them off a chase (rabbit) when in full flight. Just remember to use the treats a lot, until your dog is responding reliably, then cut them down to random rewards. Julie

I'm a little confused. If this is so, (bold) then why do you need to add the "stay" command at all? Julie

No problem magnum. Glad I could save you wasting your money. It wasn't cheap. And you are correct, either they have great colour or they don't. Julie

Looks good to me. I like it. Easy to navigate, with all the information a prospective member would need. Julie P.S. Just had a thought, a few photos may make it a bit more interesting to look at.

I bought it to improve red pigment in one of my dogs. Used a whole large container, as per instructions. No result at all. Spoke to the lady I bought it from, who said I should continue using it, but at a larger than recommended dose. "Doing so would not harm my dog, as it was all natural." she said. So I gave it another try. Still no result whatsoever. I found it to be completely ineffective and a big waste of money. Julie

I agree fully with cavNrott. For all the reasons mentioned, this could turn into something you will regret doing. Also, like Sway, I have had people wanting to buy two pups from me, and have talked them out of it. This is not a decision to be made lightly, both for your happiness, and that of the pups. Julie

I would not be worried. This is a natural stage of any pup's growth. Pups go through different stages as they grow. Typically, 11 weeks is a leggy stage for most pups. You will find that this will alter, as the rest of the body will catch up, and the leginess will disappear. Julie

My dogs will work for almost any food, but they really like things that are a bit soft and juicy. Also, soft and juicy is eaten more quickly than things that are dry / crunchy. Doesn't interfere with your training while you wait for the dog to chew it. I do not like using dried / processed food for treats. The fried lambs liver (already suggested) or chicken thigh fillets, just nuke them until they are cooked, but still soft. Then cut into small pieces.Both of these are of highest value for my dogs. I use the thighs, instead of breasts, because they do not seem to crumble when cut up. Also a bit cheaper. Julie

Can you post a photo of your pup, or tell us how much he weighs? Julie

I am sooooo jealous. Sounds like you all had a blast, despite the rain. I really wanted to go to this event, but just couldn't fit it in. As much as I hate to see any dog fail, the BH competitor sure did it in style and would have given the crowd a bit of a laugh. Is Alison's bitch the Belgian? If so, I have seen her work and she is a joy to watch. The teamwork between the two is really something. The workshops also sounded like they would be good value. Sorry that I had to miss them as well. The critiquing is one of the best aspects of any trial or specialist show. They can be quite lengthy at times, but also very educational. Shame you all had to stand in the rain to hear them though. I'm glad you had a good time up there, just wish I could have joined in. Julie

I spoke to a canine orthodontist once about putting braces on a dog's teeth. His opinion was, that if the dog was not fully mature, then any alteration made by the braces could change after the skull reaches maturity. There was no guarantee that you would get the desired result, even in a mature dog. Other problems would occur from gum infection caused by bacteria from food stuck in the braces. This would also be a very costly procedure. He said to me, "I could take someone's money, if they insisted on having it done, but there would be no guarantee on achieving the desired result." If the dog's canines are causing damage to the gums, then I would probably consider having them removed. Julie

This is not normal, and I would be very wary of any club that insists on this. As previously stated, not all dogs will work well on a Halti, so other equipment must remain an option. Depending on the dog, and your training skills, you may have to use a flat collar, or even a correction collar, or maybe a Halti. But to insist that every dog wear one from the beginning, is not the right way to go. Look for a club where they base their training on motivation, by way of food, toys praise etc. Good luck with your training. Julie

I have taken mine a couple of times over the years to the local pool/spa shop. Fixed it, no problem. Much cheaper than a new bath, if the pump is the only problem. Julie

If you are going to use food as a motivator for training during the day, then it makes sense not to feed a morning meal. Your dogs will be keener to work for the food, and will not be sluggish due to a belly full of food. I also agree that there is a risk of bloat if you work a dog too soon after it has been fed. However, if you use food to train during the day, it should be calculated as part of the dog's main meal, not in addition to, otherwise your dog will become overweight. Julie

Good question. I imagine, a suitable answer would make you a millionaire!! I'd pay for it.

I have just looked at the Devon Meadows website. The photo of the pool shows a ramp leading up to the edge of the pool for the dogs to walk up. What happens then? Are the dogs supposed to jump off the ramp into the water? Or is there another ramp for them to walk down? Also, do you have to make an appointment, or do you just turn up? Thanks Julie

Go to your local produce store and buy "Performa 3" oil. It is a product made for horses, but is good for dogs as well. Contains Omega 3, 6 and 9. My Vet recommended it to me for our dogs (GSD's) and they have lovely coats and skin. Get your dog onto it straight away, as it will take some weeks to really see any difference. We feed twice a day and add 5ml to each feed. This would be the ammount you will need for your dog. You should continue to use this all the time, not just for the big show in May. We are also showing / trialling at the National and the following week in Melb. Good luck with your boy. Julie

I reckon you will be blown away. These dogs and handlers work very well together. Julie

Hello, we have dogs that work hard and was given a recommendation by our Vet. to use a product called "Vytrate". We give it to them before, during and after a hard workout. The dogs drink it readily and we have never had problems with our dogs dehydrating. If you check out the website below, it tells you a bit about it. It is primarily made for scouring lambs and piglets, but came highly recommended by our Vet. for use in dogs as well. Interestingly, I went to a lecture by Alex Hawler some time ago. He was a Vet. right into greyhounds and he also recommended this same product. It is not expensive and you can make up whatever quantity you need, and I keep the undiluted solution in the fridge, ready for whenever we need to make some up. I also use it if I have a dog or pup that may be scouring. Very good for that as well. http://www.oakeyvet.com.au/templates/prodS...p;group_no=2044 Julie

I agree with Magnum. This is typical for a lot of GSD pups at this age. Don't worry, just have fun with your baby. Cheers Julie

Thanks for that. I didn't realise there were so many different forms of Wandering Jew. Pictures are great. Now I know what to look for. Julie

This place looks pretty good from the outside. I have been watching the building progress since they started some time ago. Very large. Not only do I want to use their pool, (as it will be closer to me than any others) but the sign out the front says it will be a 24 hour emergency facility as well. Nice to know, just in case. Cheers Julie

Hi there, I use a product called "Performa 3" which has Omega 3, 6 and 9. It is manufactured for use in horses, but is still good for dogs as well. You can buy it from any produce store and 5lts will cost the same as 1 ltr of the product listed in the post above. I buy a 5ltr container and share it among some of my friends. Works out much cheaper at around $8.00 per litre. Very happy with this product. Julie