Pepper21

Any formal education is simply a foundation. I don't think that there are any courses which specifically look at a certain aspect of training - whether that's protection, sport, reactivity etc. At least, that's the case in Australia. There are only really two contenders available in Aus; Delta and NDTF. If you're thinking about getting a bit more into some focused aspect of training, there are tonnes of courses available overseas. - The Karen Pryor academy is largely distance, but has a few workshops which requires you to travel to the U.S. There are only a handful of trainers in Aus that have done this. I'm fairly impressed with their training skills, but less so with their people skills; they're very intolerant of people who use aversives. - The Jean Donaldson school (Academy for Dog Trainers (http://academyfordogtrainers.com/index.html) is all distance but hugely expensive. I've spoken to one person who did this course (not distance, but actually working with Jean) and she was not very complementary of her attitude. The content was OK, but as with any distance course, you can only learn so much. - For Dog sports, you cannot go past Michael Ellis' school. There are multiple Leerburg DVD's with him, but I personally cannot stand Ed Frawley's narration. You can't go past his workshops, I've heard nothing but good things from people who have participated. The nosework classes (done by Andrew Ramsey) are apparently incredible, as are the protection classes. - Denise Fenzi is good too, but I'm hearing mixed reviews. I think the multitude of courses available and the easy to access format is amazing. But apparently the top level is a must in order to actually get anything out of it. - The Tom Rose school is relatively big in the U.S. It's incredibly expensive and intensive (you live at the venue, in Missouri). I've also heard mixed reviews about this, and only one Aussie person has done the course. Forrest Micke is a graduate there, before (I think) attending Michael Ellis' school. It's apparently pretty balanced; teaching a range of training methods and letting you decide. One of the passing prerequisites is to train a dog to competition level obedience with purely positive methods. However you also have to use e-collars and prong collars for other parts of the course - I personally think this is a good idea because it lets you make up your mind about the tools and methods. - For training dog tricks, you can't go past 'do more with your dog' by Kyra Sundance. This one sounds like a lot of fun and I'm planning on doing it with my dog in the near future :) But of course, you can't go past an apprenticeship with a few local trainers. Or volunteering/fostering for a dog rescue. Sorry, I didn't realise how long this post would be!

Some vet clinics can do 4 weeks free with petplan. It's worth calling around and asking. And yes, PetPlan is definitely the way to go :)

I'm hoping this picture attaches. Saying goodbye to old Pepper, my German shepherd, when I was a teenager. Very sad day, that one. I think it's a really good idea to do photos like the ones in that article. You can never have too many pictures of dogs, especially the old timers :)

Aww dear. I feel your pain. One of mine just recovered from a collateral tear (plus both cruciates). My advice is supplement the crap out of her. Mine is on Rose hip and it seems to be quite good. Another option is Orthopet (http://www.dogsinmotion.com.au/portfolio/custom-orthotics-and-prosthetics/). They're not cheap (it was ~$1000 for my husky), and my dog luckily didn't need it, but I've heard rave reviews about them. Keeping both dogs separate with a baby gate is also advisable, to prevent any play mishaps. Swimming might be a good idea for your new pup as well, to tire him out so he's not so full on with Daisy-Mae.

PetPlan or Bow Wow Meow. Bernard's are pretty expensive I think, because of their short lives and giant breed status. I think that the number #1 thing you need to get cover for is tick paralysis, but not sure if that's an issue where you are. Also get cover for cruciate repair - but that usually has a 6 month exclusion depending on who you go with, so get it sooner rather than later.

Not sure where you are but Vicki Austin is a great puppy school teacher. She runs courses for other trainers to improve their puppy program too :) http://www.vickiaustin.com.au/services.php

Totally agree with what RiverStar-Aura said; Staffies are terriers, and like any terrier they can be tenacious little monsters (I love that quality, to be honest). I personally wouldn't let my little dog interact with larger dogs. My smaller dog was accidentally trodden on by my larger dog which resulted in 6 months of cage rest and multiple surgeries. On another forum I am on, a poster was very distressed because his 10 month old BoerBoel (I think that was the breed) stepped on his Brussels Griffon's head and ultimately killed it (extensive brain damage resulted in it being put to sleep later that day). A total accident, simply due to size differences and lack of body awareness. I agree with other posters who suggested you find some similar sized doggy friends to socialise with. I'm not a fan of on-leash greetings anyway, so I'd recommend you avoid that too.

Craig A. Murray - http://www.dogschool.com.au/

I don't know why, but it really irks me when people ask 'will he bite?', after they've already started patting my dog (without asking permission). Depending on who asks, I find it very entertaining to reply 'only if he smells blood, you don't have open wounds, do you?' Responses vary from recoiling to nervous laughs.

It's very common for vet nurses to get asked to help out with dog minding (especially with diabetic dogs/cats). I've been asked a few times and the only reason I decline is because I have my own animals to take care of :)

I'm working with a dog that is quite severely reactive of other dogs. He spent 3 weeks at that place and came back a mess. However, I've worked with both of his sisters and they're both weak nerved, defensive dogs so it could be in the breeding. All I know is he was fine previously, and wasn't after staying there.

'And if the other dog is a bull breed type which has 'locked on' bashing it on the head with anything won't do a thing except make it more determined to hold on.' I think that's true of any dog though, particularly terriers, not just bull breeds. Bully breeds don't tend to redirect as much as most other breeds, which is a massive advantage in my opinion. That's the reason, as Hockz said, that you can use break sticks on them without fear of a bite.

I agree with everyone, prevention is the key. That means having a bomb proof recall, not going to dog parks, and having a means of scaring off loose dogs. If you're dog sees that you're capable of fending off strays, she'll be unlikely to react defensively. I've trained one of my dogs to 'go behind'; she stands behind my legs while I deal with the dog. I've heard of people training their dogs to climb trees too. As a vet nurse, it's not uncommon for dog attack victims to come in with some awful injuries. Their owners are also often sporting some punctures because they attempted to intervene. I honestly would not try to stop the kind of dog fight that's all noise; teeth and slobber flying, posturing etc. Because the dogs are often so stimulated that they'll redirect onto you without even realizing. If there's a hose nearby, or a bucket of water, this is often sufficient at startling them into stopping. For serious fights (the predatory types, where one or both dogs are hell bent on killing), a spray of water isn't going to do much. If you've got a leash, swing the clip end around one dogs neck (the aggressor), and loop it through the handle. Pull upwards, to literally choke the dog off its target. I've only had to do this once, but it was good in that I didn't have to actually touch either dog, and therefore wasn't bitten. Otherwise, like other threads/posters have mentioned, grabbing the dog by the back legs and pulling/walking backwards is sometimes effective. It may stop the ripping/shaking action that is really how most of the damage occurs. Having said all that, it's pretty useless if you're up against multiple dogs and are alone. My mum, who is a tiny woman, was walking my husky when she was set upon by 2 Labs. Despite kicking the dogs in the head and ribs, they had my husky on her back in a second and were going to work. Neither had a leash or collar, and the owners were a way off. If my mum had a can of pepper spray, or a big stick, perhaps things would have been different.

http://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/spay_neuter_considerations_2013.pdf That's a summary of people's concerns about early desexing. Granted, there are one or two problems with it - it's still a very interesting read.