The Spencinator

I had a friend who lost her cavalier puppy because she ate a rat that had been poisoned with ratsak We had a problem with rats around the chickens earlier in the year. I was reluctant to try any bait due to the above mentioned so we relocated the chickens temporarily to a friend's place. The rats then started eating Spencer's poop because there was no longer any chicken food around... how disgusting!!!!!

Defying breed stereotypes left right and centre! Gorgeous photos.

If you wanted to contact a trainer I can highly recommend Alexis Davison (Scholars in Collars). She is the best in Adelaide in my opinion and will use methods kind to both you and your pup! Here is the website: Scholars in Collars (I hope that works!). But have to say I agree with the others and wouldn't be leaving a puppy that age outside alone.

Spencer is another one who dislikes 'harsh' brushes. When I got my furminator he stared to hate being brushed and looked all mopey and sad when I got it out. I got a zoom groom and he doesn't mind that (I use it wet and dry). What he loves though is just a regular human bristle brush... pity it doesn't get rid of much hair! I would give the zoom groom a go if I was you :)

This is what I was thinking. What if you were scared of GSPs for some reason? There would be no question that the guy should give you space if you request it (and really shouldn't approach in the first place). Just because you have a dog doesn't make it ok. The situation you were put in is one of the reasons why I'm looking at small dogs for my next breed... you can always just scoop them up and out of harms way if need be!

I love the comment, "clearly the golden is the smartest dog of the buch"!!!

Very sorry this happened it really is so distressing. I hope your boy is ok too! Just for anyone reading this thread and looking for ideas, I once saw a lady and her daughter walking their large dog with 2 leads attached (one for the kid and one for the mum). Appeared to work really well from where I was standing, gives the kid the novelty of walking the dog but parent stays in control if need be. Edit: Whoops just realised someone already suggested this!

Thanks for all your help guys. Very much appreciated! Might see you at a show some time in the future :)

Ok guys I'm new to the whole show scene but would like to go to a couple of dog shows and check them out. Hopefully this is the right place to ask my questions. First of all, am I allowed to just rock up? I assume you don't have to actually be showing a dog to enter the grounds? Also, how do I find out when shows are on and which breeds are going to be at said shows? I'm looking for shows close to Adelaide if anyone can help me out. Is there any etiquette I should know about? I would like to avoid putting my foot in it if at all possible :laugh: Thanks guys :)

My first dog was a BYB cavalier king charles spaniel called Jessy. I reckon I was about 6 when we got her (she was 'my' dog but I obviously had a lot of help). I remember being devastated that I wasn't allowed the train her at the local obedience club (I wasn't old enough!). My family honestly had no idea on how to raise a puppy and she still turned out great and had that completely bomb proof temperament (except for jetties... she could never work them out). I would definitely say CKCS would be a fab breed for a first time owner. Unfortunately Jessy passed away at age 9 due to heart problems (which I now know are one of the things that should be tested for in the breed). A photo of my beautiful girl is below :)

By the time it gets to that point you do whatever you need to do to protect you and your dog. I completely agree :)

Sorry I don't get this about threatening to kick other dogs. How would you feel if someone kicked, or threatened to kick, your dog? Surely there are more appropriate responses. I think it's that the polite request was completely disregarded. Stressmagnet may not have planned to carry through on the threat, but sometimes you have to be rude for people to take you seriously. If Ernie had gotten riled up and bitten the other dog, he would probably be the one in trouble... As the owner of a reactive dog I have come up with some creative one liners that work 9 times out of 10 (way better than "he's not friendly, stay away"). They include, "back up, he's got kennel cough", "be careful, he bites people" (when its them in danger they are much more obliging) or "he will draw blood" works pretty well. People tend to give you 'the look' and then leave pretty damn quick... pull those bad boys out next time and you can avoid confrontation a lot easier (at least in my experience) :)

Airdaler that looks fantastic! Great for pups who can't have a GA. Sorry if this question is a bit off topic but should I be brushing my lab's teeth as well as giving him things to chew? Or does he not need brushing because he gets plenty of bones/cow hooves etc.? His teeth look pretty good to me but I am definitely no expert and don't really know what to look for. It has only just occurred to me that perhaps I should be doing both?

I've not had experience with this myself but had a friend who could not get permission for a 3rd dog in Mitcham council because one neighbour didn't like dogs (although had not registered a complaint about her dogs in the past??). "I don't like dogs" was apparently a good enough reason for the council to turn her down. She was unable to get this sorted so she ended up moving to another council area specifically so she could get the 3rd dog!

My apologies Rebanne, this was not my intention. Just giving advice based on my own experience :)

Rebanne I certainly hope I didn't come across that way. There is no reason why this family can't be fantastic dog owners but the fact is many young labs end up in pounds or locked in the back yard because of their delightful(?) exuberance. So its important she knows what she's in for. The more information they have the better.

As an owner of a reactive dog I can't express how much this brings me to tears sometimes. Even walking the streets near my inner suburban house is stressful. Last week we had the biggest GSD I have ever seen jump his 2 foot high front fence and charge across the road barking/snarling etc. My fight/flight mechanism kicked in and I bolted in the other direction (scared for my own life let alone Spencer's). Meanwhile Spencer is going off his nut at this dog (understandably) and I hear the owner laugh and yell, "don't worry, he's harmless"....... he's just lucky my flight rather than fight mechanism kicked in!!!!!!

Yay! This is awesome. Congrats!

Being a sleep researcher and a dog lover... I can't wait to see the results of this study!

I know it happens a lot but a labrador puppy for someone who has never owned a dog before is one heck of a starter puppy (as I'm sure stressmagnet can attest to)! If they will listen, point them in the direction of Labradog Rescue in NSW. They are fantastic and will definitely give them a reality check. They don't have puppies very often I don't think (and by the sounds of things wouldn't give one to this family anyway) but might be able to convince them to start with an older lab? I do have experience with a breeder from NSW so if you want to PM me about them then feel free. If all else fails, make sure they have the name of a really good, really experienced trainer... they're going to need it!!!

Just thought I would add my experience. I've been a few places for agility in Adelaide. I live in the inner southern suburbs and being committed to not using aversives in Spencer's training, my options are limited. We have been going to Holdfast Dog Centre for over a year now but its a similar situation there. Lots of dogs in a class so not many runs. They are also not geared towards competition so we plateaued in terms of ability pretty quick there. I went to West Beach for a while but didn't feel particularly welcome... I might have just been unlucky with who I encountered. I can strongly recommend Sharon Taylor from True Colours Dog Training at Gawler. She is absolutely fantastic and is the reason I still have hope for getting Spencer competing. It takes me over an hour to drive out there but we do a 3 hour class so its worth it (we go once a month). If anyone does come up with a recommendation for something positive based in the southern suburbs please let me know!

Thanks GrufLife, I've passed on your suggestions. You have been very helpful, thank you!

Hi everyone, thought I would give an update on Spencer. It's been a while and we have the hectic end of year uni chaos to thank for that! Spencer has now been on fluoxetine for over 6 weeks and I haven't noticed a difference unfortunately Plus side is there haven't been any side effects so I expect his dose will be raised when we go back for our review. Does anyone have any experience with dogs on fluoxetine? I would love to hear others' experiences. I think what has improved is my skills in managing him. We have some really firm routines in place for when visitors come over and we have only been walking a certain route which avoids dogs behind fences. I think this has been helping him. Only problem is the management plan goes out the window if I'm not home when visitors rock up and the remainder of my family is left to manage him. It was also really encouraging to see him begin to really come out of his shell at agility on the weekend and start to clown around like he does at home rather than look a bit mopey. We have an awesome instructor to thank for that!

Thanks guys. I hadn't thought of WEA, thanks! She did get him from a reputable breeder but this was when they lived interstate so not really practical to go back for lessons haha. I'll pass on the idea of asking her breeder if she has contacts here in SA who could teach her.

Hi everyone, I have a friend interested in doing a dog grooming course. We're talking something pretty simple, she just wants to groom her shitzu herself at home but currently has no idea where to start. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks!