Erny

Stormie - you're right. But for many, they don't know to tell the difference until perhaps after the event. Not to wage a war on Vets. There are some out there who I have used and who are pure angels wearing white coats. But the only reason I know that is due to the others I saw a long the way and I then had a bench mark for comparison. Yet without that benchmark, I trusted the others, because what else could I know? Not everyone reads DOL. I didn't even know DOL existed back then. When a Vet prescribes, the general public often have no background knowledge to be able to base a question mark. And most don't believe they need that background knowledge, because they automatically presume they can and should trust their Vet's advice. And that's how it should be. A great Vet is pure gold.

Recalls - I would use an e-collar for this. Some prefer to use the vibration stim but some dogs are more sensitive to that and find it aversive by comparison to a very low e-stim. Teach the dog that the stim means to look at you. If not for this, the dog would need to be on a lead or long-line for the most of, in not the total of, its time out of the home. If you teach this, then you can do almost anything with the dog (that anyone else might be able to do with theirs) with the use of hand signals. Also, teach the dog to 'check in on you'. Every time the dog looks at you, give him a yummy food treat. Make sure you have a food pouch full and that you wear the food pouch all the time you're around the dog. Work the "TOT" exercise (see sticky at top of training forum) - this will help build strong focus and command response.

Seems Jed (think I will always call her that, even though I realise her true name) needs some extra strong thoughts just now, given the set-back just reported in the "sticky" above. Come on, Jed ..... you've come this far. You saved lives, even though you couldn't save them all ........... you saved some. And they'll be wanting to see you. So, come on, Jed.

Some areas of Victoria experienced a bit of an "Indian Summer" over the April period. Wonder if that's confused nature a bit? Took me a while to realise that the black in your photo was actually the shadow, so to me it looked like a bit of black ribbon and I wondered if you were fixing some sort of hoax. I love nature and am often in awe of it. The 'baby Tiger' resting in the tree trunk - its colours blended in so well with the colouring of the tree trunk. I could well imagine that if you didn't know it was there, your eyes could so easily pass over without recognising its presence. Nature is so clever. What district was the snake, Wolfgirl? Erny respects snakes and likes and admires them as part of the wonder of nature .............. but shivers at the thought of coming across them all the same.

You can after the 12 week vacc? I always thought you could only do it after their 16 week. Something else to chat to with the vet, thanks BB. My boy had his puppy vacc at 6 weeks and then again at about 12 weeks. I didn't do a 3rd vacc, because I thought I was doing the right thing. But it seems I got it a bit mixed up. Fast track a bit and I'm 'talking' with Dr. Jean Dodds, she told me that had his 2nd puppy vacc been after 14 weeks of age, I wouldn't need to go for the annual booster, but because he had his before 14wo, she recommended that I do the one annual booster at 15mo. I had intended to do that, thinking that his earlier health issues would have been well and truly in hand and he'd be well and strong come the 15mo mark. But that wasn't to be the case so I didn't go ahead with the booster. What I did instead was have him titred, even though this was 12 months on from his last puppy vacc. Results showed sufficient level of antibodies, even though he'd had 2 x puppy vacc and not 3, and even though the 2nd vacc was at 12wo. Don't know if this info is any help to you working things out in your mind?

Thanks for the explanation, Ellz. I agree, if I had a pup I wouldn't like sawdust nor woodchips. The first because it would have to inhale far too easily (knew a horse who was stabled with a flooring of sawdust ..... he ended up with and died of a form of emphysema as a result) and I'd imagine woodchips, abrasion aside, would be somewhat tempting to chew on and ingest. And yes, being a horsey person from way back, I can appreciate the wonderful sweet, clean smell of fresh chaff.

because I don't get the impression the carport is as a "puppy pen" or specifically a dog enclosure (perhaps I'm wrong?) but doesn't the chaff get up their sniffing little noses? I guess not, or I suspect you wouldn't use it, but just curious .

Would a Lilydale Topping surface work better? I don't know much about it but I do believe you need to roller it well otherwise it will spread everywhere, and that some people add some cement powder to help it all to bind and to reduce the "tracking" element of it. If it's done properly, I'm not sure how much of it (if any) would "track". Horus, DOL's resident garden guru, would probably have a better idea as I presume he would have used or come across it in his garden adventures at some stage or other.

May I just mention here that there is at least one bank where, if you're an old-fashioned style person like myself and don't do internet banking, you cannot use letters of the alphabet as a reference. (Eg. Banking to an account via Westpac, you can only use a combination of 4 numerics.) But then I guess an email to MDBA letting them know of your deposit and the reference number combo you used, and date of deposit, would get you around that.

Meant to say : I agree with PF. I'm not comfortable about putting a head-collar on a lunging/leaping pulling type dog, where the handler is so novice to not be able to co-ordinate timing and who doesn't quite have a very good lead handling skills. Nor am I comfortable about a head-collar being used on pups/young dogs.

..... Perhaps "that will deliver a clearer message" is a better impression rather than "heavy duty" ? What one dog feels at one level, another might feel at a different level. Doesn't necessarily mean that the correction is more severe to that dog. Agree - I won't allow restraints that rely on plastic clip attachments to hold dogs, in our classes. Seen too many of them give way. ETA: :D Huski - saw your video clip with you working Daisy in a (was it) a "mock" trial situation? Doing very well and achieving nice focus and excellent command responses. Well done

Sorry, question directed to Huski and I'm butting in here - hope you don't mind, Huski? No - turn and then, if your dog has not volunteered to turn as well, check. Give the dog a chance to 'win'. There are other techniques as well, although I find it much easier to teach them with demonstration as well as explanation rather than by written word alone. Yes, you should. It is not good to try to train two dogs at once. Train one. Train the other. THEN train them that what they've both learnt individually also applies to when they are together. Otherwise it is too hard on you and unfair due to lack of clarity, on the dogs.

I understand your post and like the honesty of it, Staffy lover. IMHO, I think the PPCollar is actually kinder than a check chain and martingale. So long as you don't live in Victoria, you can use it anywhere else in Australia and for that matter, the world. Above the PPCollar, the E-Collar is kinder still, used on the "low level/negative reinforcement" method. Of all the collars (including an ordinary flat collar) the E-Collar does not have any bearing on the dog's muscular or skeletal system at all and has been proven to be the least stressful to the dog. The latter being said where all things are equal : IE that the training method and handling of one tool to another is sound and appropriately applied. What you do want is something that is effective. Because, if your dog is pulling (regardless of neck or head-collar restraint) then your dog is applying pressure to its muscle and skeletal structure. Not to mention the part that we don't get to see, and that's the dog's stress levels as a result of restraint. An effective training tool, properly handled, sends a message that helps to make it clearer to your dog as to what not to do and that in itself can open up a whole bunch of other windows to show and reward the dog for behaviours we do want. I prefer to first teach a dog what TO do before I teach a dog what NOT to do. But sometimes there is so much learnt behaviour that in certain circumstances/environments the dog doesn't exhibit "desired" behaviour, which makes it near impossible to show it what TO do. So sometimes the "NOT" needs to come before the "TO". I think that made sense?

I prefer them to a check chain as well, although for some dogs, a martingale is not enough/suitable/sufficient.

I would run from any training club that required me to use a head collar. I agree, Huski, although I'll expand on that. I don't agree with any training club that "requires" people to use any one particular training tool. In a class format, unless it is designed to train for/with head-collars in particular, I don't think it's a great idea to let people choose to use a head-collar though as the style of lead handling differs to that from how we use other neck style training tools. But they can be integrated into a class format if they've had a bit of one-on-one tuition outside of class with the opportunity of explaining to them that you don't "check" the leash using a head-collar (and with some explanation on what you do do with the lead using a head-collar). Disclaimer : BUT, if I see a dog in a training tool that is NOT suitable for either it and/or the handler, then I will talk to the owners and suggest another. If the owner/handler doesn't agree, instead insisting they use what they have AND if as a consequence they are unable to safely restrain their dog, then they aren't suitable for a class format anyway.

They are a training tool (although in my earlier days, I didn't see them that way ..... we live, learn and grow). If they weren't a training tool, then dogs would not learn to not pull, even if it is they only learn not to pull when wearing one. IMO they are more difficult (read : time consuming; laborious; awkward; less simple) to wean a dog off the wearing of one and back to a neck type collar, simply because it is most noticeable for the dog when a head collar is (finally/eventually) removed as compared with (say) a check chain to a martingale. Head Collars aren't my most favourite training tool but they do have their place for some and I will not deny the use of one if I feel that for the dog/human combo it is the best for the job. But unlike some orgs/people, I will not omit to point out to people who might potentially use (or who already use) a head collar that it is NOT the "kind, gentle" training tool that (by implication) they might be thought to be.

Wow .... if hair works as well as it is purported to, what a great natural way of helping to clean up spills from the ocean.

People like that should be : Made to wear a "dangerous human" collar; Muzzled when out in public; Made to live in a concreted floor, fully enclosed run; Only be allowed out for walks on a 1 metre lead; Confined to the back yard; Not allowed to speak excessively; Microchipped and registered; Neutered; and ...... I won't go into "Breed Specific Legislation" and talk about being listed as a "dangerous breed" because that would be racist.

If he is farting excessively, and if they stink badly, there's an indication that not all is as it should be. But then, it also all depends on what he is fed.

Are you able to contain him in the laundry? Would that be more familiar to him? If you google "Crate Training" you should find lots of sites that will address the "how to" of crate training. And of course you can't keep him contained in the crate for too long, so walks (use a long line) are going to be on the list, assuming he's energetic enough for them. Something that bothers me though - is it that he's too warm inside the house and that's why he retreats to the outdoors? Does he pant much? If he's feeling hot (even though the weather is frigid), make sure he's got a nice cool place (but draft and dampness free) to rest. No point jumping to any conclusions until bloods are draw and all tests done with results known, and I also could be completely off the mark (maybe misinterpreting your posts content), but I'm thinking something about the adrenal gland could be going on. If the bloods don't show anything and don't point anywhere in particular, an Ultra Sound might be the next step, or at least one of them that you might wish to consider. But if your Vet is a good one, you'll be under his/her advisement. And first step is those bloods.

+1 :D

How old is your boy? Wish mine didn't care. He froths at the mouth at the scent of a bitch (in season or not), and his eyes go that 'glazy far away look'. He looks silly. Boys .

May I just add, Mita, that my suggestion would be for bloods for a full work-up (including the thyroid test I've already spoken of in my preceding post) to be taken before administration of any other drugs? I'm not familiar with what 'other' drugs would be given, but in my cautious fashion, I think I'd be inclined to await blood results before giving other drugs even if they are to help the dog become more calm. My theory being : (scenario example only) Say Loki's thyroid and/or auto-immune come back as as abnormal and medication is prescribed. Initially it is a trial period so that the correct dosage can be established. I would think that other drugs may influence not only the dog's system but also its behaviour, which might muddy the waters somewhat to be able to recognise differences and report on changes. Just a thought.

First thing I thought of was thyroid issue as well. I'm a bit of a staunch "not worth having doing unless you have the tests done by Dr Jean Dodds in the USA" person, simply because Australia doesn't have the facilities for FULL blood panel testing. But given his age and clinical symptoms, it's possible that (if it IS thyroid) it has advanced enough for our Aussie tests to pick up. If they came back negative though, I'd still have a question mark over it if the tests were conducted in Australia. (I've recently found that some Vets will tell you that Australia does do full blood panel tests, but from what I've been able to gather, that's a fallacy - what they mean is that there is a company who will send the bloods OS, and that could be NZ or USA, but they have a contract with their own pathology department over there and that's who conducts the tests and analysis. What I was unable to find out via the Vet Nurse was exactly WHAT tests they run to determine whether it was a full blood panel test or not. Dr. Jean Dodds is the one I trust for this and I also trust her analysis, which relies on several things including age of dog; breed of dog; size of dog. The international courier paperwork and arrangements can be a pain in the butt though). ETA: Sending bloods to the US isn't necessarily as expensive as you might imagine. Allow approximately $200 - $250. Half of that is the international courier fee. Just to save you some leg work, as recently as yesterday I found out that DHL will not accept blood serums, which only leaves Fed-Ex International Courier Service. If you email me (rather than PM) I'll send you the paperwork and directions for taking bloods and shipping OS. Your Vet will need the "blood work instructions" so they know how to prepare the bloods that are to be transported. In addition to thyroid, I'd be asking that sufficient bloods be taken for a full blood work up (checking liver and other organ function). And that's where I'd start. The next step depends on the results from the bloods that you have run. I'd put behaviour aside for the moment (save for modifications to prevent escape) until you know if the bloods will show anything.

It can do. If they are traumatised as a puppy, you might not notice the impact it has had until the pup matures. With older dogs outside the early puppy period, the impact might be noticeable more quickly. Some dogs might pair the incident with the breed type. Some others might pair it with dog colour. Some others might pair it with dog coat types (eg. long-haired; short coated; etc). Some others might pair it with dog size. Some others might pair it with dog gender. Or any combination of the above. Some others might pair it to all dogs regardless. There are so many things that a dog might perceive in particular, that triggers the traumatic memory (even down to things such as how another dog stands/tail style/ear set/type; etc). Some others might not be affected by it. It depends on the dog.