Erny

Horts ..... Where will you feel more comfortable? My guess is that wherever that is, Kuges would feel the same. At home is what I prefer, for the dog's comfort of familiarity and also for my own sake. Your own Vet, assuming he/she is local, is likely to agree to house calls especially for something like this.

I remember quite some time ago I asked/commented about meat being handled without gloves, which was what was occurring when I was being served at that time. I was informed (rightly/wrongly?) that retailers/butchers don't have to wear gloves because the meat is going to be cooked anyhow .

Tell the dog's owner to tell the 'visitor' that he/she is wrong.

That was exactly my thought, Mita, and was going to post it, but might as well quote you instead. Why didn't The Australian ask Mr. Conran WHY he regrets his decision/actions? What was The Australian actually seeking as the point of their story?

I wanted to go on at least one of the days, for the very reason of looking at the conformation of the dogs and seeing which ones were winning etc. (and for same reason as you). But as it turned out, some urgent commitments came up which took care of the last couple of days, then training classes today and after that I fair ran out of time. I'm disappointed that I didn't get there.

Fair enough, I agree first hand accounts would be interesting as well, I just thought it was an interesting topic... Sorry, Pete - I don't mean for you not to contribute with your ideas, thoughts and any comments you'd like to make. By all means. I just read your post as though I was asking what are the advantages of clicker "training". I know those, just was interested in those who were saying they couldn't get their dogs to do things and how clicker training now has their dog learning to learn etc. etc., as to what it is that they think the clicker has helped them with as handlers and perhaps why they think their previous methods weren't working or not working so well. I guess, to a degree, I don't understand why people don't go "wow!! I used a verbal marker today and it worked great!!" and that it seems to be the clicker that all of a suddens opens up the door-ways for both dog and handler. And by clicker "training" and seeing the results, do people then realise more clearly the concept of reward training, effects of good timing etc. etc.? So I apologise if what I posted sounded wrong to you. Please feel free to contribute. ETA: And oh, hey! Where do I get off? It's not 'my' thread anyway - it's Saxonpup's. Sorry if it seems I've taken over, Saxonpup. I am pleased that you have found success by using the clicker where you couldn't before. Happy days training with your dog .

Hi Kingbob - it's awful, wondering and worrying and fearing the worst, isn't it? I know when my previous girl (bless her cotton socks) was still with me, but after she was diagnosed with an adrenal gland tumour, the Vet specialist told me that the tumour would grow and that if I left it, it would eventually cause her adrenal gland to rupture, which would have been a horrible, horrible death. In the months of her palliative care following this diagnosis, I wished time and time again that I could just open her up by a zipper, so I could have a peak to see how things were going and gauge my actions by that, but alas they don't come with 'zippers' and we can only do what we can do. But anyway, that's my story and it's not for here, other than to express the fact that I can and do empathise with you. I would have thought that if your dog had a spider bite, the site of the lump would have some redness to it. If it doesn't, that still doesn't mean there is cause for panic. Could be that your dog is predisposed to benign lumps. I think 'one step at a time' is needed here. Our dogs are stoic creatures and they take each thing as it comes. Try to be the same. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you and for your dog that the news is not bad.

Yeah - I've seen that written in support of clicker training and I understand all of tha. But I wanted to hear it from those individuals who have all of a sudden found clicker "training" so wonderous and helpful where they weren't able to 'get it' beforehand. Perhaps clicker training has helped them gain better timing - has this been noticed by anyone who has made the claims of "thank goodness for clicker training" (words to that effect)? Or was it because it wasn't clearly understood beforehand that a verbal marker was even needed to be used? And so on. Or perhaps they don't know why it works better for them (doesn't matter if they don't know - the important thing is they are getting results). I'm just curious as to what each of those people might have learnt themselves as handlers, by taking up the clicker to assist them with training. So whilst I agree with you, Pete.the.dog, that we could guess at why some people are astounded at the improvement in their dogs when they turn to clicker "training", I'd be really interested to hear from those who have made the switch from what they were doing, to clicker, and what they each feel is the reason for their individual dogs' improved training achievements.

LOL .... thats a conundrum that you are not alone about. Good for you for giving this consideration . Worms : Dr. Bruce Syme (Vet in Castlemaine, VIC) explained at a seminar that the dog's system is designed to manage a mild worm burden. We apply drugs to create a squeaky clean intestinal tract, leaving no 'job' for the dog's system to take care of as it normally would. That's where imbalance can occur, with the dog's otherwise "unemployed" system looking for something to do, so it turns to things that it really ought not. That's it in simplistic terms. So, IMO (not a professional one) whether you chose to administer worming drugs or not depends on what your dog's been up to and what his environment is like. Does he go on ventures where he gets to eat Roo poo, other dog's poo etc.? Is he in contact with that sort of stuff, generally speaking? If he's not (nor is my dog) then I don't think worming is a necessity. Just recently I read (here on DOL, I think?) about some veterinary article reporting they are now finding there is a resistance to the worm drugs we commonly give our dogs. Given that we've been 'groomed' to worm every 3 months, year in year out for the dog's life, I don't wonder at it. I wondered about this for my horse too, who is wormed regularly, but I expect a ground grazing animal is different and most likely to be affected by worms, especially in an agistment type arrangement. I am more inclined to have a worm-burden count done - it's simple and quick (on the spot) and involves only in taking a fresh stool sample to your Vet who will check it. If I were concerned that my dog might have picked up nasties (I don't think a worm-burden count is the be all and end all), then I might worm him, but it would be only when I thought there was a higher possibility risk. I wouldn't do it on a continual rota type system. Heartworm : I live in Victoria. Where I live, our climate is not congenial to the mozzie cycle for heartworm. Won't say it would never happen, but from what I've read, heard and researched, I believe it to be very unlikely. To me, the risk is low enough to not be well balanced with the constance administration of heartworm preventative drugs. But if you live in a heartworm environment, then Dimmitrol Daily heartwormers is I believe the 'safest' heartworm drug to give. The downside being that they are daily and you need to be able to remember to give it daily. Also, if you're in an environment where through winter the temperature becomes cool (even just overnight) you probably don't need to give heartworm medication during that time. If daily tabs is a concern to you, then I'd go for the monthly chewables. I understand these will cover your dog for 45 days (not just one month) but they are promoted as 'monthly' because it is tended to be found people will forget if they take it to the 45th day cycle treatment. In fact, I think it would be easier to remember a "daily" and get into the habit of that, than it would be to try to remember "45th day" treatment. Fleas : I don't have a flea issue so I don't drug my dog against fleas. I guess the only way you'll know you have an issue is by keeping a look out and perhaps conversing with those in your neighbourhood to see if fleas on their dogs is a bit of a common problem. The odd flea isn't so bad - thumbnails are good for squishing those, but I agree, an infestation of them isn't what we want. If you wish to, I can send you up a shoo tag to trial - although I don't think there's much point in doing that unless you know whether you've seen a flea or two on your dog. If there's no fleas, we wouldn't know f the shoo tag was doing the job or whether it was just because you don't have any fleas around. Optimal conditions for flea larvae to hatch is I think 70% and > humidity & temperatures of 21 - 32 degrees C. I haven't lived in QLD so I am unfamiliar with exactly how epidemic they really are, up there. I wouldn't use spot-ons, only because if I am to administer drugs, I'd want to tailor them to suit only what my dog needs, nothing more. Spot-ons have their place for some, but to me they are a bit of a 'one stop shop' with a 'one size fits all' basis to them. Being in QLD you would probably need to consider paralysis tick prevention, depending, I guess, on the area you live in (bushy etc) and the places you take your dog to. In Victoria, we don't have the issues you 'warm climate dwellers' have to deal with, so we're lucky there. Ours are confined to a certain building in Spring Street.

I'm intrigued, to a degree. I have no qualms with anyone clicker training, and have done it myself when the occasions have suited. But what is it that you guys see as miraculous (so to speak) in your training with the clicker that you couldn't get with a verbal marker "yes!". Was it that the clicker seemed to help you understand your own timing? Was it that you were unable to use the right voice tone with a verbal marker? Or was it that some didn't understand the concept of training (the same way as you are doing) using a verbal marker instead of a clicker? Genuine curiousity question. I don't use a clicker in the general process of my training but that's a personal choice of mine (clogs up my hand when I can/need to use it for something else) and I certainly don't have any bias against it (no reason why I should have - it's a "what floats your boat" type of thing, IMO). But just curious as to why it seems that "Clicker Training" (which to me is more a name than a system, as it only means the dog has been taught that the "click" means "THAT's what I want .... reward coming") seems to turn on light bulbs for some handlers.

Handy to know. What's the water/sugar ratio?

You'll probably find that he's "marking" when he is cocking his leg, seeing as he's only doing it when out and not home. My boy does the same. If we go out and it is a genuine "I really need to pee", he'll squat wherever we are (if on grass). But along the way, when he gets to a tree or some other item of interest, he'll "mark" it. It's a developmental thing and a sign that he's becoming a man (with or without gonads) .

One of my major concerns would be that amputation of one means that the other leg takes all the pressure, and with the pup's bones still being soft, I'd be worried about what damage that's likely to do. I see you're already looking to go to a specialist about it, which is great. I think my first port of call would be to investigate whether corrective surgery is a possibility (if surgery is necessary at all) and what would be involved. Good luck - I hope the prognosis has some positive stuff in it for this guy. And good for you for rescuing and looking to do the right things to help set this pup up for a bright future .

Thanks for the response, Rappie. So, can this also be used as a type of pultice to, say, reduce the swelling of some sort of wound/injury? Pardon me if that's a dumb question . Oh - and I know a person who chucks a haemorrhoid here and there (perhaps a generational thing ..... shows up my age, no?) ..... would this sugar thing be something that would help him? Mind you - not sure how it would be applied and I sure as eggs ain't going to offer to help

Don't know anything about this, but my knee-jerk instinctive reaction would be to suggest that any surgery in that respect wait until the puppy has finished growing. For a few reasons : Because you'll then have a better idea of how the dog is affected by the deformaty caused by the bone injury Because if the dog is using that leg to help support, it will mean that he is not forced to place all pressure on the remaining 3 legs he'd have if the injured one was amputated. Because perhaps with growth the injury might not be affecting the dog so badly as to require amputation? Rather than amputating because you're worried it will become worse as he grows, why not wait to see? Can any corrective surgery be done, perhaps when the growth period is completed? Your dog will still be young by that stage, so the "surgery -vs- age" factor should not be relevant in that case, I don't think. I'm not a Vet. There are those on this board who are and who might suggest differently to me. But by the sounds of it, if you were to amputate now, I think it's being a bit too hasty.

The source is pretty good then. Is that pure roo, or are there other meats in with it? I'd certainly not give any more to her (which I presume you are not). I'm concerned that she is a bit listless. If it was just about the richness of the meat, normally they bounce back after they've vomited. Is she drinking ok? Make sure she stays hydrated.

I know that roo can be too rich for some, but the amount you are feeding doesn't sound like it is enough to warrant the vomiting your girl is exhibiting. Is it pet grade roo mince you have purchased, or human grade? I only purchase the latter. There are often preservatives in pet grade roo mince, so check from where you've purchased it to see what preservatives (if any) have been used and perhaps ask about where they (the supplier) gets it from. Your girl might be reacting to additives rather than the roo mince itself. ???

That's interesting. How would it be used (penal size reduction aside ..... I get that. LOL). And how come it works? Does it cause a reduction in blood vessels or something?

I think it is fantastic that the "click" is how you've all found the way to making training fun for both yourselves and for your dogs. That's how training should and can be whether you're clicking or using a verbal marker :D

There's a few cats in this area who have cat fights at night. Must find out what breeds they are so I can blame it on that.

Genuine astonishment from here, Poodlemum. To have not had even one staffy that was not aggressive towards other dogs in a lifetime of being an instructor . I have been an instructor for at least a decade and I've seen plenty of staffies, and plenty of them have been ok around other dogs. A number have also been DA, but then so have numerous other breeds and in their respect, it was usually part of the reason they came to us at training, because they knew we'd work to help the owners with their problematic dogs. How long have you been instructing in dog obedience and how many staffies would you have had in your Club/classes (roughly)? I'm really interested, because to have not had one of them that did not sport a DA problem would have to be really disproportional as an average to the staffy population. In my experience, I do tend to find that if a Staffy is attacked/traumatised by another dog in its lifetime, they don't tend to recover well or fully as far as psych to other dogs is concerned. But that too is a generalisation and only based on those that I know this has occurred to.

I think we need to know what the dog does when he is attention seeking barking. For example, is this when he's outside, so the owners don't know if he is alarm barking or attention seeking barking? Usually you can tell the difference in the bark, but perhaps not for this dog? What sort of attention is the dog seeking? IE Is it because he just wants to come inside the house (is he an inside dog)? Or is it that he actually wants the attention of the owners? What training does the dog have - IE Does he know commands/words? Is the dog generally obedient, or disobedient? More info please . ETA: There is a book called "Help! I'm Barking and I Can't be Quiet" by Daniel Z Estep Ph.D and Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D. It's ok, although I remember reading through it myself and didn't gain what I had hoped to. But I wasn't reading it from a novice dog-owner point of view. It is pretty basic and goes through things such as working out your dog's barking profile; Sounds that Dogs make; Body Language and behaviours of dogs; Why dogs bark; determining cause of barking; What to do about the barking. I think the first step the owners need to make is to be able to work out when their dog is alarm barking and when it is attention seeking barking. I also think teaching the dog a "stop barking" command (I use "enough") will be handy in the process. ETA: Browsing the book to see if it would be of any help to your people, I see it says : "If your dog's barking is due to multiple causes, you may need a behaviour consultant to help you develop the best plan for you and your dog." I don't think this book is likely to help, but that's not to say they wouldn't learn something about dogs and dog behaviour from it. It depends on how much they know already.

I didn't see the show, but I get it ......... the guy sounds a little on the perhaps (shall we say) 'uneducated' side. It's pretty clear he doesn't get his dogs back until he's complied with council requirements for secure fencing. Did the dogs look uncared for? Malnourished? Suffering from ill health and unkempt? But you'd rather see all three (?) dogs killed because you don't like the fact that the guy was irresponsible by having fences that didn't keep his dogs in? Poor dogs. Kill them because Kirty sees the owner as a moron. I would also presume the guy is going to have to apply for a 5 dog permit - the Council would be aware that he has acquired two (?) others.

The population of Wyndham City is reported as being 145,070. Of that amount there's been a sum total of 68 complaints to the City of Wyndham (within what time frame?). How many of that total sum of 68 complaints actually ARE because the dogs running at the fences are aggressive? Has the Council actually verified the behaviour, or are they only reliant on each of the 68 individuals (assuming this is about 68 different individuals and not some of the same) interpretation of what aggression is (or isn't) ? I wish I could get some of the changes within my Council district based on only a populous of 68 people wanting it.

I don't know if this is what they are, but my boy has suffered a few bouts of hives. The first bout of hives he had, they were quite large, although I don't think as large as the largest I see in your photo. Anyway, the main thing I had to watch for was secondary skin infection. I bathed my boy (just used a spray bottle and/or flannel saturated) using Calendula Tea and inside 24 hours the bumps (he was covered in them) were reduced to half their size. I find the Calendula takes any itchiness out (if there is any), soothes the skin (if the skin looks irritated - especially under belly and inside thighs) and beats infection. It has anti-inflammatory and natural antiseptic qualities and consequently I use it for many and varied skin complaints or even if I suspect an insect bite. This was Mandela's second major hive outbreak .... The hives were smaller this time around by comparison to the first, and he was covered in them. They may have been smaller, perhaps, because I was more prepared this time around and as soon as they began to appear I was on to them with the Calendula. I have antihestimes in the pantry as a stand-by measure, but with the use of the Calendula I haven't needed to administer any of them. *Touch wood* he's clear of hives at the moment.