Erny

Your Clydie looks in tip top nick for 30 years .

With the freeze dried, it says it includes "fibre". Does anyone know what comprises of the "fibre" that's included in it?

If Maverick is pining, having a foster dog for a short while and then it leaving again might be too hard?

Fair enough. Sorry - I wasn't being critical. Just curious. I would most likely have done the same in your shoes.

MavericksMission ..... I too am sorry for your loss and I'm sorry that I did not express that when I posted. I wasn't thinking. RIP Tinka. Smile down on your family from the other side of the bridge.

Thanks Loraine. I named him after the famous Nelson Mandela, for all the good that Mr. Nelson Mandela has done during his lifetime and for his life longevity. My boy get's "Nelson" when he's being naughty though .

Hey Nekhbet - that's great news and I bet you are relieved Just a question though - could the lump not have been investigated by way of needle biopsy to determine whether it needed so much of it removed (or removed at all)? Or would the needle biopsy not have been 100% conclusive anyway? Either way, it's gone and the news is all good and once the hair is grown back you probably won't even be able to tell there's been an op at all. Big dogs especially appear so vulnerable when they're all floppy and under the affects of GA. Glad all is getting back to normal and well .

That's not how you explained it though. You said you were or wanted to use the target as the reward. But you're still using food. A 'click' is only an indicator that the reward is coming. So, you're dog wants the food so it targets and your dog gets the food ? I'm not seeing how the target is the reward for drive. Actually, I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

As per Showdog's advice - especially regards the "don't pander/fuss". Take your other dog out for plenty of walks. Training : obedience; tricks. Keep his mind busy. When dogs have jobs their self-esteem/confidence seems to get a boost.

What do you think ends up being the dog's drive satisfaction, doing it that way? What drive satisfaction would the dog achieve by being permitted to touch/target your hand or whatever?

Your poor pooch. That must be painful . No idea regards nail regrowth. Did the Vet say that it would regrow? I'm open to the opinion of the Vets on this board, but it bothers me when wounds are bandaged and we are told to leave them that way for a period of days (in your case 4 or 5 days). In my younger days I've been told this, only to find when we did unwrap the bandage that the wound had been festering and was quite smelly and revolting. I'm inclined to like to change bandages daily or every 2nd day on the outside. Am I wrong for thinking this? Thoughts/opinions welcome (assuming you don't mind me using your thread for this purpose, Aussie3?)

.... yep, you do. Did you know that every time you have your dog on lead you ARE training?

I don't like retractables. Apart from the reasons mentioned, it works on the premise that the dog puts pressure on the lead and the dog gains more ground. Completely opposite to what I train for. IE Loose Lead. Think about this if your wishes for a dog to walk without putting pressure on the lead is the same as mine .

Agree with Kelpie-i on this one. I'm not against use of drugs in combination with behaviour modification therapy. However, I hear all too much about how no behaviour modification was even attempted to see what improvement could be attained without the use of drugs. I don't know if it is because people go to Vet/Behaviourists with an expectation of drugs being administered.

Actually, I wonder if they put signs up to say "Recall your dog every 90 seconds" - similar to what Berwick Obedience have. THAT might get people thinking and it might show up to those in denial exactly how much they DON'T have control. I'm not suggesting it would or could be policed, but it would at least state the obvious by self-example.

.... you're quite right, molasseslass. I guess if they included the words "Effective Control" on their signs, it might help though. I say "effective control" and people don't even comprehend what that means, whether it exists, nor that it has anything to do with Council law. They seem to put far more emphasis on "off-lead" - and as it happens, that's almost the only words that are 'signed', so no-where you can immediately point people back to for reference.

Thing is, you should be able to do what you want or feel you need to do with your dog, especially when you are keeping to yourself. You should be entitled to your own peaceable enjoyment of the public area. Should, should, should ..... Things such as this will continue to occur, but the spreading of the message shouldn't be aborted .

Not really answering your question, SSM, but to me "super soft" means that anything I might use in the way of non-positive needs only to be done in very low intensity by comparison to others. For example, some dogs I can give a verbal but strong "Aaagh!". Yet if I did that with Kal (bless her cotton socks), that strength would have her shaking in her boots, so for her, all I needed was a softer "ahah". For my current boy, that "ahah" is his NRM. If I was to use a physical correction, there are some dogs where it needs to be well placed and sharp/quick. There are others where "sharp" would comprise almost of applying the correction via the lead using a finger, rather than a wrist or elbow. Lots of positive goes without saying, IMO, though. But if your goal is to train these dogs without the use of any aversive at all, then IMO your success is going to depend on whether anything in the environment ever proves to be more interesting to have the dogs refuse the positive for the sake of the higher positive they might derive by doing something different than what is required by you at the time.

Being on lead can change the dynamics. However, if that is the case in those instances, why do those people allow their dogs to come up to other dogs who are on-lead? One reason - they don't have effective control. They are wrong. But most of them will never hear it. Personally, I don't think THAT message is made clear enough by the Councils. Perhaps instead of putting up signs to indicate "Off-Lead" areas, their signs should read "Effective Control" areas.

I agree with Aidan - a good thread, Cosmolo.

Wow!! They are certainly popular. I can imagine a tip-truck turning up to deliver them and dumping them all in your front yard. That'd be a sight for sore eyes!! LOL

Pardon my naivety. I didn't give this a thought. Do they need to be "stamped"? I presume you're indicating that is a legality? Steve tells me the raffle is drawn in June.

Curious only, SC. How much does it cost you? Mine comes in a clear celephane bag and I've never really taken much notice of the volume/weight on it, so it is difficult to tell. But the bag would be about 20cm or more x about 13cm wide. I'm going from memory, so I could be out by a bit. I get it for $8.00. You would have postage/handling of course, whereas I'm lucky enough to have a Health Food Store not far from me that I can go visit to collect from. Sorry for the OT Pheebs. I hope your dog is feeling and looking better. Whatever it is that is causing this, it certainly happened in a hurry.

Two Ticket books for Pro-K9 to sell coming my way . Cheers Julie and MDBA Pacers .

Calendula Tea wash helps my boy immensely, with hives. Reduces their size and helps stem potential for secondary skin infection. Reduces itchiness quite dramatically. Calendula is Marigold Flower. I personally don't know of anyone who has used it and had issues, but if your dog has a sensitivity to pollen I guess you'd need to take that into consideration. ETA: Pheebs .... I know it is after hours so you wouldn't be able to get any now (from a Health Food Store), but if you really want to try it (even on a small area first) tonight to see if you can give your dog some relief, you are welcome to come over to my place (I'm in Berwick .... not sure where you are) and I will give you some which should be enough to tide you over for 24 hours or so. I keep the stuff in stock as a stand-by.