Erny

I agree with SM. I'd do as little as I needed to get pup habituated to the treadmill, but only for that reason. Not as a form of exercise. I'd leave that until pup was older.

Did I miss a post? So it is not the heart? I'm not a Vet and I am genuinely asking, but I thought that too much fluid can actually make it harder for a heart. :D Hope it is something as simple as an allergic reaction to an insect bite and that once he's recovered he'll be back to full bounce. ETA: Don't mind me. Seem's I missed a whole page of posts . DOL moves fast. Glad it is not his heart. Hope they find the cause soon and so are able to treat it. Or that it resolves itself, regardless of it remaining a mystery.

Treadmill exercise can be great and very handy - for those times when for when a dog needs a bit more cardio exercise than regular play, training, and walking can do. They'd need to concentrate too, so there's a bit of mental exercise going on as well. Well done for starting off gradually and keeping it nice and positive . How old is the dog in the video clip, D1T? ETA: One of the things that partly worries me is the part of the treadmill at the sides, where the rubber ends and the edge starts. Is it possible that a dog's toe could get caught there? It happens on escalators in shopping centres, with kids feet/hands, although I can't imagine how it quite occurs because the gap is so small. But I guess once something is caught there it gets dragged in further. I'd like to see side guards on treadmills for dogs, so this cannot happen.

Sas I'm sorry ...... I did ask, but felt too dumb to suggest I didn't have a clue what he might be talking about. All I know is that they use "machinery". I mentioned the "vibration energy" that I'd heard others used, and it wasn't denied, nor confirmed. I needed help for my boy, so I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot by questioning too deeply (as though picking it apart) the method/s they use for the analysis. All I can say is that he was reasonably close to the mark by comparison to what the naturopath has suggested. And I must admit that I was buoyed by Barry's own confidence in what he does and the homoeopathic remedies they use. Poor Mandela looks very moth eaten at the moment, with many of the hives having erupted and patches of fur dropping off as a result. But this means they are drying out and I know that the fur will grow back. Eating is still a struggle .... He doesn't go at it with the enthusiasm that he used to, but he is at least, even if only over the day, eating more than he was only a week or two ago and is therefore putting back on some weight. At this stage, we're still 'stuck' on Barf Rabbit and on a reasonably good day he'll eat 6% of his body weight. On a very good day, he'll eat a bit more. If I fed what I feed my boy to my previous girl, she would have been very rotund, to say the least. Many people, seeing my boy (he at least has some rib cover now, although his little hip bones could do with some more padding) are very surprised at how much I feed on a daily basis. This coming Monday is the seventh day since beginning Barry's meds. There is already improvement, but I won't count "improvement" as being sufficient until I see him eating more consistently and enthusiastically. And I can't attribute all improvement to Barry's meds as Mandela's also on a hodge podge of Naturopath meds as well. So I can't divide the credit between the two.

Just caught this thread this morning. How lucky are you to have a Vet who was so understanding. How lucky for Grover that he has owners like you who so understand him. I hope that whatever ails Grover can be resolved without too much grief and that he returns to full health soon.

SnT ..... I sent Mandela's hair sample in for curiousity sake - you know, that "what if there's something in this?". I wanted to see what someone who hadn't seen my dog (ie wasn't influenced by visual appearance) would diagnose. Barry's diagnosis was not completely off the mark to what Mandela's naturopath's thoughts were, so I can only conclude there might be something in it. I did need to inform Barry what symptoms I was seeing though. I went in with a mind set of "oh well, what's $90 in the scheme of things" considering I've already spent thousands so far, due to his health issues. Barry Templeton sounds very confident of the results we should expect to see though, and I must say that I'm enjoying the feeling of riding on the coat tails of that confidence, and the assurance of such a short period of time to be able to see improvement. One thing that is confusing with Mandela ..... going by experience, he does come reasonably good and you end up thinking it's because of the food etc. that you have him on. But then, after months, things go on the slide again. It will be a good many months before I will be able to say with any confidence as to whether any of what I'm doing for him is the reason for any improvement as "coincidence" is never far from my mind. The only thing you have to lose by sending in a hair sample to Barry is $90.00. That's the way I looked at it.

Yes. The liquid Use : “To boost immune system and get liver going” Tarax Acum Chelidonium Hydrastis Lycopodium China Sulphur Calcium Sulphate Potassium Chloride Potassium Sulphate Silican Dioxide The Tablets Use : “Acid remover” (tissue salts) Mathpos (aka Sodium Phosphate) Basically, it is a detox program. I started him on it on Monday evening. Barry tells me that I should begin to see improvement in 7 days. Seven days beyond that, I send in another hair sample for a progress analysis and we go from there. I think this is pretty good. The $90 I spent covers all of that (meds that I've received, included). Don't know how far it extends though. He has, since I started him on Barry's meds, started eating better. But the credit for that needs to be shared between both Mr. Templeton and Mandela's naturopath, as he is also on numerous tabs and powder additives that have been prescribed by her. And the fact that he began to eat better only half an hour after administering the meds from Barry (whereas he's been on the meds from the naturopath for about a week or so) makes me think it is likely to be coincidental :D. Who knows. His "eating better" isn't exactly consistent though. I sometimes need to offer him his food numerous times throughout the day. He might eat it all in one hit. Or he might nibble some and turn away, nibble some more later and turn away. His meal times can be quite time consuming and I'm becoming very inventive in trying things as a way of encouraging him to eat. At the moment, the only thing he'll eat is BARF Rabbit. He was getting this, plus chicken wings, plus roo mince (not all at once). He went off roo mince first. Then he went off chicken wings. I KNOW he's really feeling off when he won't lick a spoonful of Manuka honey off the spoon :p . Having said that, he did eat two chicken wings yesterday. But he didn't exactly show the gusto he would normally show. He recently went off the VAN Medi-treats (he used to looooove them). He's now enjoying Roo Jerky. He won't touch lamb shanks. Won't touch chicken skins. He's irratic about whether he'll chew on a roo tail or not (sometimes does, sometimes completely disinterested, or sometimes just seems to like it when it is a few days old). BUT, at least I'm getting food into him. Poor bug#er .... He's been covered in hives - hundreds of them, literally. And of the ones that have erupted, the scabs are falling away with new skin underneath (which is good), but he's looking quite mangy/mottley. But he's happy and loves a good romp, game of ball retrieve and of course his drive training with the tug, along with all the other little games and tricks we play in between. That'll do me .

But you said before that you haven't done any drive training. :D That's not discrediting a method even by strong implication? That's not taking a "close look" at it as you claim to be doing in the first quote. That's a recommendation to reject/avoid.

Corvus .... I think the problem is that you don't understand how to train in drive. It's almost as though you think that by training in drive, you will have as little control as you would with a wild animal on the hunt. And that's fine it that's what you want to think, or as far as you want to learn. We've discussed this over on numerous threads and I can tell that you have your own thought sequences, which is your prerogative. But it is when you begin telling people in a training forum to avoid prey drive training, as though you know this that it becomes a problem. You really can't advise that (or, I guess you can ..... freedom of speech, it's a free country and all of that ..... but it wouldn't necessarily be wise or anywhere near accurate) as though you know, given that you've never done any drive training yourself. Or at least, you've never done any that you are conscious of. Thing is, you use the dog's instinctive drive to attain the control that you want and need. THAT is what makes training in drive so powerful, so reliable. Watching you with the flirt pole, I see you as thinking it is about just heightening the dog to the point of not thinking. And that is not "drive training" .... that's only the first component IE building drive. Although even then, I do it differently to how you are doing it by just whizzing around an item that your dog rarely gets to catch. What research articles have you read on prey and play drive? Something I mentioned when you put up the video clip on it. Yet in that thread, you were quite set against 'wins' as I suggested. Your posts still confuse me because you start out claiming something yet somewhere along the line, you say something completely contradictory. The above quote is an example. But to add to that, drive training is not about the tug itself, it is about the dog (having become 'addicted' to it ..... ie building drive) learning what it needs to do to attain drive satisfaction. From your above quote, Corvus .... "... you can make them stressed, which is not good, obviously." You think that training a dog to achieve drive satisfaction through a tug, and to work for that satisfaction (result being reliable and fast command compliance) teaches the dog to kill things? Corvus, who have you been talking to? Or what books are you reading? And that's a prerogative we all have the right to. However, if it is "on a regular basis" then it indicates uncertainty and on that basis, it shouldn't be a matter of statement to those reading, but rather, a question. I'd recommend you attend one of K9 Force's workshops. Perhaps then you'd begin to gather a richer insight of how to use what a dog has been genetically blessed with and to use it for good.

Yes Powerlegs, I understand desperation, desperate times, desperate measures. I was and am just a bit concerned that everyone would hop to it and start feeding their dogs this stuff when other lesser treatments would suffice. Even just for those odd fleas, picking them off and squishing them with your nails. Some people panic at the sign of any fleas, even just a few.

LM ..... I know this is cold comfort, but try to look at things this way, at least for now. If Ruby had not blown her cruciate, the tumour would not have been detected. And maybe later down the track the tumour might not have been operable. At least, for the time being, there's a chance. I know that's not enough to have you celebrating, but it might be a different angle to look at it, to shift the weight of bad luck. If even only by a teensy bit. I'm sorry - this sounds lame even as I type it and I know it will not alleviate one ounce of worry on your minds.

Added to the advice/comments above, I'd do whatever I could to steer clear or at the absolute very least, minimise, any administration of drugs (save for what might be necessary to control seizures, that the Vet prescribes). I'm in Victoria, so ticks aren't a huge problem. I don't have an issue with fleas. And we don't experience heartworm as you might in your climate. Consequently, I don't apply any preventatives for these things. I don't worm regularly, just 'because'. Instead, I periodically get a worm burden count done (stool sample - Vet can do it on the spot) if I'm concerned or think it's been a while. And I don't vaccinate beyond the puppy vaccinations. After a seizure, there is often a phase where they are up and about, yet they aren't really 'there'. They can see, but it is as though they are 'out of themselves'. During that phase I keep an eye out (my avatar girl, since :D, used to have Grand Mals, towards the latter end of her life) and just follow around to make sure the dog doesn't come to grief. But I allow it to do what it needs to do, until the phase has passed. After that, I found my girl to be very tired and needing just to sleep. The affect of seizures can be very exhausting. During a seizure, I just made sure that there was nothing on which my girl could injure herself on, and held her only as much as I needed to prevent that. Sounds to me like you did the right thing in your pup's case. I hope your pup is ok.

I doubted this, as anything that kills, and I might add, kills THAT fast, has got to be a poison of sorts. So I looked it up. Comfortis website Nope .... it ain't "natural". And unless I had an absolutely MAJOR problem with these pests where it decreased the quality of my dog's life (and even then, I think I'd be very hesitant) then I wouldn't be feeding this to my dog.

Altheau. These marvels are just that ..... marvels. And those with dogs who have worked at improving their dog's behaviour and training understand fully that these sorts of things are NOT trivia. They are milestones amongst the many that we seek on our journey with 'dogs' . And yours is not just a small milestone either - the distraction of other dogs (especially other dogs who aren't particularly pleasant) is quite major . Well done, and congratulations on the milestone that you have achieved. Merry Christmas and wishing you many more milestones in the New Year ;)

4Paws ..... I have two that I want to trial. If you want to be one of the two people to test it out, contact me by email [email protected] Regards Erny

If it is working for your and for your dog, and if it will continue to work for you and your dog in all sorts of different environments, situations, then no ..... it doesn't matter. The thing with drive is though, that it is instinctive. You are using a part of the dog that doesn't have to think to reflex, he just does. Consequently, when using drive to train, the responses from dogs are often fast, if not split lightning fast, and solid, and reliable. Because the dog's not thinking of anything else other than achieving drive satisfaction. When using rewards more as an "exchange" method of reward, some dogs simply aren't into enough to over-ride the drive that is aroused in and by certain environments. So some people need more. It's not for everyone. But if they have certain behaviour issues with their dogs, and/or if they just want to heighten and really strengthen the command reliability they have, then training in drive is a good way to go, if genetics have blessed their dog with the strength of drive needed for the job. And when anyone suggests they'd like to learn about training in drive, as the OP has, I sure as eggs won't stand in her way.

Your train of thought puzzles me. . Can you explain further what you mean? Nothing wrong with using prey drive to achieve the training reliability that you're after. Don't know why you're so vehemently against it. Many behaviour problems have been overcome with the use of the instinct that is there. What experiences (depth and breadth) have you had with using prey drive in training that would have you anti to using it? He does. I think it is on his website. Apart from formal ones, I'd suggest that a very long and broad base of experience would count as a qualification as well. Why do you ask?

I posted in your other (now not) cruciate thread. I'm wishing and hoping alongside you and your OH, for Ruby, LM. ;)

Just caught this thread, LM. Sending my well wishes to Ruby and hoping that she'll be back and on the way to recovery, with a good prognosis, by the time Santa comes to visit and when he does visit, I hope he brings for you, your dogs and family a bucket load of good health (and some money wouldn't go astray either ..... I know what size the Vet bills can and do add up to). ;)

Some do. Some don't. Don't be afraid to use your own discretion and hold back on the vaccinations if you're not sure - this will give you time to check it out and decide.

That normally happens when people don't action the toy in the way that prey would act. IOW, they keep shoving the toy AT the dog's face/nose, instead of teasing it away. Also happens if people make the sessions long, instead of short. But those two things have already been covered here. And for the timid dogs, it happens if they make everything (the action of the toy and their own voices/body actions) too big. That's about just having some sensitivity towards the dog in question.

This is where it is important. "Trying" I don't think I quite understand other than it makes me think that there continues to be inconsistencies. Your dog wants something? Make her do something for you first. Each time . You need to have it so your dog actually believes in what you are doing. And if you're not consistent, that is not likely to happen. In fact, inconsistencies both do not work and also make the problem harder to resolve later on.

I made a few edits to my post since you read. No one can safely tell you what to do if she growls at you (sorry ..... I referred to "her" as a "he" in the previous post). This is the value of a trainer/behaviourist. They can assess what you can safely do in those circumstances. There is potentially not just ONE thing to do. It might depend on situation at the very moment of growling and the reason for the growling. Sin-bin might or might not mean anything to your dog. Don't know as we don't know your dog. This is where the trainer/behaviourist actually seeing you and your dog together would be able to tell more. Much as a Doctor would be able to diagnose a health condition on seeing the patient yet would quite rightly reserve that opinion if consultation was by telephone only. If this were a mere (eg) toileting issue, we could continue to give you helpful tips on what to do and what not to do. But aggression is not something to play around with.

Sounds to me that your OH has the right idea. It is a matter of setting boundaries; consistency; calm assertiveness; and having your dog doing things on your terms, not the dog's. Yes - it would be. It's what to do and how you apply it that a behaviourist would be able to assess as being suitable. Not sure about this comment . You'd rather not follow the 'leadership' route? Or you'd rather not go it alone? ETA: Oh ..... I get you. You'd rather not "stomp your feet" about getting a trainer/behaviourist out; you'd rather convince him that getting a trainer/behaviourist out would be an advantage so that your OH is like minded with you. Right? You may be able to manage to 'go it alone', but the problem is this : your dog has already warned you by growling. If you do the wrong things at the wrong times, there is potential for the growling to escalate, by the mere fact that you have challenged your dog's perceived position in the pack, too quickly, too strongly. If your dog 'wins' on a growl, the behaviour becomes more and more ingrained and more readily exhibited. If the growl escalates to a bite, you then have an additional undesirable learnt behaviour. You do need to be assertive, but you need to do it in ways that will not have the dog rising to a challenge in such a way that it learns even worse behaviour than it is already exhibiting. No one over the internet can tell you wisely and safely exactly what to do and when, simply because we do not know your dog; we don't know you; and more particularly because we cannot see to assess where the relationship is between you and your dog. The things I've mentioned below are fairly benign ways to shift a balance in leadership, so they are usually fairly safe to apply. Whether more than that will be required no one could completely say. But you could start with those things if you wish. Disadvantage is that if more than this is required, you are only delaying. And while you delay, your dog's belief in its rights around the household (and how he deals with it when those rights are breached) become more and more ingrained. Not sure the proximity, but Jane Harper is a trainer often recommended for Queensland. I think she is in the Brisbane area, from memory. Get your dog to work for everything it receives, before it receives it. Set rules/boundaries. And don't err from them. Calmly and assertively insist on them. NILIF ("Nothing in Life is Free" program) - google it and it will give you details. Basically, it is what I've just mentioned. IE Your dog doing something for you first before you do something for the dog. TOT ("Triangle of Temptation") - this is pinned to the top of this forum.

Given the original point of your OP, and now this added bit of information ...... you might be better off with getting someone in to assess your relationship with your dog. Or more particularly, your dogs relationship with you. A consult will cover more than just one of these issues at a time, and will reach the core reason why these things are happening (ie leadership issue). Sounds to me that there is more 'controlling' by your dog than first meets the eye. In the meantime, don't have her on the bed. Full stop.