Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[tigers12]

Clucky clucky.

Check out the ears on this one:

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/87436

Good news about Shadow too.

Thanks for the link Max!

Had a look through the dogs they have available and came across Jett the BC:

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/87161

Have just sent off an email to HHAR and look forward to their reply

[wuffles]

Clastic: Poor Marsy, once he has recovered he can have another playdate with his girlfriend!! Although SHE will be the one feeling sorry for herself in a few weeks time... I think she's going to need a Cone of Shame as well as she cleans herself like a cat.

ravenau1: I like Kandosii as well... keep working at it Love the little slug pictures, you'll look back on those pics in months and be amazed at how small and helpless they were!

lilli_star: Weather doesn't bother me, I do live in Canberra after all I just think it's probably too remote for us, even though I like the thought... Oh, and I played percussion in high school and had a drum kit at home, so yes, I can play drums not too badly! Unfortunately I left the kit behind with a friend when I moved here, so it's been a while.

Here are some pictures of my monsters taken this afternoon.

[lilli_star]

Awwww, I love the last pic, wuffles. Ava is so pretty and Satch looks so brooding

Orange is about 3 1/2 hours from Sydney, so not that remote. But I guess it depends on where all your family are and stuff.

_{I, ummm, have only been to Canberra once, and that was for my brother's wedding in 1995. We didn't even get to do any of the "touristy" things so...I've never been to Parliament House, or the Mint, or Questacon etc. My primary school didn't do the now obligatory Year 5/6 excursion to Canberra when I was there (although they did start it a few years after I left), and unless the boss moves me to upper primary (which please don't, I like teaching little ones), I'll never get to do that either!!!!!! Waaaaa! :D :D}

Edited October 17, 2010 by lilli_star

[koalathebear]

Still working on Blossom's music video so will be back soon to post replies. In the interim, with house-training, apart from Hoover's poop in the lounge this morning, tonight he and Elbie were racing around the study - Hoover lost track of of things and wee'd all over the ground and his dog bed :D Third batch of laundry for today

Also, poor Hoover has trouble sitting properly on our laminate flooring.

Out of focus photo, but look at those crazy sprawled kangaroo legs

ETA:

Evil Mastermind Hoover's Thought Bubble: "Who me? I didn't poo in the lounge-room"

Poor Long-Suffering Elbie's Thought Bubble: "I thought that KumaAkita gave me this bed so that we could each have our OWN bed."

Edited October 17, 2010 by koalathebear

[MavericksMission]

Beautiful pics KTB & Wuffles!

[koalathebear]

Would you like some company. ;)

Yes please! We'll show up at about 8.45am or so and I'll probably just sit with Hoover for a bit to get him use to the place and then whenever you showed up, we could see if they felt like playing in the off-lead section.

Good luck with the stitching. Hope to see photos of the convalescents. :D I always feel very psychotic when I preemptively remove limbs/ears/tails etc.

That photo of poor Mars Bar lying there in his cone is sooooooooooooooo funny but also so sad at the same time. Poor him!

Our class was really interesting (which by the way starts at 8am now, very early for a Sunday!).

;) Wow, that's so dedicated!!! Your class sounds so advanced, too! I can't even imagine Elbie in that scenario at this stage!!! I'm glad it's interesting, too. I have to say that having read so many threads about horrible obedience classes, I think BDOC's classes are pretty good! One of the well-known Kelpie breeders I contacted said:

Canberra is well known as a area without a top level dog trainer. This can become a problem if training methods are all treat based or don't include negative reinforcement. There isn't even a professional there that can help with common problems.

Looks like Blossom needs some new pics as well! Poor big brindle dogs, I bet she is an absolute sook :D

How did you know? She is actually beautiful. So gentle and shy ... not at all what you'd expect from her appearance. She isn't even boisterous. She is currently in the most loving of foster homes but unless she gets placed, the foster carer can't look after other needy doggies!

Clucky clucky.

Check out the ears on this one: http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/87436

Awesome ears! Having two dogs is quite an interesting, delightful albeit challenging experience ... OH and I are quite bemused a lot of the time these days.

Primedogs: Deakin sounds very advanced! Off-lead heeling is something that is in the very distant future for our monster Elborino ...

Max#1 and Primedogs: Elbie's also always being called a girl. Partly it's his build, but mostly it's his name which sounds quite feminine. The problem is that when I explain that Elbie is actually L.B. which stands for Little Bastard, people look at us in horror like we are bogans or something

ravenau1: Oh! a teeny, tiny teacup Doberman :p Absolutely delightful! OH says that you guys must be fans of Boba Fett. ;)

I uhhh...have never played Rock Band *blushes*. I bet it's fun though. (More fun perhaps with alcoholic beverages involved to loosen people's inhibitions ;) )

No alcohol needed! It's actually very fun and if you're not singing, the other instruments are pretty non-threatening. Everyone who's come over to play has always loved it, except one guy who got stressed, forgot to blink and then gave himself a headache.

tigers12: Jett's beautiful! Good luck!! Can't wait to hear your news

wuffles: I love those photos of Ava and Satch. Once again, it looks like you've used photoshop to make Ava glow with that whiter than white glow of hers. She could advertise washing liquid!! Also, my favourite photo is this one:

It looks like the cover of a CD for an Indy band or something - Ava&Satch ... Ava's even got her alternate, Goth chick black lippy on ;) As Lilli_star said - Ava's looking so lofty and Satch so broody and emo ;)

ETA: Also - the above Ava+Satch photo could go along with the Elbie+Hoover photo in the dog bed photo above as album covers

Lilli_Star: Don't worry - it will all be here when you come to visit Canberra next time. ;) Seriously, I lived in Sydney for 4 years, HK for 2 years and then in Beijing for 4 years but when I got back to Canberra - very little had changed!! :D

OK, back to my video ... My two monsters are fast asleep in Kuma's old bed because our original bed is being washed because of Hoover!Wee.

Edited October 17, 2010 by koalathebear

[Max#1]

Tigers12 - he's beautiful. I can't believe that dogs like that end up in rescue?

Wuffles - your poor yard! But happy pooches! Max has now dug a hole or two since his enforced confinement. Unfortunately, he's not pooing fast enough for me to solve the problem that way. We went and bought some topsoil, but this just provides a greater challenge! Ooops!

KTB - you seem to have an uncanny ability to read your puppies minds.... hmmm.....???????? The spreading legs is hilarious!

[koalathebear]

So I mentioned that OH and I were going to see if we could help Blossom the Rescue Dog find her forever home. She only has 2 photos right now, not very flattering - and alas, no one has offered to adopt her

We went there today and I took some video clips with my crappy camera and OH took some photographs. Blossom was the most darling, sweet and gentle girl you could imagine. Here are some of the photos:

Edited October 17, 2010 by koalathebear

[koalathebear]

And

that I have made for her... It's still being reviewed by Kate and the foster carer so it's a work in progress. These videos are tricky so any comments/suggestions/criticisms most welcome ... My brother thought that the Smudge video was too manipulative and sad so I was trying to make this one more upbeat :D

Click on the image below to see the draft video

ETA: So sorry the images were so huge. I have resized them

Edited October 17, 2010 by koalathebear

[Niques]

Poor Hoover with his slidey legs - James had (has!) the same problem. Elbie's stricken expression in the last photo is hilarious. I am very much wishing a fast toilet training period for Hoover. I quite clearly remember the near constant loads of washing that had to be done back in the days of accidental wees - definitely not the most enjoyable aspect of having a puppy around the house.

The Mars & Pepper photo made me laugh out loud He still looks so alien in an otherwise normal environment.

I hope you won't need to use the cone on Max, too much, Max#1!

Ava and Satch always look so happy with each other. It certainly helps that Satchmo has this wizened, helpful, big brother look in every photo :D

LS, those snow photos are fantastic! I'm very envious. I love being outside when it's snowing. Did Ruby adjust to it quickly or was there a, "What on earth is this?!" moment?

We had yet another awful day at obedience. Aside from the food refusal, which he did perfectly, I had absolutely no control over him. I'm really at a loss for what to do. And the day started so well. He should have been food-focussed as he had no breakfast. And when pulling out of the driveway I realised I'd forgotten his treat bag and he snuck out behind me when I got out of the car. He was halfway down the driveway, about to go for a run down the road, when I called him and he diligently came trotting over. Brilliant - I thought we were in for a great morning. So, so wrong. I just don't know what else I can do to make him focus around other dogs.

[Niques]

She is simply beautiful

You are truly wonderful for taking the time to help these dogs, KTB. All paws crossed that Blossom finds her new home very soon!

[koalathebear]

She is simply beautiful

You are truly wonderful for taking the time to help these dogs, KTB. All paws crossed that Blossom finds her new home very soon!

Thanks Niques! She is a lovely dog and it's so sad that it's hard to rehome doggies like her. I really hope she can find a good home soon. I'll let you know if my video gets 'approved'. :D

[lilli_star]

We had yet another awful day at obedience. Aside from the food refusal, which he did perfectly, I had absolutely no control over him. I'm really at a loss for what to do. And the day started so well. He should have been food-focussed as he had no breakfast. And when pulling out of the driveway I realised I'd forgotten his treat bag and he snuck out behind me when I got out of the car. He was halfway down the driveway, about to go for a run down the road, when I called him and he diligently came trotting over. Brilliant - I thought we were in for a great morning. So, so wrong. I just don't know what else I can do to make him focus around other dogs.

Oh Niques, I know exactly what you mean. Ruby is exactly the same (except for the recall- not good there lol). At home (inside or outside), she will do everything she is supposed to do at puppy school for any type of food. At puppy school, she just loses the plot! No interest in the treats either. If she does this in the pavillion, where there is only usually 2 other dogs, what is she going to be like at a sportsground to do obedience????! (If we go that is- by the time she's over being desexed, it will be close to hellish time for teachers- assessments and writing reports)

Ack. It's really late.

KTB, I'll look at your vid tomorrow (I'm sure it's great though ) And Blossom looks like a sweet girl. Reminds me of a dog who adopted us when I was 9 when we lived on the Central Coast. She was a black brindle dog (we called her a "pig dog", but who knows what actual breed) we named Tara. She wandered into our yard one day, and despite our best efforts, no one claimed her, so we did. We were just about to move to near where Dad is now, and she came with us. Little did we know, at the time she had a belly full of puppies! Now, I was 9, and I didn't know what it meant, but long story short, only one pup 'survived', and my brother named him Wart. Sadly the next year the farm we were living at had a problem with town dogs coming and killing the goats and their babies that lived on the mountain. Dad and his boss had to patrol the paddocks around our farmhouse for weeks. We ended up raising 7 orphaned kids (baby goats, not children lol) and a nanny goat with a broken leg who unexpectedly gave birth to twins (all lived the very good life and lived to ripe old ages- I think the last ones were 15 or 16 when they died). Then one day Dad and his boss saw Tara and Wart with a recently killed goat, and well, I'm sure you can work out what happened after that. Mum was devastated. She was the biggest animal lover and I remember her pleading with Dad that maybe they hadn't done it. It took her a long time to get over it I think. :D

[ravenau1]

Here are some pictures of my monsters taken this afternoon.

Ava is very pretty, but Satchmo is SO striking! I love the contrast between his coat and his eyes, he has a real 'presence' in those pics. I don't know how to describe it, but even though he doesn't look like a wolf he seems to have a kind of regal wolfy presence, though I'm sure that sounds silly :D

ravenau1: Oh! a teeny, tiny teacup Doberman Absolutely delightful! OH says that you guys must be fans of Boba Fett. ;)

Hahaha! Yeah, in one form or another. The Fetts for my OH, and Republic/Imperial Commandos for me, which are Jango Fett clones like Boba

that I have made for her... It's still being reviewed by Kate and the foster carer so it's a work in progress. These videos are tricky so any comments/suggestions/criticisms most welcome ... My brother thought that the Smudge video was too manipulative and sad so I was trying to make this one more upbeat

Click on the image below to see the draft video

ETA: So sorry the images were so huge. I have resized them

Awwww! I hope she finds a home soon, I love brindle dogs! I really think they have the prettiest markings. Just like I love tabby cats

eta: removing photos

Edited October 18, 2010 by ravenau1

[koalathebear]

ravaneau1: so sorry but is it possible to edit your post to remove the reposted photos? I feel bad having such large images the first time, seeing them twice makes me feel even more guilty. Thanks heaps!

[tigers12]

KTB - I hope you find a home for blossom, she is a beautiful dog!

Wuffles - Satch looks like hes trying to hypnotize us, dont look into his eyes!!

Unfortunately Jett isn't good with cats which is dissapointing as he looks like such a lovely boy! Hopefully he finds a new home soon

[koalathebear]

Niques:

I am very much wishing a fast toilet training period for Hoover. I quite clearly remember the near constant loads of washing that had to be done back in the days of accidental wees - definitely not the most enjoyable aspect of having a puppy around the house.

Thanks! Hoover's doing pretty well given that he's only been with us less than a week. We take him out at 3am each morning and so there have been no crate-soiling incidents for a bit. Also, he knows how to toilet on command now which is surprising. The problem is that he and Elbie keep wandering off from Poo Corner to play and when they're frolicking, they think of convenience rather than training when deciding on where to toilet.

We had yet another awful day at obedience. Aside from the food refusal, which he did perfectly, I had absolutely no control over him. I'm really at a loss for what to do. And the day started so well. He should have been food-focussed as he had no breakfast. And when pulling out of the driveway I realised I'd forgotten his treat bag and he snuck out behind me when I got out of the car. He was halfway down the driveway, about to go for a run down the road, when I called him and he diligently came trotting over. Brilliant - I thought we were in for a great morning. So, so wrong. I just don't know what else I can do to make him focus around other dogs

Sorry to hear you had a rough time at obedience. We used to dread puppy class a bit because Elbie was just sooooooo uncontrollable in the classroom sessions. At obedience, we still dread pre-class times because he is so hyperactive and crazy that the owners of quiet dogs must think that we are evil devil spawn who make no effort with our dog.

Elbie's still hyper around new situations and new people - all we can do is try to get him calm faster. One thing we do do is that we save 'jackpot' treats for obedience so if there is any kind of treat that James likes a LOT? If you only use those at obedience, he may be more inclined to pay attention, for instance we have found some lamb meatballs at Coles that he LOVES so will use that next time we have an assessement. Some people use dog chocolate etc. Longer strips of treats that you can dangle? Last night I was trying to practise "leave it" with Elbie and Hoover - every time Hoover swatted or harassed Elbie, I rewarded Elbie when he ignored Hoover.

Like I said, I was quite startled yesterday when one handler got so angry and just packed up and went home. OH says that he sympathises and I suppose I understand because they do say that if you are frustrated you should walk away/take a break etc. Usually it should be enough to take the dog for a quick walk away from the group.

There was something a bit odd yesterday. We were demonstrating tricks and one owner was in the middle of the circle demonstrating a trick. The dog made a slight mistake and the owner smacked his dog over the snout - quite lightly but this is a breach of club rules. Our teacher said nothing but another instructor who was joining the class with her two borders actually reprimanded the guy and said he shouldn't be smacking his dog's snout even lightly because it's delicate and the dog will feel pain etc. This clearly pissed off the handler because he then made a point of smacking his dog's snout lightly half a dozen more times in front of the instructor's face ... It was weird to watch ... We don't smack Elbie but in the past he has received the occasional snout swat to get his teeth away from our hand when he was still at the mouthy stage - yes we are bad owners. We would never have done it during obedience class ...

lilli_star: That story about Tara was certainly eventful! Wow … Also, Wart is a pretty awesome name but what a terrible end to the story of Tara and Wart!

tigers12: So sorry Jett isn't good with cats ... I know you'll have your own little puppy soon ....

OK, some more photos of my monsters.

Long-suffering Elbie: “What is this monster doing in my bed yet again?”

Hoover looking innocent

Stare-down

Our crated monsters

Why we need to crate Hoover the Monster - he chewed on the blinds when I was in the shower and forgot to crate him.

Edited October 18, 2010 by koalathebear

[Naomi]

Loving all the new Elbie and Hoover updates! I haven't been on DOL for a while and I come back to check up on Elbie (wow he's grown up!) and I find he has a new mate.

Also, lovely photos of Blossom! Good quality photos do wonders for rescue dogs. They are so much nicer and clearer than the current photos of Blossom. Hope she finds a home soon.

[dandybrush]

wow, im amazed you get that bed in elbies crate

poor elbie, he really wants his bed back

they are very cute together

[ravenau1]

ravaneau1: so sorry but is it possible to edit your post to remove the reposted photos? I feel bad having such large images the first time, seeing them twice makes me feel even more guilty. Thanks heaps!

Done

The blinds! We were due to have timber venetian blinds installed last month I could just imagine the havock a puppy could wreak with them so they're gone into storage and we're putting up some roman blinds until this time next year or there abouts.