Malamum

I am so sorry Daisysmom, I know how hard it is for you. However you have definitley done the right thing.

One thing to keep in mind with hardwood floors is that when your dog reaches old age and their hips/legs begin to weaken it is much harder for them to get up.

ooohhhh I am so jealous. He looks like he is having a blast :D

That does seem very expensive to me. I've never done agility but assuming it is something you like and want to keep doing you aren't really going to want to stop at 6 weeks. I have joined a dog training club to take Indy to obedience classes once a week. We pay $35 a year as membership and then $2 every time you go. I think this is very reasonable - hopefully you can find a club with a similar set up.

That was hilarious - thanks for the giggle :lol:

I am pretty sure they are two different dogs - though probably kind of similar. When I received a reply from Working Koolie saying they had 5 Koolies I didn't know what they were so went and looked them up and from what I can gather are a different breed from Border Collies. I can't tell you the differences though - best to wait for working koolie to reply :D

That is a beautiful poem but very sad

BK, I'm not really sure if there was a peace rally in Sydney. I don't normally watch TV on the weekends so haven't seen the news for a few days.

I am very sorry for your loss :( Try to take a little bit of comfort that when his time came he went to peacefully.

duct tape, smucht tape - if all hell breaks loose and it gets that bad no amount of plastic and duct tape is going to help. I know it's easy for me to say sitting all the way over here in Oz, but why panic over something you can't control. There are a lot more things in my life, that I do have control over that I need to worry about first :) The duct tape for the suit case is a great idea - I haven't actually broken a zipper myself but have in the past bought so much stuff when overseas that I physically couldn't lift my suitcase. Not a good idea when you are on your own and have to rely on strangers to lift your bag for you :oops:

Glad to hear she recovered so nicely. With dogs that have a thick coat it is good to remember to clip the fur around the area so it can get air and treat as soon as possible so it doesn't turn into a hot spot. Believe me I learned the hard way.

Humans are always alpha. There are various ways to enforce this and a few are these are as follows: 1. The alpha always eats first. We have set up our feeding schedule so that Indy eats his meal after we have finished ours. If this is not always possible at least get something to nibble on so they can see you eating and once you have finished feed them. 2. Alpha's always have the highest position. Our dog is not allowed on the bed or on the lounge. Also do not lie on the floor and allow your dog to stand over you etc.... easiest way to remember is your head is to always be in a higher position than the dogs. 3. Alpha's always get clear passage, if your dog is lying in your path make it move - don't step over it. 4. No free rides. Make your dog do something before it gets ANYTHING. Even if just to sit and behave. So ask them to sit before giving treats, before feeding, before giving attention and before you let them through a door etc..... These are just a few of the basics and are very important in a large, pack orientated, dominate breed. From your picture it looks like you have small dogs so the head being higher point may not be so relevant. When you have multiple dogs - especially ones from a pack oriented, dominate breed you the alpha need to confirm what is the ranking between the dogs is and maintain the order. I only have one dog so am not experienced with this but from my understanding the highest ranking dog gets everything first, fed first, attention first etc.... This doesn't mean you love the lower ranking dog any less you are just maintaining harmony within your pack.

My heart goes out to you in this tough time. In regards to the ashes it doesn't really matter what other peope have done, do what feels right for you.

I have an Alaskan Malamute and a harness for walking is a bit of a no no with this breed as they are bred to pull . As soon as he is old enough I want to train him to run in a harness along side my bike. He needs to learn that when he is wearing the harness he is allowed to pull but when wearing his collar he is not. I'm not a 100% sure about other breeds but IMO if you put a harness across their chest it would just make it easier for them to pull. As my boy is so strong I use the gentle leader and have found it fantastic. Just curious - what types of problems did you have with it? I don't have any personal experience with the prong collar but know others who swear by them if used correctly. I have even heard them decribed as "like having power steering" LOL

I only ever give my dog raw bones - NEVER cooked ones as cooking weakens them and then they can splinter. I don't believe the marrow will make your dog sick. I occasionaly give my dog bones that still have the marrow in them and he has no problems and he LOOOOOVES grinding it out with his teeth.

[color=red][b]OMG!!! That is really scary.[/b][/color] You are so lucky and I'm glad you are ok. Thank god you had your dogs.