RichardH

Also of note (may have talked about this on other collar threads don't remember).. I destroyed a beautiful $40 leather collar with sea water.. I had treated it gently and brushed on a little neatsfoot oil to keep freshwater out. I tried my best to keep it polished and free of dog filth, but sea water totally rotted the collar inside out - ye-uck. If you plan on doing ocean runs, get a Medium Headwater collar from Ruffwear - going on a year and the damn thing still looks new. http://www.ruffwear.com/Headwater-Collar_2 (also went with biothane and brass from http://www.dogsportgear.ca for her leash because filthy hiking monster) -Rich

Yup.. No hairy armpits for Ness either.. I think your dog is totally fine. -Rich

Does your school or anywhere around offer underground parking? If you're in Victoria BC Canda, there's a nice daycare there called nirvana and they're cheap as chips - not sure if your pup will be ready for daycare by then or not. -Rich

Dogs: an excuse to talk to myself in an absurdly high voice and laugh at my own jokes. -RIch

Just sort of got into the habit of crating (closed door) in the bedroom or at least near me if I'm travelling and staying with friends. She knows the score and runs right in. The few times I've forgotten to close the door, I found her right where I left her. Tent camping and hotels are usually an exception because the crate is kind of hard to fit in my backpack/luggage. -Rich

Success!

I was trolling through old posts I made and this one came up.. what ever happened to this guy? -Rich

Well it's been almost 5 months without a recurrence, so I guess I should update this thread. I had her on prednisone for a couple of weeks back in January and that seemed to have nailed it. Still have no idea what she might have had, but I'm pretty thankful it hasn't returned... Her eyes react at the same speed now and I haven't seen any shaking since about a day after I started the drugs. Speaking of prednisone.. I don't think I've ever seen my dog drink 3 big bowls of water in a day weird effects on her appetite for sure. -Rich

Are Aussies sometimes blessed with a tail? At 28 pounds as a pup, I doubt he qualifies as a "mini aussie." The ears are the only thing that don't look border collie to me, but BCs have like a million ear sets, so whooo knows. If you have a video of him running around/playing, it's sometimes easy to see - the shoulders, instincts and greeting rituals are usually a dead giveaway. -Rich

Reading this I'm wondering if the dog has any separation problems. If you have a webcam, try getting some video of what's happening and if your pup is freaking out or just making his own fun. Video helped me get over a lot of my bad training mistakes. How were his parents temperament wise? -Rich

My dog gained a bit of weight (up to 22lbs on TOTW HIgh Prairie and Sierra Mountain - stuck with it about 4 months) and then I switched back to Acana Grasslands (back down to 18lbs for the same amount of food). Not sure what the ingredient causing it is, but I was unhappy with it. Plus her poops were gross on TOTW - so it made sense to go back. -Rich

Started at 11 months with Ness (got her at 9 months). Used a long lead (25' and 50') and got her to follow me around at a few parks using clicker treats. Did that for about 3-4 weeks then I changed parks and let her totally off lead mostly using hikes. Played only recall games (I'd run away, or do something to get her attention) using stuff she loved at first (Sticks, treats, ball, me). I tried not to call when she looked distracted. I stopped luring/treating when she was 15 months and her emergency recall has been pretty much rock solid since. I taught two recalls, one verbal and one by (lip) whistling. The whistle one works very well - I don't remember when she's blown it off since being trained, the verbal one is meh and probably will be forever, so I just use it when it's no big deal (more of a "heel" I guess). She's about 2 now and I use treats/sticks when I'm really happy with her actions. I tend to ignore stuff I don't really like and she has picked up on that. I think you'll just get a groove going as long as you've got a good connection with your buddy. Good luck and keep it fun and positive. -Rich

I live in a 650 sq ft apartment in downtown Vancouver with my BC, Nessie. After some problems trying to convince rescues that I'm not a terrible person for living downtown, I got her second hand from the SPCA. She was healthy of body and spirit, happy and loved playing around/being a dork with me on our meet. I may have lucked out, but I think it was just good old fashion rules/boundaries that I taught her that makes her my buddy and a good apartment citizen. She mostly just lays around and sleeps when we're at home like any other dog I've met. At first I kept her on leash in the house at first and gave lots of treats for laying down and being quiet. I ignored all bad things like barking/whining then I just sort of treated less and dropped the leashing thing as she got the hint. I'd say the process took about 3 months of work. I take Ness to work 3 days a week and to doggie daycare the other 2 days. On the weekends we go on hikes/beach walks rain or shine. Her daily routine is 3-4 walks a day at 15-40 minutes per walk and it's on my terms when we go, so I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn or go during a downpour. I keep her crated for sleeping and car rides, so she can't get into much trouble in those contexts. It's done *me* a lot of good, too - I lost nearly 50 pounds just getting outside and having fun with the dog. I really don't feel like a scumbag at all and I think it might have been on of the better choices I've made in my life. -Rich

So I went to the vet and he could definitely see a different response in her eye dilation on the left eye. He said it may be caused by a swelling in the brain (maybe infection - maybe head trauma) and put her on prednisone for a week. He was not totally convinced that it wasn't a congenital defect and I may need to follow up with a neurologist if symptoms get worse or start to bother her. -Rich