Lawgirl

Maybe try nosework - use the sense that he has left to work his mind. Working his mind will tire him out.

Three of our dogs (who we got as puppies) had their chewing stages and then stopped. One of our dogs, who we got at 11 months old, had been left in a backyard with another dog (not a BC) for company only. He will chew given half a chance. I think he learned to self-sooth himself by chewing. So we have, at any given moment, multiple pieces of antler (whole, not split) lying around the house which he can chew on whenever he feels the need. He will even walk around the house with a piece of antler hanging out the side of his mouth like a cigar. This is why I think the chewing is a comfort thing for him. It may be similar with your dog, or it could be the second chewing phase mentioned above. For us, it was a matter of finding something he likes to chew and making sure there is always some available.

I have heard that meeting in a neutral location first is best. Then make sure you monitor their interactions and give each of them time away from each other. I am absolutely not an expert, so others may have better advice.

She is absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for the photos, although it is giving me puppy envy. Keep them coming!

I have four BCs on monthly chewable (Nexgard here in Australia) because the drop on the back of the neck is ineffective against fleas in our area. One of our boys (who has a sensitive stomach after green potato poisoning as a puppy) gets a little diarrhoea for a day or so. There has been no increase in aggression or unpredictability for my boys. The drop on the neck was hated by my boys. The chewable has them come back looking for a second treat. I realise this is purely anecdotal and not evidence, but I would be surprised if the allegations of a chewable causing aggression and unpredictability have scientific evidence. Correlation does not equal causation. If anyone knows of any reputable research on this matter, I would love to know too. This is also the first I have heard of it.

My boys love toilet paper rolls (just the bare cardboard) and also empty plastic bottles. You can spend a mint on toys and then...

Foundation one sounds good to me!

Such a happy dog! I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, and you may already be aware of this, but please be careful of dogs chasing sticks. They can be very dangerous and lead to throat and mouth injuries. A friend's Aussie was running with a stick, knocked it against a tree and the stick spun around in her mouth and lacerated her tongue and throat. Messy, terrifying and enough to make me swear off sticks forever.

You pup is gorgeous! Congratulations for the journey ahead. I second crate training, potty training and bonding for early training. As far as names go, I have always found that dogs will sometimes find their own names. You can have the perfect name picked out, then you meet the dog and realise it just won't fit. I saw one of my dogs online and just KNEW his name was Oscar. Another dog we had a few possible names picked out, but when we met him he was so inquisitive and adventurous we named him George, after Curious George, which was not a name which had been on the radar before then. As a practical thought, are you planning to do any dog sports or activities with your dog? If you are thinking of agility or obedience, try not to use a name that is going to be a similar sound to any command you may need to use, or use one that is either short enough, or can be shortened enough, to shout out when you are running around a course and out of breath. I must admit, all of our dogs have tended to pick up nicknames anyway.

Thank you for the puppy photo, we love them here. He is really hitting that leggy puppy phase! I also try to go by body condition, and more gentle adjustments. Good luck with your gorgeous puppy!

Any good food will result in an improvement in her coat, and I am sure she will get that with you. Sardines or other oily fish (or fish oil) can help, as well as raw meat etc. I have heard of people adding coconut oil to a meal (just a little as too much fat can cause pancreas problem), and egg is also a good way to help. Although I do not own a female, I have heard that some females "blow their coat" after whelping, in that it thins out massively. This is apparently hormonal. Time and good nutrition will fix this, although a quick google suggests it could be 6 to 12 months to get a full coat back. Forgot to add she is beautiful, I am sure she has BC in her and well done for rescuing her!

Congratulations on your successful camping trip with your utterly cute puppy. I second the concern about sticks, as I had a friend whose Aussie loved sticks and nearly had it pierce her throat. However, that happened while she was running with the stick in her mouth and it hit something and spun around in her mouth. Have Odin's ears settled down yet? They look like airplane ears in the photos above. And thank you for the update, we love those here.

I posted recently in another thread about new laws which have come into force in South Australia about 6 weeks ago requiring all dogs and cats to be microchipped by 12 weeks of age and neutered or spayed by the age of 6 months, unless you meet one of various exceptions. You can become a registered breeder by paying an annual fee (which is about $50 from memory) to a state wide authority, but there is no requirement for health checks, DNA testing, or breeding pure breed dogs. This plan was the result of a "citizen jury" process, and is supposedly designed to decrease the number of feral cats (not a bad thing in my opinion) and BYBs, and to decrease the demand for animal shelters as there will be fewer dogs bred. Of course, the question becomes one of enforcement...

For a puppy, 5 minutes is a long time to concentrate. The best thing is to keep doing short, frequent training sessions through the day, and always try to end on a good note. And yes, they learn so quickly, which is why you don't want them learning the wrong thing! A few repetitions on a couple of days and something is learned. Be prepared for adolescence, where his brain will fall out and he will forget everything he has learned, and you are starting from near scratch. Ah puppies! The joy!

Given that he starts out overstimulated before the second class, I would say that you are better off not going to that class. He would not be learning well in that class anyway. This will not be a permanent thing. As he gets older, he will cope with stimulation better, and calm down better. Give him time and continue your work with familiarisation to sounds, noise and movement. I agree to try and avoid classes at times he usually has the zoomies. He can obviously learn well in class, since he does well in the other. I would not give up in classes, just maybe give him more time as he is only still a little puppy.

Things like the dog walk, a-frame, teeterttotter etc should definitely be professionally made to your association specs, but to train stopped contacts, a board on the ground is good. You can train your dog to target and stop, and proof not leaving until released. Nail half a round log to the bottom of it (and some weight to one end) and you have a tiny teetertotter to get your dog used to the board moving under his or her feet. Not sure if you also have the table in your competition (it has been removed in Australia), but I trained that on an upturned clamshell pool. A low cost way to check your distances between weaves is to get a length of nylon webbing and punch metal eyelets into it at the appropriate spacing. You can then place your push in poles at the right spacing easily. You can do something similar to check the lengths for a broad jump. One thing I will say is that buying a sturdy tunnel is only half the picture - you need to buy many good tunnel bags to prevent the tunnel moving. Watch a dog in a tunnel in slow motion and see how much the tunnel moves. Tunnel bags help prevent motion and prevent injuries. Look at the number of tunnel bags on major European or American competition tunnels. One at each entrance and one in the middle will not really cut it.

I can't help with the taking of photographs, but just needed to say you have a beautiful pack there. The flower in the mouth - just precious!

Or you start using his full name when he is trouble! Me too, me too!

OK, these laws have only come into effect from 1 July 2018, so I have double checked. Dogs and cats must all be micro-chipped by 12 weeks of age, or before being sold, or within 28 days of coming to a new owner. Dogs and cats must be desexed by 6 months of age or within 28 days of coming to a new owner. Dogs which are already owned on 1 July 2018 are grandfathered, but if they transfer hands, must be desexed afterwards. Exemptions include:- greyhounds registered for racing and dogs belonging to members of our local dog association. Further exemptions have been granted to working dogs and registered breeders (who have to pay a yearly fee of about $50). You can get an exemption also by having your vet sign a declaration saying that desexing would have a negative impact on the animals health, welfare or development. All dogs must also be registered with local government etc. There are also new Animal Welfare laws which make it illegal to use electronic shock collars for any reason, require minimum kennelling requirements (size, materials, sleeping facilities, cleanliness) and place limits on total number of times dogs can be breed, how frequently etc. The theory is that this will prevent accidental pregnancies and unwanted litters. It is supposedly going to put BYBs out of business, but enforcement of welfare requirements is with local government and unlikely to actually occur.

In South Australia, where I live, it is now compulsory to chip dogs and cats within a few weeks of being purchased, if not before they are sold as puppies. It is also compulsory to desex your dog by 6 months, but as I am a member of our local dog association (for agility) I am exempt from that requirement. Two of our dogs had been chipped before we bought them at eight weeks. One we got at eleven months already chipped and desexed, the other we got at 20 weeks and we had him chipped when he had his second vaccination a week after we got him, but did not desex until 12 months, when his floppy rear dew claws were also removed.

I have no experience with adequan or chondroprotec, however, one of my boys has quite severe hip dysplasia and has been placed on cartrophen injections. The way that was described to me was that it was an artificial replacement or supplement for synovial fluid in the joints to help relieve joint pain. That was four weekly injections and then one injection every three months, with the option of increasing frequency as needed later. It has worked incredibly well for my boy.

Hershey had the most wonderful wise and loving face. I am so sorry for your loss.

I second the caution with liver; my boys get copious amounts of horrible smelling gas from liver treats. You could also use a dehydrator, but there will be a definite smell.

I am on my first agility dog, and did pretty much everything wrong - did not work on fundamentals and foundations etc. We only compete in a trial perhaps 5 or 6 times a year, and only for fun. If I was starting a new dog, I would certainly train fundamentals, using the Fenzi Academy or similar online course. There are many "handling systems" out there, and you may find one suits you and your dog completely, or bits from various systems work for you. My best advice is to go to agility trials, help out (lead steward etc) and see how other people do things, how are courses set up, how do people handle them, what do people do with their dogs before and after runs, how are their areas set up etc. If you are helping in the ring, ask questions of the judge while people are walking the ring, why do people do things that way. If you are a complete newbie to agility, and even if you only want to do things for fun, attending trials before you even think about setting foot in the ring and watching everyone is really important.

It is maybe preferable to leaving the dog in the car? Not something I would do personally.