Caring for you puppy or adult dog |
Please call back regularly to this page as we are working hard to bring you up to date information and advice on feeding and bringing up your new puppy.
Beware over exercising or over walking your puppy!
What feeding habits should I follow?
What is BARF Diet. Do you use it?
Feeding from 8 Weeks to 3 Months
When is my puppy due for additional vaccinations?
When should I give my puppy Heartworm treatment?
BEWARE: Do not start heartworm treatment before getting your dog tested.
Should I use a Collar, a Halti, Check chain or a Check lead when training my puppy?
Start your on lead training now... yes at 9 weeks its definitely time!
Where can I run my dog off leash?
How do I get my dog to come back to me when I call?
Becoming 'Alpha' in your relationship with your puppy
How far should I walk my puppy?
Most Breeders and many Veterinarians agree that there is great danger in over exercising or walking your puppy while his bones are going through their main growth stage. The distances that seem appropriate and the natural inclination of most people are way to much.
From 3 to 6 Months of age we recommend only walking your puppy around a normal suburban block 1/2Km maximum between the ages of 3 to 6 months.
From 6 - 12 months of age it is recommended to only walk about 1 - 1.5Km maximum. At this age include some stony or gravel surfaces in the walk to help develop the strength and verticalness in the pasterns and to ensure the toes develop in a compact formation.
After 12 months of age he should be able to walk and run with you for substantial distances including where possible on some gravel or stony surfaces to make sure his toes stay up and compact. The pasterns should be well up but not totally vertical and the toes tight and well up.
NOTE: If your puppy is living with another pet which is very active and your puppy is running around chasing etc all day then it is advised to constrain him/her for a substantial part of the day in a pen, crate or chain so that over working of the developing bones is not adversely effected. Some free time to play each day is fine but not for hours on end.
What feeding habits do you encourage?
We believe that feeding is one of the best times to encourage good manners and appropriate behavior in your dog. Dogs are descendants of the wolf and are pack animals. They consider you as part of their pack (literally). Each member of their pack has a place in the pecking order so to speak. If each dog and human knows his place in the "order" then he/she is comfortable and contented. If their is any inconsistency or ambiguity about what position in the "order" any member holds then discontent, struggle, and unsettled behavior ensues.
It is very important that you establish yourselves as 'Alpha' over the puppy right from the beginning. There are many ways to achieve this some of which I will cover in other sections. However one of the primary ways is by ensuring that your puppy always eats after you do. Feeding your puppy after he has observed you eat your meal is ideal. Never feed him first.
Good manners as well as establishing your 'Alpha' position in the pack is established by removing your puppies food and returning it to him a couple of min's later. Never tolerate any protest from him over this. Also while he is eating sometimes touch his food with your fingers and remove some. Again do not tolerate any protest. Sternly say NO! at any protest and let out an angry growl... yes literally Growl. Growling at inappropriate behavior is way more effective than english words. However by combining the NO word with chastisement helps the puppy identify NO with your displeasure rather than just the Growl. This will allow you to chastise him in public without the embarrassment of people seeing you growling like a raved dog :)
Dogs in the wild not only yield to the 'Alpha' dog of the pack, they positively like to please him. By positioning yourself as 'Alpha' you not only become the boss you also sponsor cooperation and the desire to please you within your puppy.
Always make your dog do something for you before you do something for him! Make him sit and wait before you give him his food. Once he is sitting place the food down and make him stay sitting. Say WAIT and Watch. Wait until he looks you in the eye. Then tell him to eat. The dog should understand that his food comes from you... not from the bowl. Do this every time so that he develops self control and respect for you as his master and provider. Do not think that your dominance of the dog will 'Break his spirit' Quite the reverse is true. The more restrained and well mannered he is the more comfortable and secure he will feel. A well mannered dog is also one who looks and acts proud.
Feed to condition!. Look at Pedigree Show dog Ridgebacks on web sites including ours and develop a good eye for how your dog should look! Pet owners nearly always overfeed their dogs. Overfeeding your dog is cruel and it will live a shorter life and be very uncomfortable, in pain and suffering for the last third of this shortened life as a result of your overfeeding. Remember your dog loves you and trusts you to know what's best for it. Care for it. Earn and disserve this trust by feeding correctly and making sure it is healthy and the correct (lean) weight all the time. Your dog will reward you with many more years of joyful unerring love!
Back to index
We now feed our dogs a form of the BARF diet See details below! This may not be suited to your weekly routine and time available so most of you will follow the advice that follows. Details of our BARF diet
Avoid feeding your dog immediately after vigorous exercise and NEVER!!! exercise your dog for several hours after he has been fed. Gastric torsion is prevalent in Rhodesian Ridgebacks as it is in some other breeds. If your dog has vigorous exercise when his bowel is full of food it can tear away from the attaching membranes and blood vessels attached to the bowel. The result can be death in just a few mins. Another problem is Bloat.. some people confuse this with Gastric torsion but it is a different thing altogether but can be deadly. Dogs that gulp their food or overeat can get a bowel blockage due to solids or fermenting food or due to a bone or sock or other foreign object in the bowl. The blockage can cause gases to build up in the bowel and the bloat can cause the dog symptoms from stress to internal hemorage and can lead to death. If you dog gulps his food and shows tendencies to over eat then feed smaller amounts more often and definately avoid excercise before and after feeding.
For some years we fed our dogs the "Pedigree Advance" series of dog foods and were happy with the results. This product was developed by Pedigree in Australia in consultation with breeders and contains the highest quality ingredients in an ideal balance for the various stages of a dogs growth, development, and lifetime. "Advance" is low or zero in preservatives and has meat as the primary ingredient and has developed a reputation for low incidence of irritable bowel syndrome.
Other quality foods are "Science Diet" and "Eucanuba". We have fed these to our dogs on and off as it prepares them for variation in the event of not being able to get their regular food when traveling etc.
For a while we fed our dogs Eucanuba as the main diet and supplement it with Beef Brisket bones once or twice a week and some raw chicken mince. The results have been good as would be expected.
The above food types are very "High End" quality foods and thus cost substantially more than many alternatives. However the high grade quality and the fact that they do not contain the grains or soy which cannot be digested by dogs means that you do not need to feed anywhere the quantity needed when feeding lower grade foods. This means that the food goes further and all in all does not cost as much more as you would imagine to use than the cheaper foods.
If you are on a budget and must use cheaper grade foods then the best advice we can give is to try "Supercoat". Some Breeders and Showers have reported good results for this medium priced alternative. I personally have seen the coat condition and general well-being improve on a dog who was changed from a very cheap food to a "Supercoat" diet.
When looking at the ingredient list of a food, "Meat" should be the first ingredient listed. The order of the listing is by law from the highest content down. Don't be fooled by the Protein percentage and Fat and fibre percentages either. Two foods both with say 20% protein give totally different results. If the protein is Meat based then it is almost 100% absorbable by the dog. On the other hand if the Protein content is partly provided by Soy or other grains then poor absorption in the dogs gut will result in poor value for money and larger stools.
We have started to feed our dogs a diet based on the principles of the BARF Diet. BARF means Biologically Appropriate Raw Food ---or--- Bones And Raw Food, depending on who you ask and when you ask them and how your holding your tongue when asking.
The BARF diet was described and defined by a practicing veterinarian Dr Ian Billinghurst B. V. Sc.[Hons], B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed. from Bathurst NSW. The BARF diet way of feeding your Dogs and Cats has gained a huge following around the world. There are now millions of people all over the world that feed their dogs a diet based on the BARF diet as originally described and developed here in Australia by Dr Billinghurst.
There a a few good books on the diet written by Dr Ian Billinghurst. Also their is a lot of information and discussion on this topic on the internet. You should study up on what should be used and fully understand the needs of a dogs diet before setting out to go it alone preparing and feeding this type of diet.
Done well the BARF diet can be much better for a dog than even the most expensive of dry foods. However done poorly it could be worse so if you don't have the time to study it well and time to devote to producing the food the either feed a top shelf dry food and some meat or purchase pre prepared BARF from a reputable supplier.
Dry foods were introduced into Australia in the mid 1960's and led to an increase in cancers and autoimmune disease problems and developmental problems in puppies etc that rose consistently with the increasing popularity of these highly processed dry foods. In these early times even Canned dog food was considerably better than the dry food alternatives. In recent times so called "Top shelf" dry foods have emerged and seems to have addressed most of the problems by applying science and research and nutritional understanding backed up by clinical trials. Today Dry foods such as Eucanuba, Advance, Science Diet seem to give good results and time may prove that the disease and developmental problems caused by Dry foods may be behind us but only time will tell.
BARF attempts to return the dogs diet back to type of foods that the dog developed over thousands of years to consume. The dog developed to live on Raw Meaty Bones and the gut (including the partly digested contents) and offal of animals it killed or scavenged from the kills of other animals or humans.
Commercial BARF diet meat and vegetable products can be purchased (Significantly expensive). You can produce your own after studying what ingredients to include and what to avoid and in what proportions. You may be able to get BARF inspired prooduct from us (Less expensive perhaps.)
We have geared up to produce our own BARF dog food in quantity (we have currently 7 large dogs and they eat a lot of food every day). This required investing in an industrial mince and a commercial freezer. We feed our mature dogs on this food exclusively and am delighted in the results and their enthusiasm for it. Our BARF food has all natural ingredients with human grade meat, vegetables, and fruit with no preservatives. No grain whatsoever is in a good BARF diet. Grain is the main ingredient in dry dog food and is included because it is a cheaper form of protein than meat. The vegetable matter has to be crushed and partly cooked to break down the cellulose walls and release the nutrients, this emulates the "cooking" action that the stomach acids and bile and other enzymes in the gut of the prey animal performs on the food. Remember the dogs normal source of vegetable nutrients, vitamins, and minerals is from the gut of an animal whereby it has been partly or wholly digested.
In addition to the BARF meat, vegetables, and fruit a dog on a BARF diet is normally fed beef and Lamb brisket (rib) bones every second to third day instead of the meat and vegetables. One day each week Salmon, Tuna, or other fish product is fed. Some supplements such as Flack seed oil, Omega 3 & 6 and Vitamin C may be recommended if they have not been included in the BARF meat/Vegetable product being used.
We are considering making our BARF food available to the public a little above our ingredients cost to subsidies the cost of our own dogs food and the cost of the equipment. At this stage it appears that we would charge about $2.50/Kg. As the food is in frozen plastic (Chinese food) containers it would only be practical to supply people who wanted say 20Kg at a time and who lived in the western Sydney area whereby we could drop it in or they could collect it. People who could purchase larger amounts less often and keep it frozen may find it practical even though they live further away. Contact us if your interested in discussing getting quantities of our BARF based dog food. What we would offer you would be exactly as we prepare and feed to our show dogs.
Feeding from 8 weeks to 3 Months (12 weeks)
At this stage feed "Advance Puppy Rehydratable"
3 meals a day. They have been used to 3 feeds a day in the morning, lunchtime or evening and later at night, but the third feed is usually ceased after a few months.
Avoid feeding your dog immediately after vigorous exercise and NEVER!!! exercise your dog for several hours after he has been fed. Gastric torsion is prevalent in Rhodesian Ridgebacks as it is in some other breeds. If your dog has vigorous exercise when his bowel is full of food it can tear away from the attaching membranes and blood vessels attached to the bowel. The result can be death in just a few mins.
Breakfast- Soaked Advance Puppy Rehydratable - Caution: Milk can result in diarrhea - Biolac or other puppy supplement is not required and after week 6 is not advised. Advance is a complete food which will not need supplementing with calcium etc. Supplementing with calcium can be bad for the puppy so do not use them at all. At 8 weeks your puppy will need about half a cup of re hydrated dry food for this meal increasing as he gets older. Only let him feed until you see his belly bulging. Do not let him gorge.
Midday or Afternoon/Evening. Repeat the breakfast meal.
Late Evening - A feed with soaked Advance Puppy Rehydratable and some meat. I use minced beef. Semi lean or lean - Be careful to select a supplier that is free of preservatives. Most pet suppliers mince has preservatives but many are now changing over or offering no preservative meat (Ask for a guarantee of no preservatives) Check that pet minces do not contain too much offal or other nondescript rubbish meat up to 10% offal may be beneficial but more is not advised. A half cup of soaked dry food and half a cup of mince should be sufficient at the beginning increasing as he gets older. Only let him feed until you see his belly bulging. Do not let him gorge.
Twice a week - Give your puppy a chicken neck or three (raw) to chew on but make sure he/she chews them . Once he/she starts to swallow the neck whole change it to Chicken wings. Generally a swallowed neck does no harm and is handled correctly but it has been known to cause a bowel blockage if allowed to swallow them day after day. They love to chew bones and this will not harm their little teeth and will help strengthen them and will also clean them from plaque and tartar buildup and stop the development of gum disease. Do not feed other types of bones and Do not feed the bones more than 3 times a week!!!
Once a week - Give your puppy a little tin of sardines or a little Tuna or Salmon. We do this on friday instead of the beef/chicken as it reminds us to also eat fish ourselves once a week. The omega 3 fatty acids in the fish is good for the dog (and you by the way). Do not feed more than once a week though as dogs in the wild only eat fish irregularly. We get the Sardines, Tuna, and Salmon at Aldi stores because they have it at an astoundingly good price and the quality is excellent.
The quantities of food you should give will vary according to the age of the puppy and its eating habits. Beware some puppies which will eat until sick (mostly bitches! but some dogs too). Increase the quantity carefully according to the pups body weight, and avoid overfeeding your puppy. This may lead to growth abnormalities due to extra stress on growing joints.
Feed to condition!. Look at Pedigree Show dog Ridgebacks on web sites including ours and develop a good eye for how your dog should look! Pet owners nearly always overfeed their dogs. Overfeeding your dog is cruel and it will live a shorter life and be very uncomfortable, in pain and suffering for the last third of this shortened life as a result of your overfeeding. Remember your dog loves you and trusts you to know what's best for it. Care for it. Earn and disserve this trust by feeding correctly and making sure it is healthy and the correct (lean) weight all the time. Your dog will reward you with many more years of joyful unerring love!
A good idea is to weigh your puppy prior to its meal once each week on the same day and keep a weight chart. We would also love you to email us the weights each week so we can follow the progress compared to the other puppies.
At this stage you should change your puppies diet to "Advance Growth for Large Breeds". Contrary to the chart from Pedigree that advises "Advance Puppy" up to 6 months we prefer to take them off puppy and change to "Advance Growth for large breeds" at 3 months in order to ensure that the puppies do not grow too quickly as this can cause problems in bone development of Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
Reduce to 2 meals a day. Most dogs will wean themselves from the midday meal anyway.
Avoid feeding your dog immediately after vigorous exercise and NEVER!!! exercise your dog for several hours after he has been fed. Gastric torsion is prevalent in Rhodesian Ridgebacks as it is in some other breeds. If your dog has vigorous exercise when his bowel is full of food it can tear away from the attaching membranes and blood vessels attached to the bowel. The result can be death in just a few mins.
Breakfast- Soaked Advance Growth for Large Breeds. The Advance is a complete food which will not need supplementing with calcium etc. Supplementing with calcium can be bad for the puppy so do not use them at all. At 12 weeks your puppy will need about one cup of dry food for this meal increasing as he gets older. As the weeks go by observe his look and reduce or increase his food accordingly (you can only do this effectively if you feed an accurately measured amount and no scraps at random). The dog correctly fed to condition should have a waistline showing and in the sunlight you should just be able to see a shadow of the last two ribs. As mentioned earlier... take a look at pedigree ridgebacks on the net and if your dog looks less attractive or fatter or different in shape then your most likely overfeeding. After all your dog is from some of the better bloodlines in Australia and should look pretty much as good as most of the pictures you see on the net!
Evening - A feed with soaked Advance Growth for Large Breeds and some meat chunks mixed in. I have used diced beef. Semi lean or lean - Be careful to select a supplier that is free of preservatives. Check that pet minces do not contain too much offal or kangaroo. A cup of soaked dry food and half a cup of mince should be sufficient at the beginning. At 12 weeks your puppy will need about one cup of dry food for this meal increasing as he gets older.
Twice a week - At this stage your puppy will be just swallowing chicken necks whole so start giving it medium sized pieces of "Beef Brisket bones" to chew on. Their teeth can easily penetrate the brisket and it cleans the plaque off well and stop the development of gum disease. If you lapse giving these bones to your puppy it will soon build up tartar and plaque and will require manual cleaning by yourself or a vet to avoid bad breath and worse gum disease. Do not feed other types of bones and Do not feed bones more than twice a week!!!
Once a week - Continue to give your puppy a tin of Sardines, Tuna or Salmon. We do this on friday instead of the beef as it reminds us to also eat fish ourselves once a week. The omega 3 fatty acids in the fish is good for the dog. Do not feed more than once a week though as dogs in the wild only eat fish irregularly.
At this stage the weight just at the end of each month should be recorded. Again we would also love you to email us the weights each month so we can follow the puppies progress compared to the others.
At this stage you should change your puppies diet to "Advance Large Breeds" or the equivalent in Eucanuba combined with one meal including Beef or Chicken or Lamb meat. Or preferably abandon dry food and feed a quality BARF Meat/Vegetable/and fruit mix product
You can continue with two small meals a day if you wish or reduce to 1 larger meal a day if you find this more convenient use of your time. If you feed one meal it should be in the evening.
Avoid feeding your dog immediately after vigorous exercise and NEVER!!! exercise your dog for several hours after he has been fed. Gastric torsion is prevalent in Rhodesian Ridgebacks as it is in some other breeds. If your dog has vigorous exercise when his bowel is full of food it can tear away from the attaching membranes and blood vessels attached to the bowel. The result can be death in just a few mins.
Two or Three times a week - A large helping of "Beef Brisket bones" to chew on instead of the dry food or instead of the BARF. Their teeth can easily penetrate the brisket and it cleans the plaque off well and stop the development of gum disease. The bones supply the calcium, marrow, phosphorus etc the dog needs in the ideal proportions. If you lapse giving these bones to your puppy it will soon build up tartar and plaque and will require manual cleaning by yourself or a vet to avoid bad breath and worse gum disease. Do not feed other types of bones and Do not feed bones more than four times a week!!!
Once a week - Continue to give your puppy a tin of Sardines, Tuna or Salmon (Instead of the Dry Food or BARF. We do this on friday instead of the beef as it reminds us to also eat fish ourselves once a week. The omega 3 fatty acids in the fish is good for the dog. Do not feed more than once a week though as dogs in the wild only eat fish irregularly.
At this stage the weight just at the end of each month should be recorded. Again we would also love you to email us the weights each month so we can follow the puppies progress compared to the others.
Your puppy has been wormed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks.
You will need to give him worming treatment in the form of chewable or tablets appropriate for his weight at week 10 (28/4/2004) and week 12 (12/5/2004) then once each three months for life (Some vets recommend worming each month from week 12 to 6 months). Take the advice of your Vet and do not just use the cheapest option from the supermarket because some of these products are not effective and do not cover all worm types Do not forget to take care of this important responsibility.
When is my puppy due for additional vaccinations?
Your puppy has had his first C3 vaccination at week 7 (7/4/2004)
He/she will need the second vaccination C5 or C7 at week 12 (12/5/2004)
The third vaccination we recomend C7 should be given at week 16 (9/6/2004)
Then a top up vaccination should be given once each year for life.
Make sure your vet vaccinates against Kennel Cough particularly if your dog is going to be mixing with other dogs (at shows, In the park, at dog leash free areas or by being kenneled while you go on holiday.
Forgetting to attend to this important duty will ultimately lead to suffering and additional expenses dealing with unthinkable consequences for your dog and perhaps others.
To learn more about puppy vaccinations go here.
When should I give my puppy Heartworm treatment?
BEWARE: If your dog has been off heartworm treatment for a while make sure you get it checked for heartworm infection before starting any form of Heartworm preventative medication. If your dog already has heartworm and you start heartguard or any other type of daily, monthly, or annual preventative medication, your dog can get very sick very quickly and in some cases be dead the next morning.
Your puppy must be protected from Heartworm. There are various products available for this. I suggest you discuss this with your VET as it can be a matter of personal choice which suits you and your lifestyle best.
Most VETs recommend treatment start at week 12 (12/5/2004). However you should consult your vet at this stage when you are getting the 12 week vaccination. Some medications are available that cover other worms or fleas and parasites and also heartworm. For example: "Revolution" covers Fleas, Mites (Ear and Sarcoptic) and Heartworm. Revolution can be given from Week 8 and lasts a month. If you are using Revolution you should not use daily or other heartworm during the month of Revolution use.
In my opinion if you are a well disciplined and organized person who is not inclined to be forgetfully then you should use the daily tablets as they are cheaper and have proved themselves over many years to have little or no side effects and if given at the correct dose regularly without lapsing are 100% effective in stopping infection by Heartworm..
If on the other hand you are forgetfully or spontaneous and may tend to let the supply of tablets lapse then I suggest you go with the annual injection.
Allowing your treatment against Heartworm to lapse is inadvisable because to resume treatment you first will have to get your dog tested to ensure he has not contracted Heartworm before resuming taking the tablets or getting a new injection. Also if your dog contracts Heartworm (specially at an advanced stage) your dog will suffer greatly from the treatment to save him/her.
To learn more about heartworm go here.
or go here (Warning graphic pictures)
Should I use a Collar, a Halti, Check lead, or a Check chain when training my puppy?
There are many different schools of thought about this issue. Some areas and clubs have taken a strong stand on the use of particular equipment such as Check chains. When it comes to training your puppy it is important to remember that he/she is tender both physically and emotionally and that inappropriately harsh treatment can damage him/her. Damage due to harsh treatment is not limited to the inappropriate use of a Check chain as incorrect use or tugging or abuse with a collar or halti or check leash can physically or emotionally do damage as well.
There is no debate about the effectiveness of a Check chain in training a puppy. I have seen more dogs equipped with a Halti or regular collars pulling and tugging as they take their owners for a walk than dogs equipped with Check chains. The debate is mostly related to weather a Check chain is too harsh or is more subject to incorrect or abusive use.
The decision on what equipment to use is entirely one you must make for yourself and depends on your beliefs, preconceptions and sensitivities. I am sure if you follow appropriate methods in training your puppy that you will have a happy puppy that is well behaved and in control regardless on what choice you make. I personally have always trained my puppies with Check chains. I have never had a puppy or a dog who was shy or resentful of the chain being put on. To the contrary my dogs get excited when the chain comes out of the cupboard and actively usually put their own heads in to go for a walk. Of cause excessive or abusive tugging on the chain is cruel and should never be applied.
I am hoping to provide some links for you to go to soon, to help provide a balance to this subject and to help you decide which way to go. Of cause if your local obedience club, puppy class, show training club etc insists on particular choice of equipment then the choice is pretty much made for you and it is simplest to go with the flow and use the equipment they require.
The best time to start your on lead training is Week 9. The week from 8 to 9 is plenty of time for your puppy to settle down in his/her new environment and to get to know his new family. It is best if your puppy has some lead savvy in time to start his puppy classes.
Although different people have different techniques for this the following advice is based on our experience.
Follow these steps and with a little patience and practice your puppy will love walking with you in no time.
(1) Put your preferred collar, Check lead, Halti or Check chain on the puppy along with a lead. (See about check chains)
(2) Let the puppy wonder wherever he likes and just follow him around for the first 20 min's or so as he explores his environment.
(3) After the initial 20 min's start giving him an occasional short gentle tug on the lead to change his direction. You will find he will change his direction and his focus onto something else.
(4) On the second day try pulling on the lead and he will suddenly tug back. At this stage do not release the pressure on the lead when he tugs back (Unless he gags or exhibits tendency to choking). He will pull hard and protest but don't pull back against him but also do not move forward to release the pressure. No matter how much he protests just hold firm and wait for him to discover that he is in control and that it is only pulling on him because he is pulling on it. After about 20 seconds or more he will discover that he can release the pressure himself by not tugging.
(5) Encourage your puppy to come towards you by attracting him with a pieces of "Schmackos", Liver treat, or other treats. Lead him with the treats.
(6) Be patient. don't loose your temper or act frustrated with him. It's supposed to be fun for him and you. Remember he loves to interact with you and spend time with you so if you associate this time with being on the lead then he will quickly get to love the lead as well as you.
(6) After a few days start taking him out to the yard immediately after his meal. Take him on the lead using the treat to encourage him to go in the desired direction. This also reinforces the habit of going to the toilet outside immediately after each meal. Going after eating is a natural habit for animals and is convenient because after you feed him you can let him out and after a while no accidents will happen inside between meals.
(7) Now and again tether your puppy to a post (make sure shade and water is available) for half an hour or so. He will learn to stop pulling on the lead and to not freak out at being restrained in this way. Dogs that are never tethered are a problem and can panic when they inevitably have to be tethered for the first time. If not dealt with early the dog will panic at the most inconvenient time when some other disaster is breaking loose and you need to restrain your dog for his safety while you attend to other things.
Where can I run my dog off leash?
Under the new "Companion Animal Act" It is the responsibility of every Council area to provide a "Dog off leash area". No council can shirk its responsibility in this important area. If your council does not comply it can be forced to under the legislation.
Unfortunately most councils do not provide fencing around such areas and often little or no sign posting. This results in the probability of your dog running outside of the designated area even onto a main road in some cases. Also the lack of fencing and signs results in people who may be afraid of dogs or not aware how to interact with them to wonder into the areas.
You can contact the local Council Ranger to ask where the "Dog off leash" area or areas are for your suburb or town. If you find the area is adjacent to roads and has no fencing or signs then it is advisable to complain to the council in righting and send a copy to the Ombudsman and your local councilor and your State government parliamentarian.
Your dog should only be run off leash in the designated area of a "Dog off leash area". If you allow your dog to run in the local oval or parkland and a child acts inappropriately and is injured then the consequences for you and your dog do not bare thinking about.
Beach side community Councils often have a beach area designated for "Off Leash" use. Make sure you know exactly what part of the beach and what the designated times for such use are.
Beware of other dogs. Use common sense in letting your dog off leash when other dogs are about or may appear. you do not want your dog or another dog injured if a fight breaks out. The "Off leash" status of the area does not protect you from expensive litigation if an injury to person, animal or property occurs.
How do I get my dog to come back to me when I call?
The first time you allow your dog off leash it should be in a fenced area.
Make a game of getting your dog to come back to you to go on the leash!. We do this by getting a small tin and putting some stones in it to form a loud rattle. John walks the dog on lead away from me a small distance say just 5 meters. I call the dog and rattle the can. When the dog comes to me I immediately give the dog a treat (immediately means within 1 second of getting back not 5 seconds!) and say "Good Boy".
Gradually over several days the distance is increased to 50 or 100 meters always with the call, the rattle, treat and "Good Boy". After a while you can let the dog off the leash to run about and explore and you can retrieve the dog with the call, rattle and always a treat and "Good Boy".
Whenever you go to the "Off Leash" area take some treats and the rattle. At the first sign of people or another dog arriving call your dog and rattle and he should come running without hesitation (Don't forget the treat).
It's easy to train your dog in this way and very rewarding for you and him. He sees it as a game and after some time it's automatic and he can't resist the pull to return to you even if the distraction is very strong. After some significant time you can try retrieving your dog just with the call and treat but no rattle. Eventually if you need to retrieve your dog away from some distraction or a situation of danger he will come immediately and it won't matter that you forgot to have treats with you the "Good Boy" will suffice.
Becoming 'ALPHA' in your relationship with your puppy.
It is important that you become numero uno ie Number 1 or in dog psychology terms 'ALPHA' in your relationship with your dog. Being totally on top of the situation with regard to this important matter will ensure that your puppy is in control, happy and contented. Any ambiguity in this and your puppy or dog will become inconsistent, frustrated, unmanageable, erratic, mischievous, and somewhere from difficult to unbearable.
Here are some guidelines to establishing and maintaining your ALPHA position in the pack.