Fourjays German Shorthaired Pointers

01/08/2024

08/07/2024

Pigeons to the left of me
Kangaroos to the right
Here I am
Stuck in the middle with you 😂😂

11/03/2024

Great information here!

05/03/2024

ARE YOU WORTH COMING BACK TO?

I often cringe when I watch people trying to get their dogs to come back when they call.

They call and call and get increasingly angry and frustrated as their dog keeps ignoring them.

When their dog eventually does come back, or has been chased and "captured” by the now really angry person, they get screamed at, yanked about, smacked or punished in some way for taking so long and not listening.

Why on earth would a dog want to return to someone who does this to them!

Genetics may play a big part in this when an environment is far more stimulating and exciting.

Coming back to you is often the last thing a dog may want to do when genetic instinct is triggered.

An exciting scent or seeing something to chase can all override a response to recall.

Genetics aside, the most common reason that dogs don’t come back when called is because it’s not a positive experience.

Make coming back to you worth it by always making it a rewarding experience and keep practicing this throughout a dog’s life.

Have a little patience if it takes longer than you would like, let your dog finish what they’re doing before calling them, practice in different locations and environments and never reprimand or punish them for coming back.

There is never a guarantee of a perfect recall each and every time, but making it a rewarding experience will greatly improve the rate of success.

05/03/2024

Dogs and I were quite excited this morning to discover that our inland beach was back - woohoo! Much fun was had hooning on the sand and swimming and leaping around in general.

The river hasn't been this low in a long time...which isn't a fantastic sign but makes for a fun playground at least.

It seems that I have a treasure collector on my hands also...young Jasper likes to find dead things and run around with them...today started out with the pelvis of a (thankfully) long dead kangaroo, and once that *magically* found its way to the bottom of the river (cue panicked search by Jasper, wondering where his treasure had gone!!), he then joyfully discovered a stinking rotting Carp carcass nearby and gleefully ran around with it in his mouth and delighted in showing it to the gentleman who had turned up to start fishing just as we were leaving...

Of course, once I convinced him to drop it and leave it, Wanda decided it needed to be rolled in...yep, thankfully it was only a short drive to home for everyone to have much needed "eau de Carp" de-stinking bath time 😉

26/02/2024

Sharing...for those who need to know this :)

Let's reconsider the Puppy Socialization Checklist. Instead of overwhelming lists, let's focus on what's truly crucial for puppy and adolescent pet parents. What matters most from puppyhood through adolescence are positive life experiences that encompass Agency, Safety, Sniffing for decompression, Relaxation, Breed-specific mental and physical enrichment, Secure Relationships, Predictability, Patterns, Precedence (PPPs), and Social Support. Let's prioritize these elements to raise resilient puppies and adolescents to be well-rounded adult dogs.

10/01/2024

I do this with my dogs and my recent litter of puppies were also introduced to scatter feeding and they loved it! I highly recommend doing this...it's excellent for those days when you're sick and can't do much and once your dog is used to the idea you can up the ante also and start hiding the food around your yard instead of just scattering it and then let them enjoy the fun of finding all the places it's hidden! They love it!

30/12/2023

Take care of your dogs this evening - not many like the sound of fireworks, especially if they are let off very close by. I always have mine inside, with the radio or television on, loudly, to help cover up the sound but even then, if fireworks are let off very close by, this doesn't help.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve. This means fireworks, which are often a cause of fear for our pooches. More dogs are reported missing on NYE than any other time. Please keep them safe and secure.

23/12/2023

Oh I love this game...and is literally how I am trying young Jasper (now 8 months old) to learn to stay - especially a sit stay - he finds down stays much easier to do.

Why teach your dog to stay though? Well, a stay is a useful tool in real life - even just for things such as getting your dog out of the car - teach them to sit/stay whilst you clip the lead on instead of charging out of the car whilst you frantically try to grab their collar.

Want to pose your dog for nice photos? A solid stay is crucial for this also.

So, get busy training and you will be well rewarded!

19/12/2023

Celebrating my girl dogs and all the joy they bring me 🙂

This year has been very up and down for me and I didn't get to that many dog events/trials in reality, so I was delighted to receive a few special things at the recent ACT Companion Dog Club annual awards.

Much to my surprise, my beautiful Wanda was awarded the 2023 Novice (Obedience) Pointscore Trophy, which is for the dog/handler team who achieves the highest aggregate score whilst achieving their CD (Companion Dog) obedience title.

Billie and I also received a lovely framed Canine Citizenship Award for our work in Pets as Therapy during the past 12 months.

Both girls also received commemorative coasters for titles gained since November last year - Billie having gained her SWN (Scent Work Novice) and her TK.S (Trick Starters) titles and Wanda for her CD (Companion Dog) and RA (Rally Advanced) titles.

And at the The ACT Gundog Society AGM in November, the girls both received lovely commemorative trophies for these titles also.

Looking forward to what 2024 brings and more training and trialling adventures with the girls (and now 1 brown boy too), and time spent with like minded friends and other dog people, and enjoying the journey that our dogs take us on.

12/12/2023

This one goes out to my other family members! You know who you are! ;P

08/12/2023

With really hot conditions forecast in the Canberra region and surrounds, tomorrow and the coming week, please be prepared and take care of your animals and remember that the very young and the very old, need a lot more care and attention in these weather extremes.

Keep your animals cool

It's so important to make sure you're all prepared during hot weather to care for your pets, livestock and even native wildlife.

All pets must have access to cool, shady areas. It is ideal to bring pets indoors (where possible) on hot days. If you're feeling warm, chances are they are too. Make sure the animals' enclosures are out of direct sunlight and protected from the sun as the shade moves throughout the day.

Small pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, are particularly susceptible to heat. Short nosed or flat faced dog breeds are also more susceptible to heat stroke e.g. Pugs, English and French bulldogs. If allowed free run in a laundry or bathroom, they will benefit from the cool tiles. If this is not possible, drape their cage with wet towels and provide a sturdy ice pack or frozen water bottle for the animal to lean against so it can regulate its own body temperature.

Provide plenty of fresh, cool water in large water containers. Be sure to provide multiple containers in case one is spilled. Place the containers in the shade and add some ice to the water to keep it cool.

Extreme heat is a challenge for everyone especially our pets. During heat waves and hot days it is vital that you take extra precautions to keep your pets cool and prevent them from falling victim to heat exhaustion.

Never leave animals in a vehicle, in the sun, even with the windows down! Animals can’t sweat; heat stress and death can occur within six minutes.

If your pet seems to be in discomfort, try wetting their feet and misting water onto their face. This is an option for dogs, cats, ferrets, poultry and caged birds as many animals control their inner temperature through their feet. It's important not to saturate a bird's feathers as this can cause them to go into shock.

If you are unsure about the health of your pet during hot days - seek veterinary advice immediately.

For more species specific information check out our Pets & Heatwaves link here:
https://www.animalcareaustralia.org.au/pets-and-heatwaves/

Join ACA today: https://www.animalcareaustralia.org.au/join/

08/12/2023

Who else is following along and doing some of the SpiritDog Training games with their dogs? Loads of fun suggestions :)

Click into their page to see the other past days fun ideas to get creative and have some fun with your training! :)

24/11/2023

For anyone local to Canberra area, interested in a GSP puppy - Queanbeyan based breeder Kayla, has a few puppies available from her current litter. Details below if you'd like to get in touch to have a chat/arrange a meeting. Dad is the current top winning show GSP in the country, imported from the USA and mum is from working lines.

24/11/2023

For my page followers...Wanda's breeder has this rather cute little man, looking for his forever family...beautifully bred from some lovely old US imported lines...and no doubt related to my Wanda somewhere in there too ;-) Send them a message if you're interested - little man is located in Victoria

💚 Our beautiful Lime boy is looking for his special family - he’s such a happy confident and definitely handsome little man 💚

For more information send us a message or you can fill in an enquiry form found on our website.

20/11/2023

Just passing this interesting chart that I found recently, along.

It's well and truly, tick season, here in Australia and from all accounts, it's a bad season so please make sure your dog/s are on a preventative when in known tick areas.

Also - be sure to check yourselves too - I know someone who had an anaphylactic reaction to a tick bite recently - scary stuff! Am hearing lots of reports of ticks on people too and trust me, having had a paralysis tick on myself, they make you very sick also - I joke with my GP about wearing tick collars on myself every time I go to the coast now ;-)

20/11/2023

Hi everyone, just sharing, to help spread the word, as this boy sounds lovely - just needs the right home.

14/10/2023

Jasper says to Vote Yes! With a recommendation like that, how could you possibly go wrong??!!😀👍

11/10/2023

These little cuties, and their beautiful mumma, are available for adoption. Mum is a purebred GSP, and the puppies are GSP x ??

Location is Victoria

Yes, the adoption fee is higher than normal (just stating this as a few naysayers are commenting about it), but in this instance, poor mum had a gore injury from pig hunting, that had been left untreated by her "owner", so this rescue organisation has paid for her surgery for that, plus then a c-section for the delivery of these puppies, as well as raising them for 8 weeks - so the fee is there to help them try to cover the costs involved.

Note that you need to contact the Rescue organisation as detailed in the post below, and not GSP Rescue QLD - they're just passing the information along.

Feel free to share too please and let's see if we can't help this little family find some loving new homes :)

13/09/2023

It's that time of year...our resident snakes are out and about with the warmer weather, so I am sharing this article which includes some tips on what to do to deter them etc. Be vigilant with your dogs and keep them safe when out and about too.

As the weather warms, you’ll notice more wildlife appearing in your backyard – including snakes. Taronga Zoo keeper Emma Bembrick shares her top tips for safely interacting with these reptiles.

12/09/2023

Stolen from a friend...but really important for all dog owners to know and understand this

30/08/2023

Hi everyone! Yep, the page has been a bit quiet, sorry about that!

I have been unwell and been having lots of medical appointments and treatment but in between, busily doing dog stuff and getting Jasper out and about into the world :)

A bit of an update for you all about Jasper! 2 weekends ago, he had his dog show debut. We travelled to some smaller country shows in country NSW, at Ganmain (out past Wagga/Junee area) and to my great surprise and excitement also, he had a dream start to his show career, by taking out best Baby Puppy in Show (puppies under 6 months of age) at BOTH the Saturday and Sunday show and one of these wins was under a GSP Breed Specialist judge also. Despite being a bit naughty (well, not naughty really, just lack of training on my part LOL), he was such a good boy and took it all in his stride, although he was a bit over it come Sunday afternoon :)

He also had his first trip away from the big dogs, his first long car trip and his first time away in the caravan. Whilst at the show, we also walked him around the Ganmain aggie show, through side show alley, watched the sheepdogs work etc and he didn't bat an eyelid at any of it - even failing to notice the biggest Brahman Bull I've ever seen, being walked straight past him LOL

Just super proud of him and how he is taking everything in his stride and couldn't have asked for a better start to his show career.

A few photos below from the weekend - yes, I am still smiling LOL