Mokey

Kings Langley, just off the M2 or M7.

I was hoping I could get a recommendation or two for a good groomer. We have 2 Samoyeds who I regularly brush and they've been hydrobathed by local mobile groomers before. However, they don't really get brushed and defluffed very well. Can someone recommend a groomer who will give them the "full" treatment please? -Mokey

This article really helped me. http://users.tpg.com.au/users/rloftus/weaving.htm My club uses plastic mesh attached to the poles that forces the dogs to weave between the poles. After training on this, my dog understood the "mesh game" but was clueless about the poles themselves. I had to set up a poles in my backyard and go through the training method explained in the article. Gigi now understands the "pole game" and we haven't gone back to the mesh game since! -Mokey

I have samoyeds and it doesn't work well on the long-haired parts of their body (which is most of it!). It works great on their back legs though. And it's fabulous for my short-haired cats, except one of them is almost bald now I furminated her so thoroughly... -Mokey

Where is the trial tomorrow? I'd love to go watch.

The Leichhardt Dog Training Club meets at Cafe Bones Sunday morning at 10:00. I've taken my dog there a few times and it was a nice, friendly environment. My husband was happy sitting in the shade with a cup of coffee too!

I would definitely try raw veggies as opposed to cooked. I can vouch for the excess gas part! I used a lot of cabbage in my last batch and boy, am I ever paying for it now! Definitely won't be doing that again. For white dogs, I'd avoid using a lot of beetroot as well. I noticed the beginnings of tear stains from it. - Mokey

Yay! Congrats on your promotion. Yellow is good fun and there are a few instructors who are really good (try to get in their classes if possible, we can chat next week about it.) - Mokey

Good luck! You must be so excited, wish I could go too (or at least steward) but I have something else on that weekend =( We'll be thinking of you. - Mokey

A daily brushing keeps mine looking good. I'm always surprised when people tell me how beautiful and white they look and it's been weeks since their last bath! With the samoyed coat though, stuff just seems to flake off it. Not sure how westies are, but good luck! - Mokey

I do the same as Mal. Afternoon meaty bones are from a variety of sources and I try to mix it up for them. The veggie mix may be the same for 2 weeks, until I make my next batch. I try to put in different things every time and there are always at least 5 types of veggies in each batch of mix.

Kelp is a valuble source of minerals in particular Iodine, Breakdown of Kelp - 15% sodium, 13% potassium, 3% calcium and trace amounts of iodine, manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, cobalt, chromium and molybdenum. Over feeding kelp as a supplement can be toxic to your dog causing it's thyroid to shutdown. My mix doesn't smell awful at all, I use all human grade ingredients and there's no 'pongy' odour - what particular mince are you using ? thanks for the kelp info! I've been using a mince of chicken frames from the butcher that we get our meat from. Our chicken has always been very fresh and good quality. It could just be the beet root I added the first time I made the mix. I was very slow at it and after about 3 hrs the smell started to get to me. (It was mostly processing the veggies in my food processor that took so long.)

btw, what does kelp add to the dogs diet? I am not currently including it as part of the mix, but will certainly do so if it's needed.

I'm fine with the fruit and veg mix, it smells good! It's when I add the chicken mince and have to mix it around (4 kgs mince, 4 kgs veg) + sardines + egg + wheat germ + brewer's yeast, etc. that it starts to smell unpleasant. I wear latex gloves and mix it around with my hands and the meat is pretty revolting. (I grew up in a vegetarian household, but I haven't been a veggie for years.) I like the idea of the take-out containers and reusing them (plus getting the mix into those baggies is a pain once your gloves get slippery from the fat) but how do you thaw them? Thanks for all the great replies fellow BARFers! - Mokey

Does anyone else mix the meat, veggies and extras together before weighing out portions and freezing in ziploc baggies? I've found this to be the easiest solution for mornings, because I just thaw and dump. Saves on baggies too! However, I have come to hate the smell of the mixture while I'm making it. (I've had to eliminate beet root entirely because of its distinctive smell.) Any experienced BARFers have any tips? Thanks! - Mokey

I'm assuming that I put the food bowl on the ground at some point in there. Could you please clarify when? (Sorry if this sounds stupid, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly!) Thank you, - Mokey

I'd try adding yogurt to his diet. The good bacteria in it are great for clearing up overgrowths of yeast. Look for one that has active cultures in it: acidophilus and bifidus. - Mokey

I'm pretty odour-sensitive and I find that the parfums bother me a lot more than the doggy smell does (samoyeds don't really have a doggy smell though.) Around the time we had purchased a citronella bark collar (which did nothing for the problem btw) my husband also purchased a doggy deodorant and sprayed our innocent cat with it... For a few days I was calling them "Citronella Dog" and "Old Spice Cat" and making superhero references. Anyway, I've found that a good brushing does the trick for my dogs (a change to a raw diet has helped too). Mokey

Wow! I never knew such a thing existed, thanks for posting about it. For anyone else curious, there are a few good video clips at this website http://bcfirst.com/paws/ and click on the PAWS 2 DANCE SCREENING ROOM. Some of the teams were so good and everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun. I have to admit though that I did giggle a bit during the novice group, I can put myself in their shoes so easily! Mokey

On hot days I make yogurt pops for them. I smash up some mango and mix it with plain yogurt, then freeze! They love them and freezing them makes it last a lot longer. I've also made them kong omelettes, with scrambled eggs and veggies - just pop them in the microwave. (I dab peanut butter onto the bottom so nothing runs out.) There are recipes on the Kong website too!

We only do agility. My dog has improved immensely in her focus and recall just from doing that. It's a fun thing that we do together, I don't feel we're missing out on anything by not doing formal Obedience training. Each dog and owner team is different, have fun and decide what works best for you!

I recently switched my dogs to a raw food diet. They love it, absolutely adore it. My female never was very excited about dry kibble and she was always a little underweight. Now she dives into her meal with enthusiasm. I get a couple of kilos of ground chicken carcasses and mix it with equal parts of lots of veggies that I whiz up in my food processor (no juicer yet!) Then I add a tin of sardines, 1 egg and wheat germ oil. Then I weigh out the appropriate portion sizes and ziploc baggy them up. They get this for breakfast and then a different type of raw bone (chicken necks, lamb flaps, etc) for afternoon tea. I'm trying to convince a friend who fishes to bring me anything he doesn't want! Anyway, other than their delight in the food, the immediate difference is in poo quality. Before my male dog was prone to diarrhea and wet 'patty-like' poos. Now they do lovely little small logs! I've also noticed a change in behavior, but this is a more difficult area to quantify. My female used to be hyper-active, like a kid on junk food. Now she is much calmer and focused. I'm sure that some of it is due to ongoing training, but part of it may be diet as well. Who knows for sure? I just know my dogs are happy and healthy. - Mokey

I'll be there with my samoyeds. They're all friendly and super-enthusiatic about meeting new people and dogs. Unfortunately my female, Gigi, is an excitement barker. We'll try to avoid alarming Xander and maybe he can meet Duke who is nice and calm.

Is this a fenced off-leash park? I've never been but would love to bring my dogs. Thanks!