Sandra777

I would suggest lots of leash walking, slow and on the flat. Playing with toys and moving around in the house surely involves more twisting turning and chances to slip on the floor etc. QUIET slow walk then back in the crate. Two or three walks of 1/2-3/4 an hour each per day wouldn't be excessive - but slow and quiet, and if she's a shocking puller then maybe not!

And to pinch an idea someone else on here had a while ago - when you go and look; if the big grass exercise runs are all pretty and green and tidy then it's a fair bet that dogs hardly ever get to go in them! At this time of year I would expect to see bald patches and dust and maybe even the odd little hole, but obviously not mountains of dog poo! Inspect - and if you are not allowed to inspect do not even consider leaving your dog there. A lot of places are fine with inspections any time during opening hours, but some places have specific inspection times. Whatever you do - don't turn up OUTSIDE opening hours and expect a warm welcome :-) It might seem like a lovely cushy job but kennels (especially at this time of year!) are busy and demanding places - the staff and owner/manager get little enough down time as it is.

Well if they SWALLOW it there's nothing you need to do. If it gets STUCK then you can try retrieving it with your fingers if the dog is fairly calm (don't try it if the dog is nearly unconcious or freaking out - you will get bitten & it won't be the dog's fault). Try sticking your finger in the side of their mouth, all the way to the back on the outside of the gum then flick the obstruction loose with the end of your finger inserted into the mouth behind the back teeth. You might still get bitten but if you stick your hand right between all their incisors and canines then you will likely get bitten much more severely. You can try picking the dog up under the stomach, directly behind the ribs, holding it head-lowered and sort of shaking, building up to a jerk somewhat like the human heimlich manoevre. For a small dog you could try holding it completely upside down (not by the back legs, hold around the pelvis) and shake firmly but only up and down - side to side shaking could damage the neck/spine. Generally picking them up (or half up if a large dog) and tipping them dislodges most things. You can try dropping them on their side on the ground from 4-6 inches (or less for a tiny dog) if the tipping doesn't work - basically forcing the air out of their lungs by 'dropping' them on their ribcage. You can try removing the obstruction with a pair of needle-nose pliers or similar. This is likely to end up with the dog breaking some teeth if it bites the pliers, but that's better than a dead dog. If your dog starts choking it's a really really scary thing if you're not mentally prepared - but panicing only freaks the dog out more and makes it even more difficult to manage, so do your best to stay calm. Remember you have 1-2 minutes to act which doesn't sound like much but is a lot more than you'd think when you're in an emergency situation.

Unfortunately, if Banjo has been doing this all his life then it will be a habit that will be very very hard to break. It's not always something missing in the diet, often it starts in puppy hood if the dog is bored or kept in a small area which isn't cleaned up well or lives with other dogs that do it. Sometimes a dog will start doing this when s/he or another dog is fed food which they can't digest properly - either because of the type of food or because of something amiss with the dog iteself - and what comes out still looks/smells like food. Being natural opportunists they will see if it is food and it's self-rewarding it quickly becomes a habit. How to stop it? Hmmm Clean up straight away is the obvious one but not always possible as you know. Ignore it. The habit is disgusting to us but is natural to dogs. If none of the other dogs looks like they want to copy him and you can ignore it then it actually won't kill him. (I have a 15 year old bitch here who's always done it, hasn't killed her LOL) Add pineapple juice or pulp to the food of ALL the dogs (a tablespoon per day for a 15kg dog works for me). Pineapple is a natural meat tenderiser and will help all the dogs digest their food better so leave less "residue" so to speak. This won't help a lot if it's a long-ingrained habit as he no longer does it because it tastes like food. It will make some dogs gassy.... You can also buy very expensive products from the vet to do the same job. "Boobytrap" some droppings with hot chilli sauce or something else really nasty tasting (to a dog). If it is a new habit this may help - if it's an old habit it'll probably just make him more careful. Change ALL the dogs to a completely raw diet quite high in bone - and then what comes out is dry and powders very quickly - never seen a dog eat that LOL Maybe someone else has other ideas

Can't help with the problem as such but personally I would see his being 'aggressive' or 'more pushy' or whatever you want to call it as a sign that something IS wrong and he is NOT being his normal self. Does he go out of his way to be pushy with the other dogs or is it more he reacts more forcefully if they approach? I would stop the scourban and maybe try probiotics but to me this change of personality does indicate he is uncomfortable or unhappy about something.

Well personally I don't think you could go past a Staffordshire Bull Terrier - the ultimate children's dog, short haired so virtually no grooming, doesn't dribble, happy with a game and a walk to school and back. That said there is NO SUCH THING as a dog that is "totally bombproof" with children. Dogs are dogs and can't say when they've had enough. IMO the smaller the dog the more chance a child has of accidentally or deliberately hurting it and earn themselves a defensive bite or nip.

I can't answer your questions about French Bulldogs in particular but if your bitch has full registration and you want to show her you can, as long as you realise that she probably won't win with the breed faults you've described. IMO she shouldn't be bred from if she has breathing problems caused by some physical problem but this doesn't mean you can't go along to some shows, have some fun and meet some like minded people - just don't expect to win. Of course some people won't agree with this and are horrified by the idea of someone showing a dog which is not show quality, but if you choose to do so that's your right so long as you understand that when your girl doesn't win much it's not because it's "rigged" or "dishonest" but because she's not good enough to win. Is there a club near where you live - often breed clubs hold members days and fun things where you could meet other breed people and other French Bulldogs.

Could be that it is the side he sleeps on most. I have a dog that only matts behind one elbow - she always lies with her hind legs one way and slightly leaning towards the side that matts.

Only 2 weeks ago I had my beautiful young Stafford dog die eating a brisket bone - it lodged in his throat, he suffocated and died in my arms. He WAS supervised, none of my dogs get anything to eat unless I am there to supervise. Please don't leave your dog alone with any bone he could conceivably get a piece off which is too big to swallow but small enough to tempt him to try. I have fed my dogs raw food for 30 years, including brisket bones. I will never ever get over the memory of my gorgeous boy's eyes glazing over while he struggled to live and I struggled to save him.

Does she know sit and wait any other time? Sorry, but you don't say if she's knows how to do this without the distraction of her meal. I would teach her to sit and wait for a tit bit first before even attempting to make her wait for her food. Could you put the bowl down then let her into the room (on a lead) so you're not trying to balance the bowl and control her too? Tell her sit, then as you start to bend to put the bowl down watch her and the second she moves, stand up straight again and tell her sit, this way you're getting in before she has a chance to get her face in the bowl and self-reward. This may well mean it takes some time for her to get her food LOL