Sandra777

Sure is

But this is sooooo much cuter frufru!

Get him accustomed to certain verbal signals, such as stop, wait, left, right, up, step - can be as many or few as you want. If/when he eventually goes completely blind he will then know these commands mean something is in his path. I had a blind one, she was quite happy so long as we didn't move things around, but if you do just make sure to introduce him to the new things on a lead so you can stop him crashing in to things (this is if/when he's competely blind). Have a look around the place and see if there's any blind corners (pardon the pun) that he could walk in to but would have to back out of - sometimes old dogs have problems backing up with their stiff hips. Never easy seeing them getting older but there's a lot we can do to help using our smart forward thinking brain

Hi - a puppy buyer wants some recommendations for kennels. They're at Camp Hill but he's prepared to travel. I intend to recommend White Rose at Walloon since then they can come and visit LOL but any other suggestions? Neutered male Stafford, will be just over a year old when they need the boarding, he's a lovely dog but willful as Staffords are. Not (yet!) dog aggressive but a rough player so needs a place which doesn't just chuck everything out togther They want a place for Christmas so will need to hurry up ! TIA

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are right up there as one of the most popular breeds and they are NOT "pretty suitable for the vast majority of homes" so what makes the Labrador any different?? Far too many people who shouldn't own a pet rock let alone a dog buy a Lab because they believe they come fully trained - IMO nothing to do with the breed being suitable, all to do with the perception that they are born as the "perfect family pet".

Um, house train the dog? No peeing won't stop when he's neutered, not even marking typing peeing. See 1 above Sounds normal to me for a dog which has (obviously) never been taught to be alone. Being alone is a very unnatural state for a dog, they have to be taught right from the start that alone is OK. Also sounds perfectly normal for me that a cross between two extremely people-orientated companion breeds should be people orientated. What else does he have to do in the yard - toys? places he is allowed to dig? Food-dispenser treat ball type things. Some dogs are obsessed with digging but mostly dogs that dig are BORED. What's so gross about cat poo, have you tried it? Normal dog behaviour. Chewing up pegs - well have you ever taught him that pegs AREN'T for chewing? What else does he have to chew (dogs have a natural need to chew) - toys? bones? See 3 above. He follows you because he can and he gets distressed because he's never been taught that being alone is OK See 3 and 6. Have you ever taught him a greeting behaviour that you would like him to perform (like sit, lie down) Peeing. He's not house trained. Go back to the beginning. Scub your house with something to remove the dog pee smell (professional carpet cleaners if need be). Buy a crate or if you must, a play pen. Google crate training. Take it from there. This will also help the scratching thing to a degree because being crate trained also means he learns to be alone. Make it impossible for him to reach the door when he's outside - barrier of some sort - and provide lots of exciting stuff to do AWAY from the door. You will probably need to teach him to be alone - in 5 second bursts to start with. Google separation anxiety which will give you some ideas but it doesn't sound to me as if he's got serious separation anxiety but he could well end up this way if it's not sorted. Exercise off your property. Training either obedience or tricks. Tire him out, make him work for things - Poodles are very clever (Cavs perhaps not quite so much ) and any dog with a clever little brain needs that brain to be used or they go slightly bonkers - which is why the oodle fad is so very tragic, thousands of Poodle crosses out there all expected to behave like stuffed toys.

Different breeds, different needs but a loud noise (drop a pot next to them) will often work. If not, go straight to intervention, one person grab each dog by the backlegs and lift up. Yours are Bassets aren't they? In this case, perhaps lifting by the backlegs could be a bad idea. Tipping a bowl of water over their heads helps for many breeds. Physically dragging dogs away from each other can often make a small bite into a long tear if one dog has hold of the other. Do NOT put your hands anywhere near their teeth! IMO - no. Does it take Fred longer to finish his raw food - if so, definitely feed them apart in separate areas. Yes - except it won't be out of the blue - there will have been something that you have missed which started it. I would just let her interact with Fred without any food or toys being present, no favouritism, no making them come together for group cuddles. She is much older than him isn't she? If so, I would have a full physical, dogs will sometimes get very touchy with each other if one is unwell or ''failing'' Have a shot of something yourself, or hot tea if you must - a fight is always a good way to get the heart rate up

yep, totally agree - he choked, no toxic reaction going on here.

Think you've been told quite enough not to so I'll give "why' a go Puppies need to learn how to be dogs, this information doesn't come built in. A good bitch will teach her pups just so much in the time between 6 and 9 weeks - how to speak dog if you please. Staffords of all breeds really REALLY need to be well acquainted with correct dog language, they are a breed which is more likely to be aggressive than fearful if they feel threatened or uncertain, which a dog which doesn't speak dog very well can feel in a lot of every day situations. If there's one thing this world doesn't need is another "'staffy'' attacking some ''poor innocent'' dog in a dog park. Staffords looooove using their teeth, not necessarily nastily but they loooooove to chew and bite. Pups in a litter teach each other bite inhibition and, perhaps just as importantly, how to control their pressure and strength when they do bite. By bite I don't mean attack, I mean simple every day things like playing and accidentally making contact with people-skin. Lastly, because it is against the code of ethics of the ANKC to release puppies at this age, you seriously have to ask yourself about the OTHER things this ''breeder'' might not be doing correctly. There are literally thousands of Stafford puppies out there, you won't miss out by waiting and buying from someone who demonstrates their concern for their puppies in a pretty basic way like keeping them until they're old enough to be rehomed. The ONLY exception would be if the pup is a single puppy which was orphaned at birth, and even then the breeder is still bound by the COE not to place it at six weekes anyway.

Um, I am assuming this breed isn't MEANT to have a reverse scissor bite? We all do know that there are some breeds where "undershot" is actually correct.

When the dog comes in the ring the judge should be able to see if it has correct breed type, correct angles (movement tells you this) and basics like correct topline for the breed. When they approach the dog from the front they should be able to see if it has a correct front, correct depth of brisket, correct forechest. Up to this point the dog is fabulous - the most stunning thing they have ever seen. They open the lips and find a reverse scissor bite. Dog is now total rubbish to be thrown from the ring in disgrace and banned forever from the sight of people who would be offended by such a serious fault. While the winner is.... the dog with zero breed type and generic show dog movement. Oh but wait - it doesn't have any glaringly obvious faults. Except for one - a total lack of virtue.

Oh doG forbid that a dog with an actual (swoon) fault should be in the show ring. The rings would be pretty damn empty if all the dogs with (gasp) faults were taken out. OP - if the breeder is OK with you showing the dog then do it, and since they wanted to breed from her I guess they're not too fussy about that sort of thing BUT....... Is your daughter old enough and mentally mature enough to cope with coming last (out of 2 or 20, last is still last)? Is your daughter able to cope with the idea that a judge may tell her, either politely or rudely, that her much loved pet is not going to be any good in the show ring? Is your daughter OK with total strangers being incredibly rude to her, staring at her and her much loved pet and turning their back on her? When I started showing the breeder of my dog lived a looong way away - almost an hour's drive I got help from a woman much closer who had a similar breed who showed me how to fill in an entry form, how to stack my dog and what to practice at home. I had a lot of fun and that dog actually turned out to be a big winner and every dog I now own bar one is descended from him. I have shown dogs with quite obvious faults and whoever said an undershot dog won't win is wrong! For good judges who actually know something about the breeds they're judging the virtues of the dogs in front of them far outweighs their faults - and so it should be. Nope, I doubt you have the next BIS winner there, but if your daughter is keen and sensible then it could be the start of a life long passion for dog shows.

Whole fish such as whatever you can buy and whatever is a sensible price for you Yep - bones and all. Personally if I had a dog with issues I'd use a white fish rather than an oily one but as you boy's fine with canned sardines (isn't he?) that shouldn't be a worry. Anything raw (so not smoked fish) is fine. Mine don't like salmon heads (too many eyes mummy ;) ) but many do. Egg - raw and the whole thing including the shell. Stick the dog outside and hand him the egg - great entertainment for people and dog. Can't help with the sweet potato/pumpkin, I don't use it - but I'd say at a guess cooked and mashed would help fill the gap (which is all it's for)

Roo bones (meat on for preference) and whole fish if you've decided to go with the roo & fish. The thing is dogs can't break down the cell walls in vege so unless it's crushed for them they can get very little out of it, which is why people say pureed. I know some vege cell walls break down when cooked but I couldn't even begin to figure out which ones. Basically 2% of his body weight per day is about the right amount of food and it doesn't have to include any starches/carbs if you don't want it to. Personally I'd ditch the pasta/rice/grains immediately and if you really want to "bulk up" his meals - not that a roo tail needs all that much bulking - then give him sweet potato or pumpkin but you just never know, it could be the vege causing the problem if it's not a new thing to him. Give him bones of a type that he can consume completely so this all depends on the dog.

Bacon bones are a definite no-no, bacon is a cured meat, originally cured with salt but now who-knows-what. Definitely not a good bone for a dog. He'll like it because it is salty and dogs lurve salty things. Sorry, I've not been following this closely but if your dog is not very young or very old and is otherwise healthy, give him the food you have decided is dinner and leave him to it for ten minutes, if he doesn't eat take it away and feed him NOTHING until the next meal time, then give him the same type of food again (could be the exact same food, but maybe not if it's a bit dodgy). A healthy dog will not starve itself for long.

You've had the pup 3 or 4 days - leave his food alone!!!! Nature's Gift is OK, not perfect but OK. Leave him on this for AT LEAST a week so he can settle into his new home first. To introduce a new food you may need to soak a few biscuits (and I mean only 4 or 5) and mix the 'slop' in with the canned food so he can get used to the very different taste. Do this for three or four meals. Then give him a ''meal'' which is only biscuits - just two or three to start with if need be. Put them in the normal place where he's fed at the time he's most hungry (usually breakfast but not always) and walk away. If he doesn't eat them in 10 minutes pick them up and give him nothing else until the next meal time, when he gets a few biscuits ONLY. If he eats them, give him a reduced amount of the canned food and next meal do exactly the same thing except with more biscuits.

Tablets yes, the chewables no - because the medication apparently isn't necessarily evenly spread through the chew? I usually buy the biggest tablets I can get and divide them up - usually much cheaper.

I have no hassles giving a 15kg bitch 5ml 4 times a day. Generally I give them that much for 3 to 4 days after whelping (until their milk has come in) then drop it back to 5ml twice a day until the pups are abour 10-14 days old, then up it again. Recommend? Well no, every bitch is different and you have to do what you're comfortable with but for me it gives me peace of mind. I have never had a "nervy" "restless" mum since doing this, always contented and happy so if it's a co-incidence I'm happy with that

I would phone the breeder NOW and specifically ask if there is a contract and if so, to send you a copy. I can't remember the number of sad stories I have heard of people rocking up to collect their puppy, all excited and being presented with a contract, which they sign without reading properly and then find out binds them to all sorts of weird and unfair terms. I'm not saying the breeder you have chosen is going to do this to you, but pre-warned and all that! Just phone them and ask.

I've had two maiden bitches whelp big litters - one of 9 the other 10 (Staffords too). Didn't supplement any of the pups but fed the mothers huge amounts of food. Personally I wouldn't be feeding a lactating bitch much vegetable, IMO they need the room in their stomaches for food they can actually use - lots of meat and bone and I do artifically supplement calcium (Calcium Sandoz) due to once having a bitch with only a smaller litter crash with eclampsia, scary scary scary. She's a daughter of the bitch who had 10 first up and grand dam of the bitch who had 9 (she herself had 9 in her second litter but it was her 3rd and final litter of 5 which caused the problmes). Sometimes people like to rotate the pups, some in a heated box some with mum, but I've always found this upsets my bitches - it all depends on the bitch I suppose.

Dogs can't lick their own chin

x2 - with dogs that size I'd be looking at a half or whole chicken each, lamb necks, mutton flaps and that sort of thing. When adding new things do it bit by bit - don't add a pile of things all at once until the dogs are used to variety. I know some giant breed raw feeders use rolled oats, you could no doubt find someone a bit more experienced with giant breed raw feeding to help on that one. Veges are a waste of time unless crushed - but if all you want to do is fill up a bottomless pit then raw vege would do the job

Unfortunately if you lived in Papakura and saw a group of youths doing something like this you would be wise NOT to interfer unless armed

Pups have quite definite personalities which are as obvious as they are in adults. I can't speak for all breeds but IME.. Some are cute little snugglers that gaze adoringly at you, (usually end up being happy, slightly goofy adults) Others fight and bite and resist any attempt to snuggle and as for adoring gazing - nup rather bite you on the nose. (usually end up being quite self-possessed adults, generally very bold and intelligent but can be quite independent and stubborn) Some are relaxed about being picked up and moved around, (good for cuddly homes, tend to be quite overwhealming if not trained to get off sometimes!) Others hate it and scream the place down if denied what they want (tougher minded individuals, not usually suited to the novice owner) Some are happy to play tug with you, (usually the more independent ones) others would rather grab the toy and run off (usually the cheeky happy ones) The bitch I mentioned above would scream and attack the fence if separated from what she wanted, try to climb over obstacles even if she fell off them ten times, and if you picked her up while she was doing something she wanted to do she'd screech and carry on like a kid having a tanty in a supermarket. Yes, some of it is related to the parents' temperament but not all of it.

Absolutely. I bred a litter and someone with experience in the breed wanted a pup for show/breeding. The 2nd pick bitch was an obnoxious brat of a puppy but the guy was experienced and was happy to take on a challenge. He did well with her in the ring, then phoned me when she was about 14 months old and, very embarassed ask if he could send her back because they had a personality clash. It was nothing to do with her being untrained or anything like that, she was just a brat of a dog. I took her back and yes, I agreed with him, she was a brat - bossy, opinionated, impossible to reason with and prone to trantrums I got her title on her and then rehomed her to a family which had always had Rottweilers and wanted to show something smaller. They loved her to bits until the day she died - still throwing tantrums and being bossy at 17 years! They loved her strong personality and weren't at all intimidated by her pushy ways (guess at 15kg she was small fry after Rottweilers ;) )