Belijae

A couple of the clicker training books that I have been reading suggest hanging a bell by the door. Rig it every time she goes out to get her to realize this sound means she gets the door opened. you can create interest in it by smearing peanut butter (or similar) on the bell and when she inadvertently rings it to get the peanut butter, you open the door, showing that she can open the door with the ring of a bell. Ignoring whining, pawing and such, but rewarding the bell ring with an open door would hopefully eliminate the undesired behavior, because it gets her nowhere. You can make a portable version to take to other places too. If she's not allowed in your family members house, well that's another matter. I haven't got that far yet either.

I think I have inch plant, turtle vine and possibly Scury weed is my garden! (Thanks for that link Hesapandabear) We've just bought home our dally pup Forge yesterday, and I thought the outside of his ears looked red last night. He's been whining at apparently nothing all day today and has been stopping to lick his feet and tummy a fair bit too. I thought it may have been too much sun so I've kept him mostly in the shade, or that the grass was irritating him so I mowed this morning. I think I have a lot of gardening to do...

In relation to the brand called 'addiction'... they ain't wrong! We had a girl Tess who we used to feed roo meat. When we couldn't get it anymore, she would refuse to eat what she was offered. I can't remember how long she lasted, but eventually gave in to eating chicken. My dad maintains that roo is an addictive meat. He loves roo steaks too. I am tossing up whether to go for Nutro or eagle pak with my new pup - all this recall stuff is pretty scary.

Type your dogs weight into the calculator. To get 2% of his/her weight mulpitply (X) by .02 For example : 20kg dog... 20 x .02 = .4 which would be 400 grams of food. (.4 of a kilogram) Then if you want to find 35% of that 400 grams, you would type 400 x .35 = 140 (grams of meaty bones) 45% : x .45 5% : x .05 10% x .10 Does that make sense? Hope it helps.

oh, dear. ... I love the "oops" at the end. classic.

I'm glad that you haven't had to deal with stones again juice, and that every thing's fine now - it's good to know what definitely works and what doesn't! Thanks for that too MontysMum - thats two crosses for science diet. Nutro does look very good. Oh, and the breeder said they used to feed just raw (and does for her other dogs), but their male Dally (who turned two yesterday) gets the premium dry to keep the weight on him, and now so does mum to be for all her puppy growing needs - she's a bit bigger, but it may just be the extra food she's getting. ETA-Janba! You snuck that post in while I was writing. Thanks! The Heritage project looks very interesting.

Are there certain types of fish which are bad - whether for bones that cause issues, or for heavy metals (Mercury and such) or any other reason?

Thank you all very much! I like to hear differing opinions - a different angle on things is always helps.

Oh, good. My plan thus far was pretty much what you guys have said. I was considering Nutro or Eagle pack for the dry component. I'll keep in mind to choose the ones with low amount of protein - I had previously been concerned with type rather than amount. I'll check out bonnie white & lite and see if I can get it. Do you mean supplement as in: - mince mix one day, dry food the next - you use dry when you run out of mince mix or something else...? Knew about organ meats, but will be avoiding beef now The breeder feeds raw, but I can't remember if they feed it exclusively or in combination with other stuff... I'll ask when I see them tonight. Thanks everyone!

Ok, so with impending arrival of "My pup", I have been reading lots of stuff about nutrition because Dalmatians are special I was wondering what DOLers feed their Dals (and any other special info about raising a happy healthy Dal). Cheers big ears - Belinda

Could be attention seeking... This may have happened to her in this situation in the past. Could also be 'warding off' the unfamiliar. It can be reassuring to the dog if you check out the situation (without paying her attention) when they bark so that they know that you've got it all sussed out and everything's fine, coupled with familiarising her with cars and people walking past isn't something to worry about - same sort of thing Stitch and Reddii are talking about. Rewarding quiet calm behaviour and ignoring/correcting (remember any attention - even negative - can reward) unwanted behaviour. You could teach her the "enough" command, so that when you tell her enough she knows to stop barking. Good Luck!

Yup, thats pretty much what I was thinking - the only other advice that I would suggest is that you have to make them want to be with you more than they want to be with any other (dog in particular), this goes hand in hand with being the leader, more assertive, and more fun/beneficial than any other. It's going to be tricky with two at once, but hang in there and see what a pro has to say - you can do iiiiiit Edit for spellaning

Aww, Shes beaut! ... Don't forget to visit the dally photo thread

Congrats ! Laffi is Gorgeouz

Hi midweek, Welcome to DOL Congratulations on your new pup! ... It's very generous of you to offer a deaf pup a loving him - boy you've got some work ahead of you! Here are a couple of websites for training deaf dogs: http://www.deafdogs.org/training/ http://www.wagntrain.com/deaf_dog.htm - this one has lots of great links oh, and this is all about a deaf dally called Humphrey http://www.deafdal.co.uk/Training.htm - really good tips! - and if you google 'deaf dog' or 'train deaf dog', you'll get enough info to fill your boots :D Good luck, don't give up and let us know how you go! ETA - don't forget to give us some piccies too

I was at a local club on Monday and there was a tiny toy poodle that executed the course very well... except she kept running through the tunnel every time it came into her line of sight about 4 times extra. Every one was in hysterics. ... I'll be getting a dally pup soon and I'm a little concerned that all they want to do is fool around halfway through, after the pair I saw at the same club did their run... oh well, I didn't want to be a serious contender anyway (ps. I'd love to see any vids of successful agility dalmatians if anyone knows where to find one)

...bean bag balls...

Aw, Raja is just a big bully

If you reckon it might be a problem to bring the new pup straight into your yard, you can have your two dogs meet on neutral ground (an area that Zephyr doesn't consider his territory) for their first meeting. Otherwise, just make sure that Zephyr gets lots of attention so he doesn't feel threatened. It can help to resolve tension if Zephyr gets everything first (first greetings, first treats, first to get food - though this could be tricky with a young pup who is fed 3 or four times a day), the best spots, first pick of things etc. which tells him he is still top dog and lets the new arrival know he is second in line. Hopefully everything will go smooth and Zephyr will relish his new playmate. good luck!

That is fantastic! The dogs look like they're having the time of their life! Gee, where do you start teaching your dog/learning yourself that kind of stuff? Looks like doing obedience work would sure help out with hand signals... do you guys just have a bop sometimes and see what you dog does, how they interact with you? I guess some dogs would kind of follow your lead and others would need much more structured training... wow, I don't know if there is enough time in the world to do all the things I would like to try out between freestyle, obedience, agility, flyball, frisbee, lure coursing, endurance... I have no doubt the list will increase from here. Maybe you could post on here or a new thread if you work something out with freestyle is Bris, I'd love to learn more or see some in real life - shame I just heard about the Mary Ray seminar last year, oh well, next time!

Could someone enlighten me as to what freestyle is? I am interested in EVERYTHING that I might do with my potential puppy. I assume that there isn't a club for it where I can learn from (assumption made based on last two posts), or is there?

Dalmatians are particularly prone to forming stones due to their rather unique urinary systems (as far as dogs go). The suggested diet for dals to avoid (or at least minimize the chance of) stones is one low in purines as well as plenty of fresh water constantly available. I am unsure if the same will apply for your girl, but I'm sure your vet will be able to tell you. There is also medication that can be taken to help. These sites may explain a bit if you are interested... Urinary Stone-Forming in Dalmatians and Other Dogs Lukius Dalmatians - This is a dalmatian site but has very in depth information on stone forming

From what I can see - and I am by no means an expert...yet ;) - smaller dogs can do it if they are willing! I found this on the Agility Dog Association of Australia (ADAA) website under FAQs - how high does my dog have to jump? I didn't know how big your 'devil dog' is so I included the two smallest size divisions. Also here is a link to ADAA if you wanna check it out for yourself - ADAA ETA: Also from ADAA in the clubs section... and Sorry got a bit carried away...

It must take so much time and patience to train a dog like that - but you can tell moses was into it with that waggly tail . I love the high fives too!

Just another technique - if you yelp like a pup this can indicate to your little one that they are being too ruff and then ignore them. This is how litter mates will communicate that he is bitting too hard - the yelp bit that is. Maybe give it a try. That is one little cutie by the way.